bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lidar visualization techniques for the construction of geoarchaeological deposit models: An overview and evaluation in alluvial environments
Authors: Crabb Nicholas , Carey Chris , Howard Andy J. , Brolly Matthew
Published: March 2023

Lidar has become an essential tool for the mapping and interpretation of natural and archaeological features within the landscape. It is also increasingly integrated and visualized within geoarchaeological deposit models, providing valuable topographic and stratigraphic control from the contemporary ground surface downwards. However, there is a wide range of methods available for the visualization of lidar elevation models and a review of existing research suggests that it remains unclear which are most appropriate for geoarchaeological applications. This paper addresses this issue by providing an overview and quantitative evaluation of these techniques with examples from archaeologically resource‐rich alluvial environments. Owing to the relatively low‐relief nature of the terrain within these temperate lowland flood plain environments, the results show that there is a small number of visualization methods that demonstrably improve the detection of geomorphological landforms that can be related to the variable distribution of archaeological resources. More specifically, a combination of Relative Elevation Models combined with Simple Local Relief Models offered an optimal approach that subsequently allows integration with deposit models. Whilst the presented examples are from a flood plain setting, deposit models are pertinent to a range of landscape contexts and the methodology applied here has wider applicability.
Discrimination between normal and necrotic small intestinal tissue using hyperspectral imaging and unsupervised classification
Authors: Zhang Lechao , Huang Danfei , Chen Xiaojing , Zhu Libin , Xie Zhonghao , Chen Xiaoqing , Cui Guihua , Zhou Yao , Huang Guangzao , Shi Wen
Published: March 2023

Objective and automatic clinical discrimination of normal and necrotic sites of small intestinal tissue remains challenging. In this study, hyperspectral imaging (HSI) and unsupervised classification techniques were used to distinguish normal and necrotic sites of small intestinal tissues. Small intestinal tissue hyperspectral images of eight Japanese large‐eared white rabbits were acquired using a visible near‐infrared hyperspectral camera, and K‐means and density peaks (DP) clustering algorithms were used to differentiate between normal and necrotic tissue. The three cases in this study showed that the average clustering purity of the DP clustering algorithm reached 92.07% when the two band combinations of 500–622 and 700–858 nm were selected. The results of this study suggest that HSI and DP clustering can assist physicians in distinguishing between normal and necrotic sites in the small intestine in vivo.
Binding mechanism of anacardic acid, carnosol and garcinol with PCAF: A comprehensive study using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy analysis
Authors: Jaganathan Ramakrishnan , Kumaradhas Poomani
Published: March 2023

The p300/CBP associated factor bromodomain (PCAF Brd) is emerged as one of the promising target proteins for different types of cancers. PCAF is one among the histone acetyltransferase enzymes which involved in the regulation of transcriptase process by modifying the chromatin structure. Anacardic acid, carnosol, garcinol are the experimentally reported inhibitors of PCAF Brd; however, their detailed binding mechanism these inhibitors are not yet known. The intermolecular interaction, binding energy, and the stability of these inhibitors with the active site of PCAF Brd are playing the key role in the binding of these inhibitors with PCAF. The in silico study incorporates the molecular docking and dynamics simulations; these molecular level simulations allow to understand the binding mechanism. In the present study, the induced fit molecular docking and molecular dynamics of anacardic acid, carnosol and garcinol molecules against the PCAF Brd have been performed. The docking score values of these molecules are −5.112 (anacardic acid), −5.141 (carnosol), −5.199 (garcinol) and −3.641 (L45) kcal/mol, respectively. Further, the molecular dynamics simulation was carried out for these docked complexes to understand their conformational their stability and binding energy from the roots means square deviation (RMSD) and root means square of fluctuation (RMSF), and molecular mechanics with the generalized born and surface area solvation (MM/GBSA) binding free energy calculations. The intermolecular interactions and binding free energy values confirm that garcinol forms key interactions and has high binding affinity towards PCAF Brd on compare with the other two inhibitors. Therefore, garcinol may be considered as a potential inhibitor of PCAF Brd.
Human neurons lacking amyloid precursor protein exhibit cholesterol‐associated developmental and presynaptic deficits
Authors: Mesa Haylee , Zhang Elaine Y. , Wang Yingcai , Zhang Qi
Published: March 2023

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) produces aggregable β‐amyloid peptides and its mutations are associated with familial Alzheimer's disease (AD), which makes it one of the most studied proteins. However, APP's role in the human brain remains unclear despite years of investigation. One problem is that most studies on APP have been carried out in cell lines or model organisms, which are physiologically different from human neurons in the brain. Recently, human‐induced neurons (hiNs) derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide a practical platform for studying the human brain in vitro. Here, we generated APP‐null iPSCs using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology and differentiate them into matured human neurons with functional synapses using a two‐step procedure. During hiN differentiation and maturation, APP‐null cells exhibited less neurite growth and reduced synaptogenesis in serum‐free but not serum‐containing media. We have found that cholesterol (Chol) remedies those developmental defects in APP‐null cells, consistent with Chol's role in neurodevelopment and synaptogenesis. The phenotypic rescue was also achieved by coculturing those cells with wild‐type mouse astrocytes, suggesting that APP's developmental role is likely astrocytic. Next, we examined matured hiNs using patch‐clamp recording and detected reduced synaptic transmission in APP‐null cells. This change was largely due to decreased synaptic vesicle (SV) release and retrieval, which was confirmed by live‐cell imaging using two SV‐specific fluorescent reporters. Adding Chol shortly before stimulation mitigated the SV deficits in APP‐null iNs, indicating that APP facilitates presynaptic membrane Chol turnover during the SV exo‐/endocytosis cycle. Taken together, our study in hiNs supports the notion that APP contributes to neurodevelopment, synaptogenesis, and neurotransmission via maintaining brain Chol homeostasis. Given the vital role of Chol in the central nervous system, the functional connection between APP and Chol bears important implications in the pathogenesis of AD.
Designed synthetic pathway of stereoselective novel monocyclic cis‐bis‐β‐lactams including a 1,3,4‐thiadiazole‐2,5‐dithiol constituent: Antimicrobial activity, molecular docking
Authors: Singh Vedeshwar Narayan , Kumari Beauty , Mishra Mahesh Kumar , Sharma Sitaram
Published: March 2023

A simple synthetic method has been developed for novel monocyclic bis‐β‐lactams including a 1,3,4‐thiadiazole‐2,5‐thiol constituent via [2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions, that is, Staudinger reaction (ketene‐imine) of acyl chloride and numerous aromatic imines. Easily available starting materials, an easy workup, a simple purification process, no column chromatography needed, and a great yield are specific features of this work. Spectroscopic methods revealed the confirmation of synthesized products. Products were easily purified through a simple crystallization technique. The stereochemistry of bis‐β‐lactam derivatives at C‐3 and C‐4 stereocenters was validated by 1H NMR spectra. All synthesized products exhibited good antimicrobial activities against three Gram‐positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus anthracis, and Clostridium perfringens, and two Gram‐negative bacteria Escherichia coli, Brucella abortus. The molecular docking studies were carried out with the target receptor from E. coli, S. aureus, B. anthracis, B. abortus, and C. perfringens of PDB ID: 3T88, 4Q7G, 3Q2O, 4WJM, and 6PV4, respectively, to obtain a moderate binding interaction.
Synthesis of new derivatives of Alkylselanyl[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3‐a]pyrimidine asselenium‐containingheterocyclic system
Authors: Darapour Zinat , Shiri Ali
Published: March 2023

We report a facile method to synthesize novel alkyl selanyl[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3‐a]pyrimidine heterocyclic scaffolds. A diverse library of selenide derivatives has been prepared via the treatment of 5‐bromo‐2,4‐dichloro‐6‐methylpyrimidine with potassium selenocyanate as the source of selenium. The selenocyanate anion as the nucleophile is applied to produce 5‐bromo‐2‐chloro‐4‐methyl‐6‐selenocyanatopyrimidine (2). The interaction of compound (2) with various alkyl halides afforded alkyl selanyl pyrimidine (3a–e). Then, the treatment of alkyl selanyl pyrimidine (3a–e) with hydrazine hydrate gave the corresponding derivatives (4a–e) which react with various orthoesters to prepare the relative alkyl selanyl[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3‐a]pyrimidine (5a–o) in good to excellent yields. The chemical structures of the whole products have been evaluated by spectroscopic analyses.
Association between changes in pulmonary function and in patient reported outcomes during enzyme therapy of adult patients with late‐onset Pompe disease
Authors: Lika Aglina , Andrinopoulou Eleni‐Rosalina , van der Beek Nadine A. M. E. , Rizopoulos Dimitris , van der Ploeg Ans T. , Kruijshaar Michelle E.
Published: March 2023

Pompe disease is a rare, progressive, and metabolic myopathy. Reduced pulmonary function is one of the main problems seen in adult patients with late‐onset Pompe disease (LOPD). We aimed to explore the association between changes over time in pulmonary function and in patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs), in these patients treated with enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). This is a post hoc analysis of two cohort studies. Pulmonary function was assessed as forced vital capacity in the upright position (FVCup). As PROMs, we assessed the physical component summary score (PCS) of the Medical Outcome Study 36‐item Short‐Form Health Survey (SF‐36) and daily life activities (Rasch‐Built Pompe‐Specific Activity [R‐PACT] scale). We fitted Bayesian multivariate mixed‐effects models. In the models of PROMs, we assumed a linear association with FVCup, and adjusted for time (nonlinear), sex, and age and disease duration at the start of ERT. One hundred and one patients were eligible for analysis. PCS and R‐PAct were positively associated with FVCup, while their relation with time was nonlinear (initial increase then decrease). A 1%‐point increase in FVCup is expected to increase PCS by 0.14 points (95% Credible Interval: [0.09;0.19]) and R‐PACT by 0.41 points [0.33;0.49] at the same time point. In the first year of ERT, we expect a change of PCS and R‐PAct scores by +0.42 and +0.80 points, and in the 5th year of +0.16 and +0.45, respectively. We conclude that the physical domain of quality of life and daily life activities improve when FVCup increases during ERT.
Jun‐mediated lncRNA‐IMS promotes the meiosis of chicken spermatogonial stem cells via gga‐miR‐31‐5p/stra8
Authors: Wang Yingjie , Zhang Lei , Kong Ruihong , Hu Cai , Zhao Zongyi , Wu Yuhui , Zuo Qisheng , Li Bichun , Zhang Ya‐ni
Published: March 2023

Meiosis, a key step in spermatogenesis, is affected by many factors. Current studies have shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are potential factors regulating meiosis, and their regulatory mechanisms have received much attention. However, little research has been done on its regulatory mechanism in the spermatogenesis of roosters. Here, we found that lncRNA involved in meiosis and spermatogenesis (lncRNA‐IMS) was involved in the regulation of Stra8 by gga‐miR‐31‐5p and hindered the inhibition of Stra8 by gga‐miR‐31‐5p. The acquisition and loss of function experiments demonstrated that lncRNA‐IMS was involved in meiosis and spermatogenesis. In addition, we predicted and determined the core promoter region of lncRNA‐IMS. Prediction of transcription factors, deletion/overexpression of binding sites, knockdown/overexpression of Jun, and dual‐luciferase reporter analysis confirmed that Jun positively activated transcription of lncRNA‐IMS. Our findings further enrich the TF‐lncRNA‐miRNA‐mRNA regulatory network during male meiosis and provide new ideas for studying the molecular mechanism of meiosis and spermatogenesis in chicken spermatogonial stem cells.
The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) system as a key regulator of ovarian follicle angiogenesis and growth
Authors: Guzmán Adrian , Hernández‐Coronado Cyndi G. , Gutiérrez Carlos G. , Rosales‐Torres Ana M.
Published: March 2023

The vascular endothelial growth factor‐A (VEGFA) system is a complex set of proteins, with multiple isoforms and receptors, including both angiogenic (VEGFxxx, VEGFR2) and antiangiogenic members (VEGFxxxb, VEGFR1 and soluble forms of VEGFR). The members of the VEGF system affect the proliferation, survival, and migration of endothelial and nonendothelial cells and are involved in the regulation of follicular angiogenesis and development. The production of VEGF by secondary follicles stimulates preantral follicular development by directly affecting follicular cells and promoting the acquisition of the follicular vasculature and downstream antrum formation. Additionally, the pattern of expression of the components of the VEGF system may provide a proangiogenic milieu capable of triggering angiogenesis and stimulating follicular cells to promote antral follicle growth, whereas, during atresia, this milieu becomes antiangiogenic and blocks follicular development.
A neurotransmitter histamine mediating phototransduction and photopreference in Callosobruchus maculatus
Authors: Wu Fengming , Du Zhong , Zhang Tianhao , Jiang Lei , Zhang Lijie , Ge Siqin
Published: March 2023

BACKGROUND

The biogenic amine histamine plays a critical role in the phototransduction and photopreference of most insects. Here, we study the function of histamine in Callosobruchus maculatus, a global storage pest.

RESULTS

In our experiment, we initially identified the histidine decarboxylase (hdc) gene through bioinformation analysis. We subsequently investigated effects of hdc and histamine on the photopreference of C. maculatus using a combination of RNA interference (RNAi), electroretinograms (ERG), immunostaining, and photopreference behavior approaches. Our results showed that histamine was required for visual signal transduction of C. maculatus, and increased its photopreference regardless of the wavelength.

CONCLUSION

This is the first study analyzing the molecular characteristics of C. maculatus photopreference, which forms the basis for a molecular mechanism for the effects of histamine on its visual transduction and preference. In practice, better understanding the photopreference patterns contributes to IPM (integrated pest management) for this storage pest. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Tweedle gene family of Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) larva enhances the basal tolerance to cold and hypoxia
Authors: Wang Xiaoxue , Liu Lijun , Guo Shaokun , Liu Bo , Zhai Yifan , Yan Shuo , Shen Jie , Ullah Farman , Li Zhihong
Published: March 2023

BACKGROUND

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) is considered a quarantine pest in the A2 list because it causes serious infection and huge economic losses. Cold and controlled atmosphere treatments have been used to control immature stage pests in fresh fruits. Herein, the basal tolerance response of D. suzukii egg, larva and pupa to cold and hypoxia stress were studied, and underlying transcriptome mechanisms in the larva were pinpointed.

RESULTS

The third instar was more tolerant than 12‐h‐old egg and 8‐day‐old pupa when treated at 3 °C + 1% O2 for 7 days, with 34.00% ± 5.22% larval survival. Hypoxia influenced the effect of cold treatment on D. suzukii. Larval survival decreased at 3 °C + 1% O2, but increased at 0 °C + 1% O2. Survival increased with temperature between 0 and 5 °C + 1% O2, but decreased significantly at 25 °C + 1% O2. RNA‐sequencing results showed that the Tweedle (Twdl) family was upregulated and uniquely enriched in larvae treated at 3 °C + 1% O2. In addition, RNA interference‐mediated silencing of a key Twdl gene reduced the survival rate after cold and hypoxia treatment.

CONCLUSION

Hypoxia was able to influence the effect of cold treatment on the survival of D. suzukii positively or negatively. Structural constituents of the chitin‐based cuticle, in particular Twdl genes, body morphogenesis, and ATP synthesis‐coupled proton transport were involved in the tolerance to cold and hypoxia. In future, the Twdl gene could be used as a nanocarrier delivering RNA pesticides to control D. suzukii in the field and so prevent its worldwide spread. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Assessing whole‐sounder removal versus traditional control for reducing invasive wild pig (Sus scrofa) populations
Authors: Kilgo John C. , Vukovich Mark , Cox Kyle J. , Larsen Michael , Mims Thomas T. , Garabedian James E.
Published: March 2023

BACKGROUND

Trapping is commonly used as the primary management tool in attempts to reduce invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa), but traditional trapping techniques are often ineffective. However, recently developed traps permit the capture of entire social groups (sounders) of wild pigs, and the strategy of whole‐sounder removal may achieve more effective control. Our objective was to experimentally compare traditional control (TC; primarily traditional trapping, but including hunting with dogs, and opportunistic shooting) and whole‐sounder removal (WSR) strategies by assessing density reduction and removal rate after 1 and 2 years of treatment.

RESULTS

After 1 year of trapping, average wild pig density on WSR units declined 53% and remained stable after the second year, whereas on TC units, pig density did not differ after trapping, although it declined 33% and remained stable after the second year of trapping. The median removal rate (percentage of uniquely marked pigs present at the beginning of each year that were removed) was 42.5% for WSR units and 0.0% for TC units during 2018 and were 29.6% from WSR units and 5.3% from TC units during 2019.

CONCLUSIONS

WSR removal was more effective at reducing wild pig density than TC, but factors such as previous exposure of this population to traditional traps and the lack of barriers to recolonization from surrounding areas may have reduced WSR efficacy. WSR can effectively reduce wild pig density to a greater extent than TC, but managers should recognize the additional time and expense necessary for implementation. Published 2023. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Design, synthesis and antifungal evaluation of phenylthiazole‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole thione (ketone) derivatives inspired by natural thiasporine A
Authors: Shi Jinchao , Tian Yao , Chen Shunshun , Liao Changzhou , Mao Guoqing , Deng Xiaoqian , Yu Linhua , Zhu Xiang , Li Junkai
Published: March 2023

BACKGROUND

Plant pathogenic fungal infections have become a severe threat to the yield and quality of agricultural products, and new green antifungal agents with high efficiency and low toxicity are needed. In this study, a series of thiasporine A derivatives containing phenylthiazole‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole thione (ketone) structures were designed and synthesized, and their antifungal activities against six invasive and highly destructive phytopathogenic fungi were evaluated.

RESULTS

The results found that all compounds showed moderate to potent antifungal activity against six phytopathogenic fungi, and most of the E series compounds showed remarkable antifungal activity against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Colletotrichum camelliaet. In particular, compounds E1–E5, E7, E8, E13, E14, E17, and E22 showed more significant antifungal activity against S. sclerotiorum, with half‐maximal effective concentration (EC50) values of 0.22, 0.48, 0.56, 0.65, 0.51, 0.39, 0.60, 0.56, 0.60, 0.63, and 0.45 μg mL−1, respectively, which were superior to that of carbendazim (0.70 μg mL−1). Further activity studies showed that compound E1 possessed superior curative activities against S. sclerotiorum in vivo and better inhibitory effects on sclerotia germination and the formation of S. sclerotiorum compared with those of carbendazim.

CONCLUSIONS

This study indicates that these thiasporine A derivatives containing phenylthiazole‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole thione structures might be used as antifungal agents against S. sclerotiorum. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Investigation on the shear performance of circumferential joints of segments in super‐large cross‐section shield tunnels
Authors: Guo Wenqi , Feng Kun , Zhou Yili , Cao Xiangpeng , Zhao Lixiang
Published: March 2023

To investigate the shear performance of the circumferential joints equipped with inclined bolts and distributed mortises and tenons, a 3D refined numerical calculation model was established. After verification with the full‐scale tests, the shear mechanical behavior of the circumferential joints under shear force in different directions and different longitudinal force was investigated. The results have proven that the evolution of joint dislocation with shear force can be divided into three stages, and the shear stiffness of circumferential joints varies greatly in these three stages. The direction of shear force mainly affects the shear stiffness of the second stage. The mechanical behavior of bolts under shear force in different directions shows significant differences, which is the main reason for the difference of shear stiffness of joints. The failure characteristic of the circumferential joint is mainly the concrete crushing at the mortise. The longitudinal force mainly affects the shear stiffness of the first stage.
Political Representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth in Australia
Authors: Nakata Sana , Bray Daniel
Published: March 2023

Political representations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth reflect the deep ambivalences Australian society continues to hold toward First Nations people. This chapter explores these ambivalences by considering two key representative fields concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in recent years, which serve to illustrate our thesis that children play a constitutive role as temporary outsiders who present both risk and renewal to the demos (Bray & Nakata, The Figure of the Child in Democratic Politics. Contemporary Political Theory, 19, 20. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41296-019-00319-x, 2020). The first focuses on the Northern Territory Don Dale Youth Detention Centre that became the site of political controversy in 2016 for its mistreatment of youth detainees. The second explores a 2020 campaign by the conservative Liberal National Party in a recent Queensland state election to implement a youth curfew in the cities of Townsville and Cairns, that have a high number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents. As evidenced by these debates about youth crime and incarceration, we argue that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are often represented as a source of risk which lies in tension with and forecloses the transformative potential of representing Indigenous children as sources of renewal. These cases reveal the representative terrain in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people must resist and speak back to a white national imaginary that works to limit the possible futures that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples imagine for themselves.
Recognizing Children’s Rights: From Child Protection to Children’s Human Rights—The 1979 Swedish Ban on Corporal Punishment in Perspective
Authors: Sandin Bengt
Published: March 2023

Sweden, taken alone or in conjunction with the other Nordic countries, is commonly perceived as a nation where the protection of children and children’s rights has significantly contributed to building both the welfare state and a national identity. The adoption of legislation that prohibits the use of corporal punishment within the family in 1979 is often seen as an example of Sweden’s modernization and commitment to the welfare state and has made the country perform as one of the leaders in the struggle for children’s rights. This chapter looks back at the political situation that has allowed the introduction of a legal ban on corporal punishment within the family, which was built on the concomitant establishment of a new type of relationship between children, the family and the state and on the advent of a multicultural society.

Children’s rights were redefined step by step as a consequence of fundamental changes in the role of the state in representing, protecting, and controlling children in institutions such as orphanages, reformatories, childcare and penal institutions under state and government responsibility as well as in schools and in the family. The direct disciplining of children’s bodies by corporal punishment and humiliating treatment was curtailed and prohibited in public institutions and in due time also the role of the family. The discourses evolved around different representations of children’s individual rights, that were considered equal to those of parents, and of children’s physical, psychological and emotional integrity. The discussion evolved from a focus on the disciplining of older children to a focus on the maltreatment of infants; as a result of that corporal punishment in public institutions and educational and care facilities was banned. In the early 1960s which signified the advent of the expansion of the welfare state and family support with parental leave and childcare, corporal punishment was only accepted in the family and the integrity of the family from state regulation of the upbringing of children and gender relation was questioned. The immigrant population whose views on child rearing were presented as a problem during the 1970s necessitated more direct state intervention and policy of child protection.

This position conflicted with the overriding principle concerning respect for various cultural values which formed part of Swedish immigration policy during the same period. The values concerning raising children, and the rights of children in Sweden, were established as fundamental, as human rights in a democratic society and in parity with universal democratic human rights. The 1979 Swedish law prohibiting corporal punishment of children was partly a reaction to the transformation of a relatively homogeneous society into a multicultural society but also a result of a fundamental change of the scope and organization of welfare institutions for children.
Adults in Charge: The Limits of Formal Child Participatory Processes for Societal Transformation
Authors: Imoh Afua Twum-Danso
Published: March 2023

The Convention on the Rights of Child was supposed to represent a turning point in depictions and perceptions of children in international law and social policy. In particular, the Convention took the position that children were rights-holders who have views and ideas about their own lives and have a right to genuine participation in decision-making affecting them. Its centrality to the Convention is evidenced by the fact that the concept of child participation is included not only within the body of the Convention, but also as one of its four guiding principles. However, despite the vision behind the Convention and the excitement that the participation principle evoked around the world at the time of its adoption, it was, from the outset, limiting in its capacity for genuine transformational impact. This is primarily due to the fact that while the Convention foregrounds the importance of children’s views and involvement in decision-making, it also ensures that adults remain in control in deciding the terms relating to who participates, how they participate, the topics on which they participate and ultimately, the outcome of participatory initiatives. Thus, in this way, the control of children’s participation rights is firmly handed to the management of adults. As a result, what emerges within the Convention is a persisting understanding of children’s rights as being a gift of adults which they then give to children—whether this gift is linked to children’s care and protection rights or their participation rights. This limitation surely then raises questions about the extent to which the Convention actually represents a genuine shift from earlier human rights law and social policies which explicitly depicted children as objects of rights. Therefore, this chapter seeks to critically examine the extent to which the Convention and its attendant initiatives and policies around the world focusing on child participation represents not only a genuine shift in depictions of children within international law, but also a framework for the achievement of transformational impact. This assessment, which will focus on the language and concepts articulated in the Convention and the practices it has inspired, will reveal the limitations associated and inherent within dominant understandings of child participation. Instead, the chapter will call for the need to look outside this dominant child participation framework in search for examples of genuine transformative child participation. An example of the transformative impact of what may be considered non-CRC-framed children’s participation is provided through an analysis of the role of children in the struggle to end apartheid in late twentieth century South Africa. It will finally discuss the implications of such examples of children participating and transforming their society—either independently from adults or with adults—for dominant child participation and children’s rights discourses.
Representing the Child Before the Court
Authors: Tchermalykh Nataliya
Published: March 2023

Despite the recent international ascendance of children as independent actors and rights bearers, reiterated by the UNCRC, in the eyes of the state children appear as not-yet-fully-citizens. As minors, they do not have the capacity to launch legal procedures on their own behalf or to formally approach a court of law to vindicate their rights, independently of their parents or legal guardians. In other words, in the twenty-first century, when child-driven effective pro se representation, or a form of representation of a child by a child before the court, still appears utopian, the indispensability of adult legal actors as conduits to children’s access to justice is an undeniable reality and contingent on a multiplicity of social, political and economic factors that influence what forms of children’s representation that is made possible. However, while the representation of children by the third parties has received criticism both in social anthropology, and in (critical) childhood studies, scholars have only rarely addressed forms of representation and active litigation on behalf of the child, conducted by legal professionals in different arenas—in the domestic courts, such as the immigration courts, and in international institutions, such as the EHRC and the UNCRC.

This chapter builds on earlier published anthropological and socio-legal analysis of court cases related to migration and political activism as well as on a number of original cases from both national and international tribunals collected through interviews and fieldwork observations. It aims at complexifying the existent models of children’s representation, while tackling broader issues of access to justice of the disadvantaged groups. By laying the focus on interactions among children and their lawyers, the objective is to deepen the conceptual understanding of the ways children and their lawyers conceptualize processes of justice-making and make sense of shifting social and legal terrains around the conceptions of representation. In what way are professional legal representation any different from other forms of representation and are they alienating or empowering? What are the exact legal mechanisms, social processes and agents that enable such cases to become legally actionable and contribute to recognizing children’s role as legal subjects?
‘Could It Be That They Do Not Want to Hear What We Have to Say?’ Organised Working Children and the International Politics and Representations of Child Labour
Authors: van Daalen Edward
Published: March 2023

This chapter is primarily concerned with exploring and problematising the representational strategies deployed in processes of global governance and advocacy related to child labour. It is observed that on the international level the broad category of ‘child labour’ is narrowly represented as a form of modern slavery by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and influential NGOs such as the Global March Against Child labour. Actors that challenge such narratives, in particular working children’s movements, are excluded from exerting influence. To better understand how we arrived as this impasse and how we can move forward, the chapter aims to reconstruct, analyse and problematise the institutional and geo-political developments that have resulted in the current status quo, with a special focus on the efforts of organised working children to influence this process. Using the theoretical constructs of the ‘paradox of institutionalisation’, the ‘paradox of a children’s right to participation’ and the ‘problematic of representational power’ to analyse the chapter’s empirical reconstruction, it is concluded that the ILO is to reconsider its restrictive advocacy campaign in favour of identifying more nuanced and evidence-based programmes and policies on child labour.
Deceiving ML-Based Friend-or-Foe Identification for Executables
Authors: Lucas Keane , Sharif Mahmood , Bauer Lujo , Reiter Michael K. , Shintre Saurabh
Published: March 2023

Deceiving an adversary who may, e.g., attempt to reconnoiter a system before launching an attack, typically involves changing the system’s behavior such that it deceives the attacker while still permitting the system to perform its intended function. We develop techniques to achieve such deception by studying a proxy problem: malware detection.

Researchers and anti-virus vendors have proposed DNNs for malware detection from raw bytes that do not require manual feature engineering. In this work, we propose an attack that interweaves binary-diversification techniques and optimization frameworks to mislead such DNNs while preserving the functionality of binaries. Unlike prior attacks, ours manipulates instructions that are a functional part of the binary, which makes it particularly challenging to defend against. We evaluated our attack against three DNNs in white- and black-box settings and found that it often achieved success rates near 100%. Moreover, we found that our attack can fool some commercial anti-viruses, in certain cases with a success rate of 85%. We explored several defenses, both new and old, and identified some that can foil over 80% of our evasion attempts. However, these defenses may still be susceptible to evasion by attacks, and so we advocate for augmenting malware-detection systems with methods that do not rely on machine learning.
Using Amnesia to Detect Credential Database Breaches
Authors: Wang Ke Coby , Reiter Michael K.
Published: March 2023

Known approaches for using decoy passwords (honeywords) to detect credential database breaches suffer from the need for a trusted component to recognize decoys when entered in login attempts, and from an attacker’s ability to test stolen passwords at other sites to identify user-chosen passwords based on their reuse at those sites. Amnesia is a framework that resolves these difficulties. Amnesia requires no secret state to detect the entry of honeywords and additionally allows a site to monitor for the entry of its decoy passwords elsewhere. We quantify the benefits of Amnesia using probabilistic model checking and the practicality of this framework through measurements of a working implementation.
How Discrete
Authors: Viola Lorella
Published: March 2023

This chapter discusses the third use case of the book, the analysis of digital objects. Through the example of topic modelling as a technique to mine large textual repositories, it shows key concepts and methods for applying the post-authentic framework. I first discuss the dangers for knowledge production and for society in general of conflating specific mathematical concepts such as discrete versus continuous modelling of information with metaphorical language to name computational techniques. I specifically reflect on the implications for notions of causality and correlations, particularly in relation to the ’big data philosophy’. After unpacking the properties and assumptions of topic modelling as a computational technique that treats a collection of texts as discrete data, I then show how the post-authentic framework can be applied to engage critically with topic modelling. My discussion will devote special attention to the aspects of the analysis that are key for maintaining a mutualistic, symbiotic connection with the sources: pre-processing, corpus preparation and choosing the number of topics.
What the Graph
Authors: Viola Lorella
Published: March 2023

This chapter is dedicated to the fourth and last use case of the book, the visualisation of a digital object. Specifically, I analyse two cases of graphical display: user interface (UI) and visualisation of digital material. Following the discussions in the previous chapters, I first present work done towards developing an interface for topic modelling that facilitates critical engagement with the method. I then discuss the conceptual challenges of building UI elements that reflect the adoption of a critical approach to visual display, for instance, by visualising the ambiguities and uncertainties of digital methods. Throughout the chapter, I exemplify how the post-authentic framework can be applied to achieve a mutualistic, symbiotic connection between human and technological processes in visual interactions; this, I argue, helps create a digital conscience and keeps the work honest and accountable. Through the examples, I show how it is in fact through the visual display of the ambiguities and uncertainties of computational methods that the active and critical participation of the researcher is acknowledged as required.
Soviet Colonialism Reloaded: Encounters Between Russians and East Central Europeans in Contemporary Literature
Authors: Finkelstein Miriam
Published: March 2023

The chapter analyses reciprocal representations of current and former citizens from the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia and different Eastern and East Central European states in order to demonstrate how contemporary writers from the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, and Slovenia reflect upon relationships between representatives of the aforementioned states when they share the same space, namely Berlin. The underlying assumption is that anywhere they go in the West, migrants encounter highly heterogeneous societies that consist, to a considerable degree, of other migrants. The question central to this chapter is therefore what happens when former nationals of the Soviet Union, the colonising power, and individuals from the formerly colonised East Central- and Eastern European states meet outside their respective home countries, years after the fall of the Iron Curtain? It will demonstrate that Russian-German fiction about Berlin frequently engages in a re-colonisation of the city space by Soviet-Russian migrants. Writers from East Central-, Eastern-, and South-eastern Europe react to these Russian neo-colonial aspirations and, in the sense of a postcolonial “writing back,” deny Russian claims to authority and exclusivity. Finally, texts about Berlin by writers from non-European countries emphasise the utopian potential of these encounters to create a whole new Central cum Eastern–Europe.
Polish Stereotypes of the East: Old and New Mechanisms of Orientalisation in the Regional and Transnational Dimensions
Authors: Zarycki Tomasz
Published: March 2023

The chapter sets out to delineate a synthesising picture of the fundamental types and features of stereotypical images of “the East” in contemporary Polish identity discourses. They are analysed from a critical perspective in relation to postcolonial theory and the cultural/discursive problem of Orientalisation. The chapter also attempts to link the development mechanisms of stereotypical imaginaries of “the East” in contemporary Poland with so-called structural conditions, meaning dependencies of an economic and geopolitical kind. The Orientalism they engender, as the text sets out to prove, relates both to the countries neighbouring Poland, and to regions of eastern Poland which can be called the “internal Orient.” The author differentiates between two basic types of Orientalism, which he subsequently links with two ideological orientations: the conservative and the liberal. Conservative Orientalism is often branded as “classical,” and features the traditional Polish Eastern Borderlands (Kresy)as its dominant rhetorical figure. Liberal Orientalism characterised has less overt and less distinctive forms, and its manifestations are analysed using examples of new Borderlands discourses, which are often built in opposition to the traditional Eastern Borderlands stereotypes. The chapter also offers a comparative survey of reactions to Polish discourses of the East and analogical discursive mechanisms in the countries neighbouring Poland to the east.
Reportage from the (Post-)Contact Zone: Polish Travellers to Decolonised India (1950–1980)
Authors: Sadecka Agnieszka
Published: March 2023

The texts analysed in this chapter span the first three decades of India’s independence. Polish reporters document both the change that occurred in postcolonial India, and the lingering effects of foreign rule on society and culture of the Subcontinent. It is a former contact zone, a post-contact zone, where the former colonisers are absent but their presence can still be felt. Polish reporters visiting India in the 1950s and early 1960s, such as Witold Koehler, Jerzy Ros and Wiesław Górnicki often voice their critique of British colonialism, especially as (semi-official) representatives of a communist state, the Polish People’s Republic. In their accounts, they mention clubs allowing entry only to foreigners, the conflicts stirred by the colonial administration, lasting longer than the British rule, the greed of industrialists and the oppression of peasants. The reporters underline their anti-colonial viewpoint, but in many situations, they are trapped in the convention of colonial relations. Thus, the main question is whether reporters from socialist Poland can truly be anti-colonial, and, given their own dependence from the Soviet Union, can they be anti-imperialist?
An East Central European “Sahib” in a Former Colony: Andrzej Bobkowski in Guatemala (1948–1961)
Authors: Wierzejska Jagoda
Published: March 2023

The chapter analyses a case of colonial othering manifested by immigrants from Soviet-dominated countries after World War II in former Western colonies which stood in a position of dependency towards Western powers at that time. In a paradoxical manner, immigrants, who themselves had experienced subjection to foreign rule, took on the role of the white colonisers in postcolonial spaces, at least in attitudes and perceptions.
Between Pedagogy and Self-Articulation: Roma Necessary Fictions in East Central Europe
Authors: Kledzik Emilia
Published: March 2023

“Necessary fictions,” a term coined by Homi K. Bhabha (The theory of reading, The Harvester Press, Brighton, 1989), refers to literature of postcolonial nations rewriting their history in such a way as to compensate for the lack of independence and agency in the colonial period. The Roma nation in East Central Europe has all the features of what in postcolonial studies is defined as the subaltern—no voice and representation of their own. This minority, due to a range of reasons, did not create such “necessary fictions” that we could compare to the postcolonial ones. The lack of such literary self-presentation in the national languages of East Central Europe has often been seen as a challenge for non-Romani or/and assimilated Roma writers. This was especially the case after World War II, when a massive action of enforced settlement of this nomadic nation took place across all communist countries, and there was a strong need to promote Roma culture as a—although not equivalent—part of local national landscapes. A need to “translate” Roma culture in the literary language was an important part of the state-planned assimilation. These translations were meant as the substitute for the authentic “necessary fictions” archive of literature. This trend continued after the political breakthrough of 1989, already in a different social context.
A Conceptual Framework for Civic Statistics and Its Educational Applications
Authors: Gal Iddo , Nicholson James , Ridgway Jim
Published: March 2023

This chapter presents a comprehensive conceptual framework of 11 facets and tools which together describe the knowledge, skills and dispositions that (young) adults need in order to comprehend, critically evaluate, communicate about, and engage with Civic Statistics regarding ‘burning’ societal issues, and that may enhance citizen empowerment. The framework is organized around three key dimensions involving engagement & action, knowledge, and enabling processes. It identifies knowledge-bases covering meaning for society and policy and critical evaluation and reflection; selected statistical and mathematical constructs and skills; core literacy and mathematical skills; understanding models and modelling, multivariate ideas and textual and rich visual representations; knowledge of research and data production methods and extensions related to official statistics and risk on the societal level; and it emphasises the importance of appropriate dispositions, critical stance, and habits of mind. We offer examples and curriculum tasks that illustrate each of the 11 facets and their interconnectedness. We also describe the use of a ‘radar plot’ tool to support the analysis of how balanced are prospective class activities or test items in terms of covering the 11 facets and tools. The chapter ends with a brief discussion of the implications of the conceptual model and its 11 facets for planning curricula, instruction, and assessments that can promote teaching and learning about Civic Statistics within mathematics education, statistics and data science education, and related disciplines.