bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design of an optimized nuclear fuel pellet
Authors: Dooley Patricia , Contryman Dakota , Hervey Addie , Ivers Robert , Reddish Isabella , Song Yuze
Published: January 2024

Background The design of an improved nuclear fuel pellet for use in the Westinghouse AP1000 reactor that is more powerful than existing pellets, is less expensive to manufacture, and meets Nuclear Regulatory Commission requirements for certification was undertaken to complete a senior design course in the ABET-certified nuclear engineering curriculum of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY. Methods The modeling team selected the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) program for assessing how well the pellet design achieves a k-effective value of 1, designed the base model consisting of a fuel pin inside a boron-water moderator with reflector, and ran MCNP tests on the base pellet. The design team modified the base pellet and tested it at different uranium-235 enrichments, with void spheres of varying volume and silicon carbide inclusions in the void volume. The simulation team selected K-code for testing the fuel pellets. The economics team analyzed the cost of manufacturing the improved pellet from cost of raw material through its tail assay in the form of Separative Work Unit (SWUs). The impacts team researched environmental, societal, governmental, political, and public affairs aspects of nuclear fuel production. Results Multiple configurations of uranium enrichment and silicon carbide volume inclusions in the nuclear fuel pellet achieved a k eff of 1, and the price per pellet, assuming fabrication costs comparable to existing manufacturing processes, was reduced by as much as about 50% when the volume of uranium oxide replaced by silicon carbide is 0.27 cm3. At smaller replacement volumes, the price per pellet is reduced by as little as 5%. Conclusions The goal of designing an optimized fuel pellet was met. Replacing a 0.27 cm3-volume sphere of uranium oxide with silicon carbide from the center of a pellet of 4%, 5%, or 6% uranium-235 enrichment reduced the cost of the pellet by approximately 50%.
Ethnic and religious identities in Russian penal institutions: A case study of Uzbek Transnational Muslim prisoners
Authors: Urinboyev Rustamjon , Pallot Judith
Published: January 2024

Russia has become one of the main migration hubs worldwide following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The vast majority of migrant workers travel to Russia from three Central Asian countries. However, Russian immigration laws and policies are ambiguous and highly punitive. The result is that many migrants resort to undocumented status working in the shadow economy, which places them in a disadvantaged and precarious position. In this position they are vulnerable to becoming targets of the Russian criminal justice system as they take to crime to overcome economic uncertainty, become embroiled in interpersonal conflicts ending in violence, or fall victim to fabricated criminal charges initiated by Russian police officers under pressure to produce their monthly quota of arrests. The impact on Russian penal institutions is that they have become ethnically, culturally, and religiously diverse sites as a consequence of the incarceration of growing numbers of transnational prisoners. Using person-to-person interviews conducted in Uzbekistan with men and women who served sentences in Russian penal institutions during the past two decades, we show in this article how the large-scale migratory processes have transformed Russian prisons into sites of ethnic and religious plurality, in which formal rules and informal sub-cultures - the colony regime, so-called thieves' law (vorovskoy zakon), ethnic solidarity norms, and Sharia law - coexist and clash in new ways compared with the status quo ante. Thus, we argue there is a need to revise the prevailing understanding about the power dynamics in Russian penal institutions. Our findings undermine the prison service's insistence of the ethnic and ethno-religious neutrality and 'cosmopolitanism' of Russian penal space, which is presented as a latter-day manifestation of the Soviet-era 'friendship of nations' policy. Russian prisons today must be understood as sites of ethnic and religious pluralism.
The institutional fate of Uexküll’s umwelt theory at the University of Hamburg
Authors: Kirschner Stefan
Published: January 2024

Due to Jakob von Uexküll’s umwelt theory, the Institute for Umwelt Research at the University of Hamburg, that was founded in 1928, was a unique institution worldwide for holistic research into animal behaviour and perception. However, Uexküll’s vitalistic-teleological approach and his uncompromising anti- Darwinian stance increasingly isolated him. When the closure of his institute was imminent as part of his statutory retirement in 1935, Uexküll ingratiated himself with the National Socialists in a letter to the Reich Minister for Science, Education, and Culture, which serves as a starting point for the article’s detailed discussion of his relationship to National Socialism.

Since umwelt theory could be used for the training of guide dogs and other animals useful for military purposes, the institute survived. Still, finding a suitable successor to Uexküll proved difficult because hardly anyone among the German zoologists believed Friedrich Brock, Uexküll’s preferred candidate, would live up to Uexküll’s originality. The most important opponent to Brock’s appointment was Berthold Klatt, professor of zoology at the University of Hamburg, who did not expect any significant progress in zoology from Uexküll’s umwelt theory. After Brock’s death in 1958, the sworn circle of supporters of Uexküll’s umwelt theory tried in vain to push through a successor from their ranks. At the instigation of Curt Kosswig, Klatt’s successor in the Chair of Zoology, Franz Sauer succeeded Brock in 1959. However, a polemical article written by Gösta von Uexküll provoked a scandal, in the wake of which Sauer resigned. In 1960 the Institute for Umwelt Research became a department of the Zoological Institute, existing in the lecture timetables until 1966.

Thus, the fate of Uexküll’s research institution depended mainly on external and personal factors or, to speak in Uexküllian terms, on the umwelten of the protagonists and antagonists.
Squaring “The rhetoric of temporality”: Greimassian semiotics and de Manian deconstruction
Authors: Normandin Shawn
Published: January 2024

A careful study of the writings of Algirdas Julien Greimas refutes many of Paul de Man’s influential criticisms of semiotics. Greimassian narratology neither reduces rhetoric to grammar nor simply conflates grammar with logic. Instead of forming “a closed totality”, the Greimas square is an open-ended analytical device; it is not the semiotic equivalent of the Schillerian chiasmus. Despite de Man’s claims for the disruptive agency of rhetoric, the elementary structure of signification organizes the possibilities of de Man’s own rhetoric. His essay “The rhetoric of temporality” is a narrative whose four major actants are symbol, allegory, irony, and mimesis. Though the discoursive level of de Man’s essay represses mimesis, it is active in what Greimas would call the argument’s surface grammar, which constrains, without completely determining, the narrative transformations the argument undergoes. While de Man’s analysis regards symbol as epistemologically inferior to allegory and irony, the persistence of symbol helps make “The rhetoric of temporality” a fascinating literary text in its own right.
Unravelling semiotics in 2022: A year in review
Authors: Gramigna Remo , Madisson Mari-Liis
Published: January 2024

Unravelling semiotics in 2022: A year in review
Midwifery on the border between the closed and the open. How philosophical practice might contribute to scientific change
Authors: Österman Bernt
Published: January 2024

My article discusses the possibility to use philosophical practice as a tool for scientific research. It departs from the claim that there are stages in the development of the sciences when philosophy reemerges. This happens when the sciences face open questions calling for a restructuring of the scientific framework. It is suggested that the methods of philosophical practice may turn out useful in such a process
KARL JASPERS: AS BASES DA ORIENTAÇÃO CIENTÍFICA PARA VIVER. UM DIÁLOGO COM KANT
Authors: de Carvalho José Mauricio
Published: January 2024

Nesse trabalho examina-se, segundo Karl Jaspers, até onde a ciência pode servir como orientação para viver. O conhecimento científico não alcança o ser em si, já dizia Kant, tem limites para alcançar e prever o funcionamento do núcleo da matéria, ensina a Física contemporânea. Por outro lado, a razão também encontra limite na liberdade pessoal, o que faz as ciências humanas precisarem conviver com essa limitação. Assim, uma orientação para viver que necessita de uma imagem completa do mundo somente pode vir da Filosofia, mas isto não significa que a Ciência não faça parte deste processo e nem ofereça elementos de orientação. A Ciência oferece a base e alimenta as filosofias de cada tempo. Não há como avançar na orientação filosófica sem o conhecimento que a ciência oferece a cada geração, quando esta respeita os limites da razão para conhecer o mundo. Esta é a forma de Jaspers refazer o diálogo com o Kant e o iluminismo, apontando que há de melhor e pior no movimento.
Beyond the Autonomy Principle. Bioethics with ALS and MS Caregivers
Authors: de Paula Luisa
Published: January 2024

My paper draws on the action-research project “Bioethics with the Caregivers” which I participated in as member of the Applied Ethics and Bioethics Team of the Urbino University. The project focused on the caring experiences of spouses, parents and siblings whose dear ones suffered from nondemential neurodegenerative diseases. It was led with and by caregivers rather than on or for them, and brought to light philosophy's irreplaceable role as a critical and dialogic toolbox in dealing with unexplored and/or unaddressed needs. This paper shows how a philosophical approach to caregiving in neurodegenerative diseases puts the more general dynamics of interdependence under a magnifying glass for questioning the priority of the autonomy principle and revaluing outmoded frames of mind and assumptions. The hope is that a more informed and open-minded approach to out-of-the-ordinary conditions can contribute towards a breaking down of the fears which prevent an appreciation of the richness of difference.
Atividade física objetiva em jovens com espinha bífida: um protocolo de revisão sistemática
Authors: Santos Daisy Souza , Mattiello-Sverzut Ana Cláudia , Franzoni Ana Clara Magalhães , Sasaki Jeffer Eidi , Bertapelli Fabio Bertapelli
Published: January 2024

Atividade física (AF) diária associa-se a melhora do estado de saúde de jovens. Evidências indicam que crianças com espinha bífida (EB) estão em risco para inatividade física. Este artigo apresenta um protocolo de revisão sistemática que propõe avaliar níveis de AF objetiva diária em crianças e adolescentes com EB. Este protocolo foi desenvolvido seguindo o Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015. A revisão foi registrada no International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO, CRD42022349920). Os critérios de inclusão baseiam-se em artigos originais: 1) publicados em revistas com revisão por pares; 2) que avaliem AF objetiva diária em crianças e adolescentes com EB; e 3) que utilizem monitores para avaliação da AF (ex: acelerômetros). Palavras-chave foram baseadas no MeSH e literatura existente. As seguintes bases de dados serão utilizadas como fontes de informação: PubMed, Embase, SPORTDiscus, LILACS, CINAHL, Scopus, PsycINFO e Web of Science. Os seguintes dados serão extraídos: características do estudo e da amostra, variáveis de AF (protocolos de medição e pontos de corte de classificação de AF) e resultados dos níveis de AF. A qualidade dos estudos será avaliada com o Standard Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a Variety of Fields (ERA). A busca e seleção dos estudos, extração de dados e avaliação de qualidade serão realizadas por dois revisores independentes. Espera-se que a revisão forneça evidências para auxiliar na prevenção e tratamento de inatividade física e guiar futuras pesquisas sobre AF objetiva em crianças e adolescentes com EB.
Thyrotoxicosis misdiagnosed as long COVID by telemedicine – a cautionary tale
Authors: Sawamura Toshitaka , Karashima Shigehiro , Kometani Mitsuhiro , Ohmori Ai , Yoneda Takashi
Published: January 2024

Introduction: Individuals who have had severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may develop post-coronavirus disease conditions, also known as long COVID. The symptoms of long COVID are nonspecific, and there are similarities between the symptoms of long COVID and those of Graves’ disease (GD). Therefore, it is important to rule out GD in patients suspected of having long COVID. Telemedicine is widely used to avoid the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, owing to the lack of in-person examinations, diagnostic errors can occur. Case description: A 27-year-old Japanese woman presented complaining of persistent fatigue, dyspnea, and low-grade fever, and after in-person examination was finally diagnosed with GD. She had been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection four months earlier and her symptoms had resolved within 5 days but then recurred. Subsequently, she had 3 telemedicine visits and had been diagnosed with long COVID. Discussion: With telemedicine there may be delayed diagnosis of GD in patients with a recent history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Some symptoms and abnormalities cannot be confirmed in telemedicine visits performed using a simple mobile phone. Therefore it is important to know which findings obtained in telemedicine visits with a simple mobile phone are suggestive of GD. Low-grade fever and tachycardia are often observed in patients with GD, but rarely occur in patients with long COVID. Conclusion: Tachycardia and persistent low-grade fever after SARS-CoV-2 infection, which can be confirmed by telemedicine, can be clues for the diagnosis of GD. Therefore, in-person examination should be added if these symptoms are confirmed by telemedicine.
Prospectando qualidades relacionais na educação em Design através da quilt-terapia
Authors: Guimarães Cayley , Van Amstel Frederick M. C.
Published: January 2024

A pandemia da doença COVID-19 alterou profundamente a saúde mental e bem-estar dos estudantes de forma geral. No caso de estudantes de Design, o isolamento impediu o desenvolvimento de habilidades relacionais fundamentais para o exercício pleno da cidadania e da profissão. O retorno às aulas presenciais acrescentou outras incertezas, inseguranças e medos, que agravaram problemas como estresse, ansiedade, e, principalmente, a negação da possibilidade de Ser.  Este estudo explora a estética relacional da quilt-terapia como forma de reconstrução do Ser entre estudantes de Design. A análise de uma colcha de retalhos sobre a experiência de sobreviver a uma pandemia revela qualidades relacionais historicamente negligenciada na Educação em Design, tais como  empatia, confiança e o cuidado. Através da quilt-terapia, o momento pós-pandêmico se transformou em uma prospecção de novas formas de educar e se educar.
Militância e Design na era das plataformas virtuais: uma análise semiótica da "memeficação" do engajamento político
Authors: Ribeiro Vinicius Cabral , Franco Juliana Rocha
Published: January 2024

O artigo investiga, a partir da semiótica, a produção de sentidos de imagens que possuem um propósito político ou social explícito, que representam a base de um certo engajamento político virtual. Tais imagens são reproduzidas em larga escala nas atuais redes sociais, a partir de perfis institucionais ou individuais, e atingem métricas de engajamento consideráveis. Parte-se da hipótese de que os efeitos desta militância virtual tornam as imagens de engajamento dependentes dos mesmos dispositivos semióticos que caracterizam, por exemplo, os memes. O design das plataformas digitais, intensamente dependente de uma estrutura comunicacional baseada no feedback e na assim chamada “economia da atenção”, é analisado na demonstração de como as interações virtuais operam em uma lógica de reforço de ideias. Como conclusão, o trabalho pretende avaliar como a assim chamada viralização de causas políticas e sociais sofre um processo de “memeficação”, encontrando limitações em um processo retroalimentado de disputas virtuais supostamente polarizadas, ao mesmo tempo em que, engrossando o coro de um descontentamento com os sistemas hegemônicos de poder, podem produzir estratégias de desidentificação e resistência política.
Fazer coisas é contar histórias: mapeamento sistemático sobre o conceito de narrativa na dimensão do design e dos saberes artesanais
Authors: Duarte de Farias Luiza Gomes , Noronha Raquel Gomes
Published: January 2024

No cenário contemporâneo, discussões para o reconhecimento de formas localizadas de fazer design surgem como um modo de valorizar os saberes artesanais e suas relações com visões de mundo e formas de viver orientadas à autonomia. Sendo assim, este artigo objetivou o mapeamento teórico sobre o conceito e uso das narrativas em processos de design e de saberes e fazeres artesanais, por meio de uma Revisão Sistemática de Literatura (RSL) e seus processos de análise descritiva e síntese crítica dos trabalhos acadêmicos coletados. Como resultados, produziu-se um relatório que levou em conta a forma de incorporação do conceito de narrativa nas pesquisas, sendo estes: interpretação, fabulação, registros sociohistóricos e apresentação. Conclui-se que ainda há uma escassez de estudos que abordam a construção de narrativas de modo situado e em correspondência com as comunidades artesanais.
Family-witnessed resuscitation in the emergency department in a low-income country
Authors: Banda Patricia , Carter Chris , Notter Joy
Published: January 2024

Cardiac arrest is often a sudden and traumatic event. Family-witnessed resuscitation was first recommended by the American Heart Association over two decades ago. Since then several global professional bodies have identified a range of potential benefits for relatives; however, it remains contentious. For nurses working in emergency departments (EDs) in low-income countries, the evidence for, and experience of, family-witnessed resuscitation is limited. This article critically appraises the literature relating to the perceptions of medical professionals and critically ill patients and their families about communication, family presence and their involvement during resuscitation in the ED. Three themes relating to family-witnessed resuscitation in the ED were identified by a focused literature search. These were: leadership and communication, limitation of policies and guidelines and relatives' views. The recommendations from this review will be used to develop emergency and trauma nursing practice guidelines in Zambia, a low-income country in sub-Saharan Africa.
Back to patient safety basics: improving communication with patients
Authors: Tingle John
Published: January 2024

John Tingle, Lecturer in Law, Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham, discusses the persistent problem of poor communication in health care, highlighted in recent reports
Applying the appropriate treatment test in the Mental Health Act 1983
Authors: Griffith Richard
Published: January 2024

Richard Griffith, Senior Lecturer in Health Law at Swansea University, considers two cases from the Upper Tribunal appeals chamber that clarify the application of the appropriate treatment test in the Mental Health Act 1983
Quality of life among older patients receiving faecal microbiota transplant for Clostridioides difficile infection
Authors: Birn Frederik Hyllested , Wester Signe Rigmor , Andreasen Sara Ellegaard , Hvas Christian Lodberg , Bager Palle
Published: January 2024

Background:

Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has mainly been studied in quantitative research to investigate effect rates. However, there is a lack of qualitative studies to explore patient perspectives.

Aim:

To explore perceptions of quality of life in older patients with Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) at least 1 week after receiving FMT.

Method:

A qualitative study examining quality of life for patients treated with FMT.

Findings:

Patients with a permanent or transient treatment effect experienced an increase in quality of life in the physical, psychological and social domains. However, patients who did not respond to the treatment experienced negative impacts on their psychological, physical, and social domains. Although patients found the content unappealing, none had reservations about receiving the treatment.

Conclusion:

This study highlights the importance of considering the psychological, social and physical wellbeing of patients when assessing the efficacy of FMT as a treatment option for patients with CDI. It further emphasises the importance of health professionals identifying patients' individual ways of handling the disease and everyday life to improve their quality of life
Get ready to excel in your career!
Authors: Heather Laura
Published: January 2024

Laura Heather speaks with Stacey Sagar about the 2024 Dental Showcase.
Full streamlining ahead!
Authors: Burrow Hannah
Published: January 2024

Hannah Burrow tells readers how you can generate dental documents from clinical notes in just one click.
What's the link?
Authors: Pittman Brittany
Published: January 2024

Brittany Pittman explores the link between general and oral health.
Delivering care
Authors: Brown Clementine Rees
Published: January 2024

Clementine Rees Brown asks dental nurse Rebecca Power about her experiences regarding perinatal and postnatal health.
Abraham Cowley against Bacon's "Idols of the Mind"
Authors: Hanlon Aaron R.
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT: This essay examines the contributions of Abraham Cowley's poetry to the development of Royal Society scientific methods in the seventeenth century, particularly through Cowley's clarification of the forms of cognitive bias that Francis Bacon called "idols of the mind." We should understand many of Cowley's poetic choices and stylistic recommendations as part of an effort to illustrate and shape the cognitive habits necessary for experimental science in the Baconian tradition. Beyond stylistic recommendations, Cowley was interested in understanding what makes for accurate perception and reasoned judgment, both of which were essential to poets and experimental scientists alike in this formative period. This essay places Cowley's poetry in the context of seventeenth-century conventions for style and perception among experimental scientists and concludes by examining how Thomas Sprat, Royal Society historian and Cowley's literary executor, understood the value of Cowley's poetry to Royal Society epistemological aims.
“There Should be More Outrage”: Making Meaning of Racial Identity During Times of Increased Anti-Asian Hate
Authors: Nyunt Gudrun , Mac Jacqueline , Birch Zac , Veron Rita , Scoma Paige
Published: January 2024

Abstract: The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to examine how Asian American college students made sense of themselves as racialized beings during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period that saw a drastic increase in anti-Asian hate. We were particularly interested in how emotions that students experienced in response to racism shaped their meaning-making of racial identity. We embraced tensions of a constructivist approach and a grounding in Asian critical theory to gain a more nuanced picture of Asian American college students’ meaning-making of racial identity while also problematizing and critiquing racism. Data collection consisted of three interviews with 14 participants from the Midwest and East Coast of the US. To engage the reader’s imagination and tell a nuanced story, we present findings as a fictional conversation between four individuals using direct quotes from participants. Our findings highlight the importance of considering transnational context when examining Asian American college students’ racial identity development. Our findings further showcase the role emotions played in fostering development and the agentic ways participants responded to these emotions while also underscoring the high price participants paid for the more complex understanding of their racial identity. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Mercantile Life in Early 19th Century Southeast Asia: The Ross Brothers
Authors: Smith F. Andrew
Published: January 2024

Abstract: British traders operating in the East in the early nineteenth century faced warfare, piracy, and shipwreck, along with the competing interests of local rulers and East India Company (EIC) officials. This article looks at episodes in the maritime careers of three brothers to show how the commercial environment affected trade. The brothers were born in Jamaica, illegitimate sons of a Scottish trader who served as a government official and his freed slave. One son became a ship’s captain in the Bombay Marine, the private navy of the EIC and an important surveyor of Eastern seas. Another son also joined the Bombay Marine but left under unknown circumstances and transferred to the private ‘country trade’ after adopting a new name. The third son became a ship’s captain in the country trade and died after an attack by local pirates in Bangka. The family circumstances that led to the brothers’ careers and lives of their children are summarized to illustrate the social mobility of descendants of West Indian slaves in the early nineteenth century.
Logics of Strategic Racism in the Anti-Hate Speech Law Era: Analyzing the Discourse Against Zainichi Koreans in Japanese Right-Wing TV Programs
Authors: Higuchi Naoto
Published: January 2024

Abstract: This study analyzes implicit racist rhetoric in Japan after the Hate Speech Elimination Act was enacted in 2016. While the law brought about the deradicalization and decline of hate groups, it has been ineffective in regulating covert hate speech. Zainichi Koreans, the primary victims of such speech, have struggled to have the illegality of racial discrimination recognized in litigation. By analyzing the case of Shin Sugok versus DHC TV, this article addresses the question of how racists use hateful rhetoric against Zainichi Koreans in the post-HSEA era. Shin filed a lawsuit in 2018 claiming defamation by DHC TV and won substantial compensation; however, the initial court decision in 2021 did not find racial discrimination against her, and the discrimination was only recognized by the Appeals Court in 2022. This blurring of judicial decisions was due to the expressions of racial discourse being subtle, which is referred to as strategic racism. The TV program did not use discriminatory language but stimulated the interest of racist viewers by persistently referring to the ethnic origin of the plaintiff. In this sense, Japan has entered an era in which it is necessary to analyze implicit racial codes, similarly to the situation with racist discourse in the United States.
In/Visible—New Directions in Contemporary Art by Zainichi Koreans: Fragile Frames/Precarious Lives—in Soni Kum's Morning Dew (2020)
Authors: Jennison Rebecca S.
Published: January 2024

Abstract: A growing body of research, writing, and new spaces for exhibitions, film-showings, dialogue, and exchange elucidate rich and diverse forms of cultural production by Zainichi Koreans across generations. The first section of this paper introduces selected collaborative research and curatorial projects conducted from 2000 to the present that have engaged artists, scholars, and activists concerned with Korean diaspora and postcolonial studies, intergenerational memory and contemporary art in Japan. Over the last two decades, a younger generation of artists and curators and new possibilities to hold exhibitions have helped make contemporary art works by Zainichi Koreans more visible in Japan. At the same time, in a context where the history and political struggles faced by Zainichi Koreans are still not well-understood and as tensions in the East Asian region and polarizing right-wing media generating hate speech are again on the rise, many of these artists are finding ways to make personal family histories that are entangled with colonial history visible; these histories have often been invisible in official historical and mainstream media narratives. The second section focuses on Soni Kum's Morning Dew: The Stigma of Being "Brainwashed" (2020), a collaborative project supported by the Kawamura Arts and Cultural Foundation, Socially Engaged Art Support Center, that has opened up a space for dialogue about Zainichi Koreans impacted by the North Korean Repatriation Project (1959–1984). Through their works, Soni Kum and other participating Japanese artists engage with "ex-returnees" deeply affected by their cross-border migrations and present-day struggles, as they explore themes of visibility and invisibility, voices and silence.
Literary Negotiations in Contemporary Zainichi Korean Literature: Zainichi Korean Postcoloniality and its Entanglement with Global History
Authors: Haufs-Brusberg Maren
Published: January 2024

Abstract: Zainichi Korean literature, which addresses questions concerning the Zainichi Korean minority, can be considered as one among many postcolonial literatures. By examining works of Sagisawa Megumu, Kaneshiro Kazuki, and Kim Masumi as case studies, I position contemporary Zainichi Korean literature within the broader context of postcolonial global history. Sagisawa's novel Saihate no futari (Two persons at the margins, 1999) narrates the relationship between a Japanese woman, whose father is an American GI, and a Zainichi Korean man. After the man succumbs to leukemia, the woman discovers that his mother was a survivor of the atomic bomb. The silencing of his mother's voice can be analyzed using Spivak's concept of the subaltern. Kaneshiro's novel GO (2000) addresses Korea's division as a consequence of imperialism and the Cold War. Furthermore, it draws connections between African Americans in the United States and the Zainichi Korean minority, which can be interpreted as an allusion to Bhabha's concept of mimicry. In Kim Masumi's novel Nason no sora (The sky of Nason, 2001), a Zainichi Korean woman residing in the United States engages with both the Japanese expatriate community and Asian Americans, contending with essentialist concepts of ethnicity. I argue that in the selected novels both the literary negotiations of Zainichi Korean postcoloniality and its entanglement with global history as well as the references to other diasporas, namely, the Asian and African diasporas in the United States, contribute to a subversive reframing of some prevailing narratives concerning the Zainichi Korean minority in Japan.
Culinary Intimacy in Fukazawa Ushio's The Matchmaker and "When Yi Tongae Eats"
Authors: Rhee Jooyeon
Published: January 2024

Abstract: Since her debut in 2012, Fukazawa Ushio has become a critical voice in the Japanese literary scene, writing about social issues including hate speech against Zainichi Koreans, abuse of migrant workers, gender inequality, and misogyny. One of the significant aesthetic features of her work is the use of food and foodways to explore these issues. This article examines the short story collection The Matchmaker and the five-part food essay "When Yi Tongae Eats," focusing on their sensorial elaboration of Zainichi Koreans' experiences of discrimination and desire to belong, sitting both at the intersection of gender and ethnicity. Fukazawa's sensorial contemplation of the affective values associated with cooking, eating, and drinking, I argue, generates a sense of intimacy among characters and between text and reader that ultimately enables us to expand our understanding of the complexities of Zainichi Korean identity and their place in contemporary Japan.
Exploring the impedance-matching effect in terahertz reflection imaging of skin tissue
Authors: Oh Seung Jae , Maeng Inhee , Nam Ki Suck , Yoon Yeo Jun , Shim Jin-Kyung , Kim Ji Su , Kang Suck-Gu , Jeon Min Yong , Ryu Han-Cheol
Published: January 2024

Terahertz (THz) electromagnetic waves, known for their unique response to water, offer promising opportunities for next-generation biomedical diagnostics and novel cancer therapy technologies. This study investigated the impedance-matching effect, which enhances the efficiency of THz wave delivery into tissues and compensates for the signal distortion induced by the refractive index mismatch between the target and the sample substrate. Three candidate biocompatible materials, water, glycerol, and petroleum jelly were applied to a skin phantom and compared using THz two-dimensional imaging and time-of-flight imaging methods. Finally, we successfully demonstrated impedance-matching effect on mouse skin tissues.
WaveGate: a versatile tool for temporal shaping of synchrotron beams
Authors: Schmidt D. , Hensel D. , Petev M. V. , Khosla M. , Brede M. , Vadilonga S. , Gaal P.
Published: January 2024

We present a full performance characterization of a solid state pulse picker for hard x-ray pulses at synchrotrons. The device is called WaveGate. Specifically, we quantify its efficiency (>30 %), timing capabilities (switching times between 100 ns and ms), on-off contrast (>104) and influence on the coherence properties of the incident x-ray beam. In addition, we discuss the implementation of the WaveGate in an optical pump - x-ray probe setup. Even if single pulse selection is performed by external detector gating, the WaveGate drastically increases the efficiency of a measurement. Finally, we introduce advanced timing schemes that can be realized by modulating the time structure of the synchrotron beam.
Ge-polymer bridge waveguide for mode-locked laser pulse generation
Authors: Liu Jinyuan , Ding Zhenming , Zhang Ziyang
Published: January 2024

A Ge-polymer hybrid waveguide is sandwiched between an indium phosphide (InP) reflective gain chip and a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) to construct a laser system. The hybrid waveguide serves as a bridge between the gain chip and the fiber with tailored mode-field matching at both facets. The 50-nm amorphous Ge (α-Ge) layer shows a nonlinear absorption effect at 1550 nm. The hybrid waveguide is further verified by a femtosecond laser transmission experiment to show the pulse width compression effect. Such waveguide is then integrated inside the laser cavity as a passive saturable absorber to modulate the longitudinal modes for a pulsed output. This polymer-bridged mode-locked laser adopts an InP gain chip for compact assembly and also a FBG with a flexible length to adjust the pulse repetition rate. The mode-locked laser output around the designed 50 MHz repetition rate is demonstrated. The pulse width is measured as 147 ps, and the signal-to-noise ratio is larger than 50 dB. This work introduces a “ternary” mode-locked laser system, taking advantage of discrete photonic components bridged by a polymer-based waveguide. It also proves the feasibility of applying α-Ge films as practical and low-cost saturable absorbers in photonic devices.
Enhanced efficiency of high-speed Si and Si-based PbSe MSM photodiodes with integrated photon-trapping holes in 800 ~ 1550 nm wavelengths
Authors: Gou Jun , Liu Lixin , Li Chunyu , Han Jiayue , Yang Xiutao , Chen Jin , Zhang Zijian , Xie Zheyuan , Yu He , Liu Zhiming , Wang Jun
Published: January 2024

We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that cylindrical-shaped hole array with a small depth and an appropriate period integrated on SOI substrate can enhance infrared absorption due to more bending of light and a higher back reflection. Si MSM photodiode with hole array with a depth of 250 nm exhibits a 3-fold improved EQE of 61%, and an ultrafast impulse response speed of 22 ps enabling a 3dB bandwidth up to 23.9 GHz. PbSe film with a thickness of 80 nm is integrated to broaden the response wavelength. More than 500% EQE enhancement of the Si-based PbSe photodiode with 150-nm-deep photon-trapping holes is achieved at 1550 nm compared to the device without hole structures. These photodiodes offer the potential to drastically improve the efficiency and bandwidth of Si-based detectors in wide band and reduce the cost of infrared sensing and communication system.
Antioxidant Activity of Plant Extracts Containing Phenolic Compounds
Authors: Dayal Bishambar , Kulkarni Amita , Lea Michael , Kaur Gurnoor , Karani Wangari , Singh Janak
Published: January 2024

Polyphenols present in various plant and vegetable extracts possess enormous antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic and anti-atherogenic qualities providing medical benefits. Antioxidants scavenge free radicals and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) by interrupting their mechanism of oxidation. Since free radicals cause neurological illnesses, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and lipid and DNA damage, inhibiting their formation has recently been the subject of several medical investigations. Present studies described the determination of total phenolic content and DPPH activity of a large number of commonly used plant and vegetable extracts utilizing Folin-Ciocalte and Soler-Rivas procedures. This study aims to conduct a biochemical analysis of the therapeutic effects of okra, tamarind, and other phenolic compounds. The comparative data provided in this work for antioxidant and polyphenolic substances is expected to be highly valuable for readers who are interested in this subject.
Relationships between leadership style and organizational commitment: The moderating role of the system of work
Authors: Łucjan Katarzyna , Szostek Dawid , Balcerzak Adam P. , Rogalska Elżbieta
Published: January 2024

The article fills a crucial gap in the literature in the area of relationships between leadership style and organizational commitment. In spite of the actuality of the theoretical nature and growing practical importance of the issue, no attempt has been made to examine the relationship in the context of its moderation by the work system in light of the widespread increase in remote working in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and post-Covid digitalization of the working environment by now. As a result, the key purpose of the paper is to investigate the moderating role of the work system in the relationship between leadership style and organizational commitment. The work system is understood as remote or onsite working. The empirical research is based on the survey done for Poland in the year 2022. The obtained primary data were analyzed within the Structural Equation Model (SEM) analytical framework. The main findings prove that transactional leadership has a greater impact on the organizational commitment of remote workers, while transformational leadership has a stronger impact on the organizational commitment of employees who work onsite. Therefore, from the practical perspective, organizations can increase the organizational commitment of their employees by adopting appropriate leadership behaviors by leaders. These behaviors should be adapted to the work system, depending on whether employees work remotely or on-site. Based on these results, organizations can better design working conditions contributing to greater employee commitment, which in turn will translate into organizational performance.
Barriers to product innovation: An empirical study in Portuguese services SME
Authors: Martinez Campos Mariana , Aguilar Madeira Maria José , Cagica Carvalho Luísa
Published: January 2024

This study aims to explore the relations between financial, knowledge and market barriers to innovation and the innovation propensity of the Portuguese SMEs services sector, specifically at the product level. Utilizing data from the Community Innovation Survey (CIS) covering the years 2018-2020, the analysis focuses on a sample of 9238 companies within the service sector, each employing between 10 and 249 individuals. The research employs a logistic regression model to assess these relationships. The findings highlight that some obstacles, such as insufficient credit or private investment and restricted access to external knowledge, are perceived as hindrances to product innovation. Interestingly, some barriers to innovation, such as the lack of skilled personnel and elevated costs, can paradoxically serve as catalysts for innovation.
Happiness and happiness inequality in Azerbaijan: Results with the single-item and multiple-item constructs
Authors: Aliyev Khatai
Published: January 2024

This paper compares the performance of the single-item (a 1-10 scale) and multiple-item constructs (Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), 5-item and 7-item life domain scales) employed to measure happiness and happiness inequality based on the same survey data. Using a cross-sectional dataset of 2208 respondents from Azerbaijan, the study examines the reliability and validity of each scale. Further, it discusses the scales’ predicted happiness and happiness inequality indicators within the aggregate sample and sub-samples of specific socio-demographic groups. The research results confirm the reliability and validity of multiple-item constructs. In fact, there is a strong positive correlation between all the examined constructs of happiness. Interestingly, the mean happiness predicted by the single-item, SWLS, 5-item, and 7-item life domain scales does not vary much. The mean happiness percentage of the highest score in each construct varies within [50.8%; 62.1%] for the aggregate sample. SWLS’s happiness prediction is lower than that of others by 7-11 percentage points, followed by the 5-item life domain scale and the single-item scale. The happiness prediction difference between the single-item construct and the 7-item life domain scale is negligible. In terms of predicting happiness inequality, the 7-item life domain scale displays the least dispersion as per both standard deviation and coefficient of variation indicators. Conversely, the single-item construct yields the largest variability. Research findings are consistent regardless of age groups, gender identity, educational attainment level, marital status, employment status, and residential area. The overall recommendation is to use a multiple-item life domains scale to measure happiness and happiness inequality in a society, as it offers a broader perspective for using happiness research findings in improving public policy efficiency.
Investigation of accounting manipulation using the Beneish model: Hungarian case
Authors: Fenyves Veronika , Pisula Tomasz , Tarnoczi Tibor
Published: January 2024

The study examined the manipulation level of Hungarian corporate financial statements using Beneish’s M-score model with eight variables between 2017 and 2021. The research also investigated whether the financial statement manipulations depend on the type of sector, company size and age, and region. The research sample was comprised of 32,024 financial statements each year. Statistical tests were used to compare the M-score values of several groups. The proportion of companies with possibly manipulated financial statements varied between 46.43% and 51.67% in the five years. It can be concluded that the manipulation of Hungarian companies’ reports is very high. The analysis showed that the ratios of unlikely manipulated (UM) and likely manipulated (LM) reports were improved at size category 1-4, and size category five significantly improved. The comparison by regions revealed that the UM/LM indicator is lower in more developed regions than in less developed ones. The results draw the attention of government decision-makers to pay more attention to checking financial statements. In addition, it shows to the companies’ stakeholders that the reliability of the financial statements must also be considered during their decision preparations and risk assessment.
Entrepreneurship response to the crisis as exemplified by selected European countries
Authors: Jabłońska Małgorzata , Dziuba Radosław , Mohd Razali Falida
Published: January 2024

The main aim of this article is to present deliberations on the importance of necessity-derived and opportunity-based entrepreneurship for the economy and to try to answer the question which of those types of entrepreneurship makes the economic system resilient at the time of crises and which one has an adverse impact. The GEM research on the motivation of entrepreneurs is the starting point for the research carried out in this paper. It has been resolved that any further econometric analysis (by means of the dynamic models) would cover European countries for which the complete GEM test results are available for a period of minimum 10 years, therefore the period covered by the study includes the years between 2009 and 2021. Based on the calculated correlation index between the entrepreneurship index and the GEM index (percentage of the population aged 18-64 who see good opportunities to start a business in their place of residence), two groups of countries were identified entrepreneurship results from necessity - derived and opportunity - based. In the light of the push theory and the conducted econometric studies, the crisis caused by COVID-19 will probably result in the development of some sectors of the economy or completely new ones will arise in those economies.
Physical Character of Planck’s Constant
Authors: Azhar Shariq
Published: January 2024

It is well recognized that there are unanswered questions in the foundations of physics—most evidently in quantum mechanics, particle physics, and gravitation and cosmology—that currently prevent a fuller understanding of the workings of nature. Against that background, presented here is
photodynamics, a deterministic mathematical model via which the quandaries in foundational physics can be resolved comprehensively. The core hypothesis of photodynamics is that Planck’s constant
his not merely a natural constant; rather, it is the numerical measure of the magnitude of a
photino, a primordial particle of
static-form radiant energy of which all of space and matter is ultimately composed. Three postulates define the framework in which all physical interactions associated with photinos take place: (i) photinos are distributed spatially in the form of
cells, contiguous photino packets that are autonomous, elastic, and potentially mobile; (ii) the universe evolves recursively in discrete time steps; (iii) all dynamic activity in nature arises from the behaviors of physical systems induced by the innate elasticity of their cellular elements. These foundational axioms are systematically formulated into a universal mathematical model that is then applied to the full spectrum of physics from subatomic to cosmological, yielding remarkable results. Notably, Bohr’s formula for the hydrogen spectrum, the Schrödinger equation, Newton’s law of gravity, nuclear forces, Coulomb’s law, and Maxwell’s electrodynamics all emerge naturally as consequences of photodynamics, which also settles the well-known measurement problem in quantum mechanics and offers insights into cosmic dynamics and the origins of dark matter and dark energy.
Consumption Contribution to Economy Growth
Authors: Sudibyo Ivan
Published: January 2024

The analysis of the final consumption influence on the Gross Domestic Product is rarely studied. The final consumption is one important studies that follow the expenses method of GDP calculation and formation. The econometric approach gives substantial results when a longer interval is approached. The fact of econometric model is the dependence of the national economy on final consumption. Thus, the unifactorial regression model can be used to establish the influence that the value of final consumption. The Researcher make some description about final consumption in Southeast Asia+3 and US.