bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Violence and torture against migrants and refugees attempting to reach the European Union through Western Balkans
Authors: Guarch-Rubio Marta , Byrne Steven , Manzanero Antonio L. 
Published: February 2021

Introduction: This paper presents a study of traumatic experiences, including torture, among refugees and migrants at the border between Croatia and Bosnia. The number of people being forcefully displaced is increasing and militarized border enforcement efforts have made migration a dangerous endeavour. The European Union is externalizing its borders, but migrants and refugees have not ceased arriving in Western societies despite facing violence and torture both throughout their journey, and at the gates of Europe. Method: 54 participants were assessed, 51 males and 3 females, 26 were self-declared economic migrants and 28 stated that they fled due to political or religious persecution. The Iraqi version of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) was adapted to collect traumatic and torture stressors experienced by the migrants/refugees during their stay in Western Bosnia, and more specifically during their detention and refoulement (push-backs) when attempting to cross the border between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. Results: 98.14% reported experiencing multiple forms of torture, 81.5% reported having their property looted, and 70.4% stated that they had been physically harmed on the mentioned border during migratory transit. Torture experiences were associated with the migratory and confinement phases such as exposure to the rain and cold (92.6%) or lack of food, water and medical care (66.7%). Finally, 50% of participants fulfilled the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to the cumulative effect of traumatic experiences. Differences were found only in the amount of traumatic experiences between economic migrants and refugees who fled for political or religious reasons. No differences were found in torture experiences and PTSD diagnosis. Conclusions: Violence perpetrated by security forces against migrants is crystallized at the border-zones. Migrants are held in conditions that would amount by themselves to torture. Traumatic experiences have an effect on migrants/refugees’ mental health and can trigger the development of post-traumatic stress disorder. Guaranteeing human rights for migrants/refugees throughout their journey is needed.
The Concept of <i>Imago Agens</i> in <i>Celestina</i>: Text and Image
Authors: Saguar García Amaranta 
Published: February 2021

En este trabajo se exploran los vínculos potenciales entre Celestina y la reinterpretación tardomedieval del concepto clásico de la imago agens. Por un lado, examina los grabados correspondientes a las muertes de los personajes principales y los compara con algunos ejemplos de imaginería religiosa de la época que admiten ser interpretados desde este punto de vista. Por otro, pone en relación las macabras descripciones verbales de estas mismas muertes con la función ejemplar y moralizante que las imagines agentes desarrollaron durante la Baja Edad Media. Por último, analiza la importancia de la violencia, tanto en la descripción textual como en la representación visual de estas muertes, para concluir que tuvo que desempeñar una función didáctico–moral.
Christine Wilks’ Women, Politics and Poetics
Authors: Doménech Oreto 
Published: February 2021

In this paper we present a close reading of the electronic literature works Sitting Pretty (2004), IntraVenus (2005), Fitting the Pattern (2008) and Underbelly (2010) by Christine Wilks with the aim of reflecting on how the body of the “Woman” is represented in these works, through which mechanisms the gender is constructed in them and how these bodies of women are registered in a feminine and feminist genealogy. There is, without a doubt, in Wilks’s work a unitary discursive thread about gender identity that evolves and transforms as the narrative mechanisms of the author and, consequently, our reading process, change; the power of the word over the body in Sitting Pretty and the strength of the naked body in IntraVenus are the initial drawing of a particular and personal discourse about the genre that will become more complex and profound in Fitting the Pattern and Underbelly. In Fitting the Pattern we have to cut, sew and weave to know the thoughts of the daughter, the addressee of the pattern that is made. Reading, as an act of creative craftsmanship, coupled with the memory of women who rework, stitch after stitch, maternal relationships, in a textual fabric that makes the identity of a young woman and the memory of a long female genealogy. Genealogy which, on the other hand, is omnipresent in Underbelly, an immersive reading experience that introduces mining women in the 19th century England along with the thoughts of a sculptress about her process as an artist who is wondering about the possibility of being a mother. The texts that narrate Sitting Pretty, IntraVenus, Fitting the Pattern and Underbelly appear in the most diverse and heterogeneous forms, however the images in these works are representations of the body of the woman from different points of view: the physical body, the body of desire, the body covered, the inner body. These works, in addition, due to their specific and special characteristics, experience a process of poetization with peculiar rhetorical mechanisms that are configured in digital poetic narratives: orality, metaphors, alliterations, metonimies, rhythm, analogies, polysemy … Reading these four works is an interactive experience of the body, an intellectual dialogue about the meaning of the word and power, the body and the image, reading and memory, women and the creation through times and spaces and practicing, with reading, the exercise of a poetic and political view.
Pollution Evaluation Based on Physicochemical and Heavy Metal Levels of Miniokoro Stream, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Authors: Abbey D. M. , Abbey M. E. , Ogunyemi T. C. , Abbey M. E. 
Published: February 2021

Evaluation of physicochemical parameters and heavy metal levels in surface water of the Miniokoro stream, Port Harcourt, Nigeria were investigated to determine its potability and pollution status at various stations along the stream. The physicochemical parameters analyzed in the water samples were: pH, Temperature, Salinity, Electrical conductivity, TDS, DO, BOD, Alkalinity, Chloride, NH4+, NO3-, PO43-, SO42- while heavy metals such as Nickel, lead, Iron, Zinc and Chromium were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results from the research showed an average concentration level of the physicochemical parameters such as pH (5.79-7.01), EC (136.43 - 960.67µS/cm), TDS (90.17 - 1517.67) and the spatial distribution of heavy metals: zinc (0.07 - 1.09mg/l), chromium (0.03 - 0.09mg/l), nickel (0.07 - 0.08mg/l) and iron (12.29 - 39.95mg/l). Water samples from various stations depicts the varying level of pollution along the stream when compared with national and international permissible limit. Thus, it suggests that the government should develop and implement an effective waste management plans due to environmental and other anthropogenic impacts on the stream.
Gases and Vapors Affecting the Respiratory System
Authors: Harber Philip , Beckett William S. , Fedoruk Marion J. 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Respiratory effects of gases and vapors are frequent, ranging from temporary discomfort to fatal responses. Acute high‐level exposures to directly toxic agents (e.g. phosgene and chlorine gas) may be fatal, and more prolonged exposure to lower levels of irritant gases is frequent and significant. Asphyxiants prevent oxygen utilization either by displacing oxygen from the ambient air or by chemically poisoning hemoglobin or the mitochondria. Work‐related asthma includes both occupational asthma (caused by work exposures) and work‐exacerbated asthma (preexisting asthma worsened by workplace factors). Irritants and allergens adversely affect the nasal mucosa and the larynx. Gas/vapor exposures contribute to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Bronchiolitis obliterans, a severe disease of the small airways, develops as a late consequence of acute high‐level exposure (e.g. sulfur dioxide releases) or from more prolonged exposure to moderate levels of certain chemicals, particularly in the flavoring industry. Gas/vapor exposure may lead to malignancies of the upper airway, larynx, and lung. Industrial accidents, natural events, and chemical terrorism/warfare can lead to mass casualties. Most respiratory system disorders due to gas/vapor exposures in workplaces are preventable. Control of exposures, respiratory personal protection equipment, preparedness for potential releases, and screening for early adverse effects are essential.
Decision Needs and Preferred Strategies for Shared Decision‐Making in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Perspectives of Canadian Urban Indigenous Women
Authors: Umaefulam Valerie , Fox Terri‐Lynn , Barnabe Cheryl 
Published: February 2021

ObjectiveDecision‐making for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is complex, with multiple beneficial medication options available, but with the potential for treatment‐related adverse effects and significant economic considerations. Indigenous patients make treatment decisions informed by an interplay of clinical, family, and societal factors. Shared decision‐making may represent an approach to support treatment decisions in a culturally congruent manner. Our objective was to identify aspects of arthritis care that Indigenous participants found relevant for shared decision‐making and to explore preferences for shared decision‐making strategies.MethodsA purposive sampling from rheumatology clinics that provide services to Indigenous patients in a Canadian urban center was used to recruit participants for interviews. Seven participants were recruited to reach content saturation. Interview content was coded by 2 individuals, including an Indigenous patient with RA, and the data were analyzed via thematic analysis.ResultsParticipants were all women ages 37–61 years living with RA. Participants supported the idea that shared decision‐making would be beneficial, primarily to support decisions around treatment plans and medication changes. Shared decision‐making approaches would need to reflect Indigenous‐specific content areas, such as benefits and risks of therapy informed by data from Indigenous patient populations and inclusion of traditional modes of healing. All participants were interested in having a decision coach and preferred that decision aids be in both paper and electronic formats for accessibility.ConclusionThis study advances knowledge in the priority areas and specific content needed in the shared decision‐making process and the preferences of shared decision‐making strategies relevant and appropriate for urban Indigenous women living with RA in Canada.
Integrating Computational and Experimental Workflows for Accelerated Organic Materials Discovery
Authors: Greenaway Rebecca L. , Jelfs Kim E. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractOrganic materials find application in a range of areas, including optoelectronics, sensing, encapsulation, molecular separations, and photocatalysis. The discovery of materials is frustratingly slow however, particularly when contrasted to the vast chemical space of possibilities based on the near limitless options for organic molecular precursors. The difficulty in predicting the material assembly, and consequent properties, of any molecule is another significant roadblock to targeted materials design. There has been significant progress in the development of computational approaches to screen large numbers of materials, for both their structure and properties, helping guide synthetic researchers toward promising materials. In particular, artificial intelligence techniques have the potential to make significant impact in many elements of the discovery process. Alongside this, automation and robotics are increasing the scale and speed with which materials synthesis can be realized. Herein, the focus is on demonstrating the power of integrating computational and experimental materials discovery programmes, including both a summary of key situations where approaches can be combined and a series of case studies that demonstrate recent successes.
Room Temperature to 150 °C Lithium Metal Batteries Enabled by a Rigid Molecular Ionic Composite Electrolyte
Authors: Yu Deyang , Pan Xiaona , Bostwick Joshua E. , Zanelotti Curt J. , Mu Linqin , Colby Ralph H. , Lin Feng , Madsen Louis A. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractMolecular ionic composites (MICs), made from ionic liquids and a rigid‐rod polymer poly(2,2′‐disulfonyl‐4,4′‐benzidine terephthalamide) (PBDT), are a new type of rigid gel electrolyte that combine fast ion transport with high thermal stability and mechanical strength. In this work, a MIC electrolyte membrane is prepared that is composed of PBDT, lithium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI), and 1‐butyl‐1‐methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (Pyr14TFSI) in a mass ratio of 10:10:80. The ionic conductivity at 25 °C is 0.56 mS cm−1 with no added flammable/volatile components. Although the polymer content is only 10 wt%, this MIC membrane is rigid with a tensile modulus of 410 MPa at room temperature. The MIC membrane remains stable and rigid at 200 °C with the shear storage modulus (G′) only slightly decreasing by 35%. Li/MIC/LiFePO4 cells demonstrate stable cycling performance over a wide temperature range from 23 to 150 °C. The specific discharge capacity at 100 and 150 °C at 1 C rate exceeds 160 mAh g−1. The discharge capacity retention is 99% after 50 cycles at 150 °C. This stable battery performance shows that this low polymer content MIC membrane qualifies for use as a solid electrolyte in lithium metal batteries operating over a wide temperature range.
Mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. agribusiness sector, 1990–2017
Authors: Trejo‐Pech Carlos J. O. , Gunderson Michael A. , Lambert Dayton M. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe study examines financial and transaction characteristics that influence mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in U.S. agribusinesses. During the M&A private phase, we model the likelihood of firms becoming bidders or targets as a function of firms' past financial performance. During the M&A public phase, the likelihood of bidders becoming acquirers is modeled as a function of firms' past financial performance and M&A transaction characteristics. The results for the subset of bidders in the M&A private phase suggest that the likelihood of a firm becoming a bidder is positively correlated with the bidder's firm size 1 year before the M&A announcement. In contrast, the likelihood of a firm becoming a bidder is negatively associated with bidder's leverage, cash level, and very low market valuations. For the subset of targeted firms, the likelihood of firms being targeted is positively associated with the firm's leverage and negatively related with its profitability. Our results for the M&A public phase model show that firm experience in the M&A market is positively associated with the likelihood of acquisition completion. In addition, relative to nonhorizontal transactions, horizontal mergers tend to be more difficult to complete. [EconLit Citations: G34, M2].
High‐Density Lewis Acid Sites in Porous Single‐Crystalline Monoliths to Enhance Propane Dehydrogenation at Reduced Temperatures
Authors: Lin Guoming , Su Yunqi , Duan Xiuyun , Xie Kui 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe non‐oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propylene plays an important role in the light‐olefin chemical industry. However, the conversion and selectivity remain a fundamental challenge at low temperatures. Here we create and engineer high‐density Lewis acid sites at well‐defined surfaces in porous single‐crystalline Mo2N and MoN monoliths to enhance the non‐oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propylene. The top‐layer Mo ions with unsaturated Mo‐N1/6and Mo‐N1/3coordination structures provide high‐density Lewis acid sites at the surface, leading to the effective activation of C−H bonds without the overcracking of C−C bonds during the non‐oxidative dehydrogenation of propane. We demonstrate a propane conversion of ≈11 % and a propylene selectivity of ≈95 % with porous single‐crystalline Mo2N and MoN monoliths at 500 °C.
Harnessing Hypoxia‐Dependent Cyanine Photocages for In Vivo Precision Drug Release
Authors: Zhang Yutao , Yan Chenxu , Zheng Qiaoqiao , Jia Qian , Wang Zhongliang , Shi Ping , Guo Zhiqian 
Published: February 2021

AbstractPhotocaging holds promise for the precise manipulation of biological events in space and time. However, current near‐infrared (NIR) photocages are oxygen‐dependent for their photolysis and lack of timely feedback regulation, which has proven to be the major bottleneck for targeted therapy. Herein, we present a hypoxia‐dependent photo‐activation mechanism of dialkylamine‐substituted cyanine (Cy‐NH) accompanied by emissive fragments generation, which was validated with retrosynthesis and spectral analysis. For the first time, we have realized the orthogonal manipulation of this hypoxia‐dependent photocaging and dual‐modal optical signals in living cells and tumor‐bearing mice, making a breakthrough in the direct spatiotemporal control and in vivo feedback regulation. This unique photoactivation mechanism overcomes the limitation of hypoxia, which allows site‐specific remote control for targeted therapy, and expands the photo‐trigger toolbox for on‐demand drug release, especially in a physiological context with dual‐mode optical imaging under hypoxia.
Preparation of Nano‐Emulsion‐Based Hydrogels Conjugated Curcumin as Model Functional Lipid Bioactive Compound
Authors: Heidarifard Maryam , Taghavi Elham , Anarjan Navideh 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe preparation of nanoemulsion‐based alginate hydrogels, containing curcumin was the aim of current study. The nanoemulsions of coconut oil were prepared using solvent‐displacement technique and then the obtained nanoemulsions were converted to hydrogels using the ion‐gelling process. The effects of formulation parameters, namely, sodium alginate concentration (1–2 g L−1), the weight ratio of calcium chloride to sodium alginate (2–4), and curcumin to sodium alginate (1–3), were also evaluated on swelling percentage, gel fraction, curcumin load, curcumin release, and antibacterial inhibitory zone of hydrogels. All studied characteristics were successfully correlated to the selected independent variables by second‐order polynomial equations as models, with relatively high coefficients of determinations (R2 > 86). According to multiple numerical optimization analysis, the most desired hydrogels can be obtained using 1.9 g L−1 sodium alginate, curcumin/sodium alginate of 2.5 g g−1, and calcium chloride/sodium alginate of 2.2 g g−1, with the maximum swelling ratio (216%), gel fraction (29.9%), curcumin load (59.12%), antibacterial activity (clear‐zone diameter of 5.27 cm), and the least curcumin release after 12 hours (87.75%). It was also resulted that the curcumin release from prepared optimum hydrogel obeys the first order kinetics. No significant differences between the measured and predicted data confirmed the suitability of suggested models.
Simple approach for the plasma treatment of polymeric membranes and investigation of the aging effect
Authors: Marques Ingrid R. , Silveira Camila , Leite Monique J. L. , Piacentini Artur M. , Binder Cristiano , Dotto Marta E. R. , Ambrosi Alan , Di Luccio Marco , da Costa Cristiane 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe modification of the surface characteristics after treatment with plasma in polymeric materials, such as the aging phenomenon, calls the attention of research in the area of nonthermal plasma technology. In this work, a direct treatment with dielectric‐barrier discharge plasma was used on the surfaces of ultrafiltration membranes. The measurements of the contact angle with water, attenuated total reflectance accessory, zeta potential, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy‐MEV were performed on the surfaces to verify changes after plasma treatment and to understand the occurrence and timing of the plasma aging effect. In the analysis of the membrane performance, hydraulic permeation and protein retention tests were performed. The results showed an improvement in wettability and hydrophilic properties in the post‐treated membranes. The study of reversibility/aging of the post‐plasma surface is important for research that deals with the modification of polymeric membranes. Changes in surface morphology, topography and wettability of the membranes were observed up to seven days after treatment, with a tendency to return to the initial characteristics of the membranes.
Identifying protoclusters in distant universe
Authors: da Costa Mariana Rubet , Menéndez‐Delmestre Karín 
Published: February 2021

AbstractProperties of galaxies, such as color, age, and star formation activity, appear to be associated with the environment in which they are immersed. To investigate how the environment‐galaxy relation is established, we study protoclusters, which are numerically dense environments of galaxies in the early Universe, and which give rise to galaxy clusters today. In this work, we use submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) ‐ which are very dusty and distant galaxies, with their copious infrared emission redshifted to the submillimeter wavelengths ‐ as lampposts to trace potential sites of protocluster regions. We undertook deep observations of the environment of SMGs with well‐established spectroscopic redshifts in the range of z ≃ 1–5. We made a combination of deep imaging and spectroscopic observations to identify Lyman‐alpha emitters (LAEs) as a means to assess the more typical star‐forming galaxies in these regions. We identified more than 300 LAE candidates in four potential protocluster regions. Of these, 200 have already been spectroscopically confirmed to be at the SMG redshifts. This is consistent with them being part of the same structure. By probing the redshift range z ≃ 1–5, which corresponds to ≥4 Giga years, we seek insights on the evolution of protoclusters over this time interval.
A novel fluorescent probe for rapid detection of sulfur dioxide in living cells
Authors: Hu Qian , Guo Rui , Zhang Liang , Liu Qing , Cai Shushun , Lin Weiying 
Published: February 2021

AbstractSulfur dioxide is one of the reactive sulfur species, which has significant physiological functions in cells. Some physiological processes are closely related to SO2 in organisms, and the high concentration of SO2 in living cells can cause many diseases. In order to investigate the unique function of SO2 at the subcellular level, developing a molecular tool which could detect of SO2 within organelles is imperative. Hence, we developed a cationic dye named HQ‐SO2 as a new fluorescent probe to specifically monitor SO2, which was easy to obtain through one‐step reaction. It took Michael addition reaction as the mechanism of reaction for detection of SO2. In addition, this probe showed a series of highly favorable properties such as rapid response rate, low cytotoxicity, high selectivity, low detection limit, and good photostability, which enabled the probe to track SO2 in living cells.