bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Maintenance system of semi-trailer and risk priority number
Authors: Barta Dalibor , Gallikova Jana , Caban Jacek
Published: October 2022

The new maintenance system of semi-trailer combination as a most used road freight transport means is the subject of interest in this article. The real experiences from practice and creation of the FMEA analysis of the system using software support are the basis of wear and damage analysis of air brake system components used on the semi-trailer combination. The desire to improve market position of the company, customer satisfaction, but also the product specifications, government regulatory requirements, agency recommendations, and legal implications are the grounds for continuous improvement of the product quality, reliability and safety. These reasons push the product manufacturers to perform risk analyses, which helps them identify and minimize system failures during the life cycle of product. One of the risk analysis techniques recommended by international standards to identify possible failure causes is the FMEA methodology. It helps to locate the failures and reduce their consequences, so that the intended function of the machine is fulfilled.
In this paper was presented the wear and damage analysis of individual components of air brake system and creating of the FMECA analysis for semi-trailer combination. Base on them, new methods to detect failures of components of air systems, preventive measures and set up of a new planned preventive maintenance system for air brakes was designed. The cost of the proposed maintenance system is 2.2 times higher than the cost of the current maintenance system, but it minimizes the failures and their consequences (traffic accidents).
Comparison of Traffic Flow Characteristics of Signal Controlled Intersection and Turbo Roundabout
Authors: Skřivánek Kubíková Simona , Kalašová Alica , Čulík Kristián , Palúch Ján
Published: October 2022

In the Slovak republic, there is an increase of building roundabouts in both urban and non-build-up areas. The construction of roundabouts in urban areas brings mainly calming of traffic intensity. A roundabout in non-build-up areas could be built only within certain conditions. In this paper, we have been studying a small roundabout location and its traffic characteristics in the city of Hlohovec. In some cases, a small roundabout could be very good solution for exceeded traffic flow capacity of signal controlled intersections as well as for intersections with a high number of traffic incidents. But in our case, a small roundabout is not suitable for such intensity of vehicles as we measured in transport survey. So we focused on other possibilities how to improve this current situation. We have decided to make a proposal of signal controlled intersection as well as a turbo roundabout and compare the results of traffic characteristics of each proposal. We have made several simulations of each variant of traffic situation, using transport-planning software Aimsun, and calculate average values of all recorded traffic characteristics. As inputs, we have used intensities and other basic data obtained from transport survey. Using simulations outputs of transport planning software, we have been able to compare a current state with signal controlled intersection and turbo roundabout. Traffic characteristics of turbo roundabout show significant improvements compare to signal controlled intersection, f.e. in delay time (more than 68 %), travel time (more than 22 %), number of stops (more than 73 %). Turbo roundabout seems to be the best solution for traffic organising at this chosen intersection in the city of Hlohovec, regarding travel time, delays, number of stops and safety at all.
Application of Rectification Method for Processing of Documentation from the Place of Road Accident
Authors: Kohút Pavol , Macurová Ľudmila , Rédl Miroslav , Ballay Michal
Published: October 2022

This paper is focused to explain the usability of the rectification method on the place of road accidents. Rectification is a method, using which a documentation after road accidents is processed for further analysis. In praxis often occurs a situation, where is necessary to find a certain value out from the place of road accident retroactively. Original conditions at the place of road accidents are in many cases non-repetitive. As next could happen, that measured distances given by the police units, which are responsible for documentation at the place of road accident, are with significant deviations. But with precise photography documentation, the required information can be reached using rectification method. For further photography processing was used software PC Rect. Paper deals with the methodological process for photography preparation and its rectification, and also includes evaluation of accuracy of this method in graphic charts. From performed measurement it is obvious, using which method should be photography taken in order to achieve the smallest possible deviation in the current condition.
Analysing the Vibration of Bicycles on Various Road Surfaces in the City of Zilina
Authors: Gogola Marián
Published: October 2022

Over recent years, cycling has emerged as a particularly desirable mode of transport in Europe. Many local authorities, together with cycling lobbyist and advocating groups strive to get cycling to accepted perceived level of urban mobility. Some movements have already introduced the citizens’ science approach aimed at improving the local conditions for cyclists with crowd-sourced data collection. With this in mind, this paper presents an entry-level analysis of vibration from various surfaces which might affect the comfort of cyclists in the city of Zilina. The emphasis is focused on analysis of the road surface with a smartphone application and a so-called instrumental or probe bicycle. The results of testing are explained in the context of the problematic issues that occur in the infrastructure. The results are aimed at drawing attention to the fact that not all infrastructure is properly built, designed or maintained. There is a relationship between properly planned and built cycling infrastructure and the cycling traffic. An Android smartphone with the Phyphox application was used in the analysis as the example of citizens science.
Research on low-emission vehicle powered by LPG using innovative hardware and software
Authors: Małek Arkadiusz , Caban Jacek , Sarkan Branislav
Published: October 2022

LPG is a cheap and ecological fuel for spark ignition engines. The sequential gas injection system can be installed at the factory and is then the Original Equipment of the Manufacturer. A vehicle with a spark ignition engine can also be converted to gas in an authorized workshop. In both cases, the vehicle must meet the same exhaust emission standards when running on alternative fuel as it does with the original fuel. Conversion of vehicles to LPG and CNG is regulated by law at the European Union level. The article describes the conversion of a low-emission gasoline vehicle that meets the Euro 6 emission standard to LPG. The configuration and calibration of the LPG system is described in detail. The compatibility of the gas system with the vehicle's on-board diagnostic system was then checked. Finally, road tests of the vehicle were carried out to compare the performance with the original fuel and the alternative fuel.
Research of the TQM evaluation in a service company
Authors: Salamakhina Ekaterina , Poliakova Adela , Tomaszewska Iwona , Gašparík Jozef
Published: October 2022

TQM is a term associated mainly with ensuring the quality of production, where the emphasis is on quality in all parts of the production process. The introduction of TQM into the operation of a service company therefore seems to be more difficult. In the presented article we address the basic requirements for the introduction of TQM in a company providing road freight transport. The basic PDCA approach needs to be implemented in all processes of the actors involved in the supply chain. The article points out the fact that evaluating the quality of the provided service only on the basis of a single indicator, which is the monitoring of the number of complaints and claims, is not sufficient as evidence of the established TQM system. The customer requires evidence of long-term and serious monitoring. As part of this monitoring, it proposes the creation of an effective evaluation system for evaluating the quality of the external service provider. To determine the priority requirements of the customer, it is appropriate to apply several known simple evaluation methods. In the article, we applied the pairwise comparison method and the Saaty’s method to determine the order of importance of the quality criteria that we previously found in the customer survey: integrity of the consignment, compliance with the agreed delivery time and completeness of the shipment, including documents. We therefore recommend focusing on these criteria when providing TQM in the company.
A Study on the Awareness of the Teachers Working in Special Education Schools towards Mathematical Problem-Solving Process
Authors: TURGUT Sedat , DOĞAN TEMUR Özlem , UĞURLU Mahir
Published: October 2022

This study aims to examine the awareness of teachers working in special education schools towards mathematical problem-solving process. The study was carried out in two stages. In the first stage of the study, a scale was developed for the awareness of problem-solving process. The draft scale form was administered to 215 teachers working in special education schools. In order to determine the structural integrity of the scale, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted for the data obtained. The findings of the EFA indicated that the scale, which contains twenty-nine items, has a three-factor structure. It was calculated that the three factors explained 52.40% of the total variance. The Cronbach's alpha value of the scale is .93. The three-factor structure revealed by EFA was tested with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). As a result of CFA, it was calculated as SRMR=.06, RMSEA=.06, CFI=.90, IFI=.90. In the second stage of the study, the teachers’ awareness of mathematical problem-solving process was examined in terms of several variables. For this purpose, the scale was administered to 181 teachers working in special education schools. As a result of the analysis of the obtained data, there is no statistically significant in teachers’ awareness of mathematical problem-solving process in terms of their gender and professional seniority; however, there is a statistical significance in terms of the variables such as graduation, the school and the group taught. The results were interpreted based on the previous studies in the literature.
Learning the languages of technology: Multilingualism in Indonesian vocational secondary education
Authors: Tamtomo Kristian
Published: October 2022

In Indonesia, we can consider vocational secondary education as being in the front lines of global contact, in which youth as students directly face the demands of globalized industries and labor markets. Within vocational high schools, the use of multiple languages often plays an important yet unrecognized part of vocational training. This paper will discuss, based on ethnographic data collected in 2013 from two vocational schools in Semarang, the way in which students use multiple languages, mainly English, Indonesian, and Javanese, as part of their process of learning vocational skills. The main argument of the paper is that vocational schools teach students a specific technical variety or register of language, which combines parts or sometimes fragments of multiple languages, often for the purpose of technical vocational competence and not necessarily for the development of linguistic competence. This results in a form of “segmented competence” (Blommaert and Omoniyi 2006). However, youth as students can use this technical register to not only localize global forms of technological practice in their learning processes but also to participate, albeit marginally, in the global or transnational technology-based communities of practice of their vocational program.Keywords: multilingualism; globalization; youth; vocational high school
Revisiting Full Reduplication in Indonesian, Javanese, and Sundanese Verbs: a Distributed Reduplication Approach
Authors: Subiyanto Agus
Published: October 2022

Indonesian, Javanese and Sundanese belong to the same language family, the Austronesian languages. The three languages have some similarities, one of which is the occurrence of reduplication. This paper aims to discuss full reduplication in the three languages, especially on the verbs. The objectives of this paper are to explain the semantic functions of full reduplication, and to present the process of deriving full reduplication in the three languages. In this case, the theory of distributed reduplication was applied in the analysis. The data used in the study were taken from books and research reports. In addition, I also employed a native speaker of  Sundanese to check the data on Sundanese. In this case, I used the interview method with an elicitation technique. The result of the analysis shows that Indonesian and Javanese have full reduplication with the notion of repetition, reciprocal, uncertainty of goal, and intensifier. Meanwhile, Sundanese, has full reduplication with the notion of intensifier and reciprocal. The process of full reduplication in the three language is different. In Indonesian, reduplicated forms with a reciprocal notion are composed of three morphemes, while in Javanese and Sundanese this type of reduplication is composed of two morphemes.Keywords: full reduplication, Indonesian, Javanese, Sundanese, distributed reduplication
Imagining Home in Diaspora in Leila S. Chudori’s Pulang (Home)
Authors: Wulandari Retno
Published: October 2022

Diaspora literature has been one of literary genres that is flourishing for the last few years in Indonesia. This paper aims at analyzing the concept of home in diaspora in Leila S. Chudori’s Pulang (Home). The novel is about the experience of Indonesian exile in 1960s in French, in which he and his friends cannot return home due to the accusation of their involvement in Indonesian banned party. Through sociological approach, the concept of home by Mallet and Golob are used to explore this literary work. A close reading method and classification based on the topic are used in researching the novel. The result shows that although the main character experiences marginalization and estrangement, he still wants to return to Indonesia. The concept of home for the main character is not about the movement or created in the new land, but home is where one originates and that is a place to return.Keywords:diaspora, home
SPEECH ACTS AND THE COMMON PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN A HUMOR TEXT
Authors: Ari Astuti Deasy , Herry Chandra Oktiva
Published: October 2022

People need humor for enjoying entertainment and amusement. Its function is getting wider not only to make people laugh but also to make social activity. This aricle aims to figure out kinds of speech act people generally used to show their intention in humor.  The data were collected from Reader’s Digest magazine using no-participatory. The data are utterances that become the punch line of humor as units to analyze. The result shows that there are two speech acts of humor texts, that is, representative and commissive.  They are uttered in form of indirect speech in which the function and the mood of utterances are not in line. The punch lines of humor are triggered by some topics, namely the characters or bad traits of someone, marriage issues which cover the anxiety of getting old,  passing by the time of living together as husband and wife, job and position at workplace, public services which include mistake, satisfaction, dissatisfaction, and complaint people met when having the service in public places, and other problems related to various aspects of life.Keywords: humor text, indirect speech, representative, commissive, puch lines of humor
Psychoanalytical Conflicts, Anxiety, and Ego Defense Mechanisms of The Main Character in Karin Slaughter’s The Good Daughter
Authors: Syahidah Jihan , Laksono Arido
Published: October 2022

This study is aimed to observe the factors of defense mechanisms applied by the main character, Charlie Quinn in The Good Daughter’s novel by Karin Slaughter. The Good Daughter tells the story of Charlie Quinn who undergoes certain unfortunate situations in Pikeville, Georgia, United States. Library research is conducted to gather the data. The primary data were collected from the novel whilst the secondary data were collected from journals, books, and articles. Character and characterization, conflicts, and settings are observed for the intrinsic aspects whilst the psychology of literature approach that includes the factors of Sigmund Freud’s defense mechanisms is observed for the extrinsic aspects. It is determined that from the analysis, defense mechanisms are applied to redeem objective and neurotic anxiety. Objective and neurotic anxiety are the factors that trigger the use of defense mechanisms. Finally, the kinds of defense mechanisms employed by the main character to redeem anxiety are intellectualization, repression, denial, regression, and displacement.Keywords: The Good Daughter; defense mechanisms; objective anxiety; neurotic anxiety
Identifying the Characters of Lion and Fox in the Aesop’s Fables using Transitivity System
Authors: Kusuma Putri Nabilla Alifiany , Nirmala Deli
Published: October 2022

This research investigates the Aesop Fables characters, the Lion and Fox, characterization analysis using transitivity system. This research aims to identify the characterization of Lion and Fox based on transitivity system using types of processes. This research using descriptive qualitative methods to describe the prominent clause that represents the Lion and Fox characterization. The non-participant observation methods were used to collect data and referential identity methods to analyze the data. The results show that material and verbal processes are discovered as the prominent process to represent the Lion and Fox's characterization. Through material and verbal processes, the Lion and Fox appeared in different characterizations. The Lion is discovered in manipulative, wise, powerful, and foolish characterizations. Meanwhile, the Fox found in cunning and talkative characterization. The finding also shows that the author constructed material and verbal processes because they are suitable for the children's limited knowledge. After all, material and verbal clause can be understood by the children easily.Keywords: transitivity system, characterization, narrative-stylistics, Aesop’s fables
Analysis of Lexical of English Spoken by Non-Native Speakers in British Television Series Mind Your Language Session 1
Authors: Ihsan Muhammad , Kepirianto Catur
Published: October 2022

In language, ambiguity is often considered a problem. Ambiguity can be found in every aspect of language whether it is written or spoken. Research in terms of ambiguity mostly found in written language, but this study conducted using spoken data. In this research, the ambiguity that is going to be studied is an ambiguity spoken by Non-native English speaker in a humoristic way. Lexical ambiguity is usually caused by homonymy and polysemy. This research aims to describe the ambiguity in the British television series Mind Your Language Season 1 and the writer focus on the lexical ambiguity and contextual meaning. The type of this research is descriptive qualitative. The technique of collecting the data is note-taking technique. The writer describes all possible meanings from the ambiguous jokes by analyzing the contextual meaning. This study conducted to find types of lexical ambiguity used by non-native English and described all possible meanings from the ambiguous jokes within the context. There are two lexical ambiguities found in this data, polysemy and homonymy. The writer found 51 words considered as lexical ambiguity. From 51 words, 15 words were classified as polysemy and 36 as homonymy. In homonymy, there are 18 words categorized in both homonyms and homophones. By analyzing the contextual meaning, the writer reveals the correct interpretation and intention of the ambiguous words. The writer also found the reason why the jokes are considered as lexical ambiguity. Finally, the writer reveals the type of lexical ambiguity used by non-native English.Keywords: ambiguity; contextual meaning; lexical ambiguity; polysemy; homonymy
The Impact of GATS on the Insurance Sector: Empirical Evidence from Pakistan
Authors: Rahman Habib Ur , Khan Safdar Ullah
Published: October 2022

This study aims to analyse the effects of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) on the investment activities of the Pakistani insurance sector. First, we analyse the impact of GATS on the overall and company-wise return on investment of the insurance sector of Pakistan. In a panel data setting, the traditional fixed and random effect models are unsuitable for dealing with the possible issues, including endogeneity, unobserved heterogeneity, profit persistency, and the correlation between lagged dependent variables and independent variables. Therefore, we apply the Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) system estimator to the panel data from 1984 to 2018. In the Arellano-Bond framework, the estimated results indicate that the overall investment returns of the Pakistani insurance sector have increased after the GATS membership. However, company-wise analysis reveals mixed evidence. The average returns of IGI Insurance Limited and EFU General Insurance Limited have increased significantly after the GATS membership. These results support one of our empirical conjectures that a rising tide lifts some boats more than it does others. Then, we apply Markowitz’s Portfolio Theory to estimate the portfolio returns and the associated risk using the financial statements data from 1984 to 2018. The estimates of portfolio analysis reveal that the portfolio returns of the Pakistani insurance sector improve by 6.70 percentage points after the membership. However, the associated portfolio risk also increases by 11.13 percentage points, 7.40 times higher than the Pre-GATS risk. Despite the better returns, there is an intensive increase in investment volatility after GATS membership. This study provides a valuable reference for insurance managers and the Ministry of Finance and Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan to control and improve the insurance sector’s performance in Pakistan.
News-Driven Housing Booms: Spain Versus Germany
Authors: Guinea Laurentiu , Puch Luis A. , Ruiz Jesús
Published: October 2022

We investigate how the economy responds to anticipated (news) shocks to future investment decisions. Using structural vector autoregressions (SVARs), we show that news about the future relative price of residential investment explains a high fraction of the variance of output, aggregate investment and residential investment for Spain. In contrast, for Germany it is the news shocks on business structures and equipment that explain a higher fraction of the variance of output, consumption and non-residential investment. We confront the identified shock with other shocks to provide evidence that our structural interpretation is valid. Then, to address our empirical findings, we propose a stylized two-sector model of the willingness to substitute current consumption for future investment in housing, structures or equipment. The model combines a wealth effect driven by the expectation of rising house prices, with a reduced-form friction in labor reallocation. We find that the model calibrated for Spain displays a response to anticipated house price shocks that stimulate residential investment, whereas for Germany those shocks enhance investment in equipment and structures. The results highlight the propagation mechanism of anticipated shocks to future investment, which is consistent with the housing booms in Spain and their absence in Germany. Such a mechanism complements a view relying on a combination of monetary, financial or housing supply and demand, surprise shocks.
The Chemist’s Oath
Authors: Keinan Ehud
Published: October 2022

Although the COVID-19 pandemic will continue affecting every aspect of our life, it seems that we have crossed the worst phase and have gradually resumed all professional and personal activities of pre-COVID times. International travel is back, and academic activities and scientific meetings are back to in-person mode. I feel fortunate to serve IUPAC as Vice President during this biennium of revamping period. I wish to share my observations and potential opportunities for IUPAC, and I’ll appreciate your help and response.
Quercetin-grafted modification to improve wood decay resistance
Authors: Yan Li , Ji Xiaodi , Zeng Feiyang , Chen Zhangjing , Lei Yafang
Published: October 2022

As a renewable biomass material, wood is often deteriorated by decay fungi. Quercetin was here grafted onto poplar (Populus nigra) using oxalic acid as a linker through vacuum-pressure treatment and esterification with various molar ratios of quercetin to oxalic acid (Q/O) to enhance the wood decay resistance. Decay resistance, flexural strength, graft mechanism, and microscopic structure of the quercetin-grafted wood were analyzed. Results indicated that the decay resistance of quercetin-grafted wood to white-rot fungi (Trametes versicolor) and brown-rot fungi (Gloephyllum trabeum) was significantly improved. The modulus of rupture (MOR) of the quercetin-grafted wood was reduced while the modulus of elasticity (MOE) was improved. Quercetin was grafted onto wood through formation of ester groups among oxalic acid, wood, and quercetin. The highest amount of ester groups in the grafted wood was achieved when Q/O was 1:2 and Q/O lower than 1:2 would severely degrade the wood. The thickness of cell walls of the quercetin-grafted wood increased and reached a maximum of 2.2 μm with Q/O of 1:2. Quercetin can be grafted on wood cell wall by oxalic acid as an environment-friendly preservative to enhance the decay resistance of wood.
Individual role classification for players defending corners in football (soccer)
Authors: Bauer Pascal , Anzer Gabriel , Smith Joshua Wyatt
Published: October 2022

Choosing the right defensive corner-strategy is a crucial task for each coach in professional football (soccer). Although corners are repeatable and static situations, due to their low conversion rates, several studies in literature failed to find useable insights about the efficiency of various corner strategies. Our work aims to fill this gap. We hand-label the role of each defensive player from 213 corners in 33 matches, where we then employ an augmentation strategy to increase the number of data points. By combining a convolutional neural network with a long short-term memory neural network, we are able to detect the defensive strategy of each player based on positional data. We identify which of seven well-established roles a defensive player conducted (player-marking, zonal-marking, placed for counterattack, back-space, short defender, near-post, and far-post). The model achieves an overall weighted accuracy of 89.3%, and in the case of player-marking, we are able to accurately detect which offensive player the defender is marking 80.8% of the time. The performance of the model is evaluated against a rule-based baseline model, as well as by an inter-labeller accuracy. We demonstrate that rules can also be used to support the labelling process and serve as a baseline for weak supervision approaches. We show three concrete use-cases on how this approach can support a more informed and fact-based decision making process.
Parallel and deep reservoir computing using semiconductor lasers with optical feedback
Authors: Hasegawa Hiroshi , Kanno Kazutaka , Uchida Atsushi
Published: October 2022

Photonic reservoir computing has been intensively investigated to solve machine learning tasks effectively. A simple learning procedure of output weights is used for reservoir computing. However, the lack of training of input-node and inter-node connection weights limits the performance of reservoir computing. The use of multiple reservoirs can be a solution to overcome this limitation of reservoir computing. In this study, we investigate parallel and deep configurations of delay-based all-optical reservoir computing using semiconductor lasers with optical feedback by combining multiple reservoirs to improve the performance of reservoir computing. Furthermore, we propose a hybrid configuration to maximize the benefits of parallel and deep reservoirs. We perform the chaotic time-series prediction task, nonlinear channel equalization task, and memory capacity measurement. Then, we compare the performance of single, parallel, deep, and hybrid reservoir configurations. We find that deep reservoirs are suitable for a chaotic time-series prediction task, whereas parallel reservoirs are suitable for a nonlinear channel equalization task. Hybrid reservoirs outperform other configurations for all three tasks. We further optimize the number of reservoirs for each reservoir configuration. Multiple reservoirs show great potential for the improvement of reservoir computing, which in turn can be applied for high-performance edge computing.
The Contemporary Social Contract and Conditions of Climate Policy Intractability
Authors: Groff Stephen P.
Published: October 2022

Observable declines in public trust in media, government, and science have contributed to intractable climate policy conditions in the time since the landmark consensus of the 1987 Montreal Protocol. This commentary considers how scholars might measure the influence these declivities in public trust have had on the policy process. With attention to how these factors constrain the contemporary social contract, policy scholars can begin to conduct a wide range of exploratory statistical analyses to examine how declines in public trust reduce individuals’ willingness to sacrifice for the greater good and increase the likelihood of policy stagnation. Rather than examine the effective workings of the policy process, this commentary encourages scholars to confront instances of intractability and integrate measures of public trust that may be used to identify practices that nudge intransigent publics toward urgent policy reforms, restore confidence in epistemic communities, and promote consensus in international climate policy deliberations.
Prohibitin 1 regulates mtDNA release and downstream inflammatory responses
Authors: Liu Hao , Fan Hualin , He Pengcheng , Zhuang Haixia , Liu Xiao , Chen Meiting , Zhong Wenwei , Zhang Yi , Zhen Cien , Li Yanling , Jiang Huilin , Meng Tian , Xu Yiming , Zhao Guojun , Feng Du
Published: October 2022

Exposure of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to the cytosol activates innate immune responses. But the mechanisms by which mtDNA crosses the inner mitochondrial membrane are unknown. Here, we found that the inner mitochondrial membrane protein prohibitin 1 (PHB1) plays a critical role in mtDNA release by regulating permeability across the mitochondrial inner membrane. Loss of PHB1 results in alterations in mitochondrial integrity and function. PHB1‐deficient macrophages, serum from myeloid‐specific PHB1 KO (Phb1MyeKO) mice, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from neonatal sepsis patients show increased interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) levels. PHB1 KO mice are also intolerant of lipopolysaccharide shock. Phb1‐depleted macrophages show increased cytoplasmic release of mtDNA and inflammatory responses. This process is suppressed by cyclosporine A and VBIT‐4, which inhibit the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) and VDAC oligomerization. Inflammatory stresses downregulate PHB1 expression levels in macrophages. Under normal physiological conditions, the inner mitochondrial membrane proteins, AFG3L2 and SPG7, are tethered to PHB1 to inhibit mPTP opening. Downregulation of PHB1 results in enhanced interaction between AFG3L2 and SPG7, mPTP opening, mtDNA release, and downstream inflammatory responses.
Cryo‐EM structures of perforin‐2 in isolation and assembled on a membrane suggest a mechanism for pore formation
Authors: Yu Xiulian , Ni Tao , Munson George , Zhang Peijun , Gilbert Robert J C
Published: October 2022

Perforin‐2 (PFN2, MPEG1) is a key pore‐forming protein in mammalian innate immunity restricting intracellular bacteria proliferation. It forms a membrane‐bound pre‐pore complex that converts to a pore‐forming structure upon acidification; but its mechanism of conformational transition has been debated. Here we used cryo‐electron microscopy, tomography and subtomogram averaging to determine structures of PFN2 in pre‐pore and pore conformations in isolation and bound to liposomes. In isolation and upon acidification, the pre‐assembled complete pre‐pore rings convert to pores in both flat ring and twisted conformations. On membranes, in situ assembled PFN2 pre‐pores display various degrees of completeness; whereas PFN2 pores are mainly incomplete arc structures that follow the same subunit packing arrangements as found in isolation. Both assemblies on membranes use their P2 β‐hairpin for binding to the lipid membrane surface. Overall, these structural snapshots suggest a molecular mechanism for PFN2 pre‐pore to pore transition on a targeted membrane, potentially using the twisted pore as an intermediate or alternative state to the flat conformation, with the capacity to cause bilayer distortion during membrane insertion.
Community Review: A little regulatory pluralism with your counter-hegemonic advocacy? Blending analytical frames to construct joined-up food policy in Canada
Authors: MacRae Rod , Winfield Mark
Published: October 2022

Canadian food policy is deficient in many ways. First, there is neither national joined-up food policy, nor much supporting food policy architecture at the provincial and municipal levels. Second, there is no roadmap for creating such policy changes. And third, we don’t have an analytical approach to food policy change in Canada that would help us address deficiencies one and two. This paper addresses the third theme. In our experience, a significant limitation of existing Canadian food policy work is the lack of frame blending to bring more explanatory power to both current phenomena and a more desirable process of change. Consequently, we attempt to unify disparate literatures pertinent to the food policy change process in Canada to create a more cohesive approach, using four case studies of analyses already conducted to demonstrate the frame blending process.
Food marketing and the regulation of children’s taste:
Authors: Elliott Charlene
Published: October 2022

Playing with food has long been understood as a part of childhood, with adults placing rules around children’s eating. Over the past few decades, children’s imaginative food play has been commodified by the food industry—the play has been packaged and sold back to children, with fun appeals, cartoon characters, and bright packaging used to identify packaged foods as “for kids”. Yet with increasing rates of childhood obesity, the very foods designed to appeal to children are now subject to new forms of regulation (at the macro level via marketing to kids restrictions). This Perspective explores how play and food is expressed and controlled in the world of children’s packaged foods. In the final section, we take up how play and food are being promoted to children by the use of licensed characters from children’s media culture. Specifically, we argue that there is particular purchase in recognizing these licensed characters as paratexts (rather than simply cartoon appeals). Doing so reconfigures the conversations about child-targeted promotional appeals in new and significant ways, shifting the conversation from issues of obesity and regulation to those of media culture and commercialization.
Une approche territorialisée du système alimentaire
Authors: Boulianne Manon , Després Carole , Mundler Patrick , Parent Geneviève , Provencher Véronique
Published: October 2022

De 2016 à 2019, une recherche collaborative impliquant des universitaires et des organisations partenaires a permis de caractériser le système alimentaire de la région de Québec. Cet article propose une analyse qui rend compte de la complexité de ce dernier. L’étude repose sur une approche territorialisée du système alimentaire. Celle-ci s’intéresse à toutes les modalités de production et d’échange qui contribuent à nourrir les habitantes et les habitants d’une région, qu’elles s’inscrivent dans des logiques marchandes ou non marchandes. Les résultats présentés révèlent qu’un grand nombre d’acteurs aux logiques divergentes interviennent, à différentes échelles territoriales, au sein d’un système alimentaire régional comme celui de Québec. Néanmoins, leurs activités s’inscrivent dans des circuits qui s’entrecroisent. L’approche déployée permet d’éviter les classements à grands traits entre système « conventionnel » et « alternatif » et facilite la reconnaissance de différentes logiques d’action ainsi que des contraintes structurelles et des rapports de pouvoir au sein desquels opèrent les acteurs. Au final, le recours à une approche territorialisée du système alimentaire, de même que la prise en compte des activités marchandes et non marchandes qui en sont constitutives, a permis d’analyser et de rendre certaines réalités régionales plus visibles et plus intelligibles pour les partenaires du projet.
Review of "Thinking with soils: Material politics and social theory"
Authors: Duthie-Kannikkatt Kaitlyn
Published: October 2022

Drawing on the pioneering work of Maria Puig de la Bellacasa, the contributors to Thinking with Soils: Material Politics and Social Theory argue that it is time for social scientists to deepen our own understanding of soil. We need to consider how to think with soils and recentre the set of embodied relationships that lie at the heart of this lively world beneath our feet. The only way to confront the ecological crisis we face is to decolonize our narratives of conservation and reimagine it as an ongoing process of socioecological entanglement in which humans and non-humans are active agents. The collection succeeds in prompting deep and meaningful consideration of what it might mean to live into our relationships with soil, and how sustained reflection on the material politics of soil might shift the way we think about and act on the so-called soil crisis.
O is for open (as well as optimal, operable, optimistic, organic)
Authors: Szanto David , Moyer Alexia
Published: October 2022

Much as we might like to think of the academy as an enlightened domain of pure knowledge creation, it is inextricably linked to financial and corporate influences. The business of academic publishing is a complex ecosystem of actors, processes, expectations, and perversions. Many of us have encountered—indeed, have reinforced—such entanglements. Very often our academic success depends on learning the rules of engagement and then following them. We research, we write, we publish; we review, we critique, we edit. We make our textual submissions and pay our subscription fees, whether directly to a journal or indirectly through our participation in the institutions, organizations, and libraries to which we are connected.
But this system, when we start to unpack it, can present some pretty nefarious effects. Research papers published in for-profit journals are not easily and freely accessible to those outside of institutional life. Yet these papers are generally produced by people with access to public funding, either from research councils or educational institutions. By paying for journal articles that sit behind paywalls, we are effectively transferring tax revenue into the pockets of private corporations. Of course, for those who can’t or don’t want to pay, there are semi- and non-legal options, but even ‘free’ access to PDFs comes with costs (often folded back into commercial publishers’ fee structures).
Unwrapping school lunch
Authors: Black Jennifer L , Mazac Rachel , Heckelman Amber , Elliott Sinikka
Published: October 2022

Students are important stakeholders in school food programs. Yet children’s daily experiences and voices are often overlooked in advocacy around school food. In Canada, where the federal government recently expressed interest in creating a National School Food Program, nearly no research has documented the first-hand experiences of children during lunch.  This ethnographic study draws on data collected during 36 lunchtimes in three Canadian schools during a transitional period in a school district’s lunch program. The findings unwrap the powerful role of students’ perceptions of and relationships to food in shaping their social interactions, and their sense of care, connection, and identity. Classroom observations coupled with photos of school lunches demonstrate the wide diversity of foods eaten at school and the nuanced, complex, and sometimes divergent meanings children give to food, school lunch and the people involved in preparing, serving, supervising, and sharing lunchtime experiences.  Students demonstrated in-depth knowledge of the food choices and attitudes of their peers and actively marked out their identities vis-à-vis food. Students frequently talked about food as a site of care and support, and both the social relationships and care work that played out were a major part of school lunch experiences.  Understanding the intricacies of children’s school lunch experiences, including the relationships, meanings, and values that shape school lunch, will be critical for creating robust school food programs and policies in Canada that better serve the needs of children and reduce rather than reproduce existing health and social inequalities.
Rechtsprechungsänderung und sekundärer Vertrauensschutz im Bankrecht
Authors: Florstedt Tim
Published: October 2022

Der XI. Zivilsenat des BGH hat in seinem vielbeachteten Urteil vom 27. 4. 2021 (XI ZR 26/20, „Postbank“) die bis dahin kaum je hinterfragten Text- und Preisanpassungsklauseln in Nr. 1 Abs. 2, Nr. 12 Abs. 5 AGB-Banken (inhaltsgleich waren Nr. 2 Abs. 2 und Nr. 17 Abs. 6 AGB-Sparkassen) gem. §§ 307 f. BGB als unwirksam verworfen. Der Senat lehnte es dabei kategorisch ab, die einschneidenden Rückwirkungsfolgen dieses Verdikts abzumildern. Der Beitrag tritt dem entgegen und setzt sich für einen sog. sekundären Vertrauensschutz ein, d. h. für eine gerechtere Austarierung des abrupten rückwirkenden Praxiswechsels vermittelst der allgemeinen zivilrechtlichen Rechtsinstitute.
Report from Brussels: Pending legislative initiatives by the European Commission in the area of financial services in the EU – content and state of play
Authors: Wojcik Karl-Philipp , Annoscia Dario , Kerr Sean
Published: October 2022

This report aims at giving an overview on the procedural state of play as well as the content of important pending legislative initiatives by the European Commission in the area of financial services in the EU, in particular in the area of banking and capital market law. The report continues and follows in its approach earlier reports from 2018 (ZBB 2018, 340) and 2019 (ZBB 2019, 272). This report (with a cut-off date on 4 October 2022) is timely since it takes stock of developments at ‘half time’ of the current Commission’s mandate.
Chemical modification of starch microcrystals and their application as an adsorbent for metals in aqueous solutions
Authors: Chen Qijie , Zheng Xueming , Zhou Liling , Kang Meicun
Published: October 2022

Starch microcrystals have the advantages of native starch grains but with higher specific surface area and numerous active sites. In this study, tapioca starch microcrystals were made by sulfuric acid hydrolysis and then chemically modified with succinic anhydride in an aqueous alkaline medium. The succinylated starch microcrystals were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The adsorption properties of the succinylated starch microcrystals in aqueous solutions were studied at different time periods (1 to 60 min), pH (2 to 7), and metals concentration (100 to 2000 mg/L) for different divalent metal ions such as Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II). The results showed that the starch microcrystals were successfully succinylated, and their adsorption equilibrium for divalent metal ions was reached within 1 min. The adsorption capacity in high metal concentration was 147.7 mg/g for Cu(II), 143.2 mg/g for Zn(II), 216.4 mg/g for Cd(II), and 216.0 mg/g for Pb(II)). The metal-adsorption of succinylated starch microcrystals followed the Freundlich isotherm.
Combining organosolv pretreatment with mechanical grinding of sugarcane bagasse for the preparation of nanofibrillated cellulose in a novel green approach
Authors: Jiang Yan , Liu Xiuyu , Yang Shuang , Song Xueping , Wang Shuangfei
Published: October 2022

The production of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) from bagasse was optimized through a novel green approach by combining an organosolv pretreatment with microgrinding. Bagasse was processed through organosolv pretreatment with trifluoroacetic acid (OPT) as a catalyst to provide precursor fibers with full control of chemical components for NFC production. The mass balance of the pretreated bagasse through OPT (OPTB) was determined by its chemical components and total organic carbon analysis. OPT was found to be an efficient and energy-saving strategy for recovering cellulose, as well as hydrolyzing hemicellulose and lignin. Noncellulosic contents in OPTB fibers were optimized to obtain a high NFC yield through microgrinding. The highest NFC yield relative to the mass of precursor fibers of 72% was achieved through mechanical defibrillation of the OPTB containing noncellulosic content of 29%, which generated nanofibrils with the average diameter of 9 nm. In biorefinery principles, OPT not only converted 57% of bagasse to solid cellulosic fibers for NFC preparation, but also 30% of bagasse to valuable bioproducts including the hemicellulose-derived xylose (19%) and lignin-derived organosolv lignin (11%). The combined OPT and microgrinding produced NFC and simultaneously extracted bioproducts from bagasse while using easily recoverable and low environmental impact reagents.
Short-time dynamics of noise-induced escapes and transitions in overdamped systems
Authors:   V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 03680 Kyiv, Ukraine, Soskin S.M. , Sheka V.I. ,   V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 03680 Kyiv, Ukraine, Linnik T.L. ,   V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 03680 Kyiv, Ukraine,   Experimentelle Physik 2, Technische Universitat Dortmund, 44227 Dortmund, Germany, Mannella R. ,   Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy
Published: October 2022

Using the path-integral approach, we have developed a general solution of the problem of a noise-induced escape or transition of the overdamped one-dimensional potential system at time scales of the order of dynamic relaxation time. The results strongly differ from those obtained before by other methods. Computer simulations confirm the validity of our theory in the relevant time range. The obtained results may be of interest in studies of Josephson junctions, levitating nanoparticles in optical traps, ionic channels, chemical reactions and chemical-physical systems.