bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modelling midline shift and ventricle collapse in cerebral oedema following acute ischaemic stroke
Authors: Chen Xi , Józsa Tamás I. , Cardim Danilo , Robba Chiara , Czosnyka Marek , Payne Stephen J.
Published: May 2024

In ischaemic stroke, a large reduction in blood supply can lead to the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier and to cerebral oedema after reperfusion therapy. The resulting fluid accumulation in the brain may contribute to a significant rise in intracranial pressure (ICP) and tissue deformation. Changes in the level of ICP are essential for clinical decision-making and therapeutic strategies. However, the measurement of ICP is constrained by clinical techniques and obtaining the exact values of the ICP has proven challenging. In this study, we propose the first computational model for the simulation of cerebral oedema following acute ischaemic stroke for the investigation of ICP and midline shift (MLS) relationship. The model consists of three components for the simulation of healthy blood flow, occluded blood flow and oedema, respectively. The healthy and occluded blood flow components are utilized to obtain oedema core geometry and then imported into the oedema model for the simulation of oedema growth. The simulation results of the model are compared with clinical data from 97 traumatic brain injury patients for the validation of major model parameters. Midline shift has been widely used for the diagnosis, clinical decision-making, and prognosis of oedema patients. Therefore, we focus on quantifying the relationship between ICP and midline shift (MLS) and identify the factors that can affect the ICP-MLS relationship. Three major factors are investigated, including the brain geometry, blood-brain barrier damage severity and the types of oedema (including rare types of oedema). Meanwhile, the two major types (stress and tension/compression) of mechanical brain damage are also presented and the differences in the stress, tension, and compression between the intraparenchymal and periventricular regions are discussed. This work helps to predict ICP precisely and therefore provides improved clinical guidance for the treatment of brain oedema.
Surprise-minimization as a solution to the structural credit assignment problem
Authors: Wurm Franz , Ernst Benjamin , Steinhauser Marco
Published: May 2024

The structural credit assignment problem arises when the causal structure between actions and subsequent outcomes is hidden from direct observation. To solve this problem and enable goal-directed behavior, an agent has to infer structure and form a representation thereof. In the scope of this study, we investigate a possible solution in the human brain. We recorded behavioral and electrophysiological data from human participants in a novel variant of the bandit task, where multiple actions lead to multiple outcomes. Crucially, the mapping between actions and outcomes was hidden and not instructed to the participants. Human choice behavior revealed clear hallmarks of credit assignment and learning. Moreover, a computational model which formalizes action selection as the competition between multiple representations of the hidden structure was fit to account for participants data. Starting in a state of uncertainty about the correct representation, the central mechanism of this model is the arbitration of action control towards the representation which minimizes surprise about outcomes. Crucially, single-trial latent-variable analysis reveals that the neural patterns clearly support central quantitative predictions of this surprise minimization model. The results suggest that neural activity is not only related to reinforcement learning under correct as well as incorrect task representations but also reflects central mechanisms of credit assignment and behavioral arbitration.
Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding dengue among non-health undergraduate students of Nepal
Authors: Bhandari Sheetal , Rajbanshi Manish , Adhikari Nabin , Aryal Richa , Kunwar Kshitij , Paudel Rajan
Published: May 2024

Dengue poses a significant public health concern worldwide. It is identified as a recent emerging infectious disease in Nepal. Understanding the situation and dynamics between knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to dengue among students is crucial for effective prevention and control strategies. This study aimed to assess the KAP and their associated factors of dengue among non-health undergraduate students of Nepal to identify gaps and suggest appropriate interventions. A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 429 non-health undergraduate students at eleven Nepalese Universities, with 80% of participants from the four most prominent ones in the country. Self-administered online forms were administered via Google Forms platform predominantly through social media for data collection. Data was cleaned and then exported to IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0 for analysis. Demographic characteristics of respondents were described using descriptive statistics. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to determine the association between individual characteristics and KAP. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to determine the association between knowledge-attitude, attitude-practice, and knowledge-practice. Statistical significance was determined at the P-value < 0.05. Around half of the participants were female (50.3%). The majority of participants were between 22 to 37 years, unmarried, and belonged to the Brahmin/Chhetri ethnic group. This study demonstrated a significant gap in KAP. Only 15.2% of participants had good knowledge while 25.9% and 68.3% of participants exhibited good attitudes and practices respectively. Marital status (AOR = 3.32, CI: 1.32–8.34), third-year educational level (AOR = 3.59, CI:1.34–9.57), and fourth-year educational level (AOR = 4.93, CI:1.88–12.94) were significantly associated with knowledge regarding dengue. Age (AOR = 1.73, CI: 1.10–3.01) was significantly associated with preventive practice regarding dengue. None of the demographic or socio-economic characteristics of respondents was associated with attitude on dengue. The knowledge-attitude (rka = 0.01), knowledge-practice (rkp = 0.22), and attitude-practice (rap = 0.01) were positively correlated in this study.
Does technological innovation in National Sustainable Development Agenda Innovation Demonstration Zones promote green development?—the case from Chengde City, China
Authors: Yuan Qingqing , Zhang Guofeng , Wang Ruixian , Ma Xiaojing , Niu Jiangao
Published: May 2024

The National Sustainable Development Agenda Innovation Demonstration Zones (NSDAIDZs) aim to spearhead green development through scientific and technological innovation, showcasing sustainable development to other regions in China and offering valuable insights for countries worldwide. Taking Chengde City, which is one of the cities in the second batch of NSDAIDZs, as a case study, we examine the quantitative impact of technological innovation on green development. Additionally, it investigates the threshold effect of Research and development investments (R&D investments) on the relationship between technological innovation and green development. The results indicate that: (1) technological innovation has a positive promoting effect on green development, with a 1.01% increase in green development for every one unit increase in technological innovation; (2) The positive effect of technological innovation on green development becomes fully realized only when R&D investments and the upgrading of industrial structure surpass a specific threshold value. We contribute to the existing research on the connection between technological innovation and green development in innovation demonstration zones. It also provides empirical insights to foster a mutually beneficial relationship between R&D investments, industrial structure upgrading, and technological innovation, ultimately maximizing the promoting role of technological innovation in green development.
The statistical and dynamic modeling of the first part of the 2013-2014 Euromaidan protests in Ukraine: The Revolution of Dignity and preceding times
Authors: Bahid Yassin , Kutsenko Olga , Rodríguez Nancy , White David
Published: May 2024

Ukraine’s tug-of-war between Russia and the West has had significant and lasting consequences for the country. In 2013, Viktor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian president aligned with Russia, opted against signing an association agreement with the European Union. This agreement aimed to facilitate trade and travel between the EU and Ukraine. This decision sparked widespread protests that coalesced in Kyiv’s Maidan Square, eventually becoming known as the Euromaidan protests. In this study, we analyze the protest data from 2013, sourced from Ukraine’s Center for Social and Labor Research. Despite the dataset’s limitations and occasional inconsistencies, we demonstrate the extraction of valuable insights and the construction of a descriptive model from such data. Our investigation reveals a pre-existing state of self-excitation within the system even before the onset of the Euromaidan protests. This self-excitation intensified during the Euromaidan protests. A statistical analysis indicates that the government’s utilization of force correlates with increased future protests, exacerbating rather than quelling the protest movement. Furthermore, we introduce the implementation of Hawkes process models to comprehend the spatiotemporal dynamics of the protest activity. Our findings highlight that, while protest activities spread across the entire country, the driving force behind the dynamics of these protests was the level of activity in Kyiv. Furthermore, in contrast to prior research that emphasized geographical proximity as a key predictor of event propagation, our study illustrates that the political alignment among oblasts, which are the distinct municipalities comprising Ukraine, had a more profound impact than mere geographic distance. This underscores the significance of social and cultural factors in molding the trajectory of political movements.
Mendelian randomization analyses reveal no genetic causal effects of major adipokines on systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Duan Peng , Tian Suyan
Published: May 2024

Epidemiological studies have shown that the levels of serum adipokine such as leptin and resistin are associated with the risk of developing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Nevertheless, whether either leptin or resistin has causal impacts on the risk of SLE is still unknown. In this study, two-sample univariable MR analyses and multivariable MR analysis were performed to explore the causal relationships between adipokines and SLE. Additionally, the potential causal effects of SLE on major adipokines were evaluated using reverse MR analyses. The results of inverse-variance weighted (IVW), weighted median, weighted mode and MR‒Egger methods concordantly supported that major adipokines have no causal effects on the risk of SLE. In the multivariable MR IVW analysis with leptin and resistin as covariates, neither leptin (odds ratio (OR) = 3.093, P = 0.067) nor resistin (OR = 0.477, P = 0.311) was identified as an independent risk factor for SLE, which is in line with the univariable MR results. In conclusion, our analyses revealed no evidence to support that these three major adipokines are risk factors for SLE.
Electromyography as a tool to motion analysis for people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A protocol for a systematic review
Authors: Fernandes Ana Paula Mendonça , Holanda Ledycnarf Januário de , Lucena Larissa Coutinho de , Silva Kelly Evangelista Rodrigues da , Lopes Anna Clara Sales Miranda , Borges Daniel Tezoni , Nagem Danilo A. P. , Valentim Ricardo A. de M. , Bougrain Laurent , Rodrigues Lindquist Ana Raquel
Published: May 2024

Biomechanical analysis of human movement plays an essential role in understanding functional changes in people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), providing information on muscle impairment. Studies suggest that surface electromyography (sEMG) may be able to quantify muscle activity, identify levels of fatigue, assess muscle strength, and monitor variation in limb movement. In this article, a systematic review protocol will analyze the psychometric properties of the sEMG regarding the clinical data on the skeletal muscles of people with ALS. This protocol uses the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodological tool. A specific field structure was defined to reach each phase. Nine scientific databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Elsevier, IEEE, Google Scholar, SciELO, PEDro, LILACS E CENTRAL) were searched. The framework developed will extract data (i.e. study information, sample information, sEMG information, intervention, and outcomes) from the selected studies using a rigorous approach. The data will be described quantitatively using frequency and trend analysis methods, and heterogeneity between the included studies will be assessed using the I2 test. The risk of bias will be summarized using the most recent prediction model risk of bias assessment tool. Be sure to include relevant statistics here, such as sample sizes, response rates, P values or Confidence Intervals. Be specific (by stating the value) rather than general (eg, “there were differences between the groups”). This protocol will map out the construction of a systematic review that will identify and synthesize the advances in movement analysis of people with ALS through sEMG, using data extracted from articles.
Impacts of financial development and green trade on the shadow economy: An insight of eagle countries using Bayesian approaches
Authors: Thanh Bui Dan , Diep Nguyen Van , Tram Nguyen Huynh Mai
Published: May 2024

The existence of a shadow economy is recognized as an impediment to sustainable development. By applying the Bayesian approaches, the current article investigates the linkage between financial development, green trade, and the scope of the shadow economy, aiming to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of how these factors address the challenge posed by the shadow economy in Emerging and Growth-Leading Economies (EAGLE) from 2003 to 2016. The results demonstrate that (i) The progress of the financial sector is expected to diminish the scale of the shadow economy. Specifically, the expansion of financial institutions and markets has a strong and negative influence on the shadow economy. (ii) Increased involvement in green trade is likely to result in a decreased shadow economy. Empirical findings provide evidence for effective policymaking in simultaneously promoting sustainable trade practices, strengthening financial systems, and curtailing informal economic activities for inclusive economic development.
Cotton seed cultivar identification based on the fusion of spectral and textural features
Authors: Liu Xiao , Guo Peng , Xu Quan , Du Wenling
Published: May 2024

The mixing of cotton seeds of different cultivars and qualities can lead to differences in growth conditions and make field management difficult. In particular, except for yield loss, it can also lead to inconsistent cotton quality and poor textile product quality, causing huge economic losses to farmers and the cotton processing industry. However, traditional cultivar identification methods for cotton seeds are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and cumbersome, which cannot meet the needs of modern agriculture and modern cotton processing industry. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a fast, accurate, and non-destructive method for identifying cotton seed cultivars. In this study, hyperspectral images (397.32 nm—1003.58 nm) of five cotton cultivars, namely Jinke 20, Jinke 21, Xinluzao 64, Xinluzao 74, and Zhongmiansuo 5, were captured using a Specim IQ camera, and then the average spectral information of seeds of each cultivar was used for spectral analysis, aiming to estab-lish a cotton seed cultivar identification model. Due to the presence of many obvious noises in the < 400 nm and > 1000 nm regions of the collected spectral data, spectra from 400 nm to 1000 nm were selected as the representative spectra of the seed samples. Then, various denoising techniques, including Savitzky-Golay (SG), Standard Normal Variate (SNV), and First Derivative (FD), were applied individually and in combination to improve the quality of the spectra. Additionally, a successive projections algorithm (SPA) was employed for spectral feature selection. Based on the full-band spectra, a Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) model was established. Furthermore, spectral features and textural features were fused to create Random Forest (RF), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), and Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) identification models. The results showed that: (1) The SNV-FD preprocessing method showed the optimal denoising performance. (2) SPA highlighted the near-infrared region (800–1000 nm), red region (620–700 nm), and blue-green region (420–570 nm) for identifying cotton cultivar. (3) The fusion of spectral features and textural features did not consistently improve the accuracy of all modeling strategies, suggesting the need for further research on appropriate modeling strategies. (4) The ELM model had the highest cotton cultivar identification accuracy, with an accuracy of 100% for the training set and 98.89% for the test set. In conclusion, this study successfully developed a highly accurate cotton seed cultivar identification model (ELM model). This study provides a new method for the rapid and non-destructive identification of cotton seed cultivars, which will help ensure the cultivar consistency of seeds used in cotton planting, and improve the overall quality and yield of cotton.
Spectral consistency in sound sequence affects perceptual accuracy in discriminating subdivided rhythmic patterns
Authors: Nitta Jun , Kondoh Sotaro , Okanoya Kazuo , Tachibana Ryosuke O.
Published: May 2024

Musical compositions are distinguished by their unique rhythmic patterns, determined by subtle differences in how regular beats are subdivided. Precise perception of these subdivisions is essential for discerning nuances in rhythmic patterns. While musical rhythm typically comprises sound elements with a variety of timbres or spectral cues, the impact of such spectral variations on the perception of rhythmic patterns remains unclear. Here, we show that consistency in spectral cues affects perceptual accuracy in discriminating subdivided rhythmic patterns. We conducted online experiments using rhythmic sound sequences consisting of band-passed noise bursts to measure discrimination accuracy. Participants were asked to discriminate between a swing-like rhythm sequence, characterized by a 2:1 interval ratio, and its more or less exaggerated version. This task was also performed under two additional rhythm conditions: inversed-swing rhythm (1:2 ratio) and regular subdivision (1:1 ratio). The center frequency of the band noises was either held constant or alternated between two values. Our results revealed a significant decrease in discrimination accuracy when the center frequency was alternated, irrespective of the rhythm ratio condition. This suggests that rhythm perception is shaped by temporal structure and affected by spectral properties.
Exploring fractional-order new coupled Korteweg-de Vries system via improved Adomian decomposition method
Authors: Arshad Muhammad , Aldosary Saud Fahad , Batool Saba , Hussain Irfan , Hussain Naveed
Published: May 2024

This paper aims to extend the applications of the projected fractional improved Adomian Decomposition method (fIADM) to the fractional order new coupled Korteweg-de Vries (cKdV) system. This technique is significantly recognized for its effectiveness in addressing nonlinearities and iteratively handling fractional derivatives. The approximate solutions of the fractional-order new cKdV system are obtained by employing the improved ADM in fractional form. These solutions play a crucial role in designing and optimizing systems in engineering applications where accurate modeling of wave phenomena is essential, including fluid dynamics, plasma physics, nonlinear optics, and other mathematical physics domains. The fractional order new cKdV system, integrating fractional calculus, enhances accuracy in modeling wave interactions compared to the classical cKdV system. Comparison with exact solutions demonstrates the high accuracy and ease of application of the projected method. This proposed technique proves influential in resolving fractional coupled systems encountered in various fields, including engineering and physics. Numerical results obtained using Mathematica software further verify and demonstrate its efficacy.
Evaluation of pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy of [211At] meta-astatobenzylguanidine ([211At] MABG) in patients with pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma (PPGL): A study protocol
Authors: Kobayakawa Masao , Shiga Tohru , Takahashi Kazuhiro , Sugawara Shigeyasu , Nomura Kaori , Hanada Kazuhiko , Ishizuka Naoki , Ito Hiroshi
Published: May 2024

Background

Pheochromocytoma, or paraganglioma (PPGL), is a tumor that arises from catecholamine-producing chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla or paraganglion. Systemic therapy, such as the combination of cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and dacarbazine or therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals such as [131I] meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG), may be administered in cases of locally advanced tumors or distant metastases. However, the current therapies are limited in terms of efficacy and implementation. [211At] meta-astatobenzylguanidine (MABG) is an alpha-emitting radionuclide-labeled ligand that has demonstrated remarkable tumor-reducing effects in preclinical studies, and is expected to have a high therapeutic effect on pheochromocytoma cells.

Methods

We are currently conducting an investigator-initiated first-in-human clinical trial to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy of [211At] MABG. Patients with locally unresectable or metastatic PPGL refractory to standard therapy and scintigraphically positive [123I] MIBG aggregation are being recruited, and a 3 + 3 dose escalation design was adopted. The initial dose of [211At] MABG is 0.65 MBq/kg, with a dose escalation in a 1:2:4 ratio in each cohort. Dose-limiting toxicity is observed for 6 weeks after a single bolus dose of [211At] MABG, and the patients are observed for 3 months to explore safety and efficacy profiles. The primary endpoint is dose-limiting toxicity to determine both maximum tolerated and recommended doses. The secondary endpoints include radiopharmacokinetics, urinary radioactive excretion rate, urinary catecholamine response rate, objective response rate, progression free survival, [123I] MIBG scintigraphy on reducing tumor accumulation, and quality of life.

Trials registration

jRCT2021220012 registered on 17 June 2022.
Visual scanning patterns of a talking face when evaluating phonetic information in a native and non-native language
Authors: Deng Xizi , McClay Elise , Jastrzebski Erin , Wang Yue , Yeung H. Henny
Published: May 2024

When comprehending speech, listeners can use information encoded in visual cues from a face to enhance auditory speech comprehension. For example, prior work has shown that the mouth movements reflect articulatory features of speech segments and durational information, while pitch and speech amplitude are primarily cued by eyebrow and head movements. Little is known about how the visual perception of segmental and prosodic speech information is influenced by linguistic experience. Using eye-tracking, we studied how perceivers’ visual scanning of different regions on a talking face predicts accuracy in a task targeting both segmental versus prosodic information, and also asked how this was influenced by language familiarity. Twenty-four native English perceivers heard two audio sentences in either English or Mandarin (an unfamiliar, non-native language), which sometimes differed in segmental or prosodic information (or both). Perceivers then saw a silent video of a talking face, and judged whether that video matched either the first or second audio sentence (or whether both sentences were the same). First, increased looking to the mouth predicted correct responses only for non-native language trials. Second, the start of a successful search for speech information in the mouth area was significantly delayed in non-native versus native trials, but just when there were only prosodic differences in the auditory sentences, and not when there were segmental differences. Third, (in correct trials) the saccade amplitude in native language trials was significantly greater than in non-native trials, indicating more intensely focused fixations in the latter. Taken together, these results suggest that mouth-looking was generally more evident when processing a non-native versus native language in all analyses, but fascinatingly, when measuring perceivers’ latency to fixate the mouth, this language effect was largest in trials where only prosodic information was useful for the task.
The interplay of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus in dual-species biofilms impacts development, antibiotic resistance and virulence of biofilms in in vitro wound infection models
Authors: Vestweber Pia Katharina , Wächter Jana , Planz Viktoria , Jung Nathalie , Windbergs Maike
Published: May 2024

Due to high tolerance to antibiotics and pronounced virulence, bacterial biofilms are considered a key factor and major clinical challenge in persistent wound infections. They are typically composed of multiple species, whose interactions determine the biofilm’s structural development, functional properties and thus the progression of wound infections. However, most attempts to study bacterial biofilms in vitro solely rely on mono-species populations, since cultivating multi-species biofilms, especially for prolonged periods of time, poses significant challenges. To address this, the present study examined the influence of bacterial composition on structural biofilm development, morphology and spatial organization, as well as antibiotic tolerance and virulence on human skin cells in the context of persistent wound infections. By creating a wound-mimetic microenvironment, the successful cultivation of dual-species biofilms of two of the most prevalent wound pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, was realized over a period of 72 h. Combining quantitative analysis with electron microscopy and label-free imaging enabled a comprehensive evaluation of the dynamics of biofilm formation and matrix secretion, revealing a twofold increased maturation of dual-species biofilms. Antibiotic tolerance was comparable for both mono-species cultures, however, dual-species communities showed a 50% increase in tolerance, mediated by a significantly reduced penetration of the applied antibiotic into the biofilm matrix. Further synergistic effects were observed, where dual-species biofilms exacerbated wound healing beyond the effects observed from either Pseudomonas or Staphylococcus. Consequently, predicting biofilm development, antimicrobial tolerance and virulence for multi-species biofilms based solely on the results from mono-species biofilms is unreliable. This study underscores the substantial impact of a multi-species composition on biofilm functional properties and emphasizes the need to tailor future studies reflecting the bacterial composition of the respective in vivo situation, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of microbial communities in the context of basic microbiology and the development of effective treatments.
Variation in structural motifs within SARS-related coronavirus spike proteins
Authors: Hills Francesca R. , Eruera Alice-Roza , Hodgkinson-Bean James , Jorge Fátima , Easingwood Richard , Brown Simon H. J. , Bouwer James C. , Li Yi-Ping , Burga Laura N. , Bostina Mihnea
Published: May 2024

SARS-CoV-2 is the third known coronavirus (CoV) that has crossed the animal-human barrier in the last two decades. However, little structural information exists related to the close genetic species within the SARS-related coronaviruses. Here, we present three novel SARS-related CoV spike protein structures solved by single particle cryo-electron microscopy analysis derived from bat (bat SL-CoV WIV1) and civet (cCoV-SZ3, cCoV-007) hosts. We report complex glycan trees that decorate the glycoproteins and density for water molecules which facilitated modeling of the water molecule coordination networks within structurally important regions. We note structural conservation of the fatty acid binding pocket and presence of a linoleic acid molecule which are associated with stabilization of the receptor binding domains in the “down” conformation. Additionally, the N-terminal biliverdin binding pocket is occupied by a density in all the structures. Finally, we analyzed structural differences in a loop of the receptor binding motif between coronaviruses known to infect humans and the animal coronaviruses described in this study, which regulate binding to the human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor. This study offers a structural framework to evaluate the close relatives of SARS-CoV-2, the ability to inform pandemic prevention, and aid in the development of pan-neutralizing treatments.
Documenting contemporary art education histories
Authors: Grubbs Jeffrey B.
Published: May 2024

Every art educator has a story to tell, and that story is part of the complex reality of art education history worth documenting. This Special Issue focuses on the importance of documenting contemporary histories of art education. Within my art education history course, I asked graduate students to complete contemporary historical research on art educators still living. After students studied the various education philosophies, ideologies and pedagogies, they reached out to a living art educator to interview. What developed was six biographical studies of art educators who have contributed to the field of art education in unique ways.
The life and educational philosophy of Dr Christine Ballengee-Morris: A pioneer in art education
Authors: Edson Rachael M.
Published: May 2024

Dr Christine Ballengee-Morris is a renowned art educator, author and researcher whose contributions have significantly impacted the field of art education. Dr Ballengee-Morris has dedicated her life to empowering her students to explore and express their artistic voices. This article explores Dr Ballengee-Morris’s life, educational philosophy and legacy as a pioneering figure in the world of art education. Through a phone interview, on 27 January 2023, we discussed her childhood, career trajectory and inspirations in art education. We also examine her views on progressivism and the role of experience and activity in education.
Impact of dietary supplementation of Rhamnus prinoides leaf extract on the growth performance, nutrient retention and intestinal microbial count of “japanese quails”
Authors: Alagbe John Olujimi
Published: May 2024

This research was carried out to investigate the impact of dietary supplementation of Rhamnus prinoides leaf extract (RPL) on the growth performance, nutrient retention and intestinal microbial count of “japanese quails”. 300-2 weeks old “japanese quails” were allocated sixty birds per group and group treatment had four replicates (15 quails per replicate). Corn-soya meal (basal diet) was formulated according to the nutritional needs of birds (NRC, 1994). Quails in group 1(G1) was fed basal diet with no R. prinoides leaf extract, G2, G3, G4 and G5 were fed basal diet with 0.2 mL, 0.4 mL, 0.6 mL and 0.8 mL respectively. Result on the bioactive components in RPL revealed the presence of 15 bioactive compounds with pharmacological properties. Outcome on average daily weight gain showed that G3 (3.20 g), G4 (3.23 g) and G5 (3.24 g) were higher (P < 0.05) relative to G2 (3.06 g) and G1 (2.21 g). These groups also had a better feed conversion ratio (G3, G4 and G5). Average daily feed intake which varied from 703.81-708.33 g were not significantly (P > 0.05) different among the group. Mortality was recorded only among quails in group 1 (2.0%) (P < 0.05). Dry matter, crude protein, ether extract and nitrogen free extracts which varied from 70.12-86.57%, 58.70-68.91% and 50.62-66.05% were higher (P < 0.05) in G3, G4 and G5, intermediate in G2 and lowest in G1. Conversely, crude fibre values were higher in G1 relative to the other groups. Population of Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp. and Staphylococcus sp. count in the gut were lower in G2, G3, G4 and G5 relative to G1 while Lactobacillus sp. count were lowest in G1 (P < 0.05). It was concluded that RPL can be feed to quails up to 0.8 mL/L without causing any negative effect on the growth performance and health status of birds.
A comparative study of the CAPM and extended models in the Indian stock market
Authors: Asthana Akash , Ahmed Syed Shafi
Published: May 2024

To explain the cross section of asset returns, there are numerous asset pricing models being used which require ideal conditions in the markets around the world. An attempt has been made in the present study to estimate and compare the different versions of capital asset princing model (CAPM) using the data of sectoral indices listed in S&P BSE in the Indian stock market. The two widely used approaches i.e. Fama-MacBeth (1973) and Pettengil et al. (1995) for conditional versions have been adopted in the study. The models were compared on the basis of Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and it was obtained that the AIC value of the Unconditional higher moment CAPM was obtained minimum among other models. Hence it can be said as the better model than other models estimated.
Music! Music! Music! (1950)
Authors: Harris Phil , Brewer Teresa , Barton Eileen
Published: May 2024

While novelty songs spiced up the pop charts in 1950, a teenage sensation, Teresa Brewer, scored a huge hit with “Music! Music! Music,” an indicator of how important the teenage market would become to popular music.
Come On-A My House (1951)
Authors: Brewer Teresa , Monahan Bill , Shore Dinah , Paul Les , Clooney Rosemary , Saroyan William , Bagdasarian Ross , Miller Mitch
Published: May 2024

1951 was not a great year for female singers, either on the pop or R&B charts. One of the most notable songs by any singer that year was by Rosemary Clooney, who took what was essentially a novelty tune, “Come On-A My House,” and turned it into a sexy bestselling record.
Sugartime (1958)
Authors: The Shirelles  , The Chantels  , The Poni-Tails  , The Teddy Bears  , The Mcguire Sisters  , Francis Connie , Morgan Jaye P. , Morgan Jane , Day Doris , Lee Peggy , Graen Charlie , Johnson Betty , Gibbs Georgia
Published: May 2024

The Girl Group sound, which would dominate the early 1960s pop market, gets its start in 1958, with incursions by the Chantels and Shirelles. Meanwhile, the white sister acts maintain dominance with songs such as “Sugartime” (McGuire Sisters) and “Lollipop” (Chordettes).
I Wanna Be Loved (1950)
Authors: Bergsman Steve
Published: May 2024

A couple of jazz and blues singers from the 1940s kept rolling with big hits in 1950, but there was plenty of room for proto-rock ‘n’ rollers such as Jewel King from New Orleans. The dominator was still jukebox queen Dinah Washington.
Witnesses of the Spirit
Authors: Carlacio Jami L.
Published: May 2024

The Introduction provides an overview of twelve Black women’s public intellectualism expressed in sermons, autobiographies, poetry, speeches, prose, art, and digital media as well as through their leadership in both religious and secular organizations such as the Methodist Church, NAACP, YWCA, and the National Association of Colored Women (NACW). Further, the Introduction explains how these women’s activism was informed by their religious or spiritual convictions. Finally, the introductory chapter lays out the book’s three aims: first, to highlight the historical trajectory of Black women and their relationship to theology, politics, and the culture in which they created intellectual work; second, to intervene in the generally accepted assumption that public intellectuals that are male occupy a privileged social location and produce a particular form of intellectual work; and third, to honor the Black women whose commitment to the social, political, and economic well-being of African Americans shaped their work in the public sphere.
More than “Mere” Rhetoric
Authors: McLaughlin Neely
Published: May 2024

This chapter argues that Lee’s spiritual autobiography, read through the lens of womanist theology, contributes to the essentially theological pursuit of understanding faith. Recognizing Lee’s story as a significant contribution in Christian discourse that is also political illuminates nuances that have not become evident in readings that view the Narrative’s Christian discourse as simply a rhetorical means to a political end. Lee’s overriding concern is to narrate her progression from victimization to empowerment as illuminated by her analysis of forgiveness. Her moment of conversion is one in which she herself forgives, is healed, and (literally) gains a public voice, an important step towards becoming a preacher. As such, her narrative challenges institutional barriers and dominant constructions of knowledge in Christian theology.
Journeys and Warnings
Authors: Fish Cheryl J.
Published: May 2024

This chapter investigates how the travel narratives of nineteenth-century ethnographer and evangelist Nancy Gardner Prince disrupted certain discourses of racial stereotyping, colonial power, and the mechanisms of slavery. Her evangelical New England voice registers outrage from the scenes of empire and emancipation in Russia and then Jamaica, criticizing those who fail to live up to her sense of Christian ethics or the ideals of the American Declaration of Independence. Following a brief biographical sketch of Prince, the chapter traces Prince’s "resistant truth telling" that draws on multiple traditions, including the missionary report, slave narrative, and spiritual conversion narrative; her complex relationship to mobility and the body as she recasts domesticity through leadership roles; and her journeys to Russia and Jamaica as examples of mobile subjectivity through which she presents multiple narrative positions and interventions vis-a-vis each context in relation to power, authority, conflict, geopolitical position, and ethnic or racial identities.
Cultivating “Mass Intelligence”
Authors: Hornsby-Gutting Angela
Published: May 2024

This chapter assesses the intellectual contributions of Nannie Helen Burroughs to the modern civil rights and labor movements via her oratorical and print contributions. Speeches, editorials in The Worker, a foreign missionary publication, proceedings from the Baptist Women’s Annual Convention, and religiously themed plays defined the educator’s relationship to those reform campaigns. Burroughs’s public advocacy of economic and social justice, drawn from the currents of African American thought, fused practical education with woman-centered leadership, both presaged the non-violent, direct-action campaigns of the era and provided the Christian, moral armament for future generations of activist public intellectuals.
“It Sings in Our Blood”
Authors: Metcalfe Darcy
Published: May 2024

This chapter highlights the life and works of the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, whose commitment to rigorous intellectualism and the public good resulted in lasting changes to the US Constitution. As a legal scholar and as a priest in the Episcopal Church, she interrogated and destabilized a powerful empire’s construction of the categories of gender, race, and class. Employing new materialist perspectives from feminist physicist Karen Barad and embodiment theory from epidemiologist Nancy Krieger, the chapter analyzes the ways in which Murray employs womanist and Black feminist methods to reconfigure history and the material world. Using the concepts of countermemory/counternarrative in her poetry to re-member America’s history of racism and sexism, Murray reconfigured an entire nation’s historical consciousness. Countermemory is often a tool used by womanist scholars to reconstitute what Barad calls “spacetimemattering.”
Conclusion
Authors: King Stephen A. , Gatchet Roger Davis
Published: May 2024

Terror and Truth concludes by assessing the three major goals associated with civil rights tourism: economic development, image management, and social justice. The chapter spends considerable time addressing questions regarding the extent to which civil rights tourism can serve as a mechanism to address contemporary social justice issues. To answer this question, the chapter explores several tourism sites including the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center, and the Emmett Till Interpretive Center. The chapter also explores efforts by Mississippi’s official culture to ironically challenge social justice memory practices, including changes to the state’s education curriculum and bans on teaching critical race theory. At the same time, the removal of the state’s controversial flag and the creation of Fannie Lou Hamer education resources signifies the powerful relationship between civil rights tourism and social justice.
Two Rad Bros
Authors: Thomas Paul A.
Published: May 2024

Given its narrative and thematic complexities, articulating the essence of Adventure Time in just a few short words is a task far trickier than one might initially assume it to be. But if the series must be defined as only one thing, then it is best viewed as the story of two brothers: Finn the Human and Jake the Dog. As such, this chapter explores Finn and Jake in detail, considering how the two emerged in the mind of Pendleton Ward, which actors provided their iconic voices, and how their characterization evolved as the series progressed.
Cloverfield
Authors: Hantke Steffen
Published: May 2024

When released in 2008, Matt Reeves’s Cloverfield was an important film. It revitalized the giant creature, a cinematic trope that had languished for over a decade. It addressed the attacks of September 11, 2001, and did so by trading the jingoistic rhetoric of retributive military aggression of its day for a serious engagement with personal trauma against the backdrop of massive civilian suffering. And it applied the horror film’s fascination with personal stories captured by found-footage to the grand violence of history. Innovative and intense, Cloverfield represented blockbuster filmmaking at its best.
“Some Thing Has Found Us”
Authors: Hantke Steffen
Published: May 2024

Announcing its originality with a startling sensual intensity, Cloverfield succeeded in reframing familiar tropes of the giant creature film and relaunching them with formal and thematic freshness. Simultaneously a deeply familiar genre film and a film flirting with formal experimentation, Cloverfield has secured a place for itself as a crucial topical response to the events of 9/11 while originating a franchise that, while distancing itself from its original subject matter, shows creativity in exploring newly available forms of commercial exploitation.
Many Oars
Authors: Lemco Amy
Published: May 2024

This chapter covers several avenues of civil rights progress in Harrison County. Most publications on the Biloxi wade-ins relied on Dr Gilbert Mason's recollections, which include the backlash to increased civil rights activity. The chapter explains the impact of Black votes in Biloxi, wherein incumbent mayor Laz Quave lost to the younger candidate, Daniel Guice, who was lauded as being more progressive and respectful to the Black community than his predecessor. The chapter also elaborates on the school desegregation efforts in Biloxi. Since the disparity between Black citizens' social and political treatment was found to be incompatible with Christian ideals, grassroots movements in Biloxi were beginning to find more recognition and assistance coming from the national level.
A Test of Family Values
Authors: Kabat Julie
Published: May 2024

This chapter discusses how the author's older brother, Luke, wrote to their parents to tell them that he was applying to volunteer for the Mississippi Summer Project. Their parents told him to come home and they asked for the author's help to persuade her brother not to go. The chapter details how Luke talked about Mahatma Gandhi and how he had developed the practice of satyagraha, nonviolent civil resistance, to oppose British rule in India. For years growing up, the author and her brother had listened whenever their mother told them compelling family stories about her father and her brother fighting oppression and tyranny in Russia and in Spain. In addition, their father stood up for his principles and lost his job in the mid-1950s during Joseph McCarthy's anticommunist witch hunt. Days before Luke's depart, a shocking announcement broke on the TV evening news: three young men had gone missing in Mississippi, two white volunteers from the North—Mickey Schwerner and Andrew Goodman—and a local African American, James Chaney.
Early Days
Authors: Kabat Julie
Published: May 2024

This chapter discusses Luke's arrival in Meridian with his friend, Freeman Cocroft. Summer Project leaders anticipated that the presence of northern white volunteers could further inflame the dangerous situation in Mississippi. At the orientation, they had warned that Mississippi whites were experiencing a fear bordering on paranoia. Thus, being a host and sheltering volunteers required an extra dose of courage. Mr. Figgers, a father of ten grown children who now lived by himself, invited Luke and Freeman to stay with him. The chapter looks at the struggle for Black people to receive good medical care; there were only two African American physicians in Meridian who were expected to serve the entire Black community of twenty-three thousand. It also considers how the COFO Community Center in Meridian quickly became an oasis for those who gathered there. The chapter describes how Luke and Freeman witnessed the corrosive effects of racial hatred.
Project Building Blocks
Authors: Kabat Julie
Published: May 2024

This chapter focuses on the voter-registration drive, which was at the heart of Mississippi Freedom Summer. Civil rights workers usually went out in Black–white pairs to register voters. On a few occasions, Luke accompanied another worker canvassing door-to-door. The Democratic National Convention was scheduled for late August in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and project leaders were planning to stage a dramatic confrontation there. By showing up with an integrated delegation, they wanted to prove that the “whites only” delegation sent by the “regular” Mississippi Democratic Party was unfair and illegitimate. The chapter then discusses how community centers and Freedom Schools played pivotal roles in the overall structure of Freedom Summer. To reach the widest possible audience, project leaders hosted public evening meetings that would appeal to anyone interested in the civil rights movement. Usually held in churches, these meetings became the go-to place where local and national ministers and other speakers mixed with the COFO staff, volunteers, and community members.
Nonviolence 1
Authors: Kabat Julie
Published: May 2024

This chapter explains that the question of how to base one's actions on love in the face of hatred was a prime topic of discussion at the Mississippi Summer Project. Throughout the summer, the volunteers found themselves in situations where they had to wrestle with difficult issues and question their assumptions, especially regarding nonviolence and racism. Luke, like many of his fellow summer volunteers, kept a running commentary in his notes. Although they actively trained for violent confrontations and taught nonviolence workshops at Freedom Schools, summer volunteers were not allowed to go out to test the new Civil Rights Act of 1964, which President Johnson had signed in early July, or to engage in any other demonstrations. Project leaders had determined that voter registration, their priority, required a laser-like focus. Nevertheless, there were other circumstances when volunteers found themselves suddenly needing to confront hate with love.