bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antibacterial Compounds Towards Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli of the Stem Bark of Inocarpus Fagigerus FoSB
Authors: Santi Sri Rahayu , Sukadana I Made , Bawa I Gusti Agung Gede , Simalango Novi Tamauli Herawati
Published: October 2023

This study aimed to screen the antibacterial compounds of S. aureus and E. coli on the stem bark of Inocarpus fagiferus Fosb. Extraction of active antibacterial compounds by maceration and partitioning, antibacterial tests were carried out by diffusion method, separation of compounds by column chromatography method, and identification of active fractions using LSMS/MS. The results of maceration of 350 g of Inocarpus fagiferus Fosb stem bark produced 22.97 g of methanol viscous extract which was able to strongly inhibit the growth of S. aureus bacteria (14.75mm) and medium inhibit (8.50 mm) towards E. coli. The partition results of the methanol concentrated extract respectively with n-hexane, chloroform, n-butanol, and water yielded 0.01; 0.01; 2.75, and 0.07 g extracts. Based on extract weight only n-butanol extract allows further separation. The result of antibacterial activity has shown a strong inhibition zone toward S. aureus and E. coli (16.50 mm) and with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 5%. The result of separation n-butanol extract by gradient column chromatography (silica gel 60; methanol: chloroform (5:5; 6:4; 7:3; 8:4; 9:1; and 10:0)) yielded 4 fractions (FA, FB, FC, and FD) with FC the most active antibacterial toward S. aureus and E. coli with an inhibition zone 7.25 mm and 6.25 mm respectively at 5%. The results of LCMS/MS show 5 identified compounds known are maltol, nicotinamide, bioachanin A, L-proline, and 2,3-diamino propionic acid, as well as one unidentified compound with a molecular weight of 95.8066 g/mol. Maltol, nicotinamide, bioachanin A, and L-proline are compounds potents to inhibit the growth of S. aureus and E. coli bacteria.
Isolation and Evaluation of Cytotoxic, Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Ulcer Activity of Methanolic Extract of Ceriops decandra leaves
Authors: Nahar Kamrun , Zohora Fatema-Tuz- , Begum Rayhana , Hasan Maruf , Aziz Abdul , Jui Yasmin , Al-Mansur Muhammad Abdullah , Anwar Md. Rafi
Published: October 2023

The current study was undertaken to provide scientific validation for the traditional medicinal applications of Ceriops decandra leaves in treating gastrointestinal disorders and inflammation. Additionally, the study aimed to isolate a pure component from the extracted leaves for further analysis. Lupeol was extracted from the crude methanolic extract of Ceriops decandra leaves by column chromatography as part of a phytochemical inquiry. Its structure was determined using 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. In order to assess the cytotoxicity, the unrefined methanolic extract was divided into two fractions: a petroleum fraction and an aqueous fraction, employing the modified Kupchan method. The brine shrimp lethality test revealed that both the aqueous and petroleum ether fractions had significant cytotoxic activity, with LC50 values of 1.93 µg/l and 2.04 µg/l, respectively. These values were compared to the LC50 value of the standard Vincristine Sulphate, which was found to be 0.02 µg/l. The results of the anti-inflammatory trial demonstrated that the administration of the extract at doses of 250mg/kg and 500mg/kg resulted in protection rates of 62.5% and 87.5%, respectively, as compared to the carrageenan control group after 3 hours post-injection. It is worth noting that Ibuprofen exhibited a higher level of protection, with a rate of 91.7%. In the context of ethanol-induced stomach ulcer, the administration of extracts at doses of 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg resulted in 45.5% and 59.1% protection against gastric ulcer, respectively. These findings were compared to the protective effect of Omeprazole, which demonstrated 63.6% protection and served as the standard reference. The findings suggest that the methanolic leaf extract of Ceriops decandra possesses robust cytotoxic and potent anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer properties. These results provide support for the traditional application of this extract in the management of gastrointestinal diseases, inflammation, and cancer.
Assessment of Anti-biofilm Activity of Ferns Against Nosocomial Pathogenic Bacteria
Authors: Saloni Saloni , Suresh Sarika
Published: October 2023

The rapid increase in drug resistance in nosocomial pathogens has warranted the search for novel treatment strategies. Targeting quorum sensing (QS) found in bacteria is opined as an alluring method as many pathogenic bacteria employ QS to modulate their virulence. Plants with an enchanting repertoire of phytochemicals can serve as the source for anti-QS compounds. Ferns, the vascular plants have been reported to be used for treating various ailments in traditional systems of medicine. Although some studies have described the antibacterial activity of ferns, to the best of our knowledge there are no investigations carried out to explore their anti-QS potential. Against this background, the current investigation aimed at identifying the anti-QS activity of ferns in inhibiting biofilm formation in selected nosocomial pathogens. Of the several ferns tested, hexane extract of Psilotumnudum leaf and ethanol extract of Cheilanthestenuifolia leaf exhibited significant anti-biofilm activity against S. aureus and E. coli respectively. There was a marked reduction in biofilm formation of approximately 80%. The presence of anti-QS compounds in these ferns paves way for further research to isolate and identify them.
Relationship between Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Development of Acute Coronary Syndrome
Authors: H Ibrahim Tahani , Almutiri Sara , Alharbi Manahil , Alotaibi Dana , Ali Mehboob , Hamza Waleed , Zaki Mohamed
Published: October 2023

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) which known as subcategory of coronary heart disease is considered a major cause of death. In Saudi Arabia, the prevalence of ACS is 8.2%. Early recognition of risk factors (RFs) associated with ACS is essential to prevent its progression. Therefore, the goals of this study is to estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular RFs among ACS patients and to appraise its association with the development of ACS. This retrospective multi-center cross-sectional study involved 170 patients admitted to Prince Sultan cardiac center, King Saud Hospital, and Bukayriyah General Hospital in Al Qassim, KSA. The participants categorized into three groups UA, NSTEMI, and STEMI. Patients with stable angina or previous MI were excluded from the study. 73.5% were males and 26.5% were females with a mean age of 58.2 ± 11.9. The distribution of ACS subtypes was 51.2%, 27.6%, and 21.2% for STEMI, NSTEMI and UA, respectively. The most common RFs were diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (66% each), and dyslipidemia (58%). The prevalence of RFs among STEMI group was 65.6% active smokers, 54.5% dyslipidemia, and 52.2% ischemic heart disease (IHD). On the other hand, in NSTEMI group hypertension and DM were nearly the same (32% & 30% respectively), however family history of IHD was 42.9%. UA revealed a strong association with IHD and family history of IHD (30.4%, 28.6%, respectively).To conclude, most of ACS patients presented with STEMI followed by NSTEMI and the least with UA. Among the cardiovascular risk factors, HTN, DM, and dyslipidemia, were presented in more than half of the patients which strongly suggests an association with developing ACS.
Nanoparticles – A Booming Drug Delivery System in Chemotherapy
Authors: Verma Shalu , Singh Alka , Kukreti Gauree , Bharkatiya Meenakshi , Dobhal Kiran , Parashar Tarun , Suyal Jyotsana , Jakhmola Vikash
Published: October 2023

The current study proposed the “Nanoparticles -A Booming Drug Delivery System in Chemotherapy” is a Novel targeted approach which enhances the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents by reducing the dose-related side effect as well as mortality rate a in patients due to its non-immunogenic, nontoxic nature. Drug bioavailability, drug solubility, drug biodistribution, drug resistance brought on by treatment, and nonspecific toxicity can all be improved with the development of nanoparticle chemotherapeutic drug delivery applications based on nanotechnology. It possesses active as well as passive targeting of tumour cells. Due to this reason, a wide range of chemotherapeutic agents like cisplatin, taxol, doxorubicin, and carboplatin are extensively utilized for treating cancer. Deep tissue penetration of nanoparticles is found to increase the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. There are some limitations with conventional drug delivery system which is minimized by utilizing nanoparticles as a drug delivery system. The current review has focused on targeted strategies and novel approaches in cancer treatment with nanoparticles.
Case Report: The Relationship of CCND1 RS614367 Polymorphism with Clinicopathological Features
Authors: Adiputra Putu Anda Tusta , Supadmanaba I Gede Putu , Sadeva I Gede Krisna Arim , Indrakusuma Anak Agung Bagus Putra , Wulandari Putri Ayu , Wihandani Desak Made
Published: October 2023

Recent studies have shown that the CCND1 rs614367 polymorphism increases the risk of breast cancer and its invasive nature. However, studies evaluating the relationship of the CCND1 rs614367 polymorphism based on the clinicopathology of breast cancer patients in Indonesia were still limited. This study is aimed to determine the CCND1 rs614367 polymorphism in breast cancer and its relationship with the patient's clinicopathology. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study on 45 samples of breast cancer patients. After collecting demographic and clinical data, PCR and sequencing will be performed on all blood samples to determine the CCND1 rs614367 polymorphism. All variables that have been collected will be analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 to determine the relationship between the CCND1 rs614367 polymorphism and the clinicopathology of breast cancer patients. The CCND1 rs614367 gene polymorphism in breast cancer subjects showed that 25 (55.5%) and 20 (44.5%) subjects had C and T alleles. Subjects aged ≥ 50 years old had a significant 4.45 risk of having the T allele type (p=0.037). In addition, subjects with metastases (M1) were also at a significant 4.89 times risk of having the T allele type (p=0.015). Subjects with histological grade III also had a significantly 4.77 times risk of having the T allele type (p=0.013). In conclusion, there was a significant relationship between CCND1 rs614367 polymorphism and breast cancer subjects' clinopathology features (age, metastasis, and grade). More than half of the subjects with this polymorphism had the C allele.
The Successful Prediction Of Waterflooding Using A Feed Forward Algorithm
Authors: Batubara Qunazatul Shima , Erfando Tomi
Published: October 2023

Waterflooding is one of the most frequently used EOR methods to increase oil recovery because it can increase 30% -60% of total production. It is necessary to apply a production system performance prediction approach to minimize uncertainty in increasing production figures, such as analytical methods and numerical methods. Artificial Intelligence in the world of oil and gas is not a new thing, but it has often been used in various fields such as exploration, drilling, production, and reservoirs. So this is the basis for the prediction of the success of waterflooding research carried out. The purpose of this research was to predict the success rate of waterflooding using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The method used in this study is the simulation research method using CMG Imex for reservoir simulation modeling, running CMG CMOST for 500 sensitivity data with the input of seven parameters of compressibility, horizontal permeability, vertical permeability, pressure injection, injection rate, thickness, oil saturation, and the output is recovery factor using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) with a ratio of 70% of the RF calculation model results for training and 30% model results for testing. In order to get optimal prediction results, trial, and error were carried out on the number of hidden layer nodes, so that optimal and stable hidden layer nodes were obtained at node 10 with RMSE values of 0.339035 for training and 0.442663 for testing and MAPE for training 1.15% and 1.62% for testing. The statistical analysis value is 0.906139 for training and 0.899525 for testing data. It can be concluded from this study that the use of ANN in predictions using ten hidden layer nodes proved to be very good and successful, and predictions in this study were classified as High Accurate Prediction.
Study on Potential Carbon in Pocut Meurah Intan Forest Park, Aceh Province
Authors: Syakur Syakur , Sugianto Sugianto , Basri Hairul , Fadhli Rahmad
Published: October 2023

The existence of forest park areas plays an essential role as carbon sequestration can reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Analysis of carbon potential is essential in determining the amount of available carbon potential. This study aims to analyze the carbon potential in the forest park area Pocut Meurah Intan Forest Park. The study used a descriptive method with the sampling technique of the path system. Data analysis and calculation of carbon potential using allometric equations to calculate the total biomass. Spatial analysis using Arc.GIS 10.4 software and the carbon content analysis was carried out using the ashing method. The results showed that the potential carbon stock of Pocut Meurah Intan Forest Park was 640,282 tons. The carbon potential is the carbon stored above the ground in the form of carbon from above-ground biomass (trees, poles, saplings, undergrowth) and organic matter (necromass and litter). The highest carbon potential was found in the secondary dryland forest land cover with a total of 555,204 tons or 167.6 tons/ha, followed by shrubs of 78,949 tons or 33.3 tons/ha, and the lowest potential carbon stock was found in the open field of 303 tons or 2.8 tons/ha. The increase in land cover in secondary dryland forests causes the increase in carbon stored. The low potential for carbon stocks is due to land clearing and a small number of stands, resulting in a decrease in potential carbon stocks
Simulation of Multi Reservoir Operation Rules with Interconnected Tunnel and Water Transfer
Authors: Iqbal Khairul , Abduh Moh , Variadi ,
Published: October 2023

The multi-reservoir operation rules require accuracy in developing its technical parameters. This is done to prevent operational failure in one of the reservoirs. The water transfer concept is to manage the water resources distribution between the receiving watershed and the donor watershed. The availability of transferable water must be prioritized, meeting the water demand of the donor reservoir. Storage capacity in both reservoirs aims to meet water demand, especially in the recipient. The elevation of the interconnecting tunnel is the minimum limit for water use in simulation. The interconnected tunnels' location and capacity will determine the multi-reservoir's operation rule. The interconnected tunnel in the Rukoh Tiro reservoir transfers water in the operation of the two reservoirs. The simulation is carried out in three seasons, considering the inflow of each watershed, the reservoir's downstream water demand, and the reservoir's technical conditions. The simulation results of the Rukoh Tiro reservoir operated simultaneously in all three seasons show that the fulfillment of irrigation water demand can reach 100% as needed. The water transfer process through interconnected tunnels occurs throughout the year. The reservoir operating rule is expected to be a reference in the multi-reservoir operation to obtain an optimal reservoir operating rule.
Varieties of platform unionism: a view from the Global South on workers’ power in the digital economy
Authors: Schmalz Stefan , Basualdo Victoria , Serrano Melisa , Vandaele Kurt , Webster Edward
Published: October 2023

Nearly three decades ago, Manuel Castells declared the atomising effects of the new technologies of the ‘information age’ to presage the ‘end of labour’. There is little doubt that the labour movement worldwide is no longer the social force it was in the twentieth century. Much of the debate on the future of work and consequences for worker organisation, moreover, has focused on defensive struggles against the introduction of new technologies in the Global North. Technological change has also led, however, to struggles in the Global South. These ‘technological fixes’ have historically contributed to the ‘remaking’ of new working classes and related ‘offensive’ struggles, the latest of which is digitalisation and algorithmic management. In this primarily conceptual article, we adopt a power resources approach to an analysis of these changes, using as our basis, a project encompassing eight empirical case studies on recent labour organising in on-location platform economies of both the Global North and South. Analysis of food-delivery and private ride-hailing platforms in Argentina and Uganda, respectively, showed different varieties of platform unionism, with forms of worker organisation in the Global South tending to more autonomy and hybridity. In some cases, these self-organised worker collectives go beyond established forms of unionism in attempts to control the platform technologies. We conclude by suggesting that the experiments of platform workers with new forms of power and organisation, particularly in the Global South, are important to follow in the Global North.
DW Winnicott’s Debt to and Divergence from Melanie Klein: A Psychoanalytic Genealogy
Authors: Lawner Peter
Published: October 2023

Abstract: This is a two-part paper. Its second part assays the development of DW Winnicott’s conceptions relative to Melanie Klein’s, particularly after 1945, regarding areas such as infantile development, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapeutics. It then explores his alignments with and departures from her depressive position views. Finally, it examines his revision of her depressive position formulations. It does this particularly in relation to his proposition that infants dissociate from one another their experience of themselves and of their mother conditioned either by having interacted with her in ruthlessly intense states directed to her or when having been tenderly nurtured by her.
The Politics of the Navel: Psychoanalysis and Affiliation
Authors: Lieber Emma
Published: October 2023

Abstract: This article examines psychoanalysis’s relationship to collective affiliation and group identity via its association with two foundational figures, that of the Woman and the Jew. It begins by exploring reportage on the war in Ukraine as it has touched on these figures (often with conflicting and self-contradictory messaging), and it argues that we need psychoanalysis to approach these problematics. It then goes on to explore psychoanalysis’s historical relationship to both femininity and Jewishness, and it suggests that reexamining psychoanalysis both as a Jewish science and as a discourse that takes femininity distinctively seriously, via the frame of the conflict in Ukraine, might do something for our vantage on psychoanalysis itself as a historical, political, and ethical development. Ultimately, its claim is that the mutual imbrication of psychoanalysis, Jewishness, and femininity suggests a model of affiliation and relation based on the critical category of the navel, whose mechanics might offer new ways of imagining the collective life of psychoanalysis itself.
Libratory Vulnerability: Reimagining Indigenous Hockey Masculinities in Jordin Tootoo’s All the Way and Theo Fleury’s Playing with Fire
Authors: Ryan Jamie , Keepness Shane
Published: October 2023

Abstract: Theo Fleury’s Playing with Fire (2009) and Jordin Tootoo’s All the Way: My Life on Ice (2014) are key texts in the under-researched fields of Indigenous hockey and Indigenous hockey masculinity. However, the importance of these autobiographies is not simply their contributions to these overlooked fields, but how each author models the fundamental value of vulnerability to their healing journeys from trauma and substance abuse. Tootoo (Inuk) and Fleury (Métis) were notorious National Hockey League “tough guys,” and so many readers expecting a rehearsal of hockey hypermasculinity would be surprised by the libratory masculinity offered by these books. We argue that the limited potentiality of these autobiographies lies in their possibility of reaching and affecting male audiences predisposed to hypermasculinity; the liberal possibilities of Fleury and Tootoo’s books are limited by their basis in dominant hockey culture and hypermasculinity, but at the same time they can potentially reach hyper-masculine hockey fans that other more radical works would not. Thus, the paradox of these autobiographies is that their hypermasculine tropes shift dominant hockey culture toward greater vulnerability, but it is these same tropes that also limit the changes that can be imagined to hockey culture. The objectives of this article are to: emphasize the need for vulnerability in Indigenous masculinities studies; illustrate that disembodiment is a common experience for Indigenous hockey players at the elite level; offer the term libratory masculinity to capture the oscillation between hyper-masculinity and masculinity; and propose that hockey hypermasculinity is antithetical to healing.
German, Jewish, and Female: Encounters with Antisemitism in Mirna Funk's Winternähe (2015) and Deborah Feldman's Überbitten (2017)
Authors: Slodounik Rebekah
Published: October 2023

Abstract: Mirna Funk's novel Winternähe (2015) and Deborah Feldman's autobiography Überbitten (2017) depict iterations of antisemitism in contemporary German society, focusing on the seemingly latent antisemitism, exacerbated by their gender, that Lola, the protagonist in Winternähe , and Feldman experience frequently. Intruder figures make legible their disregard for Lola's and Feldman's position as Jewish women in Germany. Funk's Winternähe and Feldman's Überbitten call out the contradictions that Lola and Feldman identify in German society as two independent and fully autonomous Jewish women who are repeatedly told they do not belong in Germany. Funk and Feldman write against such rejections of female German-Jewish identities and toward a recuperation and reclaiming of what it means—for them, not for others—to inhabit Jewishness, Germanness, and femaleness simultaneously, on their own terms.
“Metabolize Hate or Die of It”: Lorde, Labor, and Affect Theory
Authors: Benitez Molly
Published: October 2023

Abstract: While the accepted cannon of affect theory does not adequately address issues of colonization, enslavement, and race, an affect theory traced through a genealogy of women and queer of color scholars and theorists centers the body and lived experience in its analysis of affects. Utilizing this critical affect theory, this paper begins with a rereading of Audre Lorde’s “Eye to Eye” and her experiences working at Keystone Electronics narrated in Zami . Lorde’s theory of metabolization is put in conversation with Judith Butler’s theory of performativity to analyze “the affects of labor”—the stress, trauma, and emotions—experienced through the work one does and how these affects of labor produce and reproduce workers emotionally, socially, and physically. This ethnographic and autoethnographic work centers the experiences of queer and trans LGBTQ+ trades workers and specifically in this paper the case of Jae, a mixed-Black, trans, trades worker to interrogate the ways work works on laborers, how it forms and transforms them, and the complex ways that workers negotiate and resist the affects of labor. This paper looks specifically at the oppressive affects of labor and offers the affects of labor as an analytic to think through how work within a capitalist system continuously produces and reproduces workers, their families, and communities to benefit and uphold capitalist demands.
Domestic Touchpoints Between British and Chinese Women’s Art
Authors: Yang Virginia Yiqing , Evans Adrienne
Published: October 2023

Abstract: Domesticity in women’s art has been explored in a number of recently emerging writings and artistic projects. In this article, we focus on three British and Chinese women artists’ work: Jemima Brown’s Our Lady of Perpetual Distraction , Tao Aimin’s Women’s River , and Gao Rong’s Guangzhou Station—Things in the Bag , with analysis that explores overlaps between them as part of a transcultural condition. These overlaps are defined as “touchpoints”, as a way to capture transient, fluid or intra-secting moments where ideas within artworks meet. We pay attention to gender division/inequality that is informed by a new materialist and phenomenological feminist methodology. This article facilitates an in-depth analysis of women’s art from a transcultural understanding and challenges the current sociocultural binaries inherent in gender relations.
Building New Fort Kearny, 1848: The Pawnee Nation, William Tappan, and Powell's Missouri Volunteers
Authors: Judd Catherine Nealy
Published: October 2023

Abstract: In 1847 Congress and President James K. Polk assigned a Missouri militia to build military forts along the Platte River Road. Their first project was the construction of New Fort Kearny near present-day Grand Island, Nebraska. Col. Ledwell Pow-ell's Missouri Volunteers undertook and completed the fort by late spring and early summer of 1848. Utilizing Boston artist and traveler William Henry Tappan's 1848 diary, as well as other primary sources including letters home from a Volunteers' infantry soldier, this essay aims to expand our social memories of events long forgotten. Highlighted here is the presence of the Pawnee Nation, owners of the New Fort Kearny building site. In turn hostile toward and admiring of the Pawnee, Tappan recorded detailed aspects of Pawnee material culture, customs, tribal leaders, and religious rites. Tappan's diary also offers glimpses of the deeply embedded racial animosity and bellicosity of the Volunteers' officers, as well as the complex culture of militia life among the Missouri Volunteers' rank and file. In addition, Tappan's interactions with several other Platte River Road–located nations, including the Ioway, Lakhota Sioux, and Cheyenne, offer us a wider-ranging and more comprehensive picture of the Great Plains Platte region of 1848.
"Phil always did the castrating": Repression and Cowboy Masculinity in Thomas Savage's The Power of the Dog
Authors: Asquith Mark
Published: October 2023

Abstract: This article offers a reading of Savage's novel that explores the relationship between queerness and the Western. It contextualizes the novel within the shifting social mores of the sixties and shows how the popular character archetype of the "doomed homosexual" aligns with a vision of the "doomed West." It charts how Savage queers familiar Western signifiers—hands (barometers of manliness), the ambivalent symbol of the dog, and a rawhide rope (a symbol of control turned emblem of gay love). The argument is scaffolded by psychoanalytical readings, particularly Jung's concept of the "persona" and the "shadow" as a means of exploring repression and projection; Lacan's mirror stage as a source of confusion between the Ideal and the Horrifying; and Kristeva's work on abjection and visual trauma. It explores the importance of family in the shaping of identity; the despairingly limited role for women on the ranch; and how the masculine model of the cowboy might be inverted and challenged. References to Campion's recent movie of the book are included and offer alternative readings of key scenes.
"Abolish Economists!": The Britcom Yes Minister and the Transformation of British Conservatism in the Thatcher Era
Authors: Wehrs Nikolai
Published: October 2023

Abstract: What role did formats of popular culture play in the renaissance of political conservatism after 1968? The Britcom Yes Minister (1980–88) is generally viewed as a left-wing satire of the elitism of the British civil service. Nikolai Wehrs, however, shows how the authors of the TV series purposely merged the left-wing antiestablishment narrative with a new middle class populism, and thereby created a political-cultural space of possibility for the conservative ideology of Thatcherism. He argues that Yes Minister allows for the investigation of the central transformation processes of British conservatism under the aegis of Margaret Thatcher during the 1980s.
Only Rock and Roll? Rock Music and Cultures of Conservatism
Authors: Becker Tobias
Published: October 2023

Abstract: Rock and roll traditionally appears to exhibit a rebellious, subversive, and progressive connotation. Such ascriptions, however, ignore not only subgenres such as Rechtsrock (right-wing extremist rock), but also criticism, present from the onset, that accused mainstream rock of merely portraying and supporting the status quo rather than questioning it. Is rock and roll therefore a conservative genre? What do terms such as conservative and progressive really mean when they are applied to pop culture, music, and specifically rock and roll? Which findings are used to support these attributions? The article investigates these questions along an abbreviated history of rock from the 1950s to the 1980s in transnational perspective. The contribution shows that, inasmuch as rock is rebellious at all, its rebelliousness can be directed against a mainstream culture which is perceived as progressive just as much as against one which is perceived as conservative.
The Effect of R&D on Economic Growth: Evidence from Cross-Country Panel Data
Authors: Pradhan Rudra P.
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT: Research and Development (R&D) in particular and innovation in general are the best drivers of long-run sustainable economic growth and spending in R&D has been recognized as one of the means to the economic accomplishment of both developed and developing countries. However, the sustainability of the association between R&D & economic growth exclusively depends upon the performance of other macroeconomic determinants. Hence, we examine the effect of R&D on economic growth in the existence of five important macroeconomic determinants. The study focusses on 151 selected countries, including both developed and developing, over the period 1996-2020 and focused on the macro-level analysis. Our research is based on the deployment of system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) technique. The GMM technique encompasses longitudinal data; and is gathered by pooling time-series across a pool of cross-sectional units, specifically country-wise. The biggest advantage of using the GMM technique is that it allows for addressing the endogeneity problem using lagged explanatory variables as instrumental variables. We have three samples in our analysis, namely pool of developed countries, pool of developing countries, and the pool of both developed and developing countries. Our study deploys four proxies of R&D to work the nexus between R&D and economic growth in presence of five important macroeconomic determinants. In each of these three samples, we run four GMM models, depending upon the deployment of four R&D activities that we used in this study. We observe an evidence that R&D plays a significant role in economic growth when the selected macroeconomic determinants are used as control variables. Our findings are mostly robust to R&D specifications, country specifications, model specifications, and estimation strategies. Most importantly, the effect of lagged economic growth is highly positive, signifying that economies with higher economic growth in the previous years tend to grow faster in presence of R&D intensity. The behaviour of other macroeconomic variables is having diverse nature. Some of these variables behave positively, while others behave negatively. This study suggests that policymakers should focus on improving R&D activities and strengthening the chosen macroeconomic determinants to facilitate economic development. Hence, it contributes to the ongoing policy debate, that is with reference to R&D effect on economic growth, on the finest strategies for attaining sustainable economic growth in all these selected countries. Hence, we can use these findings to develop a targeted policy that promotes R&D intensity in the phases of economic development.
Who are the Poor Farm households' in Nigeria and is this Population Changing Over Time?
Authors: Patricia Adekunle Chioma
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT: Reducing poverty in developing economies is a major challenge faced by the development stakeholders. Although poverty is a worldwide phenomenon, it has been observed that Nigeria is one of the countries that is worst hit by the poverty with biting effects more on the rural dwellers where the bulk of the population lives. Using the nationally representative household survey panel data by the World Bank/National Bureau of Statistics, from the 2012 to 2016 period to provide answers to what are the household demographic, farm, and geospatial characteristics that drive the likelihood of farm households entering, exiting, and re-entering poverty using the costs of basic needs approach as a marker of poverty. Four poverty levels were used in analyzing the household survey data. The two waves of poverty mobility in Nigeria approximately revealed 51.2 percent of poor farm households' in wave 1, and 42 percent in wave 2 were at risk of spending their entire lives in poverty. The probability of existing and entering two-year poverty mobility which started at 25 percent rose to 45 percent for four-year poverty mobility indicating that over time more farm households, have experienced changes in the status of their consumption expenditure relative to the poverty line. Close to households who begin poor, those who moved out of poverty in any of the other years had better endowments in terms of land and livestock ownership, urban residence, and involvement in non-farm income portfolios. It is concluded that older heads, higher educational attainment, engagement in crop/livestock production, and non-farm livelihood activities, strongly reduce the likelihood of farm households' poverty entry. Therefore, policy strategies aimed at dealing with poverty mobility should be heterogeneous across the poor farm households. Also, as the chronically poor lack physical assets and earning endowments, policy efforts should focus on education or other forms of skills acquisition programs in order to raise their livelihood portfolios and boost their earning capacity.
Écrire pour devenir soi ou un autre? À travers trois œuvres polynésiennes de référence
Authors: Margueron Daniel
Published: October 2023

Abstract: La culture polynésienne contemporaine est prise entre quatre pôles: en premier lieu, l’adulation pour une culture ancestrale, sous la forme d’une attirance irrépressible jouée, rejouée, spectacularisée avec ses effets de réalités historiques et légendaires supposées, et conçue dans un esprit de reconquête et de nostalgie; en deuxième lieu, une perception de la Polynésie produite par une littérature allogène autant protéiforme qu’abondante; en troisième lieu, un dépôt culturel bâti par la famille, l’éducation, l’école, la vie et par des lectures personnelles; enfin, une écriture autochtone qui exprime une entropie visible et déroutante créée par l’histoire. De quels éléments internes et externes est composée l’individualité de l’être écrivant? Comment se conjuguent en écriture les visions du passé, la perception des autres et le ressenti, voire le vécu contemporain? Les écrivains polynésiens forment-ils un bloc uni en matière de positionnement politique et littéraire, ou un large éventail? Il s’agira peut-être, en se basant sur l’historicité de la littérature polynésienne, de distinguer différentes générations d’écrivains.
Midnight's Children as a Superhero Novel: Contesting the Politics of Superheroes and Supervillains
Authors: Dutta Mohua , Chattopadhyay Sayan
Published: October 2023

Abstract: This article reads Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children through the lens of superhero comics in which the protagonist would appear to be the supervillain while the antagonist would emerge to be the real superhero. By foregrounding this inversion, Rushdie is defying as well as critiquing the underlying ideological underpinnings and the political assumptions that inform the genre. The superhero comics and its relation with the United States provides the theoretical framework, and the state of emergency imposed in India by Indira Gandhi from 1975 to 1977 provides the conceptual framework, within which this article has been situated.
Impact of the geometry of the excitation structure on optical skyrmion
Authors: Chen Jiuye , Ji Boyu , Lang Peng , Zhang Ye , Lin Jingquan
Published: October 2023

Optical skyrmions have attracted great attention for the potential applications in novel information storage and communication. It is of great significance to get insight into the generation of optical skyrmions by surface waves. Here, we have paid greater emphasis on the influence of the geometry of the coupling structure on the formation of optical skyrmions. Optical skyrmions are constructed from the superposition of the interfering surface plasmons excited by polygon trenches on Ag film. The results show the field texture of optical skyrmions is mainly determined by the excitation structure, with distinct properties revealed with various closed and non-closed geometries. Moreover, the ratio between the electric field strengths of the optical skyrmions can be larger than 4 between the optimized and unoptimized coupling structures. The pattern of the optical skyrmion shows a strong dependence on the excitation structure, implying the significant role in skyrmion topology it plays.
Light-induced pure spin current in carbon hexagonal-connected zigzag graphene nanoribbons via magnetic field modulation
Authors: Shang Xiaofei , Li Yuejun , Cao Rufeng , Zhou Yan-Hong , Wan Wenqiang , Zheng Xiaohong
Published: October 2023

Pure spin current, exhibiting no Joule heat and self-powered characteristics, has recently attracted intensive attention. Here, through first-principles calculations and symmetry analysis, we propose a new method to generate photoelectric pure spin current in carbon hexagonal connected three zigzag graphene nanoribbons (ZGNRs) via magnetic field modulation. Specifically, a device with centro-symmetry is designed, which consists of three ZGNRs using two carbon hexagons as connectors (‘2-C6’). When the edge spin states of the three ZGNRs from left to right are modulated to AFM-AFM-AFM or FM-AFM-FM by magnetic fields, excellent pure spin currents are obtained which are independent of the photon energy and the angle of the linearly polarized light. However, when the edge spin states are FM-FM-FM orderly, the photocurrent is nearly zero and can be neglected. Analysis show that the first two spin magnetic structures own the spatial inversion antisymmetric spin density which is the origin of stable pure spin currents, while the FM-FM-FM structure owns Cs symmetric spin density, leading to the nearly zero photocurrent. Our findings provide a scheme for obtaining pure spin currents by changing the spin states of the graphene nanoribbons via magnetic field modulation, which is of great importance for the design of spintronic devices.
Two-dimensional spatial coherence measurement of X-ray sources using aperture array mask
Authors: Li Qingcheng , Lu Yili , Lu Yonghua , Wang Pei
Published: October 2023

Fourth-generation synchrotron radiation delivers x-ray sources with unprecedented coherence and brilliance, which enables the development of many advanced coherent techniques taking advantage of the inherent high coherence of the x-ray beams. Simple and accurate measurement of two-dimensional (2D) coherence is of utmost importance for the applications of these coherent experimental techniques. Here, we propose a novel approach based on diffraction of aperture array mask (AAM) to obtain accurate 2D spatial coherence with a single-shot measurement. We utilize a coherent mode decomposition algorithm to simulate the diffraction of AAM illuminated by Gaussian-Schell model beam and demonstrate that spatial coherence function of the incident light beam can be accurately and robustly retrieved. We expect that this new approach will be applied into transverse coherence measurements for the new-generation synchrotron radiation source and relevant coherent experimental techniques.
Decaying dynamics of harmonic mode-locking in a SESAM-based mode-locked fiber laser
Authors: Ma Xiaohui , Zhang Kai , Li Chuchen , Chen Kai , Zhou Yong , Zhang Wei , Fang Wentan , Chen Xiaolin , Huang Song , Yu Ronghua , Liao Meisong , Ohishi Yasutake , Gao Weiqing
Published: October 2023

The entire decaying dynamics of harmonic mode-locking (HML) are studied utilizing the dispersive Fourier transform (DFT) technique in a SESAM-based mode-locked fiber laser. It is unveiled that the harmonic solitons do not disappear directly, but undergo transitional processes from the higher-order HML to the lower-order HML and then to the fundamental mode-locking (FML), and finally vanish. The “big corner” can also exist in the decaying process rather than just in the buildup process of HML, and there is at least one “big corner” during the decaying process between the consecutive multi-pulsing states. The energy stabilization phase (ESP) cannot be observed during every transitional process. A breathing behavior and a vibrating soliton molecule are observed in the decaying process from the 2nd HML to the FML and in the decaying process of the FML, respectively. Our work would enrich the understanding of HML behaviors and may contribute to the laser designs.
Sub-picosecond tunable mid-infrared light source for driving high-efficiency optical rectification
Authors: Liu Jinsheng , Ding Yufang , Gu Xingbin , Yuan Peng , Zhang Dongfang , Wang Jing , Xie Guoqiang , Tu Heng , Yao Jiyong , Qian Liejia , Ma Jingui
Published: October 2023

Optical rectification (OR) is a popular way to generate coherent terahertz radiation. Here, we develop a sub-picosecond mid-infrared (mid-IR) light source with a tailored wavelength and pulse duration for enhancing the OR efficiency. Numerical simulations for a LiNbO3-based OR with tilted pulse-front excitation are first conducted to determine the optimal parameters of pump wavelength and pulse duration, demonstrating that the OR efficiency pumped by 4-µm sub-picosecond (0.5-0.6 ps) pulses is approximately twice the value with 0.8-µm pump at the same conditions. Guided by the simulation results, we build a BaGa4Se7-based optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification system with 1030-nm thin-disk pump and broadband mid-IR seeds. The output performances of >200-µJ pulse energy, ∼600-fs pulse duration and 1-kHz pulse repetition rate are achieved in a spectral range tunable from 3.5 to 5 µm. The large energy scalability and high parameter tunability make the light source attractive to high-efficiency OR in various materials.
New temperature measurement method based on light-induced thermoelastic spectroscopy
Authors: Liu Xiaonan , Ma Yufei
Published: October 2023

A new temperature measurement method based on light-induced thermoelastic spectroscopy (LITES) was demonstrated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, in this manuscript. According to the thermoelastic effect of quartz tuning fork (QTF), this technique retrieves the temperature on the basis of the resonance signal of QTF. Wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) combined with the dual-line method was used to achieve temperature measurement. A QTF with high-frequency selectivity and high-quality factor (Δf0 = 2.5 Hz, Q-factor = 13104.9) was used as the detection element to suppress noise and improve the signal level. Two absorption lines of water vapor (H2O) located at 7153.749 cm−1 and 7154.354 cm−1 were selected as the target line. A single distributed feedback (DFB) diode laser was used to cover the two selected absorption lines simultaneously to reduce the complexity of the sensor system. A tube furnace capable of covering a temperature range from 400°C to 1000°C was adopted to verify the performance of this method. The relative error of the measured temperature was less than 5%, which indicated that the LITES temperature sensor has excellent detection accuracy. Compared to the widely used TDLAS temperature measuring method, this LITES-based technique has the merits of low cost, has no wavelength limitation, and is expected to be applied on more occasions.
Timing jitter reduction in semiconductor lasers induced by optical injection
Authors: Duque Gijón María , Quirce Ana , Tiana-Alsina Jordi , Masoller Cristina , Valle Ángel
Published: October 2023

We present an experimental study of the effect of continuous-wave optical injection (OI) from a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) on the timing jitter of a gain-switched discrete-mode semiconductor laser (DML). Timing jitter was analyzed over a wide range of temperatures of the DML, which allowed tuning the detuning between the lasers emissions, and it was compared with the inter-pulse timing jitter. We have found that there is a range of detunings in which OI diminishes the jitter by 70% with respect to the jitter of the solitary DML. However, within this region, there are some detunings for which OI significantly increases the jitter.
Enhanced terahertz frequency mixing in all-dielectric metamaterial with multiple surface plasmon polaritons resonances
Authors: Wang Baoku , Yan Fei , Tian Fengjun , Sun Weimin , Li Li
Published: October 2023

Nonlinear metamaterials hold a promising platform for generating terahertz (THz) waves. In this paper, we present an all-dielectric metamaterial with multiple surface plasmon polariton (SPP) resonances for enhanced THz frequency mixing. The metamaterial is composed of graphene ribbons, a dielectric layer, and a one-dimensional photonic crystal, displaying the multiple absorptions with simultaneous excitation of three SPP resonances. Taking advantage of SPP resonances with high Q factor and strong localized field at the input frequency, the third-order nonlinear processes are remarkably enhanced, including third-harmonic generation (THG) and four-wave mixing (FWM), producing a variety of frequencies in the THz range. The proposed efficient nonlinear metamaterials offer promising applications for THz frequency synthesis.
A Place-Based Conceptual Model (PBCM) of Neotricula aperta/Schistosoma mekongi habitat before and after dam construction in the Lower Mekong River
Authors: Lanza Guy R. , Upatham Suchart , Chen Ang
Published: October 2023

In 1971, scientists from Mahidol University in Thailand and the Smithsonian Institution in the USA formed a research team to study a new species of Schistosoma in the Mekong River in Thailand and Laos. The studies, completed during 1971–1973, prior to the construction of any dams or restrictions to the natural flow regime of the Mekong River, provide a unique description of the natural ecological state of the river that can serve as a baseline for current research. The natural transmission of Schistosoma japonicum, Mekong Strain, was first reported on Khong Island, Laos in 1973 using sentinel mice. The first detailed description of the habitat ecology of the snail vector Neotricula aperta was done on-site in 1971 simultaneously with that research and is unique in providing the only description of the river shoreline habitat before any dams were built and any alteration of the natural flow regime was in place. Aggregating current information in a Place-Based Conceptual Model (PBCM) as an organizing template, along with current habitat models that combine ecological data with e-flows, can be developed and used as a tool to predict suitable habitats for snails. The natural flow regime of the Mekong River prior to any impoundments is described with current updates on the potential impacts of climate change and dams with flow-related snail habitat characteristics, including sediment drift and water quality. The application of the PBCM to describe and compare descriptive information on current and potential future N. aperta/S. mekongi habitat is discussed.