bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Metal pollution in the topsoil of lands adjacent to Sahiwal Coal Fired Power Plant (SCFPP) in Sahiwal, Pakistan
Authors: Luqman Muhammad , Niazi Aliza , Kashif Saif Ur Rehman , Arooj Fariha , Aziz ur Rehman Syed , Awan Muhammad Umer Farooq , Wasim Muhammad , Raza Faakhar
Published: February 2024

Coal fly ash from a coal fired power plant is a significant anthropogenic source of various heavy metals in surrounding soils. In this study, heavy metal contamination in topsoil around Sahiwal coal fired power plant (SCFPP) was investigated. Within distance of 0–10, 11–20, 21–30 and 31–40 km of SCFPP, total 56 soil samples were taken, 14 replicate from each distance along with a background subsurface soil sample beyond 60 km. Soil samples were subjected to heavy metals analysis including Fe, Cu and Pb by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Composite samples for each distance were analyzed for Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni, Se, Sr, Zn by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP). Pollution indices of exposed soil including Enrichment Factor (EF), Contamination Factor (CF), Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo), and Pollution Load Index (PLI) were calculated. Ecological risk index (Eri) of individual metals and the Potential Ecological Risk Index (PERI) for all metals were determined. Soil samples within 40 km of SCFPP were significantly polluted with Pb (mean 2.81 ppm), Cu (mean 0.93 ppm), and Fe (mean 7.93 ppm) compared to their background values (Pb 0.45, Cu 0.3, and Fe 4.9 ppm). Some individual replicates were highly contaminated where Pb, Fe, and Cu values were as high as 6.10, 35.4 and 2.51 ppm respectively. PLI, Igeo, CF, and EF for metals classified the soil around CFPP as “moderate to high degree of pollution”, “uncontaminated to moderately contaminated”, “moderate to very high contamination”, and “moderate to significant enrichment” respectively with average values for Cu as 2.75, 0.82, 3.09, 4.01; Pb 4.79, 1.56, 6.16, 7.76, and for Fe as 1.20, 0.40, 1.62, 3.35 respectively. Average Ecological Risk Index (Eri) of each metal and Potential Ecological Risk Index (PERI) for all metals classified the soils as “low risk soils” in all distances. However, (Eri) of Pb at a number of sites in all distances have shown “moderate risk”. The linear correlation of physico-chemical parameter (EC, pH, Saturation %) and metals have recorded several differential correlations, however, their collective impact on Pb in 0–10 km, has recorded statistically significant correlation (p-value 0.01). This mix of correlations indicates complex interplay of many factors influencing metal concentrations at different sampling sites. The concentration of As, Cr, Co, Cd, and Zn was found within satisfactory limits and lower than in many parts of the world. Although the topsoil around SCFPP is largely recorded at low risk, for complete assessment of its ecological health, further research considering comprehensive environmental parameters, all important trace metals and variety of input pathways is suggested.
Understanding determinants related to farmers’ protective measures towards pesticide exposure: A systematic review
Authors: Kangavari Mehdi , Sarvi Mahsa , Afshari Maryam , Maleki Shahnaz
Published: February 2024

Objective

Pesticide poisoning is the main cause of adverse effects and mortality worldwide. Protective measures can reduce the intensity of the effects of pesticides on the health of farmers. Numerous cross-sectional studies have been conducted on the determinants of performing protective measures to reduce exposure to pesticides, but there is no systematic study that comprehensively examines the impact of these factors. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify existing studies on the determinants of effective protective measures to reduce exposure to pesticides among farmers.

Methods

In this systematic review, studies were obtained from PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases using a search strategy that covered articles from the first years of database design to April 20, 2023. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were based on the PICOs criteria. The study included cross-sectional studies that measured the implementation of protective measures using objective or valid subjective tools. The data were extracted and analyzed based on several criteria and ecological levels. The Ecological Model of Health Behavior was used to classify the determinants that affect the performance of protective behaviors. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has developed a quality assessment tool for studies.

Results

A total of 39 studies were ultimately selected for inclusion in this analysis. Many of these studies were conducted in developing countries. The most important factors that have an impact on protective measures include a variety of socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, level of education, income, farming experience, experience of using pesticides), individual level (knowledge, attitude, risk perception, intention), interpersonal level (subjective norms), organizational level (education), and public policy level (government attention, health costs, governmental extension services). The quality of most studies was fair.

Conclusions

Research indicates that several factors influence the use of personal protective equipment and safe behaviors when handling pesticides. These include farmers’ education level, knowledge, and attitudes towards safety measures. Environmental factors such as access to information, extension services, training programs, and media coverage can also help minimize exposure to pesticides.
EPANet-KD: Efficient progressive attention network for fine-grained provincial village classification via knowledge distillation
Authors: Zhang Cheng , Liu Chunqing , Gong Huimin , Teng Jinlin
Published: February 2024

Objective

Fine-grained classification of historical traditional villages plays a crucial role in guiding the future development and construction of urban and rural areas. This study aims to propose a new dataset for fine-grained classification of traditional villages and to propose an efficient progressive attention network for the problem of low accuracy and efficiency of fine-grained traditional historical village classification.

Methods and results

Firstly, in order to further study the long-standing problem of fine-grained classification of traditional villages, a new fine-grained classification dataset of traditional villages containing 4,400 images, referred to as PVCD, is proposed by crawling and hand-arranging. Secondly, a new Progressive Attention Module, abbreviated as PAM, is also proposed. PAM engages in attentional modeling of prominent spatial features within the spatial dimension, subsequently applying attentional modeling to channel features beneath the identified salient spatial features. This process involves salient spatial feature attention modeling of prominent channel features within the dimension to extract discriminative information for fine-grained classification, thereby enhancing the performance of classifying traditional villages with precision. Finally, a new knowledge distillation strategy of softened alignment distillation, or SAD for short, is proposed, which simply and efficiently transfers the knowledge of softened category probability distributions through. Notably, based on the above proposed PAM, the lightweight EPANet-Student and the heavyweight EPANet-Teacher are proposed. In addition, the heavyweight EPANet-Teacher transfers the knowledge of fine-grained categorization of traditional villages to the lightweight EPANet-Student through the proposed SAD, abbreviated as EPANet-KD. The experimental results show that the proposed EPANet-Teacher achieves state-of-the-art performance with an accuracy of 67.27%, and the proposed EPANet-KD achieves comparable performance to the proposed EPANet-Teacher with 3.32M parameters and 0.42G computation.

Conclusion

The proposed EPANet-KD maintains a good balance of accuracy and efficiency in the fine-grained classification of traditional villages, considerably promoting the research on the fine-grained classification of traditional villages. In addition, it facilitates the digital preservation and development of traditional villages. All datasets, codes and benchmarking results are publicly available for the promotion of this research area. https://github.com/Jack13026212687/EPANet-KD.
Enterovirus A71 does not meet the uncoating receptor SCARB2 at the cell surface
Authors: Nishimura Yorihiro , Sato Kei , Koyanagi Yoshio , Wakita Takaji , Muramatsu Masamichi , Shimizu Hiroyuki , Bergelson Jeffrey M. , Arita Minetaro
Published: February 2024

Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) infection involves a variety of receptors. Among them, two transmembrane protein receptors have been investigated in detail and shown to be critical for infection: P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) in lymphocytes (Jurkat cells), and scavenger receptor class B member 2 (SCARB2) in rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cells. PSGL-1 and SCARB2 have been reported to be expressed on the surface of Jurkat and RD cells, respectively. In the work reported here, we investigated the roles of PSGL-1 and SCARB2 in the process of EV-A71 entry. We first examined the expression of SCARB2 in Jurkat cells, and detected it within the cytoplasm, but not on the cell surface. Further, using PSGL-1 and SCARB2 knockout cells, we found that although both PSGL-1 and SCARB2 are essential for virus infection of Jurkat cells, virus attachment to these cells requires only PSGL-1. These results led us to evaluate the cell surface expression and the roles of SCARB2 in other EV-A71–susceptible cell lines. Surprisingly, in contrast to the results of previous studies, we found that SCARB2 is absent from the surface of RD cells and other susceptible cell lines we examined, and that although SCARB2 is essential for infection of these cells, it is dispensable for virus attachment. These results indicate that a receptor other than SCARB2 is responsible for virus attachment to the cell and probably for internalization of virions, not only in Jurkat cells but also in RD cells and other EV-A71–susceptible cells. SCARB2 is highly concentrated in lysosomes and late endosomes, where it is likely to trigger acid-dependent uncoating of virions, the critical final step of the entry process. Our results suggest that the essential interactions between EV-A71 and SCARB2 occur, not at the cell surface, but within the cell.
Japanese and Korean collaborations in K-pop: Iz One, TWICE and K-pop spaces in Tokyo
Authors: Boman Björn
Published: February 2024

K-pop groups and artists have been localized to appeal to the lucrative Japanese market since the early 2000s. However, the two successful girl groups, TWICE and Iz One, exhibit a new direction in K-pop, by being members of both Korean and Japanese origin within the same groups. By drawing upon the literature on localization strategies and contentious Japan–Korea relations, ethnographic fieldwork and media sources, this article examines two locations in Tokyo in which K-pop consumption takes place. Contrary to the polarization tendencies that signify current Japan–Korea relations in the political realm, the gendered K-pop spaces and Japan–Korea collaborations such as Iz One signify benign hybridity and localization.
Molecular prevalence and associated risk factors of Cryptosporidium spp. infection in dairy cattle in Khon Kaen, Thailand
Authors: Keomoungkhoun Bamphen , Arjentinia I Putu Gede Yudhi , Sangmaneedet Somboon , Taweenan Weerapol
Published: February 2024

Background and Aim: Cryptosporidium spp. are important parasites in the small intestines of humans and animals, particularly cattle. The aim of this study was to estimate the molecular prevalence and associated risk factors of Cryptosporidium infection in dairy cattle in five districts of Khon Kaen province, Thailand, and to identify Cryptosporidium spp.

Materials and Methods: From July 2020 to October 2021, 296 fecal samples were collected from three groups of dairy cattle: Calves aged <3 months, calves aged 3 months–1 year, and calves aged >1 year. Cryptosporidium spp. were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifying the 18s RNA gene. Both genus-specific and species-specific primers were used to identify Cryptosporidium confirmed by DNA sequencing. Age, house floor type, and water trough type were evaluated as risk factors. We analyzed all associated risk factor information using the logistic regression test in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.

Results: PCR results showed that 40 (13.51%) out of 296 samples were positive for Cryptosporidium spp., including Cryptosporidium bovis (57.50%) and Cryptosporidium ryanae (2.50%). There was a significant association between Cryptosporidium incidence, cattle age, and house floor type (p = 0.05). National Center for Biotechnology Information Basic Local Alignment Search Tool displayed 99.48%–100% nucleotide similarity of each Cryptosporidium spp. isolate with references recorded on GenBank.

Conclusion: C. bovis and C. ryanae are commonly found in dairy cattle, especially calves, in Khon Kaen, Thailand, and the incidence was associated with age and house floor type. A molecular technique may be influential for species identification. The results of the present study would provide useful information for veterinarians and animal owners to understand better Cryptosporidium spp. and how to manage farms properly.

Keywords: bovine cryptosporidiosis, Cryptosporidium, dairy cattle, molecular prevalence.
Tourism in the Northeast Brazil: A historical edition
Authors: Brambilla Adriana , Vanzella Elídio
Published: February 2024

The Northeast region stands out from other Brazilian regions for its natural, cultural, historical and architectural beauties, as well as for its famous gastronomy. These characteristics allow the region to offer different tourist activities. Thus, considering this incredible potential, this special issue on Tourism in the Northeast was both a challenge and an opportunity to bring together researchers who are dedicated to the topic of tourism with a focus on this region. In this sense, the partnership between Applied Tourism and Group of Culture and Tourism Studies (GCET) provides opportunities for a broad debate on the current situation and future perspectives with regard to the development of tourism in the Northeast, bringing visions and thoughts that encompass the more diverses segments pointing paths that can lead to the increase of tourism based on the resources available in a responsible, shared and diversified way. One of the main contributions of this edition, which is presented in two numbers, is to show that tourism in the northeastern states is not defined exclusively based on the sun and sea, but that it also encompasses gastronomy, cultural heritage, historical rescue, technology, hotels and valuing workers and communities. Therefore, it is certain that reading this special edition brings important contributions to the development and improvement of tourism and hospitality in the northeast region of Brazil.
SUSTAINABILITY INDICATOR SYSTEMS APPLIED TO TOURISM
Authors: Grechinski Paula , Frutuoso Teixeira Cristina , Dalila Corbari Sandra , Dreyer da Silva Manuela
Published: February 2024

This article presents an analysis of sustainability indicator systems used in studies on the development of sustainable tourism at the global and national level. The methodological procedures, of an exploratory nature, had a mixed approach combining statistical and quantitative data with a narrative review and bibliographical research. This led to an overview of publications that address sustainability indicators in tourism, as well as the most common indicator systems used nationally and internationally. It was possible to conclude that, even though they are important tools for tourism planning, sustainability indicators should not be unquestionable in their relevance in this process. This is because they are instruments that have flaws, either in their design or application. As practical implications of this research, the survey and analysis of indicators used for sustainable tourism planning may help in the creation and revision of sustainability indicators suitable for regional contexts. Furthermore, as a result of the present study, it was also observed that there is a gap regarding the contribution of Latin American studies on this topic.
Estratégia para Arborização utilizando Tecnologia de Ciclo de Luz Controlado e LEDs Full Spectrum
Authors: Flach Gustavo Henrique , Pellegrini Laura Cesar
Published: February 2024

O projeto proposto visa aprimorar o crescimento de plantas que, devido à sua localização em áreas de baixa irradiação solar, têm seu desenvolvimento prejudicado. Isso é feito a partir de um sistema de gerenciamento de ciclo de luz, que emprega o microcontrolador Arduino e barras de diodos emissores de luz de espectro completo, com o propósito de potencializar o crescimento de plantas em ambientes internos, destinados à futura implementação no meio urbano. A metodologia abrange a programação do microcontrolador para simular um ciclo de luz solar, visando fornecer o espectro ideal de luz para o desenvolvimento das plantas. Além disso, a eficácia da barra de LEDs Full Spectrum em emular a radiação solar foi avaliada por meio de testes práticos de crescimento de plantas. Os resultados demonstram que o sistema controlado promove um crescimento otimizado e saudável nas plantas, ressaltando a eficácia da tecnologia de LEDs Full Spectrum no cultivo indoor. Essa abordagem representa um avanço significativo para a infraestrutura verde urbana e sistemas de cultivo controlado, oferecendo uma solução sustentável para a promoção do crescimento de plantas em ambientes internos.
Análise Multicritério e Geoprocessamento no Planejamento do Sistema de Espaços Livres Urbano
Authors: Cocco Renata Michelon , Weiss Raquel , Aita Pippi Luis Guilherme
Published: February 2024

Este trabalho visa apresentar o planejamento do Sistema de Espaços Livres da cidade média de Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil com enfoque nos espaços livres de lazer e recreação potenciais da cidade através da aplicação da metodologia de Análise Multicritério e do Processo de Hierarquia Analítica (AHP). A Análise Multicritério e o método AHP permitem a atribuição de valores ou pesos estatísticos às variáveis de pesquisa, tendo como objetivo reunir atributos distintos de avaliação em uma só análise, como áreas de preservação ambiental com áreas de patrimônio cultural, vazios urbanos ou ainda, importantes eixos de mobilidade para a cidade. No presente estudo, foram elencados sete critérios de pesquisa fundamentais para a delimitação de praças e parques futuros, tendo como base de dados em Sistema de Informação Geográfica (SIG), a leitura dos condicionantes biofísicos e construídos de Santa Maria, ou seja, as infraestruturas naturais, construídas, socioculturais e socioeconômicas. A partir dos mapeamentos, conclui-se que análises quali-quantitativas como o método multicritério é de fundamental relevância para o estudo das paisagens urbanas, principalmente para a elaboração e revisão de planos urbanísticos, os quais devem estar pautados na gestão sustentável do solo.
PHYTOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF RAW MATERIALS OF BUPLEURUM LONGIFOLIUM SSP. AUREUM L. (FISCH. EX HOFFM.) SOO) ON THE BORDER OF THE RANGE OF THE TATARSTAN REPUBLIC
Authors: Dubrovnaya Svetlana Alekseevna , Khusnetdinova Landysh Zavdetovna , Akulov Anton Nikolaevich , Ryzhova Lyudmila Valerianovna , Тimofeeva Olga Arnoldovna
Published: February 2024

B. longifolium ssp. aureum cenopopulations were detected in forest phytocenoses of the coniferous-broad-leaved forests and the forest-steppe zones of the Republic of Tatarstan. In each habitat, the concentration of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, and photosynthetic pigments was determined in 20 collected plants of the middle age ontogenetic state. Chromatographic analysis of phenolic compounds of the raw materials of each cenopopulation was carried out.
It was found that the content of rutin and ferulic acid of plants in the zone of coniferous-broadleaf forests was higher than in the forest-steppe zone. However, there was a more diverse spectrum of phenolic compounds. The chlorogenic and benzoic acids, quercetin and kaempferol were detected. In all communities, high intra-population variation in the concentration of biologically active substances was revealed. This fact should be taken into account during plantation creations and raw materials collection.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE COMPONENT COMPOSITION OF THE HERBS OF SOME SPECIES OF THE GENUS ACHILLEA L.
Authors: Vaskova Anastasia Igorevna , Соколова Ирина Владимировна , Kurkin Vladimir Aleksandrovich
Published: February 2024

The article presents the results of a comparative study of the component composition of herbs of some species of the genus Achillea L. growing in the Samara region - common yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.), cartilaginous yarrow (Achillea cartilaginea (Ledeb. ex Rchb.) and noble yarrow (Achillea nobilis (L.). Spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography were used as methods of investigation.
As a result of comparative spectrophotometric analysis of water-alcoholic extracts of common yarrow herbs, yarrow cartilaginous herbs and noble yarrow herbs revealed that the absorption curve of their UV spectra is due mainly to hydroxycinnamic alcohols, in particular chlorogenic and caffeic acids (290 sh. and 330 nm). When aluminum (III) chloride solution was added to the water-alcoholic extracts of yarrow herb from the studied species, a bathochromic shift of the long-wave band at 400 nm was observed due to the flavonoids.
The content of total flavonoids in the plant raw material is: common yarrow - 0.68±0.01%, cartilaginous yarrow - 0.65±0.02%, noble yarrow - 0.69±0.02%.
Chlorogenic acid, cynaroside, cosmosiin, apigenin and luteolin were identified in water-alcoholic extracts from the above described species using HPLC method. In addition, the presence of caffeic acid was detected in the water-alcoholic extracts of noble yarrow herbs.
The content of cosmosiin in the plant raw material is: common yarrow - 0.61±0.01%, cartilaginous yarrow - 0.56±0.02%, noble yarrow - 0.62±0.02%.
The results of the study can be used in the development of regulatory documentation for medicinal plant material "Yarrow herb" for inclusion in the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation.
Avaliação de parâmetros químicos e microbiológicos das águas subterrâneas do município de Parintins - AM como indicadores de poluição das águas
Authors: Santos Mônica Jacaúna dos , Rios Israel Henrique Ribeiro , Souza Rafael Jovito , Albuquerque Ednilson da Silva
Published: February 2024

O objetivo deste estudo é avaliar a qualidade da água nos poços de abastecimento público de Parintins, subsidiando a gestão dos recursos hídricos e ambientais. No contexto do abastecimento público de água na cidade de Parintins-Amazonas, este ocorre exclusivamente por captação subterrânea do lençol freático do aquífero Alter do Chão. A localidade utiliza para despejo de seus efluentes domésticos, predominantemente, as fossas sépticas, podendo infiltrar e contaminar as águas subterrâneas, principalmente, o lençol freático, onde o nitrato aparece como um importante indicador de contaminação fecal. A metodologia utilizada incluiu revisão bibliográfica, documental, coleta e análise das amostras de água dos poços, de acordo com procedimentos preconizados no Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wasterwater (APHA, 2005), e parâmetros estabelecidos no anexo XX da Portaria de Consolidação nº 5 - alterado pela Portaria nº 888 de maio de 2021 (Ministério da Saúde) e Resolução CONAMA nº 396/2008. Os resultados obtidos para alguns poços, mostraram níveis elevados e acima dos padrões estabelecidos para o consumo humano. Com este estudo espera-se subsidiar a gestão dos recursos hídricos subterrâneos, auxiliando a segurança hídrica e a mitigação de possíveis contaminações do aquífero Alter do Chão. O diagnóstico de locais com contaminação de água é importante para o enquadramento das águas do aquífero e para a tomada de decisão. O estudo contribuiu para o avanço da ciência ambiental e da saúde pública na região de Parintins, diagnosticando o risco de poluição dentro da área e incentivando a ocorrência de outros estudos em outros períodos para averiguação de ações de controle e prevenção da poluição.
Blessures volontaires ou accidents du travail dans un camp pénal sénégalais (années 1940) ? Le rapport d'enquête au service de l'ordre colonial
Authors: Tiquet Romain
Published: February 2024

Le document présenté est tiré d'un corpus de quatre rapports de blessures volontaires survenues dans un camps pénal sénégalais au début des années 1940. À travers l'analyse de ces rapports, il est possible de proposer plusieurs pistes d'analyse réflexive d'une archive coloniale, entendue non pas comme simple source, mais avant tout comme un outil produit et utilisé par le pouvoir colonial. L'utilisation de l’écriture par l'administration coloniale n'est pas seulement guidée par la nécessité technique de la transmission et de la communication des informations. Elle représente un langage spécifique qui permet de rendre compte de la « colonialité » de l'archive dans ce contexte, et qui souligne comment le langage administratif remplit aussi des fonctions de suggestion et d'omission pour éviter le recours à l'argumentation. Mettre à nu ces habitudes, ces routines dans l’écriture, révèle plus largement un certain nombre d’éléments sur la dialectique coloniale et le fonctionnement interne à l'administration.
I Feel, Therefore I Am: Trauma, Memory, and Posthuman Liberation in Blade Runner (1982) and WestWorld (2016)
Authors: Phelan Dylan
Published: February 2024

In both Blade Runner and Westworld, the posthuman subjects appear as humanoid androids or cyborgs and blur the lines between human and technology. This degree of liminality grants the posthuman an inherent ability to challenge the legitimacy of hierarchical binaries. The prominent posthumanist, Donna Haraway, problematises these binaries of anthropocentric thought, stating ‘the relation between organism and machine has been a border war’. Similarly, Rosi Braidotti describes how a posthuman subject’s liminality — that is, their existence between the binaries of human and machine — grants them an inherent ability to challenge and destabilise the hierarchical binaries of anthropocentric epistemology. Their subjectivity is no longer defined in opposition to another but is instead ‘an affirmative bond that locates the subject in the flow of relations with multiple others’. Despite this liberatory potential, filmic treatments of the posthuman often portrays them as unemotional or unfeeling, thereby denying them any association with humanity and re-establishing the binary division between human and machine.
Unfeeling, politics and race in the Balkans in the 1930s: Rebecca West’s Black Lamb and Grey Falcon
Authors: Dimitriou Nicola
Published: February 2024

The importance of Rebecca West’s work, despite the fact that she was a well-respected journalist and critic in her own time, has only just begun to be recognised and to be done justice. Much of this reevaluation has centred on her 1941 book Black Lamb and Grey Falcon. The book is a prime example of a travelogue that, as Andrew Hammond has suggested, would ‘most surely be considered one of the greatest works of the modernist period if only it had not been written in a genre (travel writing) and in a region (Eastern Europe) marginalised alike in British literary studies’. Extending to some half a million words and written on the brink of World War II, the work has been called a ‘monument to the ideologies of national self-rule, anti-imperialism, and feminism’ while another critic describes it as a ‘massively ambitious 1941 travelogue’ which offers a ‘meditation on the history and culture of the Balkans [;] ... a region West (rightly) feared would soon come under the domination of fascism.’
Vegetal Affect: Disruptive Unfeeling in the Face of Gender Oppression in Han Kang's The Vegetarian
Authors: Cluett Emily Jane
Published: February 2024

Han Kang's novel The Vegetarian tells the story of a woman who has a nightmare so obscene, so violent, that it fundamentally changes how she lives in the waking world. In this disconcerting dream, the young female protagonist Yeong-hye Kim kills and eats someone—or something—with her bare hands. When she awakens, she immediately adopts a vegetarian diet but her demeanour and affective expression also change. Her face defaults to a vacant expression, she begins speaking less, and when forced to interact with others she shocks them by not only behaving in socially unacceptable ways, but also emoting (or not) in non-normative ways. In doing so, Yeong-hye reveals and disrupts hegemonic gender-based power relations, particularly those relating to affective gender expectations of women such as ‘a submissive wife, an obedient daughter, an amiable person’ that keep the patriarchy intact.
Die, cry, hate: the unfeeling of the unwilling Black surrogate mother in Luster and Such a Fun Age
Authors: Abdi Amal
Published: February 2024

Both Luster and Such a Fun Age engage with a sense of loaded emotionlessness while also lending a personal and political duality to unfeeling, as both a coping with the issues and demands of the contemporary world, such as social isolation and insecure gig work—and a refusal to perform the emotional labour that is often expected of carers and domestic workers without proper compensation. Crucially, as both these novels demonstrate, unfeeling is intrinsically linked to race relations.
We may have changed since your last visit
Authors: Onions Freya
Published: February 2024

We may have changed since your last visit
Jazzy Ontology: Representations of Fractured and Racialised Identity in Othello and All Night Long
Authors: Langham Thomas
Published: February 2024

Through an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello (1603), Basil Dearden’s All Night Long (1962) reconfigures the play’s constructions of self to approach a conversation about racial identity in diasporic communities and how appropriation modifies and threatens selfhood.1 In Othello, Shakespeare conceives the self as something created and modified by the Other through interpersonal exchange. He stretches and explores to its limits such a construction of self, showing how it tends towards tragedy and how, through a manipulation of the eye and what it perceives, the singular self can fracture into multiple. For Dearden, jazz presents itself as a suitable body of work to probe and engage with this theme in several ways. Jazz is a cultural product of black diaspora which functions, in part, to nurture black identity and community in the face of racial delegitimisation by dominant white populations.
Going Nowhere, Being No One: Navigating Space and Identity in Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea
Authors: van Straten Lisa
Published: February 2024

Identity has arguably been the most prominent theme in the works of postcolonial theorists and has been approached from various viewpoints that generally fall into two groups: a melancholic idiom of ‘in-betweenness’ or a celebratory focus on hybridity and multiculturalism. These conceptions of identity implicitly rely on notions of (cultural) space as largely homogenous and demarcated by boundaries, which can either (I) exclude, resulting in artificial, essentialised identities and in-between non-identities, or (II) include, enabling connections that can result in multicultural assemblages. As such, they seem to reflect what Marie-Laure Ryan, Kenneth Foote and Maoz Azaryahu in their work Narrating Space/Spatializing Narrative (2016) have called the two principal ways for conceptualising space: space as container and space as network. For writer and theorist Stephen Clingman, however, these abstractions fail to reflect the complexity of reality in which spaces, and by extension identities, are culturally entangled rather than determined by a single culture or a composite of cultures. Consequently, he seeks to transcend these categories by emphasising identity as a transcultural process of linguistic and physical navigation; an idea he maps out in his revolutionary work The Grammar of Identity (2009) aided by an analysis of several novels, including Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea (1966).
Enter the Luciferous Hexichasm: On the Savage Theoryfiction of Gruppo di Nun in Revolutionary Demonology
Authors: Casstles Jordan
Published: February 2024

Theoryfiction: weird, reality-warping hybrid born of critical theory, esoterica, Qabala, cyberpunk and Gothic horror. More than mere academic auto-fiction or an intellectual strain of hysterical realism, theoryfiction deliberately attempts to actively infect and colonise the ‘real world’ with its own twisted vision: it is ambivalent in extremis towards the limitations of consensus reality, proving to be capable of incubating accelerationist philosophies and acting as a vehicle to reshape conscious reactions to culture simultaneously. In 1940, Jorge Luis Borges’ short story Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius predicted the form; between 1997 and 2003, the experimental cultural theorist collective Cybernetic Culture Research Unit (CCRU) brought it into being, only for English philosopher Nick Land to lead the group from a state of cyberfeminism to a growing neoreactionary cyberfascism.
Reseña / Vinculación con el Medio universitaria: Estado del arte y reflexiones en contexto
Authors: Flores Matías G.
Published: February 2024

La “vinculación con el medio” en Chile se aproxima a una nueva etapa de institucionalización que amerita la atención de las y los extensionistas en América Latina. En 2025, todas las universidades deberán acreditarse en vinculación con el medio. El libro reseñado es una puerta de entrada para aprender del sistema chileno de extensión universitaria y entender sus contradicciones internas. La reseña provee del contexto legislativo de la vinculación con el medio en Chile y una descripción de los cinco capítulos. Para lectores de América Latina, es un libro introductorio a cómo se vive la institucionalización de la extensión universitaria a través del accountability o rendición de cuentas, en un sistema universitario altamente privatizado. Para lectores en Chile, contribuye a consolidar una visión crítica a la vinculación con el medio que viene emergiendo desde 2016 e innova al presentar de manera conjunta voces de universidades privadas y públicas.
A Needs Assessment for Promoting Transformational Change Towards Accessibility in Education and Competence Mobilization for eLearning
Authors: Rutayisire Theoneste , John de Dieu lyakaremye , Gace Athanase Dalson , Rutikanga Justin Ushize , Leon Ntabomvura
Published: February 2024

During the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions worldwide encountered issues related to student dissatisfaction with online education. Several nations are poised to migrate to distance learning for technological and economic reasons. It becomes clear that current online learning should be applied under certain circumstances. The deployment of e-learning resources (ELR) has emerged as a strategy for addressing problems related to instructional design, technological packages, and easy access to education. In this context, Rwanda has used open and distance learning (ODL) to thrive in a continuously evolving educational environment. However, learners still have limited information about the use of e-learning platforms. To keep up with the changing nature of education, today's educators and students require ELR tools and information and communication technology (ICT) competencies. This research aimed to evaluate the needs, preparedness, and willingness of ODL professionals and learners at the University of Rwanda (UR) to enhance the use of ELR in the education and learning environment. In this research, a systematic questionnaire was considered for data collection purposes. The analyses were descriptive and consisted of either determining the proportion of answers to items in different segments of the questionnaire or determining the percentage of answers using various Likert scales and calculating the differences between scales. The results highlighted that several participants admitted to the University of Rwanda to having moderate knowledge of e-learning resources, and most of them regularly used text-based documents on e-learning platforms. Moreover, the participants demonstrated a need to avail internet connectivity and updated IT infrastructure, organize workshops and training, and conduct an awareness campaign on ELR and learning management system (LMS), It was also demonstrated that the ICT basic skills are needed to effectively implement e-learning at the University of Rwanda.
Ladislav Velen of Žerotín and his Study Stay in Switzerland
Authors: Podavka Ondřej
Published: February 2024

This contribution focuses on Ladislav Velen of Žerotín, member of an important Moravian family, and his stay in Basel between April 1592 and December 1593. His experiences from that time are described in Žerotín’s Itinerarium, which he wrote in 1589‒1594. After presenting some introductory information about this literary source and its writer, the author investigates contacts which Žerotín established during his studies in Basel, events he describes in the Itinerarium, and trips from Basel, which belong to the most detailed records in this diary. They depict his impression of the places he visited ‒ be it military facilities, ecclesiastic buildings, workshops, or other objects – but also the surrounding landscape and unforeseen events Žerotín encountered during his travels.
Languages ontologies in higher education: the world-making practices of language teachers
Authors: Gurney Laura , Demuro Eugenia
Published: February 2024

In this paper, we engage the frame of language ontologies to explore what language is or might be, vis-à-vis empirical data from practicing language teachers and researchers. We conducted semi-structured interviews with fourteen participants to explore their accounts and self-reported practices of language(s)/languaging. We present five ontological accounts of language(s)/languaging as shared by the participants during the interviews: language as a tool for communication, language as thought, language as culture, language as system, and languaging as practice. We discuss the implications of these five ontological accounts for teaching, learning, and understanding language as a multiplicity.
Merging Structural and Reduced-Form Models for Forecasting
Authors: Martinez-Martin Jaime , Morris Richard , Onorante Luca , Piersanti Fabio Massimo
Published: February 2024

Recent economic crises have posed important challenges for forecasting. Models estimated pre-crisis may perform badly when normal economic relationships have been disrupted. Meanwhile, forecasting, especially in central banks, is increasingly based on a suite of models, following two main approaches: structural (DSGE) and reduced form. The challenge remains to identify which model – or combination of models – is likely to make better forecasts in a changing environment. We explore this issue by assessing the forecasting performance of combinations of a medium-scale DSGE model with standard reduced-form methods applied to the Spanish economy and a reference period that includes both the great recession and the sovereign debt crisis. Our findings suggest that: (i) the mean reverting properties of the DSGE model cause it to underestimate the growth of real variables following the inclusion of crisis episodes in the estimation period; (ii) despite this, reduced-form VARs benefit from the imposition of an economic prior from the structural model; but (iii) pooling information in the form of variables extracted from the structural model with (B)VAR methods does not improve forecast accuracy. By analysing the quantiles of the predictive distributions, we also provide evidence that merging models can help improve the forecast in a context including crisis episodes.
Revolutionizing healthcare with metamaterial-enhanced antennas: a comprehensive review and future directions
Authors: Asokan Sakthi Preetha , Kaliappan Kavitha
Published: February 2024

The state of the art for wearable antennas for wireless communication and biological applications is compiled in this article. It addresses a wide range of subjects, such as how to use novel materials like Artificial Magnetic Conductors (AMC) and Metamaterial (MTM) structures to enhance antenna performance. It also covers the design of dual-band and reconfigurable antennas and the use of machine learning to optimize aerial design. The main subject of this article is how wearable antennas could lead to advancements in wireless communication and healthcare in the future, perhaps improving lives worldwide. It includes implantable antennas, textile-based antennas, and various flexible graphene-based antenna varieties. The use of wearable antennas for brain stroke diagnostics, wireless body area networks, telemedicine, and breast imaging is covered in this study. Additionally covered are reconfigurable antennas based on Metamaterial (MTM)structures and Wideband on-body antennas inspired by Metamaterials (MTM), both of these applications are useful in the assembly of wearable antennas, which is the main goal of this work. The research also discusses how metamaterials (MTM) might raise the sensitivity of the bioelectric field, enabling precise bioelectric signal monitoring. Metamaterial (MTM) antennas function reliably in a range of biomedical applications and can adjust to the electromagnetic properties.
Multisource remote sensing image fusion processing in plateau seismic region feature information extraction and application analysis – An example of the Menyuan Ms6.9 earthquake on January 8, 2022
Authors: Zhang Nana , Li Long , Li Jun , Jiang Gang , Ma Yujun , Ge Yuejing
Published: February 2024

A 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit Menyuan County, Haibei Prefecture, Qinghai Province, at 01:45 PM Beijing time on January 8, 2022 (17:45 PM GMT time on January 7, 2022). To explore the magnitude of the earthquake deformation and the affected area, this work combined optical remote sensing interpretation, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) coseismic deformation extraction, and field surveys for research and analysis. Relying on the high-resolution Earth observation system of the Qinghai Remote Sensing Center for Natural Resources, high-resolution GF1D, GF2, and TRIPLESAT optical remote sensing images were acquired immediately after the earthquake. The airborne triangulation encryption method was used to carry out orthographic correction, fusion, and mosaic processing of digital orthophoto map (DOM) and digital surface model (DSM) images, and first-hand optical remote sensing images of the disaster areas were obtained. Based on differential InSAR (D-InSAR), small baseline subset InSAR (SBAS-InSAR) and lifting rail fusion methods, the coseismic deformation field and deformation rate of the lifting rail direction were obtained by using Sentinel-1A data processing before and after the earthquake. Combined with optical interpretation, InSAR deformation, and field investigation, the results show that the deformation trend of the line of sight (LOS) images to the north and south of the ascending and descending orbits show an obvious opposite trend. The surface shape variables are −50 to 45 cm and −65 to 72 cm, respectively, and the deformation rate before the earthquake reached 25 cm/year. The deformation field characteristics show that the earthquake was mainly due to thrust, and the coseismic deformation field fractured along the WNW‒ESE direction with a length of approximately 33 km. The areas affected by 10 mm, 20 cm, and 50 cm deformation magnitudes in the whole earthquake area were 975.14, 321.10, and 38.55 km2, respectively. Within 20 km, there were two main affected townships, namely, Sujitan Township and Huangcheng Mongolian Township. Within 50 km, there were four main affected towns and townships, namely, Sujitan Township, Mongolian Township of the Imperial city, Qingshizui town, and Haomen town.
Exploring the antimicrobial potential of biogenically synthesized graphene oxide nanoparticles against targeted bacterial and fungal pathogens
Authors: Ashraf Anila , Altaf Muhammad , Abasi Fozia , Shahbaz Muhammad , Hussain Tanveer , Ali Md. Arshad , Seelan Jaya Seelan Sathiya , Ali Baber , Mahmoud Maged Mostafa , Harakeh Steve , Saleem Muhammad Hamzah
Published: February 2024

Graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanoparticles were synthesized using 40 mL of lemon juice extract as a reducing agent. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using various analytical techniques, including UV–visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The results confirmed the successful synthesis of GO and rGO nanoparticles with varied sizes and shapes. The synthesized nanoparticles were tested for their antimicrobial activity against a range of bacterial and fungal strains, including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Candida albicans, Fusarium oxysporum, and Aspergillus flavus. Multiple concentrations of GO and rGO nanoparticles were tested, and it was observed that 100 µg·mL−1 of both GO and rGO showed the highest inhibitory effect against bacterial and produced zones of inhibition of 17.66 mm, 18.67 mm, and 17.88 for E. coli, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae and 20.33, 22.45, and 21.34 mm for C. albicans, F. oxysporum, and A. flavus. Comparatively, GO performed well as compared to rGO regarding antimicrobial activity. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against various bacterial and fungal strains and have the potential to be developed as novel antimicrobial agents.
Welding Processing of Medium-Manganese Austenitic Steels for Cryogenic Applications
Authors: Reppin C. , Gericke A. , Henkel K.-M. , Neef P. , Treutler K. , Wesling V.
Published: February 2024

For several years, the significance of gaseous energy sources (e. g. liquified natural gas and hydrogen) has been increasing worldwide due to environmental and climate policy requirements. Storage and transportation of the liquids occur under cryogenic conditions. This results in specific requirements for the mechanical properties of the materials used at cryogenic temperatures. Nowadays, cold-tough, high-nickel austenites and martensitic steels of type X8Ni9 are used for such purposes. While austenitic materials offer good processing properties, they are not attractive due to their comparatively low strength and high costs. Welding martensitic steel with commonly used nickel-based additives significantly impacts processing quality and process automation due to high magnetic remanence. Additionally, the increased requirements for the storage of liquid hydrogen regarding low-temperature toughness push the conventional low-temperature materials to their limits. A potential solution to the identified challenges can be achieved by using medium- and high-manganese austenitic steels. Within the scope of this work, the medium-manganese steel X2CrMnNiN1775 (1.4371) is investigated as an economical substitute for the conventionally used materials in cryogenic applications. Considering the relevant qualification requirements for welded joints and welding additives, submerged arc welded joints are investigated and their applicability under cryogenic operating temperatures is demonstrated.
Automorphic word maps and the Amit–Ashurst conjecture
Authors: Kishnani Harish , Kulshrestha Amit
Published: February 2024

In this article, we address the Amit–Ashurst conjecture on lower bounds of a probability distribution associated to a word on a finite nilpotent group.
We obtain an extension of a result of [R. D. Camina, A. Iñiguez and A. Thillaisundaram, Word problems for finite nilpotent groups, Arch. Math. (Basel)
115 (2020), 6, 599–609] by providing improved bounds for the case of finite nilpotent groups of class 2 for words in an arbitrary number of variables, and also settle the conjecture in some cases.
We achieve this by obtaining words that are identically distributed on a group to a given word.
In doing so, we also obtain an improvement of a result of [A. Iñiguez and J. Sangroniz, Words and characters in finite 𝑝-groups, J. Algebra
485 (2017), 230–246] using elementary techniques.