bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Madhyamakanising” Tantric Yogācāra: The Reuse of Ratnākaraśānti’s Explanation of maṇḍala Visualisation in the Works of Śūnyasamādhivajra, Abhayākaragupta and Tsong Kha Pa
Authors: Cheung Daisy S. Y.
Published: August 2023

The eleventh-century Indian Buddhist master Ratnākaraśānti presents a unique Yogācāra interpretation of tantric maṇḍala visualisation in the *Guhyasamājamaṇḍalavidhiṭīkā. In this text, he employs the neither-one-nor-many argument to assert that the qualities of the mind represented by the deities in the maṇḍala are neither the same nor different from the mind itself. He also provides five scenarios of meditation to explain the necessity of practising both the perfection method (pāramitānaya) and the mantra method (mantranaya) together in Mahāyāna. Ratnākaraśānti’s explanation exerts a significant influence on the works of later Buddhist masters in India and Tibet, with parts of it being reused in the *Śrīherukopadeśanāmasvādhiṣṭhānakrama by Śūnyasamādhivajra (c. the eleventh century), the eighteenth chapter of the Āmnāyamañjarī by Abhayākaragupta (from the late eleventh to the twelfth century) and the tantric compendium sNgags rim chen mo by the Tibetan master Tsong kha pa Blo bzang grags pa (1357–1419). This paper explores how Ratnākaraśānti’s explanation has been reused and modified in these subsequent works. While Śūnyasamādhivajra faithfully reproduced Ratnākaraśānti’s Yogācāra explanation, Abhayākaragupta modified it to align with his Madhyamaka view. Abhayākaragupta in turn influenced Tsong kha pa, who accepted Abhayākaragupta’s Madhyamaka modification in his works. This paper also engages with current scholarly discussions on textual reuse and the underlying reasons behind it. While Śūnyasamādhivajra and Abhayākaragupta assimilated Ratnākaraśānti’s explanation without acknowledgement, Tsong kha pa quoted the text by name and acknowledged Abhayākaragupta’s reuse of Ratnākaraśānti’s explanation. This paper concludes by discussing the factors that determine whether the reused text is acknowledged or not, and the possible reasons behind textual reuse.
Real life data on nintedanib safety: idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis versus systemic sclerosis-interstitial lung disease and strategies adopted to manage adverse effects
Authors: Di Battista Marco , Tavanti Laura , Pistelli Francesco , Carrozzi Laura , Da Rio Mattia , Rossi Alessandra , Puccetti Lorenzo , Tavoni Antonio , Romei Chiara , Morganti Riccardo , Della Rossa Alessandra , Mosca Marta
Published: August 2023

Objective

Nintedanib (NIN) is an antifibrotic drug approved to slow the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and systemic sclerosis-related interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD). NIN can frequently cause gastrointestinal adverse effects. We aimed to investigate the NIN safety profile in a real life setting, comparing IPF and SSc-ILD patients and evaluating the strategies adopted to manage NIN adverse effects.

Methods

Patients taking NIN for IPF or SSc-ILD were enrolled. Alongside epidemiological and disease-specific data, the period of NIN use and the need for dosage reduction and/or interruption were investigated. Particular attention was paid to possible adverse effects and strategies adopted to manage them.

Results

Twenty-seven SSc-ILD and 82 IPF patients were enrolled. No significant differences emerged between the two cohorts regarding the frequency of any possible adverse effect. Although the rates of NIN dosage reduction or interruption were similar between the two subgroups, SSc-ILD presented a mean period before NIN dosage reduction and NIN interruption significantly shorter than IPF (3 ± 2.6 vs 10.5 ± 8.9 months—p < 0.001 and 2.3 ± 0.5 vs 10.3 ± 9.9 months—p = 0.008, respectively). Several different strategies were tried to manage NIN adverse effects: especially in SSc-ILD, the variable combination of diet adjustment set by a nutritionist, probiotics and diosmectite was ultimately successful in maintaining patients on an adequate dose of NIN.

Conclusion

We presented data on the NIN safety profile in a real life setting, which was similar between SSc-ILD and IPF. A combination of multiple managing strategies and dose adjustment appears essential to cope optimally with NIN adverse effects.
On Navigating Analytical Choices in Research on Early Life Adversity: A Commentary on Sisitsky et al. (2023)
Authors: Cecil Charlotte A. M. , Schuurmans Isabel K.
Published: August 2023

Early life adversities (ELA), including exposure to childhood maltreatment, deprivation or community violence, rarely occur in isolation. This co-occurrence poses several conceptual and methodological challenges for researchers, who must decide how best to model ELA and its association with outcomes. In this commentary, we discuss how different analytical choices come with their own – often complementary – sets of assumptions, strengths and limitations, which should be carefully considered when designing research on ELA. We then summarize work published in this issue by Sisitsky et al. (Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 2023), which serves as an important example of how different approaches can be incorporated in research in order to capture ELA as a complex phenomenon, while generating actionable results. Ultimately, such integration can enhance the quality and relevance of research, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of ELA and its effects on health outcomes, paving the way for more targeted prevention and intervention strategies to promote children’s wellbeing.
Complex peptide macrocycle optimization: combining NMR restraints with conformational analysis to guide structure-based and ligand-based design
Authors: Jain Ajay N. , Brueckner Alexander C. , Jorge Christine , Cleves Ann E. , Khandelwal Purnima , Cortes Janet Caceres , Mueller Luciano
Published: August 2023

Systematic optimization of large macrocyclic peptide ligands is a serious challenge. Here, we describe an approach for lead-optimization using the PD-1/PD-L1 system as a retrospective example of moving from initial lead compound to clinical candidate. We show how conformational restraints can be derived by exploiting NMR data to identify low-energy solution ensembles of a lead compound. Such restraints can be used to focus conformational search for analogs in order to accurately predict bound ligand poses through molecular docking and thereby estimate ligand strain and protein-ligand intermolecular binding energy. We also describe an analogous ligand-based approach that employs molecular similarity optimization to predict bound poses. Both approaches are shown to be effective for prioritizing lead-compound analogs. Surprisingly, relatively small ligand modifications, which may have minimal effects on predicted bound pose or intermolecular interactions, often lead to large changes in estimated strain that have dominating effects on overall binding energy estimates. Effective macrocyclic conformational search is crucial, whether in the context of NMR-based restraints, X-ray ligand refinement, partial torsional restraint for docking/ligand-similarity calculations or agnostic search for nominal global minima. Lead optimization for peptidic macrocycles can be made more productive using a multi-disciplinary approach that combines biophysical data with practical and efficient computational methods.
A Cost-Effective Polychromator with a Single Interference Filter for Thomson Scattering Diagnostics
Authors: Kamiya Shun , Yamaguchi Haruka , Kim Jungkyun , Himeno Shun-ichi , Tanabe Hiroshi , Ono Yasushi
Published: August 2023

We propose a cost-effective polychromator with a single interference filter, because interference filters account for large parts of polychromator costs in the conventional Thomson scattering diagnostics with a Nd:YAG laser. Since the interference filters are used to transmit the scattered light in a specific wavelength range, one polychromator tends to have as many interference filters as its spectral channels, which makes high-resolution measurement with a number of polychromators expensive. However, we can save the number of interference filters and thus their costs by reentering reflected light from an interference filter into the same filter at different angles. This is possible, because the larger angle of incidence on the interference filter makes the wavelength of the transmitted light shorter. We measured dependence of transmitted wavelengths on the angles of incidence on one interference filter custom-ordered to transmit 1059 nm and developed the cost-effective polychromator using this dependence. The developed polychromator with a single filter successfully separated three different spectral channels (1043.2, 1051.9, and 1058.4 nm), enabling us to realize the cost-effective Thomson scattering diagnostics.
Plasma neurofilament light chain in relation to 10-year change in cognition and neuroimaging markers: a population-based study
Authors: van Arendonk Joyce , Wolters Frank J. , Neitzel Julia , Vinke Elisabeth J. , Vernooij Meike W. , Ghanbari Mohsen , Ikram M. Arfan
Published: August 2023

Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a promising biomarker for risk stratification and disease monitoring of dementia, but its utility in the preclinical disease stage remains uncertain. We determined the association of plasma NfL with (change in) neuroimaging markers and cognition in the population-based Rotterdam Study, using linear and logistic regression and mixed-effects models. Plasma NfL levels were measured using the Simoa NF-light™ assay in 4705 dementia-free participants (mean age 71.9 years, 57% women), who underwent cognitive assessment and brain MRI with repeated assessments over a 10-year follow-up period. Higher plasma NfL was associated with worse cognitive performance at baseline (g-factor: β =  − 0.12 (− 0.15; − 0.09), p < 0.001), and accelerated cognitive decline during follow-up on the Stroop color naming task (β = 0.04 (0.02; 0.06), p < 0.001), with a smaller trend for decline in global cognition (g-factor β =  − 0.02 (− 0.04; 0.00), p = 0.044). In the subset of 975 participants with brain MRI, higher NfL was associated with poorer baseline white matter integrity (e.g., global mean diffusivity: β = 0.12 (0.06; 0.19), p < 0.001), with similar trends for volume of white matter hyperintensities (β = 0.09 (0.02; 0.16), p = 0.011) and presence of lacunes (OR = 1.55 (1.13; 2.14), p = 0.007). Plasma NfL was not associated with volumes or thickness of the total gray matter, hippocampus, or Alzheimer signature regions. In conclusion, higher plasma NfL levels are associated with cognitive decline and larger burden of primarily white matter pathology in the general population.
Investment in two alternative projects with multiple switches and the exit option
Authors: Kravchenko Igor V. , Nunes Cláudia , Oliveira Carlos
Published: August 2023

This paper uses an analytical framework to examine a firm’s investment and switching strategy under uncertainty. The context is the possibility to launch and operate two distinct projects, one at a time, with exposure to a stochastic exogenous price. We allow for multiple switches between the two projects, along with abandonment options from each. These possibilities fundamentally influence the operational strategy. We show that under some conditions, a dichotomous waiting region may arise at the investment stage. In this case we have an inaction region, for a range of prices in a certain bounded interval, where the firm does not invest and waits to have more information about the price evolution. This region vanishes for a high level of uncertainty. Additionally, the firm may operate with a negative instantaneous profit. We prove that investment in this region is never optimal. Numerical examples enable comparative statics, while extension to allow for time-to-build is included.
American Philanthropy in the Age of Political Polarization: Conservative Megadonors and Foundations and Their Role in Spreading Climate Skepticism
Authors: Rauscher Natalie
Published: August 2023

Wealthy citizens have influenced public debates and the political process in the United States in many ways, for example through donations or campaign finance. Philanthropy is viewed increasingly as another vehicle of more indirect elite influence. Although institutionally designed to stay above the partisan fray, philanthropy has increasingly been politicized over the last decades against the backdrop of growing partisan polarization. The conservative side in particular has consolidated influence through conservative foundations, think tanks, and new tools of giving such as donor-advised funds. Climate change is one issue in which conservatives have pushed skeptical views and disinformation over the last decades. Conservative actors backed by philanthropic activity have shaped public discourse according to climate-skeptic views and have worked to block political action on climate change while also forming global networks and practices across the Atlantic. While trying to retain the image of academic research and political neutrality, right-wing European think tanks are spreading climate change disinformation, often with connections to their American counterparts and with the support of American conservative donors and foundations. Overall, this paper argues that parts of the philanthropic sector in the United States have abandoned early notions of public charity in order to pursue considerable societal and political goals under the guise of philanthropic activity that provides tax benefits and the image of political neutrality. This paper builds on research that shows how much the interests of the wealthy are reflected in political decision-making in the United States (Bartels 2008; Page, Bartels, and Seawright 2013; Gilens and Page 2014), dark money debates in U.S. politics (Mayer 2017; Oklobdzija 2019), and discussions around the role of philanthropic foundations in a democratic society (Reich 2013, 2018).
Dimensional Effects of Hybrid Bond Layers on CFRP Metallized by Ti Cold Spray
Authors: Feng Po-Lun , Kim Kinal , Blassino Adolfo , Nault Isaac , Lee Sang-Eui , Nutt Steven
Published: August 2023

Hybrid bond layers (BLs) were designed, fabricated, and evaluated for cold spray metallization of CFRP. The bond layers consisted of metal mesh embedded in a polymer film adhesive co-cured to the CFRP. Efforts were devoted to identifying the critical opening ratio—i.e., the ratio of mesh opening size to powder diameter, for deposition of an adherent coating. Analysis of powder deposited at mesh openings show a transition from erosion (at a mesh opening ratio of 6.4) to mechanical interlocking and formation of a continuous coating with decreasing opening ratio. Selection of opening ratio yielded either (a) a grid of consolidated thin-walled deposits atop mesh wires separated by microchannel openings, or (b) densified coatings of cold-sprayed Ti. The effective opening ratio increased with increasing diameter ratio—i.e., the ratio of wire diameter to powder size, a consequence of eroded wire peripheries at shallow impact angles. These findings inform the design of future hybrid BLs, in concert with the selection of powder size, for cold spray metallization of CFRP.
Oxidation and wear behavior of CrAlMoN with varied Mo-content for cutting Ti6Al4V
Authors: Bobzin K. , Kalscheuer C. , Stachowski N. , Dege J. , Hintze W. , Möller C. , Ploog P.
Published: August 2023

The cutting of difficult to machine materials such as titanium alloys is challenging for the machining industry. In case of the titanium alloy Ti6Al4V, the properties of the material cause high temperatures, mechanical loads as well as high frequency vibrations at the cutting edge, leading to premature tool failure. The use of uncoated carbide tools is very common for machining of Ti based alloys. However, temperature active, self-lubricating physical vapor deposition (PVD) coatings like CrAlMoN showed promising results to reduce friction and wear during turning of Ti6Al4V. In the present study, self-lubricating (Cr34Al41Mo25)N, (Cr29Al36Mo35)N and (Cr25Al31Mo44)N coatings were investigated on cemented carbide tools. These were deposited by a hybrid process combining direct current Magnetron Sputtering and High Power Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering. Coating morphology, thickness, chemical composition, indentation hardness and modulus at ϑ = 20 °C, ϑ = 200 °C, ϑ = 400 °C and ϑ = 600 °C as well as the oxidation behavior were analyzed. Moreover, wear development after cutting tests using a CNC-lathe was investigated. Independent of Mo-content, all coating variants possessed a dense morphology and a smooth surface topography, as well as a coating adhesion class of HF1 to the cemented carbide substrate in Rockwell indentation tests according to DIN 4856. With an increasing amount of Mo, heat treatment temperature and time, more self-lubricating molybdenum oxides such as MoO3 and Mo4O11 were detected by Raman spectroscopy. Therefore, the coating with the highest amount of Mo possessed the highest amount of molybdenum oxides. After cutting tests, molybdenum oxides were also found on the tool flank face by Raman spectroscopy. The level of flank wear land width decreased with increasing amount of Mo.
Sex assessment from the pelvis: a test of the Phenice (1969) and Klales et al. (2012) methods
Authors: Jager Vanessa Rae , Eliopoulos Constantine
Published: August 2023

Sex assessment is one of the first steps of routine forensic anthropological examinations and it provides a crucial element to identify a set of human skeletal remains. In bioarchaeological contexts, this assessment is also important, as it helps in the reconstruction of past societies. Sex determination can be achieved by using several morphological or metric traits of the skull and postcranial skeleton, which have been found to have varying degrees of accuracy. In 1969 Phenice proposed a methodology focusing on three traits located on the pubis. These traits were described as either having a female or male morphology with ambiguity being rare. Phenice’s method became regularly utilized as it was considered to be reliable. In 2012, Klales and colleagues published a revision of Phenice’s method, as they found that it did not capture the variation in the expression of the three traits. Klales and co-authors created a visual ordinal scale of 1–5 for each of the three traits Phenice originally identified, thus adding three extra possible forms of expression. The purpose of the present research was to test both the original and revised methodologies on the same skeletal population in order to evaluate their suitability for the assessment of sex. The Luís Lopes Anthropological collection in Lisbon was used; 117 males and 117 females were scored using both methodologies. The results showed that the original method performed better (96.5% accuracy) than the revised method (92.7%).
Diagnosis of Delayed Cerebral Ischemia in Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and Triggers for Intervention
Authors: Abdulazim Amr , Heilig Marina , Rinkel Gabriel , Etminan Nima
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is a major determinant for poor neurological outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Detection and treatment of DCI is a key component in the neurocritical care of patients with aSAH after initial aneurysm repair.

Methods

Narrative review of the literature.

Results

Over the past 2 decades, there has been a paradigm shift away from macrovascular (angiographic) vasospasm as a main diagnostic and therapeutic target. Instead, the pathophysiology of DCI is hypothesized to derive from several proischemic pathomechanisms. Clinical examination remains the most reliable means for monitoring and treatment of DCI, but its value is limited in comatose patients. In such patients, monitoring of DCI is usually based on numerous neurophysiological and/or radiological diagnostic modalities. Catheter angiography remains the gold standard for the detection of macrovascular spasm. Computed tomography (CT) angiography is increasingly used instead of catheter angiography because it is less invasive and may be combined with CT perfusion imaging. CT perfusion permits semiquantitative cerebral blood flow measurements, including the evaluation of the microcirculation. It may be used for prediction, early detection, and diagnosis of DCI, with yet-to-prove benefit on clinical outcome when used as a screening modality. Transcranial Doppler may be considered as an additional noninvasive screening tool for flow velocities in the middle cerebral artery, with limited accuracy in other cerebral arteries. Continuous electroencephalography enables detection of early signs of ischemia at a reversible stage prior to clinical manifestation. However, its widespread use is still limited because of the required infrastructure and expertise in data interpretation. Near-infrared spectroscopy, a noninvasive and continuous modality for evaluation of cerebral blood flow dynamics, has shown conflicting results and needs further validation. Monitoring techniques beyond neurological examinations may help in the detection of DCI, especially in comatose patients. However, these techniques are limited because of their invasive nature and/or restriction of measurements to focal brain areas.

Conclusion

The current literature review underscores the need for incorporating existing modalities and developing new methods to evaluate brain perfusion, brain metabolism, and overall brain function more accurately and more globally.
The effectiveness of food system policies to improve nutrition, nutrition-related inequalities and environmental sustainability: a scoping review
Authors: Burgaz Celia , Gorasso Vanessa , Achten Wouter M. J. , Batis Carolina , Castronuovo Luciana , Diouf Adama , Asiki Gershim , Swinburn Boyd A. , Unar-Munguía Mishel , Devleesschauwer Brecht , Sacks Gary , Vandevijvere Stefanie
Published: August 2023

A global transformation of food systems is needed, given their impact on the three interconnected pandemics of undernutrition, obesity and climate change. A scoping review was conducted to synthesise the effectiveness of food system policies/interventions to improve nutrition, nutrition inequalities and environmental sustainability, and to identify double- or triple-duty potentials (their effectiveness tackling simultaneously two or all of these outcomes). When available, their effects on nutritional vulnerabilities and women’s empowerment were described. The policies/interventions studied were derived from a compilation of international recommendations. The literature search was conducted according to the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews. A total of 196 reviews were included in the analysis. The triple-duty interventions identified were sustainable agriculture practices and school food programmes. Labelling, reformulation, in-store nudging interventions and fiscal measures showed double-duty potential across outcomes. Labelling also incentivises food reformulation by the industry. Some interventions (i.e., school food programmes, reformulation, fiscal measures) reduce socio-economic differences in diets, whereas labelling may be more effective among women and higher socio-economic groups. A trade-off identified was that healthy food provision interventions may increase food waste. Overall, multi-component interventions were found to be the most effective to improve nutrition and inequalities. Policies combining nutrition and environmental sustainability objectives are few and mainly of the information type (i.e., labelling). Little evidence is available on the policies/interventions’ effect on environmental sustainability and women’s empowerment. Current research fails to provide good-quality evidence on food systems policies/interventions, in particular in the food supply chains domain. Research to fill this knowledge gap is needed.
Thermal adaptation in Lepidoptera under shifting environments: mechanisms, patterns, and consequences
Authors: Mutamiswa Reyard , Mbande Abongile , Nyamukondiwa Casper , Chidawanyika Frank
Published: August 2023

Thermal adaptation is a key facet safeguarding organismal function among ectothermic organisms. In this era of rapidly changing environments, understanding the diverse mechanisms mediating organismal climate stress resistance have become a priority given contrasting effects on organisms, vis declines in keystone species and an increase in invasive pest species. Here, we review mechanisms and patterns of thermal adaptation among shifting climates, specifically focusing on Lepidoptera, an economically significant insect order owing to its importance in agriculture and conservation. Lepidoptera are highly distinct, comprising species of diverse and unique morphology, ontogenetic development, habitat types and diets. Similarly, the diversity of adaptive responses ensuring survival under diverse thermal niches is equally remarkable. We therefore outline the mechanisms underpinning the success of Lepidoptera, mainly focusing on the important families and species which have quite attracted research attention in that order. We conclude by highlighting future studies for better understanding of lepidopteran species thermal adaptation under climate change. Understanding such adaptation will assist in accurate predictions and management of pest insect species and help conservation efforts in keystone species of the order Lepidoptera.
Compassion as a Skill: A Comparison of Contemplative and Evolution-Based Approaches
Authors: Gilbert Paul , Van Gordon William
Published: August 2023

The editors to this volume posed a series of fascinating questions relating to how seeing compassion as a skill can help us understand its nature, cultivation and effects within secular contexts. This paper addresses these questions by comparing evolutionary with contemplative approaches to compassion. Recent scientific approaches have explored the evolved roots and biopsychosocial manifestations of compassion and their impact on mental states and prosocial behaviour, particularly in regard to both its facilitators and inhibitors. In contrast, we discuss how the contemplative traditions have approached the origins and cultivation of compassion through observing the mind (e.g. meditation), with a focus on gaining insight into self-transcendent experiences, the nature of inter-connectivity and non-separate existence (also referred to as non-duality), through which compassion arises naturally. Both evolutionary and contemplative perspectives have the same focus which is to understand and prevent the causes of suffering, including the suffering we cause ourselves because of our harmful potentials. However, in terms of training the mind in compassion skills, this paper considers how training approaches linked to the evolutionary model often use thinking, empathising, reflecting and guided behaviour change to activate psychophysiological systems linked to caring and compassion. In contrast, the contemplative traditions focus less on thinking and reflecting and more on creating conditions for direct experiencing. A key reason for doing so is to settle the mind so that subtler levels of consciousness can enable the experience of self-transcendent compassion to arise. Thus, both evolutionary and contemplative approaches can focus on developing mind awareness and the importance of practise, but evolutionary approaches such as compassion focused therapy do not pursue transcendent wisdoms or insights.
Close to Curtain Time: Management of the Injured Singer in the Acute Setting (In-Office and Backstage Evaluation)
Authors: Salinas Jonathan B.
Published: August 2023

Purpose of Review

The purpose of this review is to summarize the current literature on the management of injured singers in the acute setting. This review seeks to answer the question on how to properly evaluate and treat injured singers presenting close to curtain time.

Recent Findings

Females and younger patients are more likely to present with vocal cord nodules, while males and older patients are more likely to present with polyps. The use of short-term glucocorticoid treatment has been found to be safe in singers, having a low incidence of vocal fold hemorrhage (3.6%) and thrush (5.5%), without long-term consequences.

The management of injured singers is challenging and requires a multidisciplinary approach. Phonotrauma is the most common etiology of acute dysphonia in singers. Although short-term glucocorticoid treatment appears to be safe without long-term consequences, the development of an optimal glucocorticoid regimen for the injured singer still needs further investigation.
A sequential neural recommendation system exploiting BERT and LSTM on social media posts
Authors: Noorian A. , Harounabadi A. , Hazratifard M.
Published: August 2023

Tourists share opinions about Points of Interest (POIs) through online posts and social media platforms. Opinion mining is a popular technique for extracting feedback from tourists who visited various places hidden in reviews, which are used in several tourist applications that generally reflect their preference towards POI. On the other hand, a trip schema is difficult for tourists because they must pick up sequential POIs in unknown areas that meet their limitations and preferences. However, most prior trip suggestion methods are suboptimal for several reasons, including that they do not consider valuable user reviews and rely exclusively on left-to-right unidirectional discovery sequence models. This study proposes a Neural Network-Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) POI recommendation system for calculating user similarity based on opinions and preferences. In addition, it presents a method for discovering sequential trip recommendations with Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformer (BERT) using a deep learning method. Furthermore, this neural hybrid framework identifies a list of optimal trip candidates by combining personalized POIs with multifaceted context. Furthermore, this method employs the valuable information contained in user posts and their demographic information on social media to mitigate the well-known cold start issue. In the experimental evaluation based on two datasets, Tripadvisor and Yelp, this hybrid method outperforms other state-of-the-art methods when considering F-Score, nDCG, RMSE, and MAP.
Rights Are Necessary but Insufficient for the Achievement of the Full Inclusion of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Parmenter Trevor R.
Published: August 2023

Objectives

Two forces which are in juxtaposition have been impacting upon the achievement of full inclusion and emancipation of people with intellectual and related developmental disabilities into society. The first is the history of the United Nations human rights declarations and conventions. While human rights initiatives have supported grassroots movements such as choice, self-determination, and person-centred supports, the second force, neoliberal philosophy, has commandeered these concepts into a culture of managerialism and individualism. Whether rights are necessary but insufficient for the achievement of the full inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities needed to be addressed.

Methods

The history of the human rights movement was explored leading up to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The impact of countervailing forces of neoliberal policies were explored. The ongoing development of models of disability were examined, as were threats to implementation and the realisation of outcomes.

Results

The impact of neoliberal policies by member nations and the juridical nature of the CRDP were found to be limiting factors for genuine community acceptance and inclusion of people with disabilities, especially those with intellectual disabilities.

Conclusions

Member nations conforming to human rights imperatives also need to encourage the building an ethical community in which reciprocal relationships are fostered and celebrated. Individualism and the market-based economies have failed to recognise the important role communality has played in the history of the human species.
Pathways of the Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction Reaction: From Ammonia Synthesis to Metal-N2 Batteries
Authors: Jesudass Sebastian Cyril , Surendran Subramani , Kim Joon Young , An Tae-Yong , Janani Gnanaprakasam , Kim Tae-Hoon , Kim Jung Kyu , Sim Uk
Published: August 2023

Ammonia is considered as an alternative fuel resource for a sustainable green future. The production of ammonia involves the electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR), which has gained considerable attention due to its eco-friendly resources and nonharmful byproducts. Even with the manifold works on NRR, the technique has not reached the industrial scale because of the impediments of NRR electrocatalysts, and in addition, state-of-the-art electrocatalysts have not yet been discovered. In this review, first, the mechanism of the NRR, key metrics, and operational procedures for NRR electrochemistry are presented. Then, the electrocatalyst designs for efficient NRR are briefly introduced, followed by a discussion on the influence of the electrolytes that enhance NRR performance. The counterion effects of electrolytes on NRR performance and strategies for suppressing the HER by electrolyte additives are also discussed. Later, the NRR mechanisms are upgraded, and a comprehensive review of metal-N2 batteries is provided. This review summarizes the effective methods for performing the NRR and strategies to suppress the HER on various electrocatalysts by tuning electrolytes and their additives. The review concludes by discussing the prospects of metal-N2 batteries.

Graphical Abstract
The Complex Taxonomy of ‘Nubian’ in Context
Authors: Hallinan Emily , Marks Anthony E.
Published: August 2023

The meaning of the word ‘Nubian’ in Middle Palaeolithic archaeology has changed markedly since its first published use in 1965 in the context of the Nubian rescue campaign in southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Initially referring to two types of prepared point cores, ‘Nubian’ later became attached to a widespread technocomplex in the 1990s and in more recent research describes a specific Levallois reduction strategy. In this review, we situate ‘Nubian’ in its geographic and historical contexts, exploring how its terminology and concepts emerged, developed, and are now viewed in the frame of subsequent research. Whilst the taxonomic origin of the Nubian descriptor—as a technology or technocomplex—is associated with this region of northeastern Africa, its widespread distribution, as shown in the works presented in this collection, suggests that Nubian reduction played as complex a role in past human behaviour and cultural dynamics as it does in current archaeological debates.
Similarity-Based Compression in Working Memory: Implications for Decay and Refreshing Models
Authors: Kowialiewski Benjamin , Lemaire Benoît , Portrat Sophie
Published: August 2023

The ability to compress information is a fundamental cognitive function. It allows working memory (WM) to overcome its severely limited capacity. Recent evidence suggests that the similarity between items can be used to compress information, leading to a rich pattern of behavioral results. This work presents a series of simulations showing that this rich pattern of WM performance is captured using the principles of TBRS*, a decay and refreshing architecture. By assuming that similar items are compressed, the architecture can explain the beneficial effect of similarity on the items themselves. The architecture also explains the fact that when similar items are mixed with dissimilar items, this provides a proactive—but no retroactive—benefit on WM performance. In addition, the model captures fine-grained patterns of transposition errors recently reported. Several analyses are reported showing the robustness of the model’s predictions. We reached the conclusion that decay and refreshing theories provide a plausible explanation for compression effects in WM. These conclusions are discussed in light of recent experimental results. The importance of computational modeling for testing theories is emphasized.
Evaluation of pruning therapies in apple trees with fire blight
Authors: DuPont S. Tianna , Munir Misbakhul , Cox Kerik , Johnson Ken , Peter Kari , Baro Aina
Published: August 2023

Ten experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of methods to therapeutically remove fire blight cankers from apple trees with different age, vigor, training system and rootstock combinations in Washington, Oregon, Pennsylvania and New York, United States. Removal methods included pruning at varying distances from visible symptoms, utilization of a sanitizing agent and the use of a stub cut to minimize cankers on structural wood. Fire blight removal resulted in reductions of rootstock blight and tree death. Removal treatments resulted in fewer additional cankers compared to the no-treatment control in most trial sites and years. The standard best management practice (BMP) for removing fire blight was branch removal at 30 cm below the proximal edge of visibly cankered tissue with sanitized loppers. This practice significantly reduced the number of new systemically-caused symptoms compared to the no-treatment control in seven of nine experiments with significant reductions in five experiments. Aggressive removal, defined as BMP but branches removed approximately 76 cm from the proximal edge of visibly cankered tissue, generally did not improve the standard practice. Elimination of cutting tool sanitation did not result in more cankers than the standard practice. Breaking off diseased branches by hand provided a rapid removal method, but it resulted in a greater number of cankers in the orchard at the end of the season. In one of five experiments cutting which left a 13 cm stub distal to structural wood significantly reduced the number of cankers on structural wood compared to flush cut or 4 cm stubs.
Fabric pre-treated with Vitex negundo L essential oil as a preventive tool against mosquito bite
Authors: Okoli Bamidele , Ladan Zakari , Mtunzi Fanyana
Published: August 2023

Despite its beneficial properties and the efficiency of essential oil in controlling mosquitoes and other hematopoietic insects, this biocontrol agent has several significant limitations, ranging from its chemical instability to its short protection time and sensitivity to oxidation. This research aimed to address these limitations by altering the surface functionality using encapsulated Vitex negundo essential oil (VnEO). The VnEO was extracted by hydrodistilation and analysed by GC–MS. The oil was β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) encapsulated and monochlorotriazine (MCT) modified to improve its fabric interaction and stability, while histological and immunohistochemical examinations were conducted to determine its safety. The fabrics were subjected to FT-IR, SEM, XRD, TGA, fiberometric, and Zeta potential analysis, while the repellency study was conducted in an olfactometer. Insecticidal monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes were confirmed by GC–MS, and an entrapment efficiency of 94.3% was achieved. The repellent interaction with the fabric was confirmed by the formation of two intense bands at 3277 (O–H) and 1710 cm−1(C=O), broad diffraction peaks at 17.30° and 38.30–57.10° about a 4.70% increase in average fibre size and a 18.8% decrease in pore size, and lower fibre thermal stability. The surface of the fabric is negatively charged, causing an enhancement in the adsorption and affinity of VnEO by grafting of β-CD/MCT. The dermatological investigation suggests that the oil has no significant toxic effects. In conclusion, the encapsulation and fabric grafting employed are effective and safe for the preparation of a long-lasting repellent fabric.
Out-of-home food environment and the COVID-19 pandemic: an interrupted time-series analysis in England 2019–2021
Authors: Xiang Huasheng , Goffe Louis , Albani Viviana , Akhter Nasima , Lake Amelia , Brown Heather
Published: August 2023

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK government introduced three waves of national lockdowns and other measures to limit the spread of the virus between 2020 and 2021. A key component of these national lockdowns required the out-of-home food sector, such as restaurants and pubs, to operate only as takeaways. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the out-of-home food environment in England. Using monthly data collected at the local authority level between March 2019 to December 2021, we employed an interrupted time-series approach to analyze the trends of eight different types of food outlets: (1) fast food/sandwich shop; (2) pub/night club/bar; (3) restaurant/café/canteen; (4) supermarket; (5) mobile caterer; (6) other catering premise, (7) fast food chains, and (8) non-chained hot food outlets. Our findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic had heterogeneously impacted on different types of food outlets. After the easing of restrictions only restaurants, mobile caterers, pubs, and supermarkets grew, whereas fast food outlets and mobile caters did not. However, when looking at chained and non-chained fast food outlets, non-chained food outlets were more responsive to government policy during the pandemic such as the Eat Out To Help Out scheme, whereas after restrictions eased, chained outlets grew at a faster rate compared to their non-chained counterparts, but all fast food outlets had lower growth than before the pandemic. It is important to understand how the food environment is evolving and changing especially in relation to shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The food environment has a direct and indirect impact on the economy and population health. Thus, it is of great value to understand how it is changing and when and where there is a role for government intervention.
A qualitative evaluation of a video gambling campaign among young Australians
Authors: Younes Natalie , Hronis Anastasia
Published: August 2023

Gambling is an emerging public health issue within Australia, which can lead to various adverse impacts on individuals and society. Online gambling is becoming increasingly popular and is considered a high-risk environment where problem gambling is likely to occur. This rising prevalence emphasises the need for prevention and responsible gambling initiatives in Australia. C’Mon Australia Don’t Let the Game Play Ya! is a recently developed responsible gambling video campaign. The campaign focuses on online gambling and aims to promote responsible gambling messages towards young Australians, a vulnerable population at risk of gambling-related harm. This study qualitatively evaluated the campaign to gather feedback and understand whether the campaign raised awareness of gambling participation and associated risks. The sample (n = 8) was comprised of young adults in Australia, who were aged between 18 and 24 and were not required to be gamblers to participate. Semi-structured focus groups were conducted and responses were analysed using thematic analysis. Results revealed mainly positive feedback, commenting on the design elements, the messaging, and the dissemination of the campaign. The feedback highlighted likeable features of C’Mon Australia Don’t Let the Game play Ya! and provided suggestions for revisions. This study provides valuable insight to inform the development of future responsible gambling campaigns, and future research is recommended to evaluate the campaign across varying contexts, timeframes, and demographics.
Principles of Power Electronics
Authors: Kassakian John G. , Perreault David J. , Verghese George C. , Schlecht Martin F.
Published: August 2023

Substantially
expanded and updated, the new edition of this classic textbook
provides unrivalled coverage of the fundamentals of power
electronics. Comprehensive coverage of foundational concepts in
circuits, magnetics, devices, dynamic models, and control
establishes a strong conceptual framework for further study.
Extensive discussion of contemporary practical considerations,
enhanced by real-world examples, prepares readers for design
scenarios ranging from low-power dc/dc converters to
multi-megawatt ac machine drives. New topics include SiC and GaN
wide-bandgap materials, superjunction MOSFET and IGBT devices,
advanced magnetics design, multi-level and switched-capacitor
converters, RF converter circuits, and EMI. Over 300 new and
revised end-of-chapter problems enhance and expand understanding
of the material, with solutions for instructors. Unique in its
breadth and depth, and providing a range of flexible teaching
pathways at multiple levels, this is the definitive guide to
power electronics for graduate and senior undergraduate students
in electrical engineering, and practicing electrical
engineers.
Theresa Hak Kyung Cha in Black and White
Authors: Nock-Hee Josephine
Published: August 2023

Theresa Hak Kyung Cha in Black and White explores the relation between text, author, and reader – a nexus theorized as the 'apparatus' in Cha's study of cinema – by tracing two key literary intertexts in Dictée: Henry James's 'The Jolly Corner,' a submerged literary resonance in Apparatus, Cha's anthology of film theory, and the writing of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, a primary intertext at the heart of Dictée. In Cha's film theory, black and white is the flicker of the cinematic apparatus, and the Elements readings consider this contrasting palette in self-reflexive portraits in black and white. This study reads flashes of identification, often in punishing self-encounters, and it dwells on the figure of the martyr to arrive at the death of Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, the patron saint of artists and scholars fascinated by her art and her suffering.
Recentering Pacific Asia
Authors: Womack Brantly , Gungwu Wang , Yu-Shan Wu , Yaqing Qin , Goh Evelyn
Published: August 2023

The Pacific Rim of Asia – Pacific Asia – is now the world's largest and most cohesive economic region, and China has returned to its center. China's global outlook is shaped by its regional experience, first as a pre-modern Asian center, then displaced by Western-oriented modernization, and now returning as a central producer and market in a globalized region. Developments since 2008 have been so rapid that future directions are uncertain, but China's presence, population, and production guarantee it a key role. As a global competitor, China has awakened American anxieties and the US-China rivalry has become a major concern for the rest of the world. However, rather than facing a power transition between hegemons, the US and China are primary nodes in a multi-layered, interconnected global matrix that neither can control. Brantly Womack argues that Pacific Asia is now the key venue for working out a new world order.
Dental Anthropology
Authors: Hillson Simon
Published: August 2023

Accessible and engaging, this is the definitive textbook on using teeth to study the demography and ways of life in ancient human communities. Based on extensive laboratory and field experience, this new edition combines archaeological approaches with new technologies and methodologies, covering the key advances in anatomy, forensics, 3D imaging, stable isotopes, and proteomics. Hillson provides a biological context for teeth, a guide on key skills, an introduction to current debates, and advice for the excavation, conservation and recording of dental remains. He also showcases the microscopic structure of dental tissues alongside methods of age-determination. Discover solutions to problems such as identifying worn, fragmentary human teeth or understanding their condition. This is the ideal reference for advanced courses in anthropology or archaeology, and for everyone interested in dental remains from archaeological sites, museum collections or forensic cases. Online teaching resources include videos of lectures and practicals.