bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Controlled uptake of PFOA in adult specimens of Paracentrotus lividus and evaluation of gene expression in their gonads and embryos
Authors: Savoca Dario , Pace Andrea , Arizza Vincenzo , Arculeo Marco , Melfi Raffaella
Published: November 2022

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been largely used in the manufacturing industry but a few years ago it turned out to be a dangerous pollutant which is now of concern for terrestrial and aquatic environments. Here, we investigated the bioaccumulation of PFOA in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus after exposure to different concentrations of the pollutant for 28 days. We observed rapid uptake of PFOA in the coelomic fluid collected weekly during the exposure period and high bioaccumulation in gonads at the end of the experiment. Interestingly, animals were also able to fast depurate when relocated to a clean environment. In addition, to assess the effect of PFOA on sea urchins’ physiological pathways, we analysed the expression profile of some marker genes both in the gonads and in the embryos obtained from parents exposed to PFOA. Our results suggest that PFOA is a persistent, bioaccumulative compound that adversely affects the health of the exposed organisms and their offspring by causing significant changes in the expression of some key target genes and the occurrence of developmental anomalies in the embryos.
Green synthesis of chitosan/erythritol/graphene oxide composites for simultaneous removal of some toxic species from simulated solution
Authors: Sayed Asmaa , Mazrouaa Azza M. , Mohamed Manal G. , Abdel-Raouf Manar El-Sayed
Published: November 2022

In this study, chitosan (Ch) is adapted via green methodology including sonication induced crosslinking with different weight ratios of erythritol (Er) from (Ch-Er)1to (Ch-Er)4. The products were casted in the form of thin films. The chemical modification was proved via FTIR spectroscopy. Then, the modified products were verified via an atomic force microscopy (AFM) investigation for their topography and surface properties. The data revealed that the optimized sample was (Ch-Er)3. This sample was further modified by different weight ratios of graphene oxide 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 wt./wt. (symbolized as (Ch-Er)3GO1, (Ch-Er)3GO2, (Ch-Er)3GO4, and (Ch-Er)3GO8respectively). The prepared samples were investigated by different analytical tools. Then, the adjusted sample (Ch-Er)3GO2was irradiated by electron beam (e-beam) at 10 and 20 kGy of irradiation doses to give samples (Ch-Er)3GO2R10and (Ch-Er)3GO2R20, respectively. The AFM data of the irradiated samples showed that the pore size decreases, and surface roughness increases at higher energy e-beam due to the formation of more crosslinking points. The optimum samples of the prepared formulations were tested as sorbent materials for simultaneous elimination of methylene blue (MB) dye and mercury cation (Hg2+) from simulated solutions. The maximum removal of both MB dye and Hg2+cation was achieved by (Ch-Er)3GO2R10(186.23 mg g−1and 205 mg g−1) respectively.

Graphical abstract
Care Gaps in Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitor and Renin Angiotensin System Inhibitor Prescriptions for Patients with Diabetic Kidney Disease
Authors: Rikin Sharon , Deccy Stephanie , Zhang Chenshu , Crandall Jill , Deng Yuting , Golestaneh Ladan
Published: November 2022

Background

Renin and angiotensin system inhibitors (RAASi) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are recommended for patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) to reduce the progression to end-stage kidney disease; however, they are under-prescribed.

Objective

To evaluate the frequency of care gaps in RAASi and SGLT2i prescription by patient demographic, health system, and clinical factors in patients with DKD.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Participants

Adult primary care patients with DKD at an integrated health system in Bronx, NY, with 23 primary care sites in 2021.

Main Measures

The odds of having a care gap for (1) SGLT2i or (2) RAASi prescription. Multivariate logistic regression models were performed for each outcome measure to evaluate associations with patient demographic, health system, and clinical factors.

Key Results

Of 7199 patients with DKD, 80.3% had a care gap in SGLT2i prescription and 42.0% had a care gap in RAASi prescription. For SGLT2i, patients with A1C at goal (aOR 2.32, 95% CI 1.96–2.73), Black non-Hispanic race/ethnicity (aOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.15–1.87), and Hispanic race/ethnicity (aOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.11–1.92) were more likely to experience a care gap. For RAASi, patients with blood pressure at goal (aOR 1.34, 95% CI 1.21–1.49) were more likely to experience a care gap.

Conclusions

The care gaps for SGLT2i and RAASi for patients with DKD with well-controlled diabetes and blood pressure suggest failure to recognize DKD as an independent indication for these medications. Racial/ethnic disparities for SGLT2i, but not for RAASi, suggest systemic racism exacerbates care gaps for novel medications. These factors can be targets for interventions to improve patient care.
Determinants in the adoption of a non-labor-substitution technology: mechanical ventilation in West Virginia coal mines, 1898–1907
Authors: Silvestre Javier , Murray John E.
Published: November 2022

Accounts of technological change during industrialization processes based on labor-saving innovations are commonplace, even more so in the coal mining industry, in which the focus has until now been placed on the steam engine water pump and the coal cutting machine. However, to better understand technological change, we need to bear in mind the study of complementary capital. While previous research on complementary capital relies on evidence for manufacturing or the aggregate economy, this paper focuses on a case study, which provides more details on technology adoption decisions. This paper considers mechanical ventilation, a prominent and largely overlooked technology complementary to labor, as a response to stale air and explosions in the exploitation of coal. We examine the determinants in the adoption of the newer technology—the mechanical ventilator—through an economic model that is established at a high level of disaggregation: the mine. We concentrate on the West Virginia coalfield at the turn of the twentieth century, an apt historical setting for the study of technology adoption. We quantify characteristics of mines over time, so we are able to estimate a panel. We show the importance of various costs and benefits in explaining which type of mine converted from older technologies to the newer technology. The model is complemented with qualitative information, which helps to explain why an older technology slowed the process of adopting the newer as a result of different costs associated with the substitution.
Associations between patient-reported late effects and systemic cytokines in long-term survivors of head and neck cancer treated with radiotherapy
Authors: Huynh T. T. M. , Aass H. C. D. , Falk R. S. , Astrup G. L. , Helland Å. , Bjøro T. , Bjordal K. , Dale E. , Hellebust T. P. , Herlofson B. B. , Malinen E. , Kiserud C. E. , Osnes T. , Amdal C. D.
Published: November 2022

Purpose

Head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment may lead to late effects and impaired health-related quality of life of survivors. Knowledge on long-term late effects after radiotherapy (RT) and potential underlying biological mechanisms is lacking. We assessed the prevalence of xerostomia, dysphagia, and chronic fatigue (CF) in HNC survivors ≥ 5 years post-RT, and examined associations between pro-inflammatory cytokines and late effects.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study, 263 HNC survivors treated between 2007 and 2013 were enrolled. They completed validated questionnaires assessing xerostomia and dysphagia (the EORTC QLQ-H&N35), and CF (the Fatigue Questionnaire), and underwent blood sampling and clinical examination. Pro-inflammatory cytokines were analyzed in 262 survivors and 100 healthy age- and gender-matched controls.

Results

Median time since treatment was 8.5 years. The proportions of survivors reporting xerostomia, dysphagia, and CF were 58%, 31%, and 33%, respectively, with a preponderance of females. We found no significant associations between IL-6, IL-8, IP-10, TARC, TNF, or ENA-78 and the three late effects. The odds of having elevated levels of IL-6 and IP-10 were significantly higher in the survivors compared to the controls.

Conclusions

More than one-third of long-term HNC survivors experienced xerostomia, dysphagia, and CF. Persistent inflammation, with elevated systemic cytokines, was not associated with these late effects, although HNC survivors had higher levels of some cytokines than the controls.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

This study provides new knowledge on late effects that can serve as grounds for informing patients with HNC about risk of late effects more than 5 years after RT.
The Power of Birth Cohorts to Study Risk Factors for Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Richards Marcus
Published: November 2022

Purpose of Review

Birth cohorts are studies of people the same time; some of which have continuously followed participants across the life course. These are powerful designs for studying predictors of age-related outcomes, especially when information on predictors is collected before these outcomes are known. This article reviews recent findings from these cohorts for the outcomes of cognitive function, cognitive impairment, and risk of dementia, in relation to prior cognitive function, and social and biological predictors.

Recent Findings

Cognitive function and impairment are predicted by a wide range of factors, including childhood cognition, education, occupational status and complexity, and biological factors, including genetic and epigenetic. The particular importance of high and rising blood pressure in midlife is highlighted, with some insight into brain mechanisms involved. Some limitations are noted, including sources of bias in the data.

Despite these limitations, birth cohorts have provided valuable insights into factors across the life course associated with cognitive impairment.
Towards an integrated framework to measure user engagement with interactive or physical products
Authors: Castiblanco Jimenez Ivonne Angelica , Gomez Acevedo Juan Sebastian , Marcolin Federica , Vezzetti Enrico , Moos Sandro
Published: November 2022

Building great products or services is not easy; users want products and services that exceed their expectations and evolve with their needs; it is not just about building the right features. Knowing the user engagement (UE) towards a physical, virtual product or service can give valuable information that could be used as feedback for the design, enhancing its chances of success. In the context of user-centered design, UE is the assessment of the user experience characterized by the study of the individual's cognitive, affective, and behavioral response to some stimulus, such as a product, a service, or a website. UE considers not only the users’ requirements and wishes but also their perceptions and reactions during and after an interaction with a product, system, or service. Many studies looking to quantify the UE are available. Still, a framework that provides a generic view of the most commonly used methods and metrics to measure UE does not yet exist in the literature. Aiming to understand the UE better, in this research, we developed a conceptual framework summarizing the available metrics and techniques used across different contexts, including good practices of self-report methods and physiological approaches. We expect this study will allow future researchers, developers, and designers to consider the UE as one of the most prominent product/service success indicators and use this guideline to find the more appropriate method, technique, and metric for its measurement.
TPEN/TPGS (T2) combo dramatically reduces Philadelphia chromosome-positive pro-lymphoblastic B leukemia in BALB/c mice
Authors: Mendivil-Perez Miguel , Jimenez-Del-Rio Marlene , Velez-Pardo Carlos
Published: November 2022

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is hematological neoplasia that affects human beings from early life to adulthood. Although ALL treatment has been effective, an important percentage of ALL patients are resilient to treatment. Therefore, there is an urgent need for testing a new combination of compounds for the treatment of this disease. Recently, combined TPEN and TPGS (T2 combo) have shown selective cytotoxic effects in vitro leukemia cells such as Jurkat, K562, and Ba/F3 cells. In this study, we aimed to test the effect of combined TPEN and TPGS agents (T2 combo) at a fixed dose (TPEN 5 mg/kg: TPGS 100 mg/kg) on leukemic Ba/F3-BCR-ABL P210 BALB-c mice model. We found that 4 successive 2-day apart intravenous injections of T2 combo showed a statistically significant reduction of Ba/F3 BCR-ABL leukemia cells (− 69%) in leukemia BALB/c mice (n = 6) compared to untreated leukemia group (n = 6). Moreover, the T2 combo was innocuous to non-leukemia BALB/c mice (n = 3) compared to untreated non-leukemia mice (control, n = 3). After treatments (day 42), all mice were left to rest until day 50. Outstandingly, the leukemia BALB/c mice treated with the T2 combo showed a lower percentage of Ba/F3-BCR-ABL P210 cells (− 84%) than untreated leukemia BALB/c mice. Furthermore, treatment of leukemia and non-leukemia mice with T2 combo showed no significant tissue alteration/damage according to the histopathological analysis of brain, heart, liver, kidney, and spleen samples; however, T2 combo significantly reduced the number of leukocytes in the bone marrow of treated leukemia mice. We conclude that the T2 combo specifically affects leukemia cells but no other tissue/organs. Therefore, we anticipate that the T2 combo might be a potential pro-oxidant combination for the treatment of leukemia patients.
Meiotic nuclear divisions 1 promotes proliferation and metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma and is a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target gene
Authors: Tan Kai , Wang Kunlei , Zhao Anbang , Liu Zhicheng , Song Wenjing , Cheng Qian , Li Xinyin , Chen Zhinan , Yuan Yufeng , Yang Zhiyong
Published: November 2022

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the cancer with the highest incidence among liver cancers and how to treat this cancer effectively is still a difficult problem we must face. We selected meiotic nuclear divisions 1 (MND1) as the study object by combining data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database with prognostic survival analysis. We validated the value of MND1 in evaluating the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma through a diagnostic and prognostic model. At the same time, cellular experiments were used to demonstrate the effect of MND1 on hepatocellular carcinoma proliferation and migration. We used short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to knock down MND1 in Hun7 and HCCLM3 cell lines. Through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and colony formation assays, we found that knocking down MND1 reduced the proliferation of cells. Through wound healing and Transwell assays, we found that knocking down MND1 reduced cell migration and invasion. Moreover, we found that MND1 can promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion of Hep3B cells by overexpressing MND1. Therefore, in general, MND1 is expected to be a gene that can effectively diagnose and treat hepatocellular carcinoma.
“You Look So Beautiful… But Why Are You So Distressed?”: The Negative Effects of Appearance Compliments on the Psychological Well-being of Individuals in the Workplace
Authors: Pacilli Maria Giuseppina , Spaccatini Federica , Roccato Michele
Published: November 2022

The primacy of beauty for women is frequently conveyed through language and, more particularly, through a particular class of conversational devices, compliments. Although previous research has been conducted on the impact of appearance compliments on individuals’ psychological state, research has yet to examine what happens when a compliment about the appearance clearly conveys a positive evaluation in a domain that is completely unrelated to the evaluation’s context, such as a selection interview for a job. Because the selection of a candidate should be based solely on their skills and competence, with no role for physical appearance, we purposely chose a job interview scenario to examine the psychological impact of inappropriate compliments. Through two 2-by-2 experimental studies (Ns respectively = 135 and 301), we examined whether and how anxiety and depression levels vary in women (Study 1 and Study 2) and men (Study 2) applicants who received compliments on their physical appearance, vs. their competence and had a neutral vs. positive feedback on the result of the interview. Findings of the two studies consistently showed that inappropriate compliments increase anxiety and depression levels in women but not in men, independently of the positive or neutral result of the selection interview. This research provides an important opportunity to advance the understanding of inappropriate appearance compliments on psychological well-being of the recipients in the workplace setting.
Explainable product backorder prediction exploiting CNN: Introducing explainable models in businesses
Authors: Shajalal Md , Boden Alexander , Stevens Gunnar
Published: November 2022

Due to expected positive impacts on business, the application of artificial intelligence has been widely increased. The decision-making procedures of those models are often complex and not easily understandable to the company’s stakeholders, i.e. the people having to follow up on recommendations or try to understand automated decisions of a system. This opaqueness and black-box nature might hinder adoption, as users struggle to make sense and trust the predictions of AI models. Recent research on eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) focused mainly on explaining the models to AI experts with the purpose of debugging and improving the performance of the models. In this article, we explore how such systems could be made explainable to the stakeholders. For doing so, we propose a new convolutional neural network (CNN)-based explainable predictive model for product backorder prediction in inventory management. Backorders are orders that customers place for products that are currently not in stock. The company now takes the risk to produce or acquire the backordered products while in the meantime, customers can cancel their orders if that takes too long, leaving the company with unsold items in their inventory. Hence, for their strategic inventory management, companies need to make decisions based on assumptions. Our argument is that these tasks can be improved by offering explanations for AI recommendations. Hence, our research investigates how such explanations could be provided, employing Shapley additive explanations to explain the overall models’ priority in decision-making. Besides that, we introduce locally interpretable surrogate models that can explain any individual prediction of a model. The experimental results demonstrate effectiveness in predicting backorders in terms of standard evaluation metrics and outperform known related works with AUC 0.9489. Our approach demonstrates how current limitations of predictive technologies can be addressed in the business domain.
Fabrication of cellulose acetate/cellulose nitrate/carbon black nanofiber composite for oil spill treatment
Authors: Elmaghraby Nehad A. , Omer Ahmed M. , Kenawy El-Refaie , Gaber Mohamed , El Nemr Ahmed
Published: November 2022

There are global challenges in addressing the oil spill treatment. Nanofiber has become a great potential in the oil spill cleaning process because of the environmental friendliness, high efficiency, low cost, and stability of the obtained nanofiber mats. This study presents a novel composite fabricated from cellulose acetate (CA) and cellulose nitrate (CN) nanofibers with the incorporation of carbon black (CA-CN/CB) for efficient oil removal. This nanofiber composite was fabricated in one-step electrospinning of 10% CA and CN solution with different concentrations of carbon black (CB). The morphology and fiber diameter of the CA-CN/CB nanofiber composite were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and they appeared to be smooth, uniform fibers without beads. The average fiber diameter was in nano-meter size and increased with the increasing CB amount in the composite, ranging from 327 to 755 nm. The FTIR results indicated the presence of CA and CN as characteristic peaks of C = O for CA and O-NO2 for CN. The nanofibers mats of the CA-CN, CA-CN/CB0.7, CA-CN/CB1.5, and CA-CN/CB2.2 composites had Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of 15.29, 38.40, 4.08, and 6.17 m2 g−1, respectively. Under optimal conditions, CA-CN/CB nanofiber mats absorb more than their weight oil in just 30 min. The adsorption result showed that loading 1.5% of CB to CA-CN mats (CA-CN/CB1.5) was more favorable for oil adsorption. The CA-CN/CB1.5 nanofiber showed its reusability for oil adsorption. The Freundlich isotherm model was the most appropriate model among other isotherm models, including Langmuir and Temkin, with a value of correlation coefficient (R2) equal to or closer to unity, and this result was confirmed by the data obtained from studying different error function models. The adsorption kinetics showed that oil adsorption into CA-CN/CB1.5 nanofiber follows a pseudo-second-order kinetics model with R2 close to unity.
Die psychische Gesundheit unserer Kinder und Jugendlichen und deren Behandlungsmöglichkeiten im Drei-Länder-Vergleich (Ö, D, CH) unter Berücksichtigung der Veränderungen durch die COVID-19-Pandemie
Authors: Sevecke Kathrin , Wenter Anna , Haid-Stecher Nina , Fuchs Martin , Böge Isabel
Published: November 2022

Hintergrund und Fragestellung

In einer von der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie (ÖGKJP) für die Neuropsychiatrie kuratierten Artikelserie erscheinen in einem Schwerpunktheft Arbeiten, die die kinder- und jugendpsychiatrische Versorgungslage zum Thema haben. Der vorliegende Artikel hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, einen diesbezüglichen Drei-Länder-Vergleich zwischen Österreich, Deutschland und der Schweiz zu machen und Konklusionen für die österreichische kinder- und jugendpsychiatrische Versorgungslandschaft zu ziehen.

Methode

Zunächst werden epidemiologische Eckdaten sowie unterschiedliche Traditionen und Behandlungsphilosophien und deren Niederschlag im öffentlichen Gesundheitssystem der drei deutschsprachigen Länder Österreich, Deutschland und Schweiz vorgestellt. Im Anschluss werden die kinder- und jugendpsychiatrischen Versorgungsdaten von Österreich und Deutschland aufgezeigt und zueinander in Beziehung gestellt.

Ergebnisse und Schlussfolgerungen

In der österreichischen kinder- und jugendpsychiatrischen Versorgung besteht – wenn man die epidemiologische Datenlage, die deutliche Verschlechterung des psychischen Gesundheitszustandes der Kinder und Jugendlichen durch die Pandemie sowie die bisher niedrigen Bettenmessziffern (0,03–0,09) zugrunde legt – dringender Handlungsbedarf. Eine Verbesserung der strukturellen Defizite in der Forschungs- und Versorgungslandschaft, eine deutliche Erhöhung der Kapazitäten im stationären, teilstationären sowie ambulanten Bereich unter Berücksichtigung moderner Strukturen wie des Hometreatments, sind notwendig.
Uneindeutiges vereindeutigen
Authors: Kalwa Nina
Published: November 2022

Die Praktik des Verortens kann als zentrale soziale Praktik betrachtet werden, durch die eine Person zeichenhaft ihre eigene Identität sowie eine bestimmte Wirklichkeit hervorbringt. Der Beitrag geht der Frage nach, wie sich Personen mit nicht-binärer Geschlechtsidentität verorten und welche sprachlichen Mittel sie dabei verwenden. Dazu werden mittels korpus- und textlinguistischer Methoden Beiträge von und an nicht-binäre(n) Personen analysiert.
Orbital Stability of Peakons and Multi-peakons for a Generalized Cubic–Quintic Camassa–Holm Type Equation
Authors: Deng Tongjie , Chen Aiyong
Published: November 2022

The peakons and mulit-peakons for a generalized cubic–quintic Camassa–Holm type equation have been obtained by Weng et al. (Monatsh Math, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00605-022-01699-w). In this paper, by constructing certain Lyapunov functionals, we prove that the peakons were orbitally stable in the energy space. Furthermore, using energy argument and combining the method of the orbital stability of peakons with monotonicity of the local energy norm, we also prove that the sum of N sufficiently decoupled peakons is orbitally stable in the energy space.
Understanding Natural Selection
Authors: Ruse Michael
Published: November 2022

Natural selection, as introduced by Charles Darwin in the Origin of Species (1859), has always been a topic of great conceptual and empirical interest. This book puts Darwin's theory of evolution in historical context showing that, in important respects, his central mechanism of natural selection gives the clue to understanding the nature of organisms. Natural selection has important implications, not just for the understanding of life's history – single-celled organism to man – but also for our understanding of contemporary social norms, as well as the nature of religious belief. The book is written in clear, non-technical language, appealing not just to philosophers, historians, and biologists, but also to general readers who find thinking about important issues both challenging and exciting.
The Study of Language
Authors: Yule George
Published: November 2022

This bestselling textbook provides an engaging and user-friendly introduction to the study of language. Assuming no prior knowledge of the subject, Yule presents information in bite-sized sections, clearly explaining the major concepts in linguistics and all the key elements of language. This eighth edition has been revised and updated throughout, with major changes in the chapters on Origins, Phonetics, Syntax, Semantics, Pragmatics, Discourse Analysis, First and Second Language Acquisition and Culture. There are forty new study questions and over sixty new and updated additions to the Further Readings. To increase student engagement and to foster problem-solving and critical thinking skills, the book includes over twenty new tasks. The online resources have been expanded to include test banks, an instructor manual, and a substantial Study Guide. This is the most fundamental and easy-to-use introduction to the study of language.
The RMB in the Global Economy
Authors: Cheung Yin-Wong
Published: November 2022

This Element discusses the global role of the RMB. After recapitulating its economic and trade growth experiences, we recount China's evolving exchange rate policy in the post-reform era, review the debate over whether the RMB is overvalued or undervalued, present China's policies to globalize the RMB, describe offshore RMB trading, assess the current global status of the RMB, and discuss geopolitical tensions in the last few years. Since 2009, the process of globalizing RMB has not been smooth sailing and progressed quite unevenly over time. Despite the strong performance in the early 2010s, the RMB is under-represented in the global market and its global role does not match China's economic might. The path of RMB internationalization is affected by both China's economic performance and geopolitical factors.
Climate Activism
Authors: Skoglund Annika , Böhm Steffen
Published: November 2022

What is activism? The answer is, typically, that it is a form of opposition, often expressed on the streets. Skoglund and Böhm argue differently. They identify forms of 'insider activism' within corporations, state agencies and villages, showing how people seek to transform society by working within the system, rather than outright opposing it. Using extensive empirical data, Skoglund and Böhm analyze the transformation of climate activism in a rapidly changing political landscape, arguing that it is time to think beyond the tensions between activism and enterprise. They trace the everyday renewable energy actions of a growing 'epistemic community' of climate activists who are dispersed across organizational boundaries and domains. This book is testament to a new way of understanding activism as an organizational force that brings about the transition towards sustainability across business and society and is of interest to social science scholars of business, renewable energy and sustainable development.
Research Ambassador Program: An innovative educational approach to addressing underrepresentation of minority populations in clinical research
Authors: Wolfe Nicole , Rubio-Diaz Mayra , Garcia Alma , Calderon Sara , Kipke Michele D.
Published: November 2022

Clinical trial participation among historically underrepresented populations remains low in large part due to mistrust of academic institutions and research investigators. Mistrust may be ever greater today given misinformation related to COVID-19. The Research Ambassador Program is an interactive educational workshop delivered by Promotoras de Salud/Community Health Workers and designed to both address common myths, fears, and concerns about research and encourage research participation among underrepresented populations. An evaluation conducted with 819 Latino and Black participants demonstrated a change in behavior and intention to participate in a clinical trial, with half of participants enrolling in a clinical trial research registry.
Structural racism in healthcare and research: A community-led model of curriculum development and implementation
Authors: Terrance Traci C. , Sugarwala Laura , McIntosh Scott , Bisbee-Burrows Mary , Castillejo Lucia , Evans Alicia , Reed Katie , Rogers Karen , Cullen John P.
Published: November 2022

Structural racism in the USA has roots that extend deep into healthcare and medical research, and it remains a key driver of illness and early death for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). Furthermore, the persistence of racism within academic medicine compels an interrogation of education and research within this context. In the spirit of this interrogation, this article highlights a unique model of community-engaged education that integrates cultural humility. As an individual and institutional stance, cultural humility denotes lifelong learning and self-critique, the mitigation of power imbalances, and accountability. The integration of cultural humility emphasizes that when space is created for BIPOC communities to lead the way, education regarding healthcare and research can be effectively reimagined. Demonstrating this effectiveness, six community partners led the development and implementation of a five-module Structural Racism in Healthcare and Research course. Using a cohort model approach, the pilot course enrolled 12 community members and 12 researchers. The curriculum covered topics such as history of racism in healthcare and research, and introduced participants to a cultural resilience framework. Evaluation results demonstrated a significant increase in participants’ knowledge and ability to identify and take action to address inequities related to racism in healthcare and research.
An International Legal Perspective on Human Dignity: The Extrinsic Recognition of an Intrinsic Condition
Authors: DE PAULA BUENO ELEN , MENDONÇA DIAS DA SILVA EMÍLIO
Published: November 2022

Human dignity plays an important role in the international legal order, and references to the principle can be found in various international human rights instruments. Its meaning, however, remains an object of avid discussion due to the impossibility of finding a precise and timeless way of defining the concept. In this article, we argue that acknowledging inherence as an element of human dignity gives extrinsic legal recognition to an intrinsic human condition and tends to expand human dignity’s influence. Vagueness — or openness — in defining the concept provides for a dynamic and evolutionary understanding of human dignity, and, coupled with the idea of inherence, these characteristics represent tools for universalization and adaptation of the concept to new circumstances. These findings are based on a review of philosophical discussions of the idea of human dignity, followed by an analysis of how it is addressed in international legal instruments and international jurisprudence and identification of its recurrent elements. We defend the view that the vagueness of its definition does not mean that its content is impossible to identify in particular circumstances. Scholars and institutions can have a concrete sense of the meaning of human dignity even though its substance may admit new elements as new social demands emerge. In our view, the essential meaning of human dignity is founded on the influence of the whole body of human rights as well as on its particular connection to the rights of social minorities, in which human dignity is emphasized because of the material precariousness of such groups under social systems that subject them to discriminatory treatment.
Asymptotic behaviour of rotating convection-driven dynamos in the plane layer geometry
Authors: Yan Ming , Calkins Michael A.
Published: November 2022

Dynamos driven by rotating convection in the plane layer geometry are investigated numerically for a range of Ekman number (

$E$

), magnetic Prandtl number (

$Pm$

) and Rayleigh number (

$Ra$

). The primary purpose of the investigation is to compare results of the simulations with previously developed asymptotic theory that is applicable in the limit of rapid rotation. We find that all of the simulations are in the quasi-geostrophic regime in which the Coriolis and pressure gradient forces are approximately balanced at leading order, whereas all other forces, including the Lorentz force, act as perturbations. Agreement between simulation output and asymptotic scalings for the energetics, flow speeds, magnetic field amplitude and length scales is found. The transition from large-scale dynamos to small-scale dynamos is well described by the magnetic Reynolds number based on the small convective length scale,

$\widetilde {Rm}$

, with large-scale dynamos preferred when

$\widetilde {Rm} \lesssim O(1)$

. The magnitude of the large-scale magnetic field is observed to saturate and become approximately constant with increasing Rayleigh number. Energy spectra show that all length scales present in the flow field and the small-scale magnetic field are consistent with a scaling of

$E^{1/3}$

, even in the turbulent regime. For a fixed value of

$E$

, we find that the viscous dissipation length scale is approximately constant over a broad range of

$Ra$

; the ohmic dissipation length scale is approximately constant within the large-scale dynamo regime, but transitions to a

$\widetilde {Rm}^{-1/2}$

scaling in the small-scale dynamo regime.
Peaceful Wars and Unlikely Unions: The Azhar Strike of 1909 and the Politics of Comparison in Egypt
Authors: Jakes Aaron G.
Published: November 2022

In January 1909, the students of the Azhar, the Islamic world’s most prestigious university, went on strike. Protesting recent curricular and administrative changes introduced by the Egyptian Khedive, they demanded increased material support and asserted the university’s right to govern itself. After several weeks of demonstrations that drew thousands of supporters into the streets of Cairo, the Khedive suspended the reforms that first caused the Azharis to walk out. Oddly, this remarkable mobilization has nearly vanished into obscurity. Drawing on reporting from the Egyptian press and intelligence memoranda from the Egyptian Ministry of Interior, this article argues that the apparent incongruity of Azharis on strike was no mistake. Their willful rejection of ascribed categories helps to explain both why this movement of unionized seminarians speaking a language of self-government proved so striking for contemporary supporters and critics alike and why this event has slipped through the cracks of a historiography still framed by those very categories. Long forgotten in histories of both nationalism and organized labor, the Azhar strike represented a pivotal moment in the emergence of mass politics in Egypt. In invoking “union,” the Azharis engaged in multiple, overlapping acts of comparison. Inspired by the modular repertoires of militant labor, they simultaneously hailed the constitutional revolution of the Ottoman Committee of Union and Progress as a model for political transformation. Rooted in a self-conscious critique of colonial comparativism, their struggle thereby furnished new materials with which to elaborate a telescopic series of anti-colonial solidarities that were themselves fundamentally comparative.
Controversies and hidden risks in biodiversity offsets in critically threatened Canga (ironstone) ecosystems in Brazil
Authors: Carmo Flavio Fonseca , Kamino Luciana Hiromi Yoshino
Published: November 2022

Canga, or ironstone, ecosystems are hotspots of old-growth plant diversity and highly specialized cave invertebrates. These ancient metalliferous habitats are amongst the most threatened ecosystems because of the destruction caused by large-scale iron ore mining. International debate on biodiversity offsets is increasing because these mechanisms are seen as tools for potentially balancing economic development with conservation biodiversity. Leading mining companies worldwide, including some of the largest iron ore producers in Brazil, are signatories to offset principles and best practices that aim to achieve no net loss of habitats, species or ecosystem functions. We aimed to analyse whether Brazilian legal requirements for biodiversity offsets result in the achievement of conservation outcomes or in elevated threat of extinction in canga ecosystems. We evaluated technical reports that support decision-making related to environmental licensing for iron ore mining and specific offset proposals linked to the Atlantic Forest Act. We found a relevant net loss in canga ecosystems and observed shortcomings related to the equivalency and transparency of offset principles. These deficiencies are mainly related to lax norms and regulations and the absence of an integrated database for accessing information on environmental licensing processes. We argue that both policy flaws and low engagement by the Brazilian mining industry in implementing offset principles have increased the threat of extinction in canga ecosystems.
A novel schistosome species hosted by Planorbella (Helisoma) trivolvis is the most widespread swimmer's itch-causing parasite in Michigan inland lakes
Authors: Soper D. M. , Raffel T. R. , Sckrabulis J. P. , Froelich K. L. , McPhail B. A. , Ostrowski M. D. , Reimink R. L. , Romano D. , Rudko S. P. , Hanington P. C.
Published: November 2022

Cercarial dermatitis (‘swimmer's itch’; SI), characterized by small itchy bumps caused by schistosome parasites of birds and mammals, is a common problem in Michigan. Research on avian schistosomes began nearly 100 years ago in Michigan inland lakes, yet scientists are still uncovering basic biological information including the identification of local snail and parasite species that cause SI. Previous research primarily focused on lakes in the northern half of Michigan's lower peninsula, although SI occurs throughout the state. We surveyed snails and snail-borne trematodes in lakes across Michigan's lower peninsula and used quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis of filtered water samples to identify parasites to the species level, including a recently discovered parasite species that uses the snail Planorbella (Helisoma) trivolvis as its intermediate host. Most SI mitigation efforts have focused on a parasite species hosted by the snail Lymnaea catescopium ( = Stagnicola emarginata); however, lymnaeid snails and their associated schistosome species were largely restricted to northern lakes. In contrast, P. trivolvis and its associated parasite species were common in both northern and southern Michigan lakes. A third schistosome species associated with physid snails was also present at low levels in both northern and southern lakes. These results indicate that the recently discovered parasite species and its planorbid snail intermediate host may be more important drivers of Michigan SI than previously thought, possibly due to increased definitive host abundance in recent decades. These results have potentially important implications for SI mitigation and control efforts.
Stressful life events and subjectively rated sleep quality among older adults in China: the roles of positive and negative attitudes towards ageing
Authors: Zhang Dan , Ruan Hangqing , Gao Melody Ge , Chen Feinian , Li Shuzhuo
Published: November 2022

Sleep is an integral part of individuals' health and wellbeing. Despite evidence showing that social stressors are important contributors to older adults' sleep problems, how the accumulative stressful life events (SLEs) and ageing attitudes independently and jointly affect sleep quality among older adults in developing countries remains unclear. This study examined the effects of SLEs on subjectively rated sleep quality among older adults in China, and explored the potential mediating and moderating roles of positive and negative ageing attitudes on the above association. Using data from the 2014 China Longitudinal Ageing Social Survey, we had complete data for 7,780 older adults aged 60 and older. We employed logistic regression models and the Karlson–Holm–Breen decomposition method. Our findings indicated that SLEs significantly increased the risk of poor sleep quality, especially for those who had experienced two or more SLEs during the past year. Positive ageing attitudes were associated with lower odds of poor sleep quality, whereas negative ageing attitudes were related to higher odds of poor sleep quality. Moreover, the mediation analyses suggested that SLEs were associated with poor sleep quality via negative ageing attitudes. The moderating effects further documented that higher levels of positive ageing attitudes can significantly attenuate the deleterious impact of SLEs on sleep quality. The findings highlight the significance of SLEs for older adults' sleep quality and shed light on the importance of ageing attitudes to improve older adults' sleep in China as well as other low- and middle-income countries, where the social safety nets are still underdeveloped.
Schoolhouse rap
Authors: Dennis Andrea L.
Published: November 2022

Rap on Trial, the treatment of rap music as evidence in the American criminal legal process, is well-documented and increasingly scrutinised. Research has shown that – with little restraint – police, prosecutors, probation officers and judges use rap lyrics to investigate, prosecute and punish individuals. Less noticed is that a similar phenomenon is occurring in the American K–12 educational system, which disciplines school-age youth who participate in rap culture and sometimes refers them to the juvenile or criminal legal systems for additional punishment. This article describes and analyses a small set of identified cases of this scenario, demonstrating that rap music is used to funnel youth, including vulnerable Black and Brown youth, into what has been coined the school-to-prison pipeline and exposing the extreme dissonance between hip hop and the educational system.
Seed (true seed plus endocarp) dormancy in Anacardiaceae in relation to infrafamilial taxonomy and endocarp anatomy
Authors: Baskin Jerry M. , Baskin Carol C.
Published: November 2022

Information in the literature and unpublished results of the authors onDobineawere used to determine the kind [class(es)] of seed (true seed + endocarp) dormancy and of non-dormancy of genera in all five tribes of Anacardiaceae, and the results were examined in relation to the taxonomic position and endocarp anatomy within the family. Reports of both seed germination and endocarp anatomy were found for 15 genera in tribe Spondiadeae, 6 in tribe Anacardieae, 30 in tribe Rhoeae, 3 in tribe Semecarpeae and 1 in tribe Dobineeae. In Spondiadeae (Spondias-type endocarp), Anacardieae, Semecarpeae and Dobineeae (Anacardium-type endocarp), seeds are either non-dormant (ND) or have physiological dormancy (PD). In Rhoeae (Anacardium-type Rhoeae Groups A, B, C and D endocarps), on the other hand, seeds are ND or have physical dormancy (PY), PD or PY + PD. PY/PY + PD in this tribe seems to be restricted (or nearly so) toRhus s.s. and closely related genera (e.g.Cotinus,MalosmaandToxicodendron) with anAnacardium-type Rhoeae Group A endocarp. However, seeds of other genera (e.g.AstroniumandSchinus) with this type of endocarp and those with Rhoeae Group B (e.g.Pistacia), Group C (e.g.Pentaspadon) and Group D (e.g.Heeria) endocarps are either ND or have PD. The fossil fruit record strongly suggests that present-day relationships between diaspore dormancy (or non-dormancy), endocarp structure and taxonomic position within Anacardiaceae extend back to at least the Palaeogene.
Maternal and fetal outcomes of bicuspid aortic valve with early-onset complications
Authors: Truly Tate , Huang Michael , Prakash Siddharth K.
Published: November 2022

Bicuspid aortic valve is the most common congenital heart malformation and predisposes patients to thoracic aortic aneurysms and aortic dissections. Current peripartum guidelines are extrapolated from other heritable causes of thoracic aortic disease and do not account for unique characteristics of bicuspid aortic valve patients. We therefore evaluated the prevalence of maternal and fetal complications of women with early-onset complications of bicuspid aortic valve disease in the UTHealth Bicuspid Aortic Valve Research Registry. We found that the rate of cardiovascular complications was high and that relatively few women received guideline-recommended care.
Iconoclasm versus Apologetics. How the Salazar Regime Dealt with Portuguese Overseas Expansion
Authors: Polónia Amélia
Published: November 2022

Historical interpretation of Portuguese Overseas Expansion has changed considerably from the late nineteenth century to the present. Ideological appropriations of historical events are commonplace. The propaganda of the regime of Portuguese dictator Antonio de Oliveira Salazar extensively used the topic of Portuguese Overseas Expansion as a founding myth for justifying its own colonialism, even in times when decolonization processes were the common trend. Damnatio memoriae, on the one hand, and apologetics, on the other, were strategies spread from primary school textbooks to university programmes. They were responsible for the exclusion and even persecution of many Portuguese scholars, who had to ask for refuge in other European Universities. It created myths, for example around Henry the Navigator or the Nautical School of Sagres. Key-personalities, such as Magellan, were long defamed as anti-heroes. This article will show how these myths and twisted interpretations are still commonplace today. Even now, many Portuguese feel that, in times of crises, these fictions are used to create a sense of national identity and self-confidence.
Economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis: evidence from credit and debt of older adults
Authors: Brown Meta , Collins J. Michael , Moulton Stephanie
Published: November 2022

This study documents the credit outcomes of older adults immediately before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. On average, older adults experienced larger reductions in total household debt relative to younger adults. However, there is significant heterogeneity, where older adults with higher incomes experienced the largest declines, and lower-income older adults experienced an increase in total debt. Overall, these data highlight important trends in the credit experiences of older adults that may affect their future financial security.