bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
"A Robot Is Watching You”: Humanoid Robots And The Different Impacts On Privacy
Authors: Cardiell Lucas
Published: October 2021

Robots, particularly the ones that belong to a special type of robotic technologies designed and deployed for communicating and interacting with humans, slip into more and more domains of human life - from the research laboratories and operating rooms to our kitchens, bedrooms, and offices. They can interact with humans with facial expressions, gaze directions, and voices, mimicking the affective dynamics of human relationships. As a result, they create new opportunities, but also new challenges and risks to peoples’ privacy.  The literature on privacy issues in the context of Social Companion Robots (SCRs) is poor and has a strong focus on information privacy and data protection. It has given, however, less attention to other dimensions of privacy, e.g. physical, emotional, or social privacy. This article argues for an “evolving” or “transformable” notion of privacy, as opposed to the “elusive” concept of privacy elaborated by leading privacy theorists such as Daniel J. Solove (2008) and Judith J. Thomson (1975). In other words, rather than assuming that privacy has a single core or definition (as defined, e.g., in Warren and Brandeis' 1890 paper), it maintains that it is important to conceptualize privacy as distinguishable into various aspects, including informational privacy, the privacy of thoughts and actions, and social privacy. This inductive approach makes it possible to identify new dimensions of privacy and therefore effectively respond to the rapid technological evolution in AI technologies which is constantly introducing new spheres of privacy intrusions.
AI-based Legal Technology: A Critical Assessment of the Current Use of Artificial Intelligence in Legal Practice
Authors: Soukupová Jana
Published: October 2021

In recent years, disruptive legal technology has been on the rise. Currently, several AI-based tools are being deployed across the legal field, including the judiciary. Although many of these innovative tools claim to make the legal profession more efficient and justice more accessible, we could have seen several critical voices against their use and even attempts to ban these services.  This article deals with the use of artificial intelligence in legal technology and offers a critical reflection on the current state of the art. As much as artificial intelligence proved that it could improve the legal profession, there are still some underlying risks connected to the technology itself, which may deem its use disturbing.
Le Refus Lévinassien de la Mystique
Authors: Esquenazi Fabio Samuel ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: October 2021

Despite recognizing the Other, particularly the needy person, as a prime location for a meaningful experience of God and the metaphysical nature of his interpretation of the fundamental ethical experience, a careful reading of Levinas’ corpus reveals the modulations of his rejection of the mystical phenomenon. This paper analyzes the main arguments that justify his « Lithuanian » distrust of mysticism and the consequent reduction of religion as ethics in his thought, as a result of forgetting that the perception of and adherence to the same transcendent principle present in the deep consciousness –conversio cordis – that directs one’s gaze towards the need and suffering of others –conversio morum – is common to the mystical experience, faith – as core of religious experience to Jewish-Christian tradition –, and ethical commitment.
Do Fenômeno Pleno ao Testemunho que Falta
Authors: Serra Alice Mara ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: October 2021

Dieser Text geht von der Frage nach der Wahrheit, die durch die Rekonstruktion der Auseinandersetzung zwischen drei Vertreter des zeitgenössischen philosophischen Denkens dargelegt wird, nämlich: Edmund Husserl, Jean-Luc Marion und Jacques Derrida. Wenn bei Husserl das Problem der Wahrheit mit der Analyse der verschiedenen Modalitäten der Anschauung zusammengehört, in denen sich das Phänomen bewusst eintritt, wiederum mag Marion de Darstellungsweise des Phänomens mit dem Begriff „Gegebenheit“ (donation) umfassen: somit schließt diese nicht nur die Modalitäten der Anschauung ein, sondern auch die Intentionalität selbst, die sich irgendein etwas wendet. Nun weißt Derrida durch die Dekonstruktion der phänomenologischen Begriffe Anschauung und Gegebenheit darauf hin, dass die phänomenologische Betrachtung nicht ausreicht, um Zusammenhänge und Umstände nachzudenken, in denen sich die Wahrheit ohne anschaulichen Zug, ohne subjektive Intentionalität und in Widerstand gegenüber ihrer eigenen Sichtbarkeit anzeigt. Solche Nuancen hebt Derrida hervor, indem er die Gegebenheit und die „Gabe“ (don) kontrastiert, und schließlich, indem er der Wahrheit den Charakter des Zeugnisses (témoignage) zuschreibt.
A Perda do Fio Narrativo. Sobre a Insustentabilidade do Trágico na Contemporaneidade
Authors: Cadete Teresa M.L.R. ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: October 2021

The present study aims to demonstrate how the analyses by Nietzsche, Simmel and Benjamin of the tragic phenomenon may teach us how to cultivate the tragic fabric and to live with the systemic soil that nourishes it, in order to create abilities to cross over the cores or tragic occurrences and to transform afterwards the respective memories into forms of narrativity, articulated in a sequence thread. The perspective deformations of modernity (functional reason, authoritarianism, anthropocentrism), imposed by the contingency of the present societies, may be in this way critically compensated by the understanding of the tragic fundament that is inherent to human existence.
A Tragédia da Liberdade, Ante-Tragédia da Cultura na Filosofia do Dinheiro
Authors: Marques Francisco Felizol ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: October 2021

In Philosophy of Money (1900), money is a permanent splitting liberation and fluidification, until it takes any form through equalizing in quantity all qualities it bounds to. This process also happens: in objects, more and more ephemeral and independent from man, leading to an objective culture that gets farther away; and in subjects, exposed to a continuing splitting process, thereby gaining a negative freedom with no properties and purpose. This menaces man’s individuality which is neither an isolated subjectivity nor an agglutinated objectivity. In 1911, Simmel describes human life as a tragedy of culture, an attempt to contain the living matter creating successive forms that, once created, begin to drain its contents. This view was already acknowledged in the Philosophy of Money as the tragedy of freedom. By only using money as a means, acting on positive freedom, we overcome successive resistances (non-freedom forms) and advance to our individual purpose.
O “Silêncio Trágico”: Walter Benjamin Entre Franz Rosenzweig e Friedrich Nietzsche
Authors: Chaves Ernani ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: October 2021

This article seeks to present, in its most general terms, the question of the tragic silence and its function within the analysis concerning the Greek tragedy in The Origin of German Tragic Drama, which was written by Walter Benjamin. For this purpose, we turn to two sources related to Benjamin’s analysis: The Star of Redemption, by Franz Rosenzweig, and The Birth of Tragedy, by Nietzsche. However, in addition to the two other thinkers, Benjamin thinks about the issue of the “tragic silence” from the confrontation between “ambiguity” and “paradox”, between “myth” and “history”, in such a way that silence is a means of resistance: while expressing the guilt of the hero, what you see is his/her “silent suffering”, and, instead of being found guilty, the gods themselves are the ones who must recognize their guilt.
A Teia de Penélope e o Anel da Tradição
Authors: Cantinho Maria João ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: October 2021

It will never be too much to remember that experience is one of the most important concepts on Benjamin’s thought. It underlies his analysis of the history and also supports his critical theory of literature and has many branches, above all in his texts after 1930. His text “The Image of Proust” (Literarische Welt, 1929) develops the concept of involuntary memory, which explains the question of auratic image in the work of Proust, obtained by the process of rememoration and also explained by the contribution of Freud’s studies about the traumatic shock and its consequences on the perception’s conditions of the contemporary man. These conceptions led Benjamin to a deep thought about the way how shock and rememoration can be articulated in order to create a new historical vision, individual and collective. We examine here, in the fields of the arts, literature and history, how this articulation can defines a new conception of experience and the possibility, or not, of the transmission of the culture, in a world where, as Kafka said, “the tradition became sick”. The question is: will rememoration, this Penelope’s web, be able to operate the rescue of the historical tradition? And which tradition are we speaking here about? What does rememoration mean?
The Live Creature and the Crooked Tree
Authors: Kirby Christopher C. ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: October 2021

This paper will compare the concept of nature as it appears in the philosophies of the American pragmatist John Dewey and the Chinese text known as the Zhuangzi, with an aim towards mapping out a heuristic program which might be used to correct various interpretive difficulties in reading each figure. I shall argue that Dewey and Zhuangzi both held more complex and comprehensive philosophies of nature than for which either is typically credited. Such a view of nature turns on the notion of continuity, particularly that between an experiencing organism [Dewey’s “live creature”] and the conditioning environment [Zhuangzi’s “crooked tree”]. Where Dewey’s and Zhuangzi’s ideas about nature converge, one finds similarities in prescriptions made for human action, and in the few places where they differ, one finds mutually complementary insights.
The End and Rebirth of Nature?
Authors: Simons Massimiliano ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: October 2021

In this article, two different claims about nature are discussed. On the one hand, environmental philosophy has forced us to reflect on our position within nature. We are not the masters of nature as was claimed before. On the other hand there are the recent developments within synthetic biology. It claims that, now at last, we can be the masters of nature we have never been before. The question is then raised how these two claims must be related to one another. Rather than stating that they are completely irreconcilable, I will argue for a dialogue aimed to discuss the differences and similarities. The claim is that we should not see it as two successive temporal phases of our relation to nature, but two tendencies that can coexist.
René Thom et la Réhabilitation des Formes Substantielles
Authors: Clément Morier , Pinchard Bruno ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: October 2021

To the issue whether the contemporary formalism could sufficiently provide a dynamical view of natural laws, we propose another way to understand the organizational mechanisms of natural and semiotic phenomena. The breakthrough of René Thom’s topological discoveries allows the renewal of a philosophical path, which examines the benefits of a qualitative knowledge on forms through their deployment. Our study would like to raise the issue of the following questions: in the aftermath of Leibniz’s work, which lessons can we expect to draw from a neo-Aristotelian position in order to objectively analyze the morphological organization of natural phenomena? How to consider dynamical plasticity from metamorphosis episodes, if we only take into account the contemporary development of the Cartesian mechanism? What rehabilitation of substantial forms might help to think about nature today?
Editorial
Authors: Stolf Maria Raquel da Silva , Melim Regina
Published: October 2021

Trata-se do editorial para a Edição 31 da revista Palíndromo, elaborado pelas organizadoras do dossiê.
Escritas de artista e outras proposições _Exposição
Authors: Stolf Maria Raquel da Silva , Cunha Regina Melim
Published: October 2021

Exposição na Revista Palíndromo, do PPGAV-UDESC, dentro do Dossiê Escritas de artista e outras proposições, com curadoria de Raquel Stolf e Regina Melim, com a participação de 27 artistas convidados/as, e projeto gráfico por Anna Stolf. A proposta do Dossiê busca reunir investigações, proposições e reflexões em torno da escrita, da leitura e da escuta como processos, práticas, procedimentos e situações que catalisam, inscrevem e/ou dão corpo a projetos artísticos e seus desdobramentos, bem como, que ativam questões e operações nesses processos e práticas. Propõe-se também abordar articulações heterogêneas entre texto e som no campo da arte contemporânea e suas intersecções e/ou reverberações com outros contextos, numa relação com outros espaços da arte, com práticas da publicação de artista, assim como, com processos de escrita em propostas de pesquisas em arte.
Philip A. Cunningham, Ruth Langer, and Jesper Svartvik, Eds. Enabling Dialogue about the Land: A Resource Book for Jews and Christians
Authors: Korn Eugene
Published: October 2021

No abstract is available.
Carol Rittner and John K. Roth, Eds. Advancing Holocaust Studies
Authors: Fisher Josey G.
Published: October 2021

No abstract is available.
Sulfur Biogeochemical Cycle of Marine Sediments
Authors: Jørgensen Bo Barker
Published: October 2021

Complex interactions between microbial communities and geochemical processes drive the major element cycles and control the function of marine sediments as a dynamic reservoir of organic matter. Sulfate reduction is globally the dominant pathway of anaerobic mineralisation and is the main source of sulfide. The effective re-oxidation of this sulfide at the direct or indirect expense of oxygen is a prerequisite for aerobic life on our planet. Although largely hidden beneath the oxic sediment surface, the sulfur cycle is therefore critical for Earth’s redox state. This Geochemical Perspectives begins with a brief primer on the sulfur cycle of marine sediments and a description of my own scientific journey through nearly fifty years of studies of sulfur geochemistry and microbiology. Among the main objectives of these studies were to quantify the main processes of the sulfur cycle and to identify the microbial communities behind them. Radiotracers in combination with chemical analyses have thereby been used extensively for laboratory experiments, supported by diverse molecular microbiological methods. The following sections discuss the main processes of sulfate reduction, sulfide oxidation and disproportionation of the inorganic sulfur intermediates, especially of elemental sulfur and thiosulfate. The experimental approaches used enable the analysis of how environmental factors such as substrate concentration or temperature affect process rates and how concurrent processes of sulfate reduction and sulfide oxidation drive a cryptic sulfur cycle. The chemical energy of sulfide is used by chemolithotrophic bacteria, including fascinating communities of big sulfur bacteria and cable bacteria, and supports their dark CO2 fixation, which produces new microbial biomass. During the burial and aging of marine sediments, the predominant mineralisation processes change through a cascade of redox reactions, and the rate of organic matter degradation drops continuously over many orders of magnitude. The main pathways of anaerobic mineralisation and the age control of the organic matter turnover are discussed. In the deep methanic zone, only a few percent of the entire degradation process remains, which provides a small boost of substrate for sulfate reduction through the process of anaerobic methane oxidation. The stable isotopes of sulfur provide an additional tool to understand these diagenetic processes, whereby the combination of microbial isotope fractionation and open system diagenesis generate a differential diffusion flux of the isotopes. In relation to the organic carbon cycle of the seabed and the contribution of methane, the paper discusses the global sulfur budget and the role of sulfate reduction for organic matter mineralisation in different depth regions of the ocean – from coast to deep sea. The published estimates of these parameters are evaluated and compared. Finally, the paper looks at future perspectives with respect to gaps in our current understanding and the need for further studies.
Becoming Self-in-Relation: Coming of Age as a Pathway towards Wellness for Urban Indigenous Youth in Care
Authors: Mellor Andrea ,   Cedar Child and Family Services, Cloutier Denise
Published: October 2021

Two workshops were held with urban Indigenous youth who live in foster care on Lekwungen Territory on southern Vancouver Island. The workshops were informed by guidance from community knowledge holders and Elders and explored the meaning of Indigenous coming of age and adolescence with 15 youth through oral, visual, and text-based activities. Following a thematic analysis of the workshop transcripts, five themes emerged: self-continuity; self-awareness; empowerment; being part of something bigger; and support networks. These themes provide evidence that engaging with coming of age teachings and activities are protective to youth wellness and help youth to build strong foundations from which they can learn about their Indigenous ancestry and history in their own time. (Re)connecting to coming of age teachings is part of a broader discourse of (re)writing narratives that celebrate the strength, leadership, and independence of the urban Indigenous youth community. Although the voices shared reflect young community members living in and around southern Vancouver Island, the essence of our key messages are relevant to the broader Indigenous community and those practicing allyship through education, health care, social work, and other areas of influence.
“It’s a change your life kind of program”: A Healing-Focused Camping Weekend for Urban Indigenous Families Living in Fredericton, New Brunswick
Authors: Hickey Jason , Powling Hayley , McKinney Patsy , Robbins Tristin , Carrier Nathan , Nash Abigail
Published: October 2021

We present a community-driven research project designed to evaluate an innovative land-based healing initiative – a traditional camping weekend – for urban Indigenous families. The initiative was developed and implemented by Under One Sky Friendship Centre in Fredericton, NB, and involved a weekend-long celebration of culture and community. We gathered data from family members, staff, and stakeholders, and completed a thematic analysis and community review before synthesizing results into a narrative summary. Themes included Skitkəmikw (Land), Cəcahkw (Spirit), Skicinowihkw & Nekwtakotəmocik (Community & Family), and Sakələməlsowakən (Wellbeing). These connections are echoed throughout the article by quotes from participants that capture the essence of the experience. Our research helps to fill a knowledge gap in this area and supports the limited body of existing literature in demonstrating that community-led, land-based healing initiatives support Indigenous wellbeing in many ways that mainstream approaches cannot. Future work is needed to scale up land-based healing initiatives that provide community-led approaches to health promotion, and to examine the effects of ongoing participation on long-term health and wellness outcomes.
Le comité Witcihitisotan (entraide) par et pour les familles d’adolescents autochtones en ville
Authors: Blanchet-Cohen Natasha , di Mambro Giulietta , Petiquay Minic
Published: October 2021

Cet article présente le processus et les apports du comitéWitcihitisotan(entraide, en atikamekw), mis en oeuvre par des parents d’adolescents dans un Centre d’amitié autochtone au Québec. À ce jour, les formes de soutien adéquates pour les familles d’adolescents autochtones demeurent sous-documentées, ce qui représente une lacune, considérant les ruptures et transitions particulières vécues par les jeunes autochtones en milieu urbain. L’analyse de la documentation des 14 mois d’activité du comité fait émerger trois formes de soutien interdépendantes et complémentaires : le comité permet de « se dire », pour échanger et partager des conseils entre parents ; de « se raconter », où l’écoute permet de cheminer vers la guérison ; et de « se projeter », afin de s’exprimer sur la façon de vivre sa culture en ville. Mettant en oeuvre une approche semblable à celle dustorytelling, le comité offre un lieu intergénérationnel de valorisation, de renforcement et d’autoguérison qui soutient l’apprentissage collectif des familles vers la réappropriation de compétences parentales et un mieux-être de la communauté. L’occasion de se rassembler dans un lieu émotionnellement et culturellement sécuritaire fait partie intégrante de l’approche décolonisante axée sur les forces. Cette étude de cas démontre l’importance de stimuler l’entraide entre pairs et de se moduler aux besoins du groupe. Ce type d’initiative permet de cheminer vers une amélioration des relations parent-jeune et une meilleure communication et connaissance de soi, qui seraient irréalisables par l’intermédiaire des approches apportées par des experts extérieurs, qui sont souvent préformatées et centrées sur les lacunes.
Digital Suffragists
Authors: Tessier Marie
Published: October 2021

Why women's voices are outnumbered online and what we can do about it, by a New York Times comment moderator.

If you've read the comments posted by readers of online news sites, you may have noticed the absence of women's voices. Men are by far the most prolific commenters on politics and public affairs. When women do comment, they are often attacked or dismissed more than men are. In fact, the comment forums on news sites replicate conditions of the offline and social media worlds, where women are routinely interrupted, threatened, demeaned, and called wrong, unruly, disgusting, and out of place. In Digital Suffragists, Marie Tessier—a veteran journalist and a New York Times comment moderator for more than a decade—investigates why women's voices are outnumbered online and what we can do about it.

The suffragists of the early twentieth century were jailed for trying to vote. Can a twenty-first-century democracy be functional when half of the population is not fully represented in a primary form of political communication? Tessier shows that for online comments, it's a design problem: the linear blog comment formula was based on deeply gender-biased assumptions. Technologies designed with a broad range of end users in mind, she points out, are more successful and beneficial than those that reflect the designer's own habits of mind. Tessier outlines benchmarks for a more democratic media, all of which stem from one fundamental idea: media must adopt gender and racial representation as key performance indicators. Equal speaking time for women is a measure of democracy.
Unbiased identification of novel transcription factors in striatal compartmentation and striosome maturation
Authors: Cirnaru Maria-Daniela , Song Sicheng , Tshilenge Kizito-Tshitoko , Corwin Chuhyon , Mleczko Justyna , Galicia Aguirre Carlos , Benlhabib Houda , Bendl Jaroslav , Apontes Pasha , Fullard John , Creus-Muncunill Jordi , Reyahi Azadeh , Nik Ali M , Carlsson Peter , Roussos Panos , Mooney Sean D , Ellerby Lisa M , Ehrlich Michelle E
Published: October 2021

Many diseases are linked to dysregulation of the striatum. Striatal function depends on neuronal compartmentation into striosomes and matrix. Striatal projection neurons are GABAergic medium spiny neurons (MSNs), subtyped by selective expression of receptors, neuropeptides, and other gene families. Neurogenesis of the striosome and matrix occurs in separate waves, but the factors regulating compartmentation and neuronal differentiation are largely unidentified. We performed RNA- and ATAC-seq on sorted striosome and matrix cells at postnatal day 3, using the Nr4a1-EGFP striosome reporter mouse. Focusing on the striosome, we validated the localization and/or role of Irx1, Foxf2, Olig2, and Stat1/2 in the developing striosome and the in vivo enhancer function of a striosome-specific open chromatin region 4.4 Kb downstream of Olig2. These data provide novel tools to dissect and manipulate the networks regulating MSN compartmentation and differentiation, including in human iPSC-derived striatal neurons for disease modeling and drug discovery.
Visualizing formation of the active site in the mitochondrial ribosome
Authors: Chandrasekaran Viswanathan , Desai Nirupa , Burton Nicholas O , Yang Hanting , Price Jon , Miska Eric A , Ramakrishnan V
Published: October 2021

Ribosome assembly is an essential and conserved process that is regulated at each step by specific factors. Using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), we visualize the formation of the conserved peptidyl transferase center (PTC) of the human mitochondrial ribosome. The conserved GTPase GTPBP7 regulates the correct folding of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) helices and ensures 2ʹ-O-methylation of the PTC base U3039. GTPBP7 binds the RNA methyltransferase NSUN4 and MTERF4, which sequester H68-71 of the 16S rRNA and allow biogenesis factors to access the maturing PTC. Mutations that disrupt binding of their Caenorhabditis elegans orthologs to the large subunit potently activate mitochondrial stress and cause viability, development, and sterility defects. Next-generation RNA sequencing reveals widespread gene expression changes in these mutant animals that are indicative of mitochondrial stress response activation. We also answer the long-standing question of why NSUN4, but not its enzymatic activity, is indispensable for mitochondrial protein synthesis.
Protective mitochondrial fission induced by stress-responsive protein GJA1-20k
Authors: Shimura Daisuke , Nuebel Esther , Baum Rachel , Valdez Steven E , Xiao Shaohua , Warren Junco S , Palatinus Joseph A , Hong TingTing , Rutter Jared , Shaw Robin M
Published: October 2021

The Connexin43 gap junction gene GJA1 has one coding exon, but its mRNA undergoes internal translation to generate N-terminal truncated isoforms of Connexin43 with the predominant isoform being only 20 kDa in size (GJA1-20k). Endogenous GJA1-20k protein is not membrane bound and has been found to increase in response to ischemic stress, localize to mitochondria, and mimic ischemic preconditioning protection in the heart. However, it is not known how GJA1-20k benefits mitochondria to provide this protection. Here, using human cells and mice, we identify that GJA1-20k polymerizes actin around mitochondria which induces focal constriction sites. Mitochondrial fission events occur within about 45 s of GJA1-20k recruitment of actin. Interestingly, GJA1-20k mediated fission is independent of canonical Dynamin-Related Protein 1 (DRP1). We find that GJA1-20k-induced smaller mitochondria have decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and, in hearts, provide potent protection against ischemia-reperfusion injury. The results indicate that stress responsive internally translated GJA1-20k stabilizes polymerized actin filaments to stimulate non-canonical mitochondrial fission which limits ischemic-reperfusion induced myocardial infarction.
cdev: a ground-truth based measure to evaluate RNA-seq normalization performance
Authors: Tran Diem-Trang , Might Matthew
Published: October 2021

Normalization of RNA-seq data has been an active area of research since the problem was first recognized a decade ago. Despite the active development of new normalizers, their performance measures have been given little attention. To evaluate normalizers, researchers have been relying on ad hoc measures, most of which are either qualitative, potentially biased, or easily confounded by parametric choices of downstream analysis. We propose a metric called condition-number based deviation, or cdev, to quantify normalization success. cdev measures how much an expression matrix differs from another. If a ground truth normalization is given, cdev can then be used to evaluate the performance of normalizers. To establish experimental ground truth, we compiled an extensive set of public RNA-seq assays with external spike-ins. This data collection, together with cdev, provides a valuable toolset for benchmarking new and existing normalization methods.
A Review of Mining Regulations and Environmental Sustainability of Artisanal Gold Mining Sector
Authors: L. Tampushi Leonard , M. Onyari John , Muthama Nzioka J.
Published: October 2021

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining imparts on economic development more significantly in developing countries, but it is also responsible for serious environmental deterioration and human health concerns. Despite, the robust environmental legislations focused at mitigating the pernicious environmental and human health effects, little attention has been given to integration of environmental sustainability concepts into these regulations. This paper aims at addressing this gap by utilizing a systematic literature review methodology to analyze regulatory gaps and identify areas for improvement for integration of sustainable development. This study employed a systematic review designed to identify published scholarly studies on artisanal gold mining regulations for their effectiveness on environmental sustainability in the ASGM sector. A total of 159 papers were retrieved from the selected databases, 41 passed the inclusion criteria after a conscientious data analysis forming the evidence synthesis. After a rigorous data analysis, we find that the existing literature on ASGM regulations, largely do not systematically integrate critical issues of environmental sustainability. We found that, the regulations have concentrated on effects of chemicals such as mercury and cyanide mining technologies to minimize pollution and environmental assessments, while at the same time failing to address regulatory components of social issues, lack environmental incentives for the poor miners to improve production, lack of alternative technologies, lack of social securities, economic incentives and relevant trainings and awareness creation on health and safety which will continue to motivate unsustainable operations. It is thus strongly proposed that environmental sustainability concepts should be systematically and simultaneously integrated into ASGM regulations and policies in order to promote community livelihoods while protecting the environment from its rudimentary activities. The existing literature on ASGM regulations is unsystematic and inconsistent with most of it failing to fully address environmental sustainability challenges
Elevated Plasma Fibrinogen and the Risk of Stroke: A Hospital Based Prospective Case-Control Study in Uyo, Nigeria
Authors: Ekwere Timothy A. , Ayoade Olufisayo G. , Ekeh Bertha C. , Dike Franklin O.
Published: October 2021

Background: Stroke is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally. In recent time, there is increasing evidence that suggest that increased plasma fibrinogen is associated with increased risk of stroke with unfavourable clinical outcome.

Objectives: To determine the plasma fibrinogen levels in stroke patients and compare with healthy controls.

Study Design: The study design was Prospective case- control study. 

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the department of Internal Medicine (Neurology Unit) and the department of Haematology between March to August, 2019.

Methodology: A case- control study consisting of 41 patients (21M: 19F) diagnosed with stroke in line with WHO definition and confirmed by CT-Scan of the brain were recruited consecutively into the study. 20 (10M: 10F) healthy age and gender matched consenting adults were used as controls. Plasma fibrinogen was determined for both the patients and controls using ELISA method. Also, socio-demographic and clinical data were collected using questionnaire designed for the study. The level of significance was set at P=.05.

Results: The mean plasma fibrinogen level of 458.0 ± 89.1 was significantly higher in the stroke patients compared to the controls 307.8 ± 61.5 (P<0.001). An increasing level of plasma fibrinogen was observed with increasing age in both the patients and controls. However, this increase was not statistically significant (P=0.98). Also, the plasma fibrinogen level was significantly higher in the female patients (501.21±83.96) than the males 420.59±77.02 (P=0.003).

Conclusion: Plasma fibrinogen was significantly higher in the stroke patients compared to the controls with female patients having a significantly higher levels than males. Also, the plasma fibrinogen levels appear to increase proportionally with increasing age.
A Study of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Menstrual Hygiene among Adolescent Teenage Girls in and Around Anantapur Town
Authors: Rajavardhana Thamineni , Reddanna L. , Rudra J. T. , Rajanandh M. G. , Sreedhar V.
Published: October 2021

Menstrual hygiene is defined as the principle of maintaining the cleanliness of the body during menstrual flow. It requires basic facilities such as appropriate clothes, soakage material, water, soap, and toilet facilities with privacy. Many studies have revealed that most adolescent girls had incomplete and inaccurate information about menstrual hygiene and physiology. It also revealed that mothers, television, friends, teachers, and relatives were the main sources that provided information on menstruation to adolescent girls. In our study, most of the girls belong to the age group of 15 – 17 that is 448 participants are from that age group which comprises about 89% and they mostly belong to intermediate which is around 442 students (88.4%). 90.6% of the girls knew that menstruation occurs only in females and 88% of the girls aware that the best sanitary products are pads and only 39.6% of girls knew about menstruation before menarche. It was observed that only 37.2% of girls knew that infection would occur if they don’t clean their vagina regularly during their menstruation. Maximum that is 304 (60.8%) girls responded for dysmenorrhoea in the present study. The majority of these responses were in the age group of 13–15 years. the knowledge on menstruation and menstrual hygiene was found to be unsatisfactory although the practices were noted to be good. The majority of girls attained menarche in the study. Menstrual hygiene is an issue that needs to be addressed at all levels. In our study majority of the mothers were found to be illiterates, as mothers are the first informant to the majority of adolescent girls the health education actives can be extended to the mothers to improve awareness.
Enantia chlorantha and its Multiple Therapeutic Virtues: A Mini Review
Authors: Davares Anyutoulou Kitio Linda , Arsene Mbarga Manga Joseph , Viktorovna Podoprigora Irina , Shommya Das
Published: October 2021

Enantia chlorantha is a plant commonly employed traditionally in phytotherapy to treat various ills. It has been a source of interest for many scientific works due to its exceptional properties, thus in the essence of highlighting the most pertinent outcome of the results obtained, this review had as objective to present the plant, its traditional uses, its composition, and multitude of exploitable virtues. Nevertheless, the adverse effect and the toxicological aspect constituting a limit to its use in conventional medicine, was also treated.
Evaluation of OPTOS wide‐field fundus image projections for radiotherapy planning of uveal melanoma
Authors: Wulff Jörg , Koska Benjamin , Giese Michael , Bäumer Christian , Richter Ronald , Foerster Andreas , Bechrakis Nikolaos E. , Timmermann Beate
Published: February 2025

Purpose

To investigate the relationship between the stereographic and azimuthal equidistant projection (AEP) of the human retina for radiotherapy planning with OPTOS optomap wide‐field fundus images (Optos, UK). Further, the geometric accuracy of an OPTOS fundus image is quantified.

Methods

The fundamental relationship between both projection modes was applied to transform images acquired with an OPTOS Silverstone camera to the azimuthal equidistant projection using MATLAB. Fundus images of four patients were used to quantitatively demonstrate the impact for neglecting the proper projection. For that purpose, a delineated contour for each patient was analyzed if created in a treatment planning system, which assumes AEP, and compared with an OPTOS image. Furthermore, an eye model with a novel 3D printed retina pattern was used to quantify the geometric accuracy for an OPTOS optomap image.

Results

The difference between both projections was found substantial, leading to a change in delineated contours of more than 5 mm in the investigated cases and a change of delineated area of more than 40%. The geometric accuracy of OPTOS images of a customized eye model was found to be 0.2 mm on average, increasing to at most ∼0.5 mm at eye angles of 81°.

Conclusion

The fundamental difference in the representation of the eye fundus needs to be accounted for in radiotherapy planning of uveal melanoma. The basic underlying relationship for transformation is known, but more research is required to quantify other aberrations. The novel use of 3D printed retina patterns with known dimensions is providing a flexible approach for further investigations.
Si‐CMOS Compatible Synthesis of Wafer‐Scale 1T‐CrTe2 with Step‐Like Magnetic Transition
Authors: Liu Jiwei , Wang Cong , Wang Yuwei , Xu Jianbin , Ji Wei , Xu Mingsheng , Yang Deren
Published: February 2025

2D room‐temperature ferromagnet CrTe2 is a promising candidate material for spintronic applications. However, its large‐scale and cost‐effective synthesis remains a challenge. Here, the fine controllable synthesis of wafer‐scale 1T‐CrTe2 films is reported on a SiO2/Si substrate using plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition at temperatures below 400 °C. Magnetic hysteresis measurements reveal that the synthesized 1T‐CrTe2 films exhibit perpendicular magnetic anisotropy along with distinct step‐like magnetic transitions. It is found that 1T‐CrTe2 is susceptible to oxygen adsorption even in ambient conditions. The theoretical calculations indicate that the oxidation of surface layers is crucial for the absence of out‐of‐plane easy axis in few‐layer CrTe2, while the interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling among the upper surface layers leads to the observed step‐like magnetic transitions. The study provides a Si‐CMOS compatible approach for the fabrication of magnetic 2D materials and highlights how unintentional adsorbents or dopants can significantly influence the magnetic behaviors of these materials.
Polarization Boost and Ferroelectricity Down to One Unit Cell in Layered Carpy‐Galy La2Ti2O7 Thin Films
Authors: Gradauskaite Elzbieta , Goossens Anouk S. , Li Xiaoyan , Iglesias Lucía , Gloter Alexandre , Meier Quintin N. , Bibes Manuel
Published: February 2025

Layered perovskite‐based compounds offer a range of unconventional properties enabled by their naturally anisotropic structure. Among these, the Carpy‐Galy phases (AnBnO3n+2), characterized by (110)‐oriented perovskite planes interleaved with additional oxygen layers, stand out for robust in‐plane polarization. However, the challenges associated with the synthesis of ultrathin Carpy‐Galy films and understanding the impact of strain on their properties limit their integration into devices. Here, La2Ti2O7 (n = 4) films grown on substrates imposing tensile, compressive, or negligible epitaxial strains are investigated. Surprisingly, a 3% tensile strain from DyScO3 (100) substrates facilitates layer‐by‐layer growth mode, whereas compressive (LaAlO3‐Sr2TaAlO6 (110)) or negligible (SrTiO3 (110)) epitaxial strains require post‐deposition annealing to reach comparable crystallinity. Using density‐functional theory calculations, scanning probe microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and polarization switching experiments, it is confirmed that these films possess exceptional ferroelectric properties, including a polarization of 18 µCcm−2 – more than three times higher than previously reported – as well as persistence of ferroelectricity down to a single‐unit‐cell thickness. This study not only advances the understanding of Carpy‐Galy phases as epitaxial thin films but also lays a foundation for their integration into advanced ferroelectric device architectures.
Fabrication of Light‐Harvesting Au Nanoclusters System via Sequential Energy Transfer and the Usage as “On/Off” Switchable Logic Gates
Authors: Yang Mengqi , Sun Yuchen , Wang Xiaonan , Wang Jia , Liu Yongwei , Zhang Ailing , Shen Jinglin , Qi Wei
Published: February 2025

Light‐harvesting is an indispensable process in photosynthesis, and researchers have been exploring various structural scaffolds to create artificial light‐harvesting systems. Herein, a light‐harvesting system (LHS) is constructed by AuNCs. First, ionic liquid 1‐Dodecyl‐3‐methylammonium bromide (C12mimBr) and Ba2+ are used to co‐assembly with 6‐aza‐2‐thiothymine (ATT) modified AuNCs to get ATT‐AuNCs/C12mimBr/Ba2+ (M‐AuNCs) with network superstructures and improved emission efficiency. This makes M‐AuNCs applicable for aqueous LHS. Furthermore, the green‐emitting network serves as energy donors, and red‐emitting positive dyes (rhodamine B) act as acceptors. An efficient energy transfer process occurs between them with an energy transfer efficiency of 94.1%. Significantly, sequential energy transfer can also be realized with the further addition of deep‐red emitting dye (sulforhodamine 101). Notably, the system can only be constructed by M‐AuNCs instead of mono‐dispersed ATT‐AuNCs. Based on this, a FRET‐triggered logic gate is established, in which C12mimBr and Ba2+ can be considered as energy switches to turn on/off the logic gate. Therefore, this work not only fabricates an AuNCs‐based LHS through sequential energy transfer, but also develops a FRET‐triggered logic gate, which has potential application in molecular recognition and information encryption.
Deciphering Auditory Hyperexcitability in Otogl Mutant Mice Unravels an Auditory Neuropathy Mechanism
Authors: Gagliardini Mathilde , Mechaussier Sabrina , Campos Pina Carolina , Morais Monica , Postal Olivier , Jean Philippe , Dupont Typhaine , Singh‐Estivalet Amrit , Udugampolage Shéhanie , Scandola Cyril , Verpy Elisabeth , Libé‐Philippot Baptiste , Inbar Talya C. , Schwenkgrub Joanna , Spinola Carla Maria Barbosa , Etournay Raphaël , El‐Amraoui Aziz , Bathellier Brice , Mallet Adeline , Delmaghani Sedigheh , Giraudet Fabrice , Petit Christine , Gourévitch Boris , Avan Paul , Michalski Nicolas
Published: February 2025

Auditory neuropathies affect the spiral ganglion neurons of the auditory nerve or their synapses with the sensory hair cells, distorting the sound information transmitted from the ear to the brain. Deciphering the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remains challenging owing to the diversity of spiral ganglion neuron subtypes and associated central auditory circuits. An auditory neuropathy mechanism is unraveled by investigating the origin of auditory hyperexcitability in a mouse model for hereditary congenital deafness. Otogl encodes the large Otogelin‐like protein, which is related to secreted epithelial mucins and is implicated in the mechanical stimulation of cochlear outer hair cells. Heterozygous Otogl+/− mutant mice display auditory hyperexcitability, highlighted by their susceptibility to audiogenic seizures induced by loud sounds. It is shown that Otogl is transiently expressed in a subpopulation of spiral ganglion neurons during cochlear development. Despite their apparently normal hearing, Otogl+/− mice display poor activation of the spiral ganglion neurons processing loud sounds and an elevation of the activation threshold of the middle the ear muscle reflex that attenuates loud sounds. The findings reveal how a neuropathy affecting spiral ganglion neurons specialized in loud sound processing and associated with the middle the ear muscle reflex can manifest itself as auditory hyperexcitability.
EIF4A3‐Mediated Biogenesis of CircFADS1 Promotes the Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Wnt/β‐Catenin Pathway
Authors: Tang Lei , Ji Yang , Ni Chuangye , Xu Zhenggang , Shen Yanjun , Lu Hao , Zhang Chuanyong , Yang Shikun
Published: February 2025

Mounting research indicates that circRNAs are pivotal elements in tumorigenesis and progression. Understanding the mechanisms by which circRNAs function in tumors is crucial for identifying undiscovered diagnostic and treatment targets. This research centers on unraveling the mechanisms by which the novel circRNA, circFADS1, influences hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. CircFADS1 shows elevated expression in HCC and is linked to unfavorable prognosis. Functionally, circFADS1 overexpression accelerates HCC progression through inducing HCC proliferation and inhibited apoptosis. Mechanistically, RNA‐seq analysis demonstrates its connection to the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway. Moreover, circFADS1 interacts with GSK3β and promotes its ubiquitination and degradation by recruiting the ubiquitin ligase RNF114 while EIF4A3 facilitates the biogenesis of circFADS1. Additionally, circFADS1 is closely linked to lenvatinib resistance. Overall, this study reveals that circFADS1 regulates GSK3β function, influencing the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. The EIF4A3/circFADS1/GSK3β/β‐catenin axis is discovered to hold promise as a novel therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma, while circFADS1 is also a significant factor in lenvatinib resistance.
Amidoxime‐Functionalized sp2‐Carbon‐Conjugated Covalent Organic Frameworks for Overall Photocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Production
Authors: Yu Zhiwu , Yu Fengtao , Xu Mei , Feng Shufan , Qiu Jianding , Hua Jianli
Published: February 2025

Cyano‐functionalized sp2‐carbon‐conjugated covalent organic frameworks (CN‐COFs) have been considered as promising candidates for artificial photosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Nevertheless, the performance of CN‐COFs is inherently limited by constrained oxygen capture capacity, insufficient charge separation, and rapid carrier recombination. Herein, the study rationally reports a strategy for integrating amidoxime groups (AO) into a COF through one‐step cyano hydrolysis process to increase photocatalytic H2O2 production. Combined simulations and characterizations reveal that introducing AO groups enhances hydrophilicity, stabilizes adsorbed Oxygen (O2) via hydrogen bonding, accelerates the charge separation and transfer, as well as lowers the energy barrier for oxygen reduction reaction pathway, thus achieving an unmatched H2O2 production rate of 6024 µmol h−1 g−1. Importantly, the solar‐to‐chemical conversion (SCC) efficiency of PTTN‐AO reaches 0.61%, significantly surpassing that of natural plants (≈0.1%) and most COF‐based photocatalysts. The current findings are encouraging for the molecular design of polymers for green and efficient H2O2 production.