bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FOSS (Free Open Source Software) Integration to Implement WebGIS-Based Information System of Kelud Volcano
Authors: Bachri Syamsul , Sumarmi  , Irawan Listyo Yudha , Utaya Sugeng , Wirawan Rahmat , Nurdiansyah Farizki Dwitri , Nurjanah Alif Erfika , Tyas Lela Wahyu Ning , Adillah Akhmad Amri , Setia Denny
Published: October 2022

The purpose of this research is to establish a webGIS-based disaster information system. WebGIS application is used as a dissemination strategy of geospatial information of the data obtained from the surrounding area of Kelud Volcano. This application utilizes theFree Open Source Software(FOSS) standardized by theOpen Geospatial Consortium(OGC). The initial step in the development of this system includes providing a database for geospatial data storing consisting of landslide-prone zones, land suitability, and tourism which were the focus of this research. The second step is the GeoJSON data conversion and Web Mapping Service (WMS) creation. This study has several results in the form of; 1) the establishment of a web-based GIS application system using FOSS standardized by OGC provides benefits in terms of cost efficiency in the development and provides convenience for the application because it is widely used by the community; 2) the development of information systems built in two directions between community participation and disaster web managers shows effective results; 3) the results of the two system tests show that the system built has no functional problems but, the version of the web browser used needs to be considered. This application is expected to build a communication aspect between policymakers and the community concerning an integrated disaster information management.
Environmental Sustainability and Spatial Pattern of Settlement in the Osing and Sasak Communities
Authors: Dewi Kusuma , Amaliya Lia Umi , Attamimi Muhammad Rafi’ , Fahmi Akmal , Wahyuningtyas Neni
Published: October 2022

Local communities have patterns of adaptation to their environment and produce local knowledge systems. Local knowledge provides a pattern of relationships between communities and their environment to support nature conservation. Local knowledge also produces spatial patterns of community settlements. The aim of this research is to find the differences and similarities the way of thinking Sasak and Osing tribes in protecting their environment and their relation to the spatial pattern of community settlements. This research is classified as a qualitative descriptive research. The approach used ethnography. Data search in this case using in-depth interview techniques, documentation, observation and literacy studies The data analysis technique went through several stages, namely collection, grouping, examination, analysis, and drawing conclusions. The results show that ecological knowledge to achieve environmental harmony has an impact on various behavioral patterns of the Osing and Sasak people. Series of activities to protect the environment starting from knowledge of agricultural systems, management of water resources, land use, plant use, rituals, cultural traditions, or settlement patterns. The spatial pattern of the Osing community settlement is north-south and the direction of the road. Meanwhile, the spatial pattern of the Sasak people’s settlements uses a mountain-sea and east-west orientation.
Soil Erosion mapping using Remote Sensing and GIS - A case study of Rewa River Watershed, Naitasiri province, Fiji
Authors: Thammadi Swetha Priya Darshini , Pisini Sateesh Kumar
Published: October 2022

Rewa river watershed covers approximately up around 33% of the Viti Levu’s total Land area in Fiji’s central division. Due to anthropogenic development activities, this region has undergone soil erosion and flooding. Soil erosion leads to a variety of environmental issues, with a direct impact on agriculture and infrastructure development. An evaluation of soil erosion in the Rewa river watershed can be used to plan conservation activities. Modeling provides a quantitative and consistent technique to estimating the quantity of soil loss under various situations. The goal of this research is to estimate average annual soil erosion in the Rewa river watershed in Naitasiri province, Fiji, using a GIS (Geographic Information System) combined with the RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) model. According to the findings, a maximum annual soil loss occurs near to developing regions and river tributaries in areas with a high risk of erosion. To avoid potential concerns in places prone to moderate to high erosion risk, erosion control and watershed protection measures must be implemented immediately. In this context, the RUSLE model can be used to analyse soil erosion in small watersheds in a quick, cost-effective, and less labor-intensive manner, hence assisting in sustainable development and supporting healthy land use practices.
Chambal River Water Quality Assessment at Kota Metropolis Through the Irrigation Water Quality Indices from 2017-2021
Authors: Sharma Aparna , Kuldeep  , Mathur Anil K
Published: October 2022

The Chambal river plays an essential role in satisfying all water demands for the two million population of Kota and nearby districts of Rajasthan (India). This research aims to analyse the Chambal river water quality for irrigation in the upstream and downstream of Kota dam, Rajasthan (India), for five years, from 2017 to 2021. The irrigation water quality of the Chambal river at Kota is estimated with the help of five indices, namely, the permeability index (PI). Kelly ration (KR), magnesium hazard (MH), soluble sodium percentage (SSP), and sodium absorption ratio (SAR). Calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and bicarbonate were analysed from 2017 to 2021 to complete irrigation water quality indices (IWQIs) for the Chambal river upstream and downstream of the Kota dam. Akalgarh is situated upstream of the Kota dam, while Rangpur, SRRT, and Keshoraipatan in the downstream. The irrigation water quality indices (IWQIs) are estimated to access river water quality for agricultural use. SAR, SAP, KR, MH, and PI had higher values in downstream sampling points than upstream during the observation period of five years. Hence, upstream river water is more suitable for use in agricultural activities. The evaluated IWQIs are the best rating tool for Chambal river water quality. Different characteristics of Chambal river water may be assessed through these IWQIs. The best management program and pollution control strategies can be determined, which ultimately helps stack holders for decision making.
Investigation into the Compressive Stress on Lumbar Spine among Tractor Drivers during different Ride Conditions
Authors: Prakash Chander , Singh Lakwinder Pal , Gupta Ajay
Published: October 2022

The aim of this investigation is to figure out the stress (compressive) on the lumbar spine of tractor driver posture among different ride conditions i.e., RPM (Revolutions per minute), Postures, and Road Conditions). The spinal stress under various riding conditions was assessed using the daily equivalent static compression dose (Sed). Design Expert, a statistical programme that combines Taguchi’s L9 Orthogonal Array Method, is used to determine the experimental runs with different parameters such as varying the tractor speed in RPM (700, 1000 & 1300), driver posture (Lean forward without backrest-P1, vertical erect without backrest-P2, vertical erect with backrest-P3), selected road conditions (village road, brick road and farm road). Analysis of the overall influence of riding conditions among all the experiments was done by calculating signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios. A regression model has been developed to analyze the Sed response and the desirability technique was used to minimize the Sed response. The daily dose of static compression on lumber spine was found between 0.35 and 0.67 MPa, which comes within the category of “moderate adverse health effect” as defined by ISO2631-5: 2004. Statistically, the RPM and Road type conditions were found highly significant with the percentage contribution is 77% and 21% respectively. As comfort is crucial for the tractor driver. The Sed values can be used for tractor seat design for more comfort. The approach is novel as per the Indian context for the tractor driver’s comfort. The methods of work-study and sampling in a larger context are well established.
Design and development of the divergent wind turbine
Authors: Rajput Himanshu , Gupta Anil , Sah Harihar , Gattani Manoj , Satankar Raj kumar
Published: October 2022

Wind energy is a prime source of renewable energy nowadays. Wind energy is converted to electrical energy with the help of wind turbines. There is various kind of wind turbines depending upon their axis and shape. The wind turbine which we have designed is a vertical axis helical wind turbine that is circular. Going from top to bottom, the diameter of the circular blades increases. The diameter at the top is the lowest and at the bottom it is maximum. Such a design is proposed to utilize the maximum wind pressure created by vehicles on road. Positive results have been received by testing the wind turbines on CFD simulation. Three different kinds of wind turbines have been tested under the same conditions on different parameters. Wind turbines having 4 blades have been compared with curved blade wind turbines with the respective amount of blades, and results are drawn.
Potential of phytomining in Bulgaria
Authors: Miteva Iva , Petrov Petar , Stefanova Veneta
Published: October 2022

Phytomining has been gaining more and more popularity in recent years. Scientific information is being accumulated and technologies are being developed that could make phytomining an applicable technology for the extraction of rare and noble metals.

In Bulgaria, the mining industry is well developed. Copper, lead, zinc, gold and polymetallic ores are mainly mined. The waste generated during the mining process of these ores has a great potential for phytomining. There are many existing, abandoned and closed dumps, tailings ponds and landfills that have the potential to be used for phytomining.

This paper analyzes the possibility of using phytomining technology for the extraction of noble and rare metals in Bulgaria. An overview of the level of development of phytomining technologies and the available resources in Bulgaria for which it is applicable has been made.
Stability of van der Waals FePX3 materials (X: S, Se) for water-splitting applications
Authors: Sharma Sandhya , Zeeshan Hafiz Muhammad , Panahi Mohammad , Jin Yichen , Yan Mouhui , Jin Yukun , Li Kexin , Zeller Patrick , Efimenko Anna , Makarova Anna , Smirnov Dmitry , Paulus Beate , Voloshina Elena , Dedkov Yuriy
Published: October 2022

The interaction of high-quality transition metal trichalcogenides (TMTs) single crystals FePX3 (X: S, Se) with water molecules is studied using near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in a wide range of temperature and partial pressure of H2O. The physisorption nature of interaction between H2O and FePX3 is found at low temperatures and relatively small concentrations of water molecules, that is supported by the DFT results. When temperature of the FePX3 samples and partial pressure of H2O are increased, the interaction at the interface is defined by two competing processes—adsorption of molecules at high partial pressure of H2O and desorption of molecules due to the increased surface mobility and physisorption nature of interaction. Our intensive XPS/NEXAFS experiments accompanied by DFT calculations bring new understanding on the interaction of H2O with surface of a new class of 2D materials, TMTs, pointing to their stability and reactivity, that is important for further applications in different areas, like sensing and catalysis.
Effect of pulse overlap rate on the microstructure and mechanical properties of laser welds of thin AZ31 magnesium alloy
Authors: Lu Hailong , Zhang Xiaobin , Zhao Pengfei , Bian Shuwang
Published: October 2022

In order to improve the quality of pulsed laser welding on magnesium alloy, the effect of pulse overlap rate on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the welds is studied. A Nd:YAG pulsed laser welding machine is used to carry the butt welding experiments on AZ31 magnesium alloy (1 mm), and the pulse overlap rate (10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 90%) is varied by adjusting the welding velocity. The experimental results show that with the increases of pulse overlap rate, the sensitivity of the solidification cracks and pores decreases. The grain size of the columnar grains at the fusion boundary (FB) and the equiaxed grains in the center of the welds increases and then decreases and reach the maximum value of 114.72 ± 3.06 μm and 74.08 ± 5.87 μm, respectively, when the overlap rate is 70%. The percentage of the ductile fracture in the fracture of tensile specimens is proportional to the pulse overlap rate. With the increases of the pulse overlap rate, the tensile strength and maximum force show a trend of decreasing first and then increasing, and both reach the maximum value of 94.583 MPa and 1.135 kN when the overlap rate is 90%. Besides, the microhardnesses of the welds decrease first and then increase, and it’s maximum value is 86 HV0.2. In summary, the welds with better surface morphology can be obtained at the pulse overlap rate of 70%, while the mechanical properties of the welds are better when the overlap rate is 90%.
Global stability of almost periodic solutions in population dynamics
Authors: Díaz-Marín Homero , Osuna Osvaldo
Published: October 2022

We study first order differential equations with continuous almost periodic time dependence. We propose existence and global stability criteria of almost periodic solutions. Our results are specially useful in the study of one species population dynamics, such as logistic models with almost periodic parameters. Almost periodic time dependence also provides an explanation for oscillatory solutions in models of hematopoiesis disease dynamics.
Viruses past and future
Authors: Crawford Dorothy H.
Published: October 2022

This chapter reviews the structure of viruses, which are considered as ancient parasites whose history and evolution is closely entwined with people. Many new viruses jumped from domestic animals to the early farmers, causing severe diseases. It talks about how man has entered another era of emerging infections, mainly viruses arising from wild animals that spread rapidly and cause severe, even fatal, diseases. The chapter explains how the transfer of zoonotic viruses to humans is facilitated by certain behavioural or cultural practices. It explores the particular risk of close interactions with wild animals, many of which carry viruses with the potential to infect and spread among the human population.
The hero
Authors: Leeming David A.
Published: October 2022

Lord Raglan, Joseph Campbell, and several modern critics have analyzed the “hero with a thousand faces,” especially studying the hero quest with its archetypal phases such as the miraculous conception, the quest itself, the descent to the underworld, and the return (Gilgamesh, Jesus, Quetzalcoatl, Heracles, Cuchulainn, Theseus, Hainuwele, Draupadi, etc.). Typically, the hero is conceived or born in a miraculous manner. Often the hero undergoes some kind of initiation in childhood that is an indication of great deeds to follow. These deed are at once extraordinary labors and a quest for something well beyond what we think of as possibile. This chapter examines the archetypal approach to the hero using examples from several cultures. How is the hero our representative in the world of myth? What is our psychological connection with the mythic hero? How is the hero us?
British Cinema: A Very Short Introduction
Authors: Barr Charles
Published: October 2022

British Cinema: A Very Short Introduction discusses cinema in Britain, considering its films and film-makers as well as its studios and sponsorships. It does this against the backdrop of changing artistic, socio-political, and industrial climates up to the present day. Cinema is indeed a powerful cultural medium, both reflecting and influencing society. The role of British cinema has been particularly controversial; it is sometimes derided, but also vigorously celebrated, especially for specific films and film-makers. This VSI traces how British cinema has developed its own unique path, and has been admired for its innovative approaches and distinctive artistic language.
A very short history
Authors: Barr Charles
Published: October 2022

This chapter presents a brief history of British cinema. Britain had an important role in the development of cinema, but its industry was in a state of crisis by the start of the 1920s. The chapter then details how the second half of the decade became a foundational period for British cinema, highlighting the works of Iris Barry, John Grierson, Michael Balcon, and Alfred Hitchcock. It considers the foundation of the Film Society in 1925; the passing of the Cinematographic Films Act of 1927; and the boost given to documentary films. Finally, the chapter traces the record of Oscar nominations for both Hollywood-made ‘British’ films and for Britain’s own productions.
Potential drug-drug interaction between warfarin and norethindrone in adolescent females: A case series
Authors: Grapsy Jillian , Hoang Anh , Lee Ying , Zia Ayesha
Published: October 2022

Purpose

In the pediatric population, warfarin remains the recommended oral anticoagulant for valvular heart disease. Warfarin carries a risk of bleeding complications that can manifest as heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) in postmenarchal adolescent females. As a result, these patients may be started on hormonal therapies, such as norethindrone, to suppress menstruation.

This case series describes a potential drug interaction between warfarin and norethindrone in 3 adolescent females with a history of mechanical mitral valve replacement who developed HMB. These patients were on stable warfarin regimens before the initiation of norethindrone and subsequently experienced increases in their international normalized ratio (INR). In response, they required an up to 50% reduction in their weekly warfarin dose over 5 to 12 weeks.

Conclusion

These observations suggest that use of norethindrone for the management of HMB may significantly potentiate the anticoagulant effect of warfarin. Close INR monitoring and aggressive dose adjustments during initiation and discontinuation of norethindrone are recommended in patients on warfarin.
RIbench: A Proposed Benchmark for the Standardized Evaluation of Indirect Methods for Reference Interval Estimation
Authors: Ammer Tatjana , Schützenmeister André , Prokosch Hans-Ulrich , Zierk Jakob , Rank Christopher M , Rauh Manfred
Published: October 2022

Background

Indirect methods leverage real-world data for the estimation of reference intervals. These constitute an active field of research, and several methods have been developed recently. So far, no standardized tool for evaluation and comparison of indirect methods exists.

Methods

We provide RIbench, a benchmarking suite for quantitative evaluation of any existing or novel indirect method. The benchmark contains simulated test sets for 10 biomarkers mimicking routine measurements of a mixed distribution of non-pathological (reference) values and pathological values. The non-pathological distributions represent 4 common distribution types: normal, skewed, heavily skewed, and skewed-and-shifted. To identify strengths and weaknesses of indirect methods, test sets have varying sample sizes and pathological distributions differ in location, extent of overlap, and fraction. For performance evaluation, we use an overall benchmark score and sub-scores derived from absolute z-score deviations between estimated and true reference limits. We illustrate the application of RIbench by evaluating and comparing the Hoffmann method and 4 modern indirect methods –TML (Truncated-Maximum-Likelihood), kosmic, TMC (Truncated-Minimum-Chi-Square), and refineR– against one another and against a nonparametric direct method (n = 120).

Results

For the modern indirect methods, pathological fraction and sample size had a strong influence on the results: With a pathological fraction up to 20% and a minimum sample size of 5000, most methods achieved results comparable or superior to the direct method.

Conclusions

We present RIbench, an open-source R-package, for the systematic evaluation of existing and novel indirect methods. RIbench can serve as a tool for enhancement of indirect methods, improving the estimation of reference intervals.
Effects of land-use patterns on the biogeography of the sediment bacteria in the Yarlung Tsangpo River
Authors: Liu Keshao , Hu Anyi , Hou Liyuan , Zhang Lanping , Zeng Qiaoting , Yan Qi , Wang Feng , Zhang Zhihao , Xiao Xiong , Junzhi Liu , Liu Yongqin
Published: October 2022

Bacteria communities, as key drivers of energy flow and nutrient recycling in rivers, usually consist of a few abundant taxa and many rare taxa. During the last decades, rivers on the Tibetan Plateau have experienced dramatic land surface changes under climate change and anthropogenic disturbances. However, the responses of abundant and rare taxa to such changes and disturbances still remains unclear. In this study, we explored the biogeography and drivers of the abundant and rare bacteria in Yarlung Tsangpo River sediments on the Tibetan Plateau. Our study demonstrated that changes in surrounding land-use patterns, especially in forest land, bare land and cropland, had profound influences on the distribution of the abundant and rare sediment bacteria in the Yarlung Tsangpo River. Although both communities exhibited significant distance-decay patterns, dispersal limitation was the dominant process in the abundant community, while the rare community was mainly driven by heterogeneous selection. Our results also revealed that the abundant bacteria exhibited stronger adaptation across environmental gradients than the rare bacteria. The similar biogeographic patterns but contrasting assembly processes in abundant and rare communities may result from the differences in their environmental adaptation processes. This work provides valuable insights into the importance of land surface changes in influencing the biogeographic patterns of bacteria in fluvial sediments, which helps to predict their activities and patterns in Tibetan rivers under future global climate change and anthropogenic disturbances.
Genome Evolution of a Symbiont Population for Pathogen Defense in Honeybees
Authors: Dyrhage Karl , Garcia-Montaner Andrea , Tamarit Daniel , Seeger Christian , Näslund Kristina , Olofsson Tobias C , Vasquez Alejandra , Webster Matthew T , Andersson Siv G E
Published: October 2022

The honeybee gut microbiome is thought to be important for bee health, but the role of the individual members is poorly understood. Here, we present closed genomes and associated mobilomes of 102 Apilactobacillus kunkeei isolates obtained from the honey crop (foregut) of honeybees sampled from beehives in Helsingborg in the south of Sweden and from the islands Gotland and Åland in the Baltic Sea. Each beehive contained a unique composition of isolates and repeated sampling of similar isolates from two beehives in Helsingborg suggests that the bacterial community is stably maintained across bee generations during the summer months. The sampled bacterial population contained an open pan-genome structure with a high genomic density of transposons. A subset of strains affiliated with phylogroup A inhibited growth of the bee pathogen Melissococcus plutonius, all of which contained a 19.5 kb plasmid for the synthesis of the antimicrobial compound kunkecin A, while a subset of phylogroups B and C strains contained a 32.9 kb plasmid for the synthesis of a putative polyketide antibiotic. This study suggests that the mobile gene pool of A. kunkeei plays a key role in pathogen defense in honeybees, providing new insights into the evolutionary dynamics of defensive symbiont populations.
A virtual library for behavioral performance in standard conditions—rodent spontaneous activity in an open field during repeated testing and after treatment with drugs or brain lesions
Authors: Szechtman Henry , Dvorkin-Gheva Anna , Gomez-Marin Alex
Published: October 2022

Background

Beyond their specific experiment, video records of behavior have future value—for example, as inputs for new experiments or for yet unknown types of analysis of behavior—similar to tissue or blood sample banks in life sciences where clinically derived or otherwise well-described experimental samples are stored to be available for some unknown potential future purpose.

Findings

Research using an animal model of obsessive-compulsive disorder employed a standardized paradigm where the behavior of rats in a large open field was video recorded for 55 minutes on each test. From 43 experiments, there are 19,976 such trials that amount to over 2 years of continuous recording. In addition to videos, there are 2 video-derived raw data objects: XY locomotion coordinates and plots of animal trajectory. To motivate future use, the 3 raw data objects are annotated with a general schema—one that abstracts the data records from their particular experiment while providing, at the same time, a detailed list of independent variables bearing on behavioral performance. The raw data objects are deposited as 43 datasets but constitute, functionally, a library containing 1 large dataset.

Conclusions

Size and annotation schema give the library high reuse potential: in applications using machine learning techniques, statistical evaluation of subtle factors, simulation of new experiments, or as educational resource. Ultimately, the library can serve both as the seed and as the test bed to create a machine-searchable virtual library of linked open datasets for behavioral performance in defined conditions.
On the Modulus Duality in Arbitrary Codimension
Authors: Lohvansuu Atte
Published: October 2022

We study the modulus of dual families of $k$- and $(n-k)$-dimensional Lipschitz chains of Euclidean $n$-cubes and establish half of the modulus duality identity.
Nucleotide-Based Lanthanide Coordination Polymer Nano-Probe for Turn-On Fluorescence Sensing of Zn2+ in Serum
Authors: Guo Lili , Baoxia Liu , Yintang Zhang , Peng Qu
Published: October 2022

Background

Water-dispersed lanthanide coordination polymers (LCPs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their superiority in bioanalysis. However, so far, most of the reported LCPs, due to the employment of water-insoluble and toxic organic molecules as ligands, are only competent in organic solution or the gaseous phase. Therefore, the construction of a water-dispersed, LCP-based, especially LCP nanoparticle (LCPNP)-based, sensor is still lacking and challenging.

Objective

The aim was to obtain a novel and effective LCPNP-based sensor for Zn2+ by simple self-assembly, utilizing water-soluble guanosine monophosphate (GMP) as ligand and Eu3+ as luminescence center, .

Methods

In aqueous solutions, Eu-GMP NPs were formed via self-assembly reaction between Eu3+ and GMP, and displayed very weak fluorescence due to low energy transfer from GMP to Eu3+ and the rate constant of nonradiactive deactivation of the excited states caused by the O–H vibration of coordinated water molecules. After the introduce of Zn2+, forming Eu-GMP/Zn, very interestingly, an 8-fold fluorescence enhancement was observed due to the removal of coordination water molecules and fluorescence sensitization of Zn2+.

Results

The fluorescence intensity of Eu-GMP NPs at 614 nm showed a linear relationship with the concentration of Zn2+ from 4 to 240 μM with a detection limit of 4 μM. Due to possessing long fluorescence, Eu-GMP showed prominent achievment for application in serum Zn2+ determination.

Conclusion

The LCPNP probe exhibited excellent performance for the determination of Zn2+ in serum.

Highlights

For the first time, we developed and designed a kind of water-dispersed, LCPNP-based turn-on fluorescence assay for Zn2+ in serum. High sensitivity and good recoveries were achieved due to long fluorescence life, good water-dispersed behavior, and the turn-on fluorescence response of the LCPNP probe.
Quantitative 1HNMR Spectroscopy: Analysis of Zinc Gluconate in Utozinc® Tablets, a Mixture of Zinc Gluconate and Vitamin C
Authors: Hassan Marwa H , Hassan Abdalla E A
Published: October 2022

Background

Zinc is an essential metal for humans and plays key roles in several biological events such as immunity, allergy, growth, and inflammation. The deficiency in zinc causes an increased infection rate with pathogens. Organo-zincates such as zinc gluconate are known for better absorption compared with their inorganic zinc salts. Its role in enhancing the immune system has driven a huge demand for organo-zinc supplements and in the treatment protocol of coronavirus disease, the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective

Herein, we report on a quantitative analysis of zinc gluconate in the authentic form in presence of vitamin C, and the method was applied to their dosage form (Utozinc® tablets). The method is simple, accurate, and validated according to ICH guidelines.

Method

Quantification of zinc gluconate formulated with vitamin C (Utozinc tablets) using Q-1HNMR. Maleic acid and deuterium oxide were used as internal standards and solvents, respectively.

Results

The linearity range, the limit of detection and quantification, stability, precision, and accuracy, were validated. The validation of the method within five concentration levels (from 10 to 50 mg/0.5 mL D2O) afforded a limit of detection of 4.58 mg/mL, a quantification limit of 15.27 mg/mL, and excellent linearity.

Conclusions

The method proposed in the present study is simple, fast, nondestructive, and accurate. Zinc gluconate quantification values obtained by the Q-1HNMR method were found to show an acceptable correlation with those obtained by the thin-layer chromatographic technique.

Highlights

The method was successfully applied to Utozinc tablets, and the results were compared with the reported reference pharmacopeial method. The salt exchange between maleic acid (IS) and zinc gluconate was tested by noticing the change in the chemical shift of IS and zinc gluconate.
Deep kinetoplast genome analyses result in a novel molecular assay for detecting Trypanosoma brucei gambiense-specific minicircles
Authors: Geerts Manon , Chen Zihao , Bebronne Nicolas , Savill Nicholas J , Schnaufer Achim , Büscher Philippe , Van Reet Nick , Van den Broeck Frederik
Published: October 2022

The World Health Organization targeted Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (Tbg) human African trypanosomiasis for elimination of transmission by 2030. Sensitive molecular markers that specifically detect Tbg type 1 (Tbg1) parasites will be important tools to assist in reaching this goal. We aim at improving molecular diagnosis of Tbg1 infections by targeting the abundant mitochondrial minicircles within the kinetoplast of these parasites. Using Next-Generation Sequencing of total cellular DNA extracts, we assembled and annotated the kinetoplast genome and investigated minicircle sequence diversity in 38 animal- and human-infective trypanosome strains. Computational analyses recognized a total of 241 Minicircle Sequence Classes as Tbg1-specific, of which three were shared by the 18 studied Tbg1 strains. We developed a minicircle-based assay that is applicable on animals and as specific as the TgsGP-based assay, the current golden standard for molecular detection of Tbg1. The median copy number of the targeted minicircle was equal to eight, suggesting our minicircle-based assay may be used for the sensitive detection of Tbg1 parasites. Annotation of the targeted minicircle sequence indicated that it encodes genes essential for the survival of the parasite and will thus likely be preserved in natural Tbg1 populations, the latter ensuring the reliability of our novel diagnostic assay.
The Impossibility of Neutrality? How Courts Engage with the Neutrality Argument
Authors: Smet Stijn
Published: October 2022

The principle of state neutrality vis-à-vis religion and belief is contested and illusive. Some scholars even label it an impossible principle. Nevertheless, the meanings and functions assigned to neutrality are often determinative of, among others, the scope of the right to manifest one’s religion in public institutions. Focusing on recent developments in Europe, this article makes two claims: one conceptual and the other doctrinal. The conceptual claim is that neutrality can be deployed either as a shield to protect freedom of religion and belief or as a sword to strike religious claims down. Given that lawmakers and policymakers in Europe are increasingly relying on the second function of neutrality, the article goes on to evaluate how the courts have responded. The doctrinal claim of the article is that courts can engage—and have engaged—with the neutrality argument in three ways: (i) through deference to other interpreters of neutrality; (ii) through substantive interpretation of the neutrality principle; and (iii) through circumvention of the neutrality argument. The article suggests that the third approach may well be preferable.
Deng’s Ghost
Authors: Shirk Susan L.
Published: October 2022

This chapter explains how the historical lessons of the CCP rule under Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping contribute to the overreach today. Mao Zedong’s rule is a classific exemplification of overconcentration of power in a personalistic leader. Despite his embrace of economic and political reform, Deng Xiaoping, as the chief engineer behind the collective leadership system, failed to sufficiently constrain the Party actors due to his aversion to the Western style separation of powers, appeasement to the Left, and the fear of social unrest. By discussing the historical significance of Mao and Deng’s rule, this chapter delineates the historical context of the overreach under Hu and Xi.
Loss of Restraint
Authors: Shirk Susan L.
Published: October 2022

This chapter takes a deeper dive into the international overreach under Hu’s second term of office following the 2008 global financial crisis. It focuses on how the fragmentation of collective leadership prompted a more assertive foreign policy. It highlights the South China Sea dispute and the deteriorating US-China relations as two examples of how unchecked interest groups in areas such as propaganda and the military extended into foreign policy making. Hu’s efforts to improve China’s relationships with neighboring countries in Asia was also hamstrung by domestic interest groups. Consequently, by the end of Hu’s second term of office, China had become one of the “loneliest rising powers in world history.”
Real Property
Authors: Mallat Chibli
Published: October 2022

From concepts of land law and waqf (trusts) in classical law through the recent establishment of the cadaster, the vast Saudi territory is subject to a complex mixture of real rights. Among Islamic law categories and principles, most important are the principle of revived land and the power of the ruler to grant land to the citizens. A law of 1388/1968 classified land for eventual distribution by the state, leading to continuous conflicts on the ownership of land under the label of istihkam, especially in the perimeter of cities. A cadaster was established to provide better stability and clarity to land transactions and titles. Alongside the tug of war between classical and modern property concepts, the country adopted Western legislation on land expropriation and on condominiums. Some sui generis Saudi categories have emerged, such as “white land.” The chapter also examines special categories: conveyancing, preemption, waqf, water rights.
Introduction
Authors: Besharov Douglas J. , Call Douglas M.
Published: October 2022

This chapter introduces the major themes of the volume by describing recent changes to safety-net policies in the United States. In early 2021, the United States implemented a revamped and greatly expanded federal Child Tax Credit that removed the requirement that parents have earnings in order to receive the payments. Severing this connection to work essentially reversed a key tenet of American welfare policy that had been in place since the enactment of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in 1996. The chapter then discusses the divergent trend in many European counties that have pursued policies designed to discourage long-term recipiency and encourage work and other work-related behaviors (“activation”) and extended them beyond the US model. The chapter concludes by summarizing the chapters in the volume and identifying how these trends are manifest in different areas of countries’ social safety nets including unemployment insurance, disability benefits, social assistance, and public employment services.
Less Activation in US Social Assistance Programs?
Authors: Weidinger Matt
Published: October 2022

This chapter reviews work activation in the US cash welfare program currently known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). It focuses on developments surrounding major bipartisan reforms enacted in 1996, when the former Aid to Families with Dependent Children program was replaced with the TANF block grant. Those reforms sought to strengthen the degree to which recipients—primarily single mothers—were expected to engage in work, training, or other activities in exchange for monthly benefit checks. While reforms were followed by significant increases in work and earnings and decreases in poverty and dependence, key features—and how states implemented the new program—subsequently weakened the effects of TANF work activation policies. The chapter concludes that other federal benefit programs—including recent monthly Child Tax Credit checks paid to even non-working parents—have largely eclipsed the TANF program and its work activation policies.
Lessons for Labor Policy in the Aftermath of the Great Recession
Authors: Montgomery Edward
Published: October 2022

The Great Recession and COVID-19 pandemic brought profound dislocation to the United States and much of Europe, taxing their social safety nets to an extent not seen in the post-World War II period. The United States and other advanced economies changed their policy responses over the course of these crises, providing an opportunity to look within and across countries in assessing the effectiveness of their labor market responses in increasing employment and improving labor market outcomes. This chapter reviews that evidence and uses it to propose changes to the existing US unemployment insurance system, changes that would both ensure that fewer workers fell through the social safety net and, in part by using labor activation policies, enhance the speed at which they return to work.
Vascular Dementia
Authors: Noble James M.
Published: October 2022

This chapter covers vascular dementia, which is the third most common cause of dementia. It differentiates between the different types of vascular dementia: single-infarct dementia, subcortical white matter disease, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Large single-infarct dementia refers to a single major stroke that may leave someone suddenly disabled and dependent upon others. Meanwhile, the net effect of many subcortical strokes is slow mental processing speed, problems with paying attention and staying focused, and depressive symptoms. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy causes hemorrhagic strokes, both small and large, that are sometimes only seen on MRI. The chapter then looks at genetic forms of vascular dementia. It also considers the importance of controlling vascular risk factors in preventing stroke.
The New Power Elite
Authors: Gautney Heather
Published: October 2022

A “remake” of C. Wright Mills’ The Power Elite, this book charts patterns of elite domination amid paradigmatic changes in the structuring of U.S. social institutions and political life since the postwar period that lay bare the essentially corrupt and authoritarian nature of neoliberal capitalism and the power elites behind it. Driven by an inexhaustible pursuit of profits and wealth accumulation, power elites of the last half century conceived of and imposed a new form of global capitalism that has positioned the “free market” as an ultimate political and cultural authority. In the process, they have suppressed policies and rules, social movements, and political organizations that might impede profitability and exacted an unspeakable toll on human and planetary life. Similar to Mills, The New Power Elite elucidates the means through which today’s elites accumulate wealth and power, including the subordination of military and governmental systems, media and culture, and labor, finance, and production to “market imperatives.” It departs from Mills, however, in accounting for major transformations in the political geography of corporations and labor, the rise of finance capital, and role of U.S. imperialism in the structuring of global capitalism. And, unlike Mills, the book argues that while the American State, mass media, and cultural institutions can still operate as a sites of contestation, political, military, and cultural institutions today should not be considered as autonomous from market forces, as their principal function is to serve the interests of capital and operate on its behalf.
A Comparison of Decisions Made on Four “Pre-Theoretical” Problems by Talcott Parsons and Alfred Schütz
Authors: Garfinkel Harold
Published: October 2022

This chapter compares “pre-theoretical decisions” made by Talcott Parsons and Alfred Schütz on the following dimensions: (1) a theory of objects; (2) the logical status and uses of empirical ideal types; (3) the observer as part of the field of observation; and (4) the logical status and uses of the “subjective” categories. A key distinction, somewhat indebted to Kaufmann (1944), is between the neo-Kantian “correspondence” and phenomenological “congruence” theories of reality. This distinction informs the four “pre-theoretical” decisions and the issues to which they are heir. The emphasis in extant sociological theory mostly has been predicated on the neo-Kantian solutions that informed Parsons’s approach to the pre-theoretical decisions, whereas Schütz’s decisions provide, inter alia, for a fresh attack on the relevance of time in the definition and conceptualization of action structures. The chapter is a condensation of themes from Chapter 5 of Harold Garfinkel’s dissertation, “The Perception of the Other: A Study in Social Order,” Harvard University: Department of Social Relations (1952), and was prepared by Garfinkel for a seminar in 1960.
Garfinkel’s Studies of Work
Authors: Lynch Michael E.
Published: October 2022

In the early 1970s, Harold Garfinkel launched a research program on studies of work. Such work was not limited to on-the-job performances in specific occupations or professions. Although it included labor practices associated with particular organizations and occupations, it also encompassed the work of driving in traffic, queuing for a service, and other everyday practices. “Work” thus was salient in at least two ways: first, as a reference to occupational, professional, and organized recreational activities; and second, as a reference to the practical accomplishment of a broad range of what Garfinkel called “naturally organized ordinary activities.” This chapter focuses on both aspects of such studies of work: the study of specialized organizational activities and the study of everyday activities. In addition to reviewing the studies of work program and tracing its influence in fields such as science and technology studies (STS) and computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW), the chapter focuses on distinctive themes, such as “the unique adequacy requirement of methods” and “instructed actions” in the production of social order. Finally, the chapter discusses practical and professional implications of Garfinkel’s proposal for the development of “hybrid” fields that would integrate ethnomethodology with the practices studied.
The Situated and Methodic Production of Accountable Action
Authors: Mondada Lorenza
Published: October 2022

This chapter reflects on the legacy of Harold Garfinkel and the relations between ethnomethodology and conversation analysis, by focusing on a common concern for both programs: the study of action as methodic, which means accountable, recognizable, and reproducible. Both approaches seek to describe the members’ production, recognition, and reproduction of actions understood as locally situated social achievements. The chapter discusses two key dimensions of methodically produced actions—their situatedness and orderliness—and attempts to show the importance of considering both of them together. This discussion is developed in relation to a more recent trend in ethnomethodology and conversation analysis, based on the use of video materials documenting naturally occurring social interactions, permitting a fine-grained scrutiny of the multimodal details of action. The paper makes explicit the EMCA conception of methodic orders, and offers an empirical analysis starting with the detailed description of a piece of data, before discussing the possibility of finding other instances of the phenomenon—and thus the possibility of building a collection that would show the orderliness, methodicity, and reproducibility of the features identified in the first instance.
Humor, Me
Authors: Jacobs Lanita
Published: October 2022

The concluding chapter explores the politics, stakes, and merits of examining race and authenticity in anthropology and the broader public sphere. In particular, I describe my fraught experiences as the sudden[?] subject of veiled and explicit humor—think: “when the anthropologist becomes data.” I also attempt to wrest meaning, a literal means to survive and thrive, by putting these ah-ha! moments in critical if not literal conversation with the late Zora Neale Hurston (who had to move after contending with a treacherous and consequential lie and inspired me to do the same) and Toni Morrison (whose bold critique of the literary canon’s shifty handling of race compelled me like a steady outstretched hand). Ultimately, these experiences and epiphanies helped to cement this book’s take-home point: “a” real Black matters and is worth fighting for to help us all—hopefully—toward a shared groove we can all dance to.
For Queen and country
Authors: Logan Sarah
Published: October 2022

This chapter considers ideas of Britishness and British values that pervade much of Britain’s counterradicalization policy and asks what it means to be British and what British values entail, by providing a history of British citizenship and integration policies—the means by which immigrants are encouraged to become British. The chapter places this analysis in the context of a history of citizen violence against the British state and state responses to it. In doing so, it establishes the background against which post-9/11 counterradicalization policies emerge.
Legislating against homegrown extremism in Britain
Authors: Logan Sarah
Published: October 2022

This chapter traces the UK’s legislative approach to the relationship between citizens and the state in the context of homegrown extremism, showing that such legislation addresses the problem within a broader framework of political community. It examines three types of legislative measures: those which establish the framework through which the relationship between citizen and state is viewed in the context of post-9/11 counterterrorism; those which seek to prevent “citizen terrorism” directly; and those which respond to homegrown extremism via immigration and citizenship legislation. Doing so offers a timeline of legislative activity and provides insights into the way that the problem and response are framed in the UK, showing that the concept of political community is key.