bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What’s Disgusting, Why, and What Does it Matter?
Authors: Jones Michael Owen
Published: January 2023

In efforts to understand what people eat, it is also important to discover what they do not ingest, and especially why some things elicit revulsion, a matter taken up in the this chapter. Charles Darwin, in his book on the expression of emotions (1872), defines “disgust” as meaning “something offensive to the taste.” He attributes this reaction to a strong association “between the sight of food, however circumstanced, and the idea of eating it.” This chapter explores the role of nurture, culture, and cognitive development in accounting for feelings of disgust. It also considers why some individuals sometimes eat things that repulse others. Finally, it addresses what the moral correlates and social consequences of the emotion are, for disgust is about ideas of civility and propriety, distinction and class, and differentiating and segregating people.
Mary Shelley’s Nightmare and Percy Shelley’s Dream
Authors: Jones Michael Owen
Published: January 2023

Like Dr. Frankenstein's creature that ate wild berries and garden produce, some people reject the partaking of any kind of flesh. Among them was one of England's greatest lyricists, Percy Shelley, who advocated a vegetable diet, atheism, free love, and the reformation of society that could begin with changing an individual's eating habits. This chapter first presents background on his wife, Mary Shelley, who experienced a nightmare that she described in a chapter in her novel, Frankenstein. Then it focuses on Percy's denunciation of meat consumption in poetry and in a pamphlet in 1813 promoting the salubrious effects of a “natural diet.” Employing arguments resonating today, Shelley adamantly opposed killing and eating animals on grounds of health and morality, but also in criticism of wealth, power, and commercial interests. He marshalled evidence defending his vision of a world of benevolence, equality, and the cure of various diseases; he included as testimony his own switch to vegetarianism from which, however, he sometimes lapsed for several reasons that are explained.
What Diabetes Counseling Overlooks
Authors: Jones Michael Owen
Published: January 2023

This final chapter concerns Type 2 diabetes, which afflicts 27 million Americans. The second application of insights in this book is how to enhance nutrition education and counseling, especially among Latinx, nearly half of whom born in 2000 are likely to develop diabetes during their lives. Emphasis has long been on instructions in taking medications and reading glucose levels. Guidance also should help individuals understand how they utilize foods symbolically, in customs and rituals, and as markers of their multiple identities.
Virtually Normal
Authors: Miller Jennifer
Published: January 2023

Chapter Three explores representations of lesbian and gay marriage and family life in post-2000 picture books as well as in political discourse. The chapter develops the argument of critical optimism, an interpretive framework used to account for attachments to heteronormative family forms and raced and classed models of success as well as the world-making potential of LGBTQ+ picture books.
Abolitionist Songs
Authors: Callahan Mat , Kelley Robin D. G. , Akuno Kali
Published: January 2023

This chapter focuses on abolitionist songs and shows how the author used three main sources for these songs: The Anti-Slavery Harp: A Collection of Songs for Anti-Slavery Meetings (1848), compiled by William Wells Brown; The Emancipation Car: Being an Original Composition of Anti-Slavery Ballads Composed Exclusively for the Under Ground Rail Road (1854), compiled by Joshua McCarter Simpson; and American Anti-Slavery Songs (1988) by Vicki L. Eaklor. It also mentions some other sources that the author used which include songs from The Sacred Harp (1844), a songbook using shape-note music notation. The chapter notes that some of these texts are set to what were known at the time as minstrel songs, “comic negro songs,” or “Ethiopian melodies” intended to mock and degrade Black people. As the chapter highlights, blackface minstrelsy was repudiated by notable figures such as Frederick Douglass. The chapter also narrates how Joshua McCarter Simpson used “Dandy Jim” tune as a setting for “A Song for Freedom.” This choice of music served the double purpose of putting a popular tune to abolitionist use and turning a tune perpetuating the enslavement of Black people into a weapon for their emancipation.
The Inability to Compromise
Authors: Abdul-Ghani Casarae Lavada
Published: January 2023

This chapter examines Amiri Baraka's (LeRoi Jones) and Ben Caldwell's underexamined plays The Slave and Riot Sale, or Dollar Psyche Fake Out. In it, the chapter argues that BAM artists-writers like Baraka and Caldwell employ Black rage as a central component of revolts designed to protest and dismantle the systemic racism that lingers within American society. Ironically, through the seemingly chaotic and disparate expression of rage and revolution, Baraka and Caldwell reveal Black America’s derived sense of racial unity as they work toward the common goal of social and economic equality. Through its representations of rebellion (and the rage that energizes it), the 'revolutionary theatre' of Baraka and Caldwell ultimately delineates and affirms a Black political subjectivity.
Realism and Race
Authors: Westman Karin E.
Published: January 2023

In pointing readers to everyday experience and our place in history, the realism underpinning Rowling's fantasy encourages readers to expect resonances between the world of Harry Potter and their own world. However, Rowling's fictional history “History of Magic in North America,” first published on her web site Pottermore, and the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child highlight significant narrative concerns for new and returning readers: the limitations of Rowling's imagined world in terms of race. These two examples from 2016 demonstrate the degree to which elements of realism set the terms of readers' engagement with and critique of Rowling's representations of race. The narrative result of Rowling's realism then becomes a compromised fantasy, a failed performance of fantastic realism – indeed, for many readers, a failed object of art.
“Cho Chang Is Trending”
Authors: Dahlen Sarah Park , Schell Kallie
Published: January 2023

In this chapter the authors discuss Orientalism and racialization in the wizarding world to explore how J.K. Rowling writes about race in her books. Specifically, by critically analyzing the character of Cho Chang—her problematic name, who she is in the books, and readers' receptions and interpretations—the authors demonstrate that while the series suggests that Cho Chang's Asianness doesn't matter, it does. The chapter pays particular attention to the author's choice to name this character Cho Chang, which readers have argued is racist in how it echoes the racist taunt “ching chong chang.” This chapter argues that Cho Chang's character must be read in light of how Asianness is perceived in the real world, because those perceptions inform and loop back to how she is perceived in the Wizarding World.
Harry Potter and Black Liberation Movements
Authors: Wade Jasmine
Published: January 2023

This chapter discusses the Harry Potter series alongside Black liberation movements and organizations, including SNCC, the British Black Panther party, and Black feminist organizations. The chapter argues that when Harry Potter is paired with historical Black social movements, the pedagogical potential grows. Because of the strength of overlaps in themes between Harry Potter and Black liberation movements, it is potentially possible to address the imagination gap Ebony Elizabeth Thomas speaks of by pairing history and literature to expose children of color, specifically, to struggles for freedom, justice, and health in their own histories.
The Failed Wizard Justice System
Authors: Wilson Charles D.
Published: January 2023

In the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling uses systemic failings drawn from recognizable real-world legal and political conflicts to illustrate racial and social injustice in the fictional wizard legal system. Rowling's approach to the wizard justice system is deeply cynical, illustrating the consequences when the participants act in self-interested or politically expedient ways. Throughout the series, the antagonists exploit the flaws in the wizard legal system by using, scapegoating, and even killing marginal figures who don't have access to the justice system. They further take advantage of the system's failure by persuading the subject races of magical creatures to join them by promising them what the legal system has failed to deliver. This chapter sheds light on the importance of a functioning legal system, the risks that accompany the misuse of legal authority, and the consequences of denying disfavored groups access to justice in Harry Potter and beyond.
Jazz Goes to the Movies
Authors: Carlson Gretchen L.
Published: January 2023

The introduction elucidates what is meant by “jazz” in film, and discusses why this genre in particular is uniquely positioned to reshape traditional film music-making. The phrase “authenticity to inner circle” describes the featured jazz artists’ (in the following case studies) unique trajectories into film scoring. More specifically, it addresses how filmmakers’ individual perceptions of jazz as “authentic” – and how it can represent authenticity in their films – leads to these unique, integrative jazz-film collaborations. In so doing, this chapter asserts the essential role that directors play in facilitating and overseeing these unconventional projects, particularly within the more conservative, risk-averse film industry as a whole. The introduction culminates with the theorization of “creative labor,” addressing how film composition – although subject to the hierarchies and expectations of the film production process – can also be a rich site for creative experimentation and ideological action.
“Honest, True Portrayals”
Authors: Carlson Gretchen L.
Published: January 2023

Chapter 3 provides an in-depth look at the ongoing collaboration between filmmaker Spike Lee and jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard. It situates their relationship at the intersections of shared socio-political ideologies and a committed understanding of jazz as representative of authentic black experience and creativity. This chapter provides close readings of several of their film projects, including Mo’ Better Blues (1990), Malcolm X (1992), and When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006), as well as Blanchard’s own extended creative projects based on the film scores. Blanchard’s unique melding of classical film score elements with jazz styles shapes the underlying political and social meanings of Lee’s films, while also exhibiting Blanchard’s own personal and cultural values.
“A Film Director’s Dream”
Authors: Carlson Gretchen L.
Published: January 2023

Chapter 4 investigates the compilation jazz soundtracks featured in filmmaker Woody Allen’s movies. These soundtracks primarily feature historic and recent recordings of early jazz and swing. Examining jazz pianist Dick Hyman’s ongoing collaborative relationship with Allen, this chapter elucidates how jazz is highly personal for Allen, functioning as the sonic vehicle through which he expresses nostalgia, idealism, and escapism. Allen views jazz as representative of authentic human experiences and emotions (e.g., love, sexual angst, etc.) that transcend time. Whether his films are set in 1920 or 1980, they feature Hyman’s contemporary, historically-informed performances of early jazz styles. Musical anachronism in these soundtracks – rather than undermining authenticity – is designed to evoke it.
Rewarding Viewing
Authors: Barker Cory
Published: January 2023

Chapter 3 concentrates on start-ups that promised rewards to viewers who digitally “checked in” to whatever they were watching. Mirroring then-popular platform Foursquare, which enabled users to check in to physical locations, GetGlue, Miso, and Viggle offered stickers, monikers, and consumer goods to participants. Situating check-ins as an extension of fan productivity, the chapter advocates for social productivity that accounts for the ease at which people engage in liking, sharing, and checking in. The investigation into these now-marginalized products highlights how each product was promoted, distributed rewards, and courted users. While GetGlue and Miso mimicked social platforms and recruited fans into a community experience, Viggle promised a commodity-driven, individualized experience. Drawing upon archived check-in material, and an interview with a former Miso and Viggle employee, the chapter finds that check-ins remixed the collaborative gift economies into a corporate-friendly reward economy, where consumers were given small benefits for merely consuming content.
“Great Shows, Thanks to You”
Authors: Barker Cory
Published: January 2023

Chapter 4 details the rise of Amazon Studios, the production company of mega-retailer Amazon, which promised to disrupt Hollywood by uncovering amateur voices and allowing active users to critique projects in progress. The centerpiece of Amazon Studios's development process was a public showcase for nascent television projects, where viewers could watch pilot episodes and then review them through questionnaires, star ratings, and social media posts. Utilizing publicity materials, public reporting on feedback, and personal participation in Amazon's Pilot Season, the chapter spotlights how Amazon Studios appropriated the discourses of participatory culture for a type of fansourcing only to gain attention in Hollywood. But despite fan-first promises, viewer feedback had a decisively unclear influence on the studio's decision-making. By tracking additional iterations of the Pilot Season approach, the chapter contends that the studio chased acceptance from critics through legitimating quality TV discourses about auteurism, creative freedom, and social import.
“It’s What Connects Us”
Authors: Barker Cory
Published: January 2023

Although Twitter was essential to the television industry's attempts to protect live television, it eventually became a space for a different type of audience management. To track this shift, Chapter 5 examines the Twitter activity of HBO across two periods in 2014 and 2017. Drawing from a cache of tweets and research into branding, the chapter marks HBO's pivot from prestigious programmer to omnipresent content machine. The chapter contextualizes this pivot within the evolution of corporate Twitter use and HBO's growing competition with Netflix. Both developments, the chapter argues, incentivized HBO to develop a platform authenticity that embeds the brand more deeply into everyday life through playful engagement with followers and political activism. HBO's shift exemplifies that platform authenticity is part of a broader brand creep into everyday life, where holidays and the workweek doldrums become eventized through hashtags and memes.
POSTOPERATIVE CARE IN SEPTOPLASTY: CURRENT CLINICAL EVIDENCE
Authors: Rocha Netto Guilherme , Ribeiro Filho Roberto Hyczy , Martins Rafael Ferri
Published: January 2023

Introduction: Septoplasty is one of the oldest and most common surgeries performed by otolaryngologists. However, to date, postoperative care still differs greatly according to the surgeon’s experience and preferences, to the detriment of scientific evidence. Objective: To review the most recent and relevant studies on the topic, to provide reliable and easily accessible information, allowing surgeons in the area to offer the best medical practice. Methods: A systematic review of the pertinent literature was performed, including studies published in the last ten years that assessed the risk of complications, pain, discomfort, and nasal obstruction after septoplasty, compared to the care adopted after surgery and in the perioperative period, regardless of the technique used. Conclusion: The use of antibiotic prophylaxis is unnecessary, but when indicated, a single dose of 1g intravenous cefazolin should be used immediately after the procedure. In the perioperative period, the prescription of pregabalin is indicated before surgery, infiltration with levobupivacaine at the beginning, and mattress suturing at the end of it. Nasal lavage should be performed with hypertonic saline or a combination of saline with high-volume, low-pressure fluticasone propionate.
IMPACT OF PLASMA HDL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS, MEASURED ONE YEAR BEFORE ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, ON MORTALITY AFTER THE ACUTE EVENT
Authors: Bernardi André , Grobe Sarah Fagundes , Olandoski Márcia , Silva Carolina Perin Maia da , Faria Neto José Rocha
Published: January 2023

Introduction: Although epidemiological studies demonstrated that HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) levels are associated with higher cardiovascular risk, pharmacological interventions for elevated HDL-C levels have failed to show a risk reduction. Objective: To evaluate patients admitted for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) to determine whether HDL-C levels measured up to 1 year before the event have an impact on post-event mortality. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the database of the Curitiba (Brazil) city hall. This study included 1,363 patients hospitalized from 2008 to 2015, with a diagnosis of infarction and available HDL-C values measured up to 1 year before the coronary event. The mean HDL-C levels obtained in this period and at 6 and 12 months after discharge were correlated with hospital mortality. Results: HDL-C levels of ≤35 mg/dL resulted in lower mortality than values of ≥50 mg/dL. This indicates that the mortality risk of patients with HDL-C levels of ≥50 mg/dL was 30% higher than ≤35 mg/dL, regardless the age and the total follow up. The survival rate at 6 and 12 months of follow-up for patients with HDL-C levels of ≥50 mg/dL was reduced in relation to other quartiles, with higher evidence of mortality at 12 months. Conclusions: The patients with higher HDL-C levels in the year preceding an AMI presented worse prognosis than those with lower HDL-C levels after the acute event. This reinforces the paradoxical effect of HDL-C on cardiovascular risk and the results of recent intervention studies.
Riesgo psicosocial en el trabajo: el concepto
Authors: Manrique Torres Adriana Marcela
Published: January 2023

El estrés laboral se convierte en una de las primeras afectaciones psicosociales que se desarrolla a causa de las condiciones de riesgo psicosocial que generan las condiciones de trabajo; por consiguiente, los modelos teóricos desarrollados frente al estrés han enmarcado el análisis de los factores de riesgo psicosocial en el contexto laboral. En consecuencia, esta relación pone de manifiesto: 1) los modelos de comprensión para el análisis de los riesgos psicosociales en el trabajo, 2) la importancia del contenido del trabajo en la ocupación y 3) la complejidad de los factores y condiciones de riesgos psicosociales en el trabajo y riesgos psicosociales emergentes. A continuación, se abordará cada uno de estos aspectos
Fast and Scalable Mining of Time Series Motifs with Probabilistic Guarantees
Authors: Ceccarello Matteo , Gamper Johann
Published: January 2023

Mining time series motifs is a fundamental, yet expensive task in exploratory data analytics. In this paper, we therefore propose a fast method to find the top-kmotifs with probabilistic guarantees. Our probabilistic approach is based on Locality Sensitive Hashing and allows to prune most of the distance computations, leading to huge speedups. We improve on a straightforward application of LSH to time series data by developing aself-tuningalgorithm that adapts to the data distribution. Furthermore, we include several optimizations to the algorithm, reducing redundant computations and leveraging the structure of time series data to speed up LSH computations. We prove the correctness of the algorithm and provide bounds to the cost of the basic operations it performs. An experimental evaluation shows that our algorithm is able to tackle time series of one billion points on a single CPU-based machine, performing orders of magnitude faster than the GPU-based state of the art.
Enabling Transparent Acceleration of Big Data Frameworks Using Heterogeneous Hardware
Authors: Xekalaki Maria , Fumero Juan , Stratikopoulos Athanasios , Doka Katerina , Katsakioris Christos , Bitsakos Constantinos , Koziris Nectarios , Kotselidis Christos
Published: January 2023

The ever-increasing demand for high performance Big Data analytics and data processing, has paved the way for heterogeneous hardware accelerators, such as Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), to be integrated into modern Big Data platforms. Currently, this integration comes at the cost of programmability since the end-user Application Programming Interface (APIs) must be altered to access the underlying heterogeneous hardware. For example, current Big Data frameworks, such as Apache Spark, provide a new API that combines the existing Spark programming model with GPUs. For other Big Data frameworks, such as Flink, the integration of GPUs and FPGAs is achieved via external API calls that bypass their execution models completely.

In this paper, we rethink current Big Data frameworks from a systems and programming language perspective, and introduce a novel co-designed approach for integrating hardware acceleration into their execution models. The novelty of our approach is attributed to two key design decisions: a) support for arbitrary User Defined Functions (UDFs), and b) no modifications to the user level API. The proposed approach has been prototyped in the context of Apache Flink, and enables unmodified applications written in Java to run on heterogeneous hardware, such as GPU and FPGAs, transparently to the users. The performance evaluation of the proposed solution has shown performance speedups of up to 65x on GPUs and 184x on FPGAs for suitable workloads of standard benchmarks and industrial use cases against vanilla Flink running on traditional multi-core CPUs.
Sage
Authors: Lee Eunjae , Noh Sam H. , Seo Jiwon
Published: January 2023

We propose Sage, a system for uncertain network analysis. Algorithms for uncertain network analysis require large amounts of memory and computing resources as they sample a large number of network instances and run analysis on them. Sage makes uncertain network analysis simple and efficient. By extending the edge-centric programming model, Sage makes writing sampling-based analysis algorithms as simple as writing conventional graph algorithms in Pregel-like systems. Moreover, Sage proposes four optimization techniques, namely, deterministic sampling, hybrid gathering, schedule-aware caching, and copy-on-write attributes, that exploit common properties of uncertain network analysis. Extensive evaluation of Sage with eight algorithms on six real-world networks shows that the four optimizations in Sage jointly improve performance by up to 13.9X and on average 2.7X.
ONe Index for All Kernels (ONIAK)
Authors: Meng Jingfan , Wang Huayi , Xu Jun , Ogihara Mitsunori
Published: January 2023

In this work, we formulate and solve a new type of approximate nearest neighbor search (ANNS) problems called ANNS after linear transformation (ALT). In ANNS-ALT, we search for the vector (in a dataset) that, after being linearly transformed by a user-specified query matrix, is closest to a query vector. It is a very general mother problem in the sense that a wide range of baby ANNS problems that have important applications in databases and machine learning can be reduced to and solved as ANNS-ALT, or its dual that we call ANNS-ALTD. We propose a novel and computationally efficient solution, called ONe Index for All Kernels (ONIAK), to ANNS-ALT and all its baby problems when the data dimension
d
is not too large (say
d
≤ 200). In ONIAK, a universal index is built, once and for all, for answering all future ANNS-ALT queries that can have
distinct
query matrices. We show by experiments that, when
d
is not too large, ONIAK has better query performance than linear scan on the mother problem (of ANNS-ALT), and has query performances comparable to those of the state-of-the-art solutions on the baby problems. However, the algorithmic technique behind this universal index approach suffers from a so-called dimension blowup problem that can make the indexing time prohibitively long for a large dataset. We propose a novel algorithmic technique, called fast GOE quadratic form (FGoeQF), that completely solves the (prohibitively long indexing time) fallout of the dimension blowup problem. We also propose a Johnson-Lindenstrauss transform (JLT) based ANNS-ALT (and ANNS-ALTD) solution that significantly outperforms any competitor when
d
is large.
Witness Generation for JSON Schema
Authors: Attouche Lyes , Baazizi Mohamed-Amine , Colazzo Dario , Ghelli Giorgio , Sartiani Carlo , Scherzinger Stefanie
Published: January 2023

JSON Schema is a schema language for JSON documents, based on a complex combination of structural operators, Boolean operators (negation included), and recursive variables. The static analysis of JSON Schema documents comprises practically relevant problems, including schema satisfiability, inclusion, and equivalence. These problems can be reduced to witness generation: given a schema, generate an element of the schema --- if it exists --- and report failure otherwise. Schema satisfiability, inclusion, and equivalence have been shown to be decidable. However, no witness generation algorithm has yet been formally described. We contribute a first, direct algorithm for JSON Schema witness generation, and study its effectiveness and efficiency in experiments over several schema collections, including thousands of real-world schemas.
Towards Observability for Production Machine Learning Pipelines
Authors: Shankar Shreya , Parameswaran Aditya G.
Published: January 2023

Software organizations are increasingly incorporating machine learning (ML) into their product offerings, driving a need for new data management tools. Many of these tools facilitate the initial development of ML applications, but sustaining these applications post-deployment is difficult due to lack of real-time feedback (i.e., labels) for predictions and silent failures that could occur at any component of the ML pipeline (e.g., data distribution shift or anomalous features). We propose a new type of data management system that offers end-to-end
observability
, or visibility into complex system behavior, for deployed ML pipelines through assisted (1) detection, (2) diagnosis, and (3) reaction to ML-related bugs. We describe new research challenges and suggest preliminary solution ideas in all three aspects. Finally, we introduce an example architecture for a "bolt-on" ML observability system, or one that wraps around existing tools in the stack.
Fairness Matters
Authors: Sun Weijie , Xu Zihuan , Chen Lei
Published: January 2023

The proof-of-work (PoW) based blockchains are more secure nowadays since profit-oriented miners contribute more computing powers in exchange for fair revenues. This virtuous circle only works under an incentive-compatible consensus, which is found to be fragile under selfish mining attacks. Specifically, selfish miners can conceal and reveal blocks strategically to earn unfairly higher revenue compared to honest behaviors. Previous countermeasures either require incompatible modifications or fail to consider the asynchronous network and multiple honest nodes setting in reality.

In this paper, we introduce the unfairness measurement based on the KL-divergence from the computing power distribution to the revenue distribution of miners. To improve fairness with the existence of selfish miners, we propose a novel block promotion strategy namely Tit-for-Tat (TFT), for honest miners. In particular, based on a miner's local observation of forks, we design the suspicious probability measurement of other nodes. Rather than promoting a fresh block instantly, miners withhold it for different time periods according to others' suspicious probability before delivery. Meanwhile, to minimize the attacker's unfair revenue, we formulate the delay vector (DV) problem for honest miners to determine the optimal withholding time. We prove that DV problem is nonconvex, and thus propose two approximation algorithms that yield ϵ-suboptimal solutions. In addition, we extend TFT strategy to support dynamic networks. Extensive experiments validate the efficiency and effectiveness of our strategy and algorithms to reduce unfairness by 54.62% within bounded withholding time.
Towards a versatile mental workload modeling using neurometric indices
Authors: Gogna Yamini , Tiwari Sheela , Singla Rajesh
Published: January 2023

Researchers have been working to magnify mental workload (MWL) modeling for a long time. An important aspect of its modeling is feature selection as it interprets bulky and high-dimensional EEG data and enhances the accuracy of the classification model. In this study, a feature selection technique is proposed to obtain an optimized feature set with multiple domain features that can contribute to classifying the MWL at three distinct levels. The brain signals from thirteen healthy subjects were examined while they attended an intrinsic MWL of spotting differences in a set of similar pictures. The Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) technique selects the robust features from the feature matrix by eliminating all the least contributing features. Along with the Support Vector Machine (SVM), the overall classification accuracy with the proposed RFE reached 0.913 from 0.791 surpassing the other techniques mentioned. The results of the study also significantly display the variation in the mean values of the selected features at the three workload levels (p<0.05). This model can become the principle for defining the workload level quantification applicable to diverse fields like neuroergonomics study, intelligent assistive devices (ADs) development, blue-chip technology exploration, cognitive evaluation of students, power plant operators, traffic operators, etc.
Evaluation of a high-sensitivity SARS-CoV-2 antigen test on the fully automated light-initiated chemiluminescent immunoassay platform
Authors: Yu Minghang , Chen Danying , Tang Xiaomeng , Zhang Yuanyuan , Liang Pu , Xiong Yang , Li Rui , Song Rui , Chen Xiaoyou , Zhao Xuesen , Wang Xi , Jin Ronghua
Published: January 2023

Objectives

To describe a high-sensitivity SARS-CoV-2 antigen test that is based on the fully automated light-initiated chemiluminescent immunoassay (LiCA®), and to validate its analytical characteristics and clinical agreement on detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection against the reference molecular test.

Methods

Analytical performance was validated and detection limits were determined using different types of nucleocapsid protein samples. 798-pair anterior nasal swab specimens were collected from hospitalized patients and asymptomatic screening individuals. Agreement between LiCA® antigen and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) was evaluated.

Results

Repeatability and within-lab precision were 1.6–2.3%. The C5∼C95 interval was −5.1–4.6% away from C50. Detection limits in average (SD) were 325 (±141) U/mL on the national reference panel, 0.07 (±0.04) TCID50/mL on active viral cultures, 0.27 (±0.09) pg/mL on recombinant nucleocapsid proteins and 1.07 (±1.01) TCID50/mL on inactivated viral suspensions, respectively. LiCA detected a median of 374-fold (IQR 137–643) lower levels of the viral antigen than comparative rapid tests. As reference to the rRT-PCR method, overall sensitivity and specificity were determined to be 97.5% (91.4–99.7%) and 99.9% (99.2–100%), respectively. Total agreement between both methods was 99.6% (98.7–99.9%) with Cohen’s kappa 0.98 (0.96–1). A positive detection rate of 100% (95.4–100%) was obtained as Ct≤37.8.

Conclusions

The LiCA® system provides an exceptionally high-sensitivity and fully automated platform for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 antigen in nasal swabs. The assay may have high potential use for large-scale population screening and surveillance of COVID-19 as an alternative to the rRT-PCR test.
Dynamics of the vitamin D C3-epimer levels in preterm infants
Authors: Matejek Tomas , Zapletalova Bara , Stepan Martin , Malakova Jana , Palicka Vladimir
Published: January 2023

Objectives

The primary objective was to determine levels of C3-epi-25(OH)D in very low birth weight infants. The secondary objective was to evaluate the possible influence of preterm birth, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and season of birth on the production of C3-epimers.

Methods

A total of 127 infants with birth weight less than 1,500 g met the inclusion criteria of the study. We examined 25-hydroxyvitamin-D [25(OH)D] levels and C3-epi-25(OH)D in maternal serum before labor, and in cord blood and infants’ serum on days 14 and 28, and at discharge.

Results

The mean levels (±SD) of C3-epi-25(OH)D of the cord, on day 14, on day 28, and at discharge were 2.2 (2.9), 7.7 (5.5), 11.7 (7.6) and 14.9 (11.7) nmol/L respectively. The proportion of total 25(OH)D as the C3-epimer was 6.9% (cord), 16.3% (day 14), 22.4% (day 28) and 23.3% (discharge). A statistically significant correlation between 25(OH)D and C3-epi-25(OH)D can be demonstrated from birth. The severity of immaturity and IUGR did not affect the production of C3-epimers. In summer/autumn vs. winter/spring, the mean (SD) percentage of total 25(OH)D as the C3-epimer significantly differs only in maternal serum samples and umbilical cord samples (p value <0.001).

Conclusions

The production of C3-epi-25(OH)D is functional even in the most immature newborns, has fetal origins, and is largely dependent on circulating 25(OH)D. At the end of the first month of life, C3-epimers make up more than 20% of 25(OH)D.
Quality indicators in laboratory medicine: state-of-the-art, quality specifications and future strategies
Authors: Sciacovelli Laura , Padoan Andrea , Aita Ada , Basso Daniela , Plebani Mario
Published: January 2023

In the last few decades, quality in laboratory medicine has evolved in concert with the transformation and the changes (technological, scientific and organizational) in this sector. Laboratory professionals have faced great challenges, at times being overwhelmed, yet also involved in this progress. Worldwide, laboratory professionals and scientific societies involved in laboratory medicine have raised awareness concerning the need to identify new quality assurance tools that are effective in reducing the error rate and enhancing patient safety, in addition to Internal Quality Control (IQC) procedures and the participation in the External Quality Assessment Schemes (EQAS). The use of Quality Indicators (QIs), specifically designed for laboratory medicine are effective in assessing and monitoring all critical events occurring in the different phases of Total Testing Process (TTP), in particular, in the extra-analytical phases. The Model of Quality Indicators (MQI), proposed by the Working Group “Laboratory Errors and Patient Safety” (WG-LEPS) of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) and validated by experts in consensus conferences, is an important window of opportunity for the medical laboratory to demonstrate the use of an effective quality assurance tool fit for this purpose. Aim of this paper is to provide an update of the state-of-the-art concerning the most used QIs data collected in 2021 and the Quality Specifications (QSs) proposed for their evaluation. Moreover, a strategy for the future is proposed in order to improve the MQI and encourage its use in medical laboratories throughout the world.
Evaluation of the dissolving ability of cellulosic pulps: investigation of a novel method using light scattering follow-up during classical cellulose carbanilation
Authors: Vera-Loor Andrea , Walger Elsa , Marlin Nathalie , Mortha Gérard
Published: January 2023

The aim of the present study is to investigate the dissolving ability of a cellulosic substrate using a derivatization method, i.e. cellulose tricarbanilation and the follow-up by dynamic light scattering (DLS), for particle size measurement. The dissolving behavior of six commercial pulps, selected for their different nature and properties, were compared to the Fock test, and the analysis was completed by other methods for substrate characterization: crystallinity (XRD), DPv (in CuED), sugar analysis, molecular weight distribution (MWD) of cellulose by HPSEC-multidetectors (done on the cellulose tricarbanilates), and solubility in NaOH:urea:water. The proposed carbanilation/DLS method resulted practical and suitable for evaluating the dissolving ability of the different pulps – including hemicelluloses-containing kraft pulps – and allowed to discriminate the samples, contrary to the Fock test. Comparison and assessment of the relevance of the different methods are finally discussed.
Environmentally sustainable synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO2 promoted by MCM-41 supported dual imidazolium ionic liquids catalysts
Authors: Hu Yu Lin , Sun Zhi Guo
Published: January 2023

A type of MCM-41 supported dual imidazolium ionic liquids have been synthesized and efficiently used as catalysts in the sustainable chemical conversion of CO2 and epoxides into cyclic carbonates. It was shown that the highest efficiency was achieved in the cycloaddition of a variety of epoxides and CO2 in the presence of the MCM-41@DILSCN solid catalyst under mild conditions. More interestingly, the catalyst was stable, very active, robust, and displayed good recyclability without significant loss of catalytic activity after six consecutive cycles during the process. Overall, the present protocol of synthesizing cyclic carbonates under solvent free conditions using MCM-41@DILSCN is promising for industrial applications.
Ultra-sensitive one-dimensional phononic crystals temperature sensor: theoretical optimization
Authors: Heravi Farhad Javanpour , Elsayed Hussein A. , Sabra Walied , Mehaney Ahmed
Published: January 2023

The present study intends to solve the problem of low-temperature sensitivity of most conventional period materials. A solid/solid one-dimensional phononic crystal design is proposed as a pragmatic thermal sensor. Here, each unit cell of the proposed phononic crystal sensor is designed from epoxy and concrete. In this structure, irregularity in layers’ arrangement results in the generation of resonant peaks at the transmission spectrum. The irregularity is introduced to the system by stacking two mirror phononic crystals to form a whole symmetric phononic crystal design. Thermal variations lead to significant changes in Young’s modulus of concrete and epoxy; consequently, transmission spectra and local resonant peaks are shifted as well. Firstly, the band gap changes, and sensor performance were investigated under different conditions such as the incident angle and the number of unit cells to get the optimum parameters. Meanwhile, promising results have been obtained, with increasing the incident angle, the sensitivity increases exponentially till it reaches 1.5 × 103 Hz/°C at an incident angle = 18°. Also, with increasing the temperature from 25 to 100 °C, the sensitivity increases dramatically from 188.8 to 362.4 Hz/°C, respectively. In addition, the largest value of Q-factor was investigated at periodicity number = 4. Moreover, in this regard, the Q-factor has the value of 3708 at 25 °C and it reaches to the value of 896.6 at 100 °C. That is to say, the obtained results may be useful in designing thermal sensors with a high sensitivity value.
Diameter-Height Growth Performance of Natural Species of Central Anatolian Forest Steppe in Terms of Influencing Site Conditions
Authors: Kahveci Gülzade
Published: January 2023

Trees' height (H) and diameter (D) growth depend on many factors and vary between species. This study examined H and D growth of Juniperus excelsa, J. foetidissima, Pinus nigra, Quercus cerris and Q. pubescens, growing naturally in the Central Anatolian forest steppe and the site conditions (human impact, woody plant coverage, tree density, altitude, exposure) that influence H and D growth. The present study hypothesises that the decline of height growth might indicate limited rainfall in the region. Two datasets were distinguished for the statistical analysis: the first comprised maximum height (MH) and diameter (MD), human impact, woody plant coverage, and tree density of the sampling plots, and the second comprised all measured Hs and Ds of the sampling plots, exposition, and altitude. Variance and correlation analysis were applied to both datasets to determine the relationships between parameters. Non-linear regression analysis was applied to both datasets to provide H-prediction equations. According to the results of statistical analyses applied to two datasets, each tree species reacted differently to the site conditions. However, the most relevant relationship was found between height and diameter growth for all species. The MH-MD and D-H of P. nigra (except the altitude) and Quercus cerris + Q. pubescens (except the human impact) did not respond to any of the site conditions remarkably, while those of J. foetidissima responded to all of the site conditions examined. The H and D of each species were affected by the exposure. While the highest number of trees was found on N-exposed slopes, the heights trees of each species were found on N- and NW-exposed slopes. The results of non-linear regression analysis applied on both datasets of H-prediction equations of each species involved different parameters, even though the diameter was the only relevant variable for height prediction. Although it is not possible to reach a definite conclusion for other species within the scope of this study, P. nigra had a shorter height in Central Anatolia than in areas with better environmental conditions. Height growth might indicate water limitations of Central Anatolian region, but genetic code might be an important factor of how a species will cope with drought.
A Multidirectional Cyclic Direct Simple Shear Device for Characterizing Dynamic Soil Behavior
Authors: Bhaumik Lopamudra , Rutherford Cassandra J. , Olson Scott M. , Hashash Youssef M. A. , Numanoglu Ozgun A. , Cerna-Diaz Alfonso A. , Weaver Thomas
Published: January 2023

A newly constructed multidirectional cyclic direct simple shear (mcDSS) device with unique capabilities is introduced. This mcDSS apparatus, called the Illinois mcDSS (or I-mcDSS) device, for the first time brings together the following capabilities: (1) servo-hydraulic control that can apply stress- or strain-based monotonic, cyclic (e.g., sinusoidal, saw tooth, and square), and high-frequency broadband loads at realistic earthquake loading rates, improving over previous devices with pneumatic control; (2) unidirectional and bidirectional loading; (3) bender elements to measure (S-wave) velocity; (4) a cell for applying consolidation stresses different from at-rest values as well as back-pressure saturation; and (5) a multidirectional load cell on top of the specimen to minimize the effect of compliance and component friction on load measurements. The I-mcDSS device tests cylindrical specimens confined using either a wire-reinforced membrane or stacked rings. Experiments conducted on a uniformly graded Ottawa sand are presented to illustrate each key I-mcDSS feature. Test repeatability is demonstrated for monotonic and bidirectional cyclic tests. Drained or constant volume, K0-consolidated, strain-controlled monotonic, unidirectional cyclic, and bidirectional (circular, figure-8, and broadband) cyclic tests on dry specimens yielded shear stress–shear strain relations, peak effective-stress friction angles (ϕ′peak-DSS), and volumetric strains, or excess pore water pressures, consistent with the literature. However, depending on load cell and displacement transducer locations, device compliance was observed to affect shear stress–shear strain response at shear strains less than 1 %. When compared with triaxial compression (TC) peak effective-stress friction angles (ϕ′peak-TC), ϕ′peak-DSS was about 5° smaller than ϕ′peak-TC if the horizontal plane is considered the failure plane, whereas ϕ′peak-DSS ≈ ϕ′peak-TC if the horizontal plane is considered the plane of maximum shear stress. Lastly, measured S-wave velocities at varying confinements are consistent with published correlations.
OS REPASSES DO PODER
Authors: Pinto Gil Gilson
Published: January 2023

O artigo efetua uma análise da política no Amazonas, no século XXI, a partir do conceito de coronelismo, conforme delimitado por Vitor Nunes Leal. A ênfase dinâmica e relacional do conceito é acentuada, pois ele difere do mandonismo local dos prefeitos do interior, dependentes dos poderes estadual e federal. A reciprocidade entre o controle eleitoral efetuado pelos prefeitos e sua dependência dos recursos oriundos de outros entes configura essa relação. A carência das cidades, aliada aoisolamento geográfico e à história da colonização da região, favorece o exercício do poder local. Porém, a ausência de recursos próprios torna esses prefeitos dependentes do governador e do presidente, atualizando noções como a de coronelismo e personalismo como formas vigentes de poder nessa região. Toda uma rede de compromissos, envolvendo deputados, senadores, vereadores e prefeitos percorre o interior amazonense, configurando uma forma singular de gestão pública e política. O acesso às autoridades torna-se um dispositivo de poder regional, que desenha as relações sociais cotidianas e políticas do Amazonas.
CAIILÉ, ALAIN & VANDENBEGHE, FRÉDÉRIC. POR UMA NOVA SOCIOLOGIA CLÁSSICA: RE-UNINDO TEORIA SOCIAL, FILOSOFIA MORAL E OS STUDIES. EDITORA VOZES, 2021
Authors: Lacerda Marcos
Published: January 2023

O ano é 2020. De forma imprevista, começa a se desenvolver uma pandemia cujas consequências são alarmantes. Países fecham as suas fronteiras. Pode-se ver cenas como as do Vaticano vazio, com o Sumo Pontífice caminhando melancolicamente. Ruas e ruas pelas cidades do mundo em silêncio. O momento é de dúvida, indagação e, mesmo, pânico difuso. Pelas redes digitais, espaço de ampliação – ou degradação? – da esfera pública, começam os debates. Textos e mais textos escritos com angústia, algum cuidado aqui ou ali. O que fazer? Fortalecer os laços sociais e morais, em respeito aos profissionais que precisam trabalhar e não podem ter acesso ao isolamento social? Tentar unir cuidado de si e cuidado dos outros, com atenção especial aos mais vulneráveis? Revelar supostas “assimetrias” e “privilégios” entre os que podem ou não podem se defender da pandemia? Repensar o papel do Estado de bem-estar social, os serviços de saúde pública e universal em tempos de “neoliberalismo”? Estender as políticas de proteção social e médica, a despeito da tanatopolítica explícita do populismo digital de extrema direita?