bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards enhancing the user experience of ChIP-Seq data analysis web tools
Authors: Hammad Mahmoud , Baker Qanita Bani , Al-Smadi Mohammed , Alrashdan Wesam
Published: August 2022

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing is the process of locating the sequence of the main chemical bases in the DNA. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is the state-of-the-art DNA sequencing technique. The NGS technique advanced the biological science in analyzing human DNA due to its scalability, high throughput, and speed. Analyzing human DNA is crucial to determine the ability of a person to develop certain diseases and his ability to respond to certain medications. ChIP-sequencing is a method that combines chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) with NGS sequencing to analyze protein interactions with DNA to identify binding sites. Many online web tools have been developed to conduct ChIP-Seq data analysis to either discover or find motifs, i.e., patterns of binding sites. Since these ChIP-Seq web tools need to be used by clinical practitioners, they must comply to the web-related usability tasks including effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction to enhance the user experience (UX). To that end, we have conducted an empirical study to understand their UX design. Specifically, we have evaluated the usability of 8 widely used ChIP-Seq web tools against 6 known usability quality metrics. Our study shows that the design of the studied ChIP-Seq web tools does not follow the UX design principles.
An alternative m-learning scoring approach to automatically evaluate Iqro’s pronunciation based on pitch, volume, and rhythm features
Authors: Brata Komang Candra , Nugraha Mohamad Handy , Brata Adam Hendra
Published: August 2022

The Iqro’ has been proven as an effective method to improve literacy for reading Hijaiyah letters which are the fundamental skill for reading the Qur’an. The Iqro method relies on a mentor to evaluate the accuracy of the student’s pronunciation of the Hijaiyah letters. With the advancement of mobile technology, many mobile apps are available to assist the learning process. However, the existing solution that is available on the market only provides a one-way learning experience where users only focus on enhancing vocabulary, writing, and reading ability with a simple true-false assessment. Although enhancing the vocabulary and reading ability is important, training the correct Makhraj (Arabic pronunciation) is also essential in fundamental Hijaiyah learning. This paper presents the feasibility investigation of the usage of the pitch, volume, and rhythm as the more comprehensive audio assessment parameters in the voice recognition module to evaluate the student's ability to pronounce the Hijaiyah letter in an m-learning implementation. Instead of just presenting the true-false output, the proposed method will calculate the Makhraj correctness in the range 0 to 100. Experimental results with 10 respondents show that the sample correlation coefficient using Pearson between a manual assessment by Ustaz and the application result for Iqro’ level 1 is 0.51 which means this approach is acceptable for future implementation.
Learning trends in customer churn with rule-based and kernel methods
Authors: Aldhafferi Nahier , Alqahtani Abdullah , Shaikh Fatema Sabeen , Olatunji Sunday Olusanya , Almurayh Abdullah , Alghamdi Fahad A. , Alshammri Ghalib H. , Samha Amani K. , Alsmadi Mutasem Khalil , Alfagham Hayat , Ben Salah Abderrazak
Published: August 2022

In the present article an attempt has been made to predict the occurrences of customers leaving or ‘churning’ a business enterprise and explain the possible causes for the customer churning. Three different algorithms are used to predict churn, viz. decision tree, support vector machine and rough set theory. While two are rule-based learning methods which lead to more interpretable results that might help the marketing division to retain or hasten cross-sell of customers, one of them is a kernel-based classification that separates the customers on a feature hyperplane. The nature of predictions and rules obtained from them are able to provide a choice between a more focused or more extensive program the company may wish to implement as part of its customer retention program.
Smart agriculture for optimizing photosynthesis using internet of things and fuzzy logic
Authors: Qohar Abdul Latief , Suharjito Suharjito
Published: August 2022

Photosynthesis is a process that plants need. Plant growth requires sunlight to carry out photosynthesis. At night photosynthesis cannot be carried out by plants. This research proposes an internet of things (IoT) model that can work intelligently to maximize photosynthesis and plant growth using fuzzy logic. The plants used in this research are mustard plants because mustard plants are plants that have broad leaves and require more photosynthesis. The outputs of this proposed model are the activation of light emitting diodes (LED) lights and automatic watering based on input sensors such as soil moisture, temperature, and light intensity which are processed with fuzzy logic. The results show that the use of the IoT model that has been proposed can provide faster and better growth of mustard plants compared with mustard plants without an IoT system and fuzzy logic. This result is also strengthened by comparing the t-test between the two groups, with a significant 95% confidence level. The proposed model in this research is also compared with similar research models carried out previously. This research resulted in a plant height difference of 30.43% higher than the previous research. So, it can conclude that the proposed model can accelerate the growth of mustard plants.
Evolutionary reinforcement learning multi-agents system for intelligent traffic light control: new approach and case of study
Authors: Basmassi Mohamed Amine , Boudaakat Sidina , Chentoufi Jihane Alami , Benameur Lamia , Rebbani Ahmed , Bouattane Omar
Published: August 2022

Due to the rapid growth of urban vehicles, traffic congestion has become more serious. The signalized intersections are used all over the world and still established in the new construction. This paper proposes a self-adapted approach, called evolutionary reinforcement learning multi-agents system (ERL-MA), which combines computational intelligence and machine learning. The concept of this work is to build an intelligent agent capable of developing senior skills to manage the traffic light control system at any type of junction, using two powerful tools: learning from the confronted experience and the assumption using the randomization concept. The ERL-MA is an independent multi-agents system composed of two layers: the modeling and the decision layers. The modeling layer uses the intersection modeling using generalized fuzzy graph technique. The decision layer uses two methods: the novel greedy genetic algorithm (NGGA), and the Q-learning. In the Q-learning method, a multi Q-tables strategy and a new reward formula are proposed. The experiments used in this work relied on a real case of study with a simulation of one-hour scenario at Pasubio area in Italy. The obtained results show that the ERL-MA system succeeds to achieve competitive results comparing to urban traffic optimization by integrated automation (UTOPIA) system using different metrics.
An approach based on deep learning that recommends fertilizers and pesticides for agriculture recommendation
Authors: Huy Cuong Nguyen Ha , Trinh Trung Hai , Nguyen Duc-Hien , Bui Thanh Khiet , Kiet Tran Anh , Ho Phan Hieu , Thuy Nguyen Thanh
Published: August 2022

With the advancement of the internet, individuals are becoming more reliant on online applications to meet most of their needs. In the meantime, they have very little spare time to devote to the selection and decision-making process. As a result, the need for recommender systems to help tackle this problem is expanding. Recommender systems successfully provide consumers with individualized recommendations on a variety of goods, simplifying their duties. The goal of this research is to create a recommender system for farmers based on tree data structures. Recommender system has become interesting research by simplifying and saving time in the decision-making process of users. We conducted although a lot of research in various fields, there are insufficient in the agriculture sector. This issue is more necessary for farmers in Quangnam-Danang or all Vietnam countries by severe climate features. Storm from that, this research designs a system based on tree data structures. The proposed model combines the you only look once (YOLO) algorithm in a convolutional neural network (CNN) model with a similarity tree in computing similarity. By experiments on 400 samples and evaluating precision, accuracy, and the value of the predictive test as determined by its positive predictive value (PPV), the research proves that the proposed model is feasible and gain better results compared with other state-of-the-art models.
Minimizing routing overhead using signal strength in multi-hop wireless network
Authors: Joshi Sachidananda S. , Biradar Sangappa Ramachandra
Published: August 2022

Constructing a stabilized route in dynamic topology and decentralized architecture is still an unsolved problem in mobile Ad-hoc networks. There are various research contributions where received signal strength has been used to enhance the routing performance. We reviewed the existing technique and found that adopting the current signal strength-based mechanism is not efficient enough to deal with overhead and energy consumption in mobile Ad-hoc networks (MANETs). The present manuscript introduces a novel routing schema called MROSS or minimizing routing overhead using signal strength (MROSS) that jointly addresses the problems of communication and network lifetime. The outcome of the study was developed using an analytical modeling approach to find MROSS significantly reduces routing overhead and energy consumption in comparison to existing routing techniques in mobile Ad-hoc network.
Effects of different acetylsalicylic acid doses on body organs, histopathology, and serum biochemical parameters in broiler birds
Authors: Muneeb Muhammad , Javed Muhammad Tariq , Sarfaraz Tahir , Ayub Ameema , Israr Faryal , Anwar Sidra , Ul Abdeen Zain , Hina Irum , Raza Ali , Afzal Zeeshan , Zarnab Shaza , Ali Moazam
Published: July 2022

The poultry industry suffers from various diseases or stresses. In poultry, apart from being antipyretic, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is widely used to cope with different issues including heat stress, and respiratory and digestive orders. This study evaluated the beneficial and toxic effects of ASA at different dose levels in broiler birds. To evaluate these toxic and beneficial effects it is necessary to examine the physical and serum biochemical parameters as well as the histopathological changes with tissue sections taken from broiler birds under experimental trial. This study was conducted on 60 one-day-old broiler chicks purchased from a local market in Faisalabad. Chicks were reared for the first 14 days under similar conditions. On the 15th day, birds were randomly divided into 4 groups (1-4) with 15 birds in each group. Group 4 was kept as control, while groups 1, 2, and 3 were treated with ASA at the dose of 300, 600, and 1200 mg/L of drinking water for 21 days. There were 3 samplings performed at 21, 28, and 35 days post-treatment. The live body weight and carcass weight were noted on each sampling. All the visceral organs were recorded for gross pathological changes. The serum samples were collected for biochemical evaluation. Histopathology of all the visceral organs was performed to observe the microscopic changes. A significant (P<0.05) increase in live body weight at a 300mg/L dose was noted after the first 2 samplings. A significant (P<0.05) increase in the relative organ weight was recorded at 1200 mg/L. The groups treated with ASA 600 and 1200 mg/L showed increased (P<0.05) AST, ALT, and creatinine levels from that of the control group. The group treated with 1200 mg/L of ASA showed increased (P<0.05) urea, serum total protein, and albumin level in all the samplings. Histopathological changes revealed swollen hepatocytes, increased sinusoidal spaces in the liver, congestion and abnormal glomerular spaces in the kidney, congestion and alveolar disruption in the lungs, and generation of villi and cellular degeneration in the intestine in a high-dose group. The study concluded that ASA at a low dose can be used for a long time in broilers and has a growth promontory role, while high-level doses cause hepatorenal toxicity.
Contribution of Fetal Magnetocardiography to Diagnosis, Risk Assessment, and Treatment of Fetal Arrhythmia
Authors: Wacker‐Gussmann Annette , Strasburger Janette F. , Wakai Ronald T.
Published: July 2022

Background

Fetal echocardiography has been the mainstay of fetal arrhythmia diagnosis; however, fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG) has recently become clinically available. We sought to determine to what extent fMCG contributed to the precision and accuracy of fetal arrhythmia diagnosis and risk assessment, and in turn, how this altered pregnancy management.

Methods and Results

We reviewed fMCG tracings and medical records of 215 pregnancies referred to the Biomagnetism Laboratory, UW‐Madison, over the last 10 years, because of fetal arrhythmia or risk of arrhythmia. We compared referral diagnosis and treatment with fMCG diagnosis using a rating scale and restricted our review to the 144 subjects from the tachycardia, bradycardia/AV block, and familial long QT syndrome categories. Additional fMCG findings beyond those of the referring echocardiogram, or an alternative diagnosis were seen in 117/144 (81%), and 81 (56%) were critical changes. Eight (5.5%) had resolution of arrhythmia before fMCG. At least moderate changes in management were seen in 109/144 (76%) fetuses, of which 35/144 (24%) were major. The most diverse fMCG presentation was long QT syndrome, present in all 3 referral categories. Four of 5 stillbirths were seen with long QT syndrome. Nine fetuses showed torsades de pointes ventricular tachycardia, of which only 2 were recognized before fMCG.

Conclusions

FMCG has a significant impact on prenatal diagnosis and management of arrhythmias or familial arrhythmia risk, which cannot be fully met by existing technology. The combination of fMCG and fetal echocardiography in fetal care centers will be needed in the future to optimize care.
Patient‐Reported Outcomes in a Multidisciplinary Electrophysiology‐Psychology Ventricular Arrhythmia Clinic
Authors: Sandhu Uday , Nguyen Andrew T. , Dornblaser John , Gray Andrew , Paladino Karen , Henrikson Charles A , Kovacs Adrienne H. , Nazer Babak
Published: July 2022

Background

Ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) and their treatment have been associated with psychological distress and diminished quality of life (QOL). We administered a battery of patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) to patients seeing an electrophysiologist and psychologist in a multidisciplinary VA clinic for patients referred for consideration of catheter ablation for sustained VAs or implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator therapies.

Methods and Results

In this retrospective study of the initial VA clinic visit, we analyzed PROMs of: anxiety and depression symptoms, visual analog scales for physical health status and quality of life, cardiac anxiety, implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator acceptance, and implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator shock anxiety. We quantitated baseline PROM score means and performed correlation analysis with clinical makers of cardiac and VA disease severity. We also performed an item‐level analysis of each PROM question to quantify most frequent patient concerns. A total of 66 patients (56±15 years; 77% men) were included; 70% had prior implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator shock, and 44% with prior VA ablation. Elevated symptoms of anxiety (53%) and depression (20%) were common. Younger patients had greater symptom burden of general health anxiety, cardiac anxiety, and shock anxiety, and lower device acceptance, but indices of VA burden such as number of ICD shocks and time since last ICD shock did not predict anxiety or depression. Item‐level review of cardiac‐specific PROMs revealed that >40% of patients expressed concern regarding resumption of physical activity, sex and employment.

Conclusions

Clinicians can expect elevated symptoms of depression, and cardiac and device‐related anxiety among patients with VAs. Routine use of PROMs may elicit these symptoms, which were otherwise not predicted by arrhythmia burden.  Review of individual PROM items can facilitate targeting specific patient concerns, which commonly involved physical activity.
Natural Language Processing to Improve Prediction of Incident Atrial Fibrillation Using Electronic Health Records
Authors: Ashburner Jeffrey M. , Chang Yuchiao , Wang Xin , Khurshid Shaan , Anderson Christopher D. , Dahal Kumar , Weisenfeld Dana , Cai Tianrun , Liao Katherine P. , Wagholikar Kavishwar B. , Murphy Shawn N. , Atlas Steven J. , Lubitz Steven A. , Singer Daniel E.
Published: July 2022

Background

Models predicting atrial fibrillation (AF) risk, such as Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology AF (CHARGE‐AF), have not performed as well in electronic health records. Natural language processing (NLP) may improve models by using narrative electronic health record text.

Methods and Results

From a primary care network, we included patients aged ≥65 years with visits between 2003 and 2013 in development (n=32 960) and internal validation cohorts (n=13 992). An external validation cohort from a separate network from 2015 to 2020 included 39 051 patients. Model features were defined using electronic health record codified data and narrative data with NLP. We developed 2 models to predict 5‐year AF incidence using (1) codified+NLP data and (2) codified data only and evaluated model performance. The analysis included 2839 incident AF cases in the development cohort and 1057 and 2226 cases in internal and external validation cohorts, respectively. The C‐statistic was greater (
P
<0.001) in codified+NLP model (0.744 [95% CI, 0.735–0.753]) compared with codified‐only (0.730 [95% CI, 0.720–0.739]) in the development cohort. In internal validation, the C‐statistic of codified+NLP was modestly higher (0.735 [95% CI, 0.720–0.749]) compared with codified‐only (0.729 [95% CI, 0.715–0.744];
P
=0.06) and CHARGE‐AF (0.717 [95% CI, 0.703–0.731];
P
=0.002). Codified+NLP and codified‐only were well calibrated, whereas CHARGE‐AF underestimated AF risk. In external validation, the C‐statistic of codified+NLP (0.750 [95% CI, 0.740–0.760]) remained higher (
P
<0.001) than codified‐only (0.738 [95% CI, 0.727–0.748]) and CHARGE‐AF (0.735 [95% CI, 0.725–0.746]).

Conclusions

Estimation of 5‐year risk of AF can be modestly improved using NLP to incorporate narrative electronic health record data.
Evaluation of preanalytical and postanalytical phases in clinical biochemistry laboratory according to IFCC laboratory errors and patient safety specifications
Authors: Zorbozan Orçun , Zorbozan Nergiz
Published: July 2022

IntroductionThe aim of the study was to determine the current state of laboratory’s extra-analytical phase performance by calculating preanalytical and postanalytical phase quality indicators (QIs) and sigma values and to compare obtained data according to desired quality specifications and sigma values reported by The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) Working Group – Laboratory errors and Patient Safety.
Materials and methodsPreanalytical and postanalytical phase data were obtained through laboratory information system. Rejected samples in preanalytical phase were grouped according to reasons for rejection and frequencies were calculated both monthly and for 2019. Sigma values were calculated according to “short term sigma” table.
ResultsThe number of rejected samples in laboratory was 643 out of 191,831 in 2019. Total preanalytical phase rejection frequency was 0.22%. According to the reasons for rejection, QIs and sigma values were: “Samples with excessive transportation time”: 0.0036 and 5.47; “Samples collected in wrong container” 0.02 and 5.11. In December, QIs and sigma values were: “Samples with excessive transportation time”: 0.01 and 5.34; “Samples collected in wrong container”: 0.03 and 4.98. The postanalytical QIs and sigma values were: “Reports delivered outside the specified time”: 0.34 and 4.21; “Turn around time of potassium”: 56 minute and 3.84, respectively. There were no errors in “Critical values of inpatients and outpatients notified after a consensually agreed time”.
ConclusionsExtra-analytical phase was evaluated by comparing it with the latest quality specifications and sigma values which will contribute to improving the quality of laboratory medicine.
Acquired hemophilia A secondary to SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia
Authors: Marković Maja , Perković Dubravka , Bekavac Marija , Milić Marija , Brkić Nikolina
Published: July 2022

The acquired hemophilia A (AHA) is a life-threatening condition. The incidence of AHA is extremely low, which requires a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and treatment. This is case report of 73-year-old man who presented with AHA secondary to severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia. The patient had extensive skin bleeding and hematomas. In the coagulation screening tests activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) was prolonged with normal prothrombin time (PT), which was indication for further investigation. The APTT in a mixing study with normal plasma did not correct so clotting factors inhibitors were suspected. With signs of bleeding, extremely low factor VIII (FVIII) activity (2%) and presence of FVIII inhibitors, AHA was diagnosed and treatment initiated. Patient was treated with factor eight inhibitor bypassing agent (FEIBA) for three days, followed by long-term corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide therapy. Malignant and autoimmune diseases as the most common causes of AHA were ruled out. The patient had a good response to therapy with gradual normalization of APTT and FVIII activity. To the best of our knowledge, the present case is the first reported case of de novo AHA after SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. The diagnosis of AHA should be suspected in a patient with bleeding into the skin and mucous membranes without a previous personal and family history of bleeding, and with isolated prolonged APTT. It is important to investigate any isolated prolongation of APTT in cooperation with clinical laboratory experts.
GELİŞMEKTE OLAN EKONOMİLER İÇİN FELDSTEİN-HORİOKA BULMACASI: BİR PANEL VERİ ANALİZİ
Authors: KONYA Sevilay
Published: July 2022

Yatırım ve tasarruf arasındaki ilişkinin belirlenmesi iktisat yazınının önemli bir konusu olmuştur. Bu sebeple Feldstein ve Horioka (1980) tarafından öne sürülen yurtiçi tasarruf ve yatırım korelasyonu gelişmekte olan ekonomiler için gözden geçirilmiş ve 1990-2020 dönemi için test edilmiştir. Veriler panel veri özellikleri, yatay kesit bağımlılık ve heterojenliğin varlığı ile uygun şekilde analiz edilmiştir. Genişletilmiş Ortalama Grup (AMG) Tahmincisi ile katsayı tahmini yapılmıştır. 1990-2020 döneminde tasarrufların yatırımlar üzerinde pozitif ve anlamlı etki oluşturduğu ve tam sermaye hareketliliğinin sağlandığı belirlenmiştir. Sonuçlar, Feldstein ve Horioka hipotezini doğrulamaktadır. Seriler arasındaki nedensel bağlantıları araştırmak için Emirmahmutoğlu ve Köse (2011) panel nedensellik testi uygulanmıştır. Fakat panel genelinde değişkenler arasında nedensel bağlantı bulunamamıştır.
TÜREV ÜRÜNLERİN KULLANIMI İLE BANKALARIN KÂRLILIK PERFORMANSI ARASINDAKİ İLİŞKİNİN ANALİZİ
Authors: TURA Ümit , KAYA Ferudun
Published: July 2022

Bu çalışmanın amacı bankaların türev ürün kullanımının kârlılık performansları üzerindeki etkisini araştırmaktır. Çalışmada mevduat ve katılım bankalarının türev ürün kullanımlarının aktif kârlılığı, özkaynak kârlılığı ve net faiz marjı arasındaki üzerindeki etkisi 2005Q4-2020Q4 dönemleri için VAR Modeli kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. VAR modeli bulgularına göre; mevduat bankalarının türev araç kullanımında meydana gelen 1 standart hatalı şok karşısında net faiz marjının anlamlı tepkiler verdiği görülürken, katılım bankalarının türev ürün kullanımında ise özkaynak kârlılığının anlamlı tepkiler verdiği görülmüştür. Mevduat ve katılım bankalarının varyans ayrıştırması analizinde mevduat bankalarının türev ürün kullanımının sırasıyla en fazla net faiz marjı, daha sonra aktif kârlılığı ve özkaynak kârlılığı üzerinde etkisi olduğu görülürken, katılım bankalarında ise türev ürün kullanımının en fazla özkaynak kârlılığı üzerinde etkisi olduğu görülmüştür. Ayrıca yapılan Toda-Yamamato nedensellik testi ile katılım bankalarında türev ürün kullanımı ile özkaynak kârlılığı arasında çift yönlü bir ilişkinin olduğu tespit edilmiştir.
Kleptoparasitic interactions by bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) during marine mammal foraging events
Authors: Elliser Cindy R. , Edison Ciera , MacIver Katrina , Rust Lauren B.
Published: July 2022

Stealing of food items from another animal, or kleptoparasitism, has been well studied in bird species. Bald eagles are known kleptoparasites of other birds and occasionally other species, however kleptoparasitic interactions with mammals are relatively uncommon. We describe instances of bald eagles taking, or attempting to take, fish and mammal prey from three species of cetaceans (bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena vomerina) and killer whales (Orcinus orca)) and one species of pinniped (harbour seal (Phoca vitulina richardii)) on the east and west coast of the United States of America. We discuss possible drivers of this emerging behaviour, including bald eagle population increases, reductions in other prey abundance, and changes in prey choice (for harbour porpoises). Further research is needed to determine if this behaviour is opportunistic in nature, or a more common foraging strategy.
Mothers-in-Law or Monsters-in-Law
Authors: Akanle Olayinka , Ogunkan Lilian F.
Published: July 2022

In the African kinship system, elders have significant roles. Especially within families, roles including care and socialization are established by cultural normativity. Since socialization processes are intergenerational, older generations inculcate these norms and the values of the society in the younger generation. This makes mothers-in-law relevant in families. The roles of mothers-in-law in younger families are widely acknowledged as key in providing intergenerational training and general family support in Nigeria. However, these intergenerational roles are complex and variously interpreted and constructed to the extent that they may engender inherent conflicts across generations in Nigerian families. These differential interpretations and constructions form perspectives of how people interpret the roles of mothers-in-law. They have implications for family wellbeing, social change, and demographic ethos, yet previous studies have not sufficiently captured these nuances. Therefore, this article empirically examines the intersectionalities of Mothers-in-Law (MsIL) roles, perspectives, social constructions of roles, and existentialities in the context of Nigeria within a broader framework of family demographic change and social development. Specific objectives of this article include understanding constructions and drivers of opinions, ideas, and worldviews about mothers-in-law and examining the preferred choice of family and perceived continuities and discontinuities relative to MsIL realities among unmarried youths.
The Age of Distance: On an Ancient Hand Gesture
Authors: Baracchi Claudia
Published: July 2022

In light of the mandate of social distancing imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the subsequent disruption in habitual practices involving physical contact, the essay explores the ancient gesture of the handshake with reference to both its cultural codifications and its iconography, widespread especially in Mediterranean and Near Eastern areas. While involving manifold semantic and symbolic significance, the handshake is taken into account especially as a gesture implying a tactile exposure to another, hinting at the possibility of joining radically discontinuous worlds (mortals and immortals, dead and living). Ancient Greek funerary art is considered and a few final remarks return to the experience of isolation we lived on a global scale in recent years.
Daniel Bensaïd’s Marrano Internationalism
Authors: Antentas Josep Maria
Published: July 2022

Bensaïd’s interest in Marranism is part of his broader interest in Jewish mysticism, read in a profane and secularised way, and of his search for new theoretical paths with which to renew revolutionary Marxist theory. ‘Marrano’ refers to the Spanish–Portuguese Jews who were forcibly converted to Christianity in the fifteenth century and who were suspected of judaising in secret. The term has been increasingly used by many authors, including Bensaïd, in a broad sense, often as a metaphor that goes beyond the study of actual Marranos to acquire a broader meaning. Bensaïd uses Marranism to think about some aspects of political strategy and, at the same time, strategically uses Marranism to approach certain debates. The Marrano is the metaphorical and metonymic figure through which he tries to think a new internationalism that simultaneously transcends both an abstract universalism that legitimates inequalities and oppression and an anti-universalist communitarian withdrawal.
Curitiba, Brazil: Social Crisis and Policy Innovation for Cities in Light of Laudato Si’
Authors: Silveira Jucimeri Isolda , Candiotto Jaci de Fátima Souza , Pilla Maria Cecilia Barreto Amorim
Published: August 2022

This article begins with an interdisciplinary reflection of the city that considers historical and institutional aspects of its formation and dynamics. The elements presented here allow for critical analysis of city planning and political – institutional interventions, which, in addition to reproducing socio-spatial inequalities and segregation, are combined with antidemocratic conceptions that despise universal access to rights, and effective participation and coexistence for the common good. This exploratory article shows the increase of inequality, poverty, and vulnerability in Brazilian territories. Considering the city of Curitiba as an empirical unit, we investigated part of the process of urban planning trends and experiences that can improve deliberative governance and social innovation, which are essential paths for tackling the serious social crisis in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the materialization of the right to the city.
A Historical-Comparative Study of the Authorization of παρρησία in Philo’s Quis rerum divinarum heres sit and Quod omnis probus liber sit
Authors: Tops Thomas
Published: July 2022

The article studies and compares how Philo authorizes παρρησία in Quis rerum divinarum heres sit and Quod omnis probus liber sit. After critically evaluating the scholarly literature on παρρησία in Philo, I go beyond the limitations of this literature by situating Philo’s views on παρρησία within the context of the ancient conventions of παρρησία, as well as in the changing socio-historical context of Philo’s writings. I argue that Philo creatively adapts the conventions of παρρησία to authorize that the Jews can have παρρησία towards God, as well as towards human beings within the Roman Empire. Their παρρησία is not authorized by citizenship, nobility of birth, good family reputation, and wealth, but by their conscience of having said and done everything to the benefit of God and their virtuous behavior according to Mosaic law.
The Imperial Precipice: Jurists and Diplomats of the French Empire at the United Nations War Crimes Commission
Authors: Schoepfel Ann-Sophie
Published: July 2022

Delving into world-spanning legal agencies, histories of exiled diplomats and lawyers, this paper explores how Free France defended at the United Nations War Crimes Commission the vision of the interwar liberal order, one that reached across the global territories of the mandate system administered by the League of Nations, into the colonial territories of the French empire. From London to Chongqing, facing Vichy collaborationist authoritarian dictatorship in metropolitan France and anti-colonial pressures from the turbulent colonial frontiers, a handful of Free French jurists and politicians worked day and night to establish the imperial sovereignty of the French exile committee of general Charles de Gaulle, and restore French republicanism rooted in the legal tradition of Nicolas Fouquet, Jacques de Maleville and Léon Duguit. Drawing upon newly-unsealed UN and French archival materials, this paper documents Free France’s intervention at the UNWCC, the activities of its representatives and reflection on empires, race and international law.
The International Health Regulations as a who Constitutional Instrument: Internal Governance and Regime Interactions
Authors: Burci Gian Luca , Negri Stefania
Published: July 2022

The International Health Regulations (ihr) have been severely tested by the covid-19 pandemic. Recent reviews have identified a number of gaps and challenges and proposed improvement, but the Regulations should be analysed in their context as a constitutional instrument deeply embedded in who’s governance to better understand their systemic strengths and weaknesses. The ihr embody a managerial model of health governance that aims at depoliticizing international response to health emergencies and coordinating it on the basis of expertise and persuasion. The political crisis accompanying the covid-19 pandemic, however, reveals the need for a different and more political approach that injects states in the governance of the ihr following models tested by other international agreements. It also highlights the need for a more effective framework of cooperation and coordination that builds upon who’s practice of inter-institutional cooperation but complements it through institutional consultation structures involving directly states parties.
The World Health Organization’s Emergency Powers: Enhancing Its Legal and Institutional Accountability
Authors: Eccleston-Turner Mark , Villarreal Pedro A.
Published: July 2022

This paper evaluates the powers – both legal and non-legal – which the World Health Organization has at its disposal in an emergency. We demonstrate that the Director-General’s emergency decision-making powers are of concern for the relationship between the organization and Member States. We further question to whom it owes accountability as an international institution, and how to enhance it. Existing literature shows how the legal responsibility of international organizations for wrongful acts constitutes one type of accountability. Internal and external institutional inquiries into the who’s decision-making, though not deriving in legal responsibility, also represent distinct models of accountability. Against this backdrop, the article looks at past and ongoing events where the who Director-General’s emergency decision-making powers gave way to different modes of accountability, both within and beyond the organization. We provide concluding remarks focused on the need for enhanced accountability in the who’s exercise of emergency decision-making powers.
Japanese Primary Sources Relating to World War ii: Post-Cold War Developments
Authors: Hamai Kazufumi , Mauch Peter
Published: July 2022

This article introduces readers to World War ii-era Japanese primary sources that have become available, over the last three decades, at the major archives and libraries. It also illustrates how and why some of these hitherto unavailable archival materials have become publicly accessible. At first, political, diplomatic and military historians primarily conducted their research at Diplomatic Archives, Military Archives, and the Modern Japanese Political History Materials Room, until the Japanese Diet passed a law in 2011 stipulating that all government and agencies, except for the Foreign Ministry and Imperial Household Agency, must transfer archived documents to the National Archives of Japan (naj). Enhancing its importance for research, the naj played the lead role in creating and maintaining the Japan Center for Asian Historical Records that has sustained a major effort at digitization. Other important primary sources include documents related to Emperor Hirohito, the Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy series, holdings of the Military History Department, and materials non-governmental organizations have published. The amount of Japanese source materials and their digitization now has reached a level that meets the U.S. and European standards.
Congo Cop: Performing the State in Central Africa
Authors: Thill Michel
Published: July 2022

My dissertation is about everyday police work, the effects of police reform and the state in the Democratic Republic of Congo (drc). Despite the role of the police in state–society relations, in Congo and the wider region that role remains under-explored. My thesis asks in what ways police practices and encounters with the public reproduce, sustain or collapse Congo’s state. Based on a year of immersive field work during which I followed police officers from the classroom via the station to the street, I argue that officers make police work possible through their everyday performativity that draws on, combines and subverts rationalities of three entangled governmentalities. The resulting Craft of the Congo Cop lies in the ability to reconcile colliding governmentalities and project the state as a temporary yet convincing effect of authority. From this inherently contingent performative process, the state in Congo emerges as a composite of temporary and fast-changing effects.
Les Congolais obtiendront-ils la restitution qu’ils demandent?
Authors: Van Bockhaven Vicky
Published: July 2022

Ce rapport évalue la politique belge visant à restituer au Congo les objets spoliés du Musée royal de l’Afrique centrale et qui s’appuie sur la recherche de provenance. Si la volonté politique de restituer est un jalon historique, cette approche, avec la restitution comme objectif final, ne tient pas compte des besoins des communautés du patrimoine. Dans le nord-est du Congo, la population exprime un sentiment complexe de perte autour de ce patrimoine, car l’administration coloniale a appris à considérer leur culture comme inférieure, tandis que les objets rituels qui servaient à protéger la communauté étaient enlevés. Les gens y voient une perte de pouvoir qui explique l’état économique et politique précaire du Congo, alors que la Belgique a prospéré, une vision qui est fortement sous-estimé en Occident. Plus fort que la demande de restitution, il y a la demande de solutions régionales qui permettent de renouer avec sa propre culture et son histoire. Un changement dans la politique belge est nécessaire, avec un accent sur le travail de mémoire et de réparation ensemble avec les communautés patrimoniales, plutôt que sur la recherche de provenance dans un musée belge.
Is Self-Related Cognition Resistant to Time-Based Expectancy?
Authors: Kunchulia Marina , Thomaschke Roland
Published: July 2022

Individuals adapt to their environments by scheduling cognitive processing capacities selectively to the points in time where they are most likely required. This effect is known as time-based expectancy (TBE) and has been demonstrated for several cognitive capacities, like perceptual attention, task set activation, or response preparation. However, it has been argued that self-related cognition (i.e., processing of information linked to oneself) is universally prioritized, compared to non-self-related information in the cognitive system. Consequently, self-related cognition should be resistant to temporal scheduling by TBE, because individuals maintain a constantly high expectancy for self-related cognition, irrespective of its temporal likeliness. We tested this hypothesis in a task-switching paradigm where participants randomly switched between a self-related task and a neutral task. The tasks were preceded by a short or a long warning interval in each trial, and the interval duration predicted probabilistically the task type. We found that participants showed TBE for the neutral task but not for the self-related task. We conclude that the individual cannot benefit from time-based task expectancy when the to-be-expected task is constantly activated, due to its self-related nature.
Rhetorical Swordfighting and Satire in Thomas Watson’s Hekatompathia
Authors: Bennett Kristen Abbott
Published: July 2022

Thomas Watson’s critics have suggested that The Hekatompathia, Or Passionate Centurie of Love ambitiously aspired to be a pedagogical text, but if this work is designed to teach, then this essay suggests Watson’s manipulations of genre, style, and intertexts combine to offer a pedagogy for poets, a compilation of rhetorical postures one may employ to simultaneously deliver and disguise socio-political satire in Elizabethan England. This essay first discusses how Hekatompathia additionally signals its satirical aims by participating in the pasquinade tradition, and positioning a “pasquine piller” at the volta of this sequence of one hundred passions. Next, it shows how Watson’s “passions” intertextually recall Pierre de Ronsard’s Discours des Misères de ce Temps, a collection of lyrics satirizing the French factionalism that has led to civil war, as well as Thomas Jeney’s later English translation that turns a mirror to princes toward Queen Elizabeth. Upon recognizing the Ronsardian subtexts of courtly factionalism and civil unrest associated with Watson’s “passions,” one may see how they are compounded as the poet sets them forth in the “pathetical style” of Seneca and Lucan. The civil wars of ancient Rome and subsequent imperial tyranny are frequently held up as a cautionary tales for early modern English and European rulers, but Watson’s simultaneous translation of the French Wars of Religion relocates these civil broils in England, implicating Elizabethan court dissidence and hypocrisy.
Xia Mianzun and the Sanitary Japan
Authors: Shulman Julian
Published: July 2022

This article seeks to probe Chinese views of Japan through an essay by the writer and translator Xia Mianzun (1886–1946). Xia was a prominent intellectual of the Republican period and a lifelong Japanophile. The essay concerns the Japanese social reformer Nishida Tenkō (1872–1968), founder of the Ittōen community in Kyoto, who came to national attention in Japan during the latter part of the Taishō period. Xia’s essay on Nishida will be considered in an attempt to elucidate his attraction to Japanese art and culture. Building on the work of the anthropologist Winston Davis, the worldview of Nishida Tenkō and essential ideals of Ittōen will also be examined.
Voluntary Underclass?: Globalism, Temporality, and the Life Choices of Japanese Working Holiday Makers in Australia
Authors: Oishi Nana
Published: July 2022

The working holiday (wh) program is a cultural exchange program that offers youth ‘global experiences’ including short-term employment, travel, and/or study. Australia is the most popular destination for Japanese working holiday makers (whm s): over 10,000 Japanese whm s were in Australia before the pandemic hit the country in March 2020. Despite the fact that most had held secure white-collar jobs in Japan, they moved to Australia and voluntarily took precarious jobs in agriculture, hospitality, and childcare. What made them decide to accept such significant downward mobility and acquiesce to unfavorable conditions such as underpayment, non-payment, and sometimes even harassment? How did the covid-19 pandemic affect their lives in Australia? Based on data from surveys and qualitative interviews, this article analyses the relationship between globalism and a willingness for Japanese youth migrants to join the ‘underclass’ in Australia.
How Does the Young Generation Become More Cosmopolitan? Evidence from Taiwan
Authors: Tsai Ming-Chang , Chan Chin-Han
Published: July 2022

This study investigates younger people’s perceptions of the influences of globalization by testing two hypotheses about the effects of educational socialization and Internet use. The potential influence of cross-border travel for the older population is examined for comparison. Using national samples from two waves of a large survey, we adopt a measure of attitudinal support for cosmopolitan openness. Empirical findings obtained from a mediation approach show that the young generation reveal stronger cosmopolitanism due to their higher probability of having a college education and Internet use, while the older population’s openness can be attributed to their frequent intercontinental rather than intracontinental travel. Internet use, however, raises little attention to the issue of increased inequality in a highly mobile world.
MetPy: A Meteorological Python Library for Data Analysis and Visualization
Authors: May Ryan M. , Goebbert Kevin H. , Thielen Jonathan E. , Leeman John R. , Camron M. Drew , Bruick Zachary , Bruning Eric C. , Manser Russell P. , Arms Sean C. , Marsh Patrick T.
Published: July 2022

MetPy is an open-source, Python-based package for meteorology, providing domain-specific functionality built extensively on top of the robust scientific Python software stack, which includes libraries like NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib, and xarray. The goal of the project is to bring the weather analysis capabilities of GEMPAK (and similar software tools) into a modern computing paradigm. MetPy strives to employ best practices in its development, including software tests, continuous integration, and automated publishing of web-based documentation. As such, MetPy represents a sustainable, long-term project that fills a need for the meteorological community. MetPy’s development is substantially driven by its user community, both through feedback on a variety of open, public forums like Stack Overflow, and through code contributions facilitated by the GitHub collaborative software development platform. MetPy has recently seen the release of version 1.0, with robust functionality for analyzing and visualizing meteorological datasets. While previous versions of MetPy have already seen extensive use, the 1.0 release represents a significant milestone in terms of completeness and a commitment to long-term support for the programming interfaces. This article provides an overview of MetPy’s suite of capabilities, including its use of labeled arrays and physical unit information as its core data model, unit-aware calculations, cross sections, skew T and GEMPAK-like plotting, station model plots, and support for parsing a variety of meteorological data formats. The general road map for future planned development for MetPy is also discussed.