bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative Analysis of NOx Emission Reduction in Engines Using NiCo2O4 Nanoparticles without External Reductant at Low Temperatures: An Experimental Investigation
Authors: Aswin C. G. , Kumareswaran A. , Lakshmanan R. , Mathavan S. , Andal V. , Lakshmipathy R. , Rico Ivan Leandro Rodriguez
Published: September 2022

Due to increasingly stringent rules, eliminating pollutants (NOx) emitted by diesel engines in the automobile sector remains an intriguing scientific and technological problem. To meet the strict NOx emission restrictions, a catalytic system with a high level of complexity, unit size, and quantity, as well as higher fuel consumption, is required. As a result, for a reduction in individual exhaust gas emissions, an after‐treatment system for a diesel vehicle must employ integrated catalyst technology. For selective catalytic reduction of NOx without any external reductant, a highly effective catalyst “spinel nickel cobaltite” (NiCo2O4) was produced using a polymeric precursor technique. In this work, an exhaust gas treatment system without external reductants using nano‐NiCo2O4 as catalyst was designed and fabricated, for NOx control in diesel and petrol engines at low temperature. In order to determine the NOx conversion efficiency in the selective catalytic reduction system, tests were carried out at different engine loads. The system was supposed to be cost‐effective due to the nano‐NiCo2O4 catalyst’s ability to work at low temperatures. The findings proved the developed SCR system’s potential to reduce NOx emissions. At a high load, the nitric oxide (NO) emissions were reduced by 54 and 96 percent, respectively, without increasing HC, CO, and CO2 emissions or compromising efficiency.
[Retracted] Effect of Simultaneous Multiplane Surgery on Cardiopulmonary Function in Patients with Moderate to Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea‐Hypopnea Syndrome and Its Curative Effect
Authors: Gong Mingjie , Shao Jingwen
Published: September 2022

Objective. To investigate the changes in cardiopulmonary function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea‐hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) by one‐stage multiplane surgery. Methods. 70 patients with moderate and severe OSAHS underwent nasal in our hospital from July 2017 to February 2021, palatopharyngeal, and/or tongue operations simultaneously and were followed up for 6 months. The Epworth Sleeping Scale (ESS) scores of patients before and after surgery were compared to observe the surgical efficacy, and the changes in the cardiopulmonary function of patients before and after surgery were detected. The static and dynamic indexes of cardiopulmonary function, respiratory disturbance index (AHI), and blood oxygen saturation (SaO2) were compared before and after the operation. Results. After surgery, all patients’ indexes of static lung function were improved compared with that before surgery. After surgery, the percentage of maximal oxygen uptake peak to the predicted value, percentage of oxygen pulse to the predicted value, the ratio of oxygen uptake power, anaerobic threshold, and maximum ventilatory capacity per minute/maximum exercise volume were increased compared with that before surgery, and AHI and SaO2 were improved compared with that before surgery. Conclusion. This study suggests that it is feasible for patients with OSAHS who are unable to tolerate or unwilling to undergo noninvasive assisted ventilation to undergo simultaneous surgery for multiplane stenosis. It can reduce clinical symptoms and improve cardiopulmonary function.
Will Improved Safety Attitudes Necessarily Curb Unsafe Behavior? Hybrid Method Based on NCA and SEM
Authors: Yuan Beifei , Xu Shuitai , Niu Muqing , Guo Kai
Published: September 2022

As an inevitable product of the development of the construction industry, safety production has attracted more and more attention. In particular, it affects sustainable development. It is important to study the unsafe behavior of individuals. This study integrated the hybrid method of necessary condition analysis (NCA) and structural equation model (SEM). Based on the institutional environment perspective of social cognition theory, an empirical analysis was conducted through field observation and 186 questionnaire data to explore the influence of the institutional environment, safety attitude, and unsafe behavior. The results showed that improved safety attitudes of workers are a key requisite to curb unsafe behavior, and it was confirmed that safety attitude plays a complete mediating role between institutional environment and unsafe behavior. Through the analysis of the necessary conditions and mediating effects of safety attitude, the study deepened the theoretical understanding of the interaction between institutional environment, safety attitude, and unsafe behavior. Also, it provided relevant management suggestions for the construction industry in safety management.
Delayed Impulsive Control for Lag Synchronization of Neural Networks with Time‐Varying Delays and Partial Unmeasured States
Authors: Ye Jiarui , Zhang Jin-E
Published: September 2022

In this article, a controller with delay impulse is applied to a neural network (NN) with time‐varying delays. Firstly, the lag synchronization of the system is discussed. In addition, a sufficient condition for guaranteed lag synchronization requiring all state information is derived by using linear matrix inequality (LMI). In particular, the main results of neural networks (NNs) with time‐varying delays and partial unmeasured states are studied by using the delay impulsive control gain matrix derived from dimension expansion. Finally, we will give two examples, both of which can confirm the validity of the results.
Elastic Shear Buckling Coefficients for Oblique Plates
Authors: Mitsui Kazuya , Ikarashi Kikuo
Published: September 2022

Oblique plates are utilized in a variety of applications in steel structures such as panel zones. As shear stresses generally act upon panel zones, it is important to evaluate the shear buckling resistance of panel zones, especially as thinner steel plates have been used in recent years. In contrast to the stability problem of rectangular plates, which has been extensively studied, the elastic buckling strengths of oblique plates are not entirely clear, even under basic stress conditions such as uniform shear stress. This study investigated the elastic shear buckling stress of oblique plates. The main goals were to examine the buckling behavior of simply and clamped supported oblique plates and propose convenient and reliable design equations to predict the elastic shear buckling coefficients. By adopting the energy method based on Timoshenko’s plate buckling theory, the influence of the geometry of the oblique plates and the direction of the shear stress were investigated. Furthermore, highly convenient design equations for elastic shear buckling coefficients were proposed. The accuracy of the proposed equation was assessed using extensive parametric studies based on the finite element method using MSC Marc software.
Power Quality Control System of High-Power-Density Switching Power Supply for Green Environment
Authors: Zheng Liang , Akter Farzana
Published: September 2022

There is higher harmonics and electromagnetic interference caused by high-power-density switching power supply during high-frequency and normal operations which affects power quality of switching power supply and also impacts the environment. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a dual digital signal processor (DSP) controller suitable for unified power quality regulators and designs high-power-density switching power supply control system for promoting green environment. The overall structure of the system is divided into two parts, the power main circuit and the control circuit. In the main power circuit, the electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter is used to filter the input AC voltage and convert it into a stable DC voltage. A high-frequency inverter is used to invert the DC voltage into a high-frequency AC voltage to achieve harmonic control and reactive power compensation. In the control circuit, dual DSP controller is used to improve real-time detection, control of the output voltage, and current and driver temperature of the high-power-density switching power supply, while high-precision analysis and processing system collect different information and then achieve the power quality control of the switching power supply based on system software to keep this environment green. The experimental results suggest that the harmonic content of the experimental objects controlled by the system is reduced by 16.7% compared with the existing power quality control and the absolute error of the system is less than 0.02 V which improves the de-noising performance. The power generation systems require that the consumption of natural resources and renewable energy solutions can assist in saving the natural resources.
The Change of Aqueous Humor Cytokine Levels after Anti-VEGF in Diabetic Macular Edema: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Wang Aoxiang , Wang Haiyan
Published: September 2022

Background. Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a vision-threatening complication that severely impairs vision, and VEGF has a certain improvement effect on it as a growth factor. Objective. To assess the alterations of different aqueous humor cytokine concentrations after intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment for diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library from inception up to May 2022 for studies evaluating the alterations of different aqueous humor cytokine concentrations after intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment for diabetic macular edema. The estimates from eligible studies were meta-analyzed by the Hartung–Knapp/Sidik–Jonkman random-effects method. Egger’s regression test was used to determine the publications’ bias. A 95% confidence interval was calculated across studies. The analysis was performed using STATA™ Version 15 software. Results. Nine eligible studies involving a total of 209 eyes for our systematic review were identified through our search strategy. The mean differences in 1-month and 2-month changes of VEGF were 110.681 pg/ml (

P
<
0.001

) and 283.474 pg/ml (

P
=
0.003

), respectively. The mean difference in 2-month changes of interleukin 6 (IL-6) was −24.784 pg/ml (

P
=
0.037

). The mean difference in 3-month changes of central macular thickness was 130.372 μm (

P
<
0.001

). Conclusions. Intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF exerts a protective effect on macular edema secondary to diabetic retinopathy by affecting various cytokine concentrations, especially reducing aqueous VEGF concentrations and interleukin 6 in patients with DME.
Quantitative Spatial Profiling of Immune Populations in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Reveals Tumor Microenvironment Heterogeneity and Prognostic Biomarkers
Authors: Mi Haoyang , Sivagnanam Shamilene , Betts Courtney B. , Liudahl Shannon M. , Jaffee Elizabeth M. , Coussens Lisa M. , Popel Aleksander S.
Published: September 2022

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive disease with poor 5-year survival rates, necessitating identification of novel therapeutic targets. Elucidating the biology of the tumor immune microenvironment (TiME) can provide vital insights into mechanisms of tumor progression. In this study, we developed a quantitative image processing platform to analyze sequential multiplexed IHC data from archival PDAC tissue resection specimens. A 27-plex marker panel was employed to simultaneously phenotype cell populations and their functional states, followed by a computational workflow to interrogate the immune contextures of the TiME in search of potential biomarkers. The PDAC TiME reflected a low-immunogenic ecosystem with both high intratumoral and intertumoral heterogeneity. Spatial analysis revealed that the relative distance between IL10+ myelomonocytes, PD-1+ CD4+ T cells, and granzyme B+ CD8+ T cells correlated significantly with survival, from which a spatial proximity signature termed imRS was derived that correlated with PDAC patient survival. Furthermore, spatial enrichment of CD8+ T cells in lymphoid aggregates was also linked to improved survival. Altogether, these findings indicate that thePDAC TiME, generally considered immuno-dormant or immunosuppressive, is a spatially nuanced ecosystem orchestrated by ordered immune hierarchies. This new understanding of spatial complexity may guide novel treatment strategies for PDAC.

Significance: Quantitative image analysis of PDAC specimens reveals intertumoral and intratumoral heterogeneity of immune populations and identifies spatial immune architectures that are significantly associated with disease prognosis.
Space Is the Place: Mapping the Cell–Cell Interactions That Predict Immunotherapy Responses in Melanoma
Authors: Smalley Inna , Smalley Keiran S.M.
Published: September 2022

Although immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) has revolutionized the treatment of advanced melanoma, reliable predictive biomarkers are still lacking. In this issue of Cancer Research, Antoranz and colleagues used RNA sequencing and multiplexed IHC to study the spatial immune landscape of pretreatment melanoma specimens from patients who either responded or did not respond to antiprogrammed death protein 1 (PD-1) therapy. The authors identified the spatial interaction between cytotoxic T cells and M1-like macrophages expressing PD-L1 at the tumor boundary as predictive of responses to immune checkpoint inhibition. These studies pave the way for the development of new spatial biomarkers to identify patients most likely to benefit from ICI therapy.

See related article by Antoranz et al., p. 3275
Development of a Molecular Blood-Based Immune Signature Classifier as Biomarker for Risks Assessment in Lung Cancer Screening
Authors: Fortunato Orazio , Huber Veronica , Segale Miriam , Cova Agata , Vallacchi Viviana , Squarcina Paola , Rivoltini Licia , Suatoni Paola , Sozzi Gabriella , Pastorino Ugo , Boeri Mattia
Published: September 2022

Background:

Low-dose CT (LDCT) screening trials have shown that lung cancer early detection saves lives. However, a better stratification of the screening population is still needed. In this respect, we generated and prospectively validated a plasma miRNA signature classifier (MSC) able to categorize screening participants according to lung cancer risk. Here, we aimed to deeply characterize the peripheral immune profile and develop a diagnostic immune signature classifier to further implement blood testing in lung cancer screening.

Methods:

Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples collected from 20 patients with LDCT-detected lung cancer and 20 matched cancer-free screening volunteers were analyzed by flow cytometry using multiplex panels characterizing both lymphoid and myeloid immune subsets. Data were validated in PBMC from 40 patients with lung cancer and 40 matched controls and in a lung cancer specificity set including 27 subjects with suspicious lung nodules. A qPCR-based gene expression signature was generated resembling selected immune subsets.

Results:

Monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC), polymorphonuclear MDSC, intermediate monocytes and CD8+PD-1+ T cells distinguished patients with lung cancer from controls with AUCs values of 0.94/0.72/0.88 in the training, validation, and lung cancer specificity set, respectively. AUCs raised up to 1.00/0.84/0.92 in subgroup analysis considering only MSC-negative subjects. A 14-immune genes expression signature distinguished patients from controls with AUC values of 0.76 in the validation set and 0.83 in MSC-negative subjects.

Conclusions:

An immune-based classifier can enhance the accuracy of blood testing, thus supporting the contribution of systemic immunity to lung carcinogenesis.

Impact:

Implementing LDCT screening trials with minimally invasive blood tests could help reduce unnecessary procedures and optimize cost-effectiveness.
FDA Approval Summary: Mobocertinib for Metastatic Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer with EGFR Exon 20 Insertion Mutations
Authors: Duke Elizabeth S. , Stapleford Liza , Drezner Nicole , Amatya Anup K. , Mishra-Kalyani Pallavi S. , Shen Yuan-Li , Maxfield Kimberly , Zirkelbach Jeanne Fourie , Bi Youwei , Liu Jiang , Zhang Xinyuan , Wang Hezhen , Yang Yuching , Zheng Nan , Reece Kelie , Wearne Emily , Glen Jacqueline J. , Ojofeitimi Idara , Scepura Barbara , Nair Abhilasha , Bikkavilli Rama Kamesh , Ghosh Soma , Philip Reena , Pazdur Richard , Beaver Julia A. , Singh Harpreet , Donoghue Martha
Published: September 2022

On September 15, 2021, the FDA granted accelerated approval to mobocertinib (Exkivity, Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.) for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations, as detected by an FDA-approved test, whose disease has progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. The approval was based on data from Study AP32788–15–101 (NCT02716116), an international, non-randomized, multi-cohort clinical trial that included patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations. The overall response rate in 114 patients whose disease had progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy was 28% [95% confidence interval (CI), 20%–37%] with a median duration of response of 17.5 months (95% CI, 7.4–20.3). The most common adverse reactions (>20%) were diarrhea, rash, nausea, stomatitis, vomiting, decreased appetite, paronychia, fatigue, dry skin, and musculoskeletal pain. Product labeling includes a Boxed Warning for QTc prolongation and torsades de pointes. This is the first approval of an oral targeted therapy for patients with advanced EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation–positive NSCLC.
Targeting Endoplasmic Reticulum for Novel Therapeutics and Monitoring in Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Li Chuang , Krothapalli Siva , Chen Ying Maggie
Published: September 2022

Background: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response is a conservative mechanism involving a complex network of different molecular branches to determine cell fate through specific transcription factors and downstream executors. Emerging evidence shows that ER stress is implicated in the occurrence and progression of acute kidney injury (AKI) in different animal models and human patients. However, there is still a lack of therapeutics targeting the ER in AKI. Summary: Several therapeutic chemicals, including a compound that induces activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) and chemical chaperones, have been developed to target the ER in the treatment of AKI. Meanwhile, ER stress-inducible secreted proteins, mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF), and cysteine-rich with EGF-like domains 2 (CRELD2) could serve as potential ER stress biomarkers in the early diagnosis and treatment response monitoring of human patients with AKI. Key Messages: Experimental and clinical evidence suggests the critical role of ER in the pathogenesis and progression of AKI, and ER is a novel target in AKI therapy.
Delusional Misidentification Syndromes in Postpartum Psychosis: A Systematic Review
Authors: Lewis Gabriella , Blake Lucy , Seneviratne Gertrude
Published: September 2022

Introduction: Delusional misidentification syndromes (DMS) are a group of psychopathological experiences occurring in psychosis, involving the misidentification of a person or place. DMS are often accompanied by hostility towards the object of delusional misidentification. This is of a particular concern in perinatal mental illness due to the potential disruption of the mother-infant bond, and risk of neglect, violence, or infanticide towards a misidentified child. This review aimed to collate all published cases of DMS in postpartum psychosis to further understand how these syndromes present in perinatal mental illness. Methods: In August 2021, an online database search was conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Embase to identify all publications reporting DMS in the perinatal period. Results: Nine papers were included in the review involving 8 case reports of Capgras syndrome and one case series involving 4 cases of Fregoli syndrome. Three cases identified organic pathology, which may have contributed to the presentation. The most common subject of misidentification was the patient’s husband (n = 7), followed by their baby (n = 6), hospital staff (n = 4), other family members (n = 3), and self (n = 1). Five cases remark on the impact of perinatal illness on the maternal-infant bond, of which four result in the mother being unwilling to care for the infant as the result of their delusional beliefs. Conclusion: This is the first systematic review of the literature in this field. Although small in number, these cases reveal several important learning points including that DMS can occur with or without underlying organic disease. Active exploration of the nature of delusions in postpartum psychosis is required to mitigate the risk of harm to the infant and mother-infant bond. It may also uncover that these syndromes are more common in postpartum psychosis than previously realized.
Clinical Features of Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and a History of Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: van Amerongen Suzan , Caton Dewi K. , Pijnenburg Yolande A.L. , Scheltens Philip , Vijverberg Everard G.B.
Published: September 2022

Introduction: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been associated with a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Less is known about the clinical features of AD patients with TBI history. The objective of this study was to examine whether a history of TBI and specific injury characteristics are associated with differences in age of disease onset, cognitive features, and neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) in AD patients. Methods: Biomarker-proven AD patients (CSF or amyloid PET) were selected from the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort. TBI events were classified by age at injury (TBI <25 or ≥25 years) and TBI severity (loss of consciousness, multiple events). Cognitive composite scores were calculated from results of a neuropsychological test battery. NPSs were assessed with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q). Linear regression analyses were utilized to examine associations between TBI, TBI characteristics, and clinical outcome measures. Results: Among the 1,755 selected AD patients (mean age = 65.2 years), 166 (9.5%) had documented ≥1 TBI in their medical history. Overall, TBI history was not related to differences in age of disease onset, but age at injury <25 years old was associated with 2.3 years earlier age at symptom onset (B = −2.34, p = 0.031). No significant associations were found between TBI history or TBI characteristics and differences in cognition or NPSs. Conclusion: Our results underscore previous findings on the vulnerability of the brain during critical maturation phases and suggest that an early TBI may contribute to lower resilience to neurodegenerative changes.
A Neural Model for Insect Steering Applied to Olfaction and Path Integration
Authors: Adden Andrea , Stewart Terrence C. , Webb Barbara , Heinze Stanley
Published: September 2022

Many animal behaviors require orientation and steering with respect to the environment. For insects, a key brain area involved in spatial orientation and navigation is the central complex. Activity in this neural circuit has been shown to track the insect's current heading relative to its environment and has also been proposed to be the substrate of path integration. However, it remains unclear how the output of the central complex is integrated into motor commands. Central complex output neurons project to the lateral accessory lobes (LAL), from which descending neurons project to thoracic motor centers. Here, we present a computational model of a simple neural network that has been described anatomically and physiologically in the LALs of male silkworm moths, in the context of odor-mediated steering. We present and analyze two versions of this network, one rate based and one based on spiking neurons. The modeled network consists of an inhibitory local interneuron and a bistable descending neuron (flip-flop) that both receive input in the LAL. The flip-flop neuron projects onto neck motor neurons to induce steering. We show that this simple computational model not only replicates the basic parameters of male silkworm moth behavior in a simulated odor plume but can also take input from a computational model of path integration in the central complex and use it to steer back to a point of origin. Furthermore, we find that increasing the level of detail within the model improves the realism of the model's behavior, leading to the emergence of looping behavior as an orientation strategy. Our results suggest that descending neurons originating in the LALs, such as flip-flop neurons, are sufficient to mediate multiple steering behaviors. This study is therefore a first step to close the gap between orientation circuits in the central complex and downstream motor centers.
Protecting the Borders from the Outside
Authors: Letourneux Laura
Published: September 2022

Regulation (EU) 2016/1624 enables Frontex to launch operations in the territory of third countries. Accordingly, status agreements between the EU and the Western Balkan countries as well as Moldova have been concluded. This article provides an in-depth analysis of these instruments. As this article will demonstrate, the conclusion of the status agreements constitutes an improvement, in comparison with the instruments of cooperation already in place. Yet, their implementation could lead to human rights violations. The status agreements provide that the team members sent by Frontex act under the instructions of the host state. Consequently, the third state would incur the prime responsibility for human rights violations committed by these border guards. This transfer of authority has not been stemmed from a transfer of jurisdiction over acts committed by the members of the team: rather they are entitled to immunity for all acts committed during their official functions.
The Transregional Illustrated Magazine Al-Arabi
Authors: Gräf Bettina , Hindelang Laura
Published: September 2022

This article investigates the transregional cultural magazine Al-Arabi (al-‘Arabi) during the late 1950s and 1960s under its first editor, the Egyptian scientist Ahmad Zaki. Founded in Kuwait, the magazine’s establishment and sociocultural-political agenda are reconstructed within the context of Kuwait’s cultural diplomacy and pan-Arabism during decolonization and early Cold War politics. Al-Arabi offered timely discussions on Arab cities, gender, literature, politics and science, and readily embraced color photography for illustrations as a way of stimulating transnational understanding during times of substantial change in the region. Consequently, an analysis of Al-Arabi provides insights into historical strategies for re-imagining the region from within. Overall, the magazine can be situated in a long-standing tradition of Arab printing and publishing, while also forming part of a global illustrated magazine culture. Using a transdisciplinary approach, the article combines archival research and interviews with the media-historical and art-historical analyses of text, image and graphic design.
Wedding Crashers: an Epistemological Model for When Refusal to Provide Service to Protected Groups Is Not Wrongful Discrimination
Authors: Avraham Ronen , Statman Daniel
Published: September 2022

The question of the relation between wrongful discrimination and the freedom of conscience and religion has been the subject of many debates over the past decade and has occupied both courts and the public. The most well-known legal case in that regard is likely Masterpiece Cakeshop, in which a Colorado bakery owner refused to bake a wedding cake for a homosexual couple and was sued for violating the State’s Anti-Discrimination law. Recently, the Supreme Court of the U.S has agreed to hear yet another Colorado case, 303 Creative llc v. Elenis, in which a website designer wanted to post a message saying she will not design websites for same-sex weddings.

The purpose of our article is to point to a significant distinction between a refusal to serve clients on the basis of their race, gender, sexual orientation, etc., and a refusal to serve them because such service requires the providers to engage in activities or projects to which they deeply oppose. We think the latter case, sometimes, might not at all be discrimination. Importantly, we distinguish between a deep objection to the content of the service or product requested and a rejection of the client because of her characteristics.

How can a supplier prove that his or her refusal to serve a client belonging to a “protected class” is based on the content of the product or service requested and not on the client’s characteristics? We formulate a two-prong test that courts in the US and UK have implicitly adopted. We ask, first, whether the supplier would refuse the same service to a client not belonging to the protected class, and second, whether the supplier would serve the same client (belonging to a protected class) with other products and services. If the answer to both questions is positive, then the supplier’s refusal is not wrongful discrimination because it shows an objection to the product or service requested and not a rejection of the client. In practice, this test is not always easy to apply. We therefore developed an epistemological model to substantiate the conditions that may help providers persuade the courts that their refusal to serve a client stems from the content of the request, not from the client’s identity.
Stories of Resurrection in the Qin Manuscripts and the Transformation of Burial Customs in the Qin Dynasty
Authors: Chen (陳侃理) Kanli
Published: September 2022

The stories *Dan 丹 from the Fangmatan 放馬灘 Qin manuscripts, and Taiyuan you sizhe 泰原有死者 from the Peking University Qin manuscript collection, tell of the afterlife and the proper burial and sacrificial practices for the dead through the words of two men who died and returned to life. The proper burial and sacrificial practices proposed in the texts include the replacement of money and silk with symbolic objects, the abandonment of burying a body in the bent position and the breaking of burial goods, the restriction on joint burial of husband and wife, and advocating moderation and cleanliness in sacrificial rituals at the grave. The two texts reflect how the literate class endeavored to make the old burial and sacrificial customs in Qin culture closer to the collective customs of the six eastern states.
Lectotypification of Andropogon hackelii (Poaceae: Andropogoneae) and its correct identification in India
Authors: LANDGE SHAHID NAWAZ , SHINDE RAJENDRA D.
Published: September 2022

N/A
Seed Morphological and Anatomical Structures as Taxonomy Tool for Turkish Hyacinthella Schur (Asparagaceae) Taxa
Authors: EROĞLU HÜSEYİN , KARAİSMAİLOĞLU MEHMET CENGİZ , FİDAN MEHMET , PINAR SÜLEYMAN MESUT
Published: September 2022

This paper offers the first taxonomic assessment of the morphological and anatomical characters of the seeds of 11 Hyacinthella taxa from Turkey, ten of them are endemic, with the cluster analysis and principal component analysis. Macro-morphologically, all studied species can be differentiated from each other by the seed characters such as shape, size and surface ornamentation. The studied seeds are separated into 5 shapes; triangularis, circularis, ellipticus, ellipticus-late and ovatus. Seed size ranges from 1.51 mm to 3.06 mm in length and from 1.06 mm to 2.04 mm in width. Micro-morphologically, seed surface ornamentation is grouped into 7 types: rugose, reticulate-pusticulate, verrucate, tuberculate, ruminate, reticulate-foveate and alveolate. Anatomically, testa structures of the studied seeds are usually consisted of single layer, the epidermis, formed in the sclerenchymatous tissue. The epidermis layer demonstrates significant differences in cell form, comprising of crushed, flat or polygonal cells, in 1–7 layers, and has surged or straight wall form. The thickness of testa layers varies between 15.77 μm (in H. micrantha) and 49.76 μm (in H. campanulata). In the systematics of the genus Hyacinthella, the seed morphological and anatomical characters are very important characteristics that reveal inter-specific relationships among the studied species. Also, a dichotomous key is provided for the identification of the examined species based on seed characters.
Review of the genus Macroscirtus Pictet, 1888 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) with the description of a new species
Authors: SIMEU-NOUTCHOM ALAIN , HELLER KLAUS-GERHARD , AFFA’A GLWADYS ZANG , WANDJI ALAIN CHRISTEL , NZIKE MARCELLE MBADJOUN
Published: September 2022

The genus Macroscirtus belongs to the subfamily Mecopodinae with five recognized species distributed in central-west tropical Africa. All species are known from very few localities. The species are reviewed and, in addition, a new species from Cameroon is described. Macroscirtus kekeunoui sp. nov. is characterized by the tegmina not reaching the penultimate abdominal segment; hind femura with mottled brown external face, ventral and internal face completely pale yellow; male subgenital plate elongated horizontally, indentation edge straight. Species descriptions of the genus are documented and a key to the species is also provided.
A warmth-loving brother of northern siblings: the first subtropical species of Forinus Kurbatov discovered on Okinawa-jima, Japan (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae)
Authors: JAŁOSZYŃSKI PAWEŁ
Published: September 2022

To date, Forinus Kurbatov included only two species, known to occur in the Russian Far East: Primorye and Kunashir Island of the Kuril archipelago. Forinus mirus sp. n. is described, based on specimens collected on the subtropical island of Okinawa Island, Japan, ~2,000 km south of the nearest previously known locality of this genus. Morphological structures of the new species are illustrated in detail and remarks on the primary diagnostic feature of the tribe Trichonychini, the sternite IX with the unpaired median penial plate, is discussed.
Persistent Mode of February-to-March Precipitation over Southern China: Variation, Mechanism, and Prediction
Authors: Yu Shui , Sun Jianqi
Published: September 2022

Precipitation variations over southern China in February and March have profound influences on local agricultural activities. Therefore, the leading intermonthly variation mode of February-to-March precipitation over southern China is investigated in this study using the extended empirical orthogonal function (EEOF) method. The first leading EEOF (EEOF1) pattern shows a persistent precipitation anomaly from February to March over southern China. Mechanistic analysis indicates that EEOF1’s different phases are related to different factors. A dipole sea surface temperature (SST) pattern with warm anomalies in the South China Sea (SCS) and cold anomalies in the western tropical Pacific (WTP) can lead to negative EEOF1 by exciting an anomalous Philippine Sea cyclone. In contrast, positive EEOF1 is influenced jointly by dipole patterns of SST in the southeast Indian Ocean (SEIO)–WTP area and atmospheric circulation over Europe and West Asia. The individual influence of the SST and atmospheric dipole patterns cannot induce persistent precipitation anomalies over southern China from February to March. Furthermore, we check the prediction skill of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP) Climate Forecast System (CFSv2) for positive and negative EEOF1. The evaluation results show that CFSv2 can predict the relationship between negative EEOF1 and the SCS–WTP dipole SST pattern, consequently showing skillful prediction for negative EEOF1 at the 1-month lead, with a correct rate of approximately 60%. However, CFSv2 cannot reproduce the combined effect of the aforementioned atmospheric dipole pattern and the SEIO–WTP dipole SST pattern and is therefore unskillful for predicting positive EEOF1, with a correct rate of only approximately 36%.
Schools Often Fail to Expect Trans and Nonbinary Elementary Children: What Gender Independent, Nonbinary, and Trans Children Desire
Authors: skelton j wallace
Published: September 2022

Background/Context:

This article is drawn from a doctoral research study that involved co-research between as adult trans academic and their child, a nonbinary 11-year-old. It mounts an epistemic challenge to education that assumes children to be cis, and either boys or girls. GIaNT children (Gender Independent, and Nonbinary, Trans) are often talked about but seldom directly engaged about their wants and desires in education, but my study addresses this problem and centers their agency.

Purpose/Research Question/Focus of Study:

The purpose of the study was to generate knowledge and insight into how 2SLGBTQ children, and children from 2SLGBTQ families, envision education spaces and programs that meet their needs. It also investigates the potentiality and significance of a parent-and-child researcher team to engage caregivers and children in co-imagining liberatory education spaces as 2SLGBTQ cultural spaces.

Participants:

Participants were 17 children (ages 4–12 years) and 12 adults from 11 households; the focus in this article is on the 12 children who identified their gender as other than cis.

Research Design:

A qualitative, arts-based participatory research methodology was employed. While the parent-child research team of a trans adult and a nonbinary 11-year-old conducted semi-structured interviews with both children and parents, the focus in this article is on the former. Participants were also invited to draw their ideal learning space. Interviews were video recorded, transcribed, and coded.

Findings/Results:

GIaNT children in this study desired learning spaces that are ready for them, that affirm their self-assigned genders, and that understand that people define their own genders. They wanted to be believed as who they said they were. They wanted safe access to bathrooms and schools to be communities, not just places of learning, and they recognized that learning happens outside of school. They desired an end to gender policing in schools, and in online learning, participants wanted schools that were safe and celebratory of all their identities and of all their peers. They wanted schools that are antiracist and decolonizing, that practice universal access, that teach queer and trans history and culture, and that provide meals and transportation.

Conclusions/Recommendations:

The study highlighted the creative potentialities of GIaNT children to provide generative insights into gender-affirming school spaces. It advocates for children to be engaged in processes of creating their own learning experiences. GIaNT children called for schools to be more equitable, antiracist, and decolonizing, committed to practicing universal access, teaching queer and trans history and culture, and providing meals and transportation.
Using EHR Data to Identify Patient Frailty and Risk for ICU Transfer
Authors: Lekan Deborah , McCoy Thomas P. , Jenkins Marjorie , Mohanty Somya , Manda Prashanti
Published: September 2022

The predictive properties of four definitions of a frailty risk score (FRS) constructed using combinations of nursing flowsheet data, laboratory tests, and ICD-10 codes were examined for time to first intensive care unit (ICU) transfer in medical-surgical inpatients ≥50 years of age. Cox regression modeled time to first ICU transfer and Schemper–Henderson explained variance summarized predictive accuracy of FRS combinations. Modeling by age group and controlling for sex, all FRS measures significantly predicted time to first ICU transfer. Further multivariable modeling controlling for clinical characteristics substantially improved predictive accuracy. The effect of frailty on time to first ICU transfer depended on age, with highest risk in 50 to <60 years and ≥80 years age groups. Frailty prevalence ranged from 25.1% to 56.4%. Findings indicate that FRS-based frailty is a risk factor for time to first ICU transfer and should be considered in assessment and care-planning to address frailty in high-risk patients.

Frailty prevalence was highest med-surg pts 60 to <70 years (56%); highest risk for time to first ICU transfer was in younger (50 to <60 years) and older (≥80 years) groups.
Christian excellence in history. From heroic saints to educated experts (1500–1800)
Authors: Saarinen Risto
Published: September 2022

The article deals with the understanding of religious talent or religious excellence in the Early Modern Period. Three subtypes are identified as follows: (1) Political Heroism and the Sacred, (2) Countercultural Moral Excellence, (3) Extraordinary Emotions. It is further argued that these subtypes are to a great extent replaced with the idea of an educated expert in the modern period. In the end, the study of emotional intelligence is mentioned as a hypothetically fruitful way to understand these phenomena in behavioral sciences.
Finite element analysis of microscopic fracture process in titanium metal matrix composite shafts using a unit cell approach
Authors: Punyong Kraisorn , Becker Adib A , Hyde Thomas H
Published: September 2022

The aim of this study is to investigate the microscopic fracture process in titanium metal matrix composites (TiMMC) shafts based on finite element (FE) analysis. A unit cell approach is used as a tool to design a representative volume element to explain the complex failure phenomenon on a microscopic level. FE mesh convergence is examined and validated with the equivalent plastic strain and contact pressure. The accuracy of the numerical modelling is verified by comparison with experimental investigations on fractured TiMMC shafts. The results show that FE modelling can successfully analyse the complicated fracture process that occurs on a microscopic scale of TiMMC shafts.
Is Climate Change a Topic of Concern to Indians? Assessing and Predicting Sentiments Using Deep Learning Techniques
Authors: Jena R. K.
Published: September 2022

Climate change is a significant concern to all of us. It is now becoming a hot topic of discussion among people around the world with social media being a ubiquitous platform for debate. As in other countries, the Government of India has started various initiatives to minimize the causes of climate change. But the success of all such initiatives depends on people’s participation and understanding. Therefore, this study’s aims are two-fold: (a) to capture the perception of Indian people towards different topics of climate change; (b) to mine the sentiment of Indian people using ‘deep learning’ algorithms. Data from various social media platforms have been used for this research. The study showed that people in India have demonstrated concern about topics related to climate change. The study also found that the convolutional neural network (CNN) was the most effective algorithm for sentiment classification. The results can help different stakeholders, including the Government of India, prioritize various actions to mitigate climate change’s causes and effects based on citizens’ sentiment.
(Re)membering and (Re)claiming in My Mama’s Kitchen: A Decolonial Feminist Video-Cued Qi Ethnography
Authors: Mehta Eleanor Xiaoxiao
Published: September 2022

In this study, I draw upon Endarkened Feminist Epistemology (Dillard, 2012) and Decolonial Feminist Research (Rhee, 2020) to explore the epistemology of my mother, a first-generation Chinese immigrant. Based on data generated from the video-cued qi ethnography methodology, I pay attention to my Mama’s ways of knowing as she cooks in the kitchen. Qi is a Chinese concept that means breath, spirit, and life force. I draw on qi as the ongoing connectivity toward wholeness and movement toward harmony in the way I collected and analyzed data. I share my findings as a series of interconnected poetry, images, and narratives to (re)member my mother’s life as well as mine as we (re)claim what we have forgotten and (re)turn to a place of wholeness. I conclude the article by exploring the implications for the Asian American Pacific Islander community and beyond, as we conduct the work of collective rememory.
The Cost of Living: An Autoethnography
Authors: Henson Donna F.
Published: September 2022

This autoethnographic piece reflects on the cost of living and loving in this beautiful and broken, “crisis ordinary” world. In the interplay of the creative and critical, lyrical and liminal, I write on the human imperative to find heart in a hopeless place. I find inspiration in the poetry of Czelaw Milosz and kindness in communication and, in so doing, advocate for the small nothings that bring us solace and personal preservation in the face of big wicked problems and distant-witnessed disaster.
Communal Conversations: Black Women World-Making Through Mentorship
Authors: Brown Nicole M. , Mendenhall Ruby
Published: September 2022

This article focuses on the mentoring relationships Black women create and develop. The authors highlight how mentoring is communal and the ways these relationships serve to connect communities of Black women as resources of support. The article illuminates the generative power of Black women’s mentoring relationships to create alternate realities that make the academy more accessible, supportive, and beneficial for Black women. Black women engage in these mentoring relationships as acts of resistance by fighting to make space for their voices to be heard. As members of marginalized communities and outsiders within the academy, the article utilizes conversation as a method of inquiry, to share a curated exchange between the co-authors, Nicole M. Brown and Ruby Mendenhall, discussing the evolution of their decade’s long mentoring relationship.
The dilatation line in an elastic wedge
Authors: Gudkina Zhanna V. , Krasnitckii Stanislav A. , Gutkin Mikhail Yu. , Argunova Tatiana S.
Published: September 2022

A solution for a dilatation line which occupies an arbitrary position in an elastic wedge with free surfaces and an arbitrary apex angle is found for the first time. The analytical expressions are given in the Mellin space for the stress fields of the dilatation line. It is shown that the free surfaces of the wedge strongly affect upon the stress fields. The axial and hydrostatic stress components are not equal to zero outside the dilatation line. They are strongly inhomogeneous and can change their signs, while their magnitude is comparable with that of the other non-vanishing stress components. They also demonstrate strong non-monotonic and alternating dependence on the wedge apex angle. For the wedge apex angles of 180° and 360°, the non-vanishing stress components of the dilatation line are represented in an explicit form. The results obtained can be used for solving similar problems for long elastic dilatation inclusions of arbitrary cross section embedded to wedge-shaped elastic bodies. The paper is devoted to the memory of our friend and colleague Igor Sevostianov who gave a great contribution to micromechanics of composite and porous materials.