bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Capacity and Sizing of Wire Mesh Mist Eliminators at Critical Fluid Properties
Authors: Flegiel Felix , Windmeier Christoph , Wiezorek Michael , Döß Alexander , Schubert Markus , Hampel Uwe , Schleicher Eckhard
Published: April 2021

Wire mesh flooding point measurements at low surface tension < 10 mN m−1 were conducted using a refrigerant as model fluid. A new method for the calculation of wire mesh capacity was developed based on experimental data from literature and data from this study. In comparison to the well‐known and widely adapted K‐value method given in the Gas Processors Suppliers Association (GPSA) Engineering Databook and various other sources, the new method yields 3–38 % reduced wire mesh cross sections for fluid systems at pressures above 20 bar(a) while retaining an inherent safety margin.
Color order systems, color mixtures, and the role of cesia
Authors: Caivano José Luis
Published: April 2021

Two questions are mainly discussed in this article: (a) how the shape of color order systems is related to different types of chromatic mixtures, and (b) how the opacity or transparency (an aspect of cesia) of the coloring media involved in the mixtures define the results, beyond the established categories of additive, partitive, and subtractive mixtures. The degree of transparency, translucency, or opacity of the material used certainly has a great influence on these processes and in the results obtained, and we could also think that the degree of gloss or matte finish of the surfaces affects the mixtures as well. The underlying idea is that these processes are of a gradualist nature, and that a continuous sequence can be traced between two poles: additive mixture of overlapping lights, on one side, and subtractive mixture of transparent color layers, on the other one. Thus, instead of just three separate or unconnected types of color mixtures, we can postulate a model based upon a gradual sequence between additive and subtractive mixture, with partitive mixture as one of the steps in between. A schematic 3D model of gradual transformation is proposed to encompass different color systems that represent any possible mixture between additive and subtractive.
Retracted: Real time regional mobility energy feature approximation‐based secure routing for improved quality of service in MANET
Authors: Mahaboob John Y.M. , Ravi G.
Published: April 2021

Mahaboob John YM, Ravi G. Real time regional mobility energy feature approximation‐based secure routing for improved quality of service in MANET, International Journal of Communication Systems 2021, (https://doi.org/10.1002/dac.4713). The above article published online on 20 April 2021 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the Editor and John Wiley and Sons Ltd. Following publication, it has come to our attention that the people named as the Guest Editors of the Special Issue were being impersonated by a fraudulent entity and the articles were not reviewed in line with the journal's peer review standards. The Editor has determined that the articles do not meet the required scholarly standards of the journal, and therefore has taken the decision to retract the article. We did not find any evidence of misconduct by the authors. The authors have been informed of the decision to retract.
Metal‐Free Synthesis of Alkenylazaarenes and 2‐Aminoquinolines through Base‐Mediated Aerobic Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Benzyl Alcohols
Authors: Dahatonde Dipak J. , Ghosh Aritra , Batra Sanjay
Published: April 2021

A metal‐free, base‐mediated, and atom‐efficient oxidative dehydrogenative coupling of substituted phenylmethanols (benzyl alcohols) with methyl azaarenes or phenylacetonitriles to afford substituted alkenylazaarenes or 2‐aminoquinolines, respectively is described. CsOH.H2O was discovered to be the base of choice for obtaining optimal yields of the title compounds, although the reaction could proceed with KOH as well. The protocol that works efficiently in the presence of air is amenable over broad range of substrates.
The influence of organic pollutant load and external resistance on the performance of a solid phase microbial fuel cell fed orange peel wastes
Authors: Hariti Mhamed , Chemlal Radia , Drouiche Madani , Mameri Nabil
Published: April 2021

The degradation of organic matter in marine sediments could be taken advantage of to produce electricity by using a sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) inspired system. A single solid phase microbial fuel cell (SPMFC) in which orange peel wastes were supplemented as a carbon source mixed to marine sediments produced a power of 0.33 mW and a voltage of 0.7 V. By stacking multiple SPMFCs powers of 2.08 mW were generated for a voltage of 4.6 V. The use of dewatered sludge to inoculate the marine sediment improved the SPMFCs' performance. The removal of organic matter in the SPMFC system under closed circuit conditions was very interesting, removal rates were 19%–40% from readily oxidizable organic matter,15 to 35% for loss on ignition and 22%–55% for total organic carbon, indicating the possibility of using these systems to treat solid organic wastes and produce electricity at the same time.
Long‐term effects of malnutrition on early‐life famine survivors and their offspring: New evidence from the Great Vietnam Famine 1944–45
Authors: Guven Cahit , Hoang Trung , Rahman Muhammad H. , Ulubaşoğlu Mehmet A.
Published: April 2021

We investigate the long‐term effects of the 1944–45 Great Vietnam Famine on early‐life survivors and their offspring using census data, household survey data and historical administrative data. Unlike previous famine studies, we measure famine severity using a unique, more direct, and “plausibly exogenous” metric of food availability: province‐level excess paddy (rice) production per capita in 1944. Our study makes two novel contributions. First, we overcome several selection problems associated with the estimation of true famine effects, given the short duration and spatial variation of the Vietnamese famine. Second, we investigate the intergenerational effects of famine, focusing specifically on the occupation of the survivors' parents and the school participation of the survivors' offspring. Our preferred specification estimates generalized triple differences that allow us to control for birth‐year and birth‐province fixed effects and nation‐wide shocks. Our findings suggest that the Vietnamese famine reduced literacy by around 3 percent, BMI by 5.6%–8.4%, arm‐length by 4.5%–6.7% (1.1–1.7 cm), height by 2.2%–3.2% (3.4–5 cm), and weight by 10%–14% (4.7–6.9 kg) among the affected cohort. These detrimental famine effects also extended to economic welfare, in the form of lower household incomes and lower non‐food household expenditures in adulthood. We also document a 4.9%–7.2% reduction in school participation among survivors' offspring, which has major implications for the exogenous origins of social mobility, inequality, and poverty.
An empirical study of consumers' intention to use biometric facial recognition as a payment method
Authors: Moriuchi Emi
Published: April 2021

Interests in technology innovation has increased in many organizations. Collaborations among technology providers and marketers are occurring as they integrate these biometric technologies as a means of convenience and security for their consumers. Despite the benefits of integrating new technology to ease consumers' shopping experience, consumers are skeptical about using technology that requires their biometric data. Two studies were conducted to investigate the trust toward these biometric payment systems. Study 1 was conducted through a survey. The study investigated antecedents that affect consumers' trust of, attitude toward, and usage of a biometric payment system. Based on the results from Study 1, Study 2 was conducted by introducing two shopping modalities in the study. The results show that consumers would rather use a biometric payment system in stores than online. Between the two modalities, consumers' trust and attitude toward the technology have a stronger mediating role for online than in‐store toward their intention to use. In addition, self‐efficacy consistently moderates the antecedents (performance expectation and perceived risk) and their intention to use.
A 17.5–23 GHz high precision phase shifting four‐channel satellite communication receiver with phase calibration technology
Authors: Xu Hua , Chen Junning , Wu Xiulong , Peng Chunyu , Yu Jinchuan , Xie Zhuoheng , Huang Bo , Yuan Bo
Published: April 2021

This article presents a 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS four‐channel satellite communication receiver. Phased‐array system has become the optimal solution for satellite communication due to the electrical steering nature. In order to obtain wider bandwidth, higher precision of phase shift and smaller chip size, an improved quadrature network and a phase compensation technique are proposed in this article. Each channel consists of a cascade low noise variable gain amplifier with a high Q value inductor and an active vector synthetic phase shifter. The measurement results show that the receiver consumes only 193 mA current under 1.6 V supply voltage. The chip can achieve a gain of more than 23 dB (including synthesizer losses) from 19 to 23 GHz. From 17.5 to 23 GHz, the RMS phase shifting accuracy and attenuation accuracy are less than 2.7° and 1.1 dB, respectively. The noise figure and the gain variation are less than 2.3 dB and ± 1.5 dB, respectively. The total chip area is 3.5 × 1.8 mm2.
Non‐fluorinated PVA/SSA proton exchange membrane studied by positron annihilation technique for fuel cell application
Authors: Awad Somia , Abdel‐Hady Esam E. , Mohamed Hamdy F. M. , Elsharkawy Yehya S. , Gomaa Mahmoud M.
Published: April 2021

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with sulfosuccinic acid (SSA) membrane was prepared with different concentrations of SSA (wt.%) and thermally crosslinked successfully at 100 °C. Ion exchange capacity and proton conductivity were found to increase with increasing the SSA content in the meantime the water uptake and hydration number were declined with the rise in the degree of sulfonation. This anomalous behavior was discussed based on Nerst equation parameters which confirm the results discussion with enhancement with data of contact angle. Tensile strength results suggest the deterioration of the PVA/SSA membranes with increasing SSA content because of the chemical reaction of SSA and PVA chains. Positron annihilation results were found to enhance the electrochemical‐mechanical results of the membranes. The o‐Ps lifetime was found to increase with increasing degree of sulfonation while SO3 was working as an inhibitor agent of PS formation as o‐Ps Intensity was declined with an elevated percentage of SSA content. The o‐Ps lifetime as a function of temperature for different PVA/SSA membranes having different SSA content increased with increasing SSA content. Furthermore, the glass transition temperature of PVA/SSA membranes was found to decrease with increasing the SSA content. The results were discussed based on the free volume theory.
Registration of CA 4009 and CA 4010 cotton germplasm lines
Authors: Kelly Carol M. , Dever Jane K. , Morgan Valerie A.
Published: April 2021

Raw fiber properties are important in determining the value of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). They determine the type and quality of cotton products that can be produced, making them important to textile processors and farmers, and are critical traits of interest for breeders. Improvement of fiber quality is an established objective for the Texas A&M AgriLife Research cotton breeding program in Lubbock, TX. CA 4009 (Reg. no. GP‐1086, PI 695389) and CA 4010 (Reg. no. GP‐1087, PI 695390) originated from crosses made in 2012. Three years of multilocation replicated performance testing were conducted. CA 4009 and CA 4010 produced longer fiber with higher length uniformity and elongation than all commercial cultivar checks, and fiber strength was greater than two checks. Yield was not significantly different from the checks for either line. CA 4009 and CA 4010 were evaluated in the 2018 Regional Breeders Testing Network (RBTN) field trials, and both lines maintained fiber quality across locations. Fiber length, length uniformity, and strength were higher than the checks. CA 4009 and CA 4010 had less short fiber content than all checks. The RBTN provides quality scores, and both CA 4009 and CA 4010 scored higher than all checks and other RBTN entries. These germplasm lines have a fiber quality package that may be valuable for improving multiple fiber properties that address market demands and textile industry requirements.
The association of vitamin D and vitamin E levels at birth with bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants
Authors: Ge Haiyan , Liu Weina , Li Huimin , Zhang Ming , Zhang Mengbin , Liu Chao , Qiao Yanxia
Published: April 2021

Background

Despite improvements made in neonatal care, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is still the most common respiratory disease in preterm infants. The relationship between the blood contents of vitamin D/E in premature infants and BPD is still controversial.

Methods

Preterm infants were recruited as the research subjects. On the basis of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 133 eligible cases were finally included. A total of 63 preterm infants with a clear diagnosis of BPD and 5 preterm infants who died before the diagnosis of BPD were in the case group, and 65 non‐BPD preterm infants with equivalent baseline characteristics were in the control group. The BPD group included 38 cases in Grade Ⅰ, 18 cases in Grade Ⅱ, and 12 cases in Grade Ⅲ. The contents of vitamin D and E in the cord blood of different groups were detected by high‐performance liquid chromatography and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Correlation analysis adopted the Pearson correlation analytic method.

Results

The serum vitamin D and E levels at birth were remarkably lower in the BPD group than the non‐BPD group, both of which were also correlated with the severity of BPD. The vitamin D and E contents were negatively correlated with the oxygen support duration required for premature infants with BPD.

Conclusion

This study deepens our understanding of the field of BPD pathogenesis by demonstrating an association between vitamin D/E deficiency and BPD severity, suggesting that vitamin D and E might have potential clinical value in the prognosis and treatment of BPD.
Methodological Issues in Literacy Research Across Languages: Evidence From Alphabetic Orthographies
Authors: Papadopoulos Timothy C. , Csépe Valéria , Aro Mikko , Caravolas Marketa , Diakidoy Irene-Anna , Olive Thierry
Published: April 2021

Research on literacy has become universal and is essential for researchers of various disciplines, educators, and psychologists. For this article, we examined the most important methodological challenges that arise when conducting literacy research across languages, some of which have long been acknowledged in the relevant literature. Specifically, we focused on challenges related to research on word reading, spelling, passage comprehension, and writing, ranging from the target skills, constructs, and assessment issues to the matching of the samples and measurement and factorial invariance issues. We conclude that although theoretical and applied issues have been addressed in the literature, to date, this has happened only with limited relevance for reading and writing research across languages. The discussion provides some relevant evidence from a neuroscience perspective to promote useful insights and greater methodological rigor in literacy research across languages.
Advancing the Science of Teaching Reading Equitably
Authors: Jensen Bryant
Published: April 2021

Teaching reading is more complex than reading, especially when teaching students from minoritized communities. Teaching reading equitably requires educators to integrate their knowledge of skills involved in reading, assisting students to learn to read, and everyday sociocultural practices and identities of readers. In this article, I examine what research has found across methodological traditions regarding teaching reading equitably, as well as what still needs to be explored. For the “science of reading” community, I frame equitable teaching as effective in assisting student reading performance and meaningful in terms of integrating values and practices from minoritized students’ everyday lives. Drawing largely on interpretive research, I identify sociocultural processes in teaching reading that connect with minoritized students’ everyday identities and experiences, support student initiative and expression, and foster collaborative relationships in the classroom to assist student participation and performance in reading. To advance the science of teaching reading equitably, I recommend that pluralistic research build generalizable evidence regarding effects of equitable teaching on reading and language gains for minoritized students, mechanisms in teaching reading equitably, and processes and materials to support teacher learning to sustain implementation of equitable practices to teach reading.
Intensification of no‐till agricultural systems: An opportunity for carbon sequestration
Authors: Nicoloso Rodrigo S. , Rice Charles W.
Published: April 2021

The “4 per 1,000” initiative was launched at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) stimulating a long‐standing debate on the potential of no‐till (NT) to promote soil C sequestration. Previous reviews found little or no soil organic C (SOC) accrual in NT soils as compared with full inversion tillage when soils are sampled deeper than 30 cm. Here, we present the results of a global meta‐analysis of studies assessing SOC and total N (TN) storage and dynamics in NT and tilled soils from the most important agricultural regions of the world. Overall, our results show that NT soils stored 6.7 ± 1.9 Mg C ha–1 and 1.1 ± 0.4 Mg N ha–1 more than tilled soils (0‐to‐100‐cm depth) with an average of 16 yr of NT, in contrast with previous findings. However, C sequestration (+4.7 ± 1.9 Mg C ha–1 in the 0‐to‐60‐cm depth with an average of 11 yr of NT) depended on the association of NT with increased crop frequency and the inclusion of legumes cover crops. Single‐cropping systems lack the necessary C inputs to offset SOC losses in the soil profile (below 30‐cm depth). However, double‐cropping systems decreased soil TN that may constrain future C sequestration. The use of legumes alleviated TN loss and supported soil C sequestration. Briefly, our findings indicate that NT can avoid SOC losses from tilled soils, partially offsetting CO2 emissions from agriculture. Moreover, NT with agricultural intensification can promote soil C sequestration, thus contributing to soil quality, food security, and adaptation to climate change.
Incorporating partial adherence into the principal stratification analysis framework
Authors: Sanders Eric , Gustafson Paul , Karim Mohammad Ehsanul
Published: April 2021

Participants in pragmatic clinical trials often partially adhere to treatment. However, to simplify the analysis, most studies dichotomize adherence (supposing that subjects received either full or no treatment), which can introduce biases in the results. For example, the popular approach of principal stratification is based on the concept that the population can be separated into strata based on how they will react to treatment assignment, but this framework does not include strata in which a partially adhering participant would belong. We expanded the principal stratification framework to allow partial adherers to have their own principal stratum and treatment level. The expanded approach is feasible in pragmatic settings. We have designed a Monte Carlo posterior sampling method to obtain the relevant parameter estimates. Simulations were completed under a range of settings where participants partially adhered to treatment, including a hypothetical setting from a published simulation trial on the topic of partial adherence. The inference method is additionally applied to data from a real randomized clinical trial that features partial adherence. Comparison of the simulation results indicated that our method is superior in most cases to the biased estimators obtained through standard principal stratification. Simulation results further suggest that our proposed method may lead to increased accuracy of inference in settings where study participants only partially adhere to assigned treatment.
Effect of Microalloyed Elements M (M = Ce, Ti, V, and Nb) on Mechanical Properties and Electronic Structures of γ‐Fe: Insights from a First‐Principles Study
Authors: Liu Xiangjun , Yang Jichun , Cai Changkun , Li Anxin , Lei Xiao , Yang Changqiao
Published: April 2021

Herein, the first‐principles calculation is used to study the solid solution behavior of microalloyed elements M (M = Ce, Ti, V, and Nb) in steel, and the effects of M on the mechanical properties and electronic structures of the doped systems are analyzed. The calculated results of the solvation energy and formation enthalpy show that Ce, Ti, V, and Nb can be solubilized in γ‐Fe. The elastic modulus calculated results show that M doped reduces the incompressibility and rigidity and of the doped system, but the toughness and machinability are improved. A combination of Bader charge and differential charge density analysis shows that the metallic bond strength of the Fe–M system is weaker than that of the pure Fe system, which is the main reason for the decrease in incompressibility and rigidity of the doped system; the higher electron cloud density of the doped system is the main reason for its toughness increase.
Making Sense of Change: Methodological Approaches to Societies in Transformation—An Introduction
Authors: Berriane Yasmine , Derks Annuska , Kreil Aymon , Lüddeckens Dorothea
Published: April 2021

In this introductory chapter the authors discuss ways of studying change that go beyond a chronology of events and sweeping laws of evolution and that take into account the ways in which people live through, experience, desire, create, and challenge change. How can we‚ at the same time‚ gain a longue durée perspective on societal transformations and give a truthful account of the ways our different interlocutors describe, name, and understand the changes they are living and the kinds of future they expect? The authors first situate this question within broader disciplinary debates, focusing particularly on debates in anthropology and its focus on studying history and change through ethnography. Ethnography is a crucial instrument for uncovering and analyzing the relationship between emic and etic perspectives of change, as well as the complex and often contradictory interplay of continuity and change beyond linear periodization and teleological presuppositions. The authors argue for a combination of multiple methods of investigation that borrow from both ethnography and other methods of data collection and analysis, and for an analytical framework that articulates three levels of analysis: the unit of analysis, the empirical data and the metanarratives of change.
The Affects of Change: An Ethnography of the Affective Experiences of the 2013 Military Intervention in Egypt
Authors: Malmström Maria Frederika
Published: April 2021

In this chapter the author discusses the difficulties of exploring the ethnography of events as they are happening, especially when they are violent, not least due to the lack of reliable information available and the complex process of interpreting transmissions of affect. The epistemological turn away from language—in which the focus on affect has emerged as a critique of post-structuralism’s inability to recognize the prediscursive forces that also shape the body—is, the author argues, imperative, as using the framework of affect theory and new materialism allows us to assess societies in flux as long as our material is grounded in empirical research. Examining the material consequences of recent uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region may provide a way of addressing key methodological issues in qualitative research in innovative and creative ways. In her ongoing project in Egypt, the author has identified the materialization of a certain clustering of affect by spending time with Cairenes during violent uprisings and her own lived experiences at such intense and uncertain moments, especially from the summer of 2013 and onwards. Starting with an inquiry into the material affective consequences—in particular changes to the vibration of sound but also encompassing other materialized experiences—this chapter reflects upon how the author’s attempt to formulate alternative methods of inquiry, anchored in affects and the body as a way of studying affective politics and the tangible emotions that resonate with and transform everyday engagements in a transitional country, provides useful tools for the study of change in the making.
Seeing Social Change Through the Institutional Lens: Universities in Egypt, 2011–2018
Authors: Cantini Daniele
Published: April 2021

This chapter explores the possibilities offered by the ethnographic study of institutions when addressing the question of social change, taking Egyptian universities during the revolution and its aftermath as case study. Discussing how different actors address the issue of change, the chapter cautions against adopting explanatory schemes too easily, particularly when building narratives. Instead, it suggests looking at institutional constraints to see how contradictory and overlapping notions of change are created, enforced, and contested across competing networks of power, both during an uprising and in times of political repression. Furthermore, it shows how changes in an institution can reveal hints of transformation processes in the broader society. This chapter offers an alternative reading of the revolutionary changes that transformed the country in and after 2011. Focusing on two major perspectives on the change in Egypt’s higher education sector the article discusses some of the complexities of accounting for change through an institutional lens. The first, coming from those more actively involved in the 2011 revolution, is one of struggle, emancipatory will, and depression and silence as a consequence of the 2013 backlash. The second perspective stems from state-sponsored programs promoting higher education as a globally competitive object, subject to reform and geared toward innovation and quality. As a consequence of these different perspectives the university has become the site of a major battle between forces competing for power within society, demonstrating how such metanarratives of change shape the temporalities according to which university actors consider their action. By combining participatory observation, interviews, and the study of documents stating internal university regulations and reform programs, the author shows the importance of universities as privileged sites for the implementation of change, uncovering balances of power, beyond slogans and discourses.
Conceptualizing Change in the Cuban Revolution
Authors: Gold Marina
Published: April 2021

This paper will consider two levels within the study of the Cuban revolution: the meta-narratives of change and continuity that determine the academic literature on Cuba and inform political positioning in relation to the revolution, and the methodological challenges in understanding how people in Cuba experience change and continuity in their daily life. Transformation and continuity have been the two dominant analytical tropes used to interpret Cuban social and political life since the overthrow of the Batista regime in 1959. For Cuban scholars and politicians, a focus on change in reference to what was Cuba’s reality before the Revolution is a continuous concern and a powerful discursive mechanism in redefining and reinvigorating the revolutionary project. Simultaneously, in periods of crisis throughout the 62 years since the revolution, the capacity to demonstrate continuity with revolutionary principles while developing new mechanisms to redefine the political project has ensured the revolution’s subsistence. Conversely, continuity and change are also harnessed by critics of Cuba’s current regime to articulate the ever-imminent collapse of socialism in the region. Change has been their main focus of concern during critical historic moments that affected the trajectory of the Cuban revolutionary project. From this perspective, change embodies a promise of progress and implies a movement toward liberal democracy and a pro-US foreign policy, while continuity denotes failure, stagnation, and repression. At the core of the analysis of change in Cuba lies a concern with the nature of the state. Ethnographic data reveals the partialities and contradictions people experience in their daily life and across time. Two elements of ethnographic experience are particularly informative: life histories that span across the revolutionary period, and generational conflicts surrounding political issues. I will focus on the life history of key informants and the generational conflicts that surround their experience, a well as their material contexts (their neighborhood, their house, their job), all of which help to elucidate the complexities of studying change within a permanent revolution.
Social Change and Generational Disparity: Education, Violence, and Precariousness in the Life Story of a Young Moroccan Activist
Authors: Schwarz Christoph H.
Published: April 2021

This chapter illustrates how social change can be assessed in biographical research by methodologically focusing on processes of intergenerational transmission in interviewees’ life stories, not only within the family but also in educational institutions and other contexts. The author illustrates this by reconstructing the political socialization and politicization of a young activist in Morocco’s Unemployed Graduates Movement and Amazigh Movement. Life stories not only allow long periods of social time and the historicity of social processes to be taken into account but also shed light on the conflicts that young people have to tackle before they can claim to be adults as defined in their particular social contexts. From this perspective, social change and the reconfiguration of power relations depend to a great extent on how societies organize and broker the transition to adulthood, and what particular type of young individuals are granted by their position at the intersections of class, gender, and ethnicity. By assessing the interviewees’ reinterpretation of the experiences, narratives, and traditions passed down to them by the older generation and reconstructing how they position themselves in a generation or generational unit, social change and the formation of new social and political subjectivities become empirically accessible as narrated patterns of social interaction.
When a Coterie Becomes a Generation: Intellectual Sociability and the Narrative of Generational Change in Sayyid Qutb’s Egypt
Authors: Šabasevičiūtė Giedrė
Published: April 2021

Departing from the case study of Egyptian intellectuals, focusing particularly on Sayyid Qutb, this chapter explores the relationship between narratives of generational change and cultural renewal. It argues that the observation of intellectual sociability is a productive angle from which to understand the conditions under which generational claims result in the effective reshuffling of the intellectual leadership, aesthetic norms, and principles of intellectual authority. The biography of Qutb (1906–1966), a poet and literary critic who abandoned his literary activity in the mid-1950s to pursue a career in Islamic activism—allows us to observe how the generational narrative articulates with his shifting intellectual networks. As a public intellectual, Qutb was at the forefront of two literary confrontations in early- to mid-twentieth century Egypt in which he made generational claims in order to place himself in the literary tradition that emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century, and later to cut himself off from that tradition by announcing the emergence of a new generation dedicated to political Islam. At the core of these competing uses of generational rhetoric, this chapter argues, is Qutb’s shifting relationship with the senior literary generation, some of whom he had considered his mentors. Departing from the case study, the chapter then argues that collectives defined as generational tend to emerge in tandem with the reshuffling of social bonds that a writer maintains with his seniors, switching from a bond of transmission to one of confrontation. The change announced in the generational narrative is effective when followed by the concrete action of shifting one’s intellectual solidarities from masters to peers, as this is the moment when the masters are abandoned to history and peers are promoted as the new literary generation. Depending on the particular set of relationships in which a writer finds himself, the notion of generation may act as a narrative of either change or tradition.
Distributed Economies
Authors: dos Santos Aguinaldo , Vezzoli Carlo , Garcia Parra Brenda , Molina Mata Sandra , Banerjee Sharmistha , Kohtala Cindy , Ceschin Fabrizio , Petrulaityte Aine , Duarte Gabriela Garcez , Dickie Isadora Burmeister , Balasubramanian Ranjani , Xia Nan
Published: April 2021

This chapter presents Distributed Economies (DE) as a promising model for locally-based sustainability. DE consist of small-scale value-adding units (e.g. manufacturing, energy generation, food production, water management, software development, knowledge generation) where there is a shift in the control of core activities towards the user/client.
Adding Well-Being to Ageing: Family Transitions as Determinants of Later-Life Socio-Emotional and Economic Well-Being
Authors: Zoutewelle-Terovan Mioara , Muller Joanne S.
Published: April 2021

This chapter focuses on adult family-related experiences and the manner in which they affect later-life socio-emotional and economic well-being (loneliness, employment, earnings). Particularly innovative is the investigation of these relationships in a cross-national perspective. Results from two studies conducted by the authors of this chapter within the CONOPP project show that deviations from family-related social customs differently impact socio-emotional and economic well-being outcomes as there is: (a) a non-normative family penalty for loneliness (individuals who never experience cohabitation/marriage or parenthood or postpone such events are the loneliest); and (b) a non-normative family bonus for women’s economic outcomes (single and/or childless women have the highest earnings). Moreover, analyses revealed that European countries differ considerably in the manner in which similar family-related experiences affect later-life well-being. For example, childlessness had a stronger negative impact on loneliness in Eastern Europe than in Western Europe and the observed heterogeneity could be explained by culturally-embedded family-related values and norms (childless individuals in countries placing stronger accent on ‘traditional’ family values are lonelier compared to childless individuals in less ‘traditionalistic’ nations). In terms of economic outcomes, results show that the lower the female labor force participation during child-rearing years, the more substantial the differences in later-life employment and income between women with different family life trajectories.
Spacetime as a quantum circuit
Authors: Chandra A. Ramesh , de Boer Jan , Flory Mario , Heller Michal P. , Hörtner Sergio , Rolph Andrew
Published: April 2021

Abstract

We propose that finite cutoff regions of holographic spacetimes represent quantum circuits that map between boundary states at different times and Wilsonian cutoffs, and that the complexity of those quantum circuits is given by the gravitational action. The optimal circuit minimizes the gravitational action. This is a generalization of both the “complexity equals volume” conjecture to unoptimized circuits, and path integral optimization to finite cutoffs. Using tools from holographic $$ T\overline{T} $$
T

T
¯

, we find that surfaces of constant scalar curvature play a special role in optimizing quantum circuits. We also find an interesting connection of our proposal to kinematic space, and discuss possible circuit representations and gate counting interpretations of the gravitational action.
A machine learning approach to distinguish between knees without and with osteoarthritis using MRI-based radiomic features from tibial bone
Authors: Hirvasniemi Jukka , Klein Stefan , Bierma-Zeinstra Sita , Vernooij Meike W. , Schiphof Dieuwke , Oei Edwin H. G.
Published: April 2021

Objectives

Our aim was to assess the ability of semi-automatically extracted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–based radiomic features from tibial subchondral bone to distinguish between knees without and with osteoarthritis.

Methods

The right knees of 665 females from the population-based Rotterdam Study scanned with 1.5T MRI were analyzed. A fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition sequence was used for the quantitative bone analyses. Tibial bone was segmented using a method that combines multi-atlas and appearance models. Radiomic features related to the shape and texture were calculated from six volumes of interests (VOIs) in the proximal tibia. Machine learning–based Elastic Net models with 10-fold cross-validation were used to distinguish between knees without and with MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score (MOAKS)–based tibiofemoral osteoarthritis. Performance of the covariate (age and body mass index), image features, and combined covariate + image features models were assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC AUC).

Results

Of 665 analyzed knees, 76 (11.4%) had osteoarthritis. An ROC AUC of 0.68 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.60–0.75) was obtained using the covariate model. The image features model yielded an ROC AUC of 0.80 (CI: 0.73–0.87). The model that combined image features from all VOIs and covariates yielded an ROC AUC of 0.80 (CI: 0.73–0.87).

Conclusion

Our results suggest that radiomic features are useful imaging biomarkers of subchondral bone for the diagnosis of osteoarthritis. An advantage of assessing bone on MRI instead of on radiographs is that other tissues can be assessed simultaneously.

Key Points

• Subchondral bone plays a role in the osteoarthritis disease processes.

• MRI radiomics is a potential method for quantifying changes in subchondral bone.

• Semi-automatically extracted radiomic features of tibia differ between subjects without and with osteoarthritis.
Frequency, clinical presentation and outcome of vigilance impairment in patients with uni- and bilateral ischemic infarction of the paramedian thalamus
Authors: Fritsch Merve , Villringer Kersten , Ganeshan Ramanan , Rangus Ida , Nolte Christian H.
Published: April 2021

Ischemic stroke of the paramedian thalamus is a rare differential diagnosis in sudden altered vigilance states. While efforts to describe clinical symptomatology exist, data on the frequency of paramedian thalamic stroke as a cause of sudden impaired vigilance and on accompanying clinical signs and outcome are scarce. We retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients admitted to a tertiary stroke center between 2010 and 2019 diagnosed with paramedian thalamic stroke. We evaluated frequency of vigilance impairment (VI) due to paramedian thalamic stroke, accompanying clinical signs and short-term outcome in uni- versus bilateral paramedian lesion location. Of 3896 ischemic stroke patients, 53 showed a paramedian thalamic stroke location (1.4%). VI was seen in 29/53 patients with paramedian thalamic stroke and in 414/3896 with any stroke (10.6%). Paramedian thalamic stroke was identified as causal to VI in 3.4% of all patients with initial VI in the emergency department and in 0.7% of all ischemic stroke patients treated in our center. Accompanying clinical signs were detected in 21 of these 29 patients (72.4%) and facilitated a timely diagnosis. VI was significantly more common after bilateral than unilateral lesions (92.0% vs. 21.4%; p < 0.001). Patients with bilateral paramedian lesions were more severely affected, had longer hospital stays and more frequently required in-patient rehabilitation. Paramedian thalamic lesions account for about 1 in 15 stroke patients presenting with impaired vigilance. Bilateral paramedian lesion location is associated with worse stroke severity and short-term outcome. Paying attention to accompanying clinical signs is of importance as they may facilitate a timely diagnosis.
Towards understanding Cameraria ohridella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) development: effects of microhabitat variability in naturally growing horse-chestnut tree canopy
Authors: Łaszczyca Piotr , Nakonieczny Mirosław , Kędziorski Andrzej , Babczyńska Agnieszka , Wiesner Marta
Published: April 2021

Dwelling intensity of horse-chestnut miner (Cameraria ohridella) larvae in various leaves insolation and temperature was measured to determine whether this pest’s development follows a predictable pattern or depends more on local microenvironment conditions. Mines growing on leaves of mature host plants (Aesculus hippocastanum L.) in their natural conditions were photographed for two consecutive generations of the pest and in two separated vegetation periods. Apart from meteorological data obtained from the nearest station, the temperature of intact and mined parts of sun-exposed and shaded leaf blades was measured at various daytimes throughout the experiment. Obtained sets of digital data were analysed and combined to model mine area growth as a function of degree-days sum by adopting of Verhulst logistic equation. We showed the predictive potential of our model based on experimental data, and it may be useful in the scheduling of pest control measures in natural conditions. Our analyses also revealed that despite significant differences in microenvironment conditions depending on mines’ insolation, the horse-chestnut miner larvae could partially compensate for them and complete their development at similar endpoints expressed as the cumulative sum of degree-days. We conclude that computer-aided analysis of photographic documentation of leaf-miner larval growth followed by mathematical modelling offers a noninvasive, reliable, and inexpensive alternative for monitoring local leaf-miners populations.
Exploring big data-driven innovation in the manufacturing sector: evidence from UK firms
Authors: Babu Mujahid Mohiuddin , Rahman Mahfuzur , Alam Ashraful , Dey Bidit Lal
Published: April 2021

Although innovation from analytics is surging in the manufacturing sector, the understanding of the data-driven innovation (DDI) process remains a challenge. Drawing on a systematic literature review, thematic analysis and qualitative interview findings, this study presents a seven-step process to understand DDI in the context of the UK manufacturing sector. The findings discuss the significance of critical seven-step in DDI, ranging from conceptualisation to commercialisation of innovative data products. The results reveal that the steps in DDI are sequential, but they are all interlinked. The proposed seven-step DDI process with solid evidence from the UK manufacturing and research implications based on dynamic capability theory, institutional theory and TOE framework establish the building blocks for future studies and industry practice.
Creating Shared Value Through an Inclusive Development Lens: A Case Study of a CSV Strategy in Ghana’s Cocoa Sector
Authors: Ollivier de Leth David , Ros-Tonen Mirjam A. F.
Published: April 2021

Despite the widespread popularity of the Creating Shared Value (CSV) discourse, its ‘business case’ and ‘win–win’ rhetoric remain problematic. This paper adds an inclusive development perspective to the debate, arguing that analysing CSV strategies through an inclusivity lens contributes to a better operationalisation of societal value; makes tensions and contradictions between economic and societal value explicit and uncovers processes of inclusion, exclusion and adverse inclusion. We illustrate this by analysing Nestlé’s CSV strategy in its cocoa supply chains in Ghana based on content analysis of company documents, interviews with value chain actors and stakeholders, and focus groups with farmers. We ask how Nestlé frames and implements its CSV discourse in practice and how this relates to the social, relational and environmental dimensions of inclusive development. Findings show how the company addresses inclusive development dimensions in its corporate discourse, practices and business operations, and what trade-offs it faces. We then unmask the inherent tension between business objectives and societal interests and explain why the scope, issues addressed and societal impacts of CSV remain constrained. We conclude that CSV can help reduce a company’s impact on some persistent societal issues, but that its contribution to transformational change remains limited because the need to uphold competitive advantages and short-term financial performance narrows its ability to address all inclusivity dimensions. Legislation mandating responsible business conduct and due diligence can reduce this inherent tension by levelling the playing field between companies addressing inclusivity issues vis-à-vis those who do not.
Artistic Freedom or the Hamper of Equality? Exploring Ethical Dilemmas in the Use of Artistic Freedom in a Cultural Organization in Sweden
Authors: Johansson Janet Zhangyan , Lindström Sol Sofia
Published: April 2021

With this paper, from the perspective of ethics at the workplace, we problematize the taken-for-granted assumptions embedded in the use of artistic freedom in creative processes. Drawing on the notion of inequality regimes (e.g. Acker, 2006) and using empirical material from a performing arts organization in Sweden, we explore how the assumptions of artistic freedom facilitate and legitimize the emergence of inequality regimes in invisible and subtle manners. Our findings indicate that non-reflexive interpretations of the concept of artistic freedom result in ethical dilemmas that impact the organization's pursuits of equality work. The aesthetic ethics oriented around the notion of ‘art for the sake of art’ tends to camouflage the centralization of aesthetic authority in processes where formal hierarchical structures are missing. Consequently, asymmetrical power relations between the Directors, actors, and producers are legitimized. Ethics of quality of art and that of the social ideal of equality have been constructed as dichotomic notions indicating that aesthetic ethics of art can only be preserved at the expense of social objectives of equality. We argue that the current interpretative practices of ‘artistic freedom’ in some cultural organizations add little value of ethics to the freedom of expressing artistic opinions and in achieving the social ideal of equality but lead to the emergence of inequality regimes in the artistic work processes.