bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Data from The Genetic Landscape of Ocular Adnexa MALT Lymphoma Reveals Frequent Aberrations in NFAT and MEF2B Signaling Pathways
Authors: Magistri Marco , Happ Lanie E. , Ramdial Jeremy , Lu XiaoQing , Stathias Vasileios , Kunkalla Kranthi , Agarwal Nitin , Jiang Xiaoyu , Schürer Stephan C. , Dubovy Sander R. , Chapman Jennifer R. , Vega Francisco , Dave Sandeep , Lossos Izidore S.
Published: August 2023

A comprehensive constellation of somatic nonsilent mutations and copy-number (CN) variations in ocular adnexa marginal zone lymphoma (OAMZL) is unknown. By utilizing whole-exome sequencing in 69 tumors, we define the genetic landscape of OAMZL. Mutations and CN changes in CABIN1 (30%), RHOA (26%), TBL1XR1 (22%), and CREBBP (17%) and inactivation of TNFAIP3 (26%) were among the most common aberrations. Candidate cancer driver genes cluster in the B-cell receptor (BCR), NF-κB, NOTCH, and NFAT signaling pathways. One of the most commonly altered genes is CABIN1, a calcineurin inhibitor acting as a negative regulator of the NFAT and MEF2B transcriptional activity. CABIN1 deletions enhance BCR-stimulated NFAT and MEF2B transcriptional activity, while CABIN1 mutations enhance only MEF2B transcriptional activity by impairing binding of mSin3a to CABIN1. Our data provide an unbiased identification of genetically altered genes that may play a role in the molecular pathogenesis of OAMZL and serve as therapeutic targets.
Significance:
We report systematic application of whole-exome sequencing and CN variations in OAMZL, revealing common alterations in regulation of NFAT signaling pathway that may facilitate identification of new therapies.
Micronutrient Losses during Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy
Authors: Lumlertgul Nuttha , Cameron Lynda K. , Bear Danielle E. , Ostermann Marlies
Published: August 2023

Acute kidney injury impacts the micronutrient status by various mechanisms including decreased enteral absorption, changes in redistribution, altered metabolism, and increased consumption. When renal replacement therapy (RRT) is applied, there are additional losses of vitamins, trace elements, and amino acids, and their derivatives due to diffusion or adhesion. Varied data exist regarding the degree of micronutrient losses and plasma concentrations in patients who receive RRT, and these differ by RRT modality, dose, duration, and type of micronutrient. Water-soluble vitamins, selenium, copper, and carnitine are among the most frequently reported depleted nutrients. The role of micronutrient supplementation in critically ill patients undergoing RRT and the optimal dose and mode of administration are yet to be determined.
Harnessing energy for wearable technology: a sustainable approach
Authors: Abbas Fadil Doaa , Jabbar Al-Bahadili Riyadh , Najm Abdullah Mohammed
Published: August 2023

Recent advancements in electrical sensing and electronics have notably propelled the progress of wearable fitness and medical technology. Key to these applications is the mobility of wearable nodes, essential for remote patient monitoring. However, the limited lifespan of wearable devices, particularly in biomedical applications, poses a significant challenge to their widespread adoption. Energy harvesting technology emerges as a promising solution to this issue, despite the inherent challenges of size, weight, and cost restrictions for wearable devices. This study presents three innovative strategies for harnessing solar and thermal energy at wearable sensor nodes, offering new pathways to overcome the longevity constraints of wearable technology.
Intelligence framework dust forecasting using regression algorithms models
Authors: Hassan Ali Yousif , Saleh Muna Hadi
Published: August 2023

Dust is a common cause of health risks and also a cause of climate change, one of the most threatening problems to humans. In the recent decade, climate change in Iraq, typified by increased droughts and deserts, has generated numerous environmental issues. This study forecasts dust in five central Iraqi districts using machine learning and five regression algorithm supervised learning system framework. It was assessed using an Iraqi meteorological organization and seismology (IMOS) dataset. Simulation results show that the gradient boosting regressor (GBR) has a mean square error of 8.345 and a total accuracy ratio of 91.65%. Moreover, the results show that the decision tree (DT), where the mean square error is 8.965, comes in second place with a gross ratio of 91%. Furthermore, Bayesian ridge (BR), linear regressor (LR), and stochastic gradient descent (SGD), with mean square error and with accuracy ratios of 84.365%, 84.363%, and 79%. As a result, the performance precision of these regression models yields. The interaction framework was designed to be a straightforward tool for working with this paradigm. This model is a valuable tool for establishing strategies to counter the swiftness of climate change in the area under study.
Electrostatic precipitator design with wire-cylinder electrodes as a particulate matter reduction
Authors: Siregar Yulianta , Debataraja Bio , Soeharwinto Soeharwinto , Mubarakah Naemah , Dinzi Riswan
Published: August 2023

Small industries are inseparable from the production of gaseous pollutants. One of the contents of exhaust gases produced from small industrial activities is particulate matter. The consequences of exposure to particulate matter for too long are coughing, cancer, blood coagulation, and death. For this reason, a tool is needed to capture particulate matter in small industrial exhaust gases. Based on the problems described, this research proposes using the electrostatic precipitator with the cockroft-walton method because this method is very effective in capturing particulate matter. The research results on electrostatic precipitator (ESP) with a pair of electrodes will achieve an efficiency of 25.4% when the voltage regulator is 20 V, while the efficiency is 98.7% when the voltage regulator is 35 V. The ESP with two pairs of electrodes will achieve 99.5% efficiency when the voltage regulator is 30 volts. Installing a vibrator as a particle thresher at the electrode is unsuitable for low-temperature exhaust gases because it produces a liquid and sticky residue that makes it difficult to fall off.
Energy efficiency enhancement in wireless sensor network: ant colony optimization
Authors: Kumar Bammidi Pradeep , Jebarani Madasamy alias Rajah Ebenezar
Published: August 2023

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have received significant scholarly attentionwithin the scientific community lately. The use of small and energy efficient devices with restricted computing capabilities has gained traction in various fields of application, including environmental monitoring, target tracing, and medical health observation. Node localization is a fundamental system parameter in numerous applications. Categorizing hybrid solutions as either range-based or range-free poses a challenge in general. In this article, we aim to simplify the classification process by examining range-based and range-free schemes. There are two distinct classifications of schemes, namely fully schemes and hybrid schemes. Furthermore, we conduct a comparative analysis of the predominant energy efficiency measures in WSN networks and deliberate on prospective avenues for research in WSNs deploying ant colony algorithm.
The prediction of student’s academic performance using RapidMiner
Authors: Firdaus Mustapha Muhammad , Izzah Zulkifli Alia Nur , Kairan Omar , Sofea Mat Zizi Nur Nabila , Naim Yahya Nur , Maisarah Mohamad Nur
Published: August 2023

Students’ performance analysis basically consists of determining the factors influencing the performance and how it will give impact towards success. It will help us to understand students’ behavior and how to improve their academic performance. The efficiency of this analysis depends on the information given by the user through learning management system (LMS). In order to improve the information, we have applied algorithms on the dataset and prepared a model by using Tableau and RapidMiner. Cross-validation with decision tree also has been applied on datasets. This can help in evaluating statistical computational results into a generalized data set. Based on the calculation of data mining, it can analyze that our model is quite stable since it has high accuracy with lower standard deviation. So, the processes like testing and validation, applying the model and decision tree on RapidMiner generates the output in a specific form. The result shows that the percentage of students who are absence is better than students who are absence more than 7 days. At last, a model is prepared, and it can help the schools, students, and the parents in adapting appropriate measures to ensure the success of students at school.
Video perception enhancement using effective encoding optimization in future generation wireless network
Authors: Thulajanaik Aruna Kumar Bananaik , Manjanaik Naganaik
Published: August 2023

The cumulative effects of network transmission link imperfections and real-time limitations of video data result in multiple challenges for video transmission in massive millimeter wave (mmwave) network. The challenges, together with the increasing expectations of users for good-quality videos, further extend the complexity particularly in dense areas. To address the issues this work proposes perceptual quality aware video encoding (PQAVE) scheme in two phases: in phase 1 an effective perceptual quality encoding method leveraging low-rank approximation to reduce overall video size is done. In phase 2, a novel bitstream optimization technique is introduced to improve perceptual quality of videos. Experiment are conducted using standard video dataset show the proposed PQAVE model attain better bit error rate (BER), symbol error rate (SER), error vector magnitude (EVM), and coding gain in comparison with existing perceptual video encoding scheme.
Comparative performance analysis of different queuing techniques for campus area network
Authors: Indrajaya Muhammad Aristo , Fauzi Rizana , Rahman Yuli Asmi , Joefrie Yuri Yudhaswana
Published: August 2023

A quality network infrastructure is a user demand for the increment of traffic nowadays. Due to data traffic congestion, a network’s service quality cannot fulfill the user demand, especially for streaming-type traffic. For this, an appropriate queuing method can be a convenient solution for network congestion at the time of picking traffic load. In this paper, a simulation was conducted using the OPNET application to examine the feasibility of three types of queuing methods, namely first in first out (FIFO), priority queuing (PQ), and weighted fair queuing (WFQ). During the simulation, several important parameters such as delay, throughput, and response time are considered as performance metrics and compared among four types of applications as file transfer protocol (FTP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), voice over internet protocol (VoIP), and video conferencing. According to the result, it is observed that WFQ provides comparatively improved results than PQ and FIFO.
Fuzzy rules-based prediction of heart conditions system
Authors: Sreedran Sarvinah , Ibrahim Nabilah , Sari Suhaila , Seng Gan Hong , Shanta Shahnoor
Published: August 2023

Heart disease is known as the deadliest disease in the world which mostly focus on coronary diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and ischemic heart disease. The treatment for the diseases is highly costly, and not only that, the monitoring system or devices that are in the market are low in accuracy and not satisfying. This work proposed to develop a prediction system for heart conditions using Fuzzy system that is based on essential risk factors: age, gender, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure level (systolic), cholesterol level, heart rate, smoking habit, alcohol intake, eating habit and exercise.  The specific Fuzzy rules are created and produced in the output category of low, medium, and high risks. The proposed system was later evaluated by comparing the machine learning performance metrics such as accuracy, specificity, sensitivity and F1 score. It is found that the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and F1 score are calculated as 88.2%, 78.8%, 21.2%, 80.9%, respectively, which demonstrates a reliable percentage score. It is believed that this work has the potential to be an alternative method in provideing as a dependable and cheap means of predicting heart disease.
Efficient ad placement using data mining and optimization
Authors: Bidve Vijaykumar , Nair Suprakash , Sarasu Pakiriswamy , Kedia Shailesh , Tamkhade Jayshree
Published: August 2023

Nowadays online or digital marketing is the key player in modern product promotion. It allows everyone to promote their own product online easily and at the lowest cost than any other way of marketing. But people face difficulties in promoting their product online. Organizations ranging from small to big often tend to waste money in online ad placement or it may be less effective to the budget they made. The proposed system can identify the right audience and platform in which to be promoted for the product that is to be promoted. This system is so precise in achieving this through data mining and data optimization. Here we use the firefly algorithm for data optimization. The system outputs the platform that can be targeted and the countries where the customers are interested in the product.
Generating captions in English and Marathi language for describing health of cotton plant
Authors: Mondhe Parag Jayant , Satone Manisha P. , Wasatkar Namrata N.
Published: August 2023

Humans’ basic needs include food, shelter, and clothing. Cotton is the foundation of the textile industry. It is also one of the most profitable non-food crops for farmers around the world. Different diseases have a significant impact on cotton yield. Cotton plant leaves are adversely affected by aphids, army worms, bacterial blight, powdery mildew, and target spots. This paper proposes an encoder decoder model for generating captions in English and Marathi language to describe health of cotton plant from aerial images. The cotton disease captions dataset (CDCD) was developed to assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Experiments were conducted using various convolutional neural network (CNN) models, such as VGG-19, InceptionResNetV2, and EfficientNetV2L. The quality of generated caption is evaluated on BiLingual evaluation understudy (BLEU) metrics and using subjective criteria. The results obtained for captions generated in English and Marathi language are comparable. The network combination of EfficientNetV2L and long short-term memory (LSTM) has outperformed the other combinations.
Concept2Vec: concept vector generation for biomedical literature using concept modelling
Authors: Vazrala Suneetha , Mohammed Thayyaba Khatoon
Published: August 2023

In the biomedical field due to tremendous medical research, every year the medical papers generated is very huge. In order to process these tremendous amounts of textual data, the information retrieval techniques are combined with machine learning methods like natural language processing (NLP) for finding the useful insights in data for NLP tasks. In this work, we have addressed the challenges involved in existing NLP techniques like Word2Vec, Doc2Vec, and Biosent2Vec and followed by the traditional classification of articles with Concept2Vec and random forest classification. Concept vector techniques are emerging methods in NLP and in information retrieval systems. Pretrained concept encoders are available in Machine learning, whereas no such exists in biomedical domain. In this paper a proposal on Concept2Vec trained from biomedical text is highlighted. Our work accurately emphasizes on the quality of semantics defined between the medical terms, which can help the medical practitioners in taking errorless decisions. In this work 20 thousand biomedical documents are considered for Concept2Vec embeddings and the proposed approach have shown best concept similarity in terms of relevant measures compared with existing approaches such as Word2Vec, global vectors (GloVe), fastText, and BioSentVec, bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT), biomedical-BERT.
Investigative study on the properties of magnetic materials for electrical machines
Authors: Kumar Reddy Chittimilla Shravan , Ramaswamy Muthiah , Jayaraman Kartigeyan
Published: August 2023

The paper attempts to investigate the properties of the magnetic materials used in the construction of rotating electric machines, with a view to arrive at the appropriate choice for the induction motors in particular. Measurement of magnetic properties for rotating electrical machines are more important to both machine designer and operator. This paper discusses the influence of magnetic properties of electrical steel on performance of electrical machine. Here properties like BH curve, core loss, permeability and other vital parameters are measured using 400×400 Epstein tester over wide range flux density and frequency up to 50 Hz and 400 Hz. The results measured in terms of the core loss, BH curve and permeability showcase the benefits to decide on the suitability of the material for use in practice.
Impact of Produce Prescriptions on Diet, Food Security, and Cardiometabolic Health Outcomes: A Multisite Evaluation of 9 Produce Prescription Programs in the United States
Authors: Hager Kurt , Du Mengxi , Li Zhongyu , Mozaffarian Dariush , Chui Kenneth , Shi Peilin , Ling Brent , Cash Sean B. , Folta Sara C. , Zhang Fang Fang
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND:

Produce prescriptions may improve cardiometabolic health by increasing fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption and food insecurity yet impacts on clinical outcomes and health status have not been evaluated in large, multisite evaluations.

METHODS:

This multisite, pre- and post-evaluation used individual-level data from 22 produce prescription locations in 12 US states from 2014 to 2020. No programs were previously evaluated. The study included 3881 individuals (2064 adults aged 18+ years and 1817 children aged 2–17 years) with, or at risk for, poor cardiometabolic health recruited from clinics serving low-income neighborhoods. Programs provided financial incentives to purchase F&V at grocery stores or farmers markets (median, $63/months; duration, 4–10 months). Surveys assessed F&V intake, food security, and self-reported health; glycated hemoglobin, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and BMI
z
-score were measured at clinics. Adjusted, multilevel mixed models accounted for clustering by program.

RESULTS:

After a median participation of 6.0 months, F&V intake increased by 0.85 (95% CI, 0.68–1.02) and 0.26 (95% CI, 0.06–0.45) cups per day among adults and children, respectively. The odds of being food insecure dropped by one-third (odds ratio, 0.63 [0.52–0.76]) and odds of improving 1 level in self-reported health status increased for adults (odds ratio, 1.62 [1.30–2.02]) and children (odds ratio, 2.37 [1.70–3.31]). Among adults with glycated hemoglobin ≥6.5%, glycated hemoglobin declined by −0.29% age points (−0.42 to −0.16); among adults with hypertension, systolic and diastolic blood pressures declined by −8.38 mm Hg (−10.13 to −6.62) and −4.94 mm Hg (−5.96 to −3.92); and among adults with overweight or obesity, BMI decreased by −0.36 kg/m
2
(−0.64 to −0.09). Child BMI
z
-score did not change −0.01 (−0.06 to 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS:

In this large, multisite evaluation, produce prescriptions were associated with significant improvements in F&V intake, food security, and health status for adults and children, and clinically relevant improvements in glycated hemoglobin, blood pressure, and BMI for adults with poor cardiometabolic health.
TRAF Family Member 4 Promotes Cardiac Hypertrophy Through the Activation of the AKT Pathway
Authors: Li Jian , Wang Chang‐Quan , Xiao Wen‐Chang , Chen Yun , Tu Jun , Wan Feng , Deng Ke‐Qiong , Li Huo‐Ping
Published: August 2023

Background

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is a major cause of heart failure morbidity. The complex mechanism of intermolecular interactions underlying the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy has led to a lack of development and application of therapeutic methods.

Methods and Results

Our study provides the first evidence that TRAF4, a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor–associated factor (TRAF) family, acts as a promoter of cardiac hypertrophy. Here, Western blotting assays demonstrated that TRAF4 is upregulated in cardiac hypertrophy. Additionally, TRAF4 deletion inhibits the development of cardiac hypertrophy in a mouse model after transverse aortic constriction surgery, whereas its overexpression promotes phenylephrine stimulation‐induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Mechanistically, RNA‐seq analysis revealed that TRAF4 promoted the activation of the protein kinase B pathway during cardiac hypertrophy. Moreover, we found that inhibition of protein kinase B phosphorylation rescued the aggravated cardiomyocyte hypertrophic phenotypes caused by TRAF4 overexpression in phenylephrine‐treated neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, suggesting that TRAF4 may regulate cardiac hypertrophy in a protein kinase B–dependent manner.

Conclusions

Our results revealed the regulatory function of TRAF4 in cardiac hypertrophy, which may provide new insights into developing therapeutic and preventive targets for this disease.
Association Between Maternal Factors in Early Pregnancy and Congenital Heart Defects in Offspring: The Japan Environment and Children's Study
Authors: Kawai Shun , Pak Kyongsun , Iwamoto Shintaro , Kawakami Chihiro , Inuzuka Ryo , Maeda Jun , Furutani Yoshiyuki , Kamisago Mitsuhiro , Takatsuki Shunichi , Uyeda Tomomi , Yamagishi Hiroyuki , Ito Shuichi , Kobayashi Tohru ,   The Japan Environment and Children's Study Group
Published: August 2023

Background

Many prenatal factors are reported to be associated with congenital heart defects (CHD) in offspring. However, these associations have not been adequately examined using large‐scale birth cohorts.

Methods and Results

We evaluated a data set of the Japan Environmental and Children's Study. The primary outcome was a diagnosis of CHD by age 2 years. We defined the following variables as exposures: maternal baseline characteristics, fertilization treatment, maternal history of diseases, socioeconomic status, maternal alcohol intake, smoking, tea consumption, maternal dietary intake, and maternal medications and supplements up to 12 weeks of gestation. We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to assess the associations between various exposures and CHD in offspring. A total of 91 664 singletons were included, among which 1264 (1.38%) had CHD. In multivariable analysis, vitamin A supplements (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 5.78 [95% CI, 2.30–14.51]), maternal use of valproic acid (aOR, 4.86 [95% CI, 1.51–15.64]), maternal use of antihypertensive agents (aOR, 3.80 [95% CI, 1.74–8.29]), maternal age ≥40 years (aOR, 1.59 [95% CI, 1.14–2.20]), and high maternal hemoglobin concentration in the second trimester (aOR, 1.10 per g/dL [95% CI, 1.03–1.17]) were associated with CHD in offspring.

Conclusions

Using a Japanese large‐scale birth cohort study, we found 6 maternal factors to be associated with CHD in offspring.
Risk of Incident Venous Thromboembolism Among Patients With Bullous Pemphigoid or Pemphigus Vulgaris: A Nationwide Cohort Study With Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Chen Tai‐Li , Huang Wan‐Ting , Loh Ching‐Hui , Huang Huei‐Kai , Chi Ching‐Chi
Published: August 2023

Background

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) and pemphigus vulgaris (PV) share similar pathophysiology with venous thromboembolism (VTE) involving platelet activation, immune dysregulation, and systemic inflammation. Nevertheless, their associations have not been well established.

Methods and Results

To examine the risk of incident VTE among patients with BP or PV, we performed a nationwide cohort study using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database and enrolled 12 162 adults with BP or PV and 12 162 controls. A Cox regression model considering stabilized inverse probability weighting was used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) for incident VTE associated with BP or PV. To consolidate the findings, a meta‐analysis that incorporated results from the present cohort study with previous literature was also conducted. Compared with controls, patients with BP or PV had an increased risk for incident VTE (HR, 1.87 [95% CI, 1.55–2.26];
P
<0.001). The incidence of VTE was 6.47 and 2.20 per 1000 person‐years in the BP and PV cohorts, respectively. The risk for incident VTE significantly increased among patients with BP (HR, 1.85 [95% CI, 1.52–2.24];
P
<0.001) and PV (HR, 1.99 [95% CI, 1.02–3.91];
P
=0.04). In the meta‐analysis of 8 studies including ours, BP and PV were associated with an increased risk for incident VTE (pooled relative risk, 2.17 [95% CI, 1.82–2.62];
P
<0.001).

Conclusions

BP and PV are associated with an increased risk for VTE. Preventive approaches and cardiovascular evaluation should be considered particularly for patients with BP or PV with concomitant risk factors such as hospitalization or immobilization.
Black Womanhood: Raciolinguistic Intersections of Gender, Sexuality
& Social Status in the Aftermaths of Colonization
Authors: Clemons Aris Moreno , Grieser Jessica A.
Published: August 2023

In this essay, we highlight the colonial invention of oppositional and binary categories as a dominant form of social sorting and meaning-making in our society. We understand language as a tool for the construction, maintenance, and analysis of these categories. Through language, these categorizations often render those who sit at the margins illegible. We center the Black woman as the prototypical “other,” her condition being interpreted neither by conventions of race nor gender, and take Black womanhood as the point of departure for a description of the necessary intersecting and variable analyses of social life. We call for an exploration of social life that considers the raciolinguistic intersections of gender, sexuality, and social class as part and parcel of overarching social formations. In this way, we can advocate for a shift in linguistics and in all social sciences that accounts for the mutability of category. We argue that a raciolinguistic perspective allows for a more nuanced investigation of the compounding intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and social status that often function to erase Black womanhood.
Currents of Innuendo Converge on an American Path to Political
Hate
Authors: Mendoza-Denton Norma
Published: August 2023

Uses of innuendo such as enthymemes, sarcasm, and dog whistles by politicians and the resulting interlineal readings available to some listeners gave us an early warning about the type of relationship that has now obtained between Christianity and politics, and specifically the rise of Christian Nationalism as facilitated by President Donald Trump. I argue that two currents of indirectness in American politics, one religious and the other racial, have converged like tributaries leading to a larger body of water.
Concepts of ‘Law’ as Both Tools and Objects in the Study of Religions: A Case from 1950s Ghana – or When may a Christian Slaughter a Sheep?
Authors: Beutter Anne
Published: August 2023

This paper discusses ‘law’ and ‘religion’ as a co-dependent dyad, and argues that the academic study of religion should see the concept of law as both an analytical category and an object of study. To this end, it argues for a broader understanding of law. It demonstrates that the understanding of law as secular state law, commonly used in analysis, is part of both religious and legal history. Anti-, intra-, and interreligious polemics and agendas were, after all, vital in the genesis and global proliferation of this understanding of law. In a second step, the paper performs an empirical analysis of legal practices within a religious organisation: the Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast/Ghana. Two cases from one of this church’s courts in the 1950s are analysed to showcase how religious actors contributed to the fashioning of the dyad of religion and law as a global phenomenon.
Unheard Minority Opinions in the Nigeria-Biafra War, 1967–1970
Authors: Ani Uchenna S. , Ugbudian Lucky I. , Ezeonwuka Franklin I. , Ezedinachi Ifeoma E. , Uwakwe Christopher C. , Eke Jude U. , Ajaegbo Ifeanyi K.
Published: August 2023

The existing literature portrays the declaration of the independence of Biafra as a unanimous decision of the people of Biafra. While many leaders and personalities in Biafra supported the secession and some other decisions taken by the Biafran High Command, some others had reservations on that. Unfortunately, the existing literature in the Nigerian-Biafra war has not captured these silent voices. This paper intends therefore to capture these voices that have been neglected in the historiography of the war and situate them in proper historical perspective. The paper relies more on oral history of the war granted by some Biafran leaders who were actively involved in the war; it was complimented with books, monographs and other materials on the Nigerian-Biafran war. Available facts will be analysed using qualitative research methodology.
On Wine-Drinking in Sufi-Philosophical Islam: A Response to Shahab Ahmed
Authors: Nair Arjun
Published: August 2023

Shahab Ahmed’s What is Islam? The Importance of Being Islamic is perhaps the most ambitious book in Islamic Studies of the last fifty years. One of the ways specialists might engage critically with Ahmed’s work is with his various presentations of the ideas of different Muslim actors featured in his re-conceptualization of Islam, upon which Ahmed often constructs his own positive theses. Does he represent their ideas accurately enough to justify the work that they do for him? For example, Ahmed’s treatment of “Muslim wine-drinking” relies on his setting up an opposition between the norms of the Law and an alternative set of norms determined by “Sufi-philosophical Islam.” In this paper, I suggest that Ahmed misrepresents this relationship. A careful study of the ideas invoked by Ahmed to support his thesis shows that a Sufi-philosophical exploration of wine-drinking was in fact compatible with the Law, even as it transcended It.
A new classification of genus Neoperla and systematic studies of other Perlinae (Plecoptera: Perlidae)
Authors: ZWICK PETER
Published: August 2023

A new formal classification for the largest genus of Perlinae, Neoperla, is introduced to replace the artificial split of the genus into two informal groups. Globally, there are close to 300 named species, with the number rising all the time. The monophyletic clymene-group is assigned to Neoperla (Neoperla) with ~ 140 species in North America, Africa and parts of Asia; its seven main subgroups are briefly characterized. The polyphyletic Asian montivaga-group is replaced by two monophyletic subgenera, N. (Borneella), new subgenus (six species), and N. (Formosita) Klapálek, new status (~125 species). Five species groups in N. (Formosita) are recognized and diagnosed. For 85% of the species known by mid-2023 (DeWalt et al. 2023), their assignment to supra-specific taxa is summarized in a table, while a further 40 species cannot be placed at present.
Some additions, remarks and corrections to the phylogenetically oriented synopsis of Perlinae by Sivec, Stark & Uchida (1988) are made. The new species N.(F.) fasciata is named. Eighty-eight figures, including numerous new original photographs, are presented.
An updated and annotated checklist of the spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Iraq
Authors: AL-KHAZALI AZHAR MOHAMMED , KACHEL HAMID SAEID , ZAMANI ALIREZA , HUSSEN FENIK SHERZAD
Published: August 2023

An updated and annotated checklist of the spiders of Iraq, currently comprising 104 species in 75 genera and 29 families is presented, including six endemic and four subendemic species. Twenty-three records are considered misidentifications and therefore omitted from the checklist. Where possible, the misidentified records are attributed to other species based on their distribution and morphology; as a result of this, three species are recorded in Iraq for the first time: Dictis striatipes L. Koch, 1872 (Scytodidae), Hippasa deserticola Simon, 1889 (Lycosidae) and Latrodectus cinctus Blackwall, 1865 (Theridiidae). The history of studies and the geographical distribution of records are reviewed and discussed. The list is dominated by members of the families Gnaphosidae, Lycosidae, and Salticidae, comprising 15.4%, 13.5% and 10.6% of the total number of species, respectively.
Catalase enzymatic activity in adult mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae): taxonomic distribution of the continuous trait suggests its relevance for phylogeny research
Authors: RAZYGRAEV ALEXEY V.
Published: August 2023

Molecular research based on gene sequence analysis and performed for decades, in general, supported morphology-based groupings of the species within the family Culicidae, but phylogenetic relationships between some genera and tribes remained uncertain for a long time. Interspecific differences in catalase, an antioxidant enzyme important for maintaining prolonged lifespan and reproduction, have not been studied extensively by estimating enzymatic activity levels. Here, catalase enzymatic activity was assayed in extracts of male mosquitoes belonging to 10 species of the subfamily Culicinae, including species from tribes of disputable phylogeny. Three species of Chaoboridae (nearest outgroup taxon) and mosquitoes from the subfamily Anophelinae (one species complex) were also added to the study. At least in Culicinae, immature adult males (less than one day after emergence) have distinctly elevated specific activity of catalase; therefore, only mature males of all species were used for the comparative study. As a result, significant differences in catalase activity were revealed between tribes, genera and particular species. Among culicids, the genera Coquillettidia and Culiseta were found to include the species with the highest and relatively high catalase activity, which is consistent with the affinity of the tribes Mansoniini and Culisetini to each other. Within Ochlerotatus, extremely low catalase activity in Oc. hexodontus suggests the more distant position of this species from Oc. cantans (Meigen) and Oc. communis (de Geer) than the positions of the latter two species from each other. Additional study of catalase activity in overwintering females of the genus Culex revealed significantly higher enzyme activity in Cx. torrentium in comparison with Cx. pipiens, which supports their quite distant positions from each other within the genus. Considering the distribution of catalase activity within the tree obtained, the preliminary outcome is that Culiseta retains the elevated level of catalase activity that was lost during the early separation of Anopheles and subsequent separation of Culex and Aedes/Ochlerotatus after Anopheles from their common branch with Culiseta/Coquillettidia. Overall, the use of taxonomic distribution of catalase activity levels appears to be effective for resolving disputed events of mosquito phylogeny.
Description of immature stages of Gamostolus subantarcticus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aenictopecheidae) from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Authors: PEREYRA HUGO A. , PANCOTTO VERÓNICA A. , COSCARÓN M. DEL CARMEN
Published: August 2023

The immature stages of Gamostolus subantarcticus (Berg, 1883) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aenictopecheidae) are described and compared. Main characteristics to distinguish the nymphs from adults are explained, among which we emphasize the relationship between antennal and rostral segments as important characters for their separation.
New species and records of Caenidae Newman, 1853 (Insecta: Ephemeroptera) from Rondônia State, Northern Brazil
Authors: NASCIMENTO STÊNIO R.S. , CRUZ PAULO V. , LIMA LUCAS R.C. , LIMA CLÁUDIA R.T. , HAMADA NEUSA , ALE-ROCHA ROSALY
Published: August 2023

Caenidae is a globally widespread family, inhabiting a variety of aquatic habitats. In South America, only 35 species are recognized, maybe as a consequence of the few studies until the first decade of the 21st century. Despite recent advances, large portions of Brazil, such as Rondônia State, are still characterized by Linnean and Wallacean shortfalls. Rondônia is an area predicted to have high mayfly richness, but with no record of Caenidae. From this perspective, the objective of this study is to provide the first access to primary biodiversity data of Caenidae (Ephemeroptera) from Rondônia. As result, we report five species (Brasilocaenis elidioi, Brasilocaenis irmleri, Caenis chamie, Caenis fittkaui, Latineosus sigillatus) and describe a new species based on all life stages (Caenis urupa sp. nov.).
Conditional Ensemble Model Output Statistics for Postprocessing of Ensemble Precipitation Forecasting
Authors: Ji Yan , Zhi Xiefei , Ji Luying , Peng Ting
Published: August 2023

Forecasts produced by EPSs provide the potential state of the future atmosphere and quantify uncertainty. However, the raw ensemble forecasts from a single EPS are typically characterized by underdispersive predictions, especially for precipitation that follows a right-skewed gamma distribution. In this study, censored and shifted gamma distribution ensemble model output statistics (CSG-EMOS) is performed as one of the state-of-the-art methods for probabilistic precipitation postprocessing across China. Ensemble forecasts from multiple EPSs, including the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, and the Met Office, are collected as raw ensembles. A conditional CSG EMOS (Cond-CSG-EMOS) model is further proposed to calibrate the ensemble forecasts for heavy-precipitation events, where the standard CSG-EMOS is insufficient. The precipitation samples from the training period are divided into two categories, light- and heavy-precipitation events, according to a given precipitation threshold and prior ensemble forecast. Then individual models are, respectively, optimized for adequate parameter estimation. The results demonstrate that the Cond-CSG-EMOS is superior to the raw EPSs and the standard CSG-EMOS, especially for the calibration of heavy-precipitation events. The spatial distribution of forecast skills shows that the Cond-CSG-EMOS outperforms the others over most of the study region, particularly in North and Central China. A sensitivity testing on the precipitation threshold shows that a higher threshold leads to better outcomes for the regions that have more heavy-precipitation events, i.e., South China. Our results indicate that the proposed Cond-CSG-EMOS model is a promising approach for the statistical postprocessing of ensemble precipitation forecasts.

Significance Statement

Heavy-precipitation events are of highly socioeconomic relevance. But it remains a great challenge to obtain high-quality probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecasting (PQPF) from the operational ensemble prediction systems (EPSs). Statistical postprocessing is commonly used to calibrate the systematic errors of the raw EPSs forecasts. However, the non-Gaussian nature of precipitation and the imbalance between the size of light- and heavy-precipitation samples add to the challenge. This study proposes a conditional postprocessing method to improve PQPF of heavy precipitation by performing calibration separately for light and heavy precipitation, in contrast to some previous studies. Our results indicate that the conditional model mitigates the underestimation of heavy precipitation, as well as with a better calibration for the light- and moderate-precipitation.
Just Patronage? Familiarity and the Diplomatic Value of Non-Career Ambassadors
Authors: Goldfien Michael A.
Published: August 2023

Career diplomats have expertise. Why, then, do U.S. presidents appoint relative novices to key diplomatic posts? Conventional wisdom points to patronage. Yet this explanation overlooks the benefits of a diplomat’s familiarity with political superiors. Inherent in delegated diplomacy is uncertainty over diplomats' ability to “deliver” on understandings reached at the negotiating table. Non-career diplomats often speak more credibly for political superiors, creating an incentive for foreign counterparts to engage in diplomacy. I theorize a tradeoff between familiarity and expertise to generate empirically testable prediction. Counterintuitively, I expect that presidents often sacrifice professional expertise to delegate important diplomatic assignments to relative amateurs, even accounting for the patronage value of the post. I find empirical support for the argument using a novel dataset on U.S. ambassadorial appointments from the Reagan through Trump administrations.
Black–White Racial Disparities in Disabilities Among Older Americans Between 2008 and 2017: Improvements in Cognitive Disabilities but no Progress in Activities of Daily Living or Functional Limitations
Authors: Shipeolu Bolade Ajarat , Marie Ahlin Katherine , Fuller-Thomson Esme
Published: August 2023

The objectives of this study were to examine the prevalence of race-based disparities in cognitive problems, functional limitations (FLs), and activity of daily living (ADL) limitations between US Black and White older adults in 2008 and 2017, to explore how age, sex, income, and education attenuate these racial disparities, and to determine if Black–White health disparities are narrowing. Secondary analysis of the nationally representative American Community Surveys including 423,066 respondents aged ≥65 (388,602 White, 34,464 Black) in 2008 and 536,984 (488,483 White, 48,501 Black) in 2017. Findings indicate that Black–White racial disparities were apparent for all three outcomes in 2008 and 2017. Approximately half of the racial disparities was attenuated when adjustments were made for education and income. Racial disparities in cognition declined between 2008 and 2017 ( p < .001) but persisted unabated in FLs and ADL limitations. Further exploration on the mechanisms of racial disparities is warranted.
Developments in Chemical Expansion Systems for Use in Cellular Polymers
Authors: Collington K. T.
Published: August 2023

This paper illustrates the increasing range of end applications for azodicarbonamide and the subsequent modifications necessary, both physically and chemically, to ensure its satisfactory performance. Physical modifications of azodicarbonamide to satisfy performance requirements in the plastisol area are detailed, together with the development of azodicarbonamide blends, to modify the decomposition mechanism, eliminate undesirable decomposition residues, and ultimately, modifications in the production of azodicarbonamide to satisfy the performance requirements for use in chemically crosslinked polyolefin foams.

The area of high temperature expansion systems, which do not liberate ammonia as part of their gaseous decomposition products, is also discussed relevant to their use in engineering thermoplastics.
Spurious prospective effects between work experiences and self-esteem: A reanalysis of a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies
Authors: Sorjonen Kimmo , Melin Marika , Melin Bo
Published: August 2023

A recent meta-analysis found reciprocal prospective effects between self-esteem and some aspects of work experience, for example, job satisfaction, and the authors concluded that their findings were consistent with a causal model, where self-esteem affects, and is affected by, work experiences. However, the prospective effects were estimated while adjusting for a prior measure of the outcome variable, and it is known that such adjusted cross-lagged effects may be spurious due to a correlation between the predictor and residuals in the initial measurement of the outcome and regression to the mean. The present reanalyses of the same meta-analytic data found all prospective effects between self-esteem and work experiences to be spurious. It is important for researchers to be aware of the limitations of adjusted cross-lagged effects in order not to overinterpret findings.
“Warming the house”: Children and animals “doing family”
Authors: Policarpo Verónica , de Almeida Ana Nunes , Tereno Henrique
Published: August 2023

In this article, we explore the common worlds of children and companion animals, and ask how animals are contributing to the making of contemporary families, and of childhood therein. Departing from D. H. Morgan’s conceptualisation of  family practices, we explore the possibility of extending this concept to children-animals relationships and ask whether it is possible to talk about  children-animal practices. We draw on empirical data from 48 interviews conducted within 24 Portuguese families, with children aged 8–14, and living with at least one dog and/or one cat for six months or more. We propose that animals are actively doing family, and contributing to the making of contemporary childhood and parenthood. We conclude that there is theoretical and methodological potential in developing the concept of children-animal practices.
Thermal modeling and experimentation on discharge energy distribution and plasma flushing for a single discharge in EDM of D2 steel
Authors: Padhi Bibeka Nanda , Choudhury Sounak Kumar , Janakarajan Ramkumar
Published: August 2023

An electrical discharge forms a crater on the workpiece surface in the electro-discharge machining. The geometry of the molten cavity is determined by the energy parameters (gap voltage, discharge current, and pulse-on-time), the plasma channel radius, and the energy fraction coming to the workpiece. The plasma flushing efficiency determines the crater geometry with respect to the molten cavity. This work attempted to develop a thermo-physical model to express plasma radius, energy fraction, and plasma flushing efficiency as a function of all three energy parameters: gap voltage, discharge current, and pulse on time. Plasma flushing efficiency is calculated from crater dimensions and recast layer thickness. The plasma radius and energy fraction are estimated by inverse-FEM using measured crater radius, crater depth, and recast-layer-thickness values. The expressions for plasma radius, energy fraction, and plasma flushing efficiency are estimated from the regression equations obtained from the designed data set using the Taguchi method. Validation shows that the error found when predicting the crater radius, crater depth, and recast layer thickness is under 10.71%, 8.84%, and 12.65%, respectively.
Insights into acoustic properties of seven selected triply periodic minimal surfaces-based structures: A numerical study
Authors: Lu Jin-You , Silva Tarcisio , Alzaabi Fatima , Abu Al-Rub Rashid K , Lee Dong-Wook
Published: August 2023

Poly(methyl methacrylate)-based triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) structures promise great potential in phononic applications, but the complicated TPMS structure induces a design challenge for controlling their properties. Numerical acoustic simulations of seven major PMMA-based TPMS lattice structures are presented for low-frequency sound attenuation applications while varying their relative density. Except for the local resonances in primitive and Neovius-based lattice structures, the acoustic properties of other TPMS structures show a common Bragg bandgap with a central frequency of around 435 Hz and a bandwidth of around 286 Hz, which results from multiple scattering of periodic unit cells. In contrast, the acoustic bandgaps of primitive and Neovius-based lattices have much smaller and larger complete bandgaps, respectively, which are mainly attributed to the local resonances in their geometric cavities with different sizes. Thus, by taking the mechanism of generated bandgaps in the TPMS-based lattice structures into consideration, we can design suitable bandgaps for acoustic applications in the specific frequency range.