bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Construction and Application Analysis of Carbon Emission Influence Factor Model of Energy Consumption in Mining Industry
Authors: Wei Lili , Feng Xiwen , Jia Guangyu
Published: December 2021

With the proposal of China’s “double carbon goal,” as a high energy‐consuming industry, it is urgent for the mining industry to adopt a low‐carbon development strategy. Therefore, in order to better provide reasonable suggestions and references for the low‐carbon development of mining industry, referring to the methods and parameters of the 2006 IPCC National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Guidelines and China’s Provincial Greenhouse Gas Inventory Preparation Guidelines (Trial), a carbon emission estimation model is established to estimate the carbon emission of energy consumption of China′s mining industry from 2000 to 2020. Then, using the extended Kaya identity, the influencing factors of carbon emission in mining industry are decomposed into energy carbon emission intensity, energy structure, energy intensity, industrial structure, and output value. On this basis, an LMDI model is constructed to analyze the impact of five factors on carbon emission from mining industry. The research shows that the carbon emission and carbon emission intensity of energy consumption in China’s mining industry first rise and then fall and then rise slightly. The carbon emission intensity in recent three years is about 2 tons/10000 yuan. The increase in output value is the main factor to increase carbon emission. The reduction in energy intensity is the initiative of carbon emission reduction. The current energy structure of mining industry is not conducive to carbon emission reduction.
Short-Term Prediction of Traffic State for a Rural Road Applying Ensemble Learning Process
Authors: Rasaizadi Arash , Seyedabrishami Seyedehsan , Saniee Abadeh Mohammad
Published: December 2021

Short-term prediction of traffic variables aims at providing information for travelers before commencing their trips. In this paper, machine learning methods consisting of long short-term memory (LSTM), random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and K-nearest neighbors (KNN) are employed to predict traffic state, categorized into A to C for segments of a rural road network. Since the temporal variation of rural road traffic is irregular, the performance of applied algorithms varies among different time intervals. To find the most precise prediction for each time interval for segments, several ensemble methods, including voting methods and ordinal logit (OL) model, are utilized to ensemble predictions of four machine learning algorithms. The Karaj-Chalus rural road traffic data was used as a case study to show how to implement it. As there are many influential features on traffic state, the genetic algorithm (GA) has been used to identify 25 of 32 features, which are the most influential on models’ fitness. Results show that the OL model as an ensemble learning model outperforms machine learning models, and its accuracy is equal to 80.03 percent. The highest balanced accuracy achieved by OL for predicting traffic states A, B, and C is 89, 73.4, and 58.5 percent, respectively.
University Employment Quality Evaluation System Based on Multicriteria Decision and Data Analysis
Authors: Song Longhao
Published: December 2021

In the educational sector, an evaluation index is required to draw up planning. The establishment of an evaluation index is useful to properly predict the employment quality of graduates. Such valuable indices help educational administrative departments to formulate talent training standards. Multicriteria decision making is a decision-making tool that can be used in the formulation of the evaluation index. This research work proposes an effective evaluation model to assess the employment quality of graduate students. The model uses 10 evaluation indicators which are considered to be the standard employment quality. The proposed evaluation method utilizes the entropy method and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation. Correlation between the employment quality evaluation index and employment quality is computed. The analytic hierarchy model is used to solve the weight of each employment quality evaluation index to the employment quality evaluation coefficient. According to the value characteristics of the 14 employment indicators, the expert method is used to assign scores to the sample data on each indicator. Thus, the indicator scores of the sample corresponding to the item are obtained. Through the evaluation of the employment quality of a certain university, the evaluation results are consistent with the actual employment quality of graduates. The employment quality evaluation model of college graduates established in this paper provides effective means and applications.
Collaborative Task Offloading Strategy of UAV Cluster Using Improved Genetic Algorithm in Mobile Edge Computing
Authors: Wang Hong
Published: December 2021

Aiming at the problem that traditional fixed base stations cannot provide good signal coverage due to geographical factors, which may reduce the efficiency of task offloading, a collaborate task offloading strategy using improved genetic algorithm in mobile edge computing (MEC) is proposed by introducing the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) cluster. First, for the scenario of the UAV cluster serving multiple ground terminals, a collaborative task offloading model is formulated to offload the tasks to UAVs or the base station selectively. Then, an objective function and related constraints are put forward to minimize the time delay and energy consumption by analysis of those in the communication and computing process in the system while considering many factors. Then, the improved genetic algorithm is introduced to solve the optimization problem, obtaining the optimal collaborative task offloading strategy. To verify the performance of the proposed method, simulations are conducted on MATLAB. Simulation results showed that the joint utilization of UAV and MEC improves the offloading efficiency of the proposed strategy. When the number of UAVs is 12, the total utility is up to 1.83 and the task completion time does not exceed 110 ms. In this case, the task can be reasonably offloaded to UAVs or accomplished locally.
Ascorbic Acid Significantly Decreases Creatine Kinase Plasma Levels in an Animal Model of Statin/Fibrate-Induced Myopathy
Authors: Zabihi Mohsen , Askarian Fatemeh , Hekmatimoghaddam Seyedhossein , Rashidi Nooshabadi Mohammadreza , Zabihi Mohammad Sajjad , Mousavinasab Seyed Ruhollah
Published: December 2021

Background. Myopathy is one of the side effects of lipid-lowering drugs, especially statins and particularly when combined with a fibrate. To diagnose myopathy and determine its severity, the plasma levels of three enzymes, creatine kinase (CK), aldolase, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), are routinely measured. Physical exercise can aggravate the statin-associated muscular disease. The question is whether antioxidants like ascorbic acid (Vit. C) can prevent such myopathy. Methods. In this experiment, a combination of atorvastatin (ATV, 80 mg/kg/day) and gemfibrozil (GMF, 1000 mg/kg/day) orally for 10 days as well as exercise as forced swimming on days 8, 9, and 10 were used to induce myopathy. Ascorbic acid (50 mg/kg/day, orally) was added to ATV/GMF plus exercise regimen throughout the 10 days in the treatment group. Mean blood levels of CK, aldolase, and LDH were measured in addition to swimming tolerance times. Results. There was a significantly higher swimming tolerance time

P
<
0.05

and lower CK levels

P
<
0.01

in rats receiving ATV/GMF/Vit. C plus exercise compared with rats not taking Vit. C. LDH and aldolase did not decrease significantly. Conclusion. The results of this study showed that Vit. C can be effective in preventing myopathy caused by fat-lowering drugs.
Lung Transplantation following Emergency Pneumonectomy in a Polytraumatized 18-Year-Old
Authors: Gräff Pascal , Bruns Nico , Kühn Christian , Krettek Christian , Haverich Axel , Wilhelmi Michaela
Published: December 2021

Introduction. On rare occasions, a pneumonectomy needs to be performed after a severe polytrauma. Statistically, this procedure increases the mortality rate to 50%. One option to reduce this high rate could be an organ transplantation if a matching organ can be found. However, the current literature lacks any documentation of such a case. One reason for this stems from the fact that regulations for organ transplantation are very restricted and rarely allow exceptions. In addition, the chance for survival of polytraumatized patients in need of organs in the acute phase of the therapy is often quite unsure. Case Presentation. In this paper, we present the case of an 18-year-old patient who was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. His injury severity score was 29, but he suffered from severe bleeding in his lung which made a pneumonectomy necessary. The procedure led to a severe deterioration of his overall condition. An ECMO therapy was initiated, which effectively only slowed the aggravation. Therefore, he was transferred to our clinic where he was stabilized temporarily. A few days later, his situation turned worse. Since he had no other chance of survival, he was scheduled for a lung transplantation and was assigned an organ. After the transplantation, he stabilized quickly and recovered almost completely. Discussion. In this report, we want to show that an exception to the rules for organ transplantation might make sense on rare occasions. However, to increase the chance for any success, patients must be transferred to highly specialized clinics capable of treating patients with severe conditions. This might be the only chance for those patients to survive.
Characterization of Lactic Bacteria Isolated from Raw Milk and Their Antibacterial Activity against Bacteria as the Cause of Clinical Bovine Mastitis
Authors: K. Alharbi Nada , Alsaloom Albandary Nasser
Published: December 2021

The objectives of this study were the selection of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from raw milk and studying their technological properties and antibacterial activities against bacteria as the cause of cattle mastitis. Biochemical and molecular identification using 16S–23S rRNA gene spacer analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing highlighted the presence of three species: Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Lactococcus lactis, and Levilactobacillus brevis. The enzymatic characterization followed by the determination of technofunctional properties showed that LAB strains did not exhibit any hemolytic effect and were able to produce protease and lipase enzymes. Isolates showed very high antagonistic activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria by producing H2O2, bacteriocin(s), and organic acid(s). APIZYM micromethod demonstrated that all selected strains are capable of producing valine arylamidase, cystine arylamidase, N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase, and ᾳ-mannosidase. The antibiotic susceptibility assay showed that all selected strains were sensible to the majority of tested antibiotics. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the technological properties of the selected LAB allow considering their industrial use in order to formulate bioactive functional foods or drug(s).
History and Development of TCM Case Report in a Real-World Setting
Authors: Zeng Hua , Qiao Yiqi , Luo Xue , Chen Xin , Wang Zhendong , Pan Huafeng , Wang Qi , Zheng Guo-qing
Published: December 2021

Objective. The medical record of Chinese medicine is a miniature of the theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), with a time-honored history in a real-world setting and a firm place in medicine. In modern times, people have emphasized the value and standardization of TCM cases. The aim of this study was to explore the historical origins and developments of TCM case records. Methods. A chronological narrative style was used to divide the development history of TCM case records into early (1600 BC–220 AD), middle (220–1911 AD), and modern periods (1912–till now). The historical context of the origin and development of TCM case records was analyzed through the evolution of the format and content of the case recording files with the specific documents and distinctive cases. Results. From the early to middle period, the development of TCM case record had experienced four periods: the budding, blossoming, maturity, and heyday. In modern times, they presented the following characteristics: A, the establishment and development of the discipline of TCM medical records; B, the standardization of the writing format of TCM medical records; C, a large number of books concentrating on recording and studying TCM medical records, especially those of prestigious veteran TCM doctors; D, the proliferation of TCM case reports published in journals; E, the establishment of TCM medical records databases and application platforms integrating computer programs and artificial intelligence; F, many reporting guidelines have been developed in order to improve the reporting quality of case report in TCM. Conclusions. The study analyzed and illustrated the characteristics of TCM case records of different dynasties in terms of writing content and format. TCM case record is a relatively young discipline in spite of its ancient origins. TCM case records still have far-reaching significance for the inheritance and development of TCM theory and clinical experience. From the wisdom of history, its positive impact has just been revalued to be validated and it will continue to develop.
Impact of Plasma-Activated Water (PAW) on Seed Germination of Soybean
Authors: Guragain Rajesh Prakash , Pradhan Suman Prakash , Baniya Hom Bahadur , Pandey Bishnu Prasad , Basnet Niroj , Sedhai Binita , Dhungana Santosh , Chhetri Ganesh Kuwar , Joshi Ujjwal Man , Subedi Deepak Prasad
Published: December 2021

The present study reports the generation of plasma-activated water (PAW) using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), its physicochemical properties, and its potential impact on the seed germination and seedling growth of soybean. The results revealed significant changes in physical parameters, such as pH, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, turbidity, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and chemical parameters, such as calcium, chromium, sodium, manganese, nitrate, nitrites, phosphorus, and sulfur and biological parameter such as E. coli in water after plasma treatment. The concentration of dissolved oxygen, conductivity, nitrate, nitrite, and sulfur was increased with an increase in water treatment time, and the amounts of the other analyzed parameters decreased with the increase in water treatment time. The effects of untreated water and plasma-activated water treated for 20 minutes on soybean germination and growth were studied. The germination rate was found to be higher with plasma-treated water. Shoot lengths, seedlings length, vigor index, and germination rates were increased as compared to those germinated by normal water irrigation. The seedlings irrigated with PAW responded to the abundance of nitrogen by producing intensely green leaves because of their increased chlorophyll a as compared to seedlings irrigated with normal water. However, the content of chlorophyll b and carotenoids was found to decrease in the case of seedlings irrigated with PAW. Based on this report, we conclude that PAW could be used to substantially enhance seed germination and seedling growth.
An Adaptive Smoothness Parameter Strategy for Variational Optical Flow Model
Authors: Alsharif Hussain Zaid H. , Shu Tong , Zhu Bin , Farisi Zeyad
Published: December 2021

The smoothness parameter is used to balance the weight of the data term and the smoothness term in variational optical flow model, which plays very significant role for the optical flow estimation, but existing methods fail to obtain the optimal smoothness parameters (OSP). In order to solve this problem, an adaptive smoothness parameter strategy is proposed. First, an amalgamated simple linear iterative cluster (SLIC) and local membership function (LMF) algorithm is used to segment the entire image into several superpixel regions. Then, image quality parameters (IQP) are calculated, respectively, for each superpixel region. Finally, a neural network model is applied to compute the smoothness parameter by these image quality parameters of each superpixel region. Experiments were done in three public datasets (Middlebury, MPI_Sintel, and KITTI) and our self-constructed outdoor dataset with the proposed method and other existing classical methods; the results show that our OSP method achieves higher accuracy than other smoothness parameter selection methods in all these four datasets. Combined with the dual fractional order variational optical flow model (DFOVOFM), the proposed model shows better performance than other models in scenes with illumination inhomogeneity and abnormity. The OSP method fills the blank of the research of adaptive smoothness parameter, pushing the development of the variational optical flow models.
Investigation on the Effect of Probability Distribution on the Dynamic Response of Liquefiable Soils
Authors: Wang Juncheng , Zhou Li , Song Wenzhi , Zhang Houle , Wu Yongxin
Published: December 2021

This study investigated the effect of different probabilistic distributions (Lognormal, Gamma, and Beta) to characterize the spatial variability of shear modulus on the soil liquefiable response. The parameter sensitivity analysis included the coefficient of variation and scale of fluctuation of soil shear modulus. The results revealed that the distribution type had no significant influence on the liquefication zone. In particular, the estimation with Beta distribution is the worst scenario. It illuminated that the estimation with Beta distribution can provide a conservative design if site investigation is absent.
Microbial Load and Antibiotic Resistance of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Khebab Sold on a University Campus and Its Environs in Ghana
Authors: Ayamah Azumah , Sylverken Augustina Angelina , Ofori Linda Aurelia
Published: December 2021

The demand for ready-to-eat (RTE) foods is handy to busy urban dwellers. Handling, processing, and selling are known to contaminate these foods and cause foodborne outbreaks. This study assessed a load of S. aureus and E. coli in khebabs (beef, chevon, and gizzard) sold on the KNUST campus and its environs and how resistant they are to clinically relevant antimicrobial agents. Thirty-six (36) khebab samples were purchased from vendors at Kotei, Ayeduase, Kentinkrono, Boadi, KNUST campus, and Ayigya. They were analyzed for S. aureus and E. coli and their resistance to clinically relevant antimicrobial agents checked using standard methods. S. aureus and E. coli load ranged from 4.09 to 5.96 CFU/g and 1.79 to 6.12 MPN/g in beef, 4.02 to 6.01 CFU/g and 1.99 to 4.44 MPN/g in chevon, and 5.37 to 6.18 CFU/g and 1.79 to 6.10 MPN/g in gizzard khebabs in the different locations. E. coli (n = 27) were multiresistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, gentamicin, cefuroxime, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, and cotrimoxazole (51.85%) and susceptible to chloramphenicol (100%). S. aureus (n = 36) isolates were multiresistant to penicillin, tetracycline, flucloxacillin, cefuroxime, ampicillin (97.22%), erythromycin (75%), cotrimoxazole (86.11%), and gentamicin (69.44%). It can therefore be concluded that the majority of khebabs from the KNUST campus and its environs were contaminated with S. aureus and E. coli above the acceptable standard limits (≤4 log10 CFU/g and ˂2 log10MPN/g, respectively). Also, the S. aureus and E. coli isolated were multiresistant to the antibiotics tested and could be a medium for the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and therefore expose consumers to a high risk of contracting foodborne infections with drug-resistant strains.
A Cutting‐Edge Survey of Tribological Behavior Evaluation Using Artificial and Computational Intelligence Models
Authors: Selvaraj Senthil Kumaran , Raj Aditya , Dharnidharka Mohit , Chadha Utkarsh , Sachdeva Isha , Kapruan Chinmay , Paramasivam Velmurugan
Published: December 2021

Any metal surface’s usefulness is essential in various applications such as machining and welding and aerospace and aerodynamic applications. There is a great deal of wear in metals, used widely in machines and appliances. The gradual loss of the upper metal layers in all metal parts is inevitable over the machine or component’s lifetime. Artificial intelligence implementations and computational models are being studied to evaluate different metals’ tribological behavior, as technological progress has been made in this field. Different neural networks were used for different metals. They are classified in this paper, together with a description of their benefits and inconveniences and an overview and use of the different types of wear. Artificial intelligence is a relatively new term that uses mechanical engineering. There is still no scientific progress to examine various metal wear cases and compare AI and computational models’ accuracy in wear behavior.
An Analysis of the Influencing Factors in the Establishment of the Overseas Agricultural Cooperation Zones under the Belt and Road Initiative Based on Logit Model
Authors: Zheng Huiqing , Zhuang Peifen
Published: December 2021

A total of 57 overseas agricultural cooperation zones have been selected from 68 countries along the Belt and Road and extended areas from 2006 to 2018 as samples, and the corresponding indexes of bilateral trade in agricultural products, agricultural resource endowments, labor resources, infrastructure, and economic freedom have been chosen for parameter estimation based on the maximum likelihood method under the Logit model for an empirical analysis of the main influencing factors in the establishment of the overseas agricultural cooperation zones. The empirical analysis results indicate that the total import and export trade volume of agricultural products, agricultural land area, and labor resources of the host country have a significant promoting effect on the establishment of overseas agricultural cooperation zones. The economic freedom index has a significant negative impact on the establishment of overseas agricultural cooperation zones, while the port throughput has no significant impact. China should consider several main factors when selecting a host country to establish overseas agricultural cooperation zones, including bilateral trade volume of agricultural products, agricultural resource endowments, labor resources, and economic freedom of the host country, which can provide reference for the spatial layout of the overseas agricultural cooperation zones.
Booming with Speed: High-Speed Rail and Regional Green Innovation
Authors: Zhu Zixuan , Lin Xiaoyan , Yang Hao
Published: December 2021

Exploiting China’s high-speed rail (HSR) as a quasi-natural experiment, we examine the relationship between the HSR connection and green innovation. The opening of HSR can promote green innovation by facilitating the flow of innovation factors. Using the multiperiod difference-in-differences (DID) model, we find that the regional green innovation performance significantly becomes better following the opening of HSR in the local city. Moreover, in examining the specific mechanisms at work, we find evidence that HSR stimulates green patents through increased labor mobility and research capital mobility. Further analyses show that the facilitating effect of HSR is heterogeneous among cities. Our paper sheds new light on the effects of HSR on social welfare in the case of sustainable economy.
Single-Cell Analysis Unveils the Role of the Tumor Immune Microenvironment and Notch Signaling in Dormant Minimal Residual Disease
Authors: Janghorban Mahnaz , Yang Yuchen , Zhao Na , Hamor Clark , Nguyen Tuan M. , Zhang Xiang H.-F. , Rosen Jeffrey M.
Published: December 2021

Tumor dormancy is a stage in which residual cancer cells remain inactive, but regrowth of dormant cancer cells contributes to recurrence. The complex ecosystem in cancer that promotes cell survival and the factors that eventually overcome growth constraints and result in proliferation remain to be fully elucidated. Doing so may provide new insights and help identify novel strategies to prolong cancer dormancy and prevent disease recurrence. To dissect the molecular pathways and the microenvironments involved in regulation of dormancy, we utilized a novel immunocompetent transgenic model to study minimal residual disease and relapse. This model revealed a significant reorganization of cancer cell structures, stroma, and immune cells, with cancer cells showing dormant cell signatures. Single-cell RNA sequencing uncovered remodeling of myeloid and lymphoid compartments. In addition, the Jagged-1/Notch signaling pathway was shown to regulate many aspects of tumorigenesis, including stem cell development, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and immune cell homeostasis during minimal residual disease. Treatment with an anti–Jagged-1 antibody inhibited the Jagged-1/Notch signaling pathway in tumor cells and the microenvironment, delaying tumor recurrence. These findings uncover a cascade of regulatory changes in the microenvironment during dormancy and identify a therapeutic strategy to undercut these changes.

Significance:

Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis reveals dormancy-associated changes in immune and stromal cells and demonstrates a rationale to pursue Jagged-1/Notch pathway inhibition as a viable therapeutic strategy to reduce disease recurrence.
LncRNA Uc003xsl.1-Mediated Activation of the NFκB/IL8 Axis Promotes Progression of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Xu Ying , Ren Wei , Li Qingjian , Duan Chaohui , Lin Xiaorong , Bi Zhuofei , You Kaiyun , Hu Qian , Xie Ning , Yu Yunfang , Xu Xiaoding , Hu Hai , Yao Herui
Published: December 2021

Aberrant activation of NFκB orchestrates a critical role in tumor carcinogenesis; however, the regulatory mechanisms underlying this activation are not fully understood. Here we report that a novel long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) Uc003xsl.1 is highly expressed in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and correlates with poor outcomes in patients with TNBC. Uc003xsl.1 directly bound nuclear transcriptional factor NFκB-repressing factor (NKRF), subsequently preventing NKRF from binding to a specific negative regulatory element in the promoter of the NFκB-responsive gene IL8 and abolishing the negative regulation of NKRF on NFκB-mediated transcription of IL8. Activation of the NFκB/IL8 axis promoted the progression of TNBC. Trop2-based antibody–drug conjugates have been applied in clinical trials in TNBC. In this study, a Trop2-targeting, redox-responsive nanoparticle was developed to systematically deliver Uc003xsl.1 siRNA to TNBC cells in vivo, which reduced Uc003xsl.1 expression and suppressed TNBC tumor growth and metastasis. Therefore, targeting Uc003xsl.1 to suppress the NFκB/IL8 axis represents a promising therapeutic strategy for TNBC treatment.

Significance:

These findings identify an epigenetic-driven NFκB/IL8 cascade initiated by a lncRNA, whose aberrant activation contributes to tumor metastasis and poor survival in patients with triple-negative breast cancer.
p16 Represses DNA Damage Repair via a Novel Ubiquitin-Dependent Signaling Cascade
Authors: Molkentine David P. , Molkentine Jessica M. , Bridges Kathleen A. , Valdecanas David R. , Dhawan Annika , Bahri Reshub , Hefner Andrew J. , Kumar Manish , Yang Liangpeng , Abdelhakiem Mohamed , Pifer Phillip M. , Sandulache Vlad , Sheth Aakash , Beadle Beth M. , Thames Howard D. , Mason Kathryn A. , Pickering Curtis R. , Meyn Raymond E. , Skinner Heath D.
Published: December 2021

Squamous cell carcinoma driven by human papillomavirus (HPV) is more sensitive to DNA-damaging therapies than its HPV-negative counterpart. Here, we show that p16, the clinically used surrogate for HPV positivity, renders cells more sensitive to radiotherapy via a ubiquitin-dependent signaling pathway, linking high levels of this protein to increased activity of the transcription factor SP1, increased HUWE1 transcription, and degradation of ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7) and TRIP12. Activation of this pathway in HPV-positive disease led to decreased homologous recombination and improved response to radiotherapy, a phenomenon that can be recapitulated in HPV-negative disease using USP7 inhibitors in clinical development. This p16-driven axis induced sensitivity to PARP inhibition and potentially leads to “BRCAness” in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells. Thus, these findings support a functional role for p16 in HPV-positive tumors in driving response to DNA damage, which can be exploited to improve outcomes in both patients with HPV-positive and HPV-negative HNSCC.

Significance:

In HPV-positive tumors, a previously undiscovered pathway directly links p16 to DNA damage repair and sensitivity to radiotherapy via a clinically relevant and pharmacologically targetable ubiquitin-mediated degradation pathway.
The Dynamics of Circulating Heparin-Binding Protein: Implications for Its Use as a Biomarker
Authors: Fisher Jane , Kahn Fredrik , Wiebe Elena , Gustafsson Pontus , Kander Thomas , Mellhammar Lisa , Bentzer Peter , Linder Adam
Published: December 2021

Heparin-binding protein (HBP) is a promising biomarker for the development and severity of sepsis. To guide its use, it is important to understand the factors that could lead to false-positive or negative results, such as inappropriate release and inadequate clearance of HBP. HBP is presumably released only by neutrophils, and the organs responsible for its elimination are unknown. In this study, we aimed to determine whether non-neutrophil cells can be a source of circulating HBP and which organs are responsible for its removal. We found that in two cohorts of neutropenic patients, 12% and 19% of patients in each cohort, respectively, had detectable plasma HBP levels. In vitro, three leukemia-derived monocytic cell lines and healthy CD14+ monocytes constitutively released detectable levels of HBP. When HBP was injected intravenously in rats, we found that plasma levels of HBP decreased rapidly, with a distribution half-life below 10 min and an elimination half-life of 1–2 h. We measured HBP levels in the liver, spleen, kidneys, lungs, and urine using both ELISA and immunofluorescence quantitation, and found that the majority of HBP was present in the liver, and a small amount was present in the spleen. Immunofluorescence imaging indicated that HBP is associated mainly with hepatocytes in the liver and monocytes/macrophages in the spleen. The impact of hematologic malignancies and liver diseases on plasma HBP levels should be explored further in clinical studies.
The Story of Violence in America
Authors: Jackson Kellie Carter
Published: December 2021

American history is characterized by its exceptional levels of violence. It was founded by colonial occupation and sustained by an economy of enslaved people who were emancipated by a Civil War with casualties rivaling any conflict of nineteenth-century Western Europe. Collective violence continued against African Americans following Reconstruction, and high levels of lethal violence emerged in American cities in the twentieth-century postwar period. What explains America's violent exceptionalism? How has structural violence against African Americans become ingrained in American culture and society? How has it been codified by law, or supported politically? Can we rectify and heal from our violent past?
Faces of the Aftermath of Visible & Invisible Violence & Loss:
Radical Resiliency of Justice & Healing
Authors: Jones Barbara L.
Published: December 2021

As a victim/cosurvivor, my experiences with the criminal justice system have called me to confront hard truths and the brutal facts of coming to terms with death, life, meaning, responsibility, and healing in innumerable ways. The real and tangible balance as a practitioner, victim, and healer are oftentimes disconnected from theory, practice, and life and death experiences. What does it mean to be human in the processes of restoration and reconciliation while hosting complexities, contradictions, and complacencies that all too often reduce victims/cosurvivors to being forgotten, dismissed, and neglected within the criminal justice system? Why do communities of people who long for and deserve trauma-informed interconnectedness, restoration, healing, and reconciliation continue to suffer from the absence of them? My multidimensional perspective as a victim and advocate grapples with my role as a practitioner as it relates to bodies of evidence, theories, best practices, and justice policies.
Recognition, Repair & the Reconstruction of “Square One”
Authors: Ward Geoff K.
Published: December 2021

The concept of a “square one” in societal organization is a curious thing, and challenging analytic, given the stubborn presence of the past. Even if not meant literally, the Square One Project, like much of the polity, envisions a new starting point, where social policy and practice might turn in a more equitable and inclusive direction. Yet we must grapple with what this restarting point is, in a sociological rather than political sense, and how the present can reasonably be conceived–and actively reconfigured–as an opportunity to start over. I argue that the Square One Project imagines yet another societal reconstruction, in which attending to old and more recent histories of racial violence remains critical to achieving a sustainable vision and practice of equal and legitimate justice. To that end, I encourage a wide-ranging array of efforts under the banner of monumental antiracism to prepare the ground for square one justice.
Knowing What We Want: A Decent Society, A Civilized System of Justice & A
Condition of Dignity
Authors: Simon Jonathan
Published: December 2021

Human dignity as a value to guide criminal justice reform emerged strikingly in the 2011 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Plata. But with Justice Kennedy retired and courts generally reluctant to go far down the road to practical reforms, its future lies in the political realm shaping policy at the local, state, and national levels. For human dignity to be effective politically and in forming policy, we need a vocabulary robust enough to convey a positive vision for the penal state. In this essay, I discuss three concepts that can provide more precision to the potential abstractness of human dignity, two of which the Supreme Court has regularly used in decisions regarding punishment: the idea of a “decent society,” the idea of a “civilized system of justice,” and the idea of a “condition of dignity.” In brief, without a much broader commitment to restoring a decent society, and to civilizing our justice and security systems, there is little hope that our police stations, courts, jails, and prisons will provide a condition of dignity to those unfortunate enough to end up in them.
Nationalist Backlash Against Foreign Climate Shaming
Authors: Spektor Matias , Mignozzetti Umberto , Fasolin Guilherme N.
Published: December 2021

Should international pro-climate actors speak up against climate rogues, or do foreign critics risk igniting nationalist backlash against global environmental norms and institutions? We explore naming and shaming dynamics in global climate politics by fielding survey experiments to nationally representative samples in Brazil. Our results show that nationalism moderates public reactions to foreign climate shaming: individuals who are highly attached to their nation are more likely to reject international criticism than their lowly attached peers. Contrary to existing expectations, however, we find that nationalist publics express little support for virulent defiance against foreign critics. Our findings hold irrespective of the source of criticism and the nature of the critical message. These results sound a cautionary note on the belief that liberal internationalists should tread carefully so as not to unadvisedly unleash nationalist pushback. Although foreign climate criticism may bump up against nationalist sentiment in climate rogues, it will not necessarily fuel an all-out backlash against the global environmental regime.
Lu Märten: Four Texts
Authors: Märten Lu
Published: December 2021

This article collects four texts written by German feminist-materialist art historian Lu Märten (1879–1970): “Artistic Aspects of Labor in Old and New Times” Published in 1903 in the social-democratic journal Die Zeit at a time when Märten dedicated the majority of her writings on form to feminist perspectives on housing and reproduction. It is her first systematic essay on what will become a central concern of her own “life-work,” namely, the question of how to break open the capitalized division between “productive labor” and what Märten calls “social-personal” work. Märten thus sketches an understanding of labor outside of its capitalist determinations and notions of progressive temporality. Essence and Transformation of Forms (Arts) This text appeared in 1924 in the journal Arbeiterliteratur. Its immediate objective was to explain the aim of her similarly titled book to a proletarian audience. In this short summary, Märten emphasizes the importance of ethnography for her project. Rather than isolating forms from their social surroundings, as was traditional in art history, the practice of viewing forms ethnographically allows their origins to be seen in a broader framework of social-collective materialities and vital needs. Märten argues that this shift in perspective could be an aid de-fetishizing workerss relationships with the object world. “Art and Proletariat” This was first published in 1925 in Franz Pfemfert's Die Aktion and later that year reprinted in Czech translation in Pásmo, a magazine run by the revolutionary artist collective Devětsil. The article argues that the notion of “proletarian art” is politically and systematically pointless given that “art” is merely the historically specific, impoverished manifestation of form under the conditions of industrial capitalism. In place of art, Märten draws on the notion of “classless form” in order to imagine a monist state of form beyond the divisions of class, gender, and species. “Workers and Film” Written in 1928, this text was not printed during Märten's lifetime, instead serving as a script for a radio broadcast, as was the case for most of her published and unpublished texts on film. Almost a decade before Walter Benjamin's Artwork essay (1936), Märten's “Workers and Film,” along with numerous other articles and radio broadcasts, addressed strikingly similar questions, yet under profoundly different premises. In Märten's synthetic understanding of a monist material culture of people and things, film promised to actualize a technologically mediated monism for the industrial age.
On Black Affective Forms: A Conversation with Garrett Bradley
Authors: Copeland Huey
Published: December 2021

In this conversation—recorded in 2019 for the artist's first solo museum exhibition—New Orleans–based Garrett Bradley discusses her filmic work as well as its relationship to institutional archives and personal communities with art historian Huey Copeland. What emerges is a critical account of Bradley's evolving Black feminist practice—its inspirations, antecedents, and analogues—which puts pressure on filmic conventions to move toward an “affective resymbolization” of America's racial imaginaries and the means through which they might be contested, shared, and visualized for audiences on all sides of the color line.
Art Communities at Risk: On Slovenia
Authors: Badovinac Zdenka
Published: December 2021

“Art Communities At Risk: Slovenia” talks about how it is somehow easier to take a moral than a political position in times of crisis today—and how political manipulations often hide under seemingly moral attitudes. The author analyzes these issues against the background of growing authoritarian forces in Central and Eastern Europe, especially Slovenia, which saw the rise of covid-19 and Janez Janša as prime minister at the same time. Janša's government systematically ignores professional competencies in cultural institutions as well as in science, especially in relation to the epidemic.The voice of experts in the field of culture is ignored, and this is precisely because their specialized knowledge is not neutral. In a time when the space for free speech is shrinking, the need for a clear positioning becomes even more pressing. The author discusses the exhibition Bigger than Myself / Heroic Voices from Ex-Yugoslavia, which she curated for Rome's MAXXI museum last summer. The work shown there addressed Yugoslav emancipatory histories in relation to the issues of particular urgency today: global capitalism, the posthuman condition, and the return of authoritarianism, in particular. The Slovenian authorities took a hostile attitude towards the exhibition, not only because it presented critical voices from the region but also because artists from the former Yugoslavia were presented there, who, according to Slovenian right-wingers, are no longer worthy of participating in national cultural projects. Concerning the example of what is happening in Slovenia today, the essay asks why there has been such a strong turn to the right in Central and Eastern Europe, which is reviving “traditional” morality, patriarchy, and nationalism and engaging in political interference in cultural institutions. The current governments of Slovenia and other countries in the region want to get rid of the critical voices of left-wing experts in culture by favoring ostensibly neutral experts. It removes from important positions all those it considers to be leftists and replaces them with its own people in order to seemingly strike a balance between the various political options. This balancing act and new “neutrality,” however, are just one of the modern disguises of acute authoritarianism in Eastern Europe.
Further to the Pre-Muḥammadan Allāh
Authors: Al-Azmeh Aziz
Published: December 2021

This article is concerned with the divinity of Allāh before Muḥammad. It is focussed on narrow and broad issues of method, and particularly on inferential evidence for the incidence and nature of this divinity on the evidence of Arabic poetry. It casts a critical look on retrojection Islamic theological concepts to the interpretation of earlier Arabic poetry, and proposes that the now common notion of “pagan monotheism” refers to no actually existing form of religious practice among pre-Muḥammadan Arabs. It reaffirms the salience of polytheism among the Arabs, and the pertinence of concrete historical evidence and of an anthropological sensibility in this domain.

La présente étude porte sur une divinité nommée Allāh avant Muḥammad. Elle se concentre sur la question méthodologique des témoignages poétiques, sur l’envergure et la nature de cette divinité, et sur le contexte plus général des questions de méthode. Elle jette un regard critique sur la projection a posteriori des notions théologiques islamiques dans le cadre des analyses déductives fondées sur la matière poétique. Elle propose que l’idée, bien répandue dans des milieux universitaires, des « monothéistes païens » parmi les Arabes ne fait pas référence à la réalité historique des pratiques religieuses des Arabes avant Muḥammad. Elle souligne l’importance du polythéisme chez les Arabes et la pertinence décisive des données historiques concrètes et d’une sensibilité anthropologique dans ce domaine.
Does the Name of a Case Matter?
Authors: Jamil Haris
Published: December 2021

The arbitral award in The “Enrica Lexie” Incident (Italy v. India) brings to the fore the issue of assigning a name to a case. To contextualise India’s contention regarding the name, The “Enrica Lexie” Incident, in this article, I outline the law and practice regarding assigning names to cases by different international judicial bodies (ICJ, ITLOS, WTO and PCA). Examining India’s objection to the name, I argue that the name of the case does not capture the subject matter of the dispute accurately and emanates from the mainstream view of international law. The name prioritises an Italian flagged vessel, owned by a company engaged in international commerce and navigating under the protection of the Italian navy, over a fishing vessel owned by private individuals. The name reinforces a state-centric view of international law in which the victims of the incident do not picture.
Bolivian Indigenous Groups’ Legal Agency: What does it Entail?
Authors: Pinto Miguel Camilo Cuba
Published: December 2021

The uniquely novel constitutional setting in Bolivia establishes the recognition of indigenous collective rights, indigenous jurisdictions, and indigenous institutions. However, many indigenous groups are uncomfortable with this judicial machinery, which portrays them as vulnerable groups before the legal system. This article highlights the Bolivian indigenous groups’ dissatisfaction and proposes a conceptual framework to address the apparent legal inequality from a socio-legal approach.
Les migrations d’étudiants en Turquie dans le cadre d’une politique d’internationalisation de l’enseignement supérieur
Authors: Alimukhamedov Farkhad
Published: December 2021

Cet article interroge la politique d’internationalisation de l’enseignement supérieur turc et son influence sur la mobilité des étudiant.es d’Afrique subsaharienne. Il s’appuie sur une recherche qualitative conduite entre 2014 et 2016 sur les conditions de vie et d’études de 184 étudiant.es en provenance de pays africains résidant dans la capitale turque. Le travail met en évidence le lien existant entre la politique étrangère du pays d’accueil et la mobilité étudiante, et analyse les expériences des étudiant.es dans leur nouveau lieu de vie.
Experiences of Healthcare Workers of Hospitalised Individuals with covid-19 in Kano, Nigeria: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Abba Muhammad Aliyu , Badaru Umaru Muhammad , Mukhtar Naziru Bashir , Abdullahi Auwal , Mohammed Jibril
Published: December 2021

Background: Management of patients with covid-19 needing hospitalisation is challenging worldwide. However, little or no information has been gathered regarding the experiences of healthcare workers (hcw s) involved in the care of patients with covid-19 in poorly resourced settings. This study explored the experiences of hcw s managing hospitalised patients with covid-19 in a treatment centre in Kano, Nigeria. Methods: hcw s directly or indirectly involved in managing patients with covid-19 in one of the two treatment centres in Kano, Nigeria, were sampled based on being information-rich cases. The study participants were interviewed individually via telephone using a semi-structured interview guide. Data collection was stopped when content saturation was attained. Data was analysed using thematic synthesis. Results: Eleven hcw s, comprising two medical doctors, five nurses, a laboratory staff member, a community health extension worker, an environmental health officer and a cleaner, participated in this study. Four major themes were generated: (i) the profile and readiness of hcw s prior to being engaged to work in a covid-19 treatment centre, (ii) the experience of hcw s while working in the covid-19 treatment wards, (iii) challenges with working in covid-19 treatment wards, and (iv) post-treatment support for covid-19 patients. The participants had variable prior experience in managing patients with infectious diseases. Interventions offered were mainly antiviral therapy, nursing care, counselling, nutritional interventions and toilet hygiene. Challenges encountered included insufficient cooperation from patients, poor personnel welfare, lack of human resources/equipment and issues interfering with wellbeing (stigma). Conclusion: The studied population exhibited professional competence and success in managing hospitalised patients with covid-19 during hospitalisation, despite existing challenges.