bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Endotoxinemia Accelerates Atherosclerosis Through Electrostatic Charge–Mediated Monocyte Adhesion
Authors: Schumski Ariane , Ortega-Gómez Almudena , Wichapong Kanin , Winter Carla , Lemnitzer Patricia , Viola Joana R. , Pinilla-Vera Mayra , Folco Eduardo , Solis-Mezarino Victor , Völker-Albert Moritz , Maas Sanne L. , Pan Chang , Perez Olivares Laura , Winter Janine , Hackeng Tilman , Karlsson Mikael C.I. , Zeller Tanja , Imhof Axel , Baron Rebecca M. , Nicolaes Gerry A.F. , Libby Peter , Maegdefessel Lars , Kamp Frits , Benoit Martin , Döring Yvonne , Soehnlein Oliver
Published: November 2020

Background:

Acute infection is a well-established risk factor of cardiovascular inflammation increasing the risk for a cardiovascular complication within the first weeks after infection. However, the nature of the processes underlying such aggravation remains unclear. Lipopolysaccharide derived from Gram-negative bacteria is a potent activator of circulating immune cells including neutrophils, which foster inflammation through discharge of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Here, we use a model of endotoxinemia to link acute infection and subsequent neutrophil activation with acceleration of vascular inflammation

Methods:

Acute infection was mimicked by injection of a single dose of lipopolysaccharide into hypercholesterolemic mice. Atherosclerosis burden was studied by histomorphometric analysis of the aortic root. Arterial myeloid cell adhesion was quantified by intravital microscopy.

Results:

Lipopolysaccharide treatment rapidly enhanced atherosclerotic lesion size by expansion of the lesional myeloid cell accumulation. Lipopolysaccharide treatment led to the deposition of NETs along the arterial lumen, and inhibition of NET release annulled lesion expansion during endotoxinemia, thus suggesting that NETs regulate myeloid cell recruitment. To study the mechanism of monocyte adhesion to NETs, we used in vitro adhesion assays and biophysical approaches. In these experiments, NET-resident histone H2a attracted monocytes in a receptor-independent, surface charge–dependent fashion. Therapeutic neutralization of histone H2a by antibodies or by in silico designed cyclic peptides enables us to reduce luminal monocyte adhesion and lesion expansion during endotoxinemia.

Conclusions:

Our study shows that NET-associated histone H2a mediates charge-dependent monocyte adhesion to NETs and accelerates atherosclerosis during endotoxinemia.
Verbal Argument Structure in the War Scroll
Authors: Screnock John
Published: November 2020

This essay presents the results of an extended study of verbal argument structure in the War Scroll (1QM). I first establish a method based in generative linguistic theory. I then illustrate this method with a discussion of the argument structure of Qal ‮יצא‬‎ in 1QM and other Dead Sea Scrolls. Following this case study, I present the data from 1QM on verb argument structure—specifically, instances where 1QM adds evidence that is not covered in previous studies of the Dead Sea Scrolls. 1QM presents few developments from earlier Hebrew; I argue that such continuity is significant. I conclude with reflections on the implications of argument structure in 1QM for the study of ancient Hebrew.
Discovery of the female of Cymbasoma rochai Suárez-Morales & Dias, 2001 (Copepoda, Monstrilloida, Monstrillidae), the first Brazilian member of the C. longispinosum species-group
Authors: Suárez-Morales E. , Dias Cristina O. , Bonecker Sérgio L.
Published: November 2020

Monstrilloid copepods are protelean parasites of marine benthic invertebrates; their juvenile stages are entirely endoparasitic and emerge from the host as free-living reproductive adult individuals that become part of the plankton. Linking both sexes of a monstrillid species is difficult because individuals of both sexes and members of different species can be collected together as planktonic adults. The Brazilian species Cymbasoma rochai Suárez-Morales & Dias, 2001, known from male specimens only, was recognized to have a strong resemblance to the nominal C. longispinosum, currently recognized as a well-defined species-group (Suárez-Morales, 2011). Hence, it was expectable that the female C. rochai would also resemble the species of the C. longispinosum species-group. Plankton surveys in Brazilian coastal areas yielded records of several female individuals reported as Cymbasoma cf. longispinosum. It is presumed that these are the females of C. rochai. The hitherto unknown female of C. rochai is herein described as such, and in addition revealed and described as a member of the widespread C. longispinosum species-group, now containing 11 species worldwide. This is the first confirmed record of a member of this group from Brazil and also the first known male of this species-group.
Burrow characteristics and temporal variation in burrow temperature of the fiddler crab Tubuca rosea (Tweedie, 1937) (Brachyura, Ocypodidae) in southern Thailand
Authors: Keeratipattarakarn Kanitta , Tina Fahmida Wazed , Jaroensutasinee Mullica , Jaroensutasinee Krisanadej , Chumsri Anantanit , Chumsri Isara
Published: November 2020

This study investigates the burrow temperature of large-sized male and female Tubuca rosea (Tweedie, 1937) crabs as well as the soil temperature near their burrows during the day and night. Burrow and soil temperatures were measured using temperature sensors and burrow characteristics were recorded. Both sexes built I- and J-shaped burrows. Female burrows were longer and deeper than male burrows, since female burrows act as breeding burrows in this species. J-shaped burrows were longer and slightly deeper than I-shaped ones. During the day, the burrow temperature was lower than the soil temperature; however, during the night, the opposite result was observed. The burrow length/depth was negatively correlated with the burrow temperature during the day, but these correlations were positive during the night. This study shows that the burrow characteristics of T. rosea modulate the inside temperature of the burrows, maintaining a suitable temperature for the crabs.
Correlation between morphometric characteristics and meat yield of Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man, 1879) (Decapoda, Palaemonidae)
Authors: Xu Ye , Tang Qiong-Ying , Xia Zheng-Long , Gao Quan-Xin , Chen Shu-Chang , Yang Guo-Liang , Cheng Han-Liang
Published: November 2020

Meat yield is an important indicator of the commercial value of crustaceans. We investigated the correlations between morphometric characteristics and meat yield in Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man, 1879), in order to determine which traits were correlated with high meat yield. The association between morphometric characteristics and meat yield were estimated using statistical methods, including correlation coefficients, determination coefficients, path coefficients, and regression equations. In the same “family” [= cultured lineage or strain], the meat yield of males was often slightly lower than that of females. The meat yield of different male morphotypes ranged from 19.90% to 38.12%, while that of different female stages ranged from 30.14% to 35.59%. Among male morphotypes, the “small male” had the largest meat yield, and “old blue claw” had the lowest meat yield (). Among the various female developmental stages, stage I had the largest meat yield, and stage III female had the lowest meat yield (). The multivariate linear regression equation for meat yield of males contained four independent variables, and the determination coefficient was 0.744. The regression equation for females contained five independent variables, and the determination coefficient was 0.456. The characteristics that had the largest direct positive effect for meat yield were abdominal weight/body weight in males (0.862) and body length in females (0.441). These results can provide reference data for selecting M. rosenbergii with high meat yield, in order to improve the economic benefit of the prawn processing industry.
Lydian Sardis and Its Sphere of Influence in the Light of Laboratory Analysis Results
Authors: Dupont Pierre , Lungu Vasilica
Published: November 2020

Alongside its programme of chemical analyses of Archaic East Greek pottery, the Lyon Laboratory for Archaeometry has also looked into the field of Anatolian wares, first of all through additional samples from Lydian Sardis and from Kelainai, as well as with a small collection from Daskyleion. The results obtained enriched our data bank of valuable references on these sites and led to useful comparisons with the Greek settlements of Old Smyrna and Ephesus, both in close relationships with the Lydian sphere.
Citizenship Deprivation as a Counterterrorism Measure in Europe; Possible Follow-Up Scenarios, Human Rights Infringements and the Effect on Counterterrorism
Authors: Bolhuis Maarten P. , van Wijk Joris
Published: November 2020

The departure of substantial numbers of ‘foreign fighters’ and the occurrence of terrorist attacks on European soil have prompted renewed interest in citizenship deprivation as a policy measure. This article aims to contribute to the debate on its utility as a counterterrorism measure by examining recent developments in citizenship deprivation legislation and its use in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK; discussing the wide array of possible scenarios that may follow after an individual is deprived of citizenship; and analysing to what extent the various outcomes are instrumental in countering terrorism. It concludes that most of the outcomes are problematic from a human rights perspective, or counterproductive in the fight against terrorism as they may cause further marginalisation and radicalisation and can play into the hands of terrorist groups, may cause people to disappear from the radar, and may undermine crucial international cooperation.
‘Free In, Free Out’: Exploring Dutch Firewall Protections for Irregular Migrant Victims of Crime
Authors: Timmerman Ruben I. , Leerkes Arjen , Staring Richard , Delvino Nicola
Published: November 2020

Real and perceived risks of deportation may compromise the effective right of irregular migrants to report to the police if they have been a victim of crime. Some localities have therefore introduced so-called ‘firewall protection’, providing a clear separation between the provision of public services and immigration enforcement. This article explores one such policy in the Netherlands: ‘free in, free out’. While the policy began as a local pilot project, in 2015 it was introduced at the national-level alongside implementation of EU Victim’s Rights Directive, and currently represents the only national-level example of ‘firewall protection’ for victims of crime in Europe. This article is based on a socio-legal study that included interviews with informants from governmental and non-governmental organisations. It documents the legal and social reasons for instituting the policy, while critically assessing the challenges in implementation. Finally, it discusses the lessons and opportunities for expanding firewall protection more broadly in a European context.
Explaining Duterte’s Rise and Rule: “Penal Populist” Leadership or a Structural Crisis of Oligarchic Democracy in the Philippines?
Authors: Thompson Mark R.
Published: November 2020

Two influential explanations of Duterte’s surprising rise and rule are his “penal populist” leadership style and a structural crisis of oligarchic democracy. The populist leadership perspective explains “too little” about the extreme violence of Duterte’s illiberal rule and the vulnerability of the prevailing political order to it. The oligarchic-democracy-in-crisis view, on the other hand, explains “too much” because it is overly generalized and determinist, thus unable to account for what in particular triggered Duterte’s rise despite political stability and economic growth. The article offers a third explanation that integrates a leadership perspective into an oligarchic framework using a “structuration” approach. It focuses on how Duterte’s leadership style enabled him to take advantage of a disjunctive moment in the country’s “liberal reformist” political structure, a distinct subset of oligarchic democracy.
Prémare’s Notitia Linguæ Sinicæ, 1728-1893: the Journey of a Language Textbook
Authors: Kua Paul
Published: November 2020

This article retells the story of a Chinese language textbook, the Notitia linguæ sinicæ, written by a Catholic missionary in China for the use of Catholic missionaries to that country, and eventually printed by a Catholic mission press in China for the same purpose. It would have been a simple and short tale, if not for the fact that this many-faceted journey took one-hundred-and-sixty-five years to complete, involved crossing and re-crossing the two leading Christian traditions of Catholicism and Protestantism, took the work across great distances from Canton to Paris, London, Malacca, back to Canton and then to Hong Kong, and required the use of the Chinese language, both its higher form and the more day-to-day version, but also of Latin and English.
Colloquium 2 How to Argue about Aristotle about Practical Reason
Authors: Pearson Giles
Published: November 2020

In this paper, I consider Aristotle’s views in relation to the Humean theory of motivation (HTM). I distinguish three principles which HTM is committed to: the ‘No Besires’ principle, the ‘Motivation Out—Desire In’ principle, and the ‘Desire Out—Desire In’ principle. To reject HTM, one only needs to reject one of these principles. I argue that while it is plausible to think that Aristotle accepts the first two principles, there are some grounds for thinking that he might reject the third.
The Transnational Literary Field between (Inter)-nationalism and Cosmopolitanism
Authors: Sapiro Gisèle
Published: November 2020

Various external and internal factors shape and condition the literary field: education, the book market, the nation state, political movements, international organizations (like UNESCO), and specific authorities such as prizes. These factors are examined in this article at different spatial scales: “international,” “transnational,” “global,” “world,” “cosmopolitan,” which are defined in the first section of the article in order to identify the agents that participate in the formation and functioning of the literary field at these different levels, and thus enable us to better understand the mechanisms of scale-shifting. Three periods are then examined: the era of “inter-nationalism,” running from the end of the nineteenth century to the Second World War, the period of “developmental” policy, during which the borders of the transnational literary field were extended beyond the Western world, and the era of “globalization.”
Feminist Artivism: Curating Women’s Memory
Authors: Abouelnaga Shereen
Published: November 2020

In an age controlled by silence, imposed by the far-right regimes, artivism has become one of the most efficient means of expression, committed to the pursuit of justice. This article deals with alternative artivistic spaces/archives that subvert the dominant, shake the solid and reveal different voices. They are attempts that have emanated from the systematic efforts to marginalize new voices and theories, not to mention histories. The three spaces/exhibitions that are explored in this paper represent new forms of archiving through artivism. Since the archive has long been a contesting arena of memory, the three exhibitions chronicle another memory, an alternative one. These three exhibitions, made and curated by women, are: Doing well, don’t worry, organized in Cairo by Women and Memory Forum (WMF) in May 2017, Harem Fantasies, New Shehrazades curated by the late Moroccan Fatima Mernissi (1940-2015) in Barcelona (2003); and Kurdish Women Warriors that was held in 2018 in the University of Goethe in Frankfurt. This article deals with these exhibitions as spaces of appearance where memory and archiving become the principal tools of resistance.
Chouftouhonna Festival: Feminist and Queer Artivism as Transformative Agency for a New Politics of Recognition in Post-revolutionary Tunisia
Authors: Borrillo Sara
Published: November 2020

In Tunisia, like in other MENA countries, feminism has opened the door to activism advocating for individual liberties and sexual rights. After the 2010-2011 revolution, a new wave of political activism has relied on new forms of cultural and creative practice to reconfigure the public space. This paper utilises ethnographic fieldwork to investigate the experience of the Chouftouhonna Feminist International Art Festival in Tunis as an example of ‘artivism’ – i.e. artistic activism – grounded in secular feminism and advancing LGBTQ+ claims. The first section of this paper explores the multiple ‘dimensions of subversion’ of the Festival. The second section aims to demonstrate why Chouftouhonna’s experience can be analysed as part of a political strategy contributing to a new imagination for a substantive egalitarian citizenship, through both ‘affirmative and transformative remedies to social injustice’. Because the Festival is meant as an expression of ‘transformative agency’, its founders and organizers strive for a new politics of recognition for women and sexual diversity in post-revolutionary Tunisia.
Going Online? China’s Response in Higher Education System to the Pandemic
Authors: LIU Tian , HUANG Ying
Published: November 2020

Since the early march of 2020, higher education institutions around the world shut down quickly because of the outbreak of covid-19. This article addresses China’s response to this unprecedented pandemic in terms of a nationwide school closure. This article introduces how Chinese higher institutions use different strategies to launch online education under the initiative entitled “Ensuring Learning Undisrupted when Classes are Disrupted” from the Ministry of Education. The article also provides brief introduction on China’s online education initiative in a global context. Concerns of online education discussed in this article include equitable access to online education, challenges of curriculum design, and academic integrity. Practical suggestions are therefore offered based on North American experience. Finally, this article concludes the critical impact of online education on Chinese higher institutions during and even after this pandemic.
Impact of Intellectual Property Infringement Lawsuits in the U.S. on Firm Value
Authors: Woo Wonseok
Published: November 2020

This paper investigates the economic impact of intellectual property infringement lawsuits on the values of both the plaintiff and the defendant firms in the information technology industry. Event study methodology is used to investigate the effect of the litigation on the stock market returns around the date of commencement as well as the date of termination. Our results suggest that the news of intellectual property infringement lawsuits was unfavorably accepted in the stock market for the defendants. On the other hand, abnormal returns for plaintiff firms around lawsuit commencement date were significantly positive, while those at termination date were not positive at a statistically significant level. We also found chat firms in other technology sectors have been influenced more by the intellectual property infringement lawsuits than chose in computer hardware & peripheral sectors.
The Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in India
Authors: Choi Yoon Jung
Published: November 2020

India has implemented far-reaching economic reforms since it adopted a market-oriented open door policy in 1991. The current paper examines how changes in the macroeconomic condition have influenced inward FDI in India. The empirical evidence derived through vector error correction estimations show all three macroeconomic variables-national income, wage, and tariff races-form a statistically significant and stable long-run equilibrium relationship with FDI inflows. FDI inflows are revealed to be positively related to market size. In contrast, wage levels and tariff rates have negative effects on FDI inflows, implying chat less protection stimulates more FDI in India. Finally, albeit the existence of a structural break in the model between 1992 and 1993, the influence of economic reform on FDI inducement was not statistically significant.
From Developmental State to Developmental Society?: The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Recent Korean Development and Possible Lessons for Developing Countries
Authors: Kalinowski Thomas
Published: November 2020

In the 1980s and 1990s, rapid market oriented reforms, liberalization and privatization ("shock therapy") in developing and transformational countries caused economic and social problems that began to undermine the legitimacy of political democratization and market reforms itself. Scholars in the field of transformation and development theory found that market coordination alone was not able to fill the void left by a weak or weakening state. In this essay, we look at the case of Korea to find out if an active civil society can substitute functions of the withdrawing developmental state since the 1980s. We show that civil society organizations (CSOs) in Korea have been relatively effective in influencing political processes, shaping public opinion, compensating the weakness of political instirucions, and contributing to general development. Korean CSOs achieved this remarkable impact despite substantial organizational problems and a relatively unfavorable socioeconomic and political environment. This effectiveness and the synergy between state and civil society make Korean CSOs very interesting to study for development scholars. Korea might offer some valuable lessons on how to improve advocacy CSOs in an unfavorable environment similar to that of many developing countries.
A Debate on Corporate Governance of Family Firms and Business Groups
Authors: Lee Changmin , Cho Hong Chong , Kang Hyoung-Goo
Published: November 2020

This article reviews corporate governance literture of family firms and business groups which is relevant to Korean conglomerates. We summarize major issues on corporate governance for Korean conglomerates and classify studies according to those issues: existence of controlling shareholder. deviation from the one share-one vote principle, family members' participation in management, succession of control to family members, and the relationship between financial and industrial capital within business groups. Existing literacure shows chat firms with controlling shareholders are common globally. While many factors related to corporate governance impact firm value, they create both positive and negative ramifications in a nuanced manner. Also, corporate governance endogenously emerges under different circumstances-law, degree of market development, or management-union relations across countrics. Thus, there is no strict standard corporate governance system that can apply to all family business groups in different countries. Proper frameworks for policy makers and managers will arise only in the particular contexts in which family business groups operate.
The Impact of Foreign Aid on Economic Growth in Ethiopia
Authors: Hussen Mohammed Seid , Lee Kye Woo
Published: November 2020

This paper investigates the impact of foreign aid on investment and economic growth of Ethiopia for the period 1971-2010. The result indicates that foreign aid has a statistically significant positive impact on domestic investment, while aid’s positive impact on per capita GDP growth does not depend on any macroeconomic policy conditionality. Rather, aid effectiveness depends on the peculiar social, political and economic institutions of particular periods. Aid is effective during both socialist and democratic regimes. However, aid’s impact on growth was greater for socialist regimes.
Civil Society Fragmentation and Agrarian Reform: Focus on CARPER in the Philippines
Authors: Curry Mark Stevenson
Published: November 2020

Civil society fragmentation may have significant implications for rural development initiatives, such as agrarian reform program implementation. This paper assesses the issue by looking at civil society participation and cleavages in the enactment of the 2009 Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER) in the Philippines. CARPER was promoted by a coalition of social and political movements, including the Catholic Church and peasant and farmer groups aligned with centre-left political organizations. It was however opposed by two discordant groups: the leftist national democratic bloc of people’s organizations and legislators, and conservative landlords. A Gramscian framework is adapted to describe the hegemonic relations affecting three engaged organizations from the civil society spectrum and to assess potential convergences among them.
Political Corruption, Trust, and Citizen Evaluations of Democracy: A Cross-National Analysis
Authors: Choi Eunjung
Published: November 2020

Extensive literature on political corruption has addressed how pervasive corruption poses challenges to economic development, distributive justice, and political trust. While there is little doubt about the damaging effects of corruption on economic and political spheres, not much attention is given to the broader consequences of corruption and declining political trust on different facets of democratic governance. This study explores the reciprocal relationships between political corruption and various aspects of the health of democracy, as indicated by political trust and the performance of government as well as by citizens’ beliefs in democratic values, norms, and practices. This study finds that political corruption and political trust influence each other and that they, in turn, affect citizens’ opinion of democracy. The study also implies that political corruption brings detrimental effects to the deepening and consolidation of democracy in developing nations.
Think Tanks and Good Governance: The Case of the Korea Development Institute (KDI)
Authors: Mo Jongryn , Lee Jeong Yeon
Published: November 2020

This paper introduces a set of analytical frameworks for explaining the configuration and performance of different policy research systems. Building upon these frameworks, we identify three major contributing factors to the creation of an efficient policy research system in Korea while paying particular attention to the Korea Development Institute (KDI). Those factors include: (i) a favorable policy environment; (ii) an optimal organizational arrangement; and (iii) effective incentive and discipline mechanisms. Among possible lessons from the KDI model that can have important bearings on other countries, we emphasize the importance of institutional and individual incentives. But incentive systems would not have worked without the KDI’s open and “liberal” organizational culture. Non-economic factors such as the recognition as a center of excellence have also been as important to KDI success as financial rewards. It is also important to recognize that these success factors, strong incentives, organizational culture and non-financial recognitions, do not work independently; rather, they reinforce one another.
East Asian ‘Econophoria’ in Theory and Practice
Authors: Howe Brendan
Published: November 2020

‘Econophoria’ is the hope that the solution of all governance challenges, whether international or domestic, can be sought through economic growth and development. It is prevalent in the East Asian region, where tremendous economic development success stories have gone hand-in-hand with lengthy periods without interstate war. This paper explores the theoretical underpinnings and antecedents for econophoria, and how it has manifest in practice in East Asia. It also raises, however, a number of questions which challenge the underlying assumptions of peace though trade and economic growth paradigms in East Asia. How does the skewed wealth distribution that is associated with macro-economic growth affect the internal stability and peace of the societies in East Asia? Does this have an impact on the propensity of the governments to contain the conflicts they have with their neighbours at a level of low tension? Is the pursuit of economic growth prior to, or at the expense of, human rights and the wellbeing of the most vulnerable sustainable in the contemporary international operating environment?
Revenge of Geopolitics: Rise of China and the Confines of Asian Econophoria
Authors: Heydarian Richard Javad
Published: November 2020

The paper examines the evolution of the Asian regional security architecture in the past three decades, evaluating relations between China and its neighbors, and considering various approaches in International Relations theory. First, the paper examines the assumptions of liberal institutionalism in the context of “econophoria,” assessing its merits in East Asia. Second, the paper addresses China and its relations with the East Asian neighborhood in the latter decades of the 20th century. Third, the paper examines growing territorial tensions between China and its neighbors in the past decade -- and how this undermines regional security and regional integration. Lastly, the paper evaluates the contributions of alternative IR theories such as realism and constructivism in providing a better understanding of China’s new assertiveness.
From Middle Power to Pivot Power? Korea’s Strategic Shifts
Authors: Watson Iain
Published: November 2020

Korea has been regarded by as a middle power nation. Korea’s accession to Group of Twenty (G20) status and membership of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development-Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC) were heralded as confirmation of Korea’s status as a middle power. Korea’s current regional initiative, the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative (NAPCI), represents a shift from middle power to ‘pivot’ state. The initiatives have potential theoretical implications for explaining Korea’s emerging role in the region.
The Dialectic of Nationalism and Democratic Governance in Taiwan
Authors: Schafferer Christian
Published: November 2020

Taiwan’s postwar political system has undergone manifold changes leading to distinct modalities of democratic governance. This paper argues that the key to understanding and conceptualizing the dynamics behind the evolution of the island republic’s different modi operandi of democratic governance lies in the dialectic of Taiwanese nationalism that emerged over several decades in response to historical and political circumstances. Specifically, this paper investigates how this dialectic shaped two distinct patterns of democratic governance (statecentric vs. human-centric) over time and how this process was influenced by public discourses as well as historical contingencies. Furthermore, the paper elaborates on why humancentrism is more likely to safeguard democratic development and regional security than China-centrism.
The Deep South of Thailand: 15 Years in Fields of Open Conflict, Violence and Peace Narratives
Authors: Jitpiromsri Srisompob
Published: November 2020

Violent conflict in the Deep South of Thailand has persisted for over 13 years. The longer the conflict has lasted, the more complicated, varied and systematic it has become. All these variations indicate that violence in the Deep South has been driven mainly by intrinsic factors and their ongoing dynamic, which has become entrenched into a raging “system of violence.” This article proceeds step by step by first examining literature and second summarizing recent data between 2004 and 2017 from the recent study of the Deep South Incident Database (DSID). Then, the patterns of violent and peace dynamics will be analyzed and deduced based upon this empirical data. The next step will be the syntheses of related constructs and concepts that indicate rivalry between different ideas behind variations of the situation. Lastly, some critical remarks and observations about approaches to cope with the conflict as well as bringing about a sustainable peace process in the future will be presented. Based on empirical data available, this chapter attempts to define the system of violence in Thailand’s Deep South, forged as it is by different social and discursive processes.
Why and How Do Sojourners Talk about Macao? Effects of Perceived Risk and Expected Benefit
Authors: Choi Suh-Hee , Tam Lisa , Ayhan Kadir Jun , Lee Dong-Min
Published: November 2020

Due to the growing popularity of digital platforms, social media conversations have been proposed and used as an indicator of public diplomacy outcomes. Despite this, existing research has found that most publics were unwilling to engage with foreign countries on social media. Considering this, this study seeks to identify factors that motivate and/or constrain individuals’ engagement in conversations about foreign countries. A survey and semi-structured interviews were conducted with sojourners who temporarily resided in Macao. When choosing how (i.e., channels) and what (i.e., content) to transmit, they managed the tension between perceived risk and expected benefit. Reflecting the theory of planned behavior, where individuals’ motivation (i.e., intended outcomes) and perceived behavioral control (i.e., ability to manage the tension between perceived risk and expected benefit to achieve such intended outcomes) predict behavioral intentions, the findings unveil the limitations of monitoring and tracking social media conversations as an indicator of public diplomacy outcomes.
Japanese Perspective on Korean Reunification: An Analysis of Interrelations between Social Identity and Power
Authors: Korostelina Karina , Uesugi Yuji
Published: November 2020

The paper explores how experts in Japan assess and understand the process and consequences of the unification of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). Based on the theoretical framework of interrelations between social identity and power, this paper asks how Japanese experts frame the process of Korean unification and evaluate its impact on Japan. The data was collected in Tokyo, Japan, through 37 semi-structured and focus group interviews, then examining these interviews using phenomenological and critical discourse analysis. Analysis of data reveals the existence of four competing narratives rooted in the complex relations between meaning of identity, concepts of power, and Japanese policies toward the unification process. The paper expands the description of two narratives currently present in the existing literature, (1) threat and (2) peace, and introduces two new narratives, (3) democratic processes and (4) restorative justice. The final discussion explores how three groups of factors, (1) regional dynamics, (2) domestic policy, and (3) possible models of unification, influence the prevalence of a particular narrative as well as resulting policies of Japan toward Korean unification.
The Paris Agreement and the Prospects for Socialization into the Climate Norm: Lessons from the U.S. and China
Authors: Lee Jinhyun
Published: November 2020

The Paris Agreement made a breakthrough amid the deadlock in climate negotiations, yet concerns are raised regarding how much impact the new voluntary climate regime can make. This paper investigates the socialization mechanism that the Paris Agreement sets up and explores the prospects of “institutional transformation” for it to make a dent. It examines the factors that can facilitate voluntary climate action by using the cases of the most recalcitrant emitters, the United States and China. It argues that the US and China cases suggest that the socialization from the bottom-up by domestic actors may be one of the critical elements that determine states’ position on climate change.
A detailed taxonomic study on two new and one known species of Anaplectus De Coninck & Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1933 (Nematoda: Plectidae)
Authors: JAHAN REHMAT , KHAN RAHMAT , MAHBOOB MOHAMMAD , TAHSEEN QUDSIA
Published: November 2020

This paper provides descriptions of two new and one known species of the genus Anaplectus De Coninck & Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1933. Anaplectus sudhausi sp. nov. is characterised by leaf-shaped lips interspersed with interlabial liplets; bifid apices of the lateral lips; cheilostom with non-cuticularised walls; gymnostom with cuticularised arcuate walls; 120–132 sublateral hypodermal glands on each body side with an additional 5–8 smaller subdorsal hypodermal glands; female tail with three caudal setae; males with arcuate spicules having manubrium slightly wider than calomus or blade, last median tubulus or supplement about half the spicule length and tail terminus with a weakly cuticularised spinneret. A. labiosulcus sp. nov. is characterised by 115–123 sublateral hypodermal glands on each side of the body with those on the dorsal side usually larger than the ventrals; the 5–6 anteriormost glands are unpaired and arranged linearly; lips with cuticularised interlabial grooves; gymnostom arched, occasionally double-arched and caudal glands grouped and opening through a cuticularised spinneret. A. granulosus (Bastian, 1865) De Coninck & Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1933 has been redescribed with some minor differences from previous descriptions.
Two remarkable new species of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) from Acacia litter of Kerala, India
Authors: ARUN A. , RAMANI N.
Published: November 2020

Two new oribatid mite species viz. Papillacarus (Vepracarus) acaciensis sp. nov. and Licneremaeus indicus sp. nov. belonging to the respective oribatid families, Lohmanniidae and Licneremaeidae are described and illustrated. Specimens of both species were collected from litter of Acacia auriculiformis Benth. (Leguminosae) growing in different localities of the Calicut University Campus, Malappuram Dt. of Kerala. The family Licneremaeidae is recorded for the first time from India. Identification keys to all known species of the nominative subgenus Vepracarus and the genus Licneremaeus are also provided.
Effect of Titanium Nanoparticles on Osteoblast Proliferation
Authors: Wu Yuan , Liu Cuizhong , Gao Ming , Liang Qiang , Jiang Yu
Published: November 2020

This study aimed to observe the effect of titanium nanomaterials on osteoblastsin vitro. Osteoblasts were identified using histochemical staining, and they were examined using an MTT (3-(4,5Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay to determine the proliferation
and differentiation of osteoblasts. In addition, we observed the effect of titanium nanomaterials on the function of osteoblasts. Compared with the control group, titanium nanomaterials promoted the growth, proliferation, and differentiation of osteoblasts. Our findings showed that titanium
nanomaterials can significantly promote the proliferation of osteoblasts and enhance their osteogenic activity.
Ophiopogon Saponin B Affects the Proliferation, Apoptosis, and Oxidative Stress of Osteosarcoma Cells by Regulating POU Class 3 Homeobox 3 Expression
Authors: Guan Zhengmao , Wang Yi , Xu Weifan , Wu Jianfeng
Published: November 2020

Osteosarcoma is characterized by early lung metastasis and a high recurrence rate. Research on anti-osteosarcoma drugs is progressing slowly, and patient survival rates have not been improved. Ophiopogon saponin B (OP-B), a steroidal saponin monomer extracted from the ophiopogon japonicus,
is effective in the treatment of many cancers. We explored the mechanism underlying the in vitro effects of OP-B on proliferation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress in cultured osteosarcoma U2OS cells. We observed significant reductions in optical density, clonal number, and expression
of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and POU Class 3 Homeobox 3 (POU3F3) in the presence of OP-B. OP-B also increased the apoptotic rate and malondialdehyde expression. Downregulation of POU3F3 inhibited U2OS proliferation and oxidative stress in osteosarcoma cells and promoted
apoptosis. OP-B reduced POU3F3 expression in U2OS cells, and overexpression of POU3F3 reversed the effects of OP-B on proliferation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress. We thus conclude that OP-B promotes apoptosis and inhibits proliferation and the oxidative stress response of osteosarcoma cells
by downregulating POU3F3 expression. These results suggest an avenue for the research and development of new drugs for osteosarcoma.
Simple Analytic Solutions for a Convectively Driven Walker Circulation and Their Relevance to Observations
Authors: Iipponen Juho , Donner Leo
Published: November 2020

We present a linear equation for the Walker circulation streamfunction and find its analytic solutions given specified convective heating. In a linear Boussinesq fluid with Rayleigh damping and Newtonian cooling, the streamfunction obeys a Poisson’s equation, forced by gradients in the meridionally averaged diabatic heating and Coriolis force. For an idealized convective heating distribution, analytic solutions for the streamfunction can be found through an analogy with electrostatics. We use these solutions to study the response of the Walker circulation strength (mass transport) to changes in the vertical and zonal scales of convective heating. Robust responses are obtained that depend on how the total convective heating of the atmosphere responds to changing scale. If the total heating remains unchanged, increasing the zonal scale or the vertical scale always leads to a weaker circulation. Conversely, if the total heating grows in proportion to the spatial scale, the circulation becomes stronger with increasing scale. These conclusions are shown to be consistent with a three-dimensional numerical model. Moreover, they are useful in describing the observed seasonal and interannual (ENSO) variability of the Indo-Pacific Walker circulation. On both time scales, the overturning becomes weaker with increasing zonal scale of the convective region, reminiscent of our solutions where we do not vary the total convective heating. Reanalysis data also indicate that the zonal circulation is quite strongly damped, thus yielding a result that the circulation strength is directly proportional to the warm-pool spatial-mean precipitation.
Low Pressure Systems and Extreme Precipitation in Southeast and East Asian Monsoon Regions
Authors: You Yujia , Ting Mingfang
Published: November 2020

Understanding the physical mechanisms behind the secular trends of summer rainfall extremes over the heavily populated Southeast and East Asian monsoon regions is not only of scientific importance but also of considerable socioeconomic implications. In this study, the relevance of the excessive-rain-producing low pressure systems (LPSs) to extreme rainfall is quantified. Using an objective feature-tracking algorithm, the synoptic-scale LPSs are identified and tracked in the 40-yr ECMWF interim reanalysis. The region experiences approximately 16 terrestrial and 18 marine LPSs each summer. The terrestrial LPSs form near the downwind side of the Tibetan Plateau and travel northeastward toward jet latitudes. The marine LPSs form over the western North Pacific Ocean and migrate along the western periphery of the subtropical high. While both types of LPSs account for a large portion of upper-tail rainfall, the terrestrial LPSs predominantly impact the extreme rainfall over inland areas, and the marine LPSs primarily affect the coastal regions where they frequently make landfall. The historical extreme rainfall trend during 1979–2018 aligns with the changes in LPS tracks. The decreasing number of northeastward-moving terrestrial LPSs leads to an extreme rainfall dipole with negative trends in north-central China and positive trends in southern China, while the increasing number of northward-recurving marine LPSs enhances the extreme rainfall in the eastern China coast but suppresses it over the South China Sea. These trends are driven dynamically by the weakening of the monsoonal southwesterlies and the eastward retreat of the subtropical high, which might be attributable to anthropogenic forcings.
Damping of Climate-Scale Oceanic Variability by Mesoscale Eddy Turbulence
Authors: Sévellec F. , Garabato A. C. Naveira , Huck T.
Published: November 2020

The impact of mesoscale eddy turbulence on long-term, climatic variability in the ocean’s buoyancy structure is investigated using observations from a mooring deployed in the Drake Passage, Southern Ocean. By applying the temporal-residual-mean framework and characterizing the variance contributors and the buoyancy variance budget, we identify the main source and sink of long-term buoyancy variance. Long-term buoyancy variance amplitude is set by long-term vertical velocity fluctuations acting on the steady stratification. This baroclinic buoyancy flux is also the main source of the variance, indicative of the effect of large-scale baroclinic instability. This source is balanced by a sink of long-term buoyancy variance associated with the vertical advection of the steady stratification by the eddy-induced circulation. We conclude that mesoscale eddy turbulence acts as a damping mechanism for long-term, climatic variability in the region of the observations, consistent with an “eddy saturated” behavior of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.
Open Innovation for Wicked Problems: Using Proximity to Overcome Barriers
Authors: Ooms Ward , Piepenbrink Roel
Published: November 2020

Open innovation is a viable strategy to solve wicked problems. However, the complexity of these types of problems renders the management of open innovation initiatives (even) more difficult. How can managers make open innovation for complex or even wicked problems work? This article examines case studies of open innovation initiatives adopting a health care service innovation. It uses the proximity framework to identify several ways in which open innovation barriers can be overcome despite their complexity. The case study findings show how partners leverage their differences to the benefit of service innovation in the face of wicked problems.
Reducing bias and improving transparency in medical research: a critical overview of the problems, progress and suggested next steps
Authors: Bradley Stephen H , DeVito Nicholas J , Lloyd Kelly E , Richards Georgia C , Rombey Tanja , Wayant Cole , Gill Peter J
Published: November 2020

In recent years there has been increasing awareness of problems that have undermined trust in medical research. This review outlines some of the most important issues including research culture, reporting biases, and statistical and methodological issues. It examines measures that have been instituted to address these problems and explores the success and limitations of these measures. The paper concludes by proposing three achievable actions which could be implemented to deliver significantly improved transparency and mitigation of bias. These measures are as follows: (1) mandatory registration of interests by those involved in research; (2) that journals support the ‘registered reports’ publication format; and (3) that comprehensive study documentation for all publicly funded research be made available on a World Health Organization research repository. We suggest that achieving such measures requires a broad-based campaign which mobilises public opinion. We invite readers to feedback on the proposed actions and to join us in calling for their implementation.