bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Learning Spatial-Temporal Features of Ride-Hailing Services with Fusion Convolutional Networks
Authors: Zhang Dapeng , Xiao Feng , Kou Gang , Luo Jian , Yang Fan
Published: January 2023

Accurate and reliable taxi demand prediction is of great importance for intelligent planning and management in the transportation system. To collectively forecast the taxi demand in all regions of a city, many existing studies focus on the capturing of spatial and temporal correlations among regions but ignore the local statistical differences throughout the geographical layout of a city. This limits the further improvement of prediction accuracy. In this paper, we propose a new deep learning framework, called the locally connected spatial-temporal fully convolutional neural network ( LC-ST-FCN), to learn the spatial-temporal correlations and local statistical differences among regions simultaneously. We evaluate the proposed model on a real dataset from a ride-hailing service platform (DiDi Chuxing) and observe significant improvements compared with a bunch of baseline models. Besides, we further explore the working mechanism of the proposed model by visualizing its feature extraction processes. The visualization results showed that our approach can better localize and capture useful features from spatial-related regions.
Performance of a Subgrade-Embankment-Seawall System Reinforced by Drainage PCC Piles and Ordinary Piles Subjected to Lateral Spreading
Authors: Chen Zhixiong , Wang Buxin , Wang Chenglong , Wang Yonghong , Xiao Peng , Li Kangyin
Published: January 2023

Coral sand is widely distributed in coastal areas and used as a soil foundation in an increasing number of projects. Historical records show that the liquefaction and lateral spreading of coral sand foundations occurred many times during earthquakes, resulting in serious geological and engineering disasters. Based on a rigid drainage pile, a PCC pile (Large Diameter Pipe Pile by using Cast-in-place Concrete) and drainage body are innovatively combined into a new drainage PCC pile, to reduce the harm caused by liquefaction and lateral spreading of the coral sand foundation. In this study, the seismic response of the subgrade-embankment-seawall system on the coral sand liquefaction site was simulated using a shaking table. The excess pore water pressure ratio, acceleration, average foundation settlement, seawall displacement, embankment deformation, and pile body bending moment of the ordinary pile foundation and new drainage PCC pile foundation under seismic loads of

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on the coral sand site were analyzed and compared. Compared with ordinary pile foundations, the excess pore water pressure ratio, pile bending moment, seawall displacement, foundation settlement, and embankment deformation of the new drainage PCC pile foundation were markedly reduced, while acceleration increased, which showed that the new drainage PCC pile had a positive anti-liquefaction effect on the coral sand foundation.
Recent Approaches for Downplaying Antibiotic Resistance: Molecular Mechanisms
Authors: Ahmed Sarfraz , Ahmed Muhammad Zeeshan , Rafique Safa , Almasoudi Seham Eid , Shah Mohibullah , Jalil Nur Asyilla Che , Ojha Suvash Chandra
Published: January 2023

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a ubiquitous public health menace. AMR emergence causes complications in treating infections contributing to an upsurge in the mortality rate. The epidemic of AMR in sync with a high utilization rate of antimicrobial drugs signifies an alarming situation for the fleet recovery of both animals and humans. The emergence of resistant species calls for new treatments and therapeutics. Current records propose that health drug dependency, veterinary medicine, agricultural application, and vaccination reluctance are the primary etymology of AMR gene emergence and spread. Recently, several encouraging avenues have been presented to contest resistance, such as antivirulent therapy, passive immunization, antimicrobial peptides, vaccines, phage therapy, and botanical and liposomal nanoparticles. Most of these therapies are used as cutting‐edge methodologies to downplay antibacterial drugs to subdue the resistance pressure, which is a featured motive of discussion in this review article. AMR can fade away through the potential use of current cutting‐edge therapeutics, advancement in antimicrobial susceptibility testing, new diagnostic testing, prompt clinical response, and probing of new pharmacodynamic properties of antimicrobials. It also needs to promote future research on contemporary methods to maintain host homeostasis after infections caused by AMR. Referable to the microbial ability to break resistance, there is a great ultimatum for using not only appropriate and advanced antimicrobial drugs but also other neoteric diverse cutting‐edge therapeutics.
Oral Bacterial Contributions to Gingival Carcinogenesis and Progression
Authors: Okuyama Kohei , Yanamoto Souichi
Published: January 2023

Several periodontitis-associated species induce genes related to cell proliferation, cell-cycle progression, apoptosis, intracellular transport, immune and inflammatory responses, carcinogenesis, and cancer progression. Here, we reviewed studies showing strong associations between gingival squamous cell carcinoma (GSCC) and three periodontitis-related oral bacteria (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Prevotella intermedia) in the microenvironment. These bacteria produce cytoplasmic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and secrete cytokines and molecules related to carcinogenesis, tumor progression, and metastasis and metastasis. In GSCC, LPS levels are substantially elevated and assessable by functional analysis. Polymicrobial infections can synergistically induce inflammation and significantly upregulate proinflammatory molecules (e.g., IL1β, IL8, and TNFα) that promote carcinogenesis. This review can facilitate the identification of novel targets for treating and preventing GSCC, which is potentially associated with periodontal pathogen.
Transcriptional Analysis of Microsatellites in Velvetbean Caterpillar Anticarsia gemmatalis Hübner, 1818
Authors: Dias Felipe Cordeiro , de Souza Rogério Fernandes , Pezenti Larissa Forim , Dionisio Jaqueline Fernanda , Paulino João Antônio Marques , da Silva Carlos Roberto Maximiano , Sosa-Gómez Daniel Ricardo , da Rosa Renata
Published: January 2023

Brazil is the largest producer of soybeans in the world. The vast extent of soybean plantations across the Brazilian territory exposes this crop to attack by several insects, including the velvetbean caterpillar, Anticarsia gemmatalis. One of the alternatives used to control this insect are the toxins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). However, in some cases, resistance to these toxins has been reported in the laboratory. Despite the ecological and economic impact of the velvetbean caterpillar, there are few studies on the genetic structure of this species, especially with regard to microsatellites. In this paper, we carried out a comparative transcriptional analysis of microsatellites in resistant (RES) and susceptible (SUS) strains of A. gemmatalis challenged and not challenged with Bt toxins. According to the number of sequences analyzed in each group, a 7.9% simple sequence repeat (SSR) rate was identified for the SUS library, and 7.4% for SUSBt. For the RES group, this value was 8.5% and for the RESBt 7.7%. Most of the fragments found showed a shorter repeat pattern, located in mono- and trinucleotide motifs. Among the 128 types of SSR motifs, it was possible to notice a large amount of adenine and thymine in relation to guanine and cytosine, which was also seen in chromosomes after staining with base-specific fluorochromes DAPI/CMA3, highlighting DAPI-positive regions. Although the participation of microsatellites in the resistance mechanism of A. gemmatalis to Bt is not clear, the results obtained in this work contribute to a better understanding of the repetitive DNA found in transcribed regions of a non-model organism.
The Role of Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 in Delirium: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Adamis Dimitrios , Eikelenboom Piet
Published: January 2023

Background: The relationship between delirium and low levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is contradictory and uncertain. We hypothesised that low levels of IGF-1 are a predisposing factor for delirium in medical and abdominal surgical cohorts, in contrast to other surgical cohorts. Aims: Systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the association between peripheral levels of IGF-1 and delirium in medical and surgical patients to explore if there are distinct patterns of associations by using subgroup meta-analysis. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Embase databases were searched. Inclusion criteria were prospective studies in medical and surgical populations and available data. The following were collected: the setting (surgical/medical), the type (orthopaedic surgery, abdominal, cardiovascular, or medical), the number of participants, mean age, the number of delirious patients, scale/criteria for delirium, IGF-1 levels, and MMSE. Results: Thirteen studies were included and analysed. Low levels of IGF-1 are significantly associated with delirium in abdominal surgical samples and medical samples but not in the other surgical samples. Age, cognition, and the setting (medical vs. surgical) do not have any significant effect on the differences in IGF-1 levels between those with and without delirium. Discussion: Delirium in acute medical and abdominal surgery is triggered by low IGF-1 which may reflect chronic conditions like frailty/cachexia/sarcopenia, while in other surgeries perhaps from an inflammatory process. Conclusions: Low peripheral levels of IGF-1 are a predisposing factor for delirium only in acute medical and abdominal surgery. More studies are needed to confirm and to explore further this finding.
GNRI Sustainability during One Cycle of First-Line Chemotherapy as a Prognostic Indicator in Patients with Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma
Authors: Sugiyama Yosuke , Naiki Taku , Tasaki Yoshihiko , Mimura Yoshihisa , Etani Toshiki , Noda Yusuke , Nozaki Satoshi , Shimizu Nobuhiko , Banno Rika , Nagai Takashi , Isobe Teruki , Ando Ryosuke , Moritoki Yoshinobu , Kataoka Tomoya , Odagiri Kunihiro , Aoki Maria , Gonda Masakazu , Yasui Takahiro , Hibi Yoko
Published: January 2023

Introduction: This study evaluated the prognostic value of a sustained high Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) during first-line chemotherapy for patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC). Methods: Between January 2018 and February 2022, 123 patients received platinum-based chemotherapy at Nagoya City University Hospital and affiliated institutions. Of these, 118 eligible patients who showed an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG-PS) between 0 and 2 were retrospectively examined. Based on body mass index and serum albumin levels, GNRI was calculated immediately before and after the first primary chemotherapy cycle. Patients were divided into two groups based on GNRI: GNRI sustained ≥92 in sustainable (n = 63) and GNRI <92 in unsustainable (n = 55) groups, respectively. Clinical outcomes were compared. Results: No significant differences were noted between the two groups for age, gender, cycle of first-line treatment, and type of series of sequential treatments after failure of first-line therapy. Median overall survival from the start of first-line chemotherapy was 30.2 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 20.9–NA) for sustainable and 12.6 months (95% CI: 9.0–21.2) for unsustainable groups, respectively (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified ECOG-PS:2 and fatigue, an adverse event, as independent predictors of unsustainable GNRI transition (95% CI: 1.29–90.6, odds ratio [OR]: 10.8; 95% CI: 1.06–26.9, OR: 5.34, respectively). Conclusion: : Sustaining a high level of GNRI was an important prognostic indicator in patients with mUC receiving first-line chemotherapy. Appropriate intervention for controlling adverse events, including fatigue, may enhance physical strength during cancer treatment.
Polypill Programs to Prevent Stroke and Cut Costs in Low Income Countries: Moving From Clinical Efficacy to Pragmatic Implementation
Authors: Sarfo Fred Stephen , Nichols Michelle , Opare-Addo Priscilla Abrafi , Ovbiagele Bruce
Published: January 2023

Current projections are that the already overwhelming burden of strokes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) will continue to rise over the coming decades as the prevalence of traditional vascular risk factors burgeon in these countries. Cardiovascular polypills containing combinations of antihypertensive(s), a statin, with or without aspirin or folic acid in the form of a single pill, represent a viable strategy for both primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases in LMICs. Large multicenter trials in LMIC and high-income country (HIC) settings have now clearly demonstrated the beneficial effects of the cardiovascular polypill versus placebo (or usual care) in reducing primary stroke risk by 50%. For survivors of a recent myocardial infarction residing in HICs, the polypill reduced risk of major cardiovascular events by 25% due to improved treatment adherence. Data on the clinical efficacy of the polypill for secondary stroke prevention are scanty both in HICs and LMICs. Cost-effectiveness analyses data from LMICs suggest cost savings with the polypill for primary and secondary prevention of stroke and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. However, major contextual barriers in LMICs need to be surmounted through mixed methods research and hybrid clinical trials to assess its real-world effectiveness, before the adoption of the polypill for primary and secondary atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease prevention in routine clinical practice.
From Festive Sacred to Festive Secular? Indigenous Religious Presence in Two Nigerian Festivals
Authors: Hackett Rosalind I. J.
Published: January 2023

This article explores the modern-day festival as a timely site for analyzing the politics of indigenous cultural and religious presence in postcolonial and neoliberal Africa. Focusing on the ancient Osun Osogbo Festival and the newer Calabar Carnival and Festival in Nigeria, it raises broader questions of how indigenous religion gets reframed as culture, heritage, and tourist commodity for local, national, and international audiences. Attention is paid to the multiple debates over festival content and representation in the context of local political, economic, and religious interests. The article ultimately makes the case for more comparative research on what may be termed the “festivalization of religion” and how this development relates to questions of “public religion” and “civil religion” in the contemporary African context.
Two new species of Syndicus in southern India (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae)
Authors: JAŁOSZYŃSKI PAWEŁ
Published: January 2023

To date, five species of the Australo-Oriental genus Syndicus Motschulsky have been discovered in India, although the true distribution of one of them (the type species of the genus) remains unclear, as the only known specimen comes from “Indes orientales”, a large historical area that also included territories outside the Indian subcontinent. Two new species are described: Syndicus (s. str.) microphthalmus sp. n., the first known Syndicus with strongly reduced eyes; and Syndicus (Semisyndicus) primus sp. n., the first Indian member of the subgenus Semisyndicus. An updated key to identification of Syndicus of India is given.
Quantifying Daytime Heating Biases in Marine Air Temperature Observations from Ships
Authors: Cropper Thomas E. , Berry David I. , Cornes Richard C. , Kent Elizabeth C.
Published: January 2023

Marine air temperatures recorded on ships during the daytime are known to be biased warm on average due to energy storage by the superstructure of the vessels. This makes unadjusted daytime observations unsuitable for many applications including for the monitoring of long-term temperature change over the oceans. In this paper a physics-based approach is used to estimate this heating bias in ship observations from ICOADS. Under this approach, empirically determined coefficients represent the energy transfer terms of a heat budget model that quantifies the heating bias and is applied as a function of cloud cover and the relative wind speed over individual ships. The coefficients for each ship are derived from the anomalous diurnal heating relative to nighttime air temperature. Model coefficients, cloud cover, and relative wind speed are then used to estimate the heating bias ship by ship and generate nighttime-equivalent time series. A variety of methodological approaches were tested. Application of this method enables the inclusion of some daytime observations in climate records based on marine air temperatures, allowing an earlier start date and giving an increase in spatial coverage compared to existing records that exclude daytime observations.

Significance Statement

Currently, the longest available record of air temperature over the oceans starts in 1880. We present an approach that enables observations of air temperatures over the oceans to be used in the creation of long-term climate records that are presently excluded. We do this by estimating the biases inherent in daytime temperature reports from ships, and adjust for these biases by implementing a numerical heat-budget model. The adjustment can be applied to the variety of ship types present in observational archives. The resulting adjusted temperatures can be used to create a more spatially complete record over the oceans, that extends further back in time, potentially into the late eighteenth century.
A Precise Zenith Hydrostatic Delay Calibration Model in China Based on the Nonlinear Least Square Method
Authors: Lv Kaiyun , Yang Weifeng , Chen Zhiping , Xia Pengfei , He Xiaoxing , Chen Zhigao , Lu Tieding
Published: January 2023

Zenith hydrostatic delay (ZHD) is a crucial parameter in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) navigation and positioning and GNSS meteorology. Since the Saastamoinen ZHD model has a larger error in China, it is significant to improve the Saastamoinen ZHD model. This work first estimated the Saastamoinen model using the integrated ZHD as reference values obtained from radiosonde data collected at 73 stations in China from 2012 to 2016. Then, the residuals between the reference values and the Saastamoinen modeled ZHDs were calculated, and the correlations between the residuals and meteorological parameters were explored. The continuous wavelet transform method was used to recognize the annual and semiannual characteristics of the residuals. Because of the nonlinear variation characteristics of residuals, the nonlinear least squares estimation method was introduced to establish an improved ZHD model—China Revised Zenith Hydrostatic Delay (CRZHD)—adapted for China. The accuracy of the CRZHD model was assessed using radiosonde data and International GNSS Service (IGS) data in 2017; the radiosonde data results show that the CRZHD model is superior to the Saastamoinen model with a 69.6% improvement. The three IGS stations with continuous meteorological data present that the BIAS and RMSE are decreased by 2.7 and 1.5 (URUM), 5.9 and 5.3 (BJFS), and 9.6 and 8.8 mm (TCMS), respectively. The performance of the CRZHD model retrieving PWV was discussed using radiosonde data in 2017. It is shown that the CRZHD model retrieving PWV (CRZHD-PWV) outperforms the Saastamoinen model (SAAS-PWV), in which the precision is improved by 44.4%. The BIAS ranged from −1 to 1 mm and RMSE ranged from 0 to 2 mm in CRZHD-PWV account for 89.0% and 95.9%, while SAAS-PWV account for 46.6% and 58.9%.

Significance Statement

Zenith hydrostatic delay (ZHD) is one of the most important parameters in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) navigation and positioning and GNSS meteorology, which can be derived from a precise ZHD model due to its stability. This research established an improved ZHD model for China to obtain accurate ZHD, which is a prerequisite for pinpoint precipitable water vapor (PWV) retrieval. And the PWV value is beneficial to analyze the change in precipitation in some regions, forecast the short-term rainfall, and monitor the climate.
Src homology 2-B adapter protein 3 C784 T and Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677 T Polymorphisms and Inflammation Markers in ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients
Authors: Golestani Amin , Rahimi Atefeh , Moezi Bady Seyed Ali , Azdaki Nahid , Sajjadi Seyed Mehdi
Published: January 2023

Neutrophil-lymphocyte (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte (PLR), eosinophil-lymphocyte (ELR), and monocyte-lymphocyte (MLR) ratios are systemic inflammatory markers related to myocardial infarction. The aim of this study is to investigate the association of Src homology 2-B adapter protein 3 (SH2B3) C784 T and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677 T polymorphisms (SNP) with systemic inflammatory markers and the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in 150 ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. Single nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped using the tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (T-ARMS-PCR) method. The inflammatory markers were calculated. An interventional cardiologist blinded to other data assessed the SYNTAX (SX) Score. Eosinophil and platelet counts were significantly higher in SH2B3 variants than in the wild type. Additionally, SH2B3 variants had significantly higher ELR than the wild type (.12 ± .19 vs .25 ± .34, p = .018). NLR, PLR, ELR, and MLR were considerably higher in MTHFR variants than in the wild type ( p < .05). The SX score was significantly higher in both SH2B3 C784 T (21.24 ± 8.90 vs 15.29 ± 9.40, p = .00) and MTHFR C677 T (20.34 ± 10.21 vs 16.08 ± 8.39, p = .00) variants when compared with wild type. In conclusion, these polymorphisms are associated with several markers of systemic inflammation as well as the severity of CAD.
Losing Life's Sparkle: Experiences of Canadian Choral Musicians During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Lozano Mary Jo A. , Churcher Stephanie L. , Kirchner Madison J. , Slade Teri M.
Published: January 2023

Background. Singing in choirs, which previous research has identified as supporting wellbeing, has been restricted and altered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Purpose. The purpose of this study is to investigate and describe the experience of music-making for musicians in professional and semi-professional choirs in Canada 18–22 months into the COVID-19 pandemic. Method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 participants and analyzed using interpretive description. Findings. Four themes: (1) increased negative feelings associated with the music-making experience due to COVID-19 restrictions, (2) isolation and disconnection, (3) recognizing how music-making aids in their own mental health, the participants used music-making to help their communities cope with the pandemic, and (4) adapting in response to COVID-19 reinforced music-making's importance. Implications. Understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic has altered Canadian choral musicians’ experience of music-making can help occupational therapists in supporting choral musicians return to this meaningful occupation.
Repression Works (Just Not in Moderation)
Authors: Zhukov Yuri M.
Published: January 2023

Why does government violence deter political challengers in one context but inflame them in the next? This paper argues that repression increases opposition activity at low and moderate levels but decreases it in the extreme. There is a threshold level of violence, where the opposition becomes unable to recruit new members, and the rebellion unravels—even if the government kills more innocents. We find empirical support for this proposition in disaggregated data from Chechnya and a meta-analysis of sub-national conflict dynamics in 71 countries. The data suggest that a threshold exists, but the level of violence needed to reach it varies. Many governments, thankfully, are unable or unwilling to go that far. We explore conditions under which this threshold may be higher or lower and highlight a fundamental trade-off between reducing government violence and preserving civil liberties.

JEL Classification

D74, F51, H56.
Sharing Experiences and Seeking Connection: Using Facebook as a Form of Social Support for Incarcerated Loved Ones
Authors: Tadros Eman , Presley Sarah , Gomez Eunice
Published: January 2023

Those with an incarcerated loved one have been shown to experience isolation and difficulty navigating the criminal justice system as well as form connections with others who are experiencing a similar situation. The use of social media allows for individuals to connect with others in similar experiences. For those with an incarcerated loved one, the use of Facebook allows for connection with others who are also navigating incarceration. Posts were collected from a Facebook group “Incarcerated Loved Ones,” with multiple themes emerging. The themes that emerged from the posts are sharing experiences and seeking connection. The codes for sharing experiences include updates on loved ones, negative emotional experiences, and venting. The codes for seeking connection include prayers and good news. Implications and future directions are discussed.
Moving Up or Moving Out? Examining Gentrification and the Spatial Displacement of Crime
Authors: Boggess Lyndsay N. , Gill Lexi , Branic Nick
Published: January 2023

One unexamined aspect in gentrification and crime research is whether perceived crime declines in gentrifying neighborhoods are due to the displacement of crime into nearby areas. Using an innovative measure of gentrification, we examine whether Los Angeles neighborhoods identified as having gentrified between 2000 and 2018 experienced differential change in crime relative to neighborhoods that did not gentrify; and whether gentrification in spatially proximate neighborhoods influenced crime in the focal neighborhood, a sign of displacement. We found neighborhoods surrounded by gentrified neighborhoods saw an increase in property, but not violent, crime. The impact of spatial gentrification was not contingent on change in crime in the focal, suggesting the impacts of gentrification are spatially diffuse, but do not necessarily displace crime.
Growth with Commensal Streptococci Alters Streptococcus mutans Behaviors
Authors: Rose M. , Wilson N. , Williams E. , Letner H. , Bettinger R. , Bouchendouka A. , Batagower J. , Kaspar J.R.
Published: January 2023

As oral bacteria grow and persist within biofilms attached to the tooth’s surface, they interact with other species to form synergistic or antagonistic exchanges that govern homeostasis for the overall population. One example are the interactions between the cariogenic species Streptococcus mutans and oral commensal streptococci. Previously, we showed that the cell–cell signaling pathways of S. mutans were inhibited during coculture with other oral streptococci species, leading us to posit that the S. mutans transcriptome and behaviors are broadly altered during growth with these species. To test this hypothesis, we performed whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) on cocultures of S. mutans with either Streptococcus gordonii, Streptococcus sanguinis, or Streptococcus oralis and a quadculture containing all 4 species in comparison to S. mutans grown alone. Our results reveal that in addition to species-dependent changes to the S. mutans transcriptome, a conserved response to oral streptococci in general can be observed. We monitored the behavior of S. mutans by both microscopy imaging of biofilms and in a bacteriocin overlay assay and verified that S. mutans acts similarly with each of these species but noted divergences in phenotypes when cocultured with another cariogenic Streptococcus ( Streptococcus sobrinus) or with oral nonstreptococci species. RNA-seq with oral nonstreptococci showed lack of a consistent gene expression profile and overlap of differentially expressed genes found with commensal streptococci. Finally, we investigated the role of upregulated S. mutans genes within our data sets to determine if they provided a fitness benefit during interspecies interactions. Eleven total genes were studied, and we found that a majority impacted the fitness of S. mutans in various assays, highlighted by increased biomass of commensal streptococci in mixed-species biofilms. These results confirm a common, species-independent modification of S. mutans behaviors with oral commensal streptococci that emphasizes the need to further evaluate oral bacteria within multispecies settings.
The heterogeneous effects of conflict on education: A spatial analysis in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Unfried Kerstin , Kis-Katos Krisztina
Published: January 2023

Armed conflicts are expected to be harmful to education but micro-level studies find at times contradicting results. Therefore, this article identifies under which conditions and to what extent armed conflicts harm the long-term educational attainment of children in rural Sub-Saharan Africa. By combining 66 rounds of DHS surveys with geo-coded conflict information, our study contextualizes the findings of a series of country-specific case studies on the effects of conflict on education, and provides evidence on the mechanisms through which these effects occur. Our main identification strategy compares educational losses of youth living within the same household, while also controlling for local weather shocks and countrywide dynamics in education. The effects of conflict on education are strongly context-dependent. High-intensity conflicts reduce local educational attainment on average, although this effect becomes insignificant in strong autocracies. By contrast, education is generally unaffected by localized low-intensity conflict. Human capital loss due to conflict is most severely felt in weak states, and in response to non-state based conflicts, highlighting the importance of state capacity in mediating the educational costs of local conflicts.
Lessons from web scraping coroners' Prevention of Future Deaths reports
Authors: Zhang Qingyang , Richards Georgia C
Published: January 2023

In England and Wales, coroners are required to write Prevention of Future Deaths reports when a death is deemed preventable so that action is taken to avert similar deaths. Since July 2013, Prevention of Future Deaths reports have been openly available via the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary website ( https://www.judiciary.uk/prevention-of-future-death-reports/ ). However, their presentation to date have been insufficient to identify trends and learn lessons. We designed a web scraper to create the Preventable Deaths Tracker ( https://preventabledeathstracker.net/ ). On 22 June 2022, 4001 PFDs were scraped, analysed, and compared to the Office of National Statistics’ preventable mortality statistics. This commentary summarises the key findings and offers recommendations to improve the Prevention of Future Deaths system so lessons can be learnt to avert preventable deaths.
Zero tolerance for ragging – a juridical must-know for all
Authors: Dasari Harish , Chauhan Mohit , Singh Amandeep
Published: January 2023

This paper highlights the background to the legislation passed in India to curb the menace of ragging and offers an insight into the serious issues associated with this heinous practice and the liabilities for administrators when it happens. We aim to achieve the goal of “zero tolerance for ragging”.
Without Spouse: Phenomenology of Widowhood among Hindu Young Widows
Authors: Lamba Narendra
Published: January 2023

When a woman is widowed, it is a traumatic moment in her life. The pain would aggravate a widowed woman whose husband died at a younger age. This paper attempts to depict the lived experience of widowhood from the perspective of young Hindu widows by using a descriptive phenomenological approach guided by Husserlian philosophy. The selected widows for this study were under 45 years old when they had lost their husbands. This paper excerpts from the author’s empirical study for his doctoral thesis. The article will focus on four major themes that emerged from analysing the transcribed data collected from seventieth widows through personal face-to-face interviews. These themes are grief, restrictiveness, suspiciousness, and loneliness, which will discuss elaborately throughout this article. The article advocates that researching the lived experience through a phenomenological approach can enhance understanding of any traumatic phenomenon humans encounter. This way, specific initiatives can be taken by the community, non-governmental organisations, etc., for better counselling and redressing widows’ mental issues.
Attitudes Toward Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Online Multiplayer Gaming Spaces
Authors: Gillin Laura E. , Signorella Margaret L.
Published: January 2023

Online video game communities can provide a sense of belonging and support for marginalized people, while at the same time, can be rife with prejudice and discrimination. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of both positive and negative comments about sexual orientation and gender identity during online gaming, and to test the hypothesis that LGBTQ+ people witness or experience more prejudice than do heterosexual and cisgender persons. An online survey, distributed on social media sites and a psychology subject pool, included rating scales and open-ended questions on game-related conversations. Respondents ( N = 185) provided negative examples made by others more frequently than positive ones and attributed serious comments to themselves versus jokes and offhand comments to others. Across all respondent gender identities, the targets of the negative comments by others were almost always LGBTQ+ persons. These results bolster critiques of online gaming environments as hostile to members of marginalized groups.
Where is the Love, y’all? Punk Pedagogy in High School Choir
Authors: Lee Austina Frances , Smith Gareth Dylan
Published: January 2023

Capitalism and its offspring, neoliberalism, are omnipresent in modern and postmodern societies. Illich, Giroux, and McLaren, among others, point to the futility and inequity of current models of education that focus on standardization, vocationalism, and conformity. Running counter to these powerful hegemonic systems, critical pedagogues and educational philosophers such as hooks and Silverman follow philosophers Frankfurt and Wolf in identifying a teaching approach rooted in love. Such an ethic embodies a robust, punk confrontation to potentially damaging, dehumanizing institutional norms perpetrated by current systems of schooling (Hewitt & Smith, 2020). The authors present and discuss vignettes as a duoethnographic study of one teacher’s work with a high school choir in Colorado Springs, USA, through which she works to engage young people as compassionate artistic citizens (Elliott & Silverman, 2015; Hendricks 2018). By teaching with love and by modeling love, she teaches young people to love, embracing what Noddings (2005) identifies as an ethic of care. This choral community demonstrates the messy, anarchist ideal that Wright (2019) highlights as a necessary future for music education, wherein the educator diverts from teaching solely to standardized expectations to address the affiliative needs of her students through a love that desires good for her students (Fromm, 1956; Noddings, 2005)
A formal GSPN model of a virtual doctor dialogue system
Authors: Bourbakis Nikolaos , Mallios Stavros
Published: January 2023

This paper presents a formal generalized stochastic Petri net (GSPN)–based modeling of a virtual doctor (VDr) dialogue system. The interaction model between the VDr dialogue system and the human patient is a modified version of the Wickens model. The purpose of this model is to provide a better understanding of the interaction between the VDr dialogue system and the patient, as well as the integration of other components in the system, such as the patient’s medical history and emotions. Initially, the formal definition of the GSPN model of the VDr dialogue system is presented by incorporating the token color concept, which is a feature of Color GSPNs. Then, the GSPN formal modeling is described. Note that, the GSPN model presented here is at the simulation level and not a product. Furthermore, some examples are provided with the intention of facilitating the understanding of the token color utilization and the different GSPN markings.
By, for, with women? On the politics and potentialities of wellness entrepreneurship
Authors: O’Neill Rachel
Published: January 2023

Based in original ethnographic research, this article examines the motivations and experiences of those seeking to forge careers in the UK’s burgeoning wellness industry. As a movement-market centred around health-enhancement and encompassing a broad array of practices and products, this industry has recently grown to prominence in Britain, driven significantly by the aspirational economies of social media. While the promise of wellness is manifold – including, most obviously, that of health and well-being – here I examine its operation in relation to questions of work and employment. Drawing on interviews with those who already work or aspire to work in wellness – generally on a self-employed basis, but often operating under the sign of a more glamorised ‘entrepreneurship’ – I explore why women are drawn to participate in this arena in a professional as well as personal capacity. I focus in particular on the lure of wellness work among participants who had already established careers in other settings, for whom the transition entails relinquishing relative economic security to instead pursue an inherently risky pathway. This research reflects critically on existing accounts of ‘passionate work’ by arguing that wellness entrepreneurship functions as both an individual and collective endeavour. In doing so it grapples with the politics and potentialities of wellness entrepreneurship as a feminised mode of self-employment, situating this analysis within the continuing aftermath of feminism in an era marked by new feminist visibilities and discourses of female empowerment.
Transfer Information Online: Websites and Articulation Agreements at The City University of New York
Authors: Logue Alexandra W. , Jordan Chet , Townsell Matthew , Bellettiere Nicol , Torres Rhina
Published: January 2023

Objective: Transfer students face a range of potential challenges as they prepare to move from one college to another. Websites are critical resources for transfer students because they can be easily accessible sources of information concerning credit transfer, advising, articulation agreements, and additional transfer administrative policies and procedures. Detailed assessments of colleges’ website transfer information can provide information useful to higher education institutions regarding how transfer information should and should not be communicated online. Methods: The present study examined transfer information on the websites of 19 colleges of The City University of New York (CUNY). This examination assessed the presence on these websites of information about credit transfer, transfer advising, and articulation agreements. This study also assessed the number of within-CUNY articulation agreements listed on each website and whether these articulation agreements were present on the websites of the agreements’ partners. Results: The results showed that, even within an integrated system of colleges such as CUNY, and for both colleges that offer associate degrees and colleges that offer bachelor’s degrees, the ways in which colleges transmit transfer information online can vary significantly. In addition, this information can frequently be incomplete, confusing, and misleading. Finally, providing adequate and accurate information on articulation agreements for transfer students can be particularly challenging. Conclusions: This study concludes with recommendations regarding best practices and policies to support enhancement of online information transmission for transfer students, including standardization of website transfer information across groups of colleges, with continuous monitoring for information accuracy and completeness.
Growing Up Together: Brooklyn’s Truant School and the Carceral and Educational State, 1857-1924
Authors: Kafka Judith
Published: January 2023

This article uses the history of Brooklyn’s Truant School from its inception in 1857 to its demise in 1924 to highlight the interconnected rationales for public education and juvenile incarceration in nineteenth and early twentieth century urban America. Drawing on newspaper accounts and Board of Education records, I seek to historicize current understandings of the so-called school-to-prison pipeline by examining how the nation’s modern penal and school systems were developed together during the antebellum and Progressive eras, not in tension, but as two sides of the same coin.
A new composite controller for trajectory tracking control of a piezo-driven bridge displacement amplifier
Authors: Song Zhicheng , Li Xiang , Kang Shengzheng , Yang Xiaolong , Wang Linkang , Wu Hongtao
Published: January 2023

In this paper, a new composite controller (feedforward + feedback) is proposed for the trajectory tracking control of a piezo-driven bridge displacement amplifier. A hysteresis model considering dynamic effects is established based on the modified Bouc–Wen (MBW) model, which can describe the asymmetry and frequency-dependence behaviors. The effectiveness of the modified model is verified by the experimental comparison. A feedforward controller is designed to compensate for hysteresis nonlinearity based on the inverse multiplicative structure of the modified model. A feedback controller with the Kalman observer is designed based on a modified model predictive control (MMPC). The proportional term and integral term of feedback error are introduced into the MPC control law to improve the response speed and reduce the steady-state error. The proposed MBW + MMPC is compared with MBW + proportional–integral–derivative (PID), and MBW + MPC. The experimental tracking results of continuously differentiable signals and non-differentiable signals verify MBW + MMPC feasibility and show that it can improve tracking performance.
Nodular Fasciitis of the Nose and External Auditory Canal: Two Rare Case Reports
Authors: Luo Wanjie , Ma Tianyu , Wang Siqi , Qin Xiaowei , Jiang Li , Wang Yuyao , Zhang Tianhong
Published: January 2023

Nodular fasciitis(NF) is a proliferative disease of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts that generally affects subcutaneous tissue, muscle tissue, and fascia. NF usually occurs in young adults aged 20–40 and is more common in the upper extremities and relatively rare in the region of the head and neck. Here, we report on two patients with NF in the ear and nose. Under general anesthesia, the masses of NF were completely resected along the safety margin. The patients recovered well after surgery and there was no recurrence after more than half a year of follow-up.
Nigerian Military Strategic Use of Social Media During Online Firestorms: An Appraisal of the NDA Terrorist Attack
Authors: Uwalaka Temple
Published: January 2023

This study appraises how the Nigerian military used social media platforms to provide a counter narrative and quell the online firestorm regarding the Nigerian Defence Academy's (NDA’s) terrorists’ attack and how Nigerians reacted to these strategic communication items or lack of items about the attack. The study analysed 8,210 Facebook posts and comments from Defence Headquarters Nigeria and Facebook users in Nigeria. Findings demonstrate that the Nigerian military adopted silence as a strategy and thus, did not effectively utilise social media platforms to provide a counter narrative or information to quell the online firestorm regarding the NDA terrorists’ attack. Results further illustrate that Nigerian Facebook users criticised the Federal Government, and the military, and were disgusted that a fortress such as the NDA could be attacked and demanded the firing of the Service Chiefs and NDA leaders for their response and attempted cover-up of the attack. The study concludes that while a high reservoir of trust moderates the short and long-term effects of an online firestorm, inactions during an online firestorm aggravates the effect of such an online crisis.
Role of hemp fiber addition on thermal stability, heat insulation, air permeability and cellular structural features of rigid polyurethane foam
Authors: Soykan Ugur , Kaya Senol
Published: January 2023

In this current study, rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) composites were prepared using different percentage (3, 6, 9 and 12%) of the hemp fibers via one-shut one-step polymerization method. The influences of the hemp fiber addition on the RPUFs were investigated meticulously by means of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), thermal conductivity measurement and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques by evaluating the alternations in the chemical structures of the component, thermal stability, apparent density, insulation performance and cellular topology of the produced samples. The structural analysis revealed that there existed the strong secondary chemical bonds between the functional groups belonging to the components and, depending on that, the improvement in the thermal stability of the foam samples was recorded accompanied by the formation of the better interfacial adhesion. Furthermore, thermal conductivity values of the hemp fiber-loaded RPUFs were observed to increase regularly with the increasing of the content level of the hemp fibers. This was explained by enhancement in the bulk phase conduction level depending of the apparent density rising, reduction in CO2 concentration inside cells as well as the formation of the distorted cellular structures. The obtained air permeability results displayed that the hemp fibers incorporated successfully with RPUF structure, which provides the occurrence of the novel micro barriers and pathways limiting the passage of the air throughout the matrix. The taken scanning electron microscopy images also indicated that the cellular morphology and dimensional stability of the produced foams affected negatively by the hemp fiber addition. At high contents, the wrinkled, non-uniform and irregular cellular structures were observed with ruptured and collapsed walls and struts.
A framework for evaluation of crowdsourcing platforms performance
Authors: Moghadasi Mohammadhasan , Shirmohammadi Mehdi , Ghasemi Ahmadreza
Published: January 2023

This study aims to identify an appropriate conceptual framework to evaluate crowdsourcing platforms from an open innovation perspective employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The initial indices of the performance evaluation framework in the crowdsourcing platforms are obtained through the Delphi method and interviews with experts. Then, using these factors, a statistical questionnaire is designed and distributed among users of crowdsourcing platforms to confirm or reject the factors. Finally, the aspects of the performance evaluation framework of crowdsourcing platforms are specified from the perspective of open innovation. Using fuzzy hierarchical analysis, these aspects are prioritized in order of importance: Collaboration, Project design, Moderation, Terms and conditions, UI/UX (user interface and user experience), and Key statistics. Concerning the principle of crowdsourcing, which is based on crowd participation and crowd intelligence of users, Collaboration and Project design turned out to be the significant factors in evaluating a crowdsourcing platform.