bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Abstract P776: Post-Stroke Tenascin-C Induction Mediates the Ischemic Pathogenesis
Authors: Chelluboina Bharath , Chokkalla Anil Kiran , Mehta Suresh L , Bathula Saivenkateshkomal , Dempsey Robert J , Vemuganti Raghu
Published: March 2021

The mechanistic role of Tenascin-C (TNC) in the pathogenesis of acute ischemic stroke is not known despite its prognostic association with cerebrovascular diseases. We currently observed that transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) upregulated cerebral TNC mRNA and protein expression between 3h and 24h reperfusion in adult mice of both sexes. We then evaluated the effect of TNC knockdown on ischemic outcome in adult mice of both sexes by treating with either TNC siRNA or control siRNA (intravenous) at 5 min of reperfusion following transient MCAO. TNC siRNA treatment significantly reduced the post-ischemic TNC protein induction tested at 72h reperfusion compared with the sex-matched control siRNA treated cohorts (n=6/group/sex). TNC siRNA cohorts showed significantly improved post-stroke motor function identified by beam walk test and rotarod test between days 1 and 14 of reperfusion compared with the sex-matched control siRNA cohorts (n=7/group/sex). TNC siRNA cohorts of both sexes also showed decreased post-ischemic BBB disruption (evaluated with T1-weighted MRI with gadobenate dimeglumine as contrast agent) and reduced infarction (assessed with T2-weighted MRI) at 3 days of reperfusion compared with the sex-matched control siRNA treated cohorts (n =4/group for BBB and n =12/group/sex for infarct). At day 21 of reperfusion, the survival rate was observed to be higher in the TNC siRNA treated mice compared with the control siRNA treated mice (n =7/group/sex). These studies thus show that induction of TNC during the acute period after stroke might be a mediator of ischemic brain damage and its knockdown is neuroprotective. Importantly this effect is independent of sex. The study was funded by the Department of Neurological Surgery, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison.
Abstract P84: Covid-19 and Stroke in the Latin American Stroke Registry (LASE)
Authors: Pujol-Lereis Virginia , Flores Alan F , Arauz Antonio , Abanto Carlos , Amaya Pablo , Bayona Hernan , Bonardo Pablo , Diaz-Escobar Luis , Gomez-Schneider Maia , Góngora-Rivera Fernando , Lavados Pablo M , León Carolina , Luraschi Adriana , Márquez-Romero Juan Manuel , Martins Sheila CO , Navia Victor Hugo , Ruiz-Franco Angelica , Vences Miguel Angel , Zurru Maria , Barboza Miguel A , Ameriso Sebastian F ,   LASE/COVID-19 Collaborators
Published: March 2021

Background:
Ischemic stroke has been reported to occur in approximately 5% of COVID-19 patients, although some reports are contradictory. Proposed mechanisms of this association are hypercoagulable state, vasculitis and cardiomyopathy, together with traditional vascular risk factors. We analyzed the frequency and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 positive stroke cases during the first months of the pandemic in Latin America.

Methods:
A multinational study (7 countries, 18 centers) of patients admitted during the pandemic outbreak (March - June 2020). We assessed acute stroke cases associated to COVID-19 infection. Clinical characteristics, stroke etiology and severity, acute care and functional outcomes, were compared between non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 cases.

Results:
There were a total of 1037 stroke cases; sixty-two of them (6.0%) were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection. This group consisted of 38 men [61.3%], with a median age of 68 years [IQR 59-79 years]. From these cases, 80.6% were ischemic stroke, 16.1% hemorrhagic stroke, and 1.6% transient ischemic attack and cerebral venous thrombosis respectively. The most common etiology reported for ischemic cases was atherosclerotic large vessel occlusion (30.6% vs. 12.7% in non-COVID cases, p<0.001), and undetermined etiology for hemorrhagic stroke (55.6%). Median NIHSS for COVID-stroke patients was higher (7 IQR 2-16 vs. 5 IQR 2-11, p=0.05). Five (8.1%) patients received acute reperfusion therapy, with no differences in door-to-CT, door-to-needle and door-to-groin times, compared to non-COVID cases. Most characteristics did not differ from those of COVID-19 negative patients. Mortality was higher in COVID-stroke cases (20.9% vs. 9.6%, p<0.001).

Conclusions:
COVID-19 infection frequency in stroke patients in Latin America is similar to that reported in several series worldwide, with a higher frequency of atherosclerotic ischemic strokes and mortality compared to non COVID-19 strokes
A Logical Perspective on the Parallelism in Later Moism
Authors: Fung Yiu-Ming
Published: March 2021

A. C. Graham thinks that the parallelism in the Neo-Moist Canons is about the deduction of sentences. On the contrary, Chad Hansen thinks that they are not plausibly treated as inference of deductive forms since the later Moists are at pains to show that they can “go wrong.” In this article, I shall try to provide a logical analysis and a constructive rather than defeatist interpretation of parallelism in the text. I argue that the Moists tend to express their ideas in the “material mode of speech” to build up their semantic and pragmatic sensibility in philosophical thinking.
Truth in Moist Dialectics
Authors: Fraser Chris
Published: March 2021

The article assesses Chad Hansen’s arguments that both early and later Moist texts apply only pragmatic, not semantic, terms of evaluation and treat “appropriate word or language usage,” not semantic truth. I argue that the early Moist “three standards” are indeed criteria of a general notion of correct dao
(way), not specifically of truth. However, as I explain, their application may include questions of truth. I show in detail how later Moist texts employ terms with the same expressive role as “. . . is true.” Thus, contra Hansen, the Moists can justifiably be said to have a concept of semantic truth.
A Complex Web of Relations that Extends Beyond the Human
Authors: Reder Deanna
Published: March 2021

This article considers the question “Is There, Can There Be, such an Activity as World Humanities?” My response takes issue with the phrase “world humanity” that serves to legitimize a homogenizing process of globalization while simultaneously hiding from view the injustices and power imbalances that globalization creates. From my perspective as a Cree-Métis scholar, the world humanities are only valuable if they participate in the recuperation and protection of Indigenous stories—and by extension Indigenous languages and epistemes—that would require a reconsideration of the definition and obligations of what it means to be human.
Response to Armour’s Article: “Thoughts on the Idea of a World Humanities”
Authors: Crowe Paul
Published: March 2021

The article opens by stating the importance of the humanities and need for unapologetic advocacy on its behalf. Armour’s metaphor of world humanities, as a conversation, is then taken as a point of departure for considering the example of Chinese and European “philosophy” that might join in conversation in order to expand, through mutual transformation, what we mean by “philosophy.”The concluding section argues that if we cast Chinese thought in the light of philosophy as constructed in Europe and North America, we exclude elements that could enrich and expand our pursuit of wisdom and what that entails.
Isaiah Berlin’s Challenge to the Zhuangzian Freedom
Authors: Jiang Tao
Published: March 2021

Isaiah Berlin is known for articulating two competing notions of freedom operative within the modern Western political philosophy, negative and positive. He provides a powerful defense of modern liberal tradition that elevates negative freedom in its attempt to preserve personal space for one’s actions and choices while regarding positive freedom as suppressive due to its potentially collective orientation. This article uses Berlin as an interlocutor to challenge Zhuangzi, known for his portrayal of spiritual freedom in the Chinese tradition, prodding modern Zhuangzians to bring the Zhuangzian spiritual freedom into the sociopolitical arena by reimagining new possibilities about politics.
Kierkegaard, Schelling, and Hegel: How to Read the Spheres of Existence as Appropriate Knowledge
Authors: Latiolais Christopher
Published: March 2021

The central purposes of this article are twofold: (1) to give a brief sketch of contemporary scholarship on Kierkegaard’s relation to Schelling and Hegel, clarifying, by discussing the famous Kantian and Kierkegaardian paradoxes, how the spheres of existence—aesthetic, ethical, and immanent religious—represent failed ways of appropriating or “knowing” oneself, and (2) to clarify Johann Climacus’s distinction between “approximate” and “appropriate” knowledge by challenging Nathan Carson’s interpretation as presented in this issue. The upshot is that the standard interpretation of the Kierkegaard/ Hegel relation must be renegotiated in terms of the Kantian and the Kierkegaardian paradoxes regarding the source of normativity.
Virtue Ethics and Moral Responsibility: Confucian Conceptions of Moral Praise and Blame
Authors: Huang Yong
Published: March 2021

This essay discusses how Confucianism can deal with two related issues of virtue ethics and moral responsibility: praise and blame. We normally praise a person because the person has done something difficult, but a virtuous person does the virtuous things effortlessly, delightfully, and with great ease. Thus the question arises regarding whether such actions are indeed praiseworthy. We can blame a person for doing something wrong only if the person does it knowingly. However, according to virtue ethics, anyone who has genuine moral knowledge acts virtuously, and anyone who does not act virtuously, or acts viciously, only because the person does not have the genuine moral knowledge. Thus the question arises regarding whether such actions are blameworthy.
Zhu Xi on Family and Women: Challenges and Potentials
Authors: Pang-White Ann A.
Published: March 2021

This article reappraises Zhu Xi’s philosophy of women. First, it examines Zhu’s descriptive texts. Second, it analyzes Zhu’s didactic texts on li, qi, yin, yang, and gender. It finds that (i) surprisingly Zhu exhibited a level of flexibility toward women on subjects of education, property rights, and household management; (ii) his view on the male/yang and female/yin relationship was inconsistent; and (iii) improvement on Zhu’s social-political teaching on women’s role could result from a more consistent development of his metaphysics. When thus modified, his metaphysics of yin-yang and li-qi could make a considerable contribution to contemporary feminist discourse.
Ming in the Zhuangzi Neipian: Enlightened Engagement
Authors: Lai Karyn L. , Chiu Wai Wai
Published: March 2021

In this article, we present an account of ming
in the Zhuangzi’s Neipian in light of the disagreements among the thinkers of the time. We suggest that ming is associated with the Daoist sage’s vision: he sees through the debaters’ attempts to win the debates. We propose that ming is primarily a meta-epistemological stance, that is, the sage understands the nature of the debates and does not enter the fray; therefore he does not share the thinkers’ anxieties. The sage takes his stance at the pivot of dao (daoshu
) and, from there, responds to the different views limitlessly.
Opening Out the Boundaries: Homage to the Journal of Chinese Philosophy
Authors: Casey Edward S.
Published: March 2021

“Borders” are impermeable limits designed to stop the flow of human beings as well as ideas across them, whereas “boundaries” are permeable enclosure that permit and often encourage movement through limits. I develop the differences between these two forms of edge with a series of historical and geographical examples. I conclude that the Journal of Chinese Philosophy is a sterling instance of a boundary whose entire being has consisted in facilitating the two-way flow of concepts and traditions across formerly closed borders of communication and culture. I offer homage to this extraordinary accomplishment over the past forty years.
Confucian Ethics in Modernity: Ontologically Rooted, Internationally Resposive, and Integratively Systematic
Authors: Cheng Chung-Ying
Published: March 2021

This article, from my onto-generative and onto-hermeneutic theories, will explore how Confucian virtue ethics could be modernized and globalized by answering challenges of civic duties, human rights, policy planning and decision-making regarding social and communal development with considerations of maximal sustainable goodness or benefits to both individual and groups. In doing so, we come to recognize the multifunctional potency of Confucian virtues in meeting modern and postmodern needs and demands in a complicated global-local environment, and see how this development of civic and other kinds of virtues form a unifying foundation for the justification, discovery and sustainable source of insights and motivations for vital action.
A Reinterpretation and Reconstruction of Confucian Philosophy
Authors: Liu Shu-Hsien
Published: March 2021

This article further develops my understanding of Confucianism as a spiritual tradition. The spirit of Confucian philosophy remains the same as Confucius and Mencius in the ancient era, and Zhu Xi in the Song Dynasty, who developed liyi-fenshu (one principle/many manifestations) into a comprehensive anthropo-cosmic philosophy. The idea is inherited by Contemporary Neo-Confucian scholars, reinterpreted to cope with the current emphasis on plurality, the aspect of fenshu (difference), but maintained liyi (unity) as a regulative principle, sometimes radical reconstruction is needed to respond to contemporary issues such as the conflict between universalism and particularism.
China’s Public Diplomacy Goes Political
Authors: d’Hooghe Ingrid
Published: March 2021

China’s growing confidence on the world stage under the leadership of President Xi Jinping is reflected in the country’s more active, vocal and, lately, even ‘wolf warrior’ diplomacy. It is also clearly visible in China’s public diplomacy approach, where priorities have shifted from advertising Chinese culture as the country’s major source of soft power to promoting China’s models of domestic and global governance. The Chinese government proudly presents policies such as the Belt and Road Initiative and, more recently China’s approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, as improvements in global governance or sometimes even as Chinese ‘gifts’ to the world. This article argues that under President Xi, the content and form of China’s public diplomacy have changed. China’s public diplomacy has hardened, it is more strongly controlled by the Chinese Communist Party and the content of China’s public diplomacy messages have become more political.
Kewatek, the Ikat Textiles from Adonara
Authors: Somi Kedan Petronela , Visser Leontine
Published: March 2021

Ikat textiles (kewatek) from Adonara, one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, are still seldom researched by textile specialists (Vatter 1984 [1932]; Barnes 1989). This article is the first account by a descendant from the island that builds on these studies to describe the social and cultural organization and taboos concerning ikat-dyeing and the weaving of kewatek in the twenty-first century. It also discusses recent government intervention and the actions of local NGO s to sustain Adonara textile identification and to stimulate the weaving of these sarongs for economic household purposes.
‘The Screaming Injustice of Colonial Relationships’
Authors: Hoogervorst Tom , Tarisa Melita
Published: March 2021

An insensitive poem published in 1935 sparked a wave of outrage among the Indies Chinese students in the Netherlands. Titled The yellow peril, it had started as an inside joke among Leiden’s Indologists, yet quickly aroused the fury of both moderates and radicals. Their anti-colonial activism flared up for months, attracting numerous allies and eventually taking hold in the Netherlands Indies. After the Indologists had apologized, the number of activists willing to push for more structural change dwindled. As such, this microhistory lays bare some broader dynamics of anti-racism. We argue that ethnic Chinese, who continue to be portrayed as an unobtrusive model minority, have a longer legacy of activism than they are usually given credit for. This is particularly relevant in the present, when Covid-induced Sinophobia, anti-Black racism, and a reassessment of the colonial past are inspiring new movements and forging new anti-racist solidarities.
Filaments in Time and Space: Lien Heng’s Elegant Words and the Linguistic Ecology of Taiwan in the 1930s
Authors: McConaghy Mark
Published: March 2021

This article revisits the debate which occurred in the early 1930s regarding ‘Taiwanese Language Writing’ to argue that these discussions represented an extended interrogation of the linguistic ecology of the island: how written scripts and spoken sounds functioned in Taiwan to make meaning in relation to a larger environmental, animistic, and social whole. Set against the backdrop of this debate, the 1932 work Elegant Words by the famed intellectual Lien Heng stands out as an important text. Lien Heng’s vision of Minnan as a historically grounded yet broadly cosmopolitan language was a particularly enabling expression of Taiwanese consciousness, which presented an island that could face many directions at once, absorbing the textual signs of a deep Sinographic past while remaining vitally open to a complex and increasingly integrated world. Lien Heng’s cultural criticism presaged many of the debates about language, history, and identity that would take place in subsequent decades in Taiwan, and as such his work continues to have resonance today for thinking critically about Taiwan’s place in the modern world.
A Surplus of Fish: Language, Literature, and Cultural Ecologies in Ng Kim Chew’s Fiction
Authors: Rojas Carlos
Published: March 2021

This essay uses an examination of intertwined thematics of fish and text in the fiction of the ethnically Malaysian Chinese author Ng Kim Chew in order to reflect on a broader set of ecological concerns, including issues relating to the natural ecology of the Southeast Asian regions depicted in Ng’s works, together with the overlapping literary ecosystems within which his works are embedded. In particular, the essay is concerned with the ways in which Ng’s fiction reflects on the relationship between the field of Southeast Asian Sinophone literature and the partially overlapping ecosystem of world literature.
Spatholobus discolor, a new synonym of Craspedolobium unijugum (Fabaceae)

Authors: SONG ZHUQIU , YAO GANG , JIANG KAIWEN , LIAO JUNJIE , XU DONGXIAN
Published: March 2021

Craspedolobium schochii Harms was described in 1921 and has thin woody, flat, dehiscent pods with a narrow wing on the upper suture, which are quite different from those of other genera within the same tribe Millettieae (Fabaeceae), but its flowering materials from Laos and Thailand were described respectively as Millettia unijuga Gagnep. in 1913 and as Pueraria rigens Craib in 1927. Due to the priority of the Shenzhen Code, its correct name was accepted as Craspedolobium unijugum (Gagnep.) Z. Wei & Pedley as recently as 2010. The results of critical examination of specimens, literature and living plants in the wild showed that Spatholobus discolor C. F. Wei, a species described on the basis of one flowering collection from China, is also conspecific with C. unijugum. We therefore reduce S. discolor to the synonymy of C. unijugum herein. Additionally, we designated the second-step lectotype of the name C. schochii, and further found that Craspedolobium is a new genus record for the flora of Vietnam.
Diastylis uniplicata sp. nov. (Crustacea: Cumacea: Diastylidae) a new Korean cumacean
Authors: KIM SUNG-HYUN , LEE CHANG-MOK
Published: March 2021

A new species of cumacean belonging to the genus Diastylis Say, 1818 was collected from the Nokdo Island, Korea. The new species, Diastylis uniplicata sp. nov., can be distinguished from all other Diastylis species by the combination of the smooth carapace surface with a transverse ridge and a pair of oblique ridges, and telson 1.7 times as long as pleonite 6, with 5–6 short stout simple setae laterally. Full illustrations of the new species, including the mouthparts, are given in this paper. Also, a key to the Korean species of Diastylis is provided.
A new species of large Hemiandrus ground wētā (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) from North Island, New Zealand
Authors: TREWICK STEVEN A.
Published: March 2021

A new species of Hemiandrus ground wētā is described from North Island, New Zealand. Hemiandrus jacinda sp. nov. is larger and more brightly coloured than other species in the region, but appears to be scarce and restricted to remnant native forest habitat.
Covalent Immobilization of Cellulase onto Amino and Graphene Oxide Functionalized Magnetic Fe2O3/Fe3O4@SiO2 Nanocomposites
Authors: Rong Guo-Xiang , Lv Zhi-Xiang , Pan Zhong-Jun , Zhang Shuang-Long , Deng Peng
Published: March 2021

Magnetic Fe2O3/Fe3O4@SiO2 nanocomposites were prepared via the citric-alcohol solution combustion process. The obtained nanocomposites were characterized with SEM, XRD, VSM, TEM, EDS, HRTEM, and FTIR techniques. The results revealed that the magnetic
Fe2O3/Fe3O4@SiO2 nanocomposites were successfully obtained with the average grain size of 87 nm and the saturation magnetization of 36 emu/g. After the surface of magnetic Fe2O3/Fe3O4@SiO2
nanocomposites was functionalized by amino group, the amino-functionalized Fe2O3/Fe3O4@SiO2-NH2 nanocomposites were loaded onto graphene oxide based on Mitsunobu reaction. Subsequently, the cellulase was immobilized onto Fe2O3/Fe3O4@SiO2-NH-GO
nanocomposites by a glutaraldehyde-mediated Schiff base reaction. The immobilization conditions were optimized by adjusting the pH, temperature, and cellulase dose. The results revealed that optimized immobilization conditions were determined to be temperature of 50 °C, pH of 5, and cellulase
solution of 0.1 mL. 97.3% cellulase were successfully immobilized under the optimal conditions. The catalytic performances of the immobilized cellulase were also evaluated. The maximum activity was achieved at pH 4, and 50 °C with cellulase solution of 0.4 mL.
Machining Characteristics of Electrochemical Polishing Using Ultrasonic Vibration for Nanoscale High Surface Quality
Authors: Kim Uk Su , Baek Seung-Yub , Kim Tae-Wan , Park Jeong Woo
Published: March 2021

This study demonstrates a method to improve the surface quality by adding artificial vibration to the electrolyte in electrochemical polishing (ECP, electropolishing). ECP is a typical non-contact surface polishing process that has been used to improve surface quality without leaving
any of the mechanical scratch marks that can arise when applying mechanical processes. ECP can polish work material via electrochemical dissolution between the surfaces of an anode and a cathode, and irregular defects are generated on the surface by impurities and bubbles generated during
machining. This study confirms that our novel ECP method yields improved results over conventional ECP based on experiments using vibration electrochemical polishing (VECP) with ultrasonic vibrations. VECP minimizes nanoscale surface defects, improves surface roughness, makes it possible to
quickly remove materials at nanoscale by increasing the material removal rate (MRR). Under high current density, where the electrochemical relatively reaction is active, value of the current is increased when ultrasonic vibration is added. The localized roughness of the work material was measured
by atomic force microscopy (AFM) according to various electrical conditions. In addition, we also compared the overall surface quality and productivity to those obtained by conventional ECP.
Synthesis and Characteristic Properties of Crosslinked Chitosan with Epichlorohydrin for Nitrate Removal from Water
Authors: Lee Seung Jae , Hwang Kyung-Jun , Youn Yongjoon , Kim Sang-Chai , Yoon Soon-Do , Shim Wang-Geun
Published: March 2021

In this study, we prepared chitosan beads cross-linked with epichlorohydrin (CB-ECH) to improve the removal of nitrate in groundwater. It was confirmed that CB-ECH exhibited higher thermal stability and well-developed nano-pores compared to the pure chitosan beads (CB) by the thermogravimetric
analyzer, nitrogen gas adsorption and desorption isotherm, and field emission scanning microscopy analysis. The CB-ECH showed a higher nitrate adsorption amount than the pure CB. Nitrate adsorption behaviors of CB-ECH were further investigated using adsorption isotherm, adsorption kinetics,
adsorption energy distribution, and Gibbs free energy distribution models. The adsorption equilibrium and kinetics of nitrate ion on CB-ECH were well explained by the Sips isotherm and homogeneous surface diffusion model, respectively. It was also found from the AED analysis that the CB-ECH
represent the heterogeneous adsorption behaviors for nitrate.
Au/Pd Bimetallic Nanoparticles Decorated SnSe2 Thin Films for NO2 Detection
Authors: Rani Sanju , Kumar Manoj , Singh Yogesh , Singh Vidya Nand
Published: March 2021

In order to have a check and balance of the toxic gases in the environment, various kinds of sensors are currently being researched upon. As many of the toxic gases are also inflammable, therefore, there is a constant search for materials which can detect the gases at lower temperatures.
Also, it is important that the sensor is selective for a particular gas. To meet such requirements, nanos-tructured materials are extensively being explored for such gas sensing applications, due to their large effective surface area. And, in order to further improve the gas sensing properties,
metal catalysts are deposited over such nanomaterials. The smaller sized nanoparticles show better catalytic activity due to its effective larger surface area per unit volume. Depositing bimetallic materials is thus advantageous, since it can reduce the size of nanoparticles produced. In this
work, ~7 nm thick Au/Pd thin film was sputter-coated over SnSe2 nanostructured thin films. SnSe2 thin film were deposited by thermally evaporating SnSe2 powder. The materials were characterized for their structural, morphological and gas sensing properties.
The ambient temperature response for 5 parts per million (ppm) NO2 gas was measured to be 117%, with the response and recovery times being 10 and 19 seconds, respectively. The performance of the sensor improved with increase in the gas concentration and for 10 ppm gas, the recorded
response was 137%, with the corresponding response and recovery times being 9 and 8 seconds, respectively. The limit of detection was 655 parts per billion (ppb). The mechanism of ambient temperature high response and low response/recovery times have been discussed based on physisorption,
charge transfer, Au/Pd decoration and SnSe–SnSe2 based p–n junction. In addition, an important aspect of this work worth pointing out is the deposition of a thin film consisting of nanostructured network using an industrially viable thermal evaporation method.
Thus, this work opens a new dimension for 2D materials that can be used for selective gas detection at ambient temperature.
Aptasensor for the Detection of Ochratoxin A Using Graphene Oxide and Deoxyribonuclease I-Aided Signal Amplification
Authors: Chen Weixia , Kang Yu , Qin Lan , Jiang Juan , Zhao Ying , Zhao Yu , Yang Zhaoqi
Published: March 2021

In this investigation, a sensitive sensor for ochratoxin A detection was designed based on graphene oxide (GO) and DNase I for amplified fluorescence signal. The outcomes of this investigation indicated that this exploratory platform exhibited efficient sensitivity and good selectivity
for ochratoxin A when existence of other toxins. The proposed sensor displayed a linear response over a range of 100–1000 nM (R2 = 0.986) with a low detection limit of 38.2 nM (S/N = 3) and showed remarkable convenience. In addition, the constructed sensor was examined
by testing real food samples spiked with different concentrations of ochratoxin A. Results demonstrated that the constructed sensor provided an effective method for ochratoxin A evaluate in complicated food sample analyses.
Advancements and Characteristics of Gauge Ingest and Quality Control within the Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor System
Authors: Martinaitis Steven M. , Cocks Stephen B. , Simpson Micheal J. , Osborne Andrew P. , Harkema Sebastian S. , Grams Heather M. , Zhang Jian , Howard Kenneth W.
Published: March 2021

This study describes recent advancements in the Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS) automated gauge ingest and quality control (QC) processes. A data latency analysis for the combined multiple gauge collection platforms provided guidance for a multiple-pass generation and delivery of gauge-based precipitation products. Various advancements to the gauge QC logic were evaluated over a 21-month period, resulting in an average of 86% of hourly gauge observations per hour being classified as useful. The fully-automated QC logic was compared to manual human QC for a limited domain, which showed a > 95% agreement in their QC reasoning categories. This study also includes an extensive evaluation of various characteristics related to the gauge observations ingested into the MRMS system. Duplicate observations between gauge collection platforms highlighted differences in site coordinates; moreover, errors in Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) station site coordinates resulted in > 79% of sites being located in a different MRMS 1-km grid cell. The ASOS coordinate analysis combined with examinations of other limitations regarding gauge observations highlight the need for robust and accurate metadata to further enhance the quality control of gauge data.
Chest and Pelvis X-Rays as a Screening Tool for Abdominal Injury in Geriatric Blunt Trauma Patients
Authors: Leede Emily , Cardenas Tatiana C. P. , Emigh Brent J. , Brown Lawrence H. , Teixeira Pedro G. , Trust Marc D. , Coopwood Ben , Aydelotte Jayson , Ali Sadia , Brown Carlos V. R.
Published: March 2021

Background

This study evaluates the utility of chest (CXR) and pelvis (PXR) X-ray, as adjuncts to the primary survey, in screening geriatric blunt trauma (GBT) patients for abdominal injury or need for laparotomy.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of patients 65-89 years in the 2014 National Trauma Data Bank. X-ray injuries were identified by ICD9 codes and defined as any injury felt to be readily detectable by a non-radiologist. X-ray findings were dichotomized as “both negative” (no injury presumptively apparent on CXR or PXR) or “either positive” (any injury presumptively apparent on CXR or PXR). Rates of abdominal injuries and laparotomy were compared and used to calculate sensitivity and specificity. The primary outcomes were abdominal injury and laparotomy. The secondary outcomes included mortality, ventilator days, and hospital days.

Results

A total of 202 553 patients met criteria. Overall, 9% of patients with either positive X-rays had abdominal injury and 2% laparotomy vs. 1.1% and .3% with both negative ( P < .001). The specificity for any positive X-ray was 79% for abdominal injury and 78% for laparotomy. The sensitivity was 69% for abdominal injury and laparotomy. The either positive group had fewer ventilator days (.3 vs. .8, P < .0001), longer length of stay (7 vs. 5, P < .0001), and higher mortality (6% vs. 4%, P < .0001) vs both negative.

Conclusion

CXR and PXR can be used to assess for intra-abdominal injury and need for laparotomy. GBT patients with either positive X-rays should continue workup regardless of mechanism due to the high specificity of this tool for abdominal injury and need for laparotomy.
Economic Reality at the Core of Apple
Authors: Angerhofer Tirza J. , Blair Roger D.
Published: March 2021

In Apple, Inc. v. Pepper, the Supreme Court failed to recognize the economic reality at play which sparked considerable confusion and debate about the continued vitality of Illinois Brick. Apple used proprietary technology and threats to both iPhone owners and app developers to compel them to conduct their business in Apple’s App Store. In so doing, Apple created a presumably unlawful bottleneck. This enabled Apple to impose a 30% ad valorem tax on each transaction. The tax, that is, the antitrust damage, is borne by both the iPhone owners and the app developers according to the relative elasticities of the demand and supply. Distributing damages in this way leads to effective antitrust enforcement that does not reward the wrongdoer with ill-gotten gains nor lead to duplicative damages and complex apportioning. Our analysis clarifies the economic reality of the Apple case and provides useful guidance for handling future bottleneck cases.
Pouring Salt into the Wound: The Crisis of International Election Observation and COVID-19 in Africa
Authors: Matlosa Khabele
Published: March 2021

International election observation in Africa is in crisis. This crisis manifests in various ways, including lowering of standards from democracy promotion to ‘peaceocracy’; strategic interest bias; progress bias; low-tech methodologies; dominance over citizen observer groups; and contradiction of verdicts of election observation missions with court judgments. The crisis characterizes the wound of international election observation. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic found a pre-existing unhealthy condition of international election observation, thereby pouring salt into the wound. It accentuated the existential crisis of international election observation. Observation has to be recalibrated during and after the pandemic. Existing challenges facing international election observation have to be redressed. International election observation has to adapt to the new condition marked by COVID-19. This adaptation should include development and implementation of guidelines on election observation during COVID-19. In the long run, sustainability of election observation rests in the institutional strengthening of citizen-based observer groups.
Garlic-induced face burn
Authors: Bhattarai Aabishkar , Atreya Alok , Karki Bijaya
Published: March 2021

There is inadequate research and study into the use of garlic and other herbal medicine in clinical practice; accordingly, the general population should be cautious when using such complementary and herbal treatments. We report a case which highlights the potential complications following the application of garlic-related naturopathic remedies mostly on skin burns.
Exploring Officer-Involved Shootings With Interaction Effects: A Deeper Understanding of How Race/Ethnicity Interacts With Other Factors in the Use of Deadly Force
Authors: Phillips Scott W. , Kim Dae-Young
Published: March 2021

There has been a substantial body of research examining the reasons behind the police officers’ use of deadly force. Little research has been done to examine how race and ethnicity interact with other factors in the use of deadly force. With data collected in Dallas, Texas, the present study examines the influence of individual, situational, and neighborhood characteristics on officers’ decision to use deadly force. The present study also provides an alternative approach to logistic regression models by estimating predictive probabilities of officers shooting at citizens. The results show that when officers make decisions to shoot at citizens, situational factors are more important than demographic and neighborhood factors. Interactive effects constructed based on the race/ethnicity of the police officer and citizen showed almost no influence on the decision to shoot at a citizen. Finally, the present study concludes with a discussion of implications for policy development and future research.
Parenthood Desire in Italian Homosexual Couples
Authors: Santona Alessandra , Vecchi Arianna , Gorla Laura , Tognasso Giacomo
Published: March 2021

Many Italian gay and lesbian individuals have the desire to become parents, despite the fact that they still face barriers due to the low acceptance of same-sex parenthood. This study investigates the desire and motivation of same-sex couples to have children. The sample consists of 31 same-sex couples (17 lesbian couples and 14 gay male couples) and 31 heterosexual couples. All the participants were childless at the time of the study and had been involved in their current relationship for at least two years. We used the Parenthood Motivation List (PML) to assess motivations underlying the desire to have children. The results showed that both groups wanted to have children and considered the same motivations to be important for parenthood. We discovered that happiness, well-being, and parenthood were important for same-sex parenthood, while social control was considered less important. In addition, gay men and lesbians had lower scores for well-being and identity.
Role and Growth of Independent Medicare‐Billing Otolaryngologic Advanced Practice Providers
Authors: Patel Rahul A. , Torabi Sina J. , Kasle David A. , Pivirotto Allison , Manes R. Peter
Published: March 2021

Objective

To evaluate the role and growth of independently billing otolaryngology (ORL) advanced practice providers (APPs) within a Medicare population.

Study Design

Retrospective cross‐sectional study.

Setting

Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data: Physician and Other Supplier Data Files, 2012‐2017.

Methods

This retrospective review included data and analysis of independent Medicare‐billing ORL APPs. Total sums and medians were gathered for Medicare reimbursements, services performed, number of patients, and unique Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes used, along with geographic and sex distributions.

Results

There has been near‐linear growth in number of ORL APPs (13.7% to 18.4% growth per year), with a 115.4% growth from 2012 to 2017. Similarly, total Medicare‐allowed reimbursement (2012: $15,568,850; 2017: $35,548,446.8), total number of services performed (2012: 313,676; 2017: 693,693.7), and total number of Medicare fee‐for‐service (FFS) patients (2012: 108,667; 2017: 238,506) increased. Medians of per APP number of unique CPT codes used, Medicare‐allowed reimbursement, number of services performed, and number of Medicare FFS patients have remained constant. There were consistently more female APPs than male APPs (female APP proportion range: 71.3%‐76.7%). Compared to ORL physicians, there was a significantly greater proportion of APPs practicing in a rural setting as opposed to urban settings (2017: APP proportion 13.6% vs ORL proportion 8.4%; P <. 001).

Conclusion

Although their scope of practice has remained constant, independently billing ORL APPs are rapidly increasing in number, which has led to increased Medicare reimbursements, services, and patients. ORL APPs tend to be female and are used more heavily in regions with fewer ORL physicians.
Unlearning the ABCs of Tympanometry
Authors: McCoul Edward D.
Published: March 2021

Interpretation of tympanometry commonly relies on the historical convention of classifying findings according to large and arbitrary threshold shifts of tympanometric peak pressure (TPP). This convention had value for prior generations of otolaryngologists in diagnosing severe, chronic middle ear disease requiring surgical intervention but may not be well suited for the present‐day evaluation of less severe disease. The existing definition of a type C curve (less than –100 daPa) is likely insensitive to detect subtle abnormalities, including some presentations of obstructive eustachian tube dysfunction. The accuracy of clinical diagnosis may be improved by reporting the absolute values of TPP and moving beyond classification according to arbitrary thresholds.
Contrasting effects of the α7 nicotinic receptor antagonist methyllycaconitine in different rat models of heroin reinstatement
Authors: Palandri Josephine , Smith Sharon L , Heal David J , Wonnacott Sue , Bailey Chris P
Published: March 2021

Background:

α7 Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are implicated in the reinstatement of drug-seeking, an important component of relapse. We showed previously that the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, methyllycaconitine, specifically attenuated morphine-primed reinstatement of conditioned place preference in rodents and this effect was mediated in the ventral hippocampus.

Aims:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonism in reinstatement of the conditioned place preference for the more widely abused opioid, heroin, and to compare the effect of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor blockade on reinstatement of heroin-seeking and heroin self-administration in an intravenous self-administration model of addictive behaviour.

Methods:

Rats were trained to acquire heroin conditioned place preference or heroin self-administration; both followed by extinction of responding. Methyllycaconitine or saline was given prior to reinstatement of drug-primed conditioned place preference, or drug-prime plus cue-induced reinstatement of intravenous self-administration, using two protocols: without delivery of heroin in response to lever pressing to model heroin-seeking, or with heroin self-administration, using fixed and progressive ratio reward schedules, to model relapse.

Results:

Methyllycaconitine had no effect on acquisition of heroin conditioned place preference or lever-pressing for food rewards. Methyllycaconitine blocked reinstatement of heroin-primed conditioned place preference. Methyllycaconitine did not prevent drug-prime plus cue-induced reinstatement of heroin-seeking, reinstatement of heroin self-administration, or diminish the reinforcing effect of heroin.

Conclusions:

The α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, methyllycaconitine, prevented reinstatement of the opioid conditioned place preference, consistent with a role for α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the retrieval of associative memories of drug liking. The lack of effect of methyllycaconitine in heroin-dependent rats in two intravenous self-administration models suggests that α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors do not play a role in later stages of heroin abuse.
Targeting neutrophils as a novel therapeutic strategy after stroke
Authors: Chen Chen , Huang Tingting , Zhai Xiaozhu , Ma Yezhi , Xie Lv , Lu Bingwei , Zhang Yueman , Li Yan , Chen Zengai , Yin Jiemin , Li Peiying
Published: March 2021

Stroke is followed by an intricate immune interaction involving the engagement of multiple immune cells, including neutrophils. As one of the first responders recruited to the brain, the crucial roles of neutrophils in the ischemic brain damage are receiving increasing attention in recent years. Notably, neutrophils are not homogenous, and yet there is still a lack of full knowledge about the extent and impact of neutrophil heterogeneity. The biological understanding of the neutrophil response to both innate and pathological conditions is rapidly evolving as single-cell-RNA sequencing uncovers overall neutrophil profiling across maturation and differentiation contexts. In this review, we scrutinize the latest research that points to the multifaceted role of neutrophils in different conditions and summarize the regulatory signals that may determine neutrophil diversity. In addition, we list several potential targets or therapeutic strategies targeting neutrophils to limit brain damage following ischemic stroke.
A stressful task is when to turn off the music: Effect of music on task performance mediated by cognitive effort
Authors: Arboleda Ana , Arroyo Christian , Rodriguez Brayan , Arce-Lopera Carlos
Published: March 2021

Studies on the effect of music on task performance are contradictory about this relationship’s direction and valence. Task characteristics may be accounting for these inconclusive findings. Thus, this study employs effort to mediate music’s effect on task performance (objective and perceived) under a stressful decision-making process. This is a between-group experiment with three conditions: slow-tempo music, fast-tempo music, or no music. We designed a computer web interface, where participants did a stressful task. Results demonstrated that participants made a strong effort under the conditions with music. Hence, turning the music off under stressful activities is favorable in terms of performance. The article contributes to understanding the interaction between music and task performance, expanding the discussion within a stressful task.
CGA: An image processing based software for surface strain analysis in sheet metal forming
Authors: Pankaj Wankhede , Radhakrishnan Tejas , Suresh Kurra , Radhika Sudha
Published: March 2021

Strain analysis is an essential step in sheet forming applications to understand the deformation behaviour of the material. The strain analysis is conventionally performed by Circle Grid Analysis (CGA). In CGA, a grid of circles with 2 mm–5 mm diameter is printed on a flat sheet and deformed into the required shape. The length of major and minor axes of the deformed ellipses are measured to estimate the strains at different locations of the formed component. The major and minor axes length of the deformed ellipses are measured either by using a manual method or automatic methods. The automated methods are faster and accurate compared to manual methods, but to perform strain measurement using commercially available automatic strain measurement system, is very expensive. Therefore, in this paper, an image processing based software has been developed with user-friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI) for strain measurement and analysis in sheet metal forming operations. The software has been tested on images obtained by printing the ellipses of known dimensions on the flat sheet by laser etching, electrochemical etching and screen printing, which are generally used for printing circular grids on flat sheets for strain analysis in sheet metal forming. It is observed that the edges of the laser engraved ellipse are very slim and easily detected by software compared to other grid printing methods. The developed software can measure the ellipse dimensions with a maximum absolute percentage error of 1.975%. Further, the results of CGA software has been compared with the commercial strain measurement system called Grid Pattern Analyzer (GPA). The mean absolute error in strain measurement using CGA and GPA was found to be 0.0106 and 0.0178, respectively. The statistical test results reveal that there is no evidence to support a claim that there is a difference in mean performance between the two methods.
Adaptive Differential Evolution Optimization-Based Noise-Level Measurement for High-Speed Railways
Authors: Ganesh Babu R. , Chellaswamy C. , Geetha T. S.
Published: March 2021

This paper deals with the possibilities of estimating noise pollution created by high-speed railway systems in nearby locations. Railway systems have significant effects on the environment. Therefore, a college campus situated near a high-speed railway was selected as the study area. In this paper, an adaptive differential evolution optimization (ADEO) algorithm-based noise-level measurement is proposed. Various measurements such as the noise levels indoors, outdoors, and near the track were carried out in the college area and applied to ADEO for optimization. A study of the impact of railway noise on student learning was made. ADEO was used to predict the maximum noise level and the maximum noise distribution in the college area through the model. An experimental study was performed, and the results were compared with the estimated results. The results indicated the consistency of both the estimated and experimental results and the error as less than 1 dBA; the noise level exceeded 65 dBA in a few classrooms. Therefore, the proposed noise measurement for high-speed railway based on the ADEO technique has been considered as the most effective and superior optimization tool.