bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimum renewable oil for biodiesel production as integer programming problem
Authors: Sagbansua Lutfu , Balo Figen
Published: September 2024

During the last decades, the apprehension about environmental pollution and consuming of the global fossil resource reserves has raised the requisition to improve an environmental friendly and renewable fuel. Bio-based diesel fuel, which primarily occurs of methyl-esters in fatty acid is one of the finest replaces for fossil-based diesel fuel. Nowadays, plant oils are the primary source of bio-sourced diesel fuel. The fatty acid formation of manufactured bio-based diesel fuel from different plant-based sources and their features are disparate. The aim of the existent research is to choose the optimal plant oil as bio-based diesel through utilizing mathematical modeling technique. Amon plant-based oil kinds, the question of choosing the optimal plant oil is assessed, utilizing many criteria concerned with their features. This study spotlights a new perception into evaluating the optimal plant oil-derived bio-based diesels for the decision-makers like engine manufacturers and development and research engineers to strengthen the green reformation to provide the fuel economy and emission standards.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Intergovernmental Earmarking Grants: Insights From the German Higher-Education Pact
Authors: Barbaro Salvatore
Published: September 2024

In federal systems, the relationship between central governments and constituent states increasingly hinges on intergovernmental grants-in-aid. Central governments are progressively leveraging conditional grants to advance supra-regional interests, necessitating co-financing by recipient states. This paper examines the impact of such arrangements through an analysis of the multi-billion Euro Higher Education Pact (“Hochschulpakt”) in Germany, which aims to bolster higher education. The study explores the efficacy of central government efforts in achieving broader societal objectives. Our findings highlight several design flaws within the program and empirically demonstrate the emergence of unintended consequences. This research also enhances the understanding of state behavior in response to federal funding initiatives.
Making Kin with Adele: From Pathologizing in Vienna to Collaborating in Denver
Authors: Haraway Donna J.
Published: September 2024

This essay is part of a Thematic Collection of Science, Technology & Human Values on the work of Adele E. Clarke (1945–2024).
Professionalism in Residency Training: The Learning Environment for Professionalism Survey
Authors: Byszewski Anna , Pearson Alexander , Lochnan Heather , Johnston Donna L. , Whiting Sharon , Wood Timothy J.
Published: September 2024

Role modelling is important in developing professionalism with a need for reliable, evidence-based tools to assess professionalism in the learning environment (LE). The Learning Environment for Professionalism (LEP) survey is brief, anonymous and balanced assessing medical trainees' and attendings’ positive and negative professionalism behaviours that can be tracked longitudinally and identify problem areas in the LE. Seven training programs agreed to facilitate administration of the LEP survey at four hospitals in Ottawa, Canada. The survey was carried out iteratively between 2013 and 2020. A total of 3783 LE ratings of training programs and hospitals were assessed longitudinally using univariate linear regression. A Bonferroni corrected p-value of ≤.0045 was used to account for multiple comparisons. Positive professional behaviours were observed across time with some of the negative behaviors having improved. A negative signal was found, with attendings appearing to be treating patients unfairly because of their financial status, ethnic background, sexual or religious preferences. Applying LEP survey longitudinally across diverse training programs and institutions is feasible and may assist programs to identify areas requiring attention and acknowledging areas of exemplary professionalism. Continuous monitoring of LE to meet requirements of accrediting bodies can also be considered an important quality improvement metric.
“More dangerous than sharks”: Cellspace, death, and pathologies of the selfie*
Authors: Baishya Anirban K
Published: September 2024

Popular discussions about the selfie have often centered on accusations of Narcissism and cultural decay. Alongside this, globally, the selfie has also been associated with accidents, injury, and death. Taking the case of India – the country most closely associated with selfie fatality statistics – this article examines how the equation between selfies and death is the result of the confluence of psychopathological and physio-pathological discourses, and virally circulating news. What medicalized discourse and sensational journalism often miss, is the fact that selfie fatalities are a symptom of technologically augmented spaces. Taking a humanistic approach drawing insights from photography studies, digital media studies, and studies of risk and modernity, the article unpacks how the moral panic around “killer selfies” obfuscates the contradictions of negotiating technological augmentation and spatial risks.
Dependence in the online screen industry
Authors: Idiz Daphne Rena , Poell Thomas
Published: September 2024

The development of an online screen industry, dominated by a few American and Chinese streaming TV services and video-based platforms, triggers critical questions about the commercial and technological dependence of cultural producers within this industry. Drawing on research in media industries and platform studies, this paper develops a conceptual framework to systematically examine this dependence. Pursuing this aim, we propose to shift the focus from specific video platforms or streaming TV services as the starting point of the analysis to the perspective of cultural producers. Through a discussion of current research, we identify four major sources of dependence encountered by cultural producers in the online screen industry: (1) access to data, (2) algorithmic curation, (3) contractual relations, and (4) monetization. While we recognize that there are vital differences between platforms and streaming TV services, we argue that producers throughout the online screen industry face similar challenges in trying to navigate the four sources of dependence. In short, limited access to data and lack of control over content visibility put cultural producers in a fundamentally weak position vis-à-vis tech companies when negotiating contractual relations and terms of monetization.
Nature connectedness taking into account its negative elements / Conectividad con la naturaleza atendiendo a los elementos negativos de la misma
Authors: López-García Laura , Pasca Laura
Published: September 2024

Nature connectedness refers to the emotional and cognitive bond of an individual with nature, a concept widely studied due to its benefits for the well-being of people. However, there is a tendency to ignore the aversive elements of nature. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to study the role of these elements with respect to connectedness. The first study conducted ( N = 160) found that different types of aversive elements have a different impact on people. This impact is not related to connectedness, since people usually focus only on the positive elements of nature when reporting on their connectedness. The second study ( N = 143) provides evidence that people consider the positive elements of nature as being more representative. Therefore, it is important to take nature into account in a global way, considering not only its positive aspects but also the negative ones, when studying nature connectedness.
Long-term food supplementation with sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) prevents age-associated cognitive decline in female mice
Authors: Costa Miranda Pires Dâmaris , da Silva Moraes Alberto
Published: September 2024

Background: Mild cognitive decline, a common issue in aging, affects memory, learning, and attention. Nutrition can influence cognition, and research indicates that Ocimum sp. (holy basil and sweet basil) leaf extracts may enhance cognition in rodents and humans. However, these studies do not address whether these benefits extend to fresh or dry leaves consumed in typical human diets, along with physiological aging. Aim: To investigate the effects of sweet basil supplementation on cognition in mature and aged female mice. Methods: Female C57bl mice were divided into four groups: 8-month-old mature adults and 18-month-old aged adults, each receiving either a control or supplemented diet. The supplemented diet included a mix of standard chow and fresh basil leaves, administered for 2–8 months. Cognitive and behavioral assessments were conducted using the novel object recognition (NOR), Morris water maze (MWM), and elevated plus maze (EPM) tasks, focusing on memory, learning, and anxiety. Results: No cognitive improvement was observed in mature mice. However, aged mice receiving long-term basil supplementation showed enhanced discrimination in NOR and stayed closer to the absent platform in MWM compared to nonsupplemented controls. While aging mice exhibited reduced anxiety-like behavior in EPM, basil supplementation prevented this reduction. Conclusion: Basil supplementation appears beneficial in elderly mice, potentially preventing age-related cognitive decline and behavioral changes. These findings support the benefits of basil consumption in cognition and underscore its potential role in promoting healthy aging. Incorporating basil into the diet at a younger age may preserve memory and mitigate behavioral changes as individuals age.
What the Dutch benefits scandal and policy's focus on ‘fraud’ can teach us about the endurance of empire
Authors: Arts Josien , van den Berg Marguerite
Published: September 2024

In the benefits scandal, the Dutch state wrongfully accused at least 35,000 Dutch parents of young children of committing fraud with subsidies for childcare, based on ethnic profiling. Especially families with heritage in the former Dutch colonies in the Caribbean and Suriname were hit. Because they had to compensate for this supposed ‘fraud’, families were often thrown into severe debt and years of financial and legal struggle, a struggle that is ongoing for many. For the parents of more than 2,000 children, this even led to the loss of custody of their children. The Dutch state has formally acknowledged that ‘institutional racism’ was part of the problem, yet the scandal remains analysed by many, especially white scholars and journalists, as unintended, incidental and unrelated to Dutch colonial history. This commentary addresses the scandal as a case of an enduring colonial legacy of targeting racialised and gendered citizens in social policy. ‘Fraud’ is a social policy category through which this is made possible and violence continues to be inflicted upon racialised and gendered members of the Dutch population.
The (un)just transition in ecomodernist climate policy: Critical analysis of social inequities in the US Inflation Reduction Act
Authors: GOUNDER BABU , BROWN C. TAYLOR
Published: September 2024

The US Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 marks a monumental shift toward mitigating climate change and transitioning to a clean energy society. With disproportionate, adverse impacts of climate change on marginalized communities, we utilize a critical environmental justice framework to investigate how the policy structure may deepen social inequalities. While the climate policy invests in clean energy and includes provisions for marginalized communities, our critical analysis finds embedded, conventional power imbalances ceded to corporations and a failure to acknowledge environmental racism. As a result, benefits are far from equitably distributed to communities that bear class, racial, and environmental burdens. We specify policy revisions of narrowing low-income eligibility, incorporating race in provisional criteria, and expanding clean energy investments to environmental justice locations. While our proposed reforms may create a more equitable response, we argue US climate policy's shortcomings are endemic to its ecomodernist approach, limiting the possibility of a just transition.
Entrepreneurship among veterans: Comparative evidence from recent surveys
Authors: Phipps Aaron , Skimmyhorn William
Published: September 2024

The large literature on the correlates of entrepreneurship pays little attention to America’s military Veterans. We leverage two national surveys with rich demographic and behavioural data to estimate how military experience relates to entrepreneurship and financial success. After accounting for demographic differences, Veterans are less likely to become entrepreneurs than their peers. Veteran entrepreneurs also earn less and have lower financial satisfaction. These results contradict the common narrative and theoretical expectation that average military experience imparts human capital that prepares Veterans for entrepreneurship. We also find that female, Black and more educated Veterans are relatively more likely to pursue entrepreneurship.
Barriers to internationalisation of library science education identified by faculties in China
Authors: Wu Qingmei , Zhou Lihong
Published: September 2024

In today's globalized world, international communications and collaborations have increased, so it is imperative to nurture individuals equipped with a global mindset and cross-cultural communication skill. However, poorly understood about difficulties and challenges associated with implementing internationalisation plan in library science education (LSE). The study aims to identify and categorize the barriers to internationalisation of LSE (ILSE) in China, recognise connections among them, and establish a comprehensive framework that can serve as a reference for designing internationally applicable tools. The study conducted a semi-structured interview with 18 faculties from library science programs in China and applied grounded theory to analyse interview records, integrating the data to develop a conceptual model. The study identified 30 barriers to ILSE in five themes: internationalisation environment; internationalisation participation willingness; internationalisation participation ability; international intelligibility; internationalisation sustainability. The barriers to ILSE are complex and can be distributed in four dimensions: environmental factors, social and structural factors, institutional factors, and individual factors. These four dimensions of factors interact and intersect with each other, resulting in decreased motivation and willingness to participate in internationalisation. Moreover, institutions of LSE are crucial for overcoming these obstacles.
What drives support for authoritarian populist parties in Eastern and Central Europe?
Authors: Jackson Pamela Irving , Doerschler Peter
Published: September 2024

Using data from the European Social Survey (2002–2018), we examine the rise of the far right in nine east-central European states in the last half of their third post-communist decade: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, and Slovakia. For many in the region in 2018 religion remained a cornerstone of national identity even as the nation struggled with the institutional demands of democracy in the aftermath of a global economic recession and the 2015 migration crisis. While far-right parties had many paths to success, our results suggest that respondents affiliated with a religious denomination were more likely to vote for the authoritarian populist party and the most religious were even more likely. Religion served as a tool of illiberalism. Because the appeal of populist parties that combine exclusionary anti-immigrant and anti-diversity rhetoric with generous benefits for citizens may transcend regional historical and political boundaries, the role of religiosity in these findings merits further consideration. Autocratic leaders in some states used Church support for traditional culture and social welfare payments to families and tax rebates to secure electoral victories for themselves and guide party establishments and the civil society away from judicial independence and a free press that could expose corruption. It is not inconceivable that authoritarian populism propped up by ethno-nationalism and social welfare benefits could gain sufficient scope, direction, and durability to undermine the European Union and serve as a beacon of intolerance.
Better-off abroad? The overqualification of Eastern migrants to Western Europe
Authors: Montanari Maria Giulia
Published: September 2024

The academic and institutional debate presents free movement within European Union (EU) as a chance for individuals to boost their own socio-economic status. However, migrants from ‘New’ Eastern European countries tend to perform low-qualified occupation in Western Europe. The present study aims to shed light on Eastern EU migrants’ overqualification, normatively defined as a mismatch between the highest educational title attained by an individual and the qualification level to entry his or her current job. A sample of employed graduates is selected from the EU Labour Force Survey for the period 2018–2019, preceding both Brexit and COVID-19. EU migrants, especially those in Southern Europe, emerge to be more exposed to overqualification than Western EU locals, Western EU migrants and, especially, Eastern EU locals who stayed in the origin country. Therefore, on the ground of overqualification, these findings contradict the general expectation according to which economic migrants are better-off abroad.
‘A good ending but not the end’: Exploring family preparations surrounding a relative’s death and the Afterlife – A qualitative study
Authors: Liang Hui-Ju , Xiong Qian , Lin Peng-Chan , Tsai Jui-Hung , Preston Nancy
Published: September 2024

Background:

Adequate death preparation positively influences families’ experience before death and during bereavement. However, how to prepare families in non-Western cultures has received scant attention.

Aim:

To explore family caregivers’ experiences in preparing for a relative’s death in specialist palliative care in Taiwan.

Design:

A qualitative study employing reflexive thematic analysis of data collected from semi-structured interviews was conducted.

Setting/participants:

Twenty-two family caregivers from seven hospitals participated.

Results:

The overarching theme was ‘getting everything right to have no regrets between the dead and the living’. We developed two themes to explain preparations for the time surrounding and after the death, including the deceased’ afterlife: (1) ‘having a good ending but not the end of the relationship’, which addresses preparations for the death itself, the funeral, the afterlife and maintaining connections and (2) ‘using religious beliefs and cultural norms to guide preparation’, which explores perceptions of a good death, including refrain from strong emotions before and after the death.

Conclusion:

Funeral arrangements, enhancing the deceased’s afterlife and maintaining connections to the deceased are crucial for families’ experiences which can be impacted by actions they take as they prepare for the death. A culturally appropriate death is beneficial for the dying relative which includes preparing to not show strong emotions during and after the death. These insights inform the importance of the cultural context in death preparation in Taiwan and provide perspectives for palliative care beyond Western culture, potentially benefiting Chinese populations, predominantly East Asian and Buddhist societies.
Toy Guns in America: Marketing, Children’s Play, and Social Unease
Authors: Witkowski Terrence H.
Published: September 2024

Toy guns have been mass produced, vigorously marketed, and widely consumed in the United States since the latter nineteenth century. They have come in a variety of configurations ranging from close replicas of real firearms to colorful fantasy objects. Some have imitated the sounds and smoke of shooting with powder, while others have fired a variety of non-metallic projectiles. Toy guns have entertained generations of boys and a few girls, but their potential for misuse and being mistaken for dangerous weapons has generated criticism and government regulation. This study presents an historical account of toy gun marketing in America and how long-standing social unease over children's play has periodically transformed these products and their consumption patterns.
High NTRK2 protein expression levels may be associated with poorer prognosis of breast cancer patients
Authors: Zhang Rui , Zhao Jianguo , Zhao Lu
Published: September 2024

Objective

Previous research has shown that the role of neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (NTRK2) in breast cancer (BRCA) remains ambiguous. To help elucidate this, we conducted a retrospective study to investigate the relationship between NTRK2 protein expression and BRCA.

Methods

The prognostic significance of NTRK2 protein expression patterns was assessed by performing immunohistochemistry assays on 131 BRCA tissues and 56 adjacent normal tissues in a retrospective study. Furthermore, the sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs was quantified by “pRRophetic” and the sensitivity to immunotherapy was estimated using The Cancer Immunome Atlas website.

Results

NTRK2 protein was expressed at significantly higher levels in BRCA samples compared with normal tissues. The data indicated that NTRK2 expression is an independent risk factor for BRCA patient prognosis. Additionally, the high NTRK2 group exhibited increased sensitivity to certain chemotherapy drugs and achieved higher scores for immune checkpoint blockade therapy compared with the low NTRK2 group.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated that higher NTRK2 protein expression is related to a less favorable prognosis in BRCA patients, as well as to enhanced sensitivity to specific chemotherapy and immunotherapy drugs.
Botulinum toxin as an effective treatment for persistent twitching in first toe: a detailed case study
Authors: Kim Jaesuk , Park Seongjin , Kwon So Young
Published: September 2024

Continuous fasciculation that occurs without weakness is referred to as benign fasciculation. Although generally considered non-threatening, cases that persist can significantly impact an individual's quality of life. This study presents a case of a male patient in his 30s experiencing unyielding twitching localized to the sole of his left foot for 2 years. His medical history was devoid of any notable neuromuscular diseases. Results from electromyography testing were also normal for all parameters. Attempts with pharmacological intervention did not yield any improvement of his condition. Although a nerve block targeting the left tibial nerve managed to reduce the severity of the twitching, it failed to decrease its frequency or provide a lasting solution. In search of a more effective treatment, botulinum toxin was administered via ultrasound guidance into the flexor hallucis and digitorum longus muscles. This approach resulted in a marked reduction in both the frequency and severity of the twitching, enabling the patient to resume his daily activities and achieve restful sleep without experiencing any adverse effects. Through this case, the efficacy of botulinum toxin injections as a treatment for intractable twitching is underscored, offering valuable insights into potential therapeutic strategies for similar clinical presentations.
Efficacy and safety of tranexamic acid use in elderly patients undergoing anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a retrospective study
Authors: Lou Zhenqi , Jiang Yi , Jiang Kanling , Zhu Jieyang , Lai Lan , Huang Zhihai , Zhu Jinyu
Published: September 2024

Objective

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravenous tranexamic acid (TXA) administration in anterior cervical discectomy fusion (ACDF) for the treatment of cervical spondylosis in the elderly.

Methods

Data from elderly patients who underwent ACDF between January 2020 and January 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who received 1 g intravenous TXA administration before skin incision (TXA group) were compared with patients who did not receive TXA (controls). Total and hidden blood loss were calculated, and the following outcomes were recorded: haemoglobin and haematocrit drop, operation time, drainage duration, drain volume, length of hospitalization, coagulation changes, and incidence of complications.

Results

A total of 114 patients were included (TXA group, n = 53 and controls, n = 61). Total blood loss, hidden blood loss, and postoperative drainage volume, haemoglobin and haematocrit drop were significantly lower in the TXA group than the control group. There were no significant differences in operation time, intraoperative blood loss, drainage duration, length of hospitalization, or coagulation function between the two groups. The incidence of complications did not differ significantly between the two groups during 3 months of follow-up.

Conclusions

Intravenous TXA is effective in reducing perioperative blood loss in elderly patients undergoing ACDF without changing the coagulation function or increasing the risk of complications.
A comparative study on environmentally friendly ironmaking process through air to oxygen
Authors: Kim Sang-Wook , Yi Sang-Ho , Han Jeong-Whan
Published: September 2024

Modern integrated steel mills that use coal-based ironmaking processes face the significant challenge of reducing greenhouse gases and pollutants such as CO2, SOx, and NOx. This article investigates using oxygen in steelmaking to improve process efficiency and drastically reduce carbon emissions. Compared to the conventional ironmaking process that uses hot air, the ironmaking process using oxygen can further reduce overall carbon consumption. Additionally, this process captures and utilises emitted carbon dioxide, making it a low-carbon ironmaking process until a fossil fuel-free ironmaking process is developed. The FINEX® process, while smaller than conventional Blast Furnace (BF) ironmaking in terms of commercial production scale, plays a critical role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by using oxygen instead of air. Although the oxygen blast furnace is currently under development. FINEX® employs preheated hot compacted iron (13.7%) and dust burners (19.8%) to address the upper heat deficiency issue encountered with high levels of oxygen enrichment in blast furnaces. Furthermore, designing and implementing optimised Tuyeres to facilitate the injection of pulverised coal injection and natural gas can enhance the performance and operation of oxygen blast furnaces in the future. Using oxygen has the advantage of being able to respond to the environment better than air using conventional ironmaking processes and can quickly switch to a hydrogen-reduced process. Similar to the development of the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) process, which converted cheap air into oxygen to increase productivity and cleanliness of the steel in the steelmaking process, the alternative bridge technology to the realisation of complete carbon neutrality will be an oxygen-based ironmaking process. After all, in the current decarbonisation environment, oxygen should be viewed not as a luxury or cost burden, but as an essential requirement.
Model proposal of libraries functions to implement open science: Analysis from Latin American librarianship
Authors: Peña Juan Miguel Palma
Published: September 2024

Libraries and open science are linked by common objectives, owing to libraries being actors that develop free access to information for many, and open science is an action that encourages free circulation of data and research outputs. Therefore both the actor and the action contribute to the satisfaction of information needs. The aim of this research is to analyze the actions that governments, universities and libraries have carried out to implement open science in Latin America, based on the analysis of factors and library functions. The methodology of this research comprised a bibliographic review and quantitative methods. For the exploratory analysis, the main sources for retrieval information were the official web portals of universities and library entities, the State of Open Data Policy Repository, the Registry of Research Data and the Dataverse Project. A general conclusion is that academic libraries are actors and laboratories with elements to support the implementation of open science.
Development of Education Policies and Practices for Students With Learning Disabilities in South Korea Using Delphi Surveys and Topic Modeling
Authors: Shin Mikyung , Park Haerin , Kang Eun Young
Published: September 2024

There have been ongoing issues surrounding students with learning disabilities across different countries and cultures, including South Korea. This study aims to propose future education policies and practices for students with learning disabilities using Delphi surveys and topic modeling. To evaluate experts’ responses and validate the opinion-driven proposals of education policies and practices, we induced six education policies through three rounds of Delphi surveys of 10 experts from diverse backgrounds related to learning disabilities or special education in South Korea. Policy practices were manually reviewed and validated with content ratio values of at least .80. This study raises awareness of policies’ importance in supporting students with learning disabilities and their families. Furthermore, this study contributes to the field by offering insights on how to establish consensus on education policies and practices among experts with diverse perspectives, benefiting the global community.
Configural and Metric Invariance Across Full-Form and Computerized Adaptive Versions of the Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery (CAT-CCNB)
Authors: Moore Tyler M. , Lopez Katherine C. , Scott J. Cobb , Lennon Jack C. , Sandro Akira Di , Zoupou Eirini , Gorgone Alesandra , Calkins Monica E. , Wolf Daniel H. , Kable Joseph W. , Ruparel Kosha , Gur Raquel E. , Gur Ruben C.
Published: September 2024

The Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery (CNB) is a collection of tests validated using neuroimaging, genetics, and other criteria. An updated version of the CNB was constructed in which all tests were converted to either computerized adaptive (CAT) or abbreviated forms. In a mixed community/clinical sample ( N = 307; mean age = 25.9 years; 53.7% female), we tested measurement invariance across the CNB and CAT-CCNB in terms of factor configuration and loadings. Multiple-Group factor analyses were conducted with appropriate constraints, and results supported the measurement invariance assumption, with non-significant differences in chi-square fit statistics for both correlated-traits (Δχ2 = 6.68; df = 12; p = .88) and bifactor (Δχ2 = 16.02; df = 27; p = .95) configurations. Results indicate that the latent constructs measured by the two versions of the CNB are roughly equivalent and comparable.
Unraveling narratives: Chinese official party media’s representation of Inner Mongolia amid reforms
Authors: Zhao Xiaojuan , Md Syed Md Azalanshah , Shamshudeen Rosya Izyanie
Published: September 2024

This article examines narrative construction in the Chinese official Party newspaper Inner Mongolia Daily (IMD), analyzing narratives within the context of bilingual education reform among Mongolians. Three key frames emerge: collective development and prosperity under the Chinese Communist Party’s leadership, Inner Mongolia as a model of ethnic unity, and the integration of minority religions into socialist society. This study reveals how IMD portrays Inner Mongolia during education reforms using media framing theory.
Grade Retention: The Role of Speech and Language Disorders, Race and Ethnicity, Sex, Socioeconomic Status, Special Education, and Bilingualism
Authors: Choo Ai Leen , King Caleb J. , Barger Brian
Published: September 2024

The odds of grade retention for children with speech or language disorders were assessed using data from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), a nationally representative and cross-sectional survey of U.S. children from 2016 to 2021. Various demographic, social, and education variables were also examined to confirm prior findings with a large national cohort. Results indicate higher odds of retention for children who were identified with speech and language disorders, from marginalized racial and ethnic groups, boys, from lower socioeconomic households, and in special education. Bilingual children had lower odds of retention. Teachers and speech-language pathologists need to recognize that the odds of grade retention and related outcomes, such as not completing high school, could be compounded for children with speech and language disorders.
Forgiveness and Religiosity Among Nurses: A Correlational Descriptive Study
Authors: Joseph Rachel , Akers Shanna W. , Kim Jichan , Mullen Lora
Published: September 2024

The purpose of the study was to explore how nurses’ religious beliefs affect their ability to forgive themselves and others. Design: A descriptive correlational study was conducted. Methods: The data were collected using an online survey via Qualtrics using three validated tools Enright Forgiveness Inventory – 30 (to measure forgiveness of others), Enright Self-Forgiveness Inventory (to measure forgiveness of self), and Duke University Religious Index (to measure religiosity). Findings: Forgiveness of others was associated with both non-organized religious activities and intrinsic religiosity. After controlling for other variables, non-organized religious activities continued to predict forgiveness of others but organized religious activities negatively predicted forgiveness of others. Self-forgiveness was not associated with any of the religiosity indicators, and in the regression model, the seriousness of self-offense alone uniquely explained self-forgiveness. Conclusion: Stressed nurses become distracted, may miss effective job performance, and patient care may suffer. Emotional and spiritual health and better patient outcomes can be attributed to the nurse forgiving others and the self. Nurses must be self-aware to develop forgiveness strategies for their well-being and provide effective care. Faculty should teach “person-centered” care and educate students to forgive others and themselves for effective patient care.
The environmental counter-history of liberalism: A formidable challenge?
Authors: Matthews Fred
Published: September 2024

In the view of the Marxist philosopher Domenico Losurdo, liberalism is ‘the most dogged enemy of freedom’. This surprising statement runs contrary to the received wisdom among liberal thinkers. Losurdo and other ‘counter-historians’ of liberalism are very effective at exposing the historical atrocities that liberal states have committed, and which have been supported by liberal philosophers – including slavery, racism, genocide, and the subjugation of the working class. But what implications, if any, does this have for contemporary theory? I will argue that there is an important contemporary variation of this ‘counter-history’. Liberalism-in-practice is currently implicated in various forms of environmental degradation and resulting structural violence against disempowered groups. Moreover, divorcing these failings of liberalism-in-practice from liberalism-in-theory is a challenging philosophical endeavour, because even the philosophy of liberalism has difficulties adjusting to environmental issues. The contemporary version of the counter-history thus presents a powerful although not decisive challenge, one worthy of greater discussion.
British criminology, undercover policing, and racist attacks: Notes on the ‘law and order’ information infrastructure
Authors: Molina Julian
Published: September 2024

This article examines the entanglement of British criminology and undercover policing (‘Spycops’) in the UK government's response to racism in 1981. The article discusses how criminology took a strategic role within the state's ‘ law and order’ information infrastructure by analysing archival materials related to a Home Office criminological study from that same year. This infrastructure involved an explicit logistical sensibility for gathering and analysing evidence, intelligence, and data about race and racism for a ‘law and order’ agenda focused on policing public order and ‘subversion’. It examines how two senior Home Office officials treated the gathering and utilisation of informational resources produced by criminologists and the Metropolitan Police Special Branch for tactical operations and perception management strategies that targeted racism and anti-racist groups as threats to public order. Reflecting on recent scholarship about security practices enabled by Big Data and machine learning, the article argues for greater attention on criminology and human sciences’ strategic and unnoticed involvement in designing and servicing contemporary ‘law and order’ informational infrastructures.
A fast evaluation method for surface area, volume fraction, and hydraulic diameter of TPMS with different geometric characteristics
Authors: He Xinyu , Yang Ce , Zheng Mingqiu , Zhang Hanzhi , Du Yadong
Published: September 2024

The utilization of triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures, fabricated through additive manufacturing techniques, in engineering applications has garnered considerable attention. However, existing studies have largely overlooked the intricate relationship between design parameters and key geometric indices such as surface area, volume fraction, and hydraulic diameters, along with their distribution patterns. This study aims to fill this gap by conducting a comprehensive investigation to unveil the correlations between design parameters and performance indices for various TPMS types. A newly developed parallelogram patch method for area calculation is introduced and compared with the conventional triangular patch method. Regression equations are synthesized to derive geometric indices based on design parameters, facilitating the final performance prediction. Notably, Fischer Koch S, Schoen I-WP, and Schwarz Primitive emerge as the leading performers, achieving the largest surface area of 21.523 m2, volume fraction of 0.8732, and hydraulic diameter of 0.7856 m, respectively, within the feasible range. Conversely, Schoen Gyroid, Schwarz Primitive, and Fischer Koch S exhibit the lowest surface area of 3.5668 m2, volume fraction of 0.0752, and hydraulic diameter of 0.0745 m. The regression equations and the parallelogram patch area calculating method, demonstrate commendable accuracy, with less than a 2.5% relative error, making them suitable for practical calculations. These summarized regression equations can serve as a valuable guide for the preliminary design of TPMS lattices.
Application of response surface methodology and computational fluid dynamics for analyzing and optimizing the performance of finned solar air heater
Authors: Singh Vineet
Published: September 2024

In this research paper, a Solar Air Heater (SAH) with triangular fins has been experimentally and numerically analyzed and validated. The novelty of this work is the selection of the type of the fins, the triangular fins not only enhance the turbulence and heat transfer to the air but have lower material consumption as compared to the rectangular fins. The ANSYS 2022, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software has been used for the numerical study, the post processor simulation results of the velocity, pressure, and temperature field at velocity, pressure and Roserland boundary conditions has been determined by using k-ε standard turbulence model at steady state. The heat transfer coefficient and friction factor are two important parameters that are used for determining the heat transfer rate and pressure drop over the surface of the Solar Air Heater (SAH). For enhancing the heat transfer rate and minimizing the pressure drop, a optimized geometry of the fins must be required. In consideration of this fact, in this research, the Heat transfer Coefficient (HTC) and Friction factor (FF) have been optimized by the Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The two important input variables namely Reynolds Number (Re) and pitch to height ratio (p/L) of the fins has been selected for maximizing the performance of the SAH. The simulation results of the velocity contour shows that the velocity reached maximum between the narrow gap of the triangular fins due to conservation of mass. So, velocity of the flowing air increasing in between the fins. The optimum values of response parameters namely Nusselt Number, friction factor and Thermal Performance Factor are obtained to be 176.5064, 0.0260, and 1.8903 at Reynolds Number 16928.2180 and P/L 1.3430.
Computerized design and analysis of a novel high load bearing internal gear drive with curved meshing line
Authors: Jia Chao , Li Guoju
Published: September 2024

A novel high load bearing internal gear drive with curved meshing line is presented in this paper, and its performance is compared with that of an involute internal gear drive by finite element calculation. First, the novel gears’ meshing line is an S-shaped curve composed of two parabolas. Second, the novel gears’ tooth profiles based on the curved meshing line are designed using differential geometry and gear meshing theory. Third, three-dimensional mesh models of the novel gears are created by procedures, then using finite element calculation to analyze the stress of gear meshing. Finally, numerical examples demonstrate that the novel gears have lower stress and a smoother sliding coefficient than involute gears, implying that the former has a greater benefit in bearing capacity and wear performance. Meanwhile, tooth modifications can improve stress concentration, hence increasing the load-bearing capability of the novel gears.
Effect of applied load on adhesive wear and corrosive wear behaviours of two aluminium bronze (Cu-Al-Fe) alloys
Authors: Metin Meriç , Ünal Mehmet , Gören Halil Ahmet
Published: September 2024

In this study, the microstructure, adhesive (dry) wear and corrosive wear properties of cast C95200 and C95300 aluminium bronze alloys were investigated. The most important difference for these two alloys is that C95200 alloy contains 8.67% Al and 2.51% Fe while C95300 alloy contains 10.10% Al and 0.93% Fe. Both alloys contain 0.11% Zn and trace amounts of Sn, Ni, Si, Pb. The equilibrium element that completes 100% of these two alloys is Cu. First, 99.9% pure copper was loaded into the graphite crucible of the induction furnace and the temperature was raised to 1155°C. Then 99.9% pure iron filings were added, waited for 30 min and the molten metal was gently stirred with a graphite propeller shaft. At 1140°C, 99.9% pure aluminium was added. A protective flux containing fluoride and chloride was used to cut off contact with the atmosphere. The melted alloys were poured without waiting into a permanent mould heated to 250°C. Microstructure, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopes), EDS (Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy), XRF (X-ray fluorescence), corrosive wear, adhesive (dry) wear test samples were prepared from the appropriate regions of these alloys. The corrosive wear test was carried out with a back and forth wear system in a salt water environment containing 3.5% by weight NaCl. In the corrosive wear test, at a distance of 1000 m, alloy C95200 lost 381.48% and 152.27% more weight than alloy C95300 under 10 and 20 N load, respectively, but lost 11.98% less weight under 40 N load. When the SEM and EDS results after corrosive wear were examined, it was observed that there were cracked bright parts on the surface of the C95300 alloy. When the Adhesive dry wear results under 10, 20, 40 N loads at 8000 m distance were examined, C95200 alloy lost 5.91% more weight than C95300 under 10 N load but lost 37.25%, 60.03% less weight under 20, 40 N load respectively.
Investigation on influence of selective laser melting parameters on mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy
Authors: Kumar Mandeep , Nabi Jahangir , Singh Harsimran Jeet , Kaundal Hemant , Bera Tarun Kumar , Singh Ratnesh Kumar Raj
Published: September 2024

This research investigates the effects of process parameters of selective laser melting (SLM) on mechanical and metallurgical properties of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V fabricated parts. Key printing parameters including scan speed, laser power, and printing strategies, are analyzed for their impact on properties of printed parts using Taguchi L9 statistical approach. It is found that increasing laser power and scan speed decreases strength in both the longitudinal and transverse directions of the printed samples. The study highlights that the bi-directional printing strategy yields the highest strength in both directions, while the stripe strategy results in the lowest strength. Additionally, higher scanning speeds increase porosity, subsequently lowering the overall strength of the printed components. Microstructural analysis reveals the presence of acicular alpha martensite within the prior beta grains in most samples.
Pattern optimization for 3D printing of composite filament materials with natural fibers and polylactic acid
Authors: Thamizh Selvan S , Mohandass M , Senthil Kumar V S
Published: September 2024

Composite fiber materials developed through Fused Deposit Modeling (FDM) in high demand in fabricating automotive, machinery components such as bearings, sleeves, bumpers, windshields, etc. In this article, a new composite filament with natural fiber (Flax) and polylactic acid was prepared and their mechanical properties were analyzed. Taguchi approaches L27 orthogonal array was used to optimize the process parameters layer thickness (0.15, 0.25, 0.35 mm) for 0.4 mm nozzle with filling structure (L1—lines, L2—triangles, L3—octet), speed of nozzle movement (80,100,120 mm/s) and occupancy ratios (20%, 40%, 60%) were chosen as process parameters. Tensile and Impacts test have been carried with American Society of Testing and Materials Standard (ASTM D638 and ASTM D256) to evaluate the tensile strength, percentage of elongation and impacts strength of the fabricated specimens. The results emphasized that layer thickness significant influences the tensile characteristics as compared to better process parameters. The occupancy ratio at 20% and 40% with triangle and octet filling structure, nozzle speed of 100 mm/s at constant extruder temperature of 200°C have been found to optimize 3D printing parameters in this work. They were calculated as tensile strength 61.13 MPa, percentage of elongation is 4.43% and Izod impact test is 12.77 kJ/m2.
A statistics-based fuzzy inference technique to evaluate machining quality level of product involving multiple independent characteristics
Authors: Chang Tsang-Chuan
Published: September 2024

Manufacturers aim to produce products that meet customer expectations. To this end, they must monitor and assess the machining quality of product to ensure high-quality reliable products. With the rise of consumer awareness, the products that customers can choose from are not only becoming more and more diverse, but also have multiple independent quality characteristics. Therefore, this study adopts the loss-based Six Sigma quality index [Formula: see text], which fully reflects quality level, loss, and yield for machining process of each characteristic l, to develop an assessment model for the machining quality of products with multiple independent quality characteristics of symmetric bilateral specifications. We also construct an analysis chart to simultaneously evaluate and determine the machining performance of all quality characteristics. In practice, [Formula: see text] must be estimated based on sample data expressed in precise values. However, uncertainty in sample data is natural and unavoidable in measurement, which increases the risk of misjudgment in assessing machining quality. In view of this, this study proposes the fuzzy statistical testing of [Formula: see text] based on the defined fuzzy estimation of [Formula: see text] to more accurately determine quality level of machining and reduce consumer risk for each characteristic. A real-world case involving five-way pipe product illustrates the applicability of the proposed technique.