bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Los viajeros decimonónicos, forjando la idea del paisaje mexicano
Authors: Partida Juan Pablo Angulo
Published: March 2021

El paisaje es entendido como una producción cultural, una manera de ver y representar al mundo circundante. Desde esta perspectiva, el presente artículo pretende explorar las representaciones del paisaje que ayudaron a forjar la imagen del México decimonónico. Tomando en cuenta lo anterior, se seleccionaron obras de viajeros que van desde especialistas como Humboldt, hasta aficionados. En dichos textos, se abordaron aspectos como el papel de la religión en el paisaje, la representación de México como el cuerno de la abundancia, la incipiente perspectiva científica, la representación de la tropicalidad, y la producción estética del paisaje mexicano. Las representaciones del paisaje presentadas en este artículo, corresponden a la perspectiva de Occidente, la cual no tomaba en cuenta a otros modelos culturales. Estas representaciones dieron lugar al paisaje mexicano, que no era americano ni europeo, el cual sirvió en la construcción del nacionalismo mexicano.
A realidade aumentada no planejamento da paisagem
Authors: Prado Barbara Irene Wasinski , Araujo Erico Peixoto , Amaral Francisco Armond
Published: March 2021

Este texto apresenta a aplicação da ferramenta Realidade Aumentada– RA Sandbox (traduzida como Caixa de Areia de Realidade Aumentada) no Planejamento da Paisagem e no Planejamento Urbano e Rural. Relata-se, a partir da experiência educacional topológica realizada com o recurso semiótico da computação tangível, sob a forma de uma caixa de areia cuja superfície recebe projeções de imagem de curvas de nível, à medida em que os alunos interagem movimentando a areia; as imagens se alteram simultaneamente com a movimentação, podendo-se simularchuvas sombreando partes da superfície da areia e o software do sistema simula o escorrimento de água pelo modelado. Foram inúmeras as aplicações possibilitadas, tais como: reconhecer a paisagem estudada e seu modelado; compreender a tradução gráfica desse modelado por meio da representação por curvas de níveis; interagir (tátil e visualmente) com as transformações do modelado; simular o caminho das águas fluindo nas diferentes superfícies de um modelado; estudar estratégias de alcance e proteção de territórios; e, especialmente, identificar áreas suscetíveis a acidentes e desastres naturais e antrópicos. Como resultado, apresentamos o grande potencial da ferramenta na ampliação de experiências e aceleração dos resultados. A ferramenta foi desenvolvida com a participação de professores e estudantes, ampliando suas experiências e interações e acelerando seu processo de aprendizado, além de os sensibilizar sobre prevenção de áreas de risco em espaços de assentamento humano.
Cost‐Effectiveness of Combination Therapy for Patients With Systemic Sclerosis–Related Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Tran‐Duy An , Morrisroe Kathleen , Clarke Philip , Stevens Wendy , Proudman Susanna , Sahhar Joanne , Nikpour Mandana ,   Australian Scleroderma Interest Group (ASIG)
Published: March 2021

Background

To evaluate the cost‐effectiveness of combination pulmonary arterial hypertension specific therapy in systemic sclerosis–related PAH.

Methods and Results

Health outcomes and costs were captured through data linkage. Health utility was derived from Medical Outcomes Study Short Form‐36 scores. A probabilistic discrete‐time model was developed to simulate lifetime changes in costs and health utility. Mortality was predicted using a Gompertz parametric survival model. For both treatment arms, the simulations were started using the same cohort of 10 000 patients. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed using the Monte Carlo simulation with 1000 sets of sampled parameter values. Of 143 patients with systemic sclerosis–related pulmonary arterial hypertension, 89 were on monotherapy and 54 on combination therapy. Mean simulated costs per patient per year in monotherapy and combination therapy groups were AU$23 411 (US$16 080) and AU$29 129 (US$19 982), respectively. Mean life years and quality‐adjusted life years from pulmonary arterial hypertension diagnosis to death of patients receiving monotherapy were 7.1 and 3.0, respectively, and of those receiving combination therapy were 9.2 and 3.9, respectively. Incremental costs per life year and quality‐adjusted life year gained of combination therapy compared with monotherapy were AU$47 989 (US$32 920) and AU$113 823 (US$78 082), respectively. At a willingness‐to‐pay threshold of AU$102 000 (US$69 972) per life year gained, and of AU$177 222 (US$121 574) per quality‐adjusted life year gained, the probability of combination therapy being cost‐effective was 0.95.

Conclusions

The incremental cost per quality‐adjusted life year gained of combination therapy compared with monotherapy was substantial in the base case analysis. Given the fatal prognosis of systemic sclerosis–related pulmonary arterial hypertension and the incremental cost per life year of AU$47 989 (US$32 920), combination therapy could be considered cost‐effective in systemic sclerosis–related pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Electrophysiological and Pathological Impact of Medium‐Dose External Carbon Ion and Proton Beam Radiation on the Left Ventricle in an Animal Model
Authors: Takami Mitsuru , Hara Tetsuya , Okimoto Tomoaki , Suga Masaki , Fukuzawa Koji , Kiuchi Kunihiko , Suehiro Hideya , Akita Tomomi , Takemoto Makoto , Nakamura Toshihiro , Sakai Jun , Yatomi Atsusuke , Nakasone Kazutaka , Sonoda Yusuke , Yamamoto Kyoko , Takahara Hiroyuki , Hirata Ken‐ichi
Published: March 2021

Background

Medium‐dose (25 gray) x‐ray radiation therapy has recently been performed on patients with refractory ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Unlike x‐ray, carbon ion and proton beam radiation can deliver most of their energy to the target tissues. This study investigated the electrophysiological and pathological changes caused by medium‐dose carbon ion and proton beam radiation in the left ventricle (LV).

Methods and Results

External beam radiation in the whole LV was performed in 32 rabbits. A total of 9 rabbits were not irradiated (control). At the 3‐month or 6‐month follow‐up, the animals underwent an open‐chest electrophysiological study and were euthanized for histological analyses. No acute death occurred. Significant LV dysfunction was not seen. The surface ECG revealed a significant reduction in the P and QRS wave voltages in the radiation groups. The electrophysiological study showed that the local conduction times in each LV site were significantly longer and that the local LV bipolar voltages were significantly lower in the radiation groups than in the control rabbits. Histologically, apoptosis, fibrotic changes, and a decrease in the expression of the connexin 43 protein were seen in the LV myocardium. These changes were obvious at 3 months, and the effects were sustained 6 months after radiation. No histological changes were seen in the coronary artery and esophagus, but partial radiation pneumonitis was observed.

Conclusions

Medium‐dose carbon ion and proton beam radiation in the whole LV resulted in a significant electrophysiological disturbance and pathological changes in the myocardium. Radiation of the arrhythmogenic substrate would modify the electrical status and potentially induce the antiarrhythmic effect.
Recombinant Soluble Corin Improves Cardiac Function in Mouse Models of Heart Failure
Authors: Niu Yayan , Zhang Shengnan , Gu Xiabing , Zhou Tiantian , Li Feng , Liu Meng , Wu Qingyu , Dong Ningzheng
Published: March 2021

Background

Corin is a transmembrane protease that activates ANP and BNP (atrial and B‐type natriuretic peptides). Impaired corin expression and function are associated with heart failure. In this study, we characterized a soluble form of corin (sCorin) and examined its effects on cardiac morphology and function in mouse heart failure models.

Methods and Results

sCorin, consisting of the full‐length extracellular fragment of human corin with an engineered activation site, was expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, purified from the conditioned medium with affinity chromatography, and characterized in pro‐ANP processing assays in vitro and pharmacokinetic studies in mice. Effects of sCorin on mouse models of heart failure induced by left coronary artery ligation and transverse aortic constriction were assessed by ELISA analysis of plasma markers, histologic examination, and echocardiography. We showed that purified and activated sCorin converted pro‐ANP to ANP that stimulated cGMP production in cultured cells. In mice, intravenously and intraperitoneally administered sCorin had plasma half‐lives of 3.5±0.1 and 8.3±0.3 hour, respectively. In the mouse heart failure models, intraperitoneal injection of sCorin increased plasma ANP, BNP, and cGMP levels; lowered plasma levels of NT‐proANP (N‐terminal‐pro‐ANP), angiotensin II, and aldosterone; reduced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis; and improved cardiac function.

Conclusions

We show that sCorin treatment enhanced natriuretic peptide processing and activity, suppressed the renin‐angiotensin‐aldosterone system, and improved cardiac morphology and function in mice with failing hearts.
“Where the great serpent of Slavery … basks himself all summer long”1: Antebellum Newport and the South
Authors: Rohrs Richard C.
Published: March 2021

Conventional wisdom states that New England was unsympathetic toward the South in the decades before the Civil War. The region's attitudes, however, were not homogeneous. In Newport, Rhode Island, a town dependent upon tourism and real estate investment, residents empathized with Southerners and the sectional issues that concerned them.
Contexts of Discontented Response In Canadian and Chinese Cultures
Authors: Ringo MA
Published: March 2021

Two previous studies suggest that Chinese people do not adopt less explicit codes than do North Americans under all circumstances. To further examine discontented responses in Chinese and North American cultures, subjects from Canadian and Chinese cultures were asked to recall episodes in which they showed explicit discontent as well as those in which their discontent was repressed. Among the "showing discontent" episodes, Canadians reported many more situations characterized by "direct confrontation" than did Chinese. What seemed to have "bothered" Chinese frequently was implicit challenges or insults. On the "non-showing" side of discontented situations, Can.adians tended to be very sensitive to the "power" structure of their society. Chinese were responsive to the' 'power" structure of their environment as well. Yet, they were more likely to distinguish situations that involved disagreement from other situations than were Canadians.
The effects of COVID-19 litter on animal life
Authors: Hiemstra Auke-Florian , Rambonnet Liselotte , Gravendeel Barbara , Schilthuizen Menno
Published: March 2021

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is massively used, resulting in a new wave of litter: protective face masks and gloves. Here we present the first case of a fish entrapped in a medical glove, encountered during a canal clean-up in Leiden, The Netherlands. We also report the first cases of birds using medical face masks as nesting material, which were also found in the Dutch canals. To place these new findings in context, we collected online reported interactions of animals with PPE litter, since the start of the pandemic. This resulted in the first overview of cases of entanglement, entrapment and ingestion of COVID-19 litter by animals and the use of it as nesting material. We signal COVID-19 litter as a new threat to animal life as the materials designed to keep us safe are actually harming animals around us. To understand the full scale of this problem, we welcome anyone to contribute to our overview by submitting their observations online at www.covidlitter.com. To further prevent PPE litter, it is recommended that, when possible, reusable alternatives are used.
To Negotiate or Not-to Negotiate with the FDLR Rebels? President Kikwete and Tanzania’s Foreign Policy towards Rwanda (2013–2015)
Authors: Minde Nicodemus
Published: March 2021

This article challenges traditional approaches to inter-state relations and reinforces the actor-specific nature of foreign policy analysis. Using individual decision-making theory based on the personalities of key political actors, this article proposes a case study on the foreign policy decision outcome by Tanzania’s President Jakaya Kikwete, in response to the 2013 diplomatic row with Rwanda. Tanzania’s relations with Rwanda have historically been cordial. However, President Kikwete’s proposal for Rwanda to negotiate with the rebel group Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Rwanda (FDLR) at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa in 2013 was not well received by Rwanda. The FDLR is a Hutu rebel outfit based in Eastern DRC, consisting of surviving Hutus who had fled into DRC, after the 1994 genocide. This article argues that in view of the diplomatic row that ensued, Kikwete’s response supports current theories on the role played by a key political actor’s personality in the foreign policy decision-making process.
Accession by Tanzania to the Marrakesh Treaty on Access to Publications for Visually Impaired Persons: Policy and Legal Implications
Authors: Mwakaje Saudin J.
Published: March 2021

The accession by Tanzania to the Marrakesh Treaty has set up a new legal platform and benchmark which calls for national policy and regulatory review, particularly to the legislation governing copyright and rights of persons with disabilities. From its inception, copyright law hinges on a cautiously tailored regulatory approach calculated to accommodate competing interests of the copyright owners and users. The legislative thrust centers on devising a balanced approach cognizant of the need to promote artistic and literary creativity while at the same time making copyright law serve broader public interests. The Marrakesh Treaty was negotiated and subsequently adopted along the lines of public interest considerations. It seeks to create a defined legal framework that would facilitate access to the published materials and other information in accessible format for persons who are print disabled. Tanzania accessed the Treaty in the year 2020. Thus, this paper explores the policy and legislative implications to Tanzania pursuant to her accession to the Treaty. It concludes by highlighting that, a holistic policy and legislative review is necessary in order for Tanzania to fully adhere to its obligations under the Treaty.
Household’s Choice of Healthcare Provider in Kenya
Authors: Lokina Razack , Musili William
Published: March 2021

People respond in different manners to various injuries or illnesses. Factors that influence response to illness or injuries are usually categorized into enabling factors, predisposing factors and perceived factors. These responses are self-treatment, seeking healthcare services from professional healthcare providers (private, public and mission healthcare facilities), seeking treatment from traditional healers and not seeking treatment at all. Despite an increase in the utilization rate of healthcare facilities, there is still a high prevalence of self-treatment among households in Kenya. This article, therefore, aims to examine the factors that influence household’s choice of the healthcare provider by making use of national household survey data subjected to multinomial probit regression analysis. The article evidences that severity of illness, wealth, health insurance, distance, employment status, education as well as place of residence influences household’s choice of healthcare provider. This implies that government should institute policies aimed at creating employment opportunities, promoting education, construction of additional healthcare facilities and encouraging more households to have health insurance covers.
Disparities of phytochemical constituents and antioxidant activities of some Indigofera species
Authors: Kolar Firdose R. , Kambhar Sidanand V. , Chavan Manjula , Kadam Shruti , Nadaf Peerambi
Published: March 2021

The current study was intended to examine the difference in the phytochemical and antioxidant profile of nine Indigofera species. With this aim, the species were assessed for total phenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity using ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), DPPH free radical scavenging, ferrous ion chelating activity, phosphomolybdenum reducing power, deoxyribose degradation, β-carotene bleaching, nitric oxide scavenging, and superoxide radical scavenging assays. The content of total phenolics and flavonoids ranged from 1.33 to 22.5 mg TAE/g plant material and 0.47 to 5.02 mg QE/g plant material respectively in the various species, while the antioxidant activity as tested with different antioxidant test models varied with the species studied as well as with the solvents used for the extraction. Interestingly, all the tested extracts demonstrated considerable free radical scavenging activity, moreover, I. hirsuta, I. glandulosa, I. linnaei, I. hochstetteri, I. linifolia, and I. trita were found to be the most effective among the species studied. The results indicated the significant differences in phytochemical constituents and the antioxidant activity among the species. The Pearson correlation coefficient analysis exhibited a significant correlation of phenolics and flavonoids with the antioxidant activity.
Description of New Miridae and Tingidae Species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) and New Records from Southern Turkey
Authors: ÇERÇİ BARIŞ , GORCZYCA JACEK , KOÇAK ÖZGÜR
Published: March 2021

In this study, Fulvius anatolicus Çerçi & Gorczyca sp. n., Orthotylus (Pinocapsus) kmenti Çerçi & Koçak sp. n. (Miridae) and Lasiacantha karamanensis Çerçi & Koçak sp. n. (Tingidae) are described from Turkey. Dorsal habitus of each species, male and female genitalia of F. anatolicus sp. n. and male genitalia of O. (P.) kmenti sp. n. are illustrated. Differential diagnostic features between closely related species and the new species are given. Additionally, Hallodapus costae (Miridae) and Tempyra biguttula (Rhyparochromidae) are recorded from Turkey for the first time. Latter is a new alien species for the fauna of Turkey.
Consideration of the Cross-Anisotropy of Different Materials of the Asphalt Surface Layer and Temperature to Determine Pavement Responses
Authors: Guo Minrui , Zhou Xinglin
Published: March 2021

The effects of the cross-anisotropy of different materials of the asphalt surface layer and the depth-temperature relationship on pavement responses and damage are investigated. A three-dimensional Finite-Element Model (FEM) of the pavement, which considers the depth-temperature relationship
of the surface layer under moving tire load, is developed. Pavement damage models are established to evaluate the damage ratio for primary rutting and fatigue cracking. The results show that the compressive strain at the bottom of the surface layer increases as the temperature increases, and
the cross-anisotropy (n-value) decreases, indicating that a decrease in the horizontal modulus of different materials of the surface layer increases the damage ratio for primary rutting at high temperatures. The tensile strain at the bottom of the surface layer declines as the n-value
increases to 1. For the same change in the n-value, the rate of change of the damage ratio for fatigue cracking is greater at low temperatures than at high temperatures, demonstrating that the number of allowable load repetitions is more sensitive at low temperatures. In addition, the
effect of cross-anisotropy and temperature on the vertical stress are larger on the top of the base than in the subbase and subgrade.
Strength Prediction Formula of Eco-Concrete Based on Cementitious Paste Strength and Aggregate Size
Authors: Liu Junshi , Wang Liang , Quan Hongzhu
Published: March 2021

In order to better understand the performance of eco-concrete, this experiment selected three kinds of waterbinder ratio and 4 kinds of aggregates to prepare eco-concrete, and studied the prediction formula of its compressive strength. The results showed that when the aggregate size
is fixed, the compressive strength of eco-concrete decreases with the increase of porosity and the decline of cementitious paste strength; the connectivity porosity of eco-concrete is generally about 5% lower than the total porosity, so the total porosity is more suitable to express the strength
formula of eco-concrete. The coefficient in the eco-concrete strength formula are mainly affected by the strength of the cementitious paste and the aggregate size. When the target porosity is fixed, the larger the aggregate size, the higher the compressive strength of eco-concrete. When the
workability of cementitious paste is constant, the actual porosity of eco-concrete can be expressed by target porosity and paste strength, and the strength prediction formula of eco-concrete expressed by paste strength, aggregate particle size and target porosity shows a good applicability,
and has certain reference significance for the practical engineering application of eco-concrete in the future.
Effect of Preparation of β2M Nano Antibody Adsorbent for Blood Purification on Dialysis Complications in Patients with Renal Failure
Authors: Peng Jianyun , Tao Yongling , Zhang Xiaoru , Xiang Meijuan , Gui Zhihong , Wu Jing , Yin Liqing
Published: March 2021

In order to purify blood and adsorb β2M, a highly selective immunosorbent biomaterial based on nano antibody was designed. First of all, nanoantibodies against β2M in patients with renal failure are screened by phage display library technology.
After 4 rounds of screening, 12 kinds of monoclonal phage samples are compared by ELISA, and the highest affinity sequence A53 is obtained. Then, the nano antibody A53 is transferred into two kinds of host bacteria respectively, and the host E. coli Shuffle T7 is selected, and then
purified by nickel column affinity, thus obtaining high purity nano antibody A53S. Five kinds of nano antibody adsorbents are prepared by using A53S as a component of adsorbent. The results show that the effect of D series adsorbent with ɛ-poly-L-lysine as spacer is better, but the ligand
density should be adjusted reasonably to ensure the activity of nanoantibody protein. When the loading concentration of β2M is set to 1.8 mg/ml, adsorbent D-1 can adsorb 11.78 mg/ml of dynamic adsorption capacity of β2M. This index is significantly
higher than the dynamic adsorption capacity of plasma system under the same conditions (P < 0.05), which proves that the nano antibody adsorbent biomaterial can effectively adsorb β2M, thus reducing the probability of dialysis complications.
Rosemary Extract and Its Biogenic Silver Nanoparticles Induce Apoptosis and Arrest Cell Cycle in HT-29 Colon Cancer Cells
Authors: Ibrahim Essam H. , Alshehri Ali , Ghramh Hamed A. , Kilany Mona , Morsy Kareem , El-Kott Attalla F. , Sayed Mahmoud A.
Published: March 2021

Colorectal malignancy is a significant reason of morbidity and mortality. Rosmarinus officinalis is a medicinal plant and used as diet. Metal nanoparticles are utilized in various fields. This study aimed to investigate if R. officinalis leaves acetone extract (ROLAExt)
can kill the abnormally fast dividing cells (cancer) and not normal fast diving cells (proliferation-activated) aided by nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared using ROLAExt and characterized with UV/Vis spectrophotometry, XRD and SEM. Functional groups found in the ROLAExt
and ROLAExt containing AgNPs (ROLAExt + AgNPs) were explored using FTIR. Sugars, ROS and proteins in ROLAExt were investigated. Biological properties of ROLAExt and ROLAExt + AgNPs including cell cycle arrest, antibacterial, induction of p53 protein, and apoptotic capacity properties were
tested. Results demonstrated that AgNPs are of 75 nm in diameter. There is active biomolecules, minute amount of sugars, no protein bands, and 175.2 pg/mL ROS in ROLAExt. AgNPs increased the antibacterial activity, p53 expression, apoptosis, arrestment of HT-29 cells at G2/M phase and did
not affect the fast dividing cells. ROLAExt and ROLAExt + AgNPs were safe to the vital organs. In conclusion, R. officinalis acetone extract showed excellent effects on HT-29 cancer cells, but in the presence of AgNPs killed cancer cells and stimulated splenic cells.
Forecast Skill of the NAO in the Subseasonal to-Seasonal Prediction Models
Authors: Feng Pei-Ning , Lin Hai , Derome Jacques , Merlis Timothy M.
Published: March 2021

The prediction skill of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in boreal winter is assessed in the operational models of the WCRP/WWRP Subseasonal-to-Seasonal (S2S) prediction project. Model performance in representing the contribution of different processes to the NAO forecast skill is evaluated. The S2S models with relatively higher stratospheric vertical resolutions (high-top models) are in general more skillful in predicting the NAO than those models with relatively lower stratospheric resolutions (low-top models). Comparison of skill is made between different groups of forecasts based on initial condition characteristics: phase and amplitude of the NAO, easterly and westerly phases of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), warm and cold phases of ENSO, and phase and amplitude of the Madden-Julia Oscillation (MJO). The forecasts with a strong NAO in the initial condition are more skillful than with a weak NAO. Those with negative NAO tend to have more skillful predictions than positive NAO. Comparisons of NAO skill between forecasts during easterly and westerly QBO and between warm and cold ENSO show no consistent difference for the S2S models. Forecasts with strong initial MJO tend to be more skillful in the NAO prediction than weak MJO. Among the eight phases of MJO in the initial condition, phases 3-4 and phase 7 have better NAO forecast skills compared with the other phases.

The results of this study have implications for improving our understanding of sources of predictability of the NAO. The situation dependence of the NAO prediction skill is likely useful in identifying “ windows of opportunity” for subseasonal to seasonal predictions.
A study of intermediate water circulation in the Strait of Georgia using tracer-based, Eulerian, and Lagrangian methods
Authors: Stevens S. W. , Pawlowicz R. , Allen S. E.
Published: March 2021

The intermediate circulation of the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada, plays a key role in dispersing contaminants throughout the Salish Sea, yet little is known about its dynamics. Here, we use hydrographic observations and hindcast fields from a regional 3D model to approach the intermediate circulation from three perspectives. Firstly, we derive and model a “seasonality” tracer from temperature observations to age the water, estimate mixing, and infer circulation. Secondly, we analyze modeled velocity fields to create mean current maps and examine the advective and diffusive components of the mean flow field. Lastly, we calculate Lagrangian trajectories to derive Transit Time Distributions and Lagrangian statistics. In combination, these analyses provide an overview of the mean intermediate circulation that can be summarized as follows: subducting water in Haro Strait ventilates the intermediate water primarily via an up-strait boundary current that flows along the eastern shores of the southernmost basin in 1–2 months. This inflowing water is either incorporated into the interior of the basin, recirculated southwards, or transported into the northernmost basin, mixing steadily with adjacent water masses during its transit. A second, shallower ventilating jet emanates southwards from Discovery Passage, locally modifying the Haro Strait inflow signal. Outside of these well-defined advective features, diffusive transport dominates in the majority of the region. The intermediate renewal signal fully ventilates the region in 100–140 days, which serves as a benchmark for contaminant dispersal timescale estimates.
Boundary layer-mediated vorticity generation in currents over sloping bathymetry
Authors: Jagannathan Arjun , Srinivasan Kaushik , McWilliams James C. , Molemaker M. Jeroen , Stewart Andrew L.
Published: March 2021

Current-topography interactions in the ocean give rise to eddies spanning a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Latest modeling efforts indicate that coastal and underwater topography are important generation sites for submesoscale coherent vortices (SCVs), characterized by horizontal scales of (0.1 – 10) km. Using idealized, submesoscale and BBL-resolving simulations and adopting an integrated vorticity balance formulation, we quantify precisely the role of bottom boundary layers (BBLs) in the vorticity generation process. In particular, we show that vorticity generation on topographic slopes is attributable primarily to the torque exerted by the vertical divergence of stress at the bottom. We refer to this as the Bottom Stress Divergence Torque (BSDT). BSDT is a fundamentally nonconservative torque that appears as a source term in the integrated vorticity budget and is to be distinguished from the more familiar Bottom Stress Curl (BSC). It is closely connected to the bottom pressure torque (BPT) via the horizontal momentum balance at the bottom and is in fact shown to be the dominant component of BPT in solutions with a well-resolved BBL. This suggests an interpretation of BPT as the sum of a viscous, vorticity generating component (BSDT) and an inviscid, ‘flow-turning ’ component. Companion simulations without bottom drag illustrate that although vorticity generation can still occur through the inviscid mechanisms of vortex stretching and tilting, the wake eddies tend to have weaker circulation, be substantially less energetic, and have smaller spatial scales.
Singapore’s Extreme Neoliberalism and the COVID Outbreak: Culturally Centering Voices of Low-Wage Migrant Workers
Authors: Dutta Mohan Jyoti
Published: March 2021

I draw on the key tenets of the culture-centered approach to co-construct the everyday negotiations of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) among low-wage male Bangladeshi migrant workers in Singapore. The culture-centered approach foregrounds voices infrastructures at the margins as the basis for theorizing health. Based on 87 hours of participant observations of digital spaces and 47 in-depth interviews, I attend to the exploitative conditions of migrant work that constitute the COVID-19 outbreak in the dormitories housing low-wage migrant workers. These exploitative conditions are intertwined with authoritarian techniques of repression deployed by the state that criminalize worker collectivization and erase worker voices. The principle of academic–worker–activist solidarity offers a register for alternative imaginaries of health that intervene directly in Singapore’s extreme neoliberalism.
Profiting on Crisis: How Predatory Financial Investors Have Worsened Inequality in the Coronavirus Crisis
Authors: Neely Megan Tobias , Carmichael Donna
Published: March 2021

A once-in-a-century pandemic has sparked an unprecedented health and economic crisis. Less examined is how predatory financial investors have shaped the crisis and profited from it. We examine how U.S. shadow banks, such as private equity, venture capital, and hedge fund firms, have affected hardship and inequality during the crisis. First, we identify how these investors helped to hollow out the health care industry and disenfranchise the low-wage service sector, putting frontline workers at risk. We then outline how, as the downturn unfolds, shadow banks are shifting their investments in ways that profit on the misfortunes of frontline workers, vulnerable populations, and distressed industries. After the pandemic subsides and governments withdraw stimulus support, employment will likely remain insecure, many renters will face evictions, and entire economic sectors will need to rebuild. Shadow banks are planning accordingly to profit from the fallout of the crisis. We argue that this case reveals how financial investors accumulate capital through private and speculative investments that exploit vulnerabilities in the economic system during a time of crisis. To conclude, we consider the prospects for change and inequality over time.
Relationship Between C-Reactive Protein to Albumin Ratio and Coronary Collateral Circulation in Patients With Stable Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Kelesoglu Saban , Yilmaz Yucel , Elcık Deniz
Published: March 2021

We investigated the relationship between the C-reactive protein (CRP) to albumin ratio (CAR) and coronary collateral circulation (CCC) in stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with stable CAD (n = 354) who underwent coronary angiography for suspected CAD and had a total occlusion ≥1 major coronary artery were included in the study. The participants were divided into 2 groups according to the Rentrop score as satisfactory CCC (Rentrop 2-3) and poor CCC (Rentrop 0-1). Patients who had poor CCC had a higher CRP, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and CAR levels compared with those who had satisfactory CCC ( P < .001, P = .046, P < .001, respectively). The CAR (odds ratio: 3.522, 95% CI: 2.515-4.932, P < .001), CRP, NLR, and diabetes mellitus were independent predictors of poor CCC. In receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, the optimal cutoff value of CAR to predict poor CCC was 1.27 (area under ROC curve = 0.735 [95% CI: 0.667-0.803], P < .001). A raised CAR may be an independent predictor of poor CCC.
Spying from Space: Reconnaissance Satellites and Interstate Disputes
Authors: Early Bryan R. , Gartzke Erik
Published: March 2021

Despite considerable interest and debate, it has proven surprisingly difficult to demonstrate a systematic link between technological change and patterns of war and peace. At least part of the challenge may reside in finding the right place to “look” for such relationships. Technological change alters what nations can do to one another (capabilities), but in ways that are typically reflected by deals (diplomatic bargains) rather than actions. We theorize that reconnaissance satellites have revolutionized the use of information gleaned from spying in ways that discourage states from engaging in serious conflicts with one another. We analyze the impact of reconnaissance satellites on high-casualty militarized interstate disputes (MIDS) between dyads from 1950 to 2010. We find that when either the potential aggressor or target in a dyad possess reconnaissance satellites, they are significantly less likely to become involved in serious MIDs. This effect is especially powerful when both states possess reconnaissance satellites.
Theft, Opioid Pills, Unemployment, and Insurance: A Longitudinal Analysis of American Counties in the Wake of the Opioids Crisis
Authors: Confer Leanne M. , Boman John H. , Pryor Cori , Mowen Thomas J. , Hemez Paul
Published: March 2021

This study examines the relationships between prescription opioid pills, unemployment, health insurance, and theft. Covering the years 2006–2012, our data are an aggregate of information from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Incident-Based Reporting System, and the American Community Survey (ACS). The unit of analysis is time nested within counties. Preliminary results demonstrate that there were approximately 46 prescription opioid pills distributed per person annually in the United States between 2006 and 2012. Multivariate results reveal that counties with higher numbers of prescription opioid pills tend to experience significantly higher patterns of theft. Interestingly, health insurance is positively associated with theft while unemployment appears to protect against theft. The relationship between pills and theft is also conditioned by both unemployment and health insurance. Future research should explore these relationships to better inform efforts at making responsible social policy in the midst of the opioids crisis.
Gender Differences in the Accumulation, Timing, and Duration of Childhood Adverse Experiences and Youth Delinquency in Fragile Families
Authors: Pierce Hayley , Jones Melissa S.
Published: March 2021

Objective:

The purposes of this study are twofold. First, we explore how the accumulation, timing, and duration of ACEs influences youth delinquency. Second, because few studies to date have examined how the effect of ACEs may vary among different groups, we explore how these patterns may vary by gender.

Methods:

Analyses were based on data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCW), which employs a national sample of urban-born, at-risk youth.

Results:

The results showed that as the number of early ACEs experienced incrementally increases, the likelihood of youth reporting delinquent behavior also increases, even after adjusting for recent adversity. Moreover, exposure to early ACEs that are high but late, intermittent, or chronically high significantly increase the risk of youth participating in delinquency. Our results also indicate that ACEs are significantly related to delinquency for girls, but not for boys.

Conclusions:

Prevention and intervention efforts should screen for ACEs—especially in early childhood. Given that the accumulation, timing, and duration of ACE exposure is linked to youth delinquency, interventions that target ACEs early may have greater success at reducing delinquency. Moreover, prevention programs need to consider gender-specific responses to ACEs and gender-specific intervention strategies.
Measuring Perceived Social Support in Elite Athletes: Psychometric Properties of the Romanian Version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support
Authors: Alexe Dan Iulian , Sandovici Anișoara , Robu Viorel , Burgueño Rafael , Tohănean Dragoș Ioan , Larion Alin Cornel , Alexe Cristina Ioana
Published: March 2021

The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) is a brief measure designed to capture individuals’ perceptions of the support received from their social networks. It has been translated into several languages and adapted for various cultural contexts. The aim of this study was to evaluate psychometric properties of the Romanian version of the MSPSS, using a sample of young elite athletes. To assess its validity and reliability, 282 Romanian elite athletes (176 males, 106 females; 19 – 25 years old) completed the MSPSS together with questionnaires measuring life satisfaction, negative emotional disposition, and perceived stress. A confirmatory factor analysis underpinned a 12-item three-factor correlated model that was invariant over gender. Cronbach’s alpha and Raykov’s composite reliability coefficients together with average variance extracted showed adequate values for each factor. Correlational analysis displayed that three sources of social support positively correlated with life satisfaction and negative emotional disposition and negatively correlated with perceived stress. Altogether, the MSPSS is a valid and reliable short measure for Romanian elite athletes to explore perceived social support from their family, friends, or significant others.
Ethnicity, household composition and COVID-19 mortality: a national linked data study
Authors: Nafilyan Vahé , Islam Nazrul , Ayoubkhani Daniel , Gilles Clare , Katikireddi Srinivasa Vittal , Mathur Rohini , Summerfield Annabel , Tingay Karen , Asaria Miqdad , John Ann , Goldblatt Peter , Banerjee Amitava , Glickman Myer , Khunti Kamlesh
Published: March 2021

Objective

To estimate the proportion of ethnic inequalities explained by living in a multi-generational household.

Design

Causal mediation analysis.

Setting

Retrospective data from the 2011 Census linked to Hospital Episode Statistics (2017-2019) and death registration data (up to 30 November 2020).

Participants

Adults aged 65 years or over living in private households in England from 2 March 2020 until 30 November 2020 (n=10,078,568).

Main outcome measures

Hazard ratios were estimated for COVID-19 death for people living in a multi-generational household compared with people living with another older adult, adjusting for geographic factors, socioeconomic characteristics and pre-pandemic health.

Results

Living in a multi-generational household was associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 death. After adjusting for confounding factors, the hazard ratios for living in a multi-generational household with dependent children were 1.17 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06–1.30) and 1.21 (95% CI 1.06–1.38) for elderly men and women. The hazard ratios for living in a multi-generational household without dependent children were 1.07 (95% CI 1.01–1.13) for elderly men and 1.17 (95% CI 1.07–1.25) for elderly women. Living in a multi-generational household explained about 11% of the elevated risk of COVID-19 death among elderly women from South Asian background, but very little for South Asian men or people in other ethnic minority groups.

Conclusion

Elderly adults living with younger people are at increased risk of COVID-19 mortality, and this is a contributing factor to the excess risk experienced by older South Asian women compared to White women. Relevant public health interventions should be directed at communities where such multi-generational households are highly prevalent.
Effects of Computerized Social Skills Instruction for At-Risk Adolescents
Authors: Vernon D. Sue , Schumaker Jean B.
Published: March 2021

This study reports the effects of an interactive multimedia computer program for teaching social skills to youths with social-adjustment problems. Twelve youths (aged 11–17) were referred by the county diversion program or school guidance counselors. Seven were formally classified as having disabilities and had active Individualized Education Programs. A multiple-probe across-behaviors design was used, with each of the baselines demonstrating a youth’s role-playing performance of one of three social skills. Three other measures were also collected: (a) time spent; (b) skill-knowledge scores; and (d) satisfaction ratings. Role-play results indicated that the students with and without disabilities successfully learned and performed the steps of the skills, and they generalized their use of the social skills to novel situations. Written test results indicated the students’ knowledge of the social skills was significantly higher after the instruction than during pretesting. Importantly, the students endorsed the program, with most ratings at the “extremely satisfied” level.
‘whether she did or no, judge you’: Engaging readers in the translations of Spanish romance
Authors: Ortiz-Salamovich Alejandra
Published: March 2021

This article explores how the reader is addressed in the sexual scenes of the Spanish, French, and English versions of Amadis de Gaule. Anthony Munday’s translation ( c. 1590) follows closely Nicolas Herberay des Essarts’s French text (1540), which he had translated from the Spanish Amadís de Gaula (1508) by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. It analyses how the narrator’s appeals to the reader change in the course of translation, transforming the omission of erotic details into a device to connect with the readers. The new versions make the sexual scenes more provocative and highlight a shared complicity with the audience.
Violent bureaucracy: A critical analysis of the British public employment service
Authors: Redman Jamie , Fletcher Del Roy
Published: March 2021

Between 2010–2015, the Coalition’s pursuit of a radical austerity programme saw Britain’s Jobcentre Plus experience some of the most punitive reforms and budget cuts in its history. Focusing on the outcomes of these reforms, a growing body of research has found that claiming processes became a more ‘institutionally violent’ and injurious experience for out-of-work benefit claimants. The present article draws upon ideas, developed by Bauman (1989), which focus on the processes that facilitate ‘institutional violence’. We use this framework to analyse ten interviews with front-line workers and managers in public/contractor employment services. In doing so, we expose an array of policy tools and hidden managerial methods used during the Coalition administration which encouraged front-line staff to deliver services in ways that led to a range of harmful outcomes for benefit claimants.
Technics, Time and the Internation: Bernard Stiegler’s Thought – A Dialogue with Daniel Ross
Authors: Bishop Ryan , Ross Daniel
Published: March 2021

This interview with Bernard Stiegler’s long-time translator and collaborator, Daniel Ross, examines the connections between different periods of Stiegler’s work, thought, writing and activism. Moving from the three volumes of Technics and Time to the final large-scale collaborative project of The Internation, the discussion concentrates on Stiegler’s conceptualization of ‘protentionality’, hope and care for a world confronted by climate crises, entropy and computational economic reconfigurations of work, economy and imaginations for futural possibilities. The interview foreshadows the special issue on The Internation project planned by Bishop and Stiegler for TCS that will appear in the near future.
Ghosting and orbiting: An analysis of victims’ experiences
Authors: Pancani Luca , Mazzoni Davide , Aureli Nicolas , Riva Paolo
Published: March 2021

Ghosting is the practice of ending a relationship without explaining to the partner and avoiding any communication attempts. Orbiting is identical to ghosting, but the disengager still visibly follows the former partner on social media. Despite the increasing attention that ghosting and orbiting have gained in the popular press, they remain largely unexplored phenomena in scientific inquiry. In this work, we explored the psychological and behavioral reactions to ghosting and orbiting from the victim’s perspective, comparing them to the experience of being rejected through direct communication. Participants were randomly assigned to recall one of three conditions (ghosting, orbiting, and rejection), and the reports of 208 young adults were analyzed through qualitative thematic content analysis. The results described different stages of reactions that follow event detection and that are respectively characterized by 1) surprise and confusion, 2) anger, sadness, and guilt, 3) attempts of relational repair, 4) acceptance. The specificities of being a victim of ghosting and orbiting are presented, comparing them with social rejection. The results are discussed in the light of the existing literature on social exclusion, suggesting that ghosting and orbiting can be considered forms of ostracism. Connections between the proposed stage model and traditional relationship dissolution theories are highlighted, and relevant implications for future research and interventions are presented.