bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ecological Justice and the Extinction Crisis
Authors: Wienhues Anna
Published: May 2021

As the biodiversity crisis deepens, this book sets out radical environmental thinking and action to respond to the threat of mass species extinction. The book conceptualises large-scale injustice endangering non-humans, and signposts new approaches to the conservation of a shared planet. Developing principles of distributive ecological justice, the book builds towards a bold vision of just conservation that can inform the work of policy makers and activists. The book begins with an overview of ecological justice, sometimes referred to as ecojustice. It refers to interspecies justice, which describes the author's relational and global understanding of the justice relationship between humans and nonhumans. The book seeks to present an account of global non-ranking biocentric distributive ecological/interspecies justice to wild nonhuman beings. It concludes that the human takeover of the Earth's ecological space — its resources, ecosystem benefits, and actual spaces — that ultimately leads to species extinctions constitutes an injustice, which should be discussed and responded to as a matter of justice. The book is a timely investigation into ethics in the natural world during the Anthropocene, and a call for biocentric ecological justice before it is too late.
Public Sector Reform and Work Restructuring for Firefighters in Scotland
Authors: Jendro Eva , Scholarios Dora
Published: May 2021

This chapter discusses restructuring in the public services as a policy response to fiscal consolidation pressures. More specifically, it describes rationalization and efficiency gains at several levels, including national, organizational, workgroup, and job, in the Fire and Rescue Services in Scotland. The chapter reveals how austerity, in one sense, has moved away from New Public Management (NPM) by recentralizing control of services. This 'break' with NPM is in parallel with continuing ideological attachment to values that see public services as wasteful. Restructuring efforts at the various levels, from the national to the job level, were interdependent in order to deliver on the overarching aim of meeting the reduced budget. Front-line staff experienced work intensification and loss of morale. At the same time, high absence levels, recruitment freezes, and so on led to problems in achieving projected cost savings.
Moral Projects and Compromise Resistance: Resisting Uncaring in Non-Profit Care Work
Authors: Baines Donna
Published: May 2021

This chapter assesses how non-profit/voluntary sector care workers resist in ways that reflect their positioning within the social relations of austerity, the market, and the gender order. It analyses qualitative data collected in non-profit organizations to develop a theorization of unpaid work as lying at a crossroads of self-exploitation and resistance. Using direct quotes from voluntary sector care workers, the chapter shows that they assign oppositional meaning to the after-hours work that they do to resist the 'uncaring' of funders and larger society. These workers frequently also develop a shared critical analysis with co-workers and sometimes undertake workplace resistance strategies aimed at improved conditions for each other and service users. The chapter argues that these dynamics represent a form of compromise resistance in which the workers express their personal values as ethical people through doing unpaid labour in their paid workplaces.
Radical Left Organisation and Networks of Communication
Authors: Swann Thomas
Published: May 2021

Chapter Two discusses the organisational forms relevant to contemporary anarchist and radical left organisation. The chapter shows that anarchist organising is at the core of radical movements that have emerged in recent decades, presenting an image of radical left social movement organisation as networked and/or federated, in contrast to more hierarchical command and control structures common to traditional political parties and trade unions. Linked to this account of organisation is an understanding of communication, and the chapter offers a framework based on the idea of many-to-many communication to identify parallels and divergences between the organisational practices of radical left and anarchist groups and their communication practices.
Control (Part I): Tactics, Strategy and Grand Strategy
Authors: Swann Thomas
Published: May 2021

Chapter Four returns to the description of the anarchist Viable System Model to focus on the distinction between the functional roles involved in the anarchist cybernetic organisation. A three-part distinction between tactics, strategy and grand strategy is developed in the chapter. The chapter presents a functional hierarchy whereby grand strategy provides the overarching worldview or paradigm; strategy the shorter-term but still not immediate goals; and tactics the immediate, day-to-day activity. The chapter relates this conceptualisation to the idea of prefiguration, a notion central to contemporary radical politics. This chapter argues that a distinction between tactics, strategy and grand strategy is crucial for understanding how anarchist cybernetic organisations might operate in a prefigurative way, showing that strategy and grand strategy can be engaged with in participatory and democratic ways.
Communication (Part II): Building Alternative Social Media
Authors: Swann Thomas
Published: May 2021

Chapter Seven presents a schematic account of the functions a social media platform would need to have in order to fulfil the roles required of it by anarchist cybernetics. Drawing on the negative critiques of existing social media platforms and the positive requirements outlined by activists and scholars, this chapter asks what an alternative social media platform would look like and how it would be different from the commercial platforms we use everyday. The chapter identifies four broad lines of critique aimed at the use of social media in anarchist cybernetic organising: (1) the privacy critique (2) the political economy critique; (3) the weak ties critique; and (4) the political subjectivity critique. The chapter provides a sketch of what such an alternative platform would look like, identifying the key features that aid the functionality of such a platform for self-organisation.
Youth Migration and the Politics of Wellbeing
Authors: Chase Elaine , Allsopp Jennifer
Published: May 2021

This book examines the factors affecting the health and wellbeing of young people as they transition to adulthood under the shadow of migration control. Drawing on unique longitudinal data, the book illuminates how they conceptualize wellbeing for themselves and others in contexts of prolonged and politically induced uncertainty. The book offers an in-depth analysis of the experiences of over one hundred unaccompanied young migrants, primarily from Afghanistan, Albania, and Eritrea. It shows the lengths these young people will go to in pursuit of safety, security, and the futures they aspire to. Interdisciplinary in nature, the book champions a new political economy analysis of wellbeing in the context of migration and demonstrates the urgent need for policy reform.
Introduction
Authors: Chase Elaine , Allsopp Jennifer
Published: May 2021

This introductory chapter provides an overview of youth migration. Youth migration needs to be understood in relation to its negative drivers of persecution, violence, and unsustainable lives in countries of origin, factors that motivated the flights of many young people. But at the same time, there is a need to recognize that such adversity also fuels individual and collective dreams and aspirations for better lives. Without acknowledging this, politicians will struggle to formulate meaningful and workable asylum and immigration policies. The chapter then briefly outlines the differing journeys that young people took in order to arrive in Europe. The chapter explains that the book focuses on how asylum, immigration, and social care procedures are operationalized once unaccompanied children and young people arrive in the UK and Italy, and the impact that these bureaucratic processes have on them over time.
Capturing Wellbeing in Transition: An Alternative Approach
Authors: Chase Elaine , Allsopp Jennifer
Published: May 2021

This chapter examines the methodology for the research in England and Italy concerning youth migration. It describes its participative and collaborative nature, which involved working closely with a team of young people who had previously migrated alone to the United Kingdom and Italy as core members of the research team. The chapter outlines the rationale for the approach, how the countries of origin were selected, details of research participants, including how access was negotiated, and how contact was maintained with them over time. It then assesses how beliefs, ideas, and meanings surrounding wellbeing were reached inductively through questions that sought to determine what young people valued in their lives and what helped them to feel well and happy. There follows a discussion of how the analysis of findings was conducted, before some reflections on the ethical considerations and dilemmas posed by the research as well as its limitations and challenges.
The Pursuit of Safety and Freedom
Authors: Chase Elaine , Allsopp Jennifer
Published: May 2021

This chapter discusses the fundamental need for safety and freedom. For the period that they are recognized as children, there is arguably some degree of congruence between young people's conceptions of these aspects of their wellbeing and those of welfare and immigration structures, policies, and systems. However, as they turn 18, there is frequently a growing chasm between their own and others' perceptions of the sorts of safety and freedoms most conducive to the lives they want to lead. 'Safe country', for example, means completely different things to diplomats and politicians negotiating returns to Afghanistan or Albania than it does to young people having fled these 'safe countries' and who are then considered deportable. Likewise, relatively expansive ideas of freedom for young people who have spent their formative years in the United Kingdom or Italy are at odds with notions of freedom they can expect if they are no longer able to stay there legally, or are expected to return 'home'. The chapter reveals how young people are willing to take significant yet calculated risks, believing that the lives they can hope for following their migration are infinitely better than those they have left behind.
Legal Integrity and Recognition
Authors: Chase Elaine , Allsopp Jennifer
Published: May 2021

This chapter examines the centrality of legal status as a building block for security and constructing a future in Europe. It engages with the realities of living with or without legal recognition in England and Italy and the impact this has on young people. The chapter considers these experiences within international and national frameworks of young people's rights and 'best interests'. It also looks at the serendipitous ways in which access to such rights are in fact socially constructed. As the chapter highlights, the arbitrary allocation of papers generates an inequitable set of life opportunities, or capabilities, as unaccompanied migrant young people become adults within the constraints of immigration control.
Living In and With Austerity
Authors: Dabrowski Vicki
Published: May 2021

The chapter explores how austerity measures — the consequences of welfare reform, increased levels of debt, increased pressure on household income and wages, and changes to employment — have differently affected women's everyday lives. Austerity has real outcomes and gendered social effects. It is this symbiotic relationship — the role of the state in shaping women's experiences — that the remainder of the chapters of this book investigate. Highlighting how changes to employment and living standards are impacted by class and other intersecting forms of social difference, this chapter demonstrates how austerity measures intensify and extend existing forms of inequality. Ultimately, this chapter exposes how women are certainly not 'all in this together,' showing that the gendered effects of austerity are not experienced equally; they can be felt as minimal, significant or extreme. It exposes the details on how women's experiences of the present are shaped by pre-existing social markers, particularly class, but also by 'race,' parenthood, health and disability; and how these experiences are being further exacerbated by, and within, austerity Britain.
Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Legal Profession
Authors: Jones Emma , Graffin Neil , Samra Rajvinder , Lucassen Mathijs
Published: May 2021

Legal professionals are thought to have higher levels of mental health issues and lower levels of wellbeing than the general population.
Drawing on qualitative data from new research with legal practitioners, this in-depth study of mental health and wellbeing in the UK and Republic of Ireland’s legal sector is a timely contribution to the urgent international debate on these issues.
The authors present a comprehensive discussion of the cultural, structural and other causes of legal professionals’ compromised wellbeing. They explore the everyday demands and difficulties of the legal working environment and consider the impacts on individuals, the legal profession and wider society.
Making comparisons with systems overseas, this is an invaluable resource that provides evidence-based suggestions for swift and effective organisational and policy-related interventions in the legal sector.
Law as a Commodity, Individuals as Packages
Authors: Jones Emma , Graffin Neil , Samra Rajvinder , Lucassen Mathijs
Published: May 2021

This chapter explores perhaps the largest theme to emerge from the study, the cultural and structural factors which influence mental health and wellbeing in the legal profession. It begins by contrasting the expectations of legal life with the reality of the lived experience and identify a range of features which contribute to this (including pressures to meet billing targets, a long working hours culture and other potentially harmful norms). It also considers some of the underlying issues around equality, diversity and inclusivity which continue to impact upon the structure of the profession. The discussion links these to key theories examining the link between complicity and the normalisation of extreme demands. Overall, this chapter argues that these cultural and structural factors require challenging and changing to enable healthier working practices to embed themselves within the profession.
Conclusion
Authors: Miller Jacob C.
Published: May 2021

The Conclusion puts forward four key points for understanding spectacle as an embodied assemblage: (1) Spectacle is embodied and intense, not passive and hollow; (2) Donald Trump is as much a product of the spectacle as one of its masters; (3) Donald Trump utilizes spectacle politically, but as one of capitalism’s “lines of flight” he also threatens the State; and (4) The spectacle develops both interior and exterior linkages among consumer subjectivity and its broader environments.
General Introduction
Authors: Robé Jean-Philippe
Published: May 2021

Most of the intellectual production in the social sciences is the outcome of an implicit assumption that we are still living in a State System when in fact the globalization of the economy is reducing the States’ ability to adopt proper rules to address societal issues. To understand this state of affairs, it is important to understand the role played by property in the operation of the liberal Power System. Property is a right of autonomy constitutionally protected. Its justification can be found either in the defence of the individual’s autonomy or via efficiency considerations. The fact is, however, that a sizable proportion of productive property today is concentrated in large, corporate organizations. The exploitation of the possibilities offered by an international open economy to these organizations has led to the production of potentially deadly negative externalities such as climate change, unbearable inequalities and the impoverishment of public institutions. The development of these large organizations has induced changes in the operation of the Power System. They must be understood to identify the existing potential means of action, in particular via proper rules of accounting for the impact of their activities.
Sovereignty and Property
Authors: Robé Jean-Philippe
Published: May 2021

The Chapter deals with the relationship between the two concepts of sovereignty and property. It first addresses the thesis developed by North, Wallis and Weingast on the role of organized violence in the development of a modern, open access society. Their intuition is that the « limited access order » of the « natural state » in which personal relationships form the basis of social organization had to leave the way to an « open access order » in which impersonal categories of individuals interact. This is generally correct. But they neglected the role of law in the process and, in particular, the role of the development of constitutional modes of government. Via modern international law, starting in Europe in the middle of the seventeenth century, sovereignty was allocated among States. Via modern liberal constitutions, internal sovereignty was decentralized as a matter of principle to owners, who are decision-makers as a matter of principle towards the objects of property. The operations of political Organs of the State, of administrative Organs of the State and of law can usefully be viewed in this perspective.
Introduction to Part I
Authors: Robé Jean-Philippe
Published: May 2021

The first part of this book is divided into five chapters. They address in turn the meaning of property today (1), the role of property in a modern constitutional mode of government (2), the relationship between sovereignty and property (3), the historical movement of the State from political enterprise to the modern State (4) and, finally, how modern constitutional systems mix political democracy and what can be economic despotisms (5)....
The Principles of Simple Technologies
Authors: Bihouix Philippe
Published: May 2021

This chapter explores the principles of a low-tech approach that are developed and rooted in the search for simplicity and conviviality, localization, design, and manufacture for true sustainability. It describes paths to be taken and general principles on low-tech based on the conscious rejection of the hope of a successful outcome based on technological breakthroughs still to come. It also elaborates the principle of simplicity as the immense advantage of the pure and simple suppression of need that aims to effectively reduce the rate of consumption of resources. The chapter mentions examples of ways to reduce the non-negotiable standard of living, such as a ban on advertising materials, trainers that flash when walking, or single-use plastic bags. It analyses the main problem of the high-tech world under the pretext of seeking greater effectiveness and technical efficiency.
Is ‘Transition’ Possible?
Authors: Bihouix Philippe
Published: May 2021

This chapter addresses the question of whether effecting a transition from a society in peril to a world of low-technology is prudent in its use of resources. It discusses the questioning approach that has made a number of analyses of societal 'crises' in order to shed light on different aspects of a complex grasp to reality. It also recounts the implementation of a monetary policy when the rates of profit declining in the late 1960s deliberately generated unemployment in order to maintain downward pressure on wages and encourage increased household debt to maintain sufficient demand and production. The chapter discusses the decline in purchasing power owed to debt or unemployment, which inevitably slows demand. It describes the efforts of engineers and advertisers to encourage the technical or cultural obsolescence of products.
A Critical Inquiry of the Internal Marketing Discourse And a Future Research Agenda
Authors: Boukis Achilleas
Published: May 2021

Echoing the fragmented knowledge in the internal marketing (IM) domain and the changing reality for service employees' role in global marketplaces, this article aspires to provide a critical inquiry into the past, present, and future of the IM domain. This work delivers a critical overview
of the grounds of IM work, to provide insights into the advantages and limitations of contemporaneous IM knowledge, and to present a research agenda for the future of IM. This conceptual paper contributes to the ongoing debate about the concept and the scope of IM and presents some potential
avenues for investigation for service researchers.
Synthesis and downconversion photoluminescence of Erbium-doped
chalcohalide glasses of
AgCl(I)–Ga2S3–La2S3
systems
Authors: Halyan V. V. , Yukhymchuk V. O. , Ivashchenko I. A. , Kozak V. S. , Tyshchenko P. V. , Olekseyuk I. D.
Published: May 2021

Erbium-doped chalcohalide glasses of

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systems were synthesized by using the
melting-cooling method. The introduction of a halide component leads
to a decrease in the absorption coefficient, and the addition of
erbium leads to the emergence of narrow absorption bands associated
with transitions in the f-shell of

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+

ions. Five PL bands were detected in
erbium-doped samples when excited by a laser with a 532 nm wavelength,
the most intense of which at 980 nm and 1540 nm are promising for use
in optical amplifiers and fiber optic networks. It was established
that the glass-forming matrix

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, doped with

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ions, is an effective light-emitting
medium in the near-infrared range. At the same time, the concentration
quenching of the PL was observed in the

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system when erbium content
increases.
Witnessing the survival of time-energy entanglement through biological tissue and scattering media
Authors: Lum Daniel J. , Mazurek Michael D. , Mikhaylov Alexander , Parzuchowski Kristen M. , Wilson Ryan N. , Jimenez Ralph , Gerrits Thomas , Stevens Martin J. , Cicerone Marcus T. , Camp Charles H.
Published: May 2021

We demonstrate the preservation of the time-energy entanglement of near-IR photons through thick biological media (≤1.55 mm) and tissue (≤ 235 μm) at room temperature. Using a Franson-type interferometer, we demonstrate interferometric contrast of over 0.9 in skim milk, 2% milk, and chicken tissue. This work supports the many proposed opportunities for nonclassical light in biological imaging and analyses from sub-shot noise measurements to entanglement-enhanced fluorescence imaging, clearly indicating that the entanglement characteristics of photons can be maintained even after propagation through thick, turbid biological samples.
Dense Lissajous sampling and interpolation for dynamic light-transport
Authors: Liu Xiaomeng , Henderson Kristofer , Rego Joshua , Jayasuriya Suren , Koppal Sanjeev
Published: May 2021

Light-transport represents the complex interactions of light in a scene. Fast, compressed, and accurate light-transport capture for dynamic scenes is an open challenge in vision and graphics. In this paper, we integrate the classical idea of Lissajous sampling with novel control strategies for dynamic light-transport applications such as relighting water drops and seeing around corners. In particular, this paper introduces an improved Lissajous projector hardware design and discusses calibration and capture for a microelectromechanical (MEMS) mirror-based projector. Further, we show progress towards speeding up the hardware-based Lissajous subsampling for dual light transport frames, and investigate interpolation algorithms for recovering back the missing data. Our captured dynamic light transport results show complex light scattering effects for dense angular sampling, and we also show dual non-line-of-sight (NLoS) capture of dynamic scenes. This work is the first step towards adaptive Lissajous control for dynamic light-transport.
Dynamics of dark breathers and Raman-Kerr frequency combs influenced by high-order dispersion
Authors: Liu Mulong , Huang Huimin , Lu Zhizhou , Wang Yuanyuan , Cai Yanan , Zhao Wei
Published: May 2021

We investigate the dark breathers and Raman-Kerr microcombs generation influenced by stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and high-order dispersion (HOD) effects in silicon microresonators with an integrated spatiotemporal formalism. The strong and narrow Raman gain constitute a threshold behavior with respect to free spectral range above which stable dark pulses can exist. The breathing dark pulses induced by HOD mainly depend on the amplitude and sign of third-order dispersion coefficient and their properties are also affected by the Raman assisted four wave mixing process. Such dissipative structures formed through perturbed switching waves, mainly exist in a larger red detuning region than that of stable dark pulses. Their breathing characteristics related to driving conditions have been analyzed in detail. Furthermore, the octave spanning mid-infrared (MIR) frequency combs via Cherenkov radiation are demonstrated, which circumvent chaotic and multi-soliton states compared with their anomalous dispersion-based counterpart. Our findings provide a viable way to investigate the physics inside dark pulses and broadband MIR microcombs generation.
Engineering the spectral bandwidth of quantum cascade laser frequency combs
Authors: Beiser Maximilian , Opačak Nikola , Hillbrand Johannes , Strasser Gottfried , Schwarz Benedikt
Published: May 2021

Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) facilitate compact optical frequency comb sources that operate in the mid-infrared and terahertz spectral regions, where many molecules have their fundamental absorption lines. Enhancing the optical bandwidth of these chip-sized lasers is of paramount importance to address their application in broadband high-precision spectroscopy. In this work, we provide a numerical and experimental investigation of the comb spectral width and show how it can be optimized to obtain its maximum value defined by the laser gain bandwidth. The interplay of nonoptimal values of the resonant Kerr nonlinearity and cavity dispersion can lead to significant narrowing of the comb spectrum and reveals the best approach for dispersion compensation. The implementation of high mirror losses is shown to be favorable and results in proliferation of the comb sidemodes. Ultimately, injection locking of QCLs by modulating the laser bias around the round trip frequency provides a stable external knob to control the frequency-modulated comb state and recover the maximum spectral width of the unlocked laser state.
Thermal effect of InP/InAs nanowire lasers integrated on different optical platforms
Authors: Takiguchi Masato , Zhang Guoqiang , Frandsen Evans , Sumikura Hisashi , Tsuchizawa Tai , Sasaki Satoshi , Shinya Akihiko , Oguri Katsuya , Gotoh Hideki , Notomi Masaya
Published: May 2021

III-V nanowire lasers for future photonic on-chip processors require continuous-wave operation at room temperature; however, this has not been achieved yet due to heating effects. In this work, the heating effects limiting laser performance is systematically investigated for nanowires placed on Au-coated substrates before and after Al2O3 deposition and on Si and SiN waveguides. Our findings indicate that nanowire heating is strongly related to the thermal resistance between the nanowires and substrates. Our results reveal the potential for continuous-wave nanowire laser operation, towards future photonic on-chip processors with nanowires integrated on photonic platforms.
Actively logical modulation of MEMS-based terahertz metamaterial
Authors: Xu Ruijia , Xu Xiaocan , Yang Bo-Ru , Gui Xuchun , Qin Zong , Lin Yu-Sheng
Published: May 2021

The integration of micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) with metamaterial has provided a novel route to achieve programmability via its reconfigurable capabilities. Here, we propose and demonstrate a MEMS-based metadevice by using switchable winding-shaped cantilever metamaterial (WCM) for active logical modulation. WCM can be actuated by external driving voltage, and the logical modulation bit is performed by releasing MEMS cantilevers to represent “on” and “off” states. While the underneath substrate surface of a MEMS-based metadevice is rough after releasing the cantilevers, the metadevice is allowed to operate on the reconfigurable switching state and avoid the snapping down of the device when the system is overloaded. Such a reconfigurable and programmable MEMS-based metadevice exhibits multifunctional characteristics to simultaneously perform the logic operations of “OR” and “AND” gates. By exploiting the tuning mechanism of the MEMS-based metadevice, the arbitrary metamaterial configuration can be implanted into WCM. This opens a wide avenue to further enlarge the operating frequency range and applications in optoelectronic fields. These unique results provide various possibilities in multifunctional switching, active logical modulating, and optical computing applications.
CENP-C functions in centromere assembly, the maintenance of CENP-A asymmetry and epigenetic age in Drosophila germline stem cells
Authors: Carty Ben L. , Dattoli Anna A. , Dunleavy Elaine M.
Published: May 2021

Germline stem cells divide asymmetrically to produce one new daughter stem cell and one daughter cell that will subsequently undergo meiosis and differentiate to generate the mature gamete. The silent sister hypothesis proposes that in asymmetric divisions, the selective inheritance of sister chromatids carrying specific epigenetic marks between stem and daughter cells impacts cell fate. To facilitate this selective inheritance, the hypothesis specifically proposes that the centromeric region of each sister chromatid is distinct. In Drosophila germ line stem cells (GSCs), it has recently been shown that the centromeric histone CENP-A (called CID in flies)—the epigenetic determinant of centromere identity—is asymmetrically distributed between sister chromatids. In these cells, CID deposition occurs in G2 phase such that sister chromatids destined to end up in the stem cell harbour more CENP-A, assemble more kinetochore proteins and capture more spindle microtubules. These results suggest a potential mechanism of ‘mitotic drive’ that might bias chromosome segregation. Here we report that the inner kinetochore protein CENP-C, is required for the assembly of CID in G2 phase in GSCs. Moreover, CENP-C is required to maintain a normal asymmetric distribution of CID between stem and daughter cells. In addition, we find that CID is lost from centromeres in aged GSCs and that a reduction in CENP-C accelerates this loss. Finally, we show that CENP-C depletion in GSCs disrupts the balance of stem and daughter cells in the ovary, shifting GSCs toward a self-renewal tendency. Ultimately, we provide evidence that centromere assembly and maintenance via CENP-C is required to sustain asymmetric divisions in female Drosophila GSCs.
Ginger (Zingiber Officinale)-derived nanoparticles in Schistosoma mansoni infected mice: Hepatoprotective and enhancer of etiological treatment
Authors: Abd El Wahab Wegdan M. , El-Badry Ayman A. , Mahmoud Soheir S. , El-Badry Yaser A. , El-Badry Mohamed A. , Hamdy Doaa A.
Published: May 2021

Background

Nanotechnology has been manufactured from medicinal plants to develop safe, and effective antischistosmal alternatives to replace today’s therapies. The aim of the study is to evaluate the prophylactic effect of ginger-derived nanoparticles (GNPs), and the therapeutic effect of ginger aqueous extract, and GNPs on Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni) infected mice compared to praziquantel (PZQ), and mefloquine (MFQ).

Methodology/principal findings

Eighty four mice, divided into nine different groups, were sacrificed at 6th, 8th, and 10th week post-infection (PI), with assessment of parasitological, histopathological, and oxidative stress parameters, and scanning the worms by electron microscope. As a prophylactic drug, GNPs showed slight reduction in worm burden, egg density, and granuloma size and number. As a therapeutic drug, GNPs significantly reduced worm burden (59.9%), tissue egg load (64.9%), granuloma size, and number at 10th week PI, and altered adult worm tegumental architecture, added to antioxidant effect. Interestingly, combination of GNPs with PZQ or MFQ gave almost similar or sometimes better curative effects as obtained with each drug separately. The highest therapeutic effect was obtained when ½ dose GNPs combined with ½ dose MFQ which achieved 100% reduction in both the total worm burden, and ova tissue density as early as the 6th week PI, with absence of detected eggs or tissue granuloma, and preservation of liver architecture.

Conclusions/significance

GNPs have a schistosomicidal, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective role. GNPs have a strong synergistic effect when combined with etiological treatments (PZQ or MFQ), and significantly reduced therapeutic doses by 50%, which may mitigate side effects and resistance to etiological drugs, a hypothesis requiring further research. We recommend extending this study to humans.
Differentiating the learning styles of college students in different disciplines in a college English blended learning setting
Authors: Hu Jie , Peng Yi , Chen Xueliang , Yu Hangyan
Published: May 2021

Learning styles are critical to educational psychology, especially when investigating various contextual factors that interact with individual learning styles. Drawing upon Biglan’s taxonomy of academic tribes, this study systematically analyzed the learning styles of 790 sophomores in a blended learning course with 46 specializations using a novel machine learning algorithm called the support vector machine (SVM). Moreover, an SVM-based recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) technique was integrated to identify the differential features among distinct disciplines. The findings of this study shed light on the optimal feature sets that collectively determined students’ discipline-specific learning styles in a college blended learning setting.
β-lactam resistance associated with β-lactamase production and porin alteration in clinical isolates of E. coli and K. pneumoniae
Authors: Khalifa Sara M. , Abd El-Aziz Abeer M. , Hassan Ramadan , Abdelmegeed Eman S.
Published: May 2021

β-lactam resistance represents a worldwide problem and a serious challenge for antimicrobial treatment. Hence this research was conducted to recognize several mechanisms mediating β-lactam resistance in E. coli and K. pneumoniae clinical isolates collected from Mansoura University hospitals, Egypt. A total of 80 isolates, 45 E. coli and 35 K. pneumoniae isolates, were collected and their antibiotic susceptibility was determined by the Disc diffusion method followed by phenotypic and genotypic detection of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), AmpC β-lactamase, carbapenemase enzymes. The outer membrane protein porins of all isolates were analyzed and their genes were examined using gene amplification and sequencing. Also, the resistance to complement-mediated serum killing was estimated. A significant percentage of isolates (93.8%) were multidrug resistance and showed an elevated resistance to β-lactam antibiotics. The presence of either ESBL or AmpC enzymes was high among isolates (83.75%). Also, 60% of the isolated strains were carbapenemase producers. The most frequently detected gene of ESBL among all tested isolates was blaCTX-M-15 (86.3%) followed by blaTEM-1 (81.3%) and blaSHV-1 (35%) while the Amp-C gene was present in 83.75%. For carbapenemase-producing isolates, blaNDM1 was the most common (60%) followed by blaVIM-1 (35%) and blaOXA-48 (13.8%). Besides, 73.3% and 40% of E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates respectively were serum resistant. Outer membrane protein analysis showed that 93.3% of E. coli and 95.7% of K. pneumoniae isolates lost their porins or showed modified porins. Furthermore, sequence analysis of tested porin genes in some isolates revealed the presence of frameshift mutations that produced truncated proteins of smaller size. β-lactam resistance in K. pneumoniae and E. coli isolates in our hospitals is due to a combination of β-lactamase activity and porin loss/alteration. Hence more restrictions should be applied on β-lactams usage to decrease the emergence of resistant strains.
UV light-emitting diode (UV-LED) at 265 nm as a potential light source for disinfecting human platelet concentrates
Authors: Hayashi Tomoya , Oguma Kumiko , Fujimura Yoshihiro , Furuta Rika A. , Tanaka Mitsunobu , Masaki Mikako , Shinbata Yasuhito , Kimura Takafumi , Tani Yoshihiko , Hirayama Fumiya , Takihara Yoshihiro , Takahashi Koki
Published: May 2021

The risk of sepsis through bacterial transmission is one of the most serious problems in platelet transfusion. In processing platelet concentrates (PCs), several methods have been put into practice to minimize the risk of bacterial transmission, such as stringent monitoring by cultivation assays and inactivation treatment by photoirradiation with or without chemical agents. As another potential option, we applied a light-emitting diode (LED) with a peak emission wavelength of 265 nm, which has been shown to be effective for water, to disinfect PCs. In a bench-scale UV-LED exposure setup, a 10-min irradiation, corresponding to an average fluence of 9.2 mJ/cm2, resulted in >2.0 log, 1.0 log, and 0.6 log inactivation (mean, n = 6) ofEscherichia coli,Staphylococcus aureus, andBacillus cereus, respectively, in non-diluted plasma PCs. After a 30-min exposure, platelet counts decreased slightly (18 ± 7%: mean ± SD, n = 7); however, platelet surface expressions of CD42b, CD61, CD62P, and PAC-1 binding did not change significantly (P>0.005), and agonist-induced aggregation and adhesion/aggregation under flow conditions were well maintained. Our findings indicated that the 265 nm UV-LED has high potential as a novel disinfection method to ensure the microbial safety of platelet transfusion.
2-Day versus C-reactive protein guided antibiotherapy with levofloxacin in acute COPD exacerbation: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Mohamed Amine Msolli , Selma Messous , Adel Sekma , Khaoula Bel haj ali , Mohamed Hassene Khalil , Imen Trabelsi , Ahmed Abdelghani , Nadia Ben Brahim , Yosra Ben Dhaya , Rabie Razgallah , Mohamed Habib Grissa , Kaouthar Beltaief , Mehdi Methamem , Asma Belguith , Wahid Bouida , Riadh Boukef , Hamdi Boubaker , Semir Nouira ,   on behalf of the GREAT Network
Published: May 2021

Introduction

Duration of antibiotic treatment in acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) is most commonly based on expert opinion. Biomarker guided strategy is increasingly recommended to limit unnecessary antibiotic use. We performed a randomized controlled study to evaluate the efficacy of 2-day versus C-reactive protein (CRP)-guided treatment with levofloxacin in patients with AECOPD.

Methods

Patients with AECOPD were randomized to receive oral levofloxacin daily for 7 days unless the serum CRP level decreased by at least 50% from the baseline value or levofloxacin for two days; thereafter, oral placebo tablet was prescribed according to the CRP. The primary outcome measure was cure rate, and secondary outcome included need for additional antibiotics, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, exacerbation rates and exacerbation free interval (EFI) within one-year follow-up.

Results

In intention to treat (ITT) analysis, cure rate was 76.1% (n = 118) and 79.3% (n = 123) respectively in 2-day and CRP-guided groups. In per protocol (PP) analysis, cure rate was 73% (n = 92) and 70.4% (n = 88) respectively in 2-day and CRP-guided groups. The difference between the two groups was not significant. The need for additional antibiotics and ICU admission rates were not significantly different between the two groups. One-year exacerbation rate was 27% (n = 42) in 2-day group versus 30.3% (n = 47) in CRP-guided group (p = 0.53); the EFI was 125 days (interquartile range, 100–151) versus 100 days (interquartile range, 78–123) in 2-day and CRP-guided groups respectively (p = 0.45). No difference in adverse effects was detected.

Conclusion

Levofloxacin once daily for 2 days had similar efficacy compared to CRP-guided in AECOPD. This short course treatment decreased antibiotic consumption which would improve patient compliance and reduce adverse effects.
When two is worse than one: The deleterious impact of multisensory stimulation on response inhibition
Authors: Strelnikov Kuzma , Hervault Mario , Laurent Lidwine , Barone Pascal
Published: May 2021

Multisensory facilitation is known to improve the perceptual performances and reaction times of participants in a wide range of tasks, from detection and discrimination to memorization. We asked whether a multimodal signal can similarly improve action inhibition using the stop–signal paradigm. Indeed, consistent with a crossmodal redundant signal effect that relies on multisensory neuronal integration, the threshold for initiating behavioral responses is known for being reached faster with multisensory stimuli. To evaluate whether this phenomenon also occurs for inhibition, we compared stop signals in unimodal (human faces or voices) versus audiovisual modalities in natural or degraded conditions. In contrast to the expected multisensory facilitation, we observed poorer inhibition efficiency in the audiovisual modality compared with the visual and auditory modalities. This result was corroborated by both response probabilities and stop–signal reaction times. The visual modality (faces) was the most effective. This is the first demonstration of an audiovisual impairment in the domain of perception and action. It suggests that when individuals are engaged in a high–level decisional conflict, bimodal stimulation is not processed as a simple multisensory object improving the performance but is perceived as concurrent visual and auditory information. This absence of unity increases task demand and thus impairs the ability to revise the response.
Analysis of the spatial association of geographical detector-based landslides and environmental factors in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, China
Authors: Jia Wei-Jie , Wang Meng-Fei , Zhou Cheng-Hu , Yang Qing-Hua
Published: May 2021

Steep canyons surrounded by high mountains resulting from large-scale landslides characterize the study area located in the southeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau. A total of 1766 large landslides were identified based on integrated remote sensing interpretations utilizing multisource satellite images and topographic data that were dominated by 3 major regional categories, namely, rockslides, rock falls, and flow-like landslides. The geographical detector method was applied to quantitatively unveil the spatial association between the landslides and 12 environmental factors through computation of the q values based on spatially stratified heterogeneity. Meanwhile, a certainty factor (CF) model was used for comparison. The results indicate that the q values of the 12 influencing factors vary obviously, and the dominant factors are also different for the 3 types of landslides, with annual mean precipitation (AMP) being the dominant factor for rockslide distribution, elevation being the dominant factor for rock fall distribution and lithology being the dominant factor for flow-like distribution. Integrating the results of the factor detector and ecological detector, the AMP, annual mean temperature (AMT), elevation, river density, fault distance and lithology have a stronger influence on the spatial distribution of landslides than other factors. Furthermore, the factor interactions can significantly enhance their interpretability of landslides, and the top 3 dominant interactions were revealed. Based on statistics of landslide discrepancies with respect to diverse stratification of each factor, the high-risk zones were identified for 3 types of landslides, and the results were contrasted with the CF model. In conclusion, our method provides an objective framework for landslide prevention and mitigation through quantitative, spatial and statistical analyses in regions with complex terrain.
Attitude towards diabetes mellitus among adult communities in Gondar city, Ethiopia
Authors: Alemayehu Abiy Maru , Sisay Malede Mequanent
Published: May 2021

Background

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. Diabetes and its complications can be reduced by enhancing the attitude of the community. However, there is limited information regarding attitude towards diabetes in northwest Ethiopia. Therefore, this study determined the attitude and associated factors of diabetes mellitus among adult non-diabetic participants in Gondar city.

Methods

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Gondar city. Systematic random sampling was employed to select 626 non-diabetic participants. The data were collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, processing, and analysis were done using STATA version 14. Both bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regressions were used to identify the associated factors. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was used to calculate a level of significance.

Results

Of 626 participants, 572 (91.37%) study subjects heard about diabetes mellitus. Three hundred and fifteen participants (55.07%) (95% CI: 50.9% - 59.1%) had a favorable attitude towards diabetes mellitus. Having good knowledge about diabetes (adjusted odds ratio = 2.69, 95% CI: 1.88, 3.87), and higher educational status (adjusted odds ratio = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.78) were positively associated with a favorable attitude towards diabetes mellitus. Female gender (adjusted odds ratio = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.47, 0.98), on the other hand, had poor attitude towards diabetes mellitus.

Conclusion

In this study, a favorable attitude towards diabetes was low among adult non-diabetic participants. Good knowledge, higher educational status, and being male were the factors associated with a favorable attitude towards diabetes.