bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multiferroic oxide BFCNT/BFCO heterojunction black silicon photovoltaic devices
Authors: Guo Kaixin , Wang Xu , Zhang Rongfen , Fu Zhao , Zhang Liangyu , Ma Guobin , Deng Chaoyong
Published: September 2021

Multiferroics are being studied increasingly in applications of photovoltaic devices for the carrier separation driven by polarization and magnetization. In this work, textured black silicon photovoltaic devices are fabricated with Bi6Fe1.6Co0.2Ni0.2Ti3O18/Bi2FeCrO6 (BFCNT/BFCO) multiferroic heterojunction as an absorber and graphene as an anode. The structural and optical analyses showed that the bandgap of Aurivillius-typed BFCNT and double perovskite BFCO are 1.62 ± 0.04 eV and 1.74 ± 0.04 eV respectively, meeting the requirements for the active layer in solar cells. Under the simulated AM 1.5 G illumination, the black silicon photovoltaic devices delivered a photoconversion efficiency (η) of 3.9% with open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current density (Jsc), and fill factor (FF) of 0.75 V, 10.8 mA cm−2, and 48.3%, respectively. Analyses of modulation of an applied electric and magnetic field on the photovoltaic properties revealed that both polarization and magnetization of multiferroics play an important role in tuning the built-in electric field and the transport mechanisms of charge carriers, thus providing a new idea for the design of future high-performance multiferroic oxide photovoltaic devices.
The zinc-finger bearing xenogeneic silencer MucR in α-proteobacteria balances adaptation and regulatory integrity
Authors: Jiao Jian , Zhang Biliang , Li Meng-Lin , Zhang Ziding , Tian Chang-Fu
Published: September 2021

Foreign AT-rich genes drive bacterial adaptation to new niches while challenging the existing regulation network. Here we report that MucR, a conserved regulator in α-proteobacteria, balances adaptation and regulatory integrity in Sinorhizobium fredii, a facultative microsymbiont of legumes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing coupled with transcriptomic data reveal that average transcription levels of both target and non-target genes, under free-living and symbiotic conditions, increase with their conservation levels. Targets involved in environmental adaptation and symbiosis belong to genus or species core and can be repressed or activated by MucR in a condition-dependent manner, implying regulatory integrations. However, most targets are enriched in strain-specific genes of lower expression levels and higher AT%. Within each conservation levels, targets have higher AT% and average transcription levels than non-target genes and can be further up-regulated in the mucR mutant. This is consistent with higher AT% of spacers between −35 and −10 elements of promoters for target genes, which enhances transcription. The MucR recruitment level linearly increases with AT% and the number of a flexible pattern (with periodic repeats of Ts) of target sequences. Collectively, MucR directly represses AT-rich foreign genes with predisposed high transcription potential while progressive erosions of its target sites facilitate regulatory integrations of foreign genes.
Radial excited heavy mesons *
Authors: Chen Muyang
Published: September 2021

In this study, the first radial excited heavy pseudoscalar and vector mesons (

,

,

,

,

, and

) are investigated using the Dyson-Schwinger equation and Bethe-Salpeter equation approach. It is shown that the effective interactions of the radial excited states are harder than those of the ground states. With the interaction well determined by fitting the masses and leptonic decay constants of

and

, the first radial excited heavy mesons could be quantitatively described in the rainbow ladder approximation. The masses and leptonic decay constants of

,

,

, and

are predicted.
An Improved Vibe Algorithm to Detect Personnel Underground in Coal Mines
Authors: Hao Bonan , Zhang Liya , Peng Ran
Published: September 2021

Coal mine safety has always been the most important prerequisite for underground coal mine work. Mine personnel inspection is an effective means to ensure underground safety production. Therefore, the quality of inspection will play a decisive role in safety production. At present, due to the influence of the complex environment in coal mines, ghost images are prone to appear in the process of personnel detection, which has a certain impact on the accuracy of detection. Aiming at this phenomenon, a Vibe method for secondary detection based on ghost images is proposed. In the process of underground coal mine personnel detection, the minimum bounding rectangle of the personnel area is delineated, and each pixel of the personnel area and all the areas outside the rectangle are calculated separately. The process of judging whether it is a ghost image and eliminating the ghost image by the number of pixels whose similarity reaches the threshold. Through subjective and objective verification, the proposed improved algorithm has been effectively improved compared to the traditional Vibe algorithm and the Vibe+ algorithm, which is prone to ghosting problems. In terms of the accuracy, recall rate, F1 value and other objective evaluation indicators of the algorithm model, it is proposed Compared with the two algorithms, the improved Vibe algorithm improves by 2.71%, 4.79%, and 3.73% respectively. Experimental data shows that the improved Vibe algorithm effectively suppresses the appearance of ghosts in the process of underground coal mine personnel detection, improves the accuracy of foreground and background separation, enhances the ability to detect moving targets in coal mines, and provides technical support for safe production in coal mines.
DeepGCNs-Att for Point Cloud Semantic Segmentation
Authors: Wang Xinyu , Jiang Bin , Zhang Ziheng , Tong Cheng , Me Qing , Xiao Jian , Tong Yi
Published: September 2021

Compared with traditional CNNs, Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs), with the graph’s neural network structure, can better characterize non-Euclidean space. Furthermore, with the number of the network layers increasing, deep GCNs demonstrate outstanding performance in mining the partial relationship between the point cloud’s local features. However, the current deep GCNs algorithm cannot sufficiently exploit the point cloud’s global characteristics for semantic segmentation. This paper proposes a novel network structure called DeepGCNs-Att to efficiently aggregate global context features. Moreover, to speed up the computation, we add an Attention layer after the GCN Backbone Block to mutually enhance the connection between the distant points of the non-Euclidean space. Our model is tested on the standard benchmark S3DIS. By comparing with other deep GCNs algorithms, our DeepGCNs-Att’s mIoU has at least two per cent higher than that of other models and even shows excellent results in space complexity and computational complexity under the same number of GCN layers.
HybridKV: An Efficient Key-Value Store with HybridTree Index Structure Based on Non-Volatile Memory
Authors: Ding Chen , Wan Jiguang , Yan Rui
Published: September 2021

Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) is a new type of storage media with non-volatile data, higher storage density, better performance and concurrency. Persistent key-value stores designed for earlier storage devices, using Log-Structured Merge Tree (LSM-Tree), have serious read-write amplification problem and do not take full advantage of these new devices. Existing works on NVM index structure are mostly based on Radix-Tree or B+-Tree, index structure based on Radix-Tree has better performance but takes up more space. In this paper, we present a new index structure named HybridTree on NVM. HybridTree combines the characteristics of Radix-Tree and B+-Tree. The upper layer is composed of prefix index nodes similar to Radix-Tree, which is indexed by the key prefix speed up data locating, and providing multi-thread support. The lower layer consists of variable-length adaptive B+-Tree nodes organizing key-value data to reduce space waste caused by node sparseness. We evaluate HybridTree on a real NVM devices (Inter Optane DC Persistent Memory). Evaluation results show that HybridTree’s random write performance is 1.2x to 1.62x compared to Fast & Fair and 1.11x to 1.52x compared to NV-Tree, with 54% space utilization reduced compared to WORT. We further integrate HybridTree into LevelDB to build a high performance key-value store HybridKV. By storing HybridTree directly on NVM, the problem of read and write amplification of LSM-Tree is avoided. We evaluate HybridKV on a hybrid DRAM/NVM systems, according to the results, HybridKV can improve random write performance by 7.5x compared to LevelDB and 3.23x compared to RocksDB. In addition, the random read performance of HybridKV is 7x compared to NoveLSM.
Simulation study on transformer inrush current and its suppression
Authors: Wang Lifang , Liu Ren , Huang Yue , Li Yangqing , wang Yan
Published: September 2021

When no-load closing or the voltage recovers after external fault removal of transformer, the inrush current will be caused due to the saturation of iron core, which may lead to misoperation of relay protection device, overvoltage and damage of equipment insulation. It is necessary to find a method to restrain the inrush current harm of transformer. In this paper, Matlab / PSB is used to simulate the inrush current of three-phase transformer under the conditions of no-load switching on and external fault removal, and the simulation research is carried out by changing the switching angle method and changing the transformer connection group method to suppress the inrush current of transformer. The simulation results show that the simulation of inrush current and its suppression can be realized effectively by using Matlab / PSB, which provides the basis for the research of transformer protection algorithm.
Internal force – deformation and corresponding control measures of shield tunnel with a 5.8m diameter under lateral pressure loss conditions
Authors: Peng Hongxia , Zheng Qiang , Zhang Wenlong , Zhang Xiaohui
Published: September 2021

In consideration of the deformation reservation, treatment and repair of the shield tunnel structure in the 100-year service life, the designed inner diameter of the shield tunnel structure tends to increase. However, the increase in the diameter will reduce the overall stiffness of the structure and reduce the shield tunnel’s mechanical properties under load changing conditions. Taking the 5.8m-inner-diameter shield tunnel in Nanjing as an example, this paper establishes a refined three-dimensional numerical model of the shield tunnel and validates the model with the results from a full-scale experimental test. Mechanical responses of the shield tunnel under the influence of the surrounding engineering activities are analyzed, and the structural maintenance and deformation control strategy are also discussed. The research shows that as the lateral pressure coefficient decreases (i.e. when unloading occurs around the tunnel structure), the stress and deformation curves of the structure have a strong nonlinear characteristic: when the lateral earth pressure loss is about 0% to 21%, the structure is in a near-elastic state, and the deformation and internal force response are not sensitive to load-changing conditions; when the lateral earth pressure loss is 21%∼43%, the damage, stress and deformation of the tunnel structure will increase rapidly, indicating that the structure is in the stage of plasticity, which is the critical interval for structural maintenance; when the lateral pressure loss exceeds 43%, the structure reaches total yielding stage. Therefore, the corresponding maintenance and control measures of shield tunnel segment structure are proposed from the aspects of prevention at the source, control in the process and treatment at the end.
Research on optimization of power grid range and pre-control strategy of power flow in key areas under ty-phoon weather
Authors: Chen Jianfu , Qiu Guanxin , Gan Deshu , Zhang Yong , Wang Yaling , Wu Haixiong , Sun Diankun , Deng Changhong , Huang Wentao
Published: September 2021

Typhoons Typhoons are extremely destructive and the route trajectory is ex-tremely uncertain. The power grids in coastal areas are frequently attacked by typhoons, resulting in large-scale power outages. When a typhoon strikes, it is difficult to determine the trajectory, which may cause simultaneous fail-ures of multiple contact lines at the same time and the location of the failure is difficult to predict in advance. Based on the above background, this paper proposes a strategy for optimizing the power supply range of the power grid in key areas and pre-controlling the power flow under typhoon weather. First of all, this article will optimize the scope of key areas. The minimum overhead cable ratio, the optimal generator load capacity ratio and the minimum connection sec-tion power flow between the key area power grid and the external power grid are used as the optimization objective function, and the cuckoo search algo-rithm is used to supply power. Scope is optimized. Based on the above opti-mization results of the power supply range, a power flow pre-control strategy is proposed to ensure that the power flow of the connection section between the power grid in key areas and external power grids is zero by optimizing the output of generators, energy storage equipment, and load shedding, and finally ensure that the key areas under typhoon mode the grid can transition and operate stably.
The design of special energy conversion device of integrated self-powered brake system
Authors: Qiao Weizhi , Li Ding-bo , Gao Xiang , Liu Xiaochao , Zhang Hao , Li Renjie , Wang Xiyu , Hou Yanze , Chen Chong
Published: September 2021

In recent years, a novel electro-hydraulic integrated self-powered brake system for aircraft has been proposed. A modular “self-powered device” is installed near the wheel to recover the rotational kinetic energy when the wheel lands and convert it into hydraulic energy for braking. The energy conversion device is the compact high-power-weight ratio energy harvesting mechanism, which needs to be designed in the extremely narrow internal space of the wheel. At the same time to ensure high reliability, high strength, high power weight ratio, difficult, and wheel brake disc internal temperature reaches 600 °C above, this to the design of the can take institutions are challenges. In this paper, the high strength compact high power-weight ratio energy conversion device as the research goal, through new principles, new structure, new materials, new technology, new methods and other means of the energy taking mechanism design and development, and finally achieve the strength, stiffness, reliability, life of the energy conversion device to meet the requirements of the system.
PSO-PID control strategy for ship anti roll slider device under the influence of long peak wave seas
Authors: Liu Rui , Xiang ZuQuan , Wang YaBin , Li Fei
Published: September 2021

The ship will produce various swaying motions after being affected by wind, waves and other disturbing factors when sailing. among which the transverse swaying motion is the most violent. By the effective control of transverse swaying motion it can improve the safety of ship sailing and the comfort of crew. Thus, in the present study, ship anti roll slider device is chosen as the research subject, and a theoretical analysis on the principle of rocking reduction of ship anti roll slider device is performed. For the problem that the PID controller parameters do not have self-tuning capability, the PID controller parameters are optimized by introducing the PSO algorithm, and the PSO-PID controller is designed on this basis. The PID controller and PSO-PID controller are used to simulate the ship anti roll slider device on Matlab. and the simulation results show that the PSO-PID controller has good rocking reduction effect under different sea conditions, which verifies the effectiveness and superiority of the PSO-PID controller.
Identification Method of Moment of Inertia with the Observed Angular Velocity Containing Gauss White Noise
Authors: Zhao Guangjiu , Zhou Heng , Sheng Tao
Published: September 2021

The identification of the mass characteristic parameters of the spacecraft plays a vital role in improving the accuracy of the spacecraft control system. Due to the limit of sensor accuracy, there exists so much noise in the measurement angular velocity data, which causes great challenge of parameter identification. In order to solve the problem of identification of the spacecraft’s moment of inertia, a new filter-identification method is proposed, which combines the square root volume Kalman filter and the recursive least square. Firstly, the filter method is used to remove the Gaussian white noise in the measurement equation and then the recursive least square method is used to calculate inertia of moment to deal with filtered data. The above steps continue to iterate until the results converge. The simulation results show that, compared with the identification result directly calculated by the recursive least square method, the identification accuracy of filter-identification method is improved by a half, which means this method is of great significance for enhancing the control accuracy and robustness of the spacecraft control system.
Design of Intelligent Sonar Array Placement System Based on MCU
Authors: Zhang J.Y.
Published: September 2021

Aiming at the problem that the existing sonar array placement methods are not intelligent and rely heavily on human resources, a remote Array Placement System Based on ATmega2560 microcontroller is designed to place the array remotely and accurately through the remote controller. This design can promote the Unmanned degree and accurate operation of Sonar array placement.
Research on the Planning Method of Robot Terminal Speed Based on Task Characteristics
Authors: Jiang Benchi , Zhan Qingrong , Li Jiankang , Duan Pengfei , Du Xin
Published: September 2021

In order to study the speed planning of the industrial robots trajectory end under different tasks, the three speed planning methods of the third degree polynomial, the fifth degree polynomial and the five-segment S-curve are compared and studied. Analyze the stability and positioning accuracy of the robot’s end motion process in different occasions, and combine the speed and acceleration changes of the three speed planning methods, and recommend the end speed planning method for common tasks such as palletizing, loading and unloading, and grinding. Taking specific tasks as an example, the simulation results verify the rationality of the recommended method.
Construction and analysis of assembly 3D deviation model considering part tolerance and deformation
Authors: Wang Yunlong , Yuan Bo , Zhang Chao , Mu Xiaokai , Sun Qingchao , Sun Wei , Liu Chong
Published: September 2021

The existing assembly precision design mainly uses the tolerance and fit to control the geometric accuracy, and does not accurately grasp the influence of part deformation on assembly performance. In this study, a design theory and method for flexible body assembly is proposed, which considers the factors of tolerance and deformation. Firstly, based on the spatial multi-body kinematics, a reasonable modeling method of 3D tolerance of part surface suitable for product design process are given; Secondly, the deformation geometric features are calculated, and the 3D tolerance mathematical model including the part deformation is obtained by combining with the 3D tolerance modeling method; Finally, taking an engineering example as the research object, a 3D assembly deviation mathematical model including part deformation is constructed. The analysis results show that the cumulative deviation at the end of the system has a great influence on the z-direction precision in the system space, and the error is -0.028 mm. Therefore, the influence of part deformation deviation on assembly performance should be fully considered in the process of mechanical system assembly design. This research provides a theoretical basis for further research on precision prediction, simulation and control methods of mechanical system.
Numerical simulation of supercritical CO2 characteristics in a double-pipe microchannel gas cooler
Authors: Yang D , Wang N , Xie J
Published: September 2021

In this paper, numerical simulation is considered as a method to explore the heat transfer characteristics of sCO2 under different pressures, CO2 mass flow and CO2 inlet temperature in the double-pipe microchannel heat exchanger. 0.89 mm was adopted as the microchannel diameter. No matter it is under different pressures, different CO2 mass fluxes or different inlet temperatures. The heat transfer coefficient of supercritical CO2 rises sharply to the highest point and then falls slowly. The maximum value of the heat transfer coefficient of CO2 always appears at the position where Tb<Tpc with all working conditions. Lower pressure, CO2 mass flux and CO2 inlet temperature lead to higher heat transfer coefficient. No matter what kind of working conditions, CO2 has not been cooled to water temperature.
Research and Development of Energy Consumption Monitoring and Operation System for Campus Training Equipment
Authors: Chen Shuaihua
Published: September 2021

With the vigorous development of education in China, the energy consumption of campus training equipment, as a microcosm of social energy consumption, has attracted more and more social attention. The traditional energy consumption meter reading measurement method has been difficult to meet the requirements of energy-saving campus construction in colleges and universities because of its low efficiency and poor accuracy. Taking the energy consumption monitoring construction project of training equipment in a school as an example, this paper studies the system architecture and scheme design of energy consumption monitoring platform construction based on Internet of things technology and cloud platform technology. The scheme realizes the functions of real-time monitoring, statistical analysis, energy consumption early warning, quota management and so on, so as to realize the cloud management of electrical safety hazards.
Underwater Target Detection Based on Deep Neural Network and Image Enhancement
Authors: Zheng Yunliang , Yu Mengxue , Ma Zi’ao , Liu Rong , Liu Yang
Published: September 2021

Underwater target detection tasks refer to the detection of targets contained in underwater images. Unlike traditional target detection tasks, for underwater targets, due to factors such as illumination, camera shake, complex background interference, and diversification of target types, the effect of target detection will be affected. In this paper, we propose a target detection algorithm based on image enhancement and deep network. The algorithm first enhances the image data to obtain a better contrast, and then uses a deep learning algorithm to separate the target and the background to improve the detection performance of the target. Experimental results show that the algorithm can achieve better detection performance.
Study on the film-forming ability of water in oil emulsion with water concentration
Authors: Zhang Lu , Chen Lu , Wang Wen
Published: September 2021

This paper mainly explores the influence of different loads on the lubrication performance of point contact under pure rolling conditions and the abrasion phenomenon of water-containing emulsion on the contact area under pure sliding condition. The laboratory apparatus is point contact lubrication friction test equipment and the lubricant is water-containing emulsion.
Plasma treatment for enhancement of the sorption capacity of carbon fabric
Authors: ZADIRIEV Ilya , KRALKINA Elena , SAMOILOV Vladimir , ELCHANINOVA Victoria , GORINA Valentina , IVANENKO Ilya , VAVILIN Konstantin , NIKONOV Alexander
Published: September 2021

In this work we carried out an experimental investigation into enhancement of the sorption capacity of carbon fabric using plasma treatment methods. Carbon fabric is based on viscose fiber and is hydrophobic by nature. Enhancement of the fabric sorption capacity is required for its application in medicine. For this purpose, two plasma treatment methods were considered, i.e. atmospheric nonequilibrium radiofrequency (RF) discharge and a vacuum RF plasma source with an external magnetic field. Samples treated by atmospheric discharge demonstrated aging effects during the first week after treatment. The sorption capacity of samples treated by the RF plasma source was stable over the same period and reached values as high as 0.95. Parameters of the beam created by the vacuum RF plasma source were analyzed and dependences of the fabric sorption capacity and specific surface area on plasma treatment time were investigated. We found that sorption capacity reached its maximum value after 30 min of treatment and did not change significantly if processing was continued, while the specific surface area reached its maximum after 3 min of treatment and quickly decreased after that. It was found that the micropore structure of the fabric remained almost the same during plasma treatment. The volume of mesopores in a unit of the fabric mass (specific volume) doubled during the first 5 min of treatment and returned to initial values after 30 min of treatment. The sorption capacity continued to increase even when the specific surface area decreased after reaching its peak value. This indicates the important role of surface functional groups formed on carbon fibers during plasma treatment. This is consistent with the results of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showing changes in surface oxidation during plasma treatment.
Education and Income Inequality in Hong Kong
Authors: Lui Hon-Kwong
Published: September 2021

Irrespective of the stages of economic development, most governments around the world are facing income inequality problems and are searching for a fix. There is a general perception that the provision of education opportunities to the younger generation can reduce income inequality. However, this general perception does not receive strong support by scholars. In the literature, empirical evidence collected by numerous researchers is mixed. Hong Kong, a culturally diverse and economically well-developed city economy, has undergone rapid economic development in the last few decades. It underwent structural change from an entrepôt to a labor-intensive manufacturing economy and finally became a service-oriented city economy. The Hong Kong story does not support the view that that making higher education more accessible to youngsters can help narrow income disparity. In fact, the evidence from the Hong Kong population census and by-census samples shows that well-educated workers experienced higher income dispersion than those workers with a lower educational level. Policymakers are advised not to rely on expanding higher education opportunities to alleviate income inequality problems.
Comparative Regionalism
Authors: Balogun Emmanuel
Published: September 2021

The study of regionalism has experienced numerous transformations and focal points. Comparative regionalism has emerged as the next wave of scholarship on regional cooperation and integration in international relations. What differentiates comparative regionalism from this earlier scholarship? There are three research themes that characterize the field of comparative regionalism: (a) an empirical focus on regional identity formation as a way of distinguishing between autonomous regions, (b) decentering Europe as the main reference point of comparative regionalism, and (c) defining what is truly “comparative” about comparative regionalism. These research themes emerge in a global context, where regional cooperation and integration are being tested from all sides by events such as Brexit in Europe, elusive global cooperation in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and challenges to democratic stability across the globe. While the development of regionalism has primarily been concerned about the defining of regions and the world order context in which regional cooperation emerges and sustains itself, the interrelated themes of regional identity formation and the decentering of Europe in comparative regionalism drive the comparative regionalism agenda, giving substance to the identification and measurement of the “local” and other context-specific mechanisms of regionalism.

While these three themes are helpful in discerning the state of the comparative regionalism research agenda, they also have some limitations. While comparative regionalism is progressive in its integration of constructivist ideas of identity formation, its project of withering Eurocentrism, and its methodological flexibility, comparative regionalism research would be well served to incorporate more reflexive and interpretivist research practices and methods, particularly to serve the goal of offering new knowledge and theories of regional cooperation in the Global South that are not tethered to Europe.
Social Media Relationships
Authors: Onomake Umoloyouvwe Ejiro
Published: September 2021

Ethnography has been used to research various people and topics online, primarily using netnography and digital ethnography. Researchers and businesses employ digital ethnographic methods to access an assortment of social media platforms in order to learn about social media users. Researchers seek to understand relationships between social media users and organizations from both academic and practitioner perspectives. These organizations run the gamut from for-profit businesses, to nonprofits, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and government agencies. The specific focus here is on social media research as it relates to businesses. Organizations make use of social media in a variety of ways, but chiefly to market to clients and to gather information on followers; the latter of which, in turn, helps them understand their target markets. While this social media data is both quantitative and qualitative in nature, the emphasis here centers on qualitative data, particularly the ways businesses interact with social media users.

While some firms mainly use older forms of one-way marketing that solely focus on disseminating information, other firms increasingly seek ways to interact with customers and co-create products with clients. Additionally, social media users are creating their own communities, formed due to a shared interest in a brand. Companies strive to learn more about their customers through these groups.

Influencers also play a role in the relationship between organizations and social media users by linking their own followerships to products and brands. In turn, influencers develop their own relationships with organizations through sponsorships, thus becoming brands themselves. Influencers risk losing their followerships when followers perceive them as no longer accessible or authentic. This change in perception can occur for a variety of reasons, including when followers believe that an influencer has prioritized brand alignment over building connections with followers. Due to multiple relationships with different brands and their followers, influencers must negotiate the ambiguity and evolving nature of their role.

As social media and digital spaces develop, so must the tools used by anthropologists. Anthropologists should remain open to incorporating hallmarks of ethnographic research such as fieldnotes, participant observation, and focus groups in new ways and alongside tools from other disciplines, including market and UX (user experience) research. The divide between practitioners and academics is blurring. Anthropologists can solve client issues while contributing their voices to larger anthropological and societal discussions.
Water and Materiality
Authors: Krause Franz
Published: September 2021

Water is key to human life, both biophysically and socioculturally. Having long been regarded in anthropology as a circumstantial backdrop to human society and culture, water—alongside other nonhuman substances and beings—has received growing attention as a material with specific potentials and histories in the 21st century. This research explores the fundamental connectivity and relationality of water, through which social relations and hydrological flows are often two sides of the same coin, shaping and transforming each other. Watery materiality is frequently characterized by movement and instability, defying control but also intersecting with other social and material processes to create ever new arrangements. Water practices, infrastructures, and experiences participate in the formation and transformation of spaces and landscapes, and may inspire novel theoretical insights on meaning-making, kinship, learning, and space, among other topics. Water’s valuation and the tensions that arise regarding how to govern it emerge in part from its material properties. Ongoing discussions explore the links between these properties, water infrastructures, unequal distribution, and political power. Watery materiality is not a single thing, but has multiple manifestations, including saltwater, ice, and humidity. Some scholars therefore propose studying water and materiality in terms of various forms of wetness or amphibious processes. Research into water and materiality suggests that the material world consists of open processes rather than of fixed objects, and that water’s multiple manifestations and flows actively participate in shaping human lives.
The Shell Midden Sites of Senegambia
Authors: Dème Alioune , Sall Moustapha
Published: September 2021

There are hundreds of shell midden sites along the Senegambian coastline. The shell middens were first formed during an eustatic event known as the Nouakchottien marine transgression (6,800–4,000 bp). During that marine transgression, the sea shoreline was pushed back hundreds of miles in the interior. This engendered the flourishing of malacological fauna and several fish species. As a result of this, several natural shell midden were formed. From the Late Stone Age to the 2nd millennium ce, populations exploited the aquatic fauna, which resulted in the formation of anthropogenic shell middens. The littoral where these shell middens are found is divided into three archaeological culture areas. Archaeological excavations at some of those sites, such as Khant and Dioron Boumak, have shed light on the nature of the material culture, subsistence activities, and the cultural history in these areas. Research at Soukouta has added new data on iron technology to understanding of the shell middens culture. These findings have also called into question the division of Senegambian prehistory into four distinct cultural areas known as aires culturelles.
Survey Findings About the Experiences, Challenges, and Practical Advice/Solutions Regarding Teleneuropsychological Assessment in Adults
Authors: Fox-Fuller Joshua T , Rizer Sandra , Andersen Stacy L , Sunderaraman Preeti
Published: September 2021

Objective

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, teleneuropsychology utilization has increased. There is a need to characterize the first-hand experiences of individuals using teleneuropsychology, identify the common teleneuropsychology challenges, and devise practical strategies for mitigating/resolving these challenges.

Method

Survey data were collected from U.S. based neuropsychologists and other individuals (e.g., graduate students and research assistants) who were engaged in remote cognitive assessment with adults (n = 87). Frequency analyses were conducted to examine: how respondents used teleneuropsychology (e.g., duration of use, types of measures and devices/technology platforms used); challenges that were encountered with different technology platforms and teleneuropsychology use; and advice for navigating these challenges.

Results

Most respondents began using teleneuropsychology relatively recently in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, with home-to-home or clinic-to-home settings being the most frequently reported teleneuropsychology settings. Zoom®, Doxy.Me®, and MyChart® were the most frequently used platforms, largely due to workplace mandates and/or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant features. Common challenges with teleneuropsychology included internet connection issues and environmental distractions in examinees’ homes, and examinees having limited-to-no access to technologies requisite for teleneuropsychology. Providing clear instructions to the examinee prior to the teleneuropsychology visit was the most common advice for ensuring a successful teleneuropsychology evaluation. Similar response patterns were generally noted for those who used TeleNP for clinical or research purposes.

Conclusions

These survey results reflect common experiences and challenges with teleneuropsychology and identify priority targets for increasing its feasibility, reliability, and validity. Findings provide context for the development of formal teleneuropsychology competencies.
A threat to cosmopolitan duties? How COVID-19 has been used as a tool to undermine refugee rights
Authors: Barnes Jamal , Makinda Samuel M
Published: September 2021

The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 provided cover for some states to take strict and hostile measures against refugees and asylum seekers, thereby privileging self-regarding over other-regarding or cosmopolitan-oriented policies. The hostile measures, which have included detentions, pushbacks and other refugee deterrence actions not only appeared to shake the refugee system, but they increased the vulnerability of asylum seekers and refugees who continued to be exposed to torture, drownings at sea, trafficking and sexual violence. This development, which included a fine-tuning of some measures that had been hatched before the emergence of COVID-19, appeared to set back efforts to nurture the bonds of global human solidarity and expand moral and ethical boundaries beyond state borders. However, the international refugee regime continues and is supported by many states and other international actors that seek to emphasise cosmopolitan and other-regarding policies. The resilience of the refugee system underlines the fact that international society has a practical and moral basis to challenge exclusionist policies towards asylum seekers and refugees, prevent future harm that might result from asylum deterrence policies and develop more humane forms of international refugee governance.
A Pediatric Telehealth Simulation for Prelicensure and Advanced Practice Nursing Students
Authors: Ball Sarah , Hanks Jacquie , Potthoff Meghan , Connelly Susan
Published: September 2021

Patients who are remote, underserved, or require specialized care services are not always able to seek appropriate care when necessary. Telehealth technology allows health care providers to connect virtually with their patients to provide safe and personalized care. To prepare future nurses and nurse practitioners for the use of technology, educators are responsible for integrating telehealth education into the curriculum. This article presents a clinical simulated approach that includes an interprofessional telehealth experience with prelicensure and nurse practitioner students within a pediatric focused simulation.
Progress and challenges in diagnosis and treatment of rejection following liver transplantation
Authors: Cuervo Florez Mateo , Bruner Julia , Zarrinpar Ali
Published: September 2021

Purpose of review

Liver biopsy remains the most widely utilized method for diagnosis of allograft rejection following liver transplantation. However, associated risks and limitations present an opportunity for emerging noninvasive diagnostic techniques to improve upon the current standard of care. This review evaluates progress toward development of new noninvasive methods for the monitoring and diagnosing of allograft rejection.

Recent findings

Recent studies investigate the potential of a variety of analytes. Quantification of dd-cfDNA and of DSA show potential to indicate status of allograft rejection and aid in immunosuppression modulation. Moreover, mRNA microarray profiling of differentially expressed genes, as well as characterization of cytokine responses and immunophenotypic shifts following liver transplantation, may predict and recognize rejection events.

Noninvasive methods are not yet ready to replace liver biopsy as the standard of care for diagnosis of allograft rejection, though several assays and biomarkers have shown promising preliminary results. As noninvasive techniques become validated in clinical settings, their integration with current diagnostic methods is likely to foster increased sensitivity, specificity, and reliability of diagnosis.
Preoperative Prevention of Surgical-Site Infection in Spine Surgery
Authors: Franker Lauren M. , Pretet Molly , Douglas Barbara , Simmons Kristin , Wilson Amber , Roche Ariel , Milano Rose
Published: September 2021

Surgical-site infections (SSI) contribute to increased hospital length of stay, readmission rates, cost, and morbidity and mortality rates. The spine service line at a suburban Level II trauma center encountered 2 SSIs among the spine fusion population within a 6-month period. This did not meet the organization's internal benchmark of zero. A pilot quasi-experimental design was used to determine whether preoperative cleansing with 2% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG)–impregnated cloths versus current practice of bathing with 4% CHG solution would reduce SSIs. Infection rates were measured using simple percentages. Level of significance was p < .05. Outcome data showed a reduction in SSIs from 3.9% to 1.9% with use of 2% CHG-impregnated cloths. There was no significant difference found between the use of 2% CHG-impregnated cloths and 4% CHG solution (p = .524). This quality improvement change, combined with a strengthened preoperative bundle approach, has permanently been adopted within the spine service line. From October 2017 to March 2021, the spine service line has had zero SSIs within the spine fusion population.
The Effects of Dexamethasone in Diabetic Patients Undergoing Primary Total Joint Arthroplasty
Authors: Harding Margaret M. , Xavier Sonia E. , Seyler Thorsten M. , Ryan Sean P.
Published: September 2021

Dexamethasone reduces postoperative pain and nausea, with no evidence of increased rate of infection in total joint arthroplasty. However, the effects of dexamethasone on diabetic patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty remain relatively unexplored. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of dexamethasone on postoperative blood glucose levels, prosthetic joint infections (PJIs), and 90-day hospital returns in diabetic patients following total joint arthroplasty. Retrospective analysis was performed on 228 adult patients with a diagnosis of diabetes who underwent primary total joint arthroplasty. Patients were stratified by intraoperative dexamethasone administration. In total, 173 (75.9%) patients received intraoperative dexamethasone, with no differences in demographic variables compared with patients who did not receive dexamethasone. There was no significant difference in PJIs or 90-day hospital returns. Patients who received dexamethasone had significantly increased blood glucose concentration on Postoperative Day 1 and were significantly more likely to have blood glucose levels exceeding 180 g/dl. Although postoperative blood glucose levels were significantly increased, it is unclear what effects, if any, transient hyperglycemia may have on outcomes. The outcomes of this study support perioperative administration of dexamethasone in diabetic patients.
Are parrots naive realists? Kea behave as if the real and virtual worlds are continuous
Authors: Bastos Amalia P. M. , Wood Patrick M. , Taylor Alex H.
Published: September 2021

Human psychology and animal cognition have increasingly used virtual stimuli to test cognitive abilities, with the expectation that participants are ‘naive realists’, that is, that they perceive virtual environments as both equivalent and continuous with real-life equivalents. However, there have been no attempts to investigate whether nonhuman subjects in fact behave as if physical processes in the virtual and real worlds are continuous. As kea parrots have previously shown the ability to transfer knowledge between real stimuli and both images on paper and images on touchscreens, here we test whether kea behave as naive realists and so expect physical processes to be continuous between the physical and virtual worlds. We find that, unlike infants, kea do not discriminate between these two contexts, and that they do not exhibit a preference for either. Our findings therefore validate the use of virtual stimuli as a powerful tool for testing the cognition of nonhuman animal species.
Evaluation Of A New “All In One” Sars-Cov-2 Antigen-Detecting Rapid Diagnostic Test And Self-Test: Diagnostic Performance And Usability On Child And Adult Population
Authors: Prazuck Thierry , Gravier Anne , Pires-Roteira Daniela , Theillay Aurelie , Pallay Sandra , Colin Mathilda , Serreau Raphael , Hocqueloux Laurent , Cassuto Nino Guy
Published: September 2021

The control of the COVID-19 epidemics has been one of top global health priorities for the last eighteen months. To that end, more reliable and easy-to-use diagnostic tests are necessary. Young children are still not eligible to vaccination and it is important to find a way to easily test this key population regularly. With that in mind, we evaluated a new innovative easy two-step self-test named COVID-VIRO ALL IN® developed by AAZ that uses a sampling nasal sponge instead of a classic nasal swab. Mirroring the previous study conducted on the first generation of COVID-VIRO® antigenic self-test, we first performed a multicentre, prospective study on 124 adults and children, in a point-of-care setting. Sensitivity, specificity and overall acceptance of the COVID-VIRO ALL IN® antigen self-test compared to RT-PCR on nasopharyngeal samples were evaluated at 93.02%, 100% and 97,5%, respectively. We then performed a multicentre, prospective, usability study to evaluate the ease of use of COVID-VIRO ALL IN® in real life on 68 laypersons, all adults. Globally, 99% of them considered the instructions material good, 98% executed the procedure well, and all of them interpreted the results correctly. The usability was then specifically investigated on 40 children and teenagers participants, comparing both COVID-VIRO® first generation and the new COVID-VIRO ALL IN®. All of them found COVID-VIRO ALL IN® much easier to use and much more comfortable. For young children, the COVID-VIRO ALL IN® self-test appears to be safer (less risk of trauma compare to nasal swabs and no liquid exposure) easier to use than classic COVID self-tests and giving immediate result which is not the case for RT-PCR done on saliva samples (currently done in routine for kids in French schools). It could be an adapted tool for future mass screening campaigns in schools or at home under adult supervision for kids from the age of 3.