bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Enhanced oxygen and hydrogen evolution reaction by zinc doping in cobalt–nickel sulfide heteronanorods
Authors: Du Jing , Zou Zehua , Xu Cailing 
Published: February 2021

AbstractDeveloping highly efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is critical to enable electrical‐to‐hydrogen energy conversion technologies to reality. Herein, zinc‐doped cobalt sulfide‐modified nickel sulfide (ZCNS) heteronanorod hybrid electrocatalysts are prepared through a facile hydrothermal method to enhance the electrocatalytic performance of cobalt‐nickel sulfide. The doping of Zn optimizes the electronic structure of cobalt‐nickel sulfide thus improving the conductivity and charge transfer ability of cobalt‐nickel sulfide. In addition, benefiting from the hierarchical structure of one‐dimensional nanorods and three‐dimensional Ni foam, abundant catalytically active sites and fast ion and charge transportation are obtained. As a result, the optimal zinc doped cobalt‐nickel sulfide hybrid presents overpotentials of 138 and 235 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA/cm2 in 1.0 M KOH for HER and OER, respectively. Assembled as an electrolyzer for overall water splitting using the heteronanorod hybrids as both anode and cathode catalysts, the low cell voltage of 1.56 V at 10 mA/cm2 is achieved, which is similar to that of the IrO2‐Pt/C couple.
Seismic modal identification using a new approach based on weighted transmissibility
Authors: Damadipour Majid , Tarinejad Reza 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIn recent years, the transmissibility‐based operational modal analysis has attracted the attention of many researchers due to its effective applications in output‐only modal identification. However, the present research indicates that the application of this approach is not so appropriate for the ambient vibration records with short length and high spectral leakage, such as seismic records. The existence of nonperiodic frequency components in the records leads to an increase in the spectral leakage and dispersion. In this paper, an effective approach called weighted transmissibility‐based operational modal analysis is proposed to properly identify the structural modal parameters using the seismic records. The proposed method identifies the natural frequencies and mode shapes based on weighed transmissibility, so that it combines the single‐reference weighted transmissibility functions associated with different transferring outputs obtained from single or multiple loading conditions in a unique matrix formulation. Then, it extracts the vibration modes using the efficient spectra obtained from the singular value decomposition of weighted transmissibility matrices. In this paper, a theoretical example (5DOF system) is provided to indicate the capabilities of the proposed approach for identifying the modal parameters of structural systems.
Contamination of Clostridium perfringens in soy sauce, and quantitative microbial risk assessment for C. perfringens through soy sauce consumption
Authors: Seo Yeongeun , Lee Yewon , Kim Sejeong , Ha Jimyeong , Choi Yukyung , Oh Hyemin , Kim Yujin , Rhee Min Suk , Yoon Yohan 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe objective of this study was to conduct QMRA (quantitative microbial risk assessment) of Clostridium perfringens through soy sauce consumption. Four hundred and ninety soy sauce samples from markets were analyzed to detect C. perfringens. Temperature and time were also measured during transportation and display of soy sauce. A primary model was developed by fitting the Weibull model to the C. perfringens cell counts in soy sauce at 7–35°C, and δ (the time needed to decrease 1 log CFU/ml) and ρ (curve shape) were calculated. The parameters were analyzed, using the Exponential model (secondary model) as a function of temperature. The consumption amount and percentage of soy sauce were surveyed, and a dose‐response model was searched. Using all collected data, a simulation model was prepared in the @RISK program to estimate the probability of C. perfringens foodborne illness by soy sauce consumption. C. perfringens were negative in 490 samples. Thus, the initial contamination level was estimated to be −2.9 log CFU/ml. The developed predictive models showed that C. perfringens cell counts decreased during transportation and display. The average consumption amounts, and the percentage of soy sauce were 7.81 ml and 81.2%, respectively. The simulation showed that the probability of C. perfringens foodborne illness by consumption of soy sauce was 1.7 × 10–16 per person per day. Therefore, the risk of C. perfringens by consumption of soy sauce is low in Korea.
Astrocytes in stress accumulate lipid droplets
Authors: Smolič Tina , Tavčar Petra , Horvat Anemari , Černe Urška , Halužan Vasle Ana , Tratnjek Larisa , Kreft Mateja Erdani , Scholz Nicole , Matis Maja , Petan Toni , Zorec Robert , Vardjan Nina 
Published: February 2021

AbstractWhen the brain is in a pathological state, the content of lipid droplets (LDs), the lipid storage organelles, is increased, particularly in glial cells, but rarely in neurons. The biology and mechanisms leading to LD accumulation in astrocytes, glial cells with key homeostatic functions, are poorly understood. We imaged fluorescently labeled LDs by microscopy in isolated and brain tissue rat astrocytes and in glia‐like cells in Drosophila brain to determine the (sub)cellular localization, mobility, and content of LDs under various stress conditions characteristic for brain pathologies. LDs exhibited confined mobility proximal to mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum that was attenuated by metabolic stress and by increased intracellular Ca2+, likely to enhance the LD–organelle interaction imaged by electron microscopy. When de novo biogenesis of LDs was attenuated by inhibition of DGAT1 and DGAT2 enzymes, the astrocyte cell number was reduced by ~40%, suggesting that in astrocytes LD turnover is important for cell survival and/or proliferative cycle. Exposure to noradrenaline, a brain stress response system neuromodulator, and metabolic and hypoxic stress strongly facilitated LD accumulation in astrocytes. The observed response of stressed astrocytes may be viewed as a support for energy provision, but also to be neuroprotective against the stress‐induced lipotoxicity.
Outcomes and prognostic factors of major salivary gland tumors treated with proton beam radiation therapy
Authors: Zakeri Kaveh , Wang Huili , Kang Jung Julie , Lee Anna , Romesser Paul , Mohamed Nader , Gelblum Daphna , Sherman Eric , Dunn Lara , Boyle Jay , Wong Richard , Chen Linda , Yu Yao , Tsai C. Jillian , McBride Sean M. , Riaz Nadeem , Lee Nancy 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackgroundProton beam radiation therapy (PBRT) has dosimetric advantages compared to photon radiation therapy for the treatment of major salivary gland tumors (MSGTs).MethodsPatients with non‐metastatic MSGTs treated at a single proton therapy center from October 2013 to October 2018 were retrospectively reviewed.ResultsSixty‐eight patients with MSGTs were included and the most common site and histology were the parotid gland (75.0%) and adenoid cystic carcinoma (22.1%), respectively. The 3‐year rates of locoregional control, progression‐free survival, and overall survival were 95.1% (95% CI: 89.9%‐100.0%), 80.7% (70.2%‐92.7%), and 96.1% (95% CI: 90.9%‐100.0%), respectively.ConclusionIn a large cohort of MSGTs treated with PBRT, the rates of locoregional control were high in short‐term follow‐up and treatment was well tolerated.
Serum Laminin γ2 Monomer as a Diagnostic and Predictive Biomarker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Yamashita Taro , Koshikawa Naohiko , Shimakami Tetsuro , Terashima Takeshi , Nakagawa Masatoshi , Nio Kouki , Horii Rika , Iida Noriho , Kawaguchi Kazunori , Arai Kuniaki , Sakai Yoshio , Yamashita Tatsuya , Mizukoshi Eishiro , Honda Masao , Kitao Azusa , Kobayashi Satoshi , Takahara Shizuko , Imai Yasuhito , Yoshimura Kenichi , Murayama Toshinori , Nakamoto Yasunari , Yoshida Eisaku , Yoshimura Toru , Seiki Motoharu , Kaneko Shuichi 
Published: February 2021

Backgrounds and Aims
Structural dynamics of basement membrane components are still to be elucidated in the process of hepatocarcinogenesis. We evaluated the characteristics of HCC expressing laminin γ2 monomer (LG2m), a basement membrane component not detected in normal tissues, for HCC diagnosis. We further determined whether elevated serum LG2m is a risk factor for HCC development in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC).

Approach and Results
In HCC cell lines, LG2m was expressed in alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP)‐negative, CD90‐positive cells characterized by highly metastatic natures. Using 14 cell lines and 258 HCC microarray data, we identified that LG2m gene signature was associated with Hoshida’s S1/Boyault’s G3 molecular subclasses with poor prognosis, which could not be recognized by AFP. Serum LG2m was assessed in 24 healthy donors, 133 chronic liver disease patients, and 142 HCC patients, and sensitivity and specificity of LG2m testing for HCC diagnosis were 62.9% and 70.5%, respectively (cutoff, 30 pg/mL). We evaluated the consequence of LG2m elevation in two independent HCC cohorts (n = 47 and n = 81), and LG2m‐high HCC showed poor prognosis with later development of distant organ metastasis (cutoff, 60 pg/mL). LG2m was slightly elevated in a subset of CHC patients, and Kaplan‐Meier analysis indicated a high incidence of HCC (n = 70). For validation, we enrolled 399 CHC patients with sustained virological response (SVR) as a multicenter, prospective study, and serum LG2m elevation correlated with a high incidence of HCC in the CHC patients with SVR (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions
LG2m is a predictive biomarker for the development of metastatic HCC. Elevated serum LG2m is an HCC risk in CHC patients who have achieved SVR.
miR‐17‐3p promotes the proliferation of multiple myeloma cells by downregulating P21 expression through LMLN inhibition
Authors: Xiang Pu , Yeung Yiu To , Wang Jiheng , Wu Qiong , Du Ruijuan , Huang Chuntian , Jia Xuechao , Gao Yunfeng , Zhi Yafei , Guo Fangqin , Wei Huifang , Zhang Dandan , Liu Yuzhang , Liu Lina , Liang Lijie , Wang Juan , Song Yongping , Liu Kangdong , Fang Baijun 
Published: February 2021

AbstractMultiple myeloma (MM), a hematological malignancy, has a poor prognosis and requires an invasive procedure. Reports have implicated miRNAs in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of hematological malignancies. In our study, we evaluated the expression profiles of miR‐17‐3p in plasma and bone marrow mononuclear cells of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and MM patients and healthy subjects. The results showed that the plasma and mononuclear cell expression levels of miR‐17‐3p in MM patients were higher than those in MGUS patients and normal controls. In addition, the expression of miR‐17‐3p was positively correlated with diagnostic indexes, such as marrow plasma cell abundance and serum M protein level, and positively correlated with the International Staging System stage of the disease. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis suggested that miR‐17‐3p might be a diagnostic index of MM. Moreover, miR‐17‐3p regulated cell proliferation, apoptosis and the cell cycle through P21 in MM cell lines and promoted MM tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, we predicted and verified LMLN as a functional downstream target gene of miR‐17‐3p. Negatively regulated by miR‐17‐3p, LMLN inhibits MM cell growth, exerting a tumor suppressive function through P21. Taken together, our data identify miR‐17‐3p as a promising diagnostic biomarker for MM in the clinic and unveil a new miR‐17‐3p‐LMLN‐P21 axis in MM progression.
Automatic three‐dimensional detection and volume estimation of low‐grade gliomas
Authors: Boudrioua Asma , Aloui Abdelouahab , Solaiman Basel , Asli Larbi , Ben Salem Douraied , Tliba Souhil 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBrain tumor segmentation is routinely needed in diagnostic radiology. Automatic volume estimation has been used for diagnosis improvement and treatment process. This article presents a new approach for tumor volume estimation, using a variational level set method. The new adapted representation of intensity allows the method to be efficient in the region of interest identification, regardless the shape, size, and location of the tumor. For the estimation of an optimal bounding box, a fuzzy preference optimization model is used. The proposed approach is suitable for the zero level set initialization as well as for the reduction of the processing area, which ultimately speeds up the curve evolution. Moreover, tumor contours are determined using the hybrid level set technique, which combines the gradient and local phase information as an edge indicator term. Such an approach is robust to attenuation and intensity inhomogeneity. The proposed method is evaluated using a set of real and synthetic images. Our method achieved a performance of 96% accuracy, with an average execution time of 4.75 seconds. The proposed method is fast, accurate, and does not require training data or prior knowledge. With such experimental results, our approach outperforms 18 state‐of‐the‐art methods.
Autonomous water and nutritional anti‐stress device to solve a plant irrigation problem based on harvested rainwater: A Tunisian case study*
Authors: Medhioub Samir , Euchi Jalel , Makhloufi Slim 
Published: February 2021

AbstractWater consumption has increased significantly around the world in recent years, whereas existing water resources are becoming rarer. Even in tropical areas, where the rains offer an average of 2600 mm of water yearly, the soil water source can reduce gradually throughout the dry season and limit the growth of vegetation. Different irrigation methods have been developed to meet plants’ water needs for productivity. These methods depend closely on mobilization of the water source and its permanent control. In this paper, we have proposed an autonomous water and nutritional anti‐stress device for plants based on the recovery of rainwater. It is a new concept inspired by irrigation in antique clay pots. It is designed to ensure regular cyclical storage and transfer to the plant of an almost constant daily flow of mobilized rainwater. These waters are also enriched with nutrients during their journey to the plant. This delayed water storage and transfer process will compensate for the lack of water necessary for the survival of the plant in dry periods. The device was tested in a reduced environment and has given good results in decreasing water stress and increasing the level of nutrition for plants.
Review: Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace
Authors: Sisler Vit 
Published: February 2021

AbstractMohammed el-Nawawy and Sahar Khamis. Islam Dot Com: Contemporary Islamic Discourses in Cyberspace. Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. ISBN: 978-0- 230-60035-5, ISBN10: 0-230-60035-2, 280 pages.
The King, the Mufti & the Facebook Girl: A Power Play. Who Decides What is Licit in Islam?
Authors: Chraibi Khalid 
Published: February 2021

AbstractSaudi Arabia enforces a ban on woman driving on the grounds that it is prohibited by sharia law. Women's associations have actively denounced this ban for years, arguing that it was the only Muslim country which had such a peculiar interpretation of Islamic law. A power play is taking place online on this subject between the ulema (who support the ban), the Saudi authorities and feminine associations. This situation raises the question: “Who decides what is licit or illicit in Islam?” Muslim women's associations merely ask for the implementation in Muslim countries of the “best practices” in Islamic law which exist anywhere, as a substitute for those laws which are unfavorable to women's rights or do not protect their interests adequately.
Remixing the Spring!: Connective leadership and read‐write practices in the 2011 Arab uprisings
Authors: Ratta Donatella Della , Valeriani Augusto 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThis article discusses the connections between the unfolding of the 2011 Arab uprisings and the “culture of the net.” Being far from overestimating the role that Internet has played in the uprisings, we propose to look at it not as an ensemble of tools, applications and technologies; but as a specific set of values, behaviors, skills and strategies that define the cultural dimension of the web. The article shows how linking, sharing and remixing have been among the core cultural practices behind the social movements that were successful in confronting Egypt and Tunisia's regimes. We also discuss how, despite the fact that the Syrian uprising has not achieved its political goal, yet it shares a similar cultural framework based on participation, peer-production, remix practices.
Digital Images and Visions of Jihad: Virtual Orientalism and the Distorted Lens of Technology
Authors: Pun Raymond 
Published: February 2021

AbstractSince the aftermath of September 11, Western media have repeatedly lampooned and echoed the term “jihad” as a principle of the Islamic faith, arguing that this term inspires Muslims to wage wars against the west and modernity. The studies of jihad as a core belief of radical Islamic groups are numerous; the term is not a new phenomenon; it is mentioned in the Quran at least 164 times in various meanings and contexts. This piece analyzes how contemporary technology specifically search engines such as Google Images, pervades, distorts and reinvents Orientalist images of the term jihad from a western worldview. In these visual representations of jihad, we find abundant images of violence, mystery, terror, and even mockery and satire of Islam. The study focuses on the effects of these digital images to the consumers and how technology reinforces and reproduces “visual knowledge” in a transfixed level that neglects the multiple and ambiguous meanings of jihad in the Islamic context. This piece is not arguing for an authentic visual representation of the notion of jihad but is suggesting that the role of contemporary technology can be complicit in distorting and reconfiguring the meanings of sacred texts and ideas of Islam in the West.
Muslimhiphop.com: Constructing Muslim Hip Hop Identities on the Internet
Authors: Rantakallio Inka 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAlthough music is not clearly permissible (halal) nor prohibited (haram) in Islam, many young Muslims today make hip hop music and also portray Muslim identities in their lyrics. The article discusses a case study of how Muslim identity and Muslim hip hop are constructed discursively on an American web site entitled Muslimhiphop.com. The site features Muslim artists from multicultural backgrounds from several different countries. The theoretical framework of social constructivism along with discourse analysis guide the study: identity is seen as contextually and socially constructed.According to the web site's official stance, if the lyrics and the artists follow the principles of Islam, then the music is permissible. Islamic hip hop is argued to be a positive alternative to mainstream hip hop, to strengthen a positive Muslim identity especially among Muslim youth by teaching Islam and to enhance a positive social change for example by fighting stereotypes. However, it becomes evident that many Muslim artists struggle to integrate Islam with artistic creativity as well as commercial success with religious beliefs. Muslims who make and listen to Islamic hip hop have to continuously defend the music to Muslims who shun it as forbidden and to non-Muslims who feel estranged by its religiousness. Muslim identity is constantly negotiated, multidimensional and situational.
Hanouneh style resistance. Becoming hip‐hop authentic by balancing skills and painful lived experiences
Authors: Dankic Andrea 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe aim of this article is to examine the dialogically constructed authenticity between an independent hip-hop and reggae artist and her audience and how this construction in turn influences the music-making process, art production and artist identity. It is argued that authenticity is constructed by the artist deconstructing the expected connections between on the one hand particular cultural belongings, lived experiences and ethnic origins, and on the other hand a certain appearance, style, set of values and behaviour. The representation of the Middle East found in the music and the album imagery is analysed as a part of the authenticity construction. The ethnographic study which the article is based on utilises qualitative interviews with the artist and her audience as well as observation in addition to analyses of multimedia content to provide a perspective into the dialogically constructed authenticity.
Arab Women's Changing Identities, Activisms and Resistances in a Changing Region
Authors: Khamis Sahar 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe wave of uprisings which swept the Arab world in 2011 did not just instigate a “political awakening” that has shaken the power structures in a number of Arab countries and resulted in dictators fleeing their countries, resigning from office, or facing brutal death. Rather, it also instigated a “social awakening” that has shaken Arab societies’ commonly held assumptions about gender roles and women's ability to challenge them. This was evident in the many heroic examples and iconic images of Arab women's multiple activisms and resistances, in both the political and social spheres, which stunned the world and earned its respect and recognition, as evident in the selection of Tawakul Karman, as the first Arab Nobel Prize winner ever, in what has been seen by many as a node to the “Arab Spring” movements, in general, and to Arab women's roles in them, in particular.
Sowing the Seeds of The Message: Islamist Women Activists Before, During, and After the Egyptian Revolution
Authors: Abdel-Fadil Mona 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThis article focuses on the activities and experiences of a group of Islamist women activists, socialized within the ranks of Islam Online Arabic (IOL). These activists engaged in a range of significant social, political, and media practices, before, during and after the ousting of Mubarak; as individuals, as journalists, as counsellors, as agenda setters and creators of media campaigns. Drawing on longitudinal and ethnographic research, this article is able to highlight and document the continuities in modes of civic engagement and activism across multiple media platforms, organizations, and time. It demonstrates how these women's activism continues to be framed by the (IOL) trope the message, which entails cultivation of self, social, and political awareness. The Egyptian revolution is theoretically conceptualized as a phase of liminality (Turner 1979). Liminality entails upheaval, fear, and promise. The article draws attention to the gendered experiences of the revolution including circumvention of patriarchal structures and the re-negotiations of gender norms. Upon conclusion, it is argued that the message has proven highly adaptable to shifting political scenarios. Indeed, the betwixt and between stage of liminality that Egypt was thrust into after the ousting of Mubarak, was particularly fertile soil for sowing and reaping the seeds of the message.