bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
10 kHz Shifted-Excitation Raman Difference Spectroscopy with Charge-Shifting Charge-Coupled Device Read-Out for Effective Mitigation of Dynamic Interfering Backgrounds
Authors: Mosca Sara , Sowoidnich Kay , Mehta Megha , Skinner William H. , Gardner Benjamin , Palombo Francesca , Stone Nicholas , Matousek Pavel
Published: April 2023

In this work we demonstrate an advanced concept of a charge-shifting charge-coupled device (CCD) read-out combined with shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS) capable of operating at up to 10 kHz acquisition rates for the effective mitigation of fast-evolving interfering backgrounds in Raman spectroscopy. This rate is 10-fold faster than that achievable with an instrument we described previously and is overall 1000-fold faster than possible with conventional spectroscopic CCDs capable of operating at up to ∼10 Hz rates. The speed enhancement was realized by incorporating a periodic mask at the internal slit of an imaging spectrometer permitting a smaller shift of the charge on the CCD (8 pixels) to be required during the cyclic shifting process compared with the earlier design which employed an 80-pixel shift. The higher acquisition speed enables the more accurate sampling of the two SERDS spectral channels, enabling it to effectively tackle highly challenging situations with rapidly evolving interfering fluorescence backgrounds. The performance of the instrument is evaluated for heterogeneous fluorescent samples which are moved rapidly in front of the detection system aiming at the differentiation of chemical species and their quantification. The performance of the system is compared with that of the earlier 1 kHz design and a conventional CCD operated at its maximum rate of 5.4 Hz as previously. In all situations tested, the newly developed 10 kHz system outperformed the earlier variants. The 10 kHz instrument can benefit a number of prospective applications including: disease diagnosis where high sensitivity mapping of complex biological matrices in the presence of natural fluorescence bleaching restricts achievable limits of detection; accurate data acquisition from moving heterogeneous samples (or moving a handheld instrument in front of the sample during data acquisition) or data acquisition under varying ambient light conditions (e.g., due to casting shadows, sample or instrument movement). Other beneficial scenarios include monitoring rapidly evolving Raman signals in the presence of largely static background signals such as in situations where a heterogeneous sample is moving rapidly in front of a detection system (e.g., a conveyor belt) in the presence of static ambient light.
Reconstruction of Raman Spectra of Biochemical Mixtures Using Group and Basis Restricted Non-Negative Matrix Factorization
Authors: Milligan Kirsty , Scarrott Kendra , Andrews Jeffrey L. , Brolo Alexandre G. , Lum Julian J. , Jirasek Andrew
Published: April 2023

Raman spectroscopy is a useful tool for obtaining biochemical information from biological samples. However, interpretation of Raman spectroscopy data in order to draw meaningful conclusions related to the biochemical make up of cells and tissues is often difficult and could be misleading if care is not taken in the deconstruction of the spectral data. Our group has previously demonstrated the implementation of a group- and basis-restricted non-negative matrix factorization (GBR-NMF) framework as an alternative to more widely used dimensionality reduction techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA) for the deconstruction of Raman spectroscopy data as related to radiation response monitoring in both cellular and tissue data. While this method provides better biological interpretability of the Raman spectroscopy data, there are some important factors which must be considered in order to provide the most robust GBR-NMF model. We here evaluate and compare the accuracy of a GBR-NMF model in the reconstruction of three mixture solutions of known concentrations. The factors assessed include the effect of solid versus solutions bases spectra, the number of unconstrained components used in the model, the tolerance of different signal to noise thresholds, and how different groups of biochemicals compare to each other. The robustness of the model was assessed by how well the relative concentration of each individual biochemical in the solution mixture is reflected in the GBR-NMF scores obtained. We also evaluated how well the model can reconstruct original data, both with and without the inclusion of an unconstrained component. Overall, we found that solid bases spectra were generally comparable to solution bases spectra in the GBR-NMF model for all groups of biochemicals. The model was found to be relatively tolerant of high levels of noise in the mixture solutions using solid bases spectra. Additionally, the inclusion of an unconstrained component did not have a significant effect on the deconstruction, on the condition that all biochemicals in the mixture were included as bases chemicals in the model. We also report that some groups of biochemicals achieve a more accurate deconstruction using GBR-NMF than others, likely due to similarity in the individual bases spectra.
Adversarial Data Augmentation and Transfer Net for Scrap Metal Identification Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Measurement of Standard Reference Materials
Authors: Srivastava Ekta , Kim Hyebin , Lee Jaepil , Shin Sungho , Jeong Sungho , Hwang Euiseok
Published: April 2023

In this study, we propose a transfer learning-based classification model for identifying scrap metal using an augmented training dataset consisting of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) measurement of standard reference material (SRMs) samples, considering varying experimental setups and environmental conditions. LIBS provides unique spectra for identifying unknown samples without complicated sample preparation. Thus, LIBS systems combined with machine learning methods have been actively studied for industrial applications such as scrap metal recycling. However, in machine learning models, a training set of the used samples may not cover the diversity of the scrap metal encountered in field measurements. Moreover, differences in experimental configuration, where laboratory standards and real samples are analyzed in situ, may lead to a wider gap in the distribution of training and test sets, dramatically reducing the performance of the LIBS-based fast classification system for real samples. To address these challenges, we propose a two-step Aug2Tran model. First, we augment the SRM dataset by synthesizing spectra of unobserved types through attenuation of dominant peaks corresponding to sample composition and generating spectra depending on the target sample using a generative adversarial network. Second, we used the augmented SRM dataset to build a robust real-time classification model with a convolutional neural network, which is further customized for the target scrap metal with limited measurements through transfer learning. For evaluation, SRMs of five representative metal types, including aluminum, copper, iron, stainless steel, and brass, are measured with a typical setup to form the SRM dataset. For testing, scrap metal from actual industrial fields is experimented with three different configurations, resulting in eight different test datasets. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme produces an average classification accuracy of 98.25% for the three experimental conditions, as high as the results of the conventional scheme with three separately trained and executed models. Additionally, the proposed model improves the classification accuracy of arbitrarily shaped static or moving samples with various surface contaminations and compositions, and even for differing ranges of charted intensities and wavelengths. Therefore, the proposed Aug2Tran model can be used as a systematic model for scrap metal classification with generalizability and ease of implementation.
The mediating effect of family health on the relationship between health literacy and mental health: A national cross-sectional survey in China
Authors: Wang Dan , Sun Xinying , He Feiying , Liu Chenxi , Wu Yibo
Published: April 2023

Background:

Mental health problems significantly affect people’s well-being and result in a huge health burden. Health literacy and family health are critical to reducing people’s mental health problems. However, limited studies have addressed their complex interaction. Thus, this study aims to elucidate the mediating effect of family health on the relationship between health literacy and mental health.

Methods:

A national cross-sectional study based on multistage random sampling was conducted from July 10 to Sep 15, 2021, in China. Information about the public’s health literacy, family health, and the level of three common mental health problems (depression, anxiety, and stress) was collected. A structural equation model (SEM) was applied to explore the mediating effect of family health on the relationship between health literacy and mental health.

Results:

A total of 11,031 participants were investigated. Approximately 19.93 and 13.57% of participants experienced moderate or severe depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. The SEM showed that health literacy was directly associated with mental health, with higher health literacy resulting in lower levels of depression (coefficient: −0.018, p = .049), anxiety (coefficient: −0.040, p < .001), and stress (coefficient: −0.105, p < .001). In addition, family health played a significant mediating effect ( p < .001) between health literacy and mental health, contributing to 47.5, 70.9, and 85.1% of the total effect of health literacy on personal stress, anxiety, and depression, respectively.

Conclusions:

This study revealed that the improvement of health literacy is directly and indirectly associated with less likelihood of people’s mental health problems via family health. Thus, future mental health interventions should be integrated and targeted both at individual level and the family level.
Interpreting digital governance at the municipal level: Evidence from smart city projects in Belgium
Authors: Esposito Giovanni , Terlizzi Andrea , Guarino Massimo , Crutzen Nathalie
Published: April 2023

This article adopts an interpretive approach to investigate how local policy-makers portray and justify their own visions of digital governance initiatives at the municipal level. Our investigation focuses on smart city projects submitted by various Belgian municipalities in the framework of the ‘Intelligent Territory’ call for proposals initiated in 2019 by the Walloon Region. We use Boltanski and Thévenot’s theory of orders of worth and combine quantitative and qualitative content analysis to categorize the different justifications elaborated by municipal governments. The empirical results point to the polysemic nature of the smart city concept and highlight the diversity of opportunities offered by smart city policies according to municipal policy-makers. Overall, our study contributes to the understanding of the varieties of interpretations underpinning the construction of digital governance initiatives. It therefore supports the argument according to which there is no one-size-fits-all approach to smart city policies as local policy-makers may attribute different meanings to them and may formulate place-based ICTs solutions to what they perceive as the most pressing problems of their territories.

Points for practitioners

Smart city projects can be used by governing authorities as instruments to achieve a variety of policy goals Examples of policy goals are to boost local economic development, to improve the effectiveness of municipal service provision, to strengthen social bonds across local community members, to promote the ecological preservation of urban environments and to improve the collaboration between citizens and public administrations Local governments can adaptively use smart technologies as instruments to overcome multiple place-based environmental, social and economic problems Local governments should frame smart urban technologies as means to solve different societal problems and achieve different policy goals – rather than an end per se
Retrofuturist Speculations: Race as Technology in Olaudah Equiano’s Vision of a Future
Authors: Iromuanya Julie
Published: April 2023

Since the 1789 publication of his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African. Written by Himself, Olaudah Equiano’s identity has confounded critics. While competing accounts of his origins certainly raise questions, his autobiography is best read, not as a reflection on transatlantic slavery, but as a retrofuturistic speculation of a future that never was. Within the vein of Africana science fiction and futurism, we can elucidate the ways Equiano self-styled his identity, using Beth Coleman’s notion of race as technology to hypothesize an innovative heuristic of global blackness that situated his identity in concurrent systems of Black being. Through this lens, we can also better understand how critics’ historicization of Equiano’s account reify current notions of Black identity.
Perceptual Sensitivity to Tonal Alignment in Nuer
Authors: Gjersøe Siri , Remijsen Bert
Published: April 2023

This paper examines the perceptual threshold in patterns of tonal timing (alignment) of Falling versus Low tones. The results indicate a remarkable sensitivity among the listeners. In a perception experiment with 30 participants, we tested how native speakers of the West Nilotic language Nuer responded to stimuli in which the timing of the F0 fall that distinguishes Low versus Fall following a High target is manipulated. We measured the threshold for the responses to shift tone perception from 25% to 75%. The results show that listeners only needed an average of 19 ms to differentiate between the melodic shapes and as little as 13 ms for one item. Perceptual sensitivity this fine-grained is not expected based on what is known about the Just Noticeable Difference (JND) from previous studies. Results from non-tonal languages report a sensitivity threshold for tonal timing of at least 50 ms at category boundaries. This difference suggests that whether or not subjects speak a tone language may be a determining factor in their JND.
Suicide attempts due to child abuse: A perspective into the Nepalese legal framework and societal norms
Authors: Atreya Alok , Chhetri Uma D , Shrestha Saurav , Menezes Ritesh G , Nepal Samata , Sainju Subha S
Published: April 2023

Children who experience violence are more prone to develop high-risk behaviour, mental illness and anxiety disorder. Nepalese law is against any form of physical violence but corporal punishment by parents on children continues in patriarchal Nepalese society. We describe a case of a young boy who attempted suicide twice due to maltreatment and discuss the legal and social issues involved.
Intersectional Socialism: Rethinking the Socialist Future with Intersectionality Theory
Authors: Masquelier Charles
Published: April 2023

Intersectionality theory can achieve more than an examination of mechanisms of power and oppression. It can also, shed light on what things might become. Drawing on this particular application of intersectionality theory, I argue that it can be deployed to imagine a socialist future and, in so doing, restore socialism’s utopian energies. This is achieved by tackling a distinctively socialist issue – the future of work – and showing the kind of conceptual innovations intersectionality theory can help develop. The future of work thus imagined is conceptualised as a dialogically coordinated production of life.
Recalibrating Everyday Futures during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Futures Fissured, on Standby and Reset in Mass Observation Responses
Authors: Coleman Rebecca , Lyon Dawn
Published: April 2023

This article contributes to sociologies of futures by arguing that quotidian imaginations, makings and experiences of futures are crucial to social life. We develop Sharma’s concept of recalibration to understand ongoing and multiple adjustments of present–future relations, focusing on how these were articulated by Mass Observation writers in the UK during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic. We identify three key modes of recalibration: fissure, where a break between the present and future means the future is difficult to imagine; standby, where the present is expanded but there is an alertness to the future, and; reset, where futures are modestly and radically recalibrated through a post-pandemic imaginary. We argue for sociologies of futures that can account for the diverse and contradictory ways in which futures emerge from and compose everyday life at different scales.
Principals, Paradigms, and Possibilities: STEAM Education Reform and the Centering of Black Life
Authors: Sengupta-Irving Tesha , Schiffrin-Sands Lara
Published: April 2023

This analysis explores how middle school principals in the southern U.S. made sense of a multiyear STEAM education reform. Principals’ retrospective and prospective accounts, conveyed in interviews ( n = 9), are dominated by neoliberal paradigms and seldom reflect Black families’ everyday cultural life as a resource for learning. We conclude that without redirection, the reform stands to continue divesting from Black life in schools. In an exercise in Black specificity, we propose Black Futurity STEAM as an alternative reform imaginary that centers the creative impulses and capacities of Black children and cultural life in disciplinary learning.
Jesus of the gaps: The evangelistic use of biblical reflexes in the Qur’an
Authors: Dodds Adam , Shumack Richard
Published: April 2023

Does it help to start with the Jesus of the Qur’an when doing Muslim evangelism? This missiological approach has been, and continues to be, prevalent. In this article we examine the theological legitimacy of appealing to biblical reflexes in the Qur’an for evangelism. Is such an approach biblically legitimate and practically helpful? We first argue, from Acts 17, that the Bible tacitly endorses the evangelistic tactic of making appeals to truth statements in alien religious texts to connect with hearers’ theological imaginations. In doing so, we propose an evangelistic alien text appeal principle. Second, we adopt Qur’an 4:171 as a case study, arguing that some Christological reflexes hinder, and others help, Muslims imagine the biblical Jesus. We conclude that only those Qur’anic Christological reflexes that are imprecise—Jesus of the gaps—are biblically legitimate and helpful for evangelism.
Optimized reduced order ARX modelling and robust control for multivariable uncertain systems
Authors: Yousfi Marwa , Ben Njima Chakib , Garna Tarek
Published: April 2023

This paper deals with modelling and robust control of linear multivariable uncertain systems based on the new linear multivariable ARX (Auto-Regressive with eXogenous input)-Laguerre model and the loop-shaping design procedure with the relative gain array theory. In fact, to guarantee significant parameter number reduction of the multivariable ARX-Laguerre model compared with the classic multivariable ARX model, we propose the optimization of the Laguerre poles of the model using the genetic algorithm where the Fourier coefficients are identified using the recursive least square method. Later, the optimized multivariable ARX-Laguerre model is exploited to propose a robust control algorithm for linear multivariable uncertain systems. Indeed, we propose to combine the loop-shaping design procedure approach and the relative gain array theory to develop a simplified final robust controller guaranteeing reference tracking and robust stability against parametric uncertainties. This proposition aims for the simplification of the control’s scheme by adjusting the weighting matrix and the final robust controller calculated from the loop-shaping design procedure for a simpler and more experimentally applicable control scheme. The identification of Fourier coefficients and Laguerre poles as well as the robust multivariable control algorithm are experimentally validated on a laboratory coupled two-tank system showing good results in terms of modelling and attending desired control performances.
Introducing convex BiLSTM-based controller applied to 3-PSP spatial parallel robot manipulator
Authors: Sabahi Farnaz
Published: April 2023

The idea of modeling first and then finding a control approach might have made sense when systems were changing on a vast scale, but not in today’s world where we are in danger of being run over on a highway called the information highway. The feedback phenomenon, which involves a system’s future being influenced by its past, presents a rational conflict in this context. However, we can move beyond these challenges by leveraging the system’s inherent ability to randomly repeat and re-create parts, allowing new features to emerge and the best repetition to become the standard. To address the mentioned challenges, this paper proposes a new structure based on bilateral long short-term memory (BiLSTM) to provide supervising feedback on the nonlinear components comprising friction, Coriolis, and Centrifugal forces in addition to gravity for adapting uncertain variations in the robotic system dynamics. A key characteristic of the proposed BiLSTM-based controller is the incorporation of memory. A new formulation is developed for determining when to recover old memories and to what extent, ensuring the controller remains both adaptive and efficient. Furthermore, given that for system identification, speed is vital; the proposed approach has dealt with the speed category by introducing a convex combination of BiLSTM layers. The stability of the whole structure has also been analyzed, and the updated learning rules have been derived. The simulation results show improved tracking performance and learning time compared to alternative approaches.
Projective Imagination: Vilém Flusser’s Concept of the Technical Image
Authors: Irrgang Daniel
Published: April 2023

The article discusses the technical image, a central concept in Vilém Flusser’s later main work Into the Universe of Technical Images (1985a). After identifying its various dimensions, the analysis frames the concept as an amalgamation of disciplines, theories, and artistic practices the cultural philosopher Flusser explored during the 1960s and especially the 1970s. In particular, the field of information aesthetics developed by Max Bense and Abraham A. Moles, among others, as well as artistic video practices in France and the United States played an important role in both Flusser’s biography and the formation of his technical image concept. At the same time, in Flusser’s cultural philosophy the technical image is the condition and result of a new kind of human imagination, which in this paper is specified as ‘projective imagination’.
Moderating effect of ICT on the relationship between governance quality and income inequality in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Dossou Toyo Amègnonna Marcel , Kambaye Emmanuelle Ndomandji , Berhe Mesfin Welderufael , Asongu Simplice A
Published: April 2023

The ICT-income inequality relationship and the governance quality-income inequality nexus have been investigated in recent years. However, the moderating effect of ICT on the governance quality-income inequality linkage has been largely ignored. To fill this gap in the literature, this study examines the moderating effect of ICT on the relationship between governance quality and income inequality for a panel of 42 sub-Saharan African economies over the period 1996–2020. To achieve this goal, the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation technique has been adopted. The results reveal that while ICT contributes to the improvement of income distribution, governance quality contributes to the exacerbation of income inequality. Interestingly, the results unveil that the promotion of E-governance could contribute to improve social welfare and reduce income inequality. Policy implications are given based on the findings of this study. For instance, institutional reforms must be conducted by considering ICT as an important factor to improve income distribution.
Intellectual Virtues and Scientific Endeavor: A Reflection on the Commitments Inherent in Generating and Possessing Knowledge
Authors: Mendoza-De Los Santos Oscar Eliezer
Published: April 2023

In this essay, I reflect on the implications of intellectual virtues in scientific endeavor. To this end, I first offer a depiction of scientific endeavor by resorting to the notion of academic attitude, which involves aspects concerning the generation and possession of knowledge. Although there are differences between these activities, they have in common the engagement of diverse intellectual agents (scientists). In this sense, I analyze how intellectual virtues are linked to 1) scientific research tasks, such as theory appraisal, and 2) those tasks of vigilance and intervention in the uses of scientific knowledge. I conclude that intellectual virtues play a leading role in achieving higher quality scientific research and adequate foresight on the uses and impacts of scientific findings. In this order of ideas, I propose an agenda for further inquiries on these matters, highlighting the relevance of reflecting and empirically researching the relationship between intellectual virtues and science, as well as cultivating intellectual virtues in various stages of scientific training.
Data as symptom: Doctors’ responses to patient-provided data in general practice
Authors: Haase Christoffer Bjerre , Ajjawi Rola , Bearman Margaret , Brodersen John Brandt , Risor Torsten , Hoeyer Klaus
Published: April 2023

People are increasingly able to generate their own health data through new technologies such as wearables and online symptom checkers. However, generating data is one thing, interpreting them another. General practitioners (GPs) are likely to be the first to help with interpretations. Policymakers in the European Union are investing heavily in infrastructures to provide GPs access to patient measurements. But there may be a disconnect between policy ambitions and the everyday practices of GPs. To investigate this, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 23 Danish GPs. According to the GPs, patients relatively rarely bring data to them. GPs mostly remember three types of patient-generated data that patients bring to them for interpretation: heart and sleep measurements from wearables and results from online symptom checkers. However, they also spoke extensively about data work with patient queries concerning measurements from the GPs’ own online Patient Reported Outcome system and online access to laboratory results. We juxtapose GP reflections on these five data types and between policy ambitions and everyday practices. These data require substantial recontextualization work before the GPs ascribe them evidential value and act on them. Even when they perceived as actionable, patient-provided data are not approached as measurements, as suggested by policy frameworks. Rather, GPs treat them as analogous to symptoms—that is to say, GPs treat patient-provided data as subjective evidence rather than authoritative measures. Drawing on Science and Technology Studies (STS) literature,we suggest that GPs must be part of the conversation with policy makers and digital entrepreneurs around when and how to integrate patient-generated data into healthcare infrastructures.
Embeddedness beyond the lead firm in global production networks: Insights from Kenyan horticulture
Authors: Krishnan Aarti
Published: April 2023

Recent research on embeddedness in global production networks (GPNs) has begun to move beyond the dominant perspective on how lead firms embed into host countries to investigate how non-lead firms embed across multiple scales in a GPN. This paper builds on such work by examining both processes of how, and the extent to which, different Southern suppliers embed into GPNs, detailing the contestation, struggles, and synergies faced. Empirical evidence is provided through a case study of Kenyan horticulture. Using a mixed-method approach of interviews and surveys, the paper finds that Kenyan farmers and Kenyan export firms (KEFs) have varied ways in which they embed, with farmers more embedded (highly dependent on network relationships and participation in a GPN) and KEFs simultaneously less embedded (having a low degree of commitment towards farmers) in GPNs. Overarchingly, the results demonstrate the need to account for the complex ways in which non-lead firm actors like Southern suppliers embed in GPNs.
Investigating Residential Built Environment Effects on Rank-Based Modal Preferences and Auto-Ownership
Authors: Mondal Aupal , Bhat Chandra R.
Published: April 2023

Studies in the residential self-selection literature, which use attitudinal factors to model the jointness of residential and travel-related choices, assume a unidirectional impact from attitudes to behavior; however, such an assumption may be violated under several circumstances. In this current study, we allow the error terms of the attitudinal factors to be correlated with the main outcomes as we jointly model residential choice, auto-ownership level, and rank-based modal preferences. In our joint model, we use green lifestyle propensity and luxury lifestyle propensity as the two stochastic latent constructs. The empirical data for this study is drawn from the 2019 multi-city Transformative Technologies in Transportation survey for the city of Austin that elicited information with respect to individuals’ residential location, auto-ownership, and modal preferences through a stated preference experiment in a futuristic autonomous vehicle environment. Results indicate significant unobserved correlations between the latent constructs and the main outcomes; ignoring such endogeneity leads to underestimations of the “true” causal effect of high-density neighborhood (HDN) living on travel-related choices, which can have consequences for policy-making. In our analysis, the “true” causal effect of HDN living on auto-ownership suggests that, on average, the auto-ownership level would reduce by about 29% when an individual is shifted from a non-HDN to a HDN. Furthermore, the probability of using the bicycle mode for non-work pursuits is estimated to increase by 8%, and that of using a private vehicle is estimated to decrease by 3.1%, when individuals are moved from a non-HDN to a HDN.
Breaking the ‘Baltic barrier’: St. Petersburg as a new export outlet
Authors: Kaukiainen Yrjö
Published: April 2023

The founding of St. Petersburg demonstrates the redistribution of power brought about by the Great Northern War. This new order also had an economic dimension: the city and port aimed to displace the old outlets of Russia's foreign trade. The change, however, was much slower than the traditional historical narrative suggests. Riga's shipping volumes exceeded those of St. Petersburg until the 1780s. In theory, St. Petersburg had huge hinterlands covering the old economic realms of Novgorod and Pskov, as well as Muscovy lands stretching to the Urals and beyond. However, St. Petersburg's transport connections beyond the Valdai Hills were arduous: they relied on a riverine route that could only be navigated with shallow-draft barges. Moreover, most of the route's transport potential was needed to carry grain for the population of St. Petersburg. This left rather small margins for the transit of export goods to the port.
High seas and hard drinks: Alcohol rations on Dutch vessels
Authors: Jarvis Charlotte
Published: April 2023

How valid is the historical reputation of drunken sailors? On board Dutch vessels in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, how much alcohol was really being issued at a time when the Dutch were perhaps the most intensely maritime nation in Europe? Were Dutch sailors, therefore, exceptional in their alcohol consumption when compared to other European nations’ navies and merchant marines? Mariners consumed all types of alcohol on land and at sea, although drinking during the early modern period was culturally contextualized and done for a wide array of purposes besides intoxication. At sea, Dutch ships issued alcohol rations consisting of beer, wine and/or spirits. Just as the British gave out rum, the Dutch ships distributed genever. Overall, Dutch vessels did issue more alcohol, by per cent, compared to other states, even as the types of alcohol consumed varied. This article compares the Dutch maritime drinking rates and practices with those of other European nations to determine if sailors on Dutch ships were excessive or atypical.
“‘We’d Just Patch Ourselves up’: Preference for Holistic Approaches to Healthcare and Traditional Medicine among Members of a State-Recognized Tribe”
Authors: Reese Sarah E. , Dang Angie , Liddell Jessica L.
Published: April 2023

Background:Health disparities between Native Americans and white Americans persist due to a variety of factors, including colonization, poverty, and racism. Racist interpersonal interactions between nurses and other healthcare providers and tribal members may also contribute to reluctance among Native Americans to engage with Western healthcare systems. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to better understand the healthcare experiences of members of a state-recognized Gulf Coast tribe. Methods: In partnership with a community advisory board, 31 semistructured interviews were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed utilizing a qualitative description approach. Results: All participants mentioned their preferences, views about, or experiences of using natural or traditional medicine approaches (referenced 65 times). Emergent themes include (a) preference for and use of traditional medicine; (b) resistance to western healthcare systems; (c) preference for holistic approaches to health; and (d) negative provider interpersonal interactions contributing to reluctance in seeking care. Conclusion: These findings suggest that integrating a holistic conceptualization of health and traditional medicine practices into Western healthcare settings would benefit Native Americans.
Antecedents of innovative work behavior among leading physicians: Empirical evidence from German hospitals
Authors: Kriegl Bettina , Woratschek Herbert , Raab Andrea
Published: April 2023

Healthcare professionals’ innovative work behavior (IWB) plays a key role in the development and implementation of innovative solutions in hospitals. However, relevant antecedents of IWB have not been fully captured to date. This study empirically examines the relationships between proactive personality, collaborative competence, innovation climate, and IWB. Hypotheses were tested using a sample of 442 chief physicians from 380 German hospitals. The results indicate a positive and significant influence of proactive personality, collaborative competence, and innovation climate on IWB, with collaborative competence having a stronger influence on IWB than innovation climate. Managers should note that important resources for IWB are accessible through a variety of actors and relationships. To leverage these resources and thus promote IWB, more emphasis should be placed on an employee’s network.
Quantitative assessment of cognitive profile and brain asymmetry in the characterization of autism spectrum in children: A task-based EEG study
Authors: Balathay Divya , Narasimhan Udayakumar , Belo David , Anandan Kavitha
Published: April 2023

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by learning, attention, social, communication, and behavioral impairments. Each person with Autism has a different severity and level of brain functioning, ranging from high functioning (HF) to low functioning (LF), depending on their intellectual/developmental abilities. Identifying the level of functionality remains crucial in understanding the cognitive abilities of Autistic children. Assessment of EEG signals acquired during specific cognitive tasks is more appropriate in identifying brain functional and cognitive load variations. The spectral power of EEG sub-band frequency and parameters related to brain asymmetry has the potential to be employed as indices to characterize brain functioning. Thus, the objective of this work is to analyze the cognitive task-based electrophysiological variations in autistic and control groups, using EEG acquired during two well-defined protocols. Theta to Alpha ratio (TAR) and Theta to Beta ratio (TBR) of absolute powers of the respective sub-band frequencies have been estimated to quantify the cognitive load. The variations in interhemispheric cortical power measured by EEG were studied using the brain asymmetry index. For the arithmetic task, the TBR of the LF group was found to be considerably higher than the HF group. The findings reveal that the spectral powers of EEG sub-bands can be a key indicator in the assessment of high and low-functioning ASD to facilitate appropriate training strategies. Instead of depending solely on behavioral tests to diagnose autism, it could be a beneficial approach to use task-based EEG characteristics to differentiate between the LF and HF groups.
Extra-mammary Paget’s disease of the penis
Authors: O’Meara Sorcha , Cullen Ivor M
Published: April 2023

Paget’s disease was first described in 1874 as an eczematoid changes of the nipple associated with underlying breast carcinoma. Extra-mammary Paget’s disease (EMPD) is rare with involvement of the male genitalia described in small case series and management options varying according to location and extent. The diagnosis of EMPD requires a high index of clinical suspicion and close liaison with the multidisciplinary team, particularly histopathology. We present two cases of EMPD affecting the male external genitalia that highlight important learnings in the presentation, diagnosis, and management of EMPD.
Linking corporate social responsibility and energy poverty: An environmental sustainability paradigm
Authors: Khalid Fahad , Kefu Yi , Akram Rabia , Batool Kiran
Published: April 2023

This article considers the motivational nature of business contributions toward sustainable development through corporate social responsibility. This study measures the corporate social responsibility contributions to maintain sustainable development by performing different sustainable development goals projects. The researchers use the quantitative techniques to analyze the data collected by using the monkey survey research method from the top 200 corporate social responsibility international origin companies, including public sector undertaking, private and exchange-listed companies (Bombay Stock Exchange, and National Stock Exchange) in India. For analysis purposes, results are calculated through coding, sorting, figures, and tabulation methods. Study results illustrate that corporate social responsibility is the best source to maintain sustainable development as overall contributions towards sustainable development goals are positive. But a particular contribution towards sustainable energy as sustainable development goal 7 is low, such as only 5.5%. It is possible that India's green energy sector may be advanced if more companies invest in energy-related projects like the others sustainable development goals performance. Based on the results, possible steps are also needed from the Indian government to maintain sustainable development at the national and global levels.
Baicalin Magnesium Salt Exerts an Antitumor Effect in HepG2 Hepatoma Cells
Authors: Dongshuai Xia , Yong You , Yaxian Gao , Shuo Wang , Yachun Guo , Tao Jiang , Cuizhe Liu , Hongru Song
Published: April 2023

Background

Scutellaria baicalensis is an important medicinal plant used in China. Several compounds have been extracted from S. baicalensis using modern techniques. Baicalin, an active ingredient of S. baicalensis, is widely used clinically. However, its clinical use is limited owing to poor oral bioavailability and intestinal absorption.

Objectives

To evaluate the anti-tumor effect of baicalin magnesium salt (BA-MG, a novel magnesium salt form of baicalin with superior water solubility) on the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, HepG2.

Materials and Methods

Seven groups were established, including three dosages of BA-MG (200, 250, and 300 µg/mL), baicalin, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (negative control), magnesium sulfate (negative control), and control groups. Cell proliferation was determined using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Cell cycle and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry. Cell migration was determined using a cell scratch assay. Protein expression was determined using western blotting.

Results

In vitro, BA-MG inhibited proliferation, reduced cell cloning and migration abilities, induced cell cycle arrest, and promoted apoptosis of HepG2 cells (all p < 0.05). The effects of baicalin and BA-MG on proliferation and migration, cell cycle, and apoptosis may be attributed to decreasing the expression of Bcl-2, ROCK-1, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and cyclin E, as well as increasing the expression of Bax and caspase-9. The efficacy of BA-MG is superior to that of baicalin at the same dose.

Conclusion

BA-MG showed superior effects on inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis in liver cancer cells.
Investigating Trauma Symptomology as a Mediator of the Relationships Between Childhood Maltreatment and Sexual and Non-Sexual Delinquency
Authors: Bosetti Rebecca L.
Published: April 2023

Maltreatment is a risk factor for both sexual and non-sexual delinquency. Little is known about how specific forms of maltreatment relate to the distinct offending outcomes. Though trauma symptoms have been associated with maltreatment and delinquency, the intervening role of trauma symptoms in pathways from maltreatment to offending is not well understood. The goal of the current study was to test social learning and general strain theory explanations for sexual and non-sexual delinquency in adolescence, exploring trauma symptoms as a mediator between the four major types of maltreatment and offending outcomes. Data were collected via surveys of 136 incarcerated youth at seven residential treatment and community corrections facilities in a Midwestern state. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to establish a measurement model, and structural equation modeling was employed to test direct and indirect pathways from maltreatment to offending. Individual forms of maltreatment had differential relationships with offending outcomes, with neglect having a significant association with non-sexual delinquency, and sexual abuse having a significant direct relationship with sexual delinquency. Trauma symptomology did not mediate these relationships. Future research should explore developmentally appropriate proxies for measuring childhood trauma. Practice and policy should consider the role of maltreatment victimization history in the inception of delinquency behaviors, prioritizing therapeutic alternatives to detention and incarceration.
Unraveling the Mechanism of Immunity and Inflammation Related to Molecular Signatures Crosstalk Among Obesity, T2D, and AD: Insights From Bioinformatics Approaches
Authors: Vishal Kumar , Bhuiyan Piplu , Qi Junxia , Chen Yang , Zhang Jubiao , Yang Fen , Li Juxue
Published: April 2023

Individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer disease (AD), and increasing evidence indicates a link between impaired immune signaling pathways and the development of AD. However, the shared cellular mechanisms and molecular signatures among these 3 diseases remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to uncover similar molecular markers and pathways involved in obesity, T2D, and AD using bioinformatics and a network biology approach. First, we investigated the 3 RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) gene expression data sets and determined 224 commonly shared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from obesity, T2D, and AD diseases. Gene ontology and pathway enrichment analyses revealed that mutual DEGs were mainly enriched with immune and inflammatory signaling pathways. In addition, we constructed a protein-protein interactions network for finding hub genes, which have not previously been identified as playing a critical role in these 3 diseases. Furthermore, the transcriptional factors and protein kinases regulating commonly shared DEGs among obesity, T2D, and AD were also identified. Finally, we suggested potential drug candidates as possible therapeutic interventions for 3 diseases. The results of this bioinformatics analysis provided a new understanding of the potential links between obesity, T2D, and AD pathologies.
China’s Smoke-free Policies in Public Place and the Smoking Cessation Status of Smokers
Authors: Wen Jing , Shang Wenlu , Ding Yong , Qiao Hui , Li Jiangping
Published: April 2023

INTRODUCTION

Smoking remains a major health risk factor and China is the world’s largest consumer of tobacco. Smoke-free policies in public places are a powerful weapon in tobacco control. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the association between smoke-free policies in public places and smoking cessation among smokers in China from 2012 to 2020.

METHODS

In this study, we assessed the impact of smoke-free public places policies on smoking cessation situation among smokers aged 16 years and older. We do this by conducting a difference-in-differences analysis using data from the China Family Panel Study (CFPS) 2012-2020.

FINDINGS

By 2020, about 60.2% of the cities were covered by partial smoke-free policies and about 38.5% by comprehensive smoke-free policies. Based on the results of the study, we found that the medium-term effect model (Model 2, 2012:2016; Model 3, 2012:2018) of the impact of partial smoke-free policies on smoking cessation was not statistically significant using 2012 as the study baseline; the short-term effect model (Model 1; 2012:2014; P< .01) and the long-term effect model (Model 4; 2012:2020; P< .05) were statistically significant; the effect of a comprehensive smoke-free policy on smoking cessation (Model 5; 2012:2020; P<.05) was statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

China’s existing comprehensive smoke-free policies have had a modest impact on smoking cessation among the smoking population, and a strong, comprehensive national smoke-free law is urgently needed to achieve greater public health outcomes.

IMPLICATIONS

Smoke-free policies are an important intervention to influence smoking behavior. This study demonstrates that comprehensive smoke-free policies in public places in China can effectively influence smoking behavior and show long-term trends in smoke-free behavior, while also reflecting the need to promote comprehensive smoke-free policies. This study provides a basis for the implementation of comprehensive smokefree policies into law and also provides a basis for policy makers.
Exploring the tourism markets’ convergence hypothesis in South Korea
Authors: Matsuki Takashi , Pan Lei
Published: April 2023

This paper examines the tourism markets’ convergence hypothesis across South Korea’s major source markets. In doing so, we use monthly data of visitor arrivals over the period July 1995 to June 2019 and adopt a novel quantile unit root tests that allows for multiple structural breaks via a Fourier expansion series. Our results indicate that seven countries out of 10 show firm convergence tendencies at most of the quantiles, and two countries have weak but significant converging trends at some quantiles.