bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Beyond Energy Cooperation: People-to-people Exchanges Between China and Saudi Arabia
Authors: Cai Chenghao , Bao Chengzhang
Published: January 2024

People-to-people and cultural exchanges shape political mutual trust based on value recognition, which constitutes the premise and foundation for the establishment of a long-term stable cooperative relationship between China and Saudi Arabia, and has become a significant driving force for China and Saudi Arabia to surpass their traditional energy partnership and build an all-round cooperation pattern. While consolidating cooperation in traditional fields, China and Saudi Arabia are also constantly developing new areas of cooperation and growth points. People-to-people exchanges between the two sides are witnessing new trends in the rise of youth exchanges, the heating up of “Chinese fever”, the exploration of joint archaeology and digital transformation, while still facing a series of challenges such as periodic turmoil in the Middle East, differences in national conditions, discourse interference, lagging software and hardware construction, limited supply of cultural products, and low accuracy of cultural communication. In the future, China and Saudi Arabia need deepen their people-to-people and cultural exchanges by improving the strategic layout, strengthening resource allocation, innovating communication forms and achieving the integration of culture and tourism, thus these exchanges can play a more prominent role in promoting a new pattern of China-Saudi relations that goes beyond traditional energy partnership to further enrich their comprehensive strategic partnership.
Evaluating Boolean relationships in Configurational Comparative Methods
Authors: De Souter Luna
Published: January 2024

Configurational Comparative Methods (CCMs) aim to learn causal structures from datasets by exploiting Boolean sufficiency and necessity relationships. One important challenge for these methods is that such Boolean relationships are often not satisfied in real-life datasets, as these datasets usually contain noise. Hence, CCMs infer models that only approximately fit the data, introducing a risk of inferring incorrect or incomplete models, especially when data are also fragmented (have limited empirical diversity). To minimize this risk, evaluation measures for sufficiency and necessity should be sensitive to all relevant evidence. This article points out that the standard evaluation measures in CCMs, consistency and coverage, neglect certain evidence for these Boolean relationships. Correspondingly, two new measures, contrapositive consistency and contrapositive coverage, which are equivalent to the binary classification measures specificity and negative predictive value, respectively, are introduced to the CCM context as additions to consistency and coverage. A simulation experiment demonstrates that the introduced contrapositive measures indeed help to identify correct CCM models.
Revisiting language teacher education in an ELF aware perspective: responses to innovations
Authors: Lopriore Lucilla
Published: January 2024

Teachers’ and teacher educators’ individual theories, attitudes and beliefs underlying their daily practice, are often challenged by sociolinguistic changes, curricular innovations, or new language policies that may often trigger teachers’ resistance to change, particularly when they are required to adapt and revisit their teaching practices. In many European countries recent migration flows have modified the countries language landscapes; their school population is now growingly plurilingual and with different learning and language needs. In their out-of-school experiences, learners are more and more exposed to English through social media and to non-native speakers’ English (ELF), aspects not integrated yet in local language policies, nor in teacher education programs. It is thus important to design pre- and in-service teacher education programs aimed at sensitizing language and subject teachers to these new scenarios, using reflective practice approaches in multilingual contexts. These contexts require English language teachers, and teachers who use English in different fields such as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) or English Medium of Instruction (EMI), to reconsider their personal assumptions and beliefs, and to develop new competences that would incorporate the powerful reflective framework provided by ELF-awareness. The ELF-aware perspective had been adopted in recent courses for English teachers carried out in Italy, as the ENRICH CPD course, and in the CLIL courses for content teachers. The aim of this contribution is to present and discuss findings of two research studies carried out within the above-mentioned courses that were meant to make teachers aware of new instantiations of English through a reflective practice approach such as the ELF-aware approach, and to sustain their professional development as well as their agency. This paper is mostly related to the lessons learnt from the findings from teachers’ responses to course innovations and their agency development during these courses.
Novel lumbar plexus block versus femoral nerve block for analgesia and motor recovery after total knee arthroplasty
Authors: Gong Wen-Yi , Zou Feng , Yue Xiao-Fang , Li Chen-Guang , Zhang Jing-Yu , Fan Kun
Published: January 2024

This study aimed to compare the postoperative analgesic efficacy and motor recovery of a novel lumbar plexus block (LPB) with that of a femoral nerve block (FNB) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Forty patients who underwent TKA were randomised equally into an lumbar plexus and sciatic nerve (LS) group (receiving novel LPB) and an femoral and sciatic nerves (FS) group (receiving FNB). The assessed variables were the onset time of pain, time to the first analgesic request, pain scores, motor block at 6, 12, and 24 h after TKA, and the number of patients receiving successful blockade for each branch of the lumbar plexus. In the LS group, the femoral, lateral femoral cutaneous, genitofemoral, iliohypogastric, ilioinguinal, and obturator nerves were blocked in 18, 20, 16, 18, 15, and 19 patients. Compared to the FS group, the LS group had a significantly shorter onset time of pain and time to the first analgesic request, a significantly larger total postoperative dose of sufentanil, significantly higher numeric rating scale scores for both rest and dynamic pain at 6, 12, and 24 h, and faster motor recovery. Novel ultrasound-guided LPB has a high blocking success rate and provides inferior postoperative analgesia, but faster motor recovery after TKA than FNB.
Identification of mixed anaerobic infections after inguinal hernia repair based on metagenomic next-generation sequencing: A case report
Authors: Zhang Jun , Zhou Yuming , Zhong Zhenzhou , Lv Yan , Yang Xuying , Liu Xianghong
Published: January 2024

Infection following inguinal hernia repair (IHR) is uncommon. Rational use of antibiotics can significantly improve the prognosis of patients. However, accurately identifying the pathogen involved is usually challenging. This case report describes a patient who developed intermittent fever after undergoing open preperitoneal tension-free repair of a bilateral inguinal hernia. The scrotal fluid specimen was cultured and subjected to metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS). Culture revealed the presence of Enterococcus faecalis (a facultative anaerobe). However, mNGS detected E. faecalis along with multiple anaerobic bacteria including Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Parabacteroides distasonis, and Levyella massiliensis. The patient was finally diagnosed with a mixed infection of E. faecalis and multiple anaerobes, and his condition was effectively controlled after timely adjustment of the antibiotic regimen. Treating postoperative infections with multiple concurrent conditions can be challenging. mNGS is valuable for the accurate diagnosis and treatment of infections, as it not only can further verify the culture results, but also assist clinicians in ruling out pulmonary infection caused by hematogenous dissemination after IHR in patients.
Solvothermal synthesis and crystal structure of aqua-tris(p-acetamidobenzoate-κ2O,O′)-(2,2′-bipyridine-κ2N,N′)terbium(III) - water - methanol (1/1/1)
Authors: Xu Zhuo-Wen , Xia Yu-Xuan , Li Chang-Hong , Li Wei , Liu Yang
Published: January 2024

C75H76N10O23Tb2, triclinic,

P
−

1
‾

$P-\overline{1}$

(no. 2), a = 10.4524(13) Å, b = 12.9626(16) Å, c = 15.2003(18) Å, α = 108.674(2)∘, β = 94.931(2)∘, γ = 101.617(2)∘, V = 1885.8(4) nm3, Z = 1, R

gt
(F) = 0.0236, wR

ref
(F
2) = 0.0584, T = 296 K.
Crystal structure of 3-oxo-urs-12-en-28-benzyl ester, C37H52O3
Authors: Zhang Juan , Hou Gui-Ge , Zhao Feng-Lan , Meng Qing-Guo
Published: January 2024

C37H52O3, orthorhombic, P212121 (no. 19), a = 8.2477(3) Å, b = 19.2976(7) Å, c = 19.6372(4) Å, V = 3125.47(17) Å3, Z = 4, R

gt
(F) = 0.0558, wR

ref
(F
2) = 0.1728, T = 293 K.

CCDC No.: 2283347
The crystal structure of 2-(3,4–dichlorobenzyl)-1H-benzimidazole, C14H10Cl2N2
Authors: Hou Shu-Fen , Zhang Ailing , Xin Chunling , Fan Mengran
Published: January 2024

C14H10Cl2N2, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 9.4145(9) Å, b = 14.8530(15) Å, c = 10.0405(11) Å, β = 116.714(5)°, V = 1254.1(2) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt
(F) = 0.0653, wRref
(F
2) = 0.1901, T = 293 K.
Crystal structure of 3-(2-ethoxy-2-oxoethyl)-1-isopropyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium hexafluoridophosphate(V), C20H34F12N4P2
Authors: Wu Su-Qin , Chen Shi-Shun , Zou Yi-Chen , Nie Xu-Liang , Xiong Wan-Ming
Published: January 2024

[C20H34F12N4P2], triclinic,

P

1
‾

$P\overline{1}$

(no. 2), a = 8.4322(10) Å, b = 13.6360(16) Å, c = 13.8381(16) Å, α = 89.9960(10)°, β = 105.5320(10)°, γ = 90.0150(10)°, V = 1533.0(3) Å3, Z = 2, Rgt
(F) = 0.0613, wRref
(F
2) = 0.1966, T = 296(2) K.
Tension buckling and postbuckling of nanocomposite laminated plates with in-plane negative Poisson’s ratio
Authors: Shen Hui-Shen , Fan Yin , Wang Yeqing
Published: January 2024

Mechanical metamaterials with negative Poisson’s ratio (NPR) have emerged as a novel class of engineering material, and have attracted increasing attention in various engineering sectors. Most studies available on the buckling problem of laminated plates with positive or NPR are those under uniaxial compression. Here, we report that the buckling phenomenon may occur for auxetic nanocomposite laminated plates under uniaxial tension when the unloaded edges of the plates are immovable. Two types of nanocomposites are considered, including graphene/Cu and carbon nanotube/Cu composites. Governing equations of the auxetic nanocomposite laminated plates are formulated based on the framework of Reddy’s higher-order shear deformation theory. In modeling, the von Kármán nonlinear strain–displacement relationship, temperature-dependent material properties, thermal effects, and the plate–substrate interaction are considered. The explicit analytical solutions for postbuckling of auxetic nanocomposite laminated plates subjected to uniaxial tension are obtained for the first time by employing a two-step perturbation approach. Numerical investigations are performed for tension buckling and postbuckling behaviors of auxetic nanocomposite laminated rectangular plates with in-plane NPR rested on an elastic substrate under temperature environments.
Impact of nematode infestation in livestock production and the role of natural feed additives – A review
Authors: Nolinda Nogaga , Ikusika Olusegun Oyebade , Akinmoladun Oluwakamisi Festus , Mpendulo Conference Thando
Published: January 2024

Efforts to mitigate production losses in small stock due to nematode infestation have birthed the emergence of several control methods as alternatives to chemical-based anthelmintics or to complement them. This results from the recent development of multiple resistance by many parasitic nematodes to anthelmintic drugs. Many of these complementary alternatives, such as breeding resistance, grazing land management, use of predators, and vaccines, have shown the potential to alleviate this menace. Still, some are expensive or require a lot of technicalities. Controlling nematode infestation using natural feed additives has demonstrated effectiveness on the disease under natural conditions. Natural feed additives are environmentally friendly and often do not have health implications for animals and humans. They are readily available, especially to poor-resource farmers; some could be relatively cheap. Therefore, this article reviews the use of naturally available alternative anthelmintics such as plant extracts, clay, microbes, herbs, spices, and organic acids in mitigating the impacts of nematode infestations in small ruminant production.
Zur Formierung von Kollektiven
Authors: Schwarte Ludger
Published: January 2024

Die Rede von Kollektiven, in der politischen Theorie, aber auch in Theorien kollektiven Handelns, unterstellt bereits den Status des Kollektivs. Das Volk der Gesetzgebung wird in seiner Existenz und Identität vorausgesetzt. Der Akt der Konstitution unterstellt ebenso ein bereits konstituiertes Volk wie auch die Regeln, nach denen sich dieses Volk eine Verfassung gibt. Was sind Vorformen des Kollektivs, was leitet die Formierung an? Mein Beitrag untersucht die ästhetischen Grundlagen der Formierung von Kollektiven und die Aspekte, die die Effektivität von Partizipationsformaten betreffen.
Imagination und Entscheidung
Authors: Marchart Oliver
Published: January 2024

Der Aufsatz kritisiert den unrealistischen Politikbegriff vieler der aktuell boomenden Theorien politischer Imagination. Mit dem Ziel der Entwicklung einer realistischen politischen Theorie der Imagination wird der Begriff der politischen Einbildungskraft mit dem der Entscheidung konterkariert und das Werk von Cornelius Castoriadis mit dem von Ernesto Laclau kontrastiert. Anhand einer Diskussion der Subjekt- und Entscheidungstheorie Laclaus in ihrem Verhältnis zur Imagination erweist sich, dass Dezisions- und Imaginationstheorien im Rahmen eines realistischen Ansatzes aufeinander verwiesen bleiben müssen, denn ihre jeweiligen Defizite, die sich postfundamentalistisch auf die ontologische Defizienz der Gründe zurückführen lassen, können nur im wechselseitigen Verweis von Imagination auf Dezision und von Dezision auf Imagination bearbeitet werden.
Wie entscheidet die Truppe?
Authors: Warstat Matthias
Published: January 2024

Der Beitrag setzt die Praxis der Agitproptruppen im Deutschland der Jahre um 1930 in Beziehung zur Praxis gegenwärtiger Performancekollektive. In dieser historisierenden Perspektive wird die Heterogenität von Gruppenstrukturen und Entscheidungsprozessen deutlich, die in verschiedenen Phasen der Kunstgeschichte und des Kunstdiskurses mit dem Kollektivbegriff bezeichnet wurden. Um zu verstehen, warum sich Kollektive bisweilen straff geführt und geradezu autoritär, in anderen Fällen aber offen, demokratisch und an Gleichheitspostulaten orientiert zeigen, ist einerseits das Verhältnis der jeweiligen Kollektive zu großen, dominanten Institutionen zu betrachten. Andererseits soll einem Zusammenhang zwischen der künstlerisch-ästhetischen Ausrichtung der Kollektive und ihren Entscheidungsstrukturen nachgegangen werden: Die Abwendung vom klassischen Theaterdispositiv ermöglicht es Kollektiven, die sich zu anderen Künsten und Medien öffnen, auch andere, offenere Entscheidungsstrukturen zu entwickeln, als sie etwa aus dem Stadt- und Staatstheater vertraut sind.
Kollektive Einladung
Authors: Raimondi Francesca
Published: January 2024

Angesichts der erhitzten Debatten vor allem in den deutschen Feuilletons, aber auch eines gewissen Trends zum Kollektiven in den ‚westlichen‘ Künsten, fragt der Beitrag danach, welche Formen des Kollektiven in der documenta fifteen praktiziert wurden und inwiefern sich diese von ‚westlichen‘ Vorstellungen unterscheiden. Ausgehend von der Annahme, dass es auf der documenta fifteen vor allem um die Formierung, nicht um die bloße Voraussetzung von Kollektivität ging, setzt sich der Text kritisch mit dem Abschlussbericht des von den Gesellschaftern der Documenta gGmbH beauftragten fachwissenschaftlichen Gremiums auseinander. Dabei werden drei Modalitäten aus der ‚westlichen‘ Kunst zum Vergleich herangezogen, in denen es ebenfalls um die künstlerische Formierung von Kollektiven geht: die Ausrichtung konvivialer Situationen, die Instituierung eines gegen-hegemonialen Wir und die Markierung der Unmöglichkeit von Kollektivität aufgrund bestehender gewaltsamer Marginalisierungen. Mit allen drei Modalitäten, so zeigt der Vergleich, hat die Documenta von 2022 etwas gemeinsam, setzt aber auch deutlich eigene Akzente. Daher argumentiert der Beitrag dafür, dass die documenta fifteen tatsächlich eine neue Formierungsweise (künstlerischer) Kollektivität erprobt hat. Aufgrund der heftigen deutschen Kritik an der Ausstellung fragt der Text abschließend, ob diese Form der Kollektivierung gescheitert ist. Der Schluss erinnert an die doppelte Einladung, die der documenta fifteen vorausgegangen ist, und plädiert dafür, den durch sie angestoßenen Prozess, mit Fehlern und Entwicklungen, weiterhin offen zu halten.
Der europäische Universalismusanspruch in der Ästhetik und die Kollektivität der documenta fifteen
Authors: Siegmund Judith
Published: January 2024

Der Beitrag beschäftigt sich aus philosophischer Perspektive mit der kontroversen öffentlichen Diskussion zur documenta fifteen. Einigen Stellungnahmen in dieser Debatte liegen implizit Prämissen einer kantisch geprägten ästhetischen Theorie zugrunde; ihnen stehen anders situierte Diskussionsstrategien aus außereuropäischen Kontexten gegenüber. Im Text wird der kantische universalistische Gedanke eines ästhetischen Gemeinsinns kritisch im Sinne einer postkolonialen Kritik gelesen. Gibt es andere universale Annäherungen an künstlerisches Arbeiten, die stärker von einer Haltung des Zuhörens geprägt sind? Entsprechend den in diesem Feld möglichen Differenzen variiert auch das Verständnis, was es bedeutet, in einem Künstler:innenkollektiv zu arbeiten.
Konjunktur der Kollektivität in der Gegenwartskunst
Authors: Rosenkranz Marie
Published: January 2024

War Kollektivität einmal eine fast unsichtbare Dimension künstlerischer Produktionsprozesse, ist sie heute zu einem zentralen Wert des Kunstfelds geworden: Großausstellungen und Kunstpreise stellen das Kollektive offen in den Vordergrund. In diesem Beitrag wird diese Entwicklung entlang einiger Theorien des Kollektiven nachvollzogen, darunter Howard Beckers Konzept der Kunstwelten, Grant Kesters Begriff der Kollaboration, Judith Butlers Theorie der performativen Versammlung sowie Kai van Eikels Begriff des Synchronisierens. So wird zunächst aufgezeigt, was sich an einem in Kunstdiskursen verbreiteten Verständnis von Kollektivität geändert hat. Im zweiten Schritt werden einige gesellschaftliche Faktoren skizziert, die bei dem qualitativen Wandel der Konzepte, aber auch der quantitativen Konjunktur des Kollektiven eine Rolle spielten: der Neoliberalismus und Singularisierungsprozesse. Es wird argumentiert, dass diese das Aufkommen und die Sichtbarkeit kollektiver Ansätze begünstigen, ihre wirksame Umsetzung aber zugleich erschwert wird. Dieses Problem wird am Beispiel einer Arbeit des Kunstkollektivs assemble im Rahmen des Festivals „Unboxed“, das die britische Regierung im Brexit-Streit ankündigte, illustriert. Der Beitrag zeigt insgesamt auf, warum die gesellschaftlichen Projektionen auf künstlerische Kollektivität für das Verständnis ihrer Konjunktur eine kritische Rolle spielen, und liefert einige Vorschläge, wie dies in der Forschung – und der Kunstpraxis – berücksichtigt werden kann.
Kollektivierungen des Publikums
Authors: Wihstutz Benjamin
Published: January 2024

Der Artikel fragt danach, wie in verschiedenen Kontexten der europäischen Moderne dramaturgisch motivierte Praktiken der Adressierung und Beeinflussung des Publikums dessen Konzeption und Formierung als Kollektiv beeinflusst haben. Dabei werden schlaglichtartig Prozesse der Affizierung und Disziplinierung, Agitation und Aktivierung, Flexibilisierung und Diversifizierung in den Blick genommen. Der historische Wandel des Publikums und seiner Konzeption als Versammlung bildet sich, so die Hypothese, maßgeblich im Wandel seiner Adressierung und Kollektivierung ab.
Die Serie caesiumhaltiger Thioarsenate(V) der Lanthanoide vom Formeltyp Cs3
Ln[AsS4]2 mit Ln = La–Nd und Sm
Authors: Engel Katja , Schleid Thomas
Published: January 2024

Cesium-containing thioarsenates(V) of lanthanoids with the composition Cs3
Ln[AsS4]2 can be prepared for Ln = La–Nd and Sm by the oxidation of the lanthanoid metals in the presence of orpiment (As2S3), cesium sesquisulfide (Cs2S3) and elemental sulfur (S). The reaction mixtures were handled under argon atmosphere and heated in fused silica ampoules to a moderate reaction temperature of 500 °C. Single crystals of this Cs3
Ln[AsS4]2 series appear as yellowish, transparent rods that are not stable to moist air and water. Their monoclinic crystal structure was determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The cesium-containing thioarsenates(V) Cs3
Ln[AsS4]2 with Ln = La–Nd and Sm crystallize isotypically with Rb3Sm[PS4]2 in the non-centrosymmetric monoclinic space group P21 with Z = 2. The lattice parameters range between a = 997–1015 pm, b = 699–703 pm, c = 1192–1195 pm and β = 90.2–90.4°. There are two crystallographically different As5+ cations and one unique Ln
3+ cation present, all coordinated by sulfur anions. Tetrahedral [AsS4]3− anions form two functionally different units working either as bridging units between three Ln
3+ cations or as terminal ligands for Ln
3+. [LnS8]13− polyhedra form

∞
1

{

[

Ln

S

2
/
2

v

S

6
/
1

t

]

11
−

}

${}_{\infty }^{1}\left\{{[\mathit{Ln}{\mathrm{S}}_{2/2}^{\mathrm{v}}{\mathrm{S}}_{6/1}^{\mathrm{t}}]}^{11-}\right\}$

chains propagating along [010], which are separated by Cs+ cations with coordination numbers as high as C.N. = 9, 10 and 11. Surprisingly, the eighth interatomic distance d(Ln–S3) does not follow the lanthanoid contraction, but increases with decreasing ionic radius, changing the coordination polyhedron of Ln
3+ from a bicapped to a monocapped trigonal prism upon the transition from Nd to Sm, and causing a structural break in the crystal structure of this series. The results of Raman spectroscopic measurements on single crystals of Cs3La[AsS4]2 have confirmed the presence of [AsS4]3− tetrahedra as structural building blocks.
Expansion and adaptation of the M
5B12O25(OH) structure type to incorporate di- and trivalent transition metal cations
Authors: Pasqualini Leonard C. , Tribus Martina , Huppertz Hubert
Published: January 2024

Five transition metal borates were synthesized in a Walker-type module under high-pressure/high-temperature conditions of 8–9 GPa and 800–1200 °C. They all exhibit the same interpenetrating, anionic borate network B12O26
16−, crystallizing in the space group I41/acd, and therefore show high similarities to the borates Ti5B12O26 and Ga5B12O25(OH). Cr5B12O25(OH) and V5B12O25(OH) are isotypic to Ga5B12O25(OH), whereas Mn5Mn0.83B12O26 and Fe5Fe0.14B12O24.3(OH)1.7 feature the partial occupation of an additional, cuboctahedral cavity in the structure. This is due to a partial reduction of the cations to the oxidation state +2, as presented with the novel compound Mn5MnB12O22(OH)4, which only features Mn2+ for charge compensation. These structures feature a twelvefold coordination of manganese and iron.
Detection of C6H6, CO2, and H2S gases on arsenic (As) and cobalt (Co) doped quantum dots (QDs) nanostructured materials
Authors: Inah Bassey E. , Okon Emmanuel E. D. , Andrew Bitrus H. , Eba Maxell-Borjor A. , Edet Henry O. , Unimuke Tomsmith O. , Gber Terkumbur E. , Agwamba Ernest C. , Benjamin Innocent , Adeyinka Adedapo S. , Louis Hitler
Published: January 2024

Gas sensors exhibit significant potential due to their widespread use in various applications, such as food packaging, indoor air quality assessment, and real-time monitoring of man-made gas emissions to mitigate global warming. The utilization of nanostructured materials for sensor and adsorbent surfaces has seen remarkable growth over time, though substantial efforts are still needed to develop more efficient adsorbents. Consequently, this study investigates the viability of metal-doped quantum dots (QDs) as prospective gas-sensing and adsorption materials. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations employing the 6-311 + G(d,p) basis set and three functionals (B3LYP, B3LYP-GD3(BJ), and ɷB97XD) were utilized for this investigation. Three environmentally and health-significant gases (C6H6, CO2, and H2S) were chosen as adsorbates on arsenic (As) and cobalt (Co) functionalized QDs to assess the performance and sensing capabilities of resulting QD surfaces. The analysis encompassed computation of adsorption energy, thermodynamic properties, non-covalent interactions, natural bond orbital analysis, and other topological aspects for both the surfaces and gases. The outcomes indicate that the GP_As functionalized surface exhibits a lower energy gap, rendering it more reactive and sensitive toward the respective gases (C6H6, CO2, and H2S). Moreover, the calculated adsorption energies of the investigated systems indicate thermodynamic favorability and spontaneity. Notably, our findings suggest that QD_As surfaces possess superior adsorption potential for H2S compared to the other gases examined; nonetheless, all studied QD surfaces demonstrate significant adsorption capacities for C6H6, CO2, and H2S gases.
Increasing frequency and changing nature of Saharan dust storm events in the Carpathian Basin (2019–2023) – the new normal?
Authors: Varga György , Rostási Ágnes , Meiramova Aida , Dagsson-Waldhauserová Pavla , Gresina Fruzsina
Published: January 2024

The number and intensity of Saharan dust storm events identified in Europe has been increasing over the last decade. This can be explained by the role of ongoing climate change. An extension of previous studies covering a 40-year period is presented in this paper, with new data on the frequency, synoptic meteorological background, source areas, grain size, grain shape and general mineralogy of deposited dust for the period 2019–2023 in the Carpathian Basin. A total of 55 dust storm episodes have been identified in the region over the five-year period, which is significantly higher than the long-term average. The classification based on synoptic meteorological background clearly showed that the frequency of circulation types with a more pronounced meridional component increased and dust material reached further north more frequently than before. In several cases, large amounts of dust were deposited, from which samples were collected and subjected to detailed granulometric analysis. The varied grain size data showed that coarse silt (20–62.5 μm) and sand (62.5 < μm) fractions were also present in large quantities in the transported dust material.
Channel-reach morphometric analysis on a headwater stream in a low-mountainous region: a case study from Mecsek Hills
Authors: Víg Balázs , Varga Gábor , Balogh Richárd , Lóczy Dénes , Nagyváradi László , Fábián Szabolcs Ákos
Published: January 2024

Small catchments in mountainous regions affect downstream rivers as a primary source of sediment supply and also generate flash swasfloods, especially during extreme events. These floods have significantly shaped the catchments of small streams in the Mecsek Hills and some rural areas over the past two decades. However, there has been no previous study examining the hydromorphology of headwater catchments in low mountain environments in Hungary. The present study was meant to investigate the fundamental hydrogeomorphological properties of a first-order catchment. A customary and detailed GIS survey of 50-metre sections was aimed at deciphering flash flood vulnerability and geomorphic interrelations within a micro watershed. We found moderate susceptibility to flash floods compared to the whole Mecsek Hills. Stable large woody debris jams were identified during the field survey as major geomorphic channel features functioning as natural barriers which drive channel evolution and reduce flood hazards.
Model for Patients with Multivessel Coronary Artery Lesions in the Highlands Region (Qinghai Province, Northwest China)
Authors: Li Jun , Qin Haixia , Zhao Jiuping , Ma Guoqing , Zheng Sheng , Mou Yisai , Ma Xunkai , Naman Tuersunjiang
Published: January 2024

Objective: The severity and prognosis of coronary artery disease are closely associated with treatment strategy choice. To achieve timely, accurate, early selection of a suitable treatment plan and assess patients’ prognosis, we developed an effective predictive model for early identification of high-risk patients according to lesion severity.

Methods: Among the 510 patients with chest pain admitted to the Qinghai Red Cross Hospital between August 2018 and October 2019, 386 had coronary artery disease detected by coronary angiography. A total of 24 demographic characteristics and serum markers were analyzed in study participants. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was used to select variables, and multivariate logistic regression was used to build predictive models by using nominal plots. The discriminatory power of the models was evaluated with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Predictive models were calibrated with calibration plots and the Hosmer–Lemeshow test. Their clinical validity was evaluated via decision curve analysis.

Results: Data were randomly divided (7:3) into training (358 cases) and test (152 cases) sets. The predictive model included sex, age, smoking status, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, albumin, urea nitrogen, creatinine, uric acid, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol as predictors. The AUCs for the training and test sets were 0.793 and 0.732, respectively. The predictive model showed a good fit, and decision curve analysis indicated the clinical validity of the predictive model.

Conclusions: We developed an effective risk predictive model with good clinical value for predicting multivessel disease. Smoking cessation, lowering creatinine, and increasing HDL cholesterol concentrations might decrease the risk of developing multivessel disease, thereby avoiding severe disease.
Negotiating César
Authors: Mariscal Jorge
Published: January 2024

In this essay I trace the complex and often contradictory relationship between César Chávez and the various sectors of the Chicano movement during the crucial period of the American war in Vietnam. In order to understand both Chávez’s own self-representationsand the multiple ways in which he was constructed through artistic and political practices, I draw upon a wide range of discursive and ideological elements taken from the movement archive. I conclude with some brief remarks on contemporary images of Chávez and the diverse political agendas they might serve.
“Putting a Stamp on Racism”
Authors: Dorr Kirstie
Published: January 2024

In 2005, the Servicio Postal Mexicano sparked an international controversy with its release of a postage stamp series commemorating Mexican comic book character Memín Pinguín, a racialized caricature of a boy of African descent. This article examines of the content and tenor of Mexican and US media debates surrounding the character, from its condemnation in Washington as an offensive racial stereotype to its promotion by Mexican government officials as a national ambassador. These and other racial-national discourses that structured the Memín debates relied upon and reinforced a prominent post-NAFTA racial project: the putative “black-brown divide.” In the context of neoliberal economic restructuring, this material and imaginary demarcation of blackness and latinidad as discrete racial-regional geographies on both sides of the border has become a crucial terrain of struggle for processes of state formation in the United States and in Mexico. Articulations of “black versus brown” obscure entangled histories of racial-colonial formation and bolster national efforts to manage and/or disavow difference. They also re-entrench state authority and legitimacy at a moment when the private interests of capital are prioritized over and at the expense of the common interests of impoverished national publics.
The End(s) of Representation
Authors: Vigil Ariana E.
Published: January 2024

This essay focuses on the character of Ana Pérez in Cherríe Moraga’s 1992 play Heroes and Saints, situating Pérez, a journalist, within contemporary US Latina/o literary and media studies. In the play, Pérez functions as a Malinche-like figure as she performs translative acts between the local protesters and her viewing audience. Her character gestures to the important role that Latina/o journalism may play in countering the mainstream Anglo media’s often one-dimensional coverage of Latina/o communities and issues. However, Pérez’s evolving role from translator to activist also acknowledges the limitations of media access, and in this sense the play illustrates Hector Amaya’s concept of the “Latino public sphere paradox,” which questions the assumed positive relationship between access to media and access to political power. This essay offers a new perspective on an important piece of twentieth-century Chicana/o literature, focusing on an aspect of the play—media representation—that has received little attention. It demonstrates that research into the portrayal of media, especially journalism, in Chicana/o and Latina/o literature is productive and necessary.
The Accent on Modern Family
Authors: Casillas Dolores Inés , Ferrada Juan Sebastian , Hinojos Sara Veronica
Published: January 2024

This essay reviews eight seasons of the television series Modern Family, with a close examination of the scripted dialogue used in the first season, when Colombian actor Sofía Vergara crafts the sitcom’s popular character of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett. Specifically, we pay overdue attention to the use of Gloria’s accent and her grammatically incorrect English as a technique to racialize her as a Latina character. A textual analysis of the show’s first season (2009–10), consisting of twenty-four episodes, found ten episodes that featured scenes in which Gloria’s Spanish-accented English or her use of English words was mocked on the show. Gloria’s interaction with the show’s white characters often used her accent or word choice for comedic effect and for structuring racial and gendered hierarchies. Ultimately, Sofía Vergara’s personification of Gloria provides an interstitial space in which the character’s visual aesthetics (color, hair, curves) and language (accent, speech) function as signifiers of Latinidad and in this way racialize both her visual and vocal body.
“Real Lives” de la Frontera in Ana Castillo’s The Guardians
Authors: Escalera Gibran
Published: January 2024

This essay investigates literary representations of border violence in Ana Castillo’s The Guardians (2007) in order to revise the north-south paradigms central to contemporary understanding of the US-México border. Explanatory models that reduce the border to a geopolitical barrier fail to recognize its nonterritorial and historical dimensions. To make this argument, the essay examines the representational strategies of multiple realisms and shows how Castillo’s adaptation of these techniques provides a counternarrative to popular discourses of the border. Less a fixed set of concrete traits, realism designates a range of literary practices such as multimodal narration and accumulated detail as a way of mediating lived experience for those on the social and cultural margins. While it foregrounds questions of literary form, the essay situates its analysis in the context of twenty-first-century border fiction and its emphasis on border violence. A more thorough account of how the US-México border’s discursive representation legitimizes border asymmetries such as gender-based violence, drug manufacture, and abduction requires a new critical vocabulary that looks beyond the territorial.
The Women Who Ruled China: Buddhism, Multiculturalism, and Governance in the Sixth Century
Authors: Balkwill Stephanie
Published: January 2024

In the late fifth century, a girl whose name has been forgotten by history was born at the edge of the Chinese empire. By the time of her death, she had transformed herself into Empress Dowager Ling, one of the most powerful politicians of her age and one of the first of many Buddhist women to wield incredible influence in dynastic East Asia. In this book, Stephanie Balkwill documents the Empress Dowager’s rise to power and life on the throne against the broader world of imperial China under the rule of the Northern Wei dynasty, a foreign people from Inner Asia who built their capital deep in the Chinese heartland. Building on largely untapped Buddhist materials, Balkwill shows that the life and rule of the Empress Dowager is a larger story of the reinvention of religious, ethnic, and gender norms in a rapidly changing multicultural society. The Women Who Ruled China recovers the voices of those left out of the mainstream historical record, painting a compelling portrait of medieval Chinese society reinventing itself under the Empress Dowager’s leadership.
OPTIMAL SELECTION OF THE CLUSTER HEAD IN WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS BY COMBINING PARTICLE SWARM OPTIMIZATION AND EFFICIENT GENETIC ALGORITHM
Authors: Zakariyya Aliyu , Oyenike Mary Olanrewaju  , Bashir Ahmad jamil
Published: January 2024

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have become a crucial component of numerous applications, including the military, healthcare, and environmental monitoring. A promising approach to increasing the lifespan of the sensor network is cluster-based WSNs. In WSNs, choosing the best cluster head is a crucial task that has an impact on the network's performance and energy efficiency. There are various issues with current methods for choosing the cluster head, including nodes dying too soon, uneven energy usage, and shorter network lifetimes. Moreover, traditional methods such as Randomized Clustering and Fixed Cluster Head are not effective in prolonging the network lifetime as they do not consider the energy consumption and residual energy of nodes. In this paper, an optimal selection of cluster head is presented where we combine the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Efficient Genetic Algorithm (EGA). Firstly, PSO is used to randomly select the cluster head and update the position of each cluster. Thereafter, EGA invokes its fitness values to select the best cluster head that transmits information to the base station. The simulation result shows that the performance improvement of the proposed method PSO_EGA in terms of network lifetime is 0.10% against Improve Cuckoo Search Algorithm (ICSA) and 0.20% against Hybrid Crow Search Algorithm (HCSA), packet to cluester head is 7% against ICSA and 16% against HCSA, packet to sink is 11% against ICSA and 22% against HCSA and number of alive node is 28% against ICSA and 48% against HCSA. Therefore, our proposed method outperforms ICSA and HCSA in terms of the aforementioned parameters.
Alternative schedule of temozolomide/capecitabine in neuroendocrine neoplasms
Authors: Melhorn Philipp , Mazal Peter , Wolff Ladislaia , Popov Petar , Kretschmer-Chott Elisabeth , Haug Alexander , Mayerhoefer Marius E , Raderer Markus , Kiesewetter Barbara
Published: January 2024

The chemotherapy regimen capecitabine/temozolomide (CAPTEM) is routinely used in neuroendocrine tumors (NET), with antitumor activity particularly demonstrated in pancreatic or high-grade neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN). However, different dosing regimens are used, and the optimal schedule remains to be defined. This single-center retrospective analysis assessed the efficacy and safety of CAPTEM in patients with NEN using a schedule starting both compounds simultaneously (temozolomide on days 1–5 and capecitabine on days 1–14 of a 28-day cycle) rather than sequentially. The primary parameters of interest were response rates, progression-free survival (PFS), and toxicities following this treatment regimen, hereinafter referred to as TEMCAP. The study population comprised 40 patients, half of whom (n = 20) had pancreatic NEN, and 9 patients (22.5%) had pulmonary or thymic NETs. The most common histology was NET G3 (n = 15, 37.5%), and 8 patients (20.0%) had a neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC). Most patients (77.5%) had at least one prior systemic therapy, and 16 patients (40.0%) prior chemotherapy. The median number of TEMCAP cycles was 6 (range 1–16). Median PFS for the highly heterogeneous population was 13.3 months, while the median overall survival was 31.9 months. In total, 14/36 patients (38.9%) exhibited a partial response, and the disease control rate was 75.0%. The safety profile of TEMCAP (at a below-target mean temozolomide dose of 118.85 mg/m2) in our cohort was remarkably good with no toxicities of grade 3 or 4. Taken together, the results of this analysis further support the use of temozolomide/capecitabine in NEN and prompt further assessment of our modified TEMCAP schedule.
Selenium supplementation and placebo are equally effective in improving quality of life in patients with hypothyroidism
Authors: Bøgelund Larsen Camilla , Winther Kristian Hillert , Cramon Per Karkov , Rasmussen Åse Krogh , Feldt-Rasmussen Ulla , Knudsen Nils Jakob , Bjorner Jakob Bue , Schomburg Lutz , Demircan Kamil , Chillon Thilo Samson , Gram Jeppe , Hansen Stinus Gadegaard , Brandt Frans , Nygaard Birte , Watt Torquil , Hegedüs Laszlo , Bonnema Steen Joop
Published: January 2024

Purpose

We investigated whether selenium supplementation improves quality-of-life (QoL) in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis (ID:NCT02013479).

Methods

We included 412 patients ≥18 years with serum thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) level ≥100 IU/mL in a multicentre double-blinded randomised clinical trial. The patients were allocated 1:1 to daily supplementation with either 200 μg selenium as selenium-enriched yeast or matching placebo tablets for 12 months, as add-on to levothyroxine (LT4) treatment. QoL, assessed by the Thyroid-related Patient-Reported-Outcome questionnaire (ThyPRO-39), was measured at baseline, after 6 weeks, and after 3, 6, 12, and 18 months.

Results

In total, 332 patients (81%) completed the intervention period, of whom 82% were women. Although QoL improved during the trial, no difference in any of the ThyPRO-39 scales was found between the selenium group and the placebo group after 12 months of intervention. In addition, employing linear mixed model regression no difference between the two groups was observed in the ThyPRO-39 composite score (28.8 (95% CI: 24.5–33.6) and 28.0 (24.5–33.1), respectively; P = 0.602). Stratifying the patients according to duration of the disease at inclusion, ThyPRO-39 composite score, TPOAb level, or selenium status at baseline did not significantly change the results. TPOAb levels after 12 months of intervention were lower in the selenium group than in the placebo group (1995 (95% CI: 1512–2512) vs 2344 kIU/L (1862–2951); P = 0.016) but did not influence LT4 dosage or free triiodothyronine–free thyroxine ratio.

Conclusion

In hypothyroid patients on LT4 therapy due to autoimmune thyroiditis, daily supplementation with 200 μg selenium or placebo for 12 months improved QoL to the same extent.
The Consequences of Digitization and Challenges to Kosovar Magazines in the Era of Social Media
Authors: Bajçinca Emira
Published: January 2024

The spread of the Internet has radically affected the world of media. As the main source of information in the 21st century, it inevitably became the new home of the media. This transition was not just a copy-paste of existing content: instead, the media had to change their content during this transformation. This analysis will identify these changes and observe what is being offered to audiences by online magazines. It will explore how the content of online magazines differs from what was offered to an audience in the 20th century. The object of analysis is the Kosovarja magazine, which has been published since 1971. This magazine is now only available online and the package of the Python programming language was used to extract the data necessary for this activity. In addition, the magazine Hylli i Dritës is used as a case study to explore the reasons why some magazines have not managed to be reproduced in the online market. In order to understand the audience’s perception of these changes, a public opinion survey of 1,051 respondents was conducted for this study.
Outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 and Seasonal Viruses Among Children Hospitalized in Brazil
Authors: Dias Cristiane S. , Diniz Lilian M. , Oliveira Maria Christina L. , Simões e Silva Ana Cristina , Colosimo Enrico A. , Mak Robert H. , Pinhati Clara C. , Galante Stella C. , Veloso Isadora Y. , Martelli-Júnior Hercílio , Oliveira Eduardo A.
Published: January 2024

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Understanding how severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) interacts with other respiratory viruses is crucial for developing effective public health strategies in the postpandemic era. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal viruses in children and adolescents hospitalized with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI).

METHODS

This population-based, retrospective cohort study included children and adolescents hospitalized with SARI from February 2020 to February 2023 in Brazil. The main exposure of interest was viral etiology. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Competing risk analysis was used to account for time dependency and competing events.

RESULTS

A total of 235 829 patients had available results of the viral tests, with SARS-CoV-2 predominance. According to the competing-risk survival analysis, the estimated probability of a fatal outcome at 30 days of hospitalization according to the viral strain was 6.5%, 3.4%, 2.9%, 2.3%, 2.1%, and 1.8%, for SARS-CoV-2, coinfection, adenovirus, influenza, other viruses, and respiratory syncytial virus, respectively. Individuals with a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 had hazard of death 3 times higher than subjects with a negative test (hazard ratio, 3.3; 95% confidence interval, 3.1–3.5). After adjustment by the competing-risk multivariable analysis, admission in Northeast and North regions, oxygen saturation <95%, and the presence of comorbidities were risk factors for death in all viral strains.

CONCLUSIONS

SARS-CoV-2 infection had the highest hazard of in-hospital mortality in this pediatric cohort hospitalized with SARI. Regardless of viral etiology, the presence of underlying medical conditions was a risk factor for death.
Ethical Expression of Cleanliness as Part of Faith A Hadith and Green-Sufism Perspective
Authors: Aisah Siti
Published: January 2024

This research examines the concept of Green-Sufism as a holistic approach to preserve the environment based on the ethical expression “Cleanliness as a Part of Faith''. Green-Sufism teaches that nature is not merely an object to be exploited, but it also as the part of a living entity which has value and meaning. This concept emphasizes physical, moral, social, and spiritual cleanliness as the foundation of environmental conservation actions. Research method that is conducted on this topic is descriptive-qualitative, based on the signifier analysis of the meaning of cleanliness (faith) and literature study to support and strengthen the concept of Green-Sufism. The result of this research found that  “cleanliness as a part of faith” encompasses physical, moral, social, and spiritual cleanliness. Mahabbah (love), Uzlah (self-isolation), and Zuhud (asceticism) practices become implementation parts of cleanliness in the Green-Sufism perspective. These practices serve as motivational achievements of Makrifat, representing the perfection of Sufi thought in preserving the environment as forms of devotion and worship for God. Through these understandings, humans should achieve balance and harmony in their relationship with the environment and maintain environmental sustainability for common prosperity.