bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Weight normalized deep neural networks
Authors: Xu Yixi , Wang Xiao
Published: December 2020

The generalization error is the difference between the expected risk and the empirical risk of a learning algorithm. This generalization error can be upper bounded by the Rademacher complexity of the underlying hypothesis class with high probability. This paper studies the function class of Lp, q weight normalized deep neural networks. We present a general framework for norm‐based capacity control and functional characterization for this class. In particular, we have established the upper bound on the Rademacher complexities of this family. Especially, with an L1, ∞ normalization, we discuss properties of a width‐independent capacity control, which only depends on the depth by a square root term. Furthermore, if the activation functions are anti‐symmetric, the bound on the Rademacher complexity is independent of both the width and the depth up to a log factor.
Toward a codified design of recycled aggregate concrete structures: Background for the new fib Model Code 2020 and Eurocode 2
Authors: Tošić Nikola , Torrenti Jean Michel , Sedran Thierry , Ignjatović Ivan
Published: December 2020

The use of recycled aggregate (RA) to produce recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is a proven way of decreasing the consumption of natural aggregate (NA) and the landfilling of construction and demolition waste. However, adoption of codes for the design of RAC and RAC structures has been lacking. Within the framework of the new fib Model Code 2020 and Eurocode 2, provisions for RAC can be adopted. Therefore, in this study, a comprehensive and critical review of literature on RAC is performed as well as own meta‐analyses of results. Material properties of RAC and structural behavior of reinforced and prestressed RAC members are analyzed, and based on the findings, code adjustments for RAC are proposed. The results show that, in order to incorporate RAC into design codes, changes are necessary in expressions for physical–mechanical properties (volumetric mass, modulus of elasticity, tensile strength, fracture energy, peak and ultimate strains, shrinkage strain and creep coefficient), durability‐related properties (minimum concrete cover for durability) and structural behavior (shear strength of members not requiring shear reinforcement and deflections). The recommendations are formulated in terms of the total mass substitution ratio of RA that can be classified as Type A according to standard EN 206 for concrete. The results and findings presented herein can provide an important contribution toward the codification of RAC use and the wider utilization of RA in construction.
The multifaceted eukaryotic cap structure
Authors: Pelletier Jerry , Schmeing T. Martin , Sonenberg Nahum
Published: December 2020

The 5′ cap structure is added onto RNA polymerase II transcripts soon after initiation of transcription and modulates several post‐transcriptional regulatory events involved in RNA maturation. It is also required for stimulating translation initiation of many cytoplasmic mRNAs and serves to protect mRNAs from degradation. These functional properties of the cap are mediated by several cap binding proteins (CBPs) involved in nuclear and cytoplasmic gene expression steps. The role that CBPs play in gene regulation, as well as the biophysical nature by which they recognize the cap, is quite intricate. Differences in mechanisms of capping as well as nuances in cap recognition speak to the potential of targeting these processes for drug development. In this review, we focus on recent findings concerning the cap epitranscriptome, our understanding of cap binding by different CBPs, and explore therapeutic targeting of CBP‐cap interaction.

This article is categorized under:

RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein‐RNA Recognition

RNA Processing > Capping and 5′ End Modifications

Translation > Translation Mechanisms
Modulation of green to red photoconversion of GFP during fluorescent microscopy by carbon source and oxygen availability
Authors: Bidiuk Victoria A. , Agaphonov Michael O. , Alexandrov Alexander I.
Published: December 2020

Studies have reported on the ability of green fluorescent proteins to photoconvert into a red fluorescent form under various conditions, such as the presence of oxidants, hypoxia, as well as under benign conditions using irradiation with a 405 nm laser. Here, we show that in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast green fluorescent protein (GFP) (S65T) fused to different cellular proteins can easily photoconvert into a red form when cells are grown in media with nonfermentable carbon sources. This photoconversion occurs during standard microscopy between glass slide and coverslip but is completely prevented by imaging on pads of solid medium or in a large volume of medium on an inverted microscope. The observed effect was due to rapid hypoxia of cells with respiratory metabolism in standard conditions for upright microscopy. Photoconversion could be prevented by antioxidant treatment, suggesting that it proceeds via the effects of reactive oxidative species emerging in response to oxygen deficiency. Our results show the need for caution during upright microscopy imaging in conditions where there is active respiration and demonstrate simple approaches to prevent unwanted GFP photoconversion. They also provide easy means of performing photoconversion experiments on existing GFP‐bearing cell lines, at least in the case of yeast.
Instanton resummation and the Weak Gravity Conjecture
Authors: Heidenreich Ben , Long Cody , McAllister Liam , Rudelius Tom , Stout John
Published: December 2020

Abstract

We develop methods for resummation of instanton lattice series. Using these tools, we investigate the consequences of the Weak Gravity Conjecture for large-field axion inflation. We find that the Sublattice Weak Gravity Conjecture implies a constraint on the volume of the axion fundamental domain. However, we also identify conditions under which alignment and clockwork constructions, and a new variant of N -flation that we devise, can evade this constraint. We conclude that some classes of low-energy effective theories of large-field axion inflation are consistent with the strongest proposed form of the Weak Gravity Conjecture, while others are not.
Electro-magnetic energy extraction from rotating black holes in AdS
Authors: Callebaut Nele , Rodriguez Maria J. , Verlinde Herman
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Force-Free Electrodynamics for black holes in Anti de Sitter is considered. We present new, energy extracting solutions of Force-Free Electrodynamics in Anti de Sitter-Near Horizon Extremal Kerr and Super-Entropic Near Horizon Extremal Kerr geometries. The relevant equations of motion are derived from an action for force-free plasma surrounding spinning black holes with generic asymptotics. We consider the energy flux of electrodynamic fields in rotating frames to argue that the correct measure for energy extraction is the energy flux measured by a rotating observer in the near horizon region. We illustrate this procedure by application to near horizon solutions in Kerr, AdS-Kerr and BTZ.
Towards the classification of rank-r $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2 SCFTs. Part I. Twisted partition function and central charge formulae
Authors: Martone Mario
Published: December 2020

Abstract

We derive explicit formulae to compute the a and c central charges of four dimensional $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 2 superconformal field theories (SCFTs) directly from Coulomb branch related quantities. The formulae apply at arbitrary rank. We also discover general properties of the low-energy limit behavior of the flavor symmetry of $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 2 SCFTs which culminate with our $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 2 UV-IR simple flavor condition. This is done by determining precisely the relation between the integrand of the partition function of the topologically twisted version of the 4d $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 2 SCFTs and the singular locus of their Coulomb branches. The techniques developed here are extensively applied to many rank-2 SCFTs, including new ones, in a companion paper.

This manuscript is dedicated to the memory of Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and the countless black lives taken by US police forces and still awaiting justice. Our hearts are with our colleagues of color who suffer daily the consequences of this racist world.
Two dialects for KZB equations: generating one-loop open-string integrals
Authors: Broedel Johannes , Kaderli André , Schlotterer Oliver
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Two different constructions generating the low-energy expansion of genus-one configuration-space integrals appearing in one-loop open-string amplitudes have been put forward in refs. [1–3]. We are going to show that both approaches can be traced back to an elliptic system of Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov-Bernard(KZB) type on the twice-punctured torus.

We derive an explicit all-multiplicity representation of the elliptic KZB system for a vector of iterated integrals with an extra marked point and explore compatibility conditions for the two sets of algebra generators appearing in the two differential equations.
Making near-extremal wormholes traversable
Authors: Fallows Seamus , Ross Simon F.
Published: December 2020

Abstract

We construct a traversable wormhole from a charged AdS black hole by adding a coupling between the two boundary theories. We investigate how the effect of this deformation behaves in the extremal limit of the black hole. The black holes have finite entropy but an infinitely long throat in the extremal limit. We argue that it is still possible to make the throat traversable even in the extremal limit, but this requires either tuning the field for which we add a boundary coupling close to an instability threshold or scaling the strength of the coupling inversely with the temperature. In the latter case we show that the amount of information that can be sent through the wormhole scales with the entropy.
Uplifting supersymmetric AdS6 black holes to type II supergravity
Authors: Suh Minwoo
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Employing uplift formulae, we uplift supersymmetric AdS6 black holes from F(4) gauged supergravity to massive type IIA and type IIB supergravity. In massive type IIA supergravity, we obtain supersymmetric AdS6 black holes asymptotic to the Brandhuber-Oz solution. In type IIB supergravity, we obtain supersymmetric AdS6 black holes asymptotic to the non-Abelian T-dual of the Brandhuber-Oz solution. For the uplifted black hole solutions, we calculate the holographic entanglement entropy. In massive type IIA supergravity, it precisely matches the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of the black hole solutions.
Personal protective equipment in the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of cooling-wear as alleviator of thermal stress
Authors: Luze Hanna , Nischwitz Sebastian P. , Kotzbeck Petra , Fink Julia , Holzer Judith C. J. , Popp Daniel , Kamolz Lars-Peter
Published: December 2020

Background

High temperatures at workplaces lead to health-related risks and premature exhaustion. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires many health professionals to perform under unfavorable conditions. Personal protective equipment (PPE) causes thermal stress and negatively affects performance.

Patients, materials and methods

This pilot project investigated the effects of PPE and additional cooling wear on physiological parameters and concentration of six healthy staff members of the Plastic Surgery Department of the Medical University of Graz, Austria during simulated patient care. In this study two 1‑hour cycles with patient care-related tasks with PPE and PPE + cooling-wear, respectively, were conducted. A third cycle with scrubs exclusively served as baseline/negative control. The assessment occurred immediately pre-cycles and post-cycles.

Results

Pre-cycle assessments showed no significant differences between the cycles. After PPE cycle, increased physical stress levels and decrements in concentration capacity were observed. Physiological parameters were significantly less affected in the cooling cycle, while concentration capacity slightly increased.

Conclusion

COVID-19 PPE causes considerable thermal stress, ultimately affecting human performance. As opportunity to withstand thermal stress, and improve patients’ and professionals’ safety, cooling-wear can be considered relevant. Medical personnel performing in exceptional situations may particularly benefit from further development and investigation of cooling strategies.
Flexible iterative ensemble smoother for calibration of perfect and imperfect models
Authors: Rammay Muzammil Hussain , Elsheikh Ahmed H. , Chen Yan
Published: December 2020

Iterative ensemble smoothers have been widely used for calibrating simulators of various physical systems due to the relatively low computational cost and the parallel nature of the algorithm. However, iterative ensemble smoothers have been designed for perfect models under the main assumption that the specified physical models and subsequent discretized mathematical models have the capability to model the reality accurately. While significant efforts are usually made to ensure the accuracy of the mathematical model, it is widely known that the physical models are only an approximation of reality. These approximations commonly introduce some type of model error which is generally unknown and when the models are calibrated, the effects of the model errors could be smeared by adjusting the model parameters to match historical observations. This results in a bias estimated parameters and as a consequence might result in predictions with questionable quality. In this paper, we formulate a flexible iterative ensemble smoother, which can be used to calibrate imperfect models where model errors cannot be neglected. We base our method on the ensemble smoother with multiple data assimilation (ES-MDA) as it is one of the most widely used iterative ensemble smoothing techniques. In the proposed algorithm, the residual (data mismatch) is split into two parts. One part is used to derive the parameter update and the second part is used to represent the model error. The proposed method is quite general and relaxes many of the assumptions commonly introduced in the literature. We observe that the proposed algorithm has the capability to reduce the effect of model bias by capturing the unknown model errors, thus improving the quality of the estimated parameters and prediction capacity of imperfect physical models.
Microstructure evolution-based design of thermal post-treatments for EBM-built Alloy 718
Authors: Goel Sneha , Zaninelli Enrico , Gårdstam Johannes , Klement Uta , Joshi Shrikant
Published: December 2020

Alloy 718 samples were fabricated by electron beam melting (EBM) additive manufacturing process. The work focused on systematic investigation of response of the material to various thermal post-treatments, involving hot isostatic pressing (HIPing), solution treatment (ST) and two-step aging, to tailor post-treatment procedure for EBM-built Alloy 718. Results showed that HIPing at lowered temperature can be used for attaining desired defect closure while preserving grain size. Subjecting the material to ST, with or without prior HIPing, mainly caused precipitation of δ phase at the grain boundaries with prior HIPing decreasing the extent of δ phase precipitation. Moreover, results suggest that the utility of ST, with prior HIPing, could be dictated by the need to achieve a certain δ phase content, as the typically targeted homogenization after ST had already been achieved through HIPing. Detailed investigation of microstructural evolution during subsequent aging with and without prior HIPing showed that a significantly shortened aging treatment (‘4 + 1’ h), compared to the ‘standard’ long treatment (‘8 + 8’ h) traditionally developed for conventionally produced Alloy 718, might be realizable. These results can have significant techno-economic implications in designing tailored post-treatments for EBM-built Alloy 718.

Graphical abstract
Theoriekonstruktion durch Theorienvergleich – eine soziologische Theorietechnik
Authors: Anicker Fabian
Published: December 2020

Theorienvergleiche sind nicht nur ein kollektives Unternehmen zur Sicherung fachlicher Standards. Sie können auch dem eigenen produktiven Umgang mit Theorienvielfalt dienen und eignen sich sogar für die Konstruktion neuer Theorien. Es wird gezeigt, dass in der Praxis soziologischer Theorie bereits eine Technik der Theoriekonstruktion durch Theorienvergleich besteht und diese implizite Technik in einem allgemeinen Schema expliziert werden kann. Die Strategie bei der Herausarbeitung dieser Theorietechnik besteht im rekonstruktiven Reverse Engineering von Schlüsseltexten der soziologischen Theorie. Dabei wird nicht nach den Inhalten, sondern nach den Texten zugrundeliegenden Strategien der Theoriekonstruktion und -darstellung gefragt und nach Möglichkeiten gesucht, diese in eine kontextunabhängige Form zu bringen. Durch diesen Beitrag zum methodischen Selbstbewusstsein der soziologischen Theorie soll die Praxis der Theoriekonstruktion leichter erlernbar und die Darstellung theoretischer Innovationen transparenter gemacht werden.
Von performativen Äußerungen zum Performative Turn. Performativitätstheorien zwischen Sprach- und Medienparadigma
Authors: Gertenbach Lars
Published: December 2020

Der Begriff der Performativität hat in den Sozial- und Kulturwissenschaften der letzten Jahre eine beachtliche Karriere aufzuweisen, bleibt aber inhaltlich oftmals unbestimmt. Gleiches gilt für den proklamierten Performative Turn. Ausgehend von aktuellen Debatten um das Performativitätskonzept, wie sie etwa im Anschluss an die Schriften von Karen Barad und Michel Callon geführt werden, sollen diese Diskussionen im Beitrag genauer sortiert und einer kritischen Reflexion unterzogen werden. Er beginnt zunächst mit einer Rekonstruktion der Sprechakttheorie von John Austin und der kulturwissenschaftlichen Aneignung des Begriffs der Performativität, bevor er sich anschließend eingehender der soziologischen Theorie zuwendet. Im Fokus stehen hierbei Pierre Bourdieu und Judith Butler, die als Gegenpositionen zu Barad und Callon begriffen werden können. Um die Differenz dieser beiden Varianten des Performative Turns genauer zu fassen, wird schließlich mithilfe neuerer Medientheorien zwischen zwei maßgeblichen Theoriemodellen unterschieden: einem sprachtheoretischen und einem medientheoretischen. Dadurch ist es möglich, Missverständnisse und Ungenauigkeiten in der bisherigen Auseinandersetzung aufzudecken und den Innovationsgehalt sowie die Schwachstellen der unterschiedlichen Positionen genauer abzuschätzen.
An Introduction to Japanese Society
Authors: Sugimoto Yoshio
Published: December 2020

An Introduction to Japanese Society provides a highly readable introduction to Japanese society by internationally renowned scholar Yoshio Sugimoto. Taking a sociological approach, the text examines the multifaceted nature of contemporary Japanese society with chapters covering class, geographical and generational variation, work, education, gender, ethnicity, religion, popular culture, and the establishment. This edition begins with a new historical introduction placing the sociological analysis of contemporary Japan in context, and includes a new chapter on religion and belief systems. Comprehensively revised to include current research and statistics, the text covers changes to the labor market, evolving conceptions of family and gender, demographic shifts in an aging society, and the emergence of new social movements. Each chapter now contains illustrative case examples, research questions, recommended further readings and useful online resources. Written in a lively and engaging style, An Introduction to Japanese Society remains essential reading for all students of Japanese society.
Razing Kids
Authors: Sanders Jeffrey C.
Published: December 2020

Children are the future. Or so we like to tell ourselves. In the wake of the Second World War, Americans took this notion to heart. Confronted by both unprecedented risks and unprecedented opportunities, they elevated and perhaps exaggerated the significance of children for the survival of the human race. Razing Kids analyzes the relationship between the postwar demographic explosion and the birth of postwar ecology. In the American West, especially, workers, policymakers, and reformers interwove hopes for youth, environment, and the future. They linked their anxieties over children to their fears of environmental risk as they debated the architecture of wartime playgrounds, planned housing developments and the impact of radioactive particles released from distant hinterlands. They obsessed over how riot-riddled cities, War on Poverty era rural work camps and pesticide-laden agricultural valleys would affect children. Nervous about the world they were making, their hopes and fears reshaped postwar debates about what constituted the social and environmental good.
The Shaping of French National Identity
Authors: D'Auria Matthew
Published: December 2020

The Shaping of French National Identity casts new light on the intellectual origins of the dominant and 'official' French nineteenth-century national narrative. Focussing on the historical debates taking place throughout the eighteenth century and during the Restoration, Matthew D'Auria evokes a time when the nation's origins were being questioned and discussed and when they acquired the meaning later enshrined in the official rhetoric of the Third Republic. He examines how French writers and scholars reshaped the myths, symbols, and memories of pre-modern communities. Engaging with the myth of 'our ancestors the Gauls' and its ideological triumph over the competing myth of 'our ancestors the Franks', this study explores the ways in which the struggle developed, and the values that the two discourses enshrined, the collective actors they portrayed, and the memories they evoked. D'Auria draws attention to the continuity between ethnic discourses and national narratives and to the competition between various groups in their claims to represent the nation and to define their past as the 'true' history of France.
Syntax of Dutch
Authors: Broekhuis Hans
Published: December 2020

Part of the larger Syntax of Dutch series, this volume focuses on the internal makeup and distribution of adpositional phrases in Dutch. It covers such topics as complementation and modification of adpositional phrases, as well as their predicative, attributive, and adverbial uses.
Holland Flowering
Authors: Gebhardt Andrew
Published: December 2020

Growing tulip bulbs on the moon, and a tulip shaped island in the North Sea. Frederick Ruysch's wunderkammer and contemporary bloemencorsos. A Dutch-Chinese billionaire, aka the Orchid King, recreates a 'Dutch' town in northeast China complete with a replica of Amsterdam's central station and the International Court of Justice. A retired grower recalls a life in flowers, from the Second World War to the European Union. Dutch development policies in Ethiopia today and its former civilizing mission in Java. Auctions, cooperatives, networking, commodity culture, Dutch masculinity, and globalization. These are some of the imaginaries, themes, curious details, and perspectives you will encounter in this book. All of them pivot around Dutch flower culture today and in the Dutch Golden Age, and directly or indirectly link to Aalsmeer's flower auction, the world's largest, located not far from Amsterdam.
German Historians and the Bombing of German Cities
Authors: von Benda-Beckmann Bas
Published: December 2020

Today, strategic aerial bombardments of urban areas that harm civilians, at times intentionally, are becoming increasingly common in global conflicts. This book reveals the history of these tactics as employed by nations that initiated aerial bombardments of civilians after World War I and during World War II. As one of the major symbols of German suffering, the Allied bombing left a strong imprint on German society. Bas von Benda-Beckmann explores how German historical accounts reflected debates on postwar identity and looks at whether the history of the air war forms a counternarrative against the idea of German collective guilt. Provocative and unflinching, this study offers a valuable contribution to German historiography.
Use of Confessionary Evidence under the Counter-Terrorism Laws of Sri Lanka
Authors: Chandrasekaram Visakesa
Published: December 2020

For more than three decades, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fought a gruesome war for independence against the majoritarian Sinhalese government of Sri Lanka. Even as the government fought LTTE on the battlefield, it also pursued a legal war through the enactment of counterterrorism laws that permitted indefinite detention and the use of confessions as sole evidence. This book applies theoretical insights from the work of philosophers such as Carl Schmitt, Giorgio Agamben, and Michel Foucault to the Sri Lankan context to examine the conflicting narratives relating to these laws produced by both sides in the conflict.
The Webcam as an Emerging Cinematic Medium
Authors: Albuquerque Paula
Published: December 2020

All the world's a stage - literally so, given the ubiquitous presence of webcams recording daily life in cities. This footage, allegedly documentary, recreates cities as cinematic environments as people interact with the multitudes of cameras and screens around them. Paula Albuquerque's original research and experimental films, presented in this groundbreaking book, expose fictionalising elements in archival webcams and explore video surveillance as an urban condition that influences both perceptions of the past and visions of the future.
The Gift of Aphrodite in Iliad 24.30
Authors: Mancilla Cristian
Published: December 2020

In the famous story of Paris’ choice, he favoured the goddess who offered him ‘grievous lust’ (μαχλοσύνην ἀλɛγɛινήν). This is what Homer tells us in Il. 24.30. It has not often been noticed that Cratinus (5th cent. BC) and Lucian (2nd cent. AD) mention another gift – that Aphrodite's bribe was to make Paris irresistible to women. This alternative version happens to correspond to a high degree with several literary and artistic representations of the same story, telling it in a manner that implies or suggests the variant account. This paper argues that the set of instances containing this alternative gift may be based on an actual episode within the oral tradition. Homer himself seems to hint at this link when he refers to the ‘grievous lust’ of Paris. The Homeric reference to the alternative gift was acknowledged by Herbert Rose in 1951, even though he rejected the line in Homer which mentioned the Judgement of Paris (Il. 24.30). This seeming contradiction of Rose's accepting the alternative gift while rejecting the Judgement makes his explanation rather atypical. His uncommon viewpoint, nevertheless, will allow us to identify the presence of this alternative gift in many literary and artistic works, whether explicitly mentioned, implied, or suggested.
Extending the Domain of the Value of a Statistical Life
Authors: Viscusi W. Kip
Published: December 2020

The value of a statistical life (VSL) establishes the money-risk tradeoff that U.S. government agencies have used for four decades to monetize the mortality reduction benefits of proposed regulations. This article advocates the adoption of the VSL more generally both for policy evaluation purposes and for setting the magnitude of regulatory sanctions involving fatalities. Agencies currently employ the inconsistent practice of using the VSL to set the stringency of regulations, while at the same time, reverting to very low monetary values of sanctions for violations that result in fatalities. Reform of penalty levels to reflect the VSL will require increasing the current statutory limits on regulatory penalties. Revamping the penalty structure also will incentivize private companies to incorporate the VSL in their corporate risk analyses. Government agencies, including those concerned with national defense, similarly could profit from greater expansion of the use of the VSL in policy decisions.
Ancient handbooks and Graeco-Egyptian collections of alchemical recipes
Authors: Martelli Matteo
Published: December 2020

A fluid terminology was used in antiquity to refer to scientific or philosophical writings that, in some respects, may be equated with what one would call today a handbook or manual. In particular, this paper will explore a group of treatises that may be counted as examples of ancientencheiridia, a Greek term that could mean ‘hand-knife’, ‘handbook’ and even ‘napkin, towel’. All these meanings have something to tell us about the nature and the history of ancientencheiridia, some of which can be identified with well-known pieces of Graeco-Roman literature. However, the spectrum of ancientencheiridiacan be further enlarged by exploring sources that are often neglected. After giving an up-to-date overview of ancient ‘handbooks’, the article will discuss the termencheiridionin Graeco-Egyptian alchemical literature. In fact, fresh textual investigations of the Syriac tradition of Zosimus of Panopolis point to the circulation of ancient recipe books that bore this title. On the one hand, this investigation will shed new light on the tradition of other important collections of alchemical recipes, such as the medievalMappae clavicula. On the other, it will highlight some strategies that ancient alchemical authors developed in selecting, reorganizing and legitimizing earlier alchemical recipes.
From under the elbow to pointing to the palm: Chinese metaphors for learning medicine by the book (fourth–fourteenth centuries)
Authors: Hanson Marta
Published: December 2020

This article focuses on transformations in the main metaphors in ancient to late medieval titles of Chinese medical books used to convey to potential readers their ‘learning-by-the-book’ contents. It finds that in contrast to the European preference for hand metaphors in the genre terms – enchiridions, manuals and handbooks – the Chinese medical archive preserves bodily metaphors within which the hand metaphor appears only rarely in the early medieval period and is then superseded by metaphors that rely on the fingers and palms more than the hands per se. This longue durée survey from roughly the fourth to the fourteenth centuries of the wide-ranging metaphors for ‘handy medical books’ places their historical emergence and transformation within the history of Chinese medical manuscripts and printed texts. Metaphors in medical titles conveyed to potential readers at the time significant textual innovations in how medical knowledge would be presented to them. For later historians, they provide evidence of profound changes in managing an increasingly complex and expanding archive of Chinese medical manuscripts and printed texts. Innovations in textual reorganization intended to facilitate ‘learning by the book’ were often creatively captured in an illuminating range of genre distinctions, descriptors and metaphors.
Estimating the predictive value of negative severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) results: A prospective study
Authors: Hirschwerk David , Foley Mathew , Lesser Martin , Farber Bruce , Crawford James M. , Davidson Karina W. , Berry Gregory J. , Smith Elizabeth , Kast Charles , Volel Vladimir , McGinn Thomas
Published: December 2020

We performed a prospective study of 501 patients, regardless of symptoms, admitted to the hospital, to estimate the predictive value of a negative nasopharyngeal swab for severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). At a positivity rate of 10.2%, the estimated negative predictive value (NPV) was 97.2% and the NPV rose as prevalence decreased during the study.
The government’s responses to incompatibility challenges to women: the case studies of Hong Kong and Taiwan
Authors: Yu Sam Wai-Kam , Chau Chui-Man (Ruby) , Li Sze-Man , Lee Mei-Yin (Anna)
Published: December 2020

International organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank raise concerns about the financial sustainability issues of pension systems. These issues have attracted increasing attention because of the challenges presented by lower growth and financial market volatility, making it harder for governments to fulfil their promises on pension policies (Ebbinghaus, 2011). In order to tackle these challenges, it is not uncommon that governments reform pension schemes with an emphasis on individual responsibility (Yeh et al., 2018). They particularly stress the earnings-related pension measures as an important means to assist people to accumulate pension income (Foster, 2014). Employees are the target group for measures relating to earnings-related pension measures. The amount of pension income accumulated through these measures is highly related to employees’ earnings.
The Effect of Deliberation on Jurors’ Attitudes toward Jury Service in Criminal Cases
Authors: Pennington Liana , Dolliver Matthew J.
Published: December 2020

Jury service is one important way that citizens actively involve themselves in the criminal justice system. At a time when criminal justice and legal institutions are suffering from declining levels of public trust, it is crucial to understand the effects of jury service on individuals’ views of the jury system and whether these views vary across different racial groups. This article uses survey data from 248 deliberating and prospective jurors on criminal cases with matched data before and after jury service to examine jurors’ views of jury service. Unlike most research in this area, actual jurors were surveyed both at the beginning and at the end of the jury process to measure changes in attitudes concerning jury participation. Deliberating jurors’ changes in views were compared with a group of prospective jurors not selected for a trial. We found a significant difference between deliberating jurors and prospective jurors concerning their belief that the jury system is the fairest way to decide criminal cases, suggesting that jury service positively affects jurors’ views of the jury system. Racial group membership did not significantly influence change from pretrial to posttrial views, with views of jury service becoming more positive for both white and nonwhite jurors.
Legal Status and Client Satisfaction: The Case of Low-Wage Immigrant Workers
Authors: Gleeson Shannon
Published: December 2020

Lawyers play an important role in mobilizing rights, yet the lawyer-client relationship can be challenging to navigate. This is especially true for immigrants who face barriers to accessing rights and protections. Undocumented status multiplies existing challenges, enhancing the need for an advocate. Based on sixty-six interviews with low-wage immigrant workers (thirty-one documented, thirty-five undocumented) from 2012 to 2014, I reveal how immigration status impacts why and how clients seek legal counsel, the expectations they have for their lawyers, and their eventual sense of satisfaction—or frustration—with their claim. As victims of an enforcement regime and legal system seemingly rigged against them, undocumented clients often have lower expectations of their lawyers and may doubt the integrity of the legal process itself. As a result, they often seemed resigned to follow their attorneys’ lead, minimizing conflict. However, undocumented status also limits labor mobility and generates uncertainty about the future, making claimants more willing to settle claims in order to move on. While they are often willing to come forward, many undocumented claimants nonetheless reject abstract notions of justice in favor of a more pragmatic attitude toward legal mobilization: a certain legal cynicism masquerading as client satisfaction.
Adjunctive yoga training for persons with schizophrenia: who benefits?
Authors: Bhatia Triptish , Gujral Swathi , Sharma Vikas , Kumari Nupur , Wood Joel , Wesesky Maribeth A. , Jones Jacquelynn , Davis Louanne W. , Iyenger Satish , Haas Gretchen L. , Nimgaonkar Vishwajit L. , Deshpande Smita N.
Published: December 2020

Objective:

The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with acceptability and efficacy of yoga training (YT) for improving cognitive dysfunction in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ).

Methods:

We analysed data from two published clinical trials of YT for cognitive dysfunction among Indians with SZ: (1) a 21-day randomised controlled trial (RCT, N = 286), 3 and 6 months follow-up and (2) a 21-day open trial (n = 62). Multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the association of baseline characteristics (age, sex, socio-economic status, educational status, duration, and severity of illness) with improvement in cognition (i.e. attention and face memory) following YT. Factors associated with acceptability were identified by comparing baseline demographic variables between screened and enrolled participants as well as completers versus non-completers.

Results:

Enrolled participants were younger than screened persons who declined participation (t = 2.952, p = 0.003). No other characteristics were associated with study enrollment or completion. Regarding efficacy, schooling duration was nominally associated with greater and sustained cognitive improvement on a measure of facial memory. No other baseline characteristics were associated with efficacy of YT in the open trial, the RCT, or the combined samples (n = 148).

Conclusions:

YT is acceptable even among younger individuals with SZ. It also enhances specific cognitive functions, regardless of individual differences in selected psychosocial characteristics. Thus, yoga could be incorporated as adjunctive therapy for patients with SZ. Importantly, our results suggest cognitive dysfunction is remediable in persons with SZ across the age spectrum.
The Politics of a National Identity Survey: Polishness, Whiteness, and Racial Exclusion
Authors: Jaskulowski Krzysztof
Published: December 2020

This article analyses a popular survey on national identity in Poland. However, the analysis of the survey is a pretext to remind one of the limitations of crude quantitative methods and to look at the Polish national identity itself. The article shows that the survey questions are far from unambiguous, and respondents might attribute different meanings to them. The survey does not “measure” national identity existing in the world, rather it serves to maintain the hegemonic concept of Polishness. It diminishes the significance of Catholicism and the perceived biological dimension of Polishness. It ignores public sentiment linking Whiteness and Polishness, contributing to maintaining the dominant image of Polishness as free of racism. Under the guise of objective research, the survey is one of the elements sustaining the image of a relatively open and inclusive Polishness. Referring to my own qualitative research and recent literature on the topic, I argue that Polish identity must be seen in terms of selective racism without racism—that is, it is an identity based on racial premises but which at the same time neglects its racial character.
VOLUMES OF WORTH—DELIMITING THE SAMPLE SIZE FOR RADIOCARBON DATING OF PARCHMENT
Authors: Kasso Tuuli M , Oinonen Markku J , Mizohata Kenichiro , Tahkokallio Jaakko K , Heikkilä Tuomas M
Published: December 2020

Medieval manuscripts are invaluable archives of the written history of our past. Manuscripts can be dated and localized paleographically, but this method has its limitations. The Fragmenta membranea manuscript collection at the National Library of Finland has proved difficult to date using paleographic methods. Radiocarbon dating has been applied to manuscripts of parchment before, but a systematic protocol for radiocarbon dating of parchment has not been established with a minimally destructive sampling strategy. In this work, we have established a radiocarbon dating procedure for parchments combining a clean-room based chemical pretreatment process, elemental analyzer combustion, automatic graphitization and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurements to reduce the AMS target size from a typical 1 mg of carbon. Prolonged acid treatment resulted in improved dating accuracy, since this is consistent with the manufacturing process of medieval parchment involving a lime bath. Two different combustion processes were compared. The traditional closed tube combustion (CTC) method provided a well-established though labor-intensive way to produce 1 mg AMS targets. The Elemental Analyzer-based process (EA-HASE, Elemental Analyzer Helsinki Adaptive Sample prEparation line), is designed for fast combustion and smaller sample sizes. The EA-HASE process was capable of reproducing the simulated radiocarbon ages of known-age samples with AMS graphite target sizes of 0.3 mg of carbon, corresponding to a 3 mm2 area of a typical medieval parchment. The full potential of the process to go down to as little as 50 μg will be further explored in the future in parallel to studies of sample-specific contamination issues.
Associations between untargeted plasma metabolomic signatures and gut microbiota composition in the Milieu Intérieur population of healthy adults
Authors: Partula Valentin , Deschasaux-Tanguy Mélanie , Mondot Stanislas , Victor-Bala Agnès , Bouchemal Nadia , Lécuyer Lucie , Bobin-Dubigeon Christine , Torres Marion J. , Kesse-Guyot Emmanuelle , Charbit Bruno , Patin Etienne , Assmann Karen E. , Latino-Martel Paule , Julia Chantal , Galan Pilar , Hercberg Serge , Quintana-Murci Lluis , Albert Matthew L. , Duffy Darragh , Lantz Olivier , Savarin Philippe , Triba Mohamed Nawfal , Touvier Mathilde ,   The Milieu Intérieur Consortium
Published: December 2020

Host–microbial co-metabolism products are being increasingly recognised to play important roles in physiological processes. However, studies undertaking a comprehensive approach to consider host–microbial metabolic relationships remain scarce. Metabolomic analysis yielding detailed information regarding metabolites found in a given biological compartment holds promise for such an approach. This work aimed to explore the associations between host plasma metabolomic signatures and gut microbiota composition in healthy adults of the Milieu Intérieur study. For 846 subjects, gut microbiota composition was profiled through sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene in stools. Metabolomic signatures were generated through proton NMR analysis of plasma. The associations between metabolomic variables and α- and β-diversity indexes and relative taxa abundances were tested using multi-adjusted partial Spearman correlations, permutational ANOVA and multivariate associations with linear models, respectively. A multiple testing correction was applied (Benjamini–Hochberg, 10 % false discovery rate). Microbial richness was negatively associated with lipid-related signals and positively associated with amino acids, choline, creatinine, glucose and citrate (−0·133 ≤ Spearman’s ρ ≤ 0·126). Specific associations between metabolomic signals and abundances of taxa were detected (twenty-five at the genus level and nineteen at the species level): notably, numerous associations were observed for creatinine (positively associated with eleven species and negatively associated with Faecalibacterium prausnitzii). This large-scale population-based study highlights metabolites associated with gut microbial features and provides new insights into the understanding of complex host–gut microbiota metabolic relationships. In particular, our results support the implication of a ‘gut–kidney axis’. More studies providing a detailed exploration of these complex interactions and their implications for host health are needed.
An empirical study of factors associated with height-for-agez-scores of children aged 6−23 months in northwest Rwanda: the role of care practices related to child feeding and health
Authors: Dusingizimana Theogene , Weber Janet L. , Ramilan Thiagarajah , Iversen Per Ole , Brough Louise
Published: December 2020

We aimed to identify the factors influencing child height-for-agez-scores (HAZ) as a measure of child nutritional status in Rwanda, and to examine the role of child feeding and health practices. We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 379 children (aged 6–23 months) and their mothers in northwest Rwanda. Data were collected using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire. An infant and young child feeding practices index (ICFI) and health practices index (HPI) were developed and categorised into tertiles, and linear regression analyses were performed to assess their association with child HAZ. Overall, mothers of non-stunted children exhibited better feeding and health practices than those of stunted children. ICFI was positively associated with child HAZ. We found an adjusted mean HAZ difference of 0·14 between children whose mothers were in high ICFI tertile compared with those in low tertile. Neither HPI nor any of its components were significantly associated with child HAZ. Other factors that were positively associated with child HAZ were infant birth weight (P< 0·001) and maternal height (P< 0·001). Child age, sex (male) (P< 0·05) and altitude (P< 0·05) were negatively associated with child HAZ. Diarrhoea (P< 0·05) and respiratory infections (P< 0·05) were negatively associated with HAZ in younger children aged 6–11 months. Policies to reduce stunting in this population must focus on both pre- and postnatal factors. Appropriate child feeding practices, particularly breast-feeding promotion and improvement in children’s dietary diversity combined with measures to control infections should be given priority.
Maternal dietary linoleic acid altered intestinal barrier function in domestic pigeons (Columba livia)
Authors: Xu Qianqian , Wen Jiashu , Wang Xiaoming , Zou Xiaoting , Dong Xinyang
Published: December 2020

Linoleic acid (LA) is predominantly essential for poultry. Poultry lacking LA show retarded growth and reduced disease resistance. Intestinal barrier function plays an important role in pigeon squab growth, whereas research on the effects of LA on intestinal health in altrices is scant. Considering that squabs are fed by their parents, the study aimed to explore the effects of maternal dietary LA on intestinal morphology, tight junction proteins, immune cytokines and microbial flora in squabs. A completely randomised design with a control group, 1 % LA supplementation group, 2 % LA supplementation group and 4 % LA supplementation group was used. Six squabs from each treatment were randomly sampled at 21 d post-hatching. The results indicated that LA supplementation improved intestinal morphology, as reflected by increased villus height, villus area and the ratio of villi to crypts. Also, 1 % LA supplementation elevated the density of goblet cells in the intestine and strengthened tight junctions by up-regulating claudin-3 and occludin gene expression but down-regulating claudin-2 gene expression. Moreover, 1 % LA supplementation reduced the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and partly increased anti-inflammatory cytokines. The intestinal microbial diversity in the 1 % LA supplementation group was higher than that in the other groups. As beneficial bacteria, Butyrivibrio was the biomarker of 1 % LA supplementation. However, excessive (4 %) LA supplementation led to adverse impacts on intestinal immunity and microbiota. In conclusion, maternal dietary LA might alter intestinal barrier function in pigeon squabs in a dose-dependent manner. Supplementation with 1 % LA was suggested in parental pigeons.