bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biodegradation improvement of bioinspired crosslinked and noncrosslinked polyvinyl alcohol nanocomposites with cellulose nanocrystals extracted from rice straw through natural soil burial exposure
Authors: Chin Kwok‐Mern , Sam Sung Ting , Ong Hui Lin , Wong Yee Shian , Tan Wai Kian
Published: May 2022

Polyvinyl alcohol with different cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) content extracted from rice straw were prepared by using solution casting method and their biodegradability in natural soil burial were studied. Ethanedioic acid (EA) was introduced as a crosslinker. The synthesized noncrosslinked and crosslinked PVOH/CNC nanocomposites films and their biodegradation were characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), tensile test, weight loss, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The changes in chemical properties before and after biodegradation were confirmed through FTIR. Tensile test revealed that the tensile strength and elongation at break reduced as time of soil burial increases. Morphological study showed the extent of surface deterioration before and after soil burial, where the addition of CNC displayed greater deterioration. Melting temperature and crystallinity increased with addition of CNC but decreased after crosslinking. However, melting temperature and crystallinity of all nanocomposites increased after biodegradation. PVOH degrading bacteria were isolated and identified to be Bacillus cereus strain CCM 2010 and Bacillus cereus strain ATCC 14579. Biodegradation of the bionanocomposites were concluded to be in the following decreasing order: PVOH/CNC > PVOH/EA/CNC > PVOH > PVOH/EA.
The pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia: How far have we come?
Authors: Rubio Jose M. , Kane John M.
Published: May 2022

Schizophrenia is a chronic and often severe mental disorder for which antipsychotic drugs are the cornerstone of treatment. Although the essential mechanism of action of these drugs has not changed much since they were first discovered in the 1950s, there have been numerous advances in the context in which these drugs are prescribed, as well as in the considerations for their optimal use. In this review, we summarize five selected issues in which the psychopharmacological treatment of schizophrenia has most evolved. Namely, these are the shift of outcomes of interest from symptoms to recovery, the development of stratified approaches to select the most appropriate treatment for each individual, the recognition of treatment nonadherence as a critical factor determining outcomes, the recommendations for maintenance treatment, and, finally, the promise of new antipsychotic compounds that innovate in their mechanisms of action, improving efficacy/safety profiles. Finally, we discuss how some of these advances have already delivered to improved outcomes in the real world, whereas others have demonstrated efficacy under optimal circumstances yet have not been translated into better outcomes in the community. Thus, the road ahead includes both identifying novel treatments that engage the psychopathology of the illness and improve the efficacy/tolerability profile of currently available agents, as well as developing interventions that mitigate the barriers for the use of novel interventions, some of them already existing, in the real world.
Study on preparation and field induction mechanism of organic silicon composites based on aligned carbon nanotubes
Authors: Liu Canqun , Zhou Xiaosong , Zhou Xunfu , Ruan Wenke , Wu Zhijun
Published: May 2022

High thermal conductivity materials are an urgent need for high power, microelectronic components and equipment, but are limited by low thermal conductivity of the traditional silicone materials. 4‐Cyano‐4′‐n‐octyl biphenyl (8OCB) was synthesized to modify carbon nanotubes, and silicone was used as the matrix. In the curing process of the composite, an electric field was applied and the liquid crystal induced the orientation of carbon nanotubes in the direction of 8OCB liquid crystal. The morphology, structure and properties of modified carbon nanotubes and composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, polarized microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermal conductivity, and so on. The 8OCB liquid crystal can improve the dispersion of carbon nanotubes in silicone composites. When the mass fraction of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was 11 wt%, the thermal conductivity of 8OCB‐MWCNTs/silicone composite after electric field was 2.39 W/(m K), which is 6.4 times that of MWCNTs/silicone composite after electric field and 15.5 times that of pure silicone matrix. A method to obtain highly ordered filled thermal conductive materials by applying an electric field to induce the orientation of carbon nanotubes is demonstrated.
Arabidopsis SPA2 represses seedling de‐etiolation under multiple light conditions
Authors: Su Liang , Zhou Peng , Guo Lin , Jia Xiaolin , Wang Shaoci , Gao Jianwei , Li Hongyu , Liu Bin , Song Meifang , Yang Jianping
Published: May 2022

In Arabidopsis, phytochrome (phy) A, phyB, and cryptochrome 1 (cry1) are representative far‐red, red, and blue light photoreceptors, respectively. Members of the SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA‐105 (SPA) protein family (SPA1–SPA4) form E3 ubiquitin ligase complexes with CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1 (COP1), which mediates the degradation of photomorphogenesis‐promoting factors to desensitize light signaling. SPA2 has been reported to promote seedling etiolation in the dark. However, the unique roles of SPA2 and its three functional domains in suppressing photomorphogenesis under different light conditions are largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that overexpression of the full‐length or the central coiled‐coil and C‐terminal WD‐repeat domains of SPA2 cause hyper‐etiolation phenotypes under several light conditions. The SPA2 central coiled‐coil and C‐terminal WD‐repeat domains are necessary and sufficient for repressing seedling de‐etiolation, cotyledon unfolding, and promoting hypocotyl negative gravitropism under several light conditions. Furthermore, phyA, phyB, cry1, and COP1 repress protein accumulation or nuclear translocation of SPA2 through direct interactions with its kinase‐like and coiled‐coil domains located in the N‐terminus in response to far‐red, red, and blue light treatments, respectively. Taken together, our results demonstrate that SPA2 functions under multiple light conditions; moreover, light‐activated photoreceptors rapidly suppress SPA2 activity via direct interactions in response to different light treatments.
Effect of post‐warming culture time on the live birth rate after frozen embryo transfer
Authors: Pham Huy H. , Vu Trinh M. , Nguyen Chau H. , Le Anh H. , Nguyen Dung P. , Pham Toan D. , Ho Tuong M. , Vuong Lan N.
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This study evaluated the influence of post‐warming culture time on the live birth rate in day‐3 and day‐5 frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles.

Methods

This multicenter, retrospective cohort study was performed at IVFMD, My Duc Hospital and IVFMD Phu Nhuan, My Duc Phu Nhuan Hospital in Vietnam between October 2019 and October 2020. Women who underwent FET cycles with the transfer of ≤2 day‐3 or day‐5 embryos were included in the study. FET cycles were divided into four groups based on the quartiles for the time between embryo warming and embryo transfer. The primary outcome was live birth after FET.

Results

Of 2548 FET cycles, 885 and 1663 cycles, respectively, had transfer of day‐3 or day‐5 embryos. Post‐warming culture time ranged from 0.07 to 6.1 h. There were no significant differences between the post‐warming culture time quartiles with respect to the number of embryos thawed, the number of embryos transferred, and the number of top‐quality embryos transferred. Post‐warming culture time was not significantly associated with the live birth rate in FET cycles using either day‐3 or day‐5 embryos.

Conclusions

Post‐warming culture time did not affect live birth rate in FET cycles. Therefore, IVF centers should consider scheduling workflows to best suit the patient.
The generalized super‐twisting algorithm with adaptive gains
Authors: Borlaug Ida‐Louise G. , Pettersen Kristin Y. , Gravdahl Jan Tommy
Published: May 2022

In this article, a novel adaptive generalized super‐twisting algorithm (GSTA) is proposed for a class of systems whose perturbations and uncertain control coefficients may depend on both time and state. The proposed approach uses dynamically adapted control gains, and it is proven that this ensures global finite‐time convergence. A nonsmooth strict Lyapunov function is used to obtain the conditions for global finite‐time stability. A simulation and experimental case study is performed using an articulated intervention autonomous underwater vehicle (AIAUV). It is also shown that the adaptive GSTA causes the tracking errors of the AIAUV to converge to zero in finite time. In the case study, we use the singularity‐robust multiple task‐priority method to create a continuous trajectory for the AIAUV to follow. The simulation and experimental results validate and verify that the proposed approach is well suited for controlling an AIAUV. We also perform a comparison with the super‐twisting algorithm with adaptive gains and the original GSTA to evaluate whether adding adaptive gains to the GSTA actually improves the tracking capabilities by combining the theoretical advantages afforded by the GSTA with the practical advantages afforded by adaptive gains. Based on this comparison, the adaptive GSTA yields the best tracking results overall without increasing the energy consumption, and the simulations and experiments thus indicate that adding adaptive gains to the GSTA does indeed improve the consequent tracking results and capabilities.
The value of flexibility in multi‐business firms
Authors: Dickler Teresa A. , Folta Timothy B. , Giarratana Marco S. , Santaló Juan
Published: May 2022

Research Summary

Whether diversified firms have advantages over their single‐business counterparts is the focus of much research in strategic management. Indeed, there is sparse evidence that corporate advantage exists, on average. We explore one potential driver of corporate advantage—that multi‐business firms have more flexibility than single‐business firms to cope with uncertainty, because they can internally redeploy resources across businesses. Using Compustat data, we show that uncertainty increases the relative advantage of multi‐business firms, a finding robust to controls for endogeneity. Consequently, the paper provides important insight and evidence around when corporate advantage might obtain. Moreover, we find that growth option value is accentuated in the presence of switching flexibility. Finally, multi‐business firms with redeployment experience and businesses with more inversely correlated returns benefit more from uncertainty.

Managerial Summary

Multi‐business firms have a flexibility advantage over single‐business firms as they can reallocate firm resources from one business unit to another depending on inducements. What is the impact of this flexibility on firm value? In this paper, we test whether such a flexibility advantage translates into greater economic returns in more volatile markets. We expect that resource redeployment creates value if it amplifies business‐specific positive shocks while alleviating business‐specific downturns. Consistent with this argument, we find empirical evidence that with increasing stock market volatility, multi‐business firms benefit significantly more in terms of firm value than their single‐business counterparts. In particular, in highly volatile stock markets, monthly adjusted returns are 2.3 times higher for multi‐business firms than for single‐business firms.
Synergistic Lysosomal Impairment and ER Stress Activation for Boosted Autophagy Dysfunction Based on Te Double‐Headed Nano‐Bullets
Authors: Wang Tingting , Xiao Guangxu , Lu Qianglan , Zhou Yue , Wang Siyu , Liang Xiaoyang , Song Yilin , Xu Min , Zhu Yan , Li Nan
Published: May 2022

To overcome the autophagy compromised mechanism of protective cellular processes by “eating”/“digesting” damaged organelles or potentially toxic materials with autolysosomes in tumor cells, lysosomal impairment can be utilized as a traditional autophagy dysfunction route for tumor therapy; however, this conventional one‐way autophagy dysfunction approach is always limited by the therapeutic efficacy. Herein, an innovative pharmacological strategy that can excessively provoke autophagy via endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is implemented along with lysosomal impairment to enhance autophagy dysfunction. In this work, the prepared tellurium double‐headed nanobullets (TeDNBs) with controllable morphology are modified with human serum albumin (HSA) which facilitates internalization by tumor cells. On the one hand, ER stress can be stimulated by upregulating the phosphorylation eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (P‐eIF2α) owing to the production of tellurite (TeO32−) in the specifical hydrogen peroxide‐rich tumor environment; thus, autophagy overstimulation occurs. On the other hand, OME can deacidify and impair lysosomes by downregulating lysosomal‐associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP1), therefore blocking autolysosome formation. Both in vitro and in vivo results demonstrate that the synthesized TeDNBs‐HSA/OME (TeDNBs‐HO) exhibit excellent therapeutic efficacy by autophagy dysfunction through ER stress induction and lysosomal damnification. Thus, TeDNBs‐HO is verified to be a promising theranostic nanoagent for effective tumor therapy.
Application of community‐based system dynamics for the management of rural households' vulnerability to the drying of Urmia Lake
Authors: Maleki Rasoul , Nooripoor Mehdi , Sharifi Zeinab , Petrescu Dacinia Crina
Published: May 2022

The drying of Urmia Lake, the largest inland lake in Iran, is one of the greatest ecological disasters in Iran, and it was repeatedly included on the agenda of national and international conventions. The aim of the current study was to apply the system dynamics methodology to analyse rural households' vulnerability to the Urmia Lake drying. The result of the first phase (strategy collection) indicated that five strategies were proposed by stakeholders: ‘To reduce the population of the region’, ‘To reduce the crop area and agricultural activities’, ‘To modify the cultivation pattern and growing crops with low water needs’, ‘To use new irrigation systems’ and ‘To create alternative agricultural livelihoods with less dependence on damaged resources’. The second phase used Vensim software and indicated that the best strategy to reduce households' vulnerability to the drying of Urmia Lake was ‘To create alternative agricultural livelihoods with less dependence on damaged resources’.
Cascading trade‐off studies for robotic deburring systems
Authors: Onstein Ingrid Fjordheim , Haskins Cecilia , Semeniuta Oleksandr
Published: May 2022

Advanced manufacturing technologies play an important role in keeping production in high‐cost countries. Due to their flexibility, robot‐based solutions have been one of the major enablers in establishing advanced manufacturing capabilities in the traditional high‐cost countries. This paper concerns the problem of automated deburring of cast parts. If performed manually, this operation introduces major health, safety, and environmental (HSE) concerns. As such, removal of highly variable casting burrs in the Norwegian context requires a solution based on robots, smart sensors, and advanced algorithms to tackle the problem in a flexible and cost‐effective way. Due to the complexity of the task, one is confronted with a breadth of various alternatives to choose from when realizing the desired functionality. These alternatives expand as one considers a pipeline of the subtasks involved in the process. The decisions made in each step cascade throughout the whole pipeline. To tackle the complexity while developing a robotized deburring system, a systemic approach based on cascading trade‐off studies is proposed in this paper. This paper is also a contribution to the gap in the literature for cases of trade‐off studies in the domain of mechanical engineering. The SPADE (stakeholders, problem formulation, analysis, decision making, and evaluation) methodology has been used as a framework to resolve automation of complex mechanical engineering manufacturing process decisions. The systems engineering (SE) approach proved useful to identify and prioritize the stakeholders and their needs, as well as analyzing the different alternatives in a complex engineering system when dealing with cascading trade studies.
Use of intraoperative ultrasound aiding in extraction of migrated and embedded porcupine quills in a dog
Authors: Parker Lindsay A. , Ogilvie Adam T.
Published: May 2022

A dog presented for porcupine quills; the client had removed the majority of quills themselves, but due to recurring quills and progressive swelling of the left thoracic limb, referral was recommended. Following preoperative ultrasonography to identify the location of remaining quill fragments, surgical exploration was performed. Approximate quill location was determined with preoperative ultrasound, but quill extraction with solely blunt dissection proved to be challenging. Intraoperative ultrasonography was then utilised to rapidly and successfully identify the remaining fragments and guided the surgeons in complete quill removal. Intraoperative ultrasound hastened the removal of fractured and embedded quills. This case highlights how intraoperative ultrasonography aided in efficiently identifying the location and orientation of embedded quills and thereby guided their surgical removal. It also highlights how imperative early medical intervention for porcupine quills is, in order to avoid disastrous complications.
Introduction
Authors: Rugunanan Pragna , Xulu-Gama Nomkhosi
Published: May 2022

It is the main contention of this book that there is a decisive and urgent need for migration research from a southern African perspective. The chapters in this book contend that South-to-South migration will dominate migration trends, leading to an increase in migration within the Global South and to the Global South. The predominant literature on the Global South adopts theoretical and methodological scholarship rooted in South-to-North migration. While there is an emerging body of knowledge in the sociology of migration within the Global South (Landau & Bakewell, 2018; Batisai, 2017; Rugunanan, 2016), here we assert that there is a noticeable absence of theorising migration from the Global South about the Global South. We build on Segatti’s (2011) assessment that the migration literature has ignored population mobility and international migrant workers in Africa and, in particular, southern Africa.
Young Mothers, Labour Migration and Social Security in South Africa
Authors: Mokoene Kearabetswe , Khunou Grace
Published: May 2022

Due to the conditions of apartheid and social engineering, internal labour migration played an important role in shaping the roles and relationships of South African families. In a recent study on internal labour migration in South Africa, Mokoene (2017) found that even though men remain the main migrants in households, young women are becoming prominent migrants as well. This finding echoes other existing findings on national and international migration which illustrate that women continue to migrate in large numbers within and across borders in search of employment (Xulu-Gama, 2017; Kihato, 2013; Walker, 1990). Studies also show that labour migration presents both benefits and costs for migrant sending families (Mokoene & Khunou, 2019; see also Yao & Treiman, 2011). In this chapter we take a closer look at experiences of the families of young women who migrate from the rural parts of Madibeng in the North West Province of South Africa, to neighboring cities in search of employment. This is from a study by Mokoene (2017) which found that the migration of these young women come with a cost including, non-remittance, parental absence, and poverty to the families left behind.
Strategies and Tactics of Integration of Transnational African Migrants: Case Study of Ethiopian Migrants in South Africa
Authors: Misgun Biniam
Published: May 2022

Ethiopians come from a fractured country, with a heightened sense of ethnic identification. Ethnicity is central to their self-identification, accompanied by deeply entrenched ethnic cleavages at home and here in South Africa. Past and recent ethnic-based dynamics and cleavages are actively playing a part here. Such dynamics gained salience with the modern Ethiopian state’s practices and through their political history (Vaughan, 2003). These are part of the pervasively African concern: tension between the ethnic and the national, and the impulse to reconfigure and reconcile them. It is crucial to ask how these tensions evolve and transform in movements and moments in transnational spaces, and the interactions and encounters of these tensions and impulses in these spaces. Similarly, South African society too is very much divided, with its own tensions and contradictions. These coalesce with the tensions and dynamics that Ethiopians bring with them.
Immigration Policy in South Africa: Public Opinion, Xenophobia and the Search for Progress
Authors: Gordon Steven Lawrence
Published: May 2022

Developing progressive migration policy and legislation in South Africa is significantly hampered by anti-immigrant sentiment amongst the general public. Despite the recommendations of experts, the country has not adopted a clear and coherent immigration integration policy. Moreover, xenophobic violence presents a clear threat to the current South African migration regime. Why has this young democracy struggled to develop meaningful policy solutions to deal with migration? The paper explores this important question through the unique lens of mass opinion. Data from the South African Social Attitudes Survey for the period 2003–2018 will be used for this study. The outcomes of this analysis offer new insights into the obstacles facing attempts to implement both progressive immigration policy as well as anti-xenophobia strategies in South Africa. The paper concludes by outlining the implications of this work for academic attempts to understand address anti-immigrantism in the country. Recommendations for future research are also presented for discussion.
Migrant Women’s Experiences in the City: A Relational Comparison
Authors: Xulu-Gama Nomkhosi
Published: May 2022

Scholars who write about migrant women, whether rural-urban or international migrants, have tended to always link women’s migration processes to men’s, thereby reducing women’s agency and will power. It is in this regard that women’s positionalities have continued to remain on the peripheries in literature (see Phillips & James, 2014), even if in reality they have become the main players in their own right. Kihato’s (2013) work reiterates the importance of the role of migrant women in shaping the way the city’s life is played out. Jayaram et al. (2019) posited that women are very mobile, frequently moving locally and internationally between their areas of origin and different urban work destinations. Xulu-Gama (2017), Kihato (2013) and Zulu (1993) prove that women do migrate on their own.
Achieving Clarity and Conciseness
Authors: Luby Stephen , Southern Dorothy L.
Published: May 2022

Scientists are busy. They confront more articles to read than they have time available. An article that is clear and concise is more likely to be influential. Avoiding jargon and explaining ideas and methods so that others can understand will help a broad array of readers. Using descriptive labels of groups in the text and figures helps readers quickly understand the patterns in your data. Avoid using technical terms in a nontechnical sense including random, reliable, significant, valid, incidence, and correlated. Avoid describing a test as a gold standard or its result as positive. In place of this ambiguous shorthand, describe the characteristics of the test of interest and what the criteria are for a positive test.
Professions, Data, and Political Will: From the Pandemic Toward a Political Science with Public Health
Authors: Greer Scott
Published: May 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic promised to teach us many things. One of the things it can help to teach us is about ways to do political science with public health. A political science with public health can work best if informed by a broad social-scientific understanding of both fields. This chapter, therefore, takes its inspiration from not just political science but also sociology and Science and Technology Studies, a field which focuses on the social construction of facts and their flow through society. The chapter focuses on three issues that seem to be particular causes of disciplinary misunderstanding and potentially fruitful research. The first is the professional authority of public health as a profession, including the extent to which it has a clear domain of expertise that others in government and academia respect. The second is the politics of data. Data are endogenous to the political process because the collection and coding of data of any kind are political decisions. The experience showed the potential value of viewing statistics as a dependent variable. The third is of the most contested concepts that can be found at the border of public health and political science: political will.
Beyond the Public Health/Political Science Stalemate in Health Inequalities: Can Deliberative Forums Help?
Authors: Smith Katherine E. , Macintyre Anna , Weakley Sarah
Published: May 2022

Recent efforts to counter the shortcomings of ‘evidence-based policy’ include strategies for democratising the utilisation of evidence. Deliberative forums involving a small number of lay citizens (‘mini publics’) are one of the most popular innovations. This chapter explores a specific type of mini-public known as ‘citizens’ juries’, using health inequalities in the UK as a case study. After introducing citizens’ juries, this chapter reflects on earlier research by the lead author, which identified a presumption among policy actors and researchers that the British public were unsupportive of the kind of macro-level policy proposals research suggests are required to reduce health inequalities. This chapter challenges this presumption via a review of existing qualitative studies, a national representative survey and three citizens’ juries. This analysis is used to reflect on the potential for citizens’ juries to help overcome the apparent tensions that exist between evidence, policy and publics. This chapter concludes that deliberative spaces offer constructive discursive spaces in which it appears possible to overcome tensions between evidence, policy and publics for at least some long-standing societal challenges. However, it also acknowledges reasons to be cautious, given limited political engagement, the high resources required, and challenges around ethically representing minority groups.
Select Committee Governance and the Production of Evidence: The Case of UK E-cigarettes Policy
Authors: Hawkins Benjamin , Oliver Kathryn
Published: May 2022

This chapter examines the process of evidence use within the Westminster select committee system and the potential this offers for health-harming industries to influence the evidentiary content of policy debates. It introduces these issues through the example of the regulatory debate on electronic cigarettes and the 2018 Science and Technology enquiry into their regulations. Through this we identify a more general set of issues around the governance of select committees, and their generation and promotion of policy-relevant evidence, which is under-explored in the current research literature. The currently opaque accountability mechanisms create a significant opportunity for well-resourced policy actors, including trans-national corporations, to shape the evidentiary content of policy debates, via committee evidence gathering and synthesis processes and the potentially influential reports generated from this. Studies of the tobacco and other health-harming industries identify a long-standing strategy of seeking to ‘capture’ apparently independent bodies to generate research amenable to their underlying policy objectives. Such outputs are particularly valuable to corporate political actors, as they have the appearance of separation from the industry and enjoy the kudos associated with entities at the heart of the body politic. As such, it raises important questions about the oversight of evidence production by government bodies.
The Socio-Spatial Articulations of Tourism Studies in Nordic Geography
Authors: Huijbens Edward H. , Müller Dieter K.
Published: May 2022

This chapter will focus on geographical contributions to tourism studies in Nordic scholarship. The chapter provides a thematised overview of the ways in which tourism dynamics and developments have been understood and researched by Nordic geographers. The themes are drawn from a bibliometric analysis and are arranged around the key geographical concepts of place, space and time. As such the chapter is not aspiring to provide a comprehensive listing of, or detailing all Nordic geographers who have addressed issues of tourism, nor exhaustively cover all topics, but to gauge the socio-spatial articulations of tourism studies in Nordic geography. Part one will look at how places are articulated as sites of tourism experiences, social relations and tourism industry dynamics in Nordic geography. Part two will look at how spatial flows and global ideas constitutive of tourism destinations are understood. Part three will focus on how Nordic tourism geography scholarship has developed through and on what looks to be promising future oriented studies therein. As such the chapter will contribute to the theorisations of geography and the development of socio-spatial theories within Nordic geography from a tourism studies perspective.
The Institutionalization of Regions: An Autobiographic View on the Making of Socio-spatial Theory in the Nordic Periphery
Authors: Paasi Anssi
Published: May 2022

This chapter is an autobiographic reflection of my academic track, with a focus on the theory of the institutionalization of regions, outlined in the 1980s in the context of the ongoing socio-spatial theory debates in geography. The chapter discusses how working in a peripheral university positioned this research. The chapter also reflects the academic influences and the theory behind the theory of the institutionalization of regions. It then charts the “travel” of this theory outside of Finland. By discussing the debates on the Anglophone hegemony in geography, the chapter also reflects the role of “mediators” behind the possible mobility of theories, as well as the motives of scholars to contribute to theoretical debates.
Politicisation of Nature in Nordic Geography
Authors: Lehtinen Ari Aukusti
Published: May 2022

This chapter focuses on some socio-spatial views by Nordic geographers who have studied the tendencies of politicisation vs. depoliticisation of human/nature relationships. First, I introduce early formulations of politics of nature research by showing the epistemological grounding and argumentation for the political in Nordic nature studies. This is followed by an overview of studies that have focused on depoliticising drives and turns in contemporary human/nature practices. The variations in handling and conceptualising the dominating aspects of neoliberal environmental governance will be described. Thereafter, I address some approaches of research within Nordic geography that are entangled in the processes and actors defending and promoting a (re)politicisation in nature-use. Finally, I discuss the Nordic content and bearing found in the geographical contributions included in this study.
The Concept of Change and the Teachers’ Role on the Implementing Technological Transformation at School
Authors: Gómez-Parra María-Elena , Daiss Bashar
Published: May 2022

The concept of change includes a variety of topics, situations, disciplines, dimensions, and aspects. Its diversity and impact on individuals and organizations has led to an array of definitions, models, and theories. Thus, changes constitute a response to values, transformations that are interpreted as opportunities to improve an organization’s resilience and increase its achievements. This chapter will further discuss the concept of change, leading to a deep analysis of teachers’ moral and ethical role in one of the most impactful changes in schools: the technological revolution. If teachers believe that change is necessary, they will make great efforts to implement it effectively both in class and at school. International examples will be shown (e.g., Israel, USA, UK, and Turkey), and conclusions will be drawn regarding the need to specifically train teachers to raise their ICT awareness and understand the drawbacks and risks of technology in the twenty-first century. Schools’ transformation in information and communication is not just a technological revolution but also a social and ethical change that involves teachers in a complex weave of technologies, its creators and users, their interactions, and the social context.
Revisiting Effective Instructional Strategies for Twenty-First-Century Learners
Authors: Özdoğru Asil Ali
Published: May 2022

Rapid changes in the society and technology of the twenty-first century world have brought unique challenges for humanity. This chapter summarizes some of the strategies and support systems for effective learning and teaching in the twenty-first century in addressing some of these challenges. Learning is a dynamic process that is supported by the mechanisms of memory and reasoning as well as an individual’s mindset, habits, goals, and motivation. Theories and research imply that learning is not only a cognitive process but also a social-emotional process that takes place environmentally and culturally across one’s lifespan. Strategies to foster effective learning and teaching should pursue developing a process that is more active, authentic, collaborative, creative, interactive, personalized, relational, and self-regulative. Effective instruction is centered on the learner and knowledge, promotes conceptual understanding and metacognition, and utilizes assessment and technology in alignment with the instructional objectives. Productive instructional strategies used in a caring and supportive environment embedded in service and support systems foster learners’ cognitive, social, and emotional development.
Mitochondrial matrix-localized Src kinase regulates mitochondrial morphology
Authors: Lurette Olivier , Guedouari Hala , Morris Jordan L. , Martín-Jiménez Rebeca , Robichaud Julie-Pier , Hamel-Côté Geneviève , Khan Mehtab , Dauphinee Nicholas , Pichaud Nicolas , Prudent Julien , Hebert-Chatelain Etienne
Published: May 2022

The architecture of mitochondria adapts to physiological contexts: while mitochondrial fragmentation is usually associated to quality control and cell death, mitochondrial elongation often enhances cell survival during stress. Understanding how these events are regulated is important to elucidate how mitochondrial dynamics control cell fate. Here, we show that the tyrosine kinase Src regulates mitochondrial morphology. Deletion of Src increased mitochondrial size and reduced cellular respiration independently of mitochondrial mass, mitochondrial membrane potential or ATP levels. Re-expression of Src targeted to the mitochondrial matrix, but not of Src targeted to the plasma membrane, rescued mitochondrial morphology in a kinase activity-dependent manner. These findings highlight a novel function for Src in the control of mitochondrial dynamics.
Tsunami Occurrence 1900–2020: A Global Review, with Examples from Indonesia
Authors: Reid Jessica A. , Mooney Walter D.
Published: May 2022

We present an overview of tsunami occurrences based on an analysis of a global database of tsunamis for the period 1900–2020. We evaluate the geographic and statistical distribution of various tsunami source mechanisms, high-fatality tsunamis, maximum water heights (MWHs) of tsunamis, and possible biases in the observation and recording of tsunami events. We enhance a global statistical overview with case studies from Indonesia, where tsunamis are generated from a diverse range of sources, including subduction zones, crustal faults, landslides, and volcanic islands. While 80% of global recorded tsunamis during 1900–2020 have been attributed to earthquake sources, the median MWH of earthquake tsunamis is just 0.4 m. In contrast, the median water height of landslide tsunamis is 4 m. Landslides have caused or contributed to 24% of fatal tsunamis. During 1900–2020, more tsunamis with water heights > 1 m occurred in Indonesia than in any other country. In this region fatal tsunamis are caused by subduction zone earthquakes, landslides, volcanos, and intraplate crustal earthquakes. Landslide and volcano tsunami sources, as well as coastal landforms such as narrow embayments have caused high local maximum water heights and numerous fatalities in Indonesia. Tsunami hazards are increased in this region due to the densely populated and extensive coastal zones, as well as sea level rise from polar ice melt and local subsidence. Interrelated and often extreme natural hazards in this region present both an opportunity and a need to better understand a broader range of tsunami processes.
Epidemiology, classification and treatment of patella fractures: an observational study of 3194 fractures from the Swedish Fracture Register
Authors: Kruse Mark , Wolf Olof , Mukka Sebastian , Brüggemann Anders
Published: May 2022

Background

Basic epidemiological data on patella fractures derived from large nationwide and multicenter studies are scarce. This observational register study describes patient epidemiology, fracture classification and treatment of patella fractures in adults in a Swedish population.

Methods

We conducted an observational study on data derived from the Swedish Fracture Register (SFR) on all patella fractures classified as non-periprosthetic and non-pathological, registered between 2014 and 2018 in individuals aged ≥ 18years. Epidemiological data on sex, age, side, seasonal variation, trauma mechanism, fracture classification (according to AO/OTA), and treatment were analyzed.

Results

3194 patella fractures were analyzed, occurring at a median age of 67 (range 19–100) years. 64% of all patients were female. Most fractures were caused by low-energy trauma, with 70% due to falling from a standing height. 1796 (56%) of the fractures were transverse compared to 845 (26%) vertical fractures. Most fractures (N=2148, 67%) were treated non-operatively. Operative treatment consisted mainly of Tension Band Wiring (TBW) performed in 774 (24%) patients.

Conclusions

Patella fractures mainly occur in elderly women (> 65 years), commonly caused by low-energy trauma. The main treatment is non-operative (67%), except for transverse (AO/OTA C3) fractures. TBW remains the most used operative treatment of choice. These results may help health care providers, researchers and clinicians better understand the panorama of patella fractures in Sweden.
Gesundheitskompetente Schule: Konzeptentwicklung für organisationale Gesundheitskompetenz in der Schule
Authors: Kirchhoff Sandra , Okan Orkan
Published: May 2022

Hintergrund

Gesundheitskompetenz gilt heute als wichtige Ressource. Schulen sind bedeutsame Wirkstätten im Leben junger Menschen und können maßgeblich zur Stärkung von Gesundheitskompetenz beitragen. Dies auf dem klassischen verhaltensorientierten Weg über Lernangebote, aber auch über einen verhältnisorientierten Ansatz, indem die Schulorganisationgesundheitskompetentoptimiert wird. Der Ansatz geht zurück auf das Konzept der organisationalen Gesundheitskompetenz, das bereits in verschiedenen Settings angekommen ist und dabei hilft, Organisationsbedingungen so zu gestalten, dass die Gesundheitskompetenz der jeweiligen Klientel gestärkt wird. Das Projekt GeKoOrg-Schule (Gesundheitskompetente Organisation Schule) folgt diesem Ansatz und überträgt ihn auf das Schulsetting.

Ziel der Arbeit

In GeKoOrg-Schule sollte ein Konzept erarbeitet werden, das Standards zur Entwicklung der organisationalen Gesundheitskompetenz in Schulen bereitstellt und beschreibt, welche Aspekte dabei adressiert werden müssen.

Material und Methoden

Für die Konzeptentwicklung wurde auf bestehende Konzepte zur organisationalen Gesundheitskompetenz zurückgegriffen. Die Ausarbeitung erfolgte mithilfe von Kommentierungs- und Revisionsschleifen, in welche schulische Akteur:innen einbezogen wurden.

Ergebnisse

Das GeKoOrg-Schule-Konzept umfasst acht Standards, die verschiedene Bereiche innerhalb der Schulorganisation zur Optimierung und damit zur nachhaltigen Stärkung von Gesundheitskompetenz aufzeigen.

Diskussion

Die Stärkung von Gesundheitskompetenz in und durch Schule bedarf eines umfassenden verhältnisorientierten Ansatzes. Das Organisationsentwicklungskonzept GeKoOrg-Schule ermöglicht Schulen eine settingbasierte Weiterentwicklung zu gesundheitskompetenten Schulen.
Supervised classification of curves via a combined use of functional data analysis and tree-based methods
Authors: Maturo Fabrizio , Verde Rosanna
Published: May 2022

Technological advancement led to the development of tools to collect vast amounts of data usually recorded at temporal stamps or arriving over time, e.g. data from sensors. Common ways of analysing this kind of data also involve supervised classification techniques; however, despite constant improvements in the literature, learning from high-dimensional data is always a challenging task due to many issues such as, for example, dealing with the curse of dimensionality and looking for a trade-off between complexity and accuracy. Nowadays, research in functional data analysis (FDA) and statistical learning is very lively to address these drawbacks adequately. This study offers a supervised classification strategy that combines FDA and tree-based procedures. Specifically, we introduce functional classification trees, functional bagging, and functional random forest exploiting the functional principal components decomposition as a tool to extract new features and build functional classifiers. In addition, we introduce new tools to support the understanding of the classification rules, such as the functional empirical separation prototype, functional predicted separation prototype, and the leaves’ functional deviance. Furthermore, we suggest some possible solutions for choosing the number of functional principal components and functional classification trees to be implemented in the supervised classification procedure. This research aims to provide an approach to improve the accuracy of the functional classifier, serve the interpretation of the functional classification rules, and overcome the classical drawbacks due to the high-dimensionality of the data. An application on a real dataset regarding daily electrical power demand shows the functioning of the supervised classification proposal. A simulation study with nine scenarios highlights the performance of this approach and compares it with other functional classification methods. The results demonstrate that this line of research is exciting and promising; indeed, in addition to the benefits of the suggested interpretative tools, we exceed the previously established accuracy records on a dataset available online.
Equilibrium existence and expected payoffs in all-pay auctions with constraints
Authors: Pastine Ivan , Pastine Tuvana
Published: May 2022

This paper introduces constraints on player choices in a broad class of all-pay auctions by allowing for upper bounds on players’ strategy sets. It proves the existence of equilibrium and derives simple closed-form formulae for players’ expected payoffs in any equilibrium. These formulae are straightforward to calculate in applications and do not require the derivation of the equilibrium or equilibria. This may be useful because: (i) In some applications players’ expected payoffs are the main item of interest. For example, one may be concerned about the effect of a policy on the market participants. In these cases the results can be used directly, bypassing the need for the full derivation of the equilibrium. (ii) In all-pay auctions, equilibrium is typically in mixed strategies. So in applications where the full characterization of the equilibrium is of interest, finding the players’ expected payoffs is a crucial first step in the derivation of the equilibrium.
Families of pointed toric varieties and degenerations
Authors: Di Rocco Sandra , Schaffler Luca
Published: May 2022

The Losev–Manin moduli space parametrizes pointed chains of projective lines. In this paper we study a possible generalization to families of pointed degenerate toric varieties. Geometric properties of these families, such as flatness and reducedness of the fibers, are explored via a combinatorial characterization. We show that such families are described by a specific type of polytope fibration which generalizes the twisted Cayley sums, originally introduced to characterize elementary extremal contractions of fiber type associated to projective $${\mathbb {Q}}$$
Q
-factorial toric varieties with positive dual defect. The case of a one-dimensional simplex can be viewed as an alternative construction of the permutohedra.
Kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamics of oil spills removal by novel amphiphilic Chitosan-g-Octanal Schiff base polymer developed by click grafting technique
Authors: Eweida Bassant Yousry , Omer Ahmed Mohamed , Tamer Tamer Mahmoud , Soliman Hesham Abd-Elfatah Mohamed , Zaatot Ahmed Amin , Mohy-Eldin Mohamed Samir
Published: May 2022

Kinetic, isothermal and thermodynamic studies for the oil spills removal process have been conducted by Chitosan and novel amphiphilic Chitosan-g-Octanal Schiff base adsorbents developed by click chemistry and evaluated successfully in the removal of heavy crude oil spills. Chitosan was first prepared from wastes of marine shrimp shells, and then Chitosan and Chitosan-g-Octanal Schiff base adsorbents were synthesized and verified their structures, thermal stability and their morphological changes using FT-IR spectroscopy, TGA and SEM. The oil adsorption percentages (%) using heavy crude oil were 96.41% for the Chitosan-g-Octanal Schiff base adsorbent compared to 64.99% for native Chitosan counterpart. High rate of adsorption was observed where 40% of oil adsorbed within 15 min only using the Chitosan-g-Octanal Schiff base adsorbent compared to 90 min for native Chitosan adsorbent. The adsorption process followed the pseudo-second order model, and the equilibrium data were sufficiently fitted with the Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity 30.30 g/g at 25 °C. Thermodynamic parameters computed from Van’t Hoff plot confirmed the process to be endothermic, favorable and spontaneous.