bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Writing “In Transit”: Literary Constructions of Sovereignty in Julia Alvarez’s Afterlife
Authors: Myers Megan Jeanette 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe 2013 Tribunal Court ruling (TC-0168-13), known in the Dominican Republic simply as la sentencia, effectively stripped the citizenship of an approximate 200,000 Dominicans of Haitian descent. The ruling, from the Dominican Republic’s highest court, reinterpreted the constitutional use of the word “in transit” to claim that the term describes the descendants of any undocumented residents in the country, thus thrusting these individuals into statelessness. This chapter focuses on an analysis of Dominican American Julia Alvarez’s Afterlife (2020), examining how the novel reinterprets and radically remaps terms such as “in transit” to arrive to a nuanced understanding of global sovereignty and belonging. It considers different representations of migration in Alvarez’s novel and applies Katherine Zien’s framing of “sovereign acts” in her analysis of Panamanian literature and performative acts to this Hispaniola-rooted, diasporic text. The chapter critically approaches how Afterlife both centers and decenters global sites of “contested sovereignty” and how the various interpretations of Dominican (American) women as well as undocumented workers in Vermont relate to gendered constructions of nation and citizenship. A close reading of the novel enables an in-depth consideration of the Caribbean tropes of femininity that travel to and in diasporic spaces; Alvarez gives space to female voices to enable or inhibit “sovereign acts” and offers a unique and diverse female-led depiction of Hispaniola’s female “in transit” subjects both on- and off-island.
Re-mapping the Caribbean Gothic in Nalo Hopkinson’s Sister Mine and Shani Mootoo’s He Drown She in the Sea
Authors: Halloran Vivian Nun 
Published: December 2023

AbstractAs Caribbean Canadian immigrant novelists, Nalo Hopkinson and Shani Mootoo construct narrative circumstances that bring together Caribbean, diasporic, and Canadian-born characters. Hopkinson’s Sister Mine (2013) is a supernatural fantasy caper, whereas Mootoo’s He Drown She in the Sea (2005) tells a postcolonial, neo-Gothic love story. Both novels use water imagery to convey the diasporic connections linking Caribbean and Canadian life; these novels discuss Canadian lakes rather than the Caribbean Sea or the Atlantic Ocean thereby challenging the prevailing concept of tidalectics, a term coined by Kamau Brathwaite to describe the shared experience of oceanic connections linking various parts of the world together. Hopkinson and Mootoo infuse their shared traditions of Caribbean and Canadian Gothic with a political engagement with feminism and self-determination that breaks with the stranglehold that Indo- and Afro-Caribbean family traditions can place on their female family members to arrive at a new Caribbean Canadian Gothic. Both novels reject the misogynistic traditions that require a woman’s complicity in her own disempowerment, like remaining in a loveless marriage or acquiescing to an overbearing mother-in-law’s unreasonable demands. In their evocation of Canadian freshwater landscapes, both texts imagine woman-led futures that treat their desires for romantic love or familial connections seriously.
Background
Authors: Schauer Gila A. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIn this chapter, I discuss terms and concepts relevant to pragmatics and intercultural competence to provide a foundation for the upcoming chapters. I begin with different definitions of pragmatics before defining subfields of pragmatics that are relevant to the present study (cross-cultural pragmatics, variational pragmatics, and interlanguage, L2 or second language pragmatics) and discussing pragmatic competence. This is followed by a discussion of various conceptualizations of culture and the relationship between culture, language and pragmatics. The final part of this chapter focuses on intercultural (communicative) competence and how it relates to pragmatics.
Results: Intercultural Competence in Modern Foreign Language Teacher Education
Authors: Schauer Gila A. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIn this chapter, I address research questions 9a and 9b on the survey given to language teachers, which focus on the MFL teachers’ background knowledge about intercultural competence. Question 9a asked: Was intercultural competence addressed during your university studies? The teachers had four answer options: yes, no, don’t know and no comment. Question 9b asked: Do you associate particular scholars with intercultural competence? Teachers were provided with the names of five well-known intercultural competence scholars (Byram, Fantini, Savignon, Spencer-Oatey and Ting-Toomey) and could also type in their own choice of names in a free-text field. They were welcome to choose as many names as they liked and also to add as many additional names as they wished.
Conclusion
Authors: Schauer Gila A. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIn this chapter, I first provide a summary of the findings that were presented and discussed in Chaps. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, based on the survey about intercultural competence and pragmatics that was given to the modern foreign language teachers. I then address the limitations of the present study. The final section of this chapter focuses on the implications of the research project. In this part, I also present a three-tier representation of intercultural competence components based on the language teachers’ responses to the survey and introduce my model of intercultural competence, based on the results of the study.
Convergence of operators with deficiency indices (k, k) and of their self-adjoint extensions
Authors: Bjerg August 
Published: December 2023

AbstractWe consider an abstract sequence $$\{A_n\}_{n=1}^\infty $$

{

A
n

}

n
=
1

∞

of closed symmetric operators on a separable Hilbert space $${\mathcal {H}}$$
H
. It is assumed that all $$A_n$$

A
n

’s have equal deficiency indices (k, k) and thus self-adjoint extensions $$\{B_n\}_{n=1}^\infty $$

{

B
n

}

n
=
1

∞

exist and are parametrized by partial isometries $$\{U_n\}_{n=1}^\infty $$

{

U
n

}

n
=
1

∞

on $${\mathcal {H}}$$
H
according to von Neumann’s extension theory. Under two different convergence assumptions on the $$A_n$$

A
n

’s we give the precise connection between strong resolvent convergence of the $$B_n$$

B
n

’s and strong convergence of the $$U_n$$

U
n

’s.
CXCR4-directed PET/CT with [68 Ga]Ga-pentixafor in solid tumors—a comprehensive analysis of imaging findings and comparison with histopathology
Authors: Dreher Niklas , Hahner Stefanie , Fuß Carmina T. , Schlötelburg Wiebke , Hartrampf Philipp E. , Serfling Sebastian E. , Schirbel Andreas , Samnick Samuel , Higuchi Takahiro , Weich Alexander , Lapa Constantin , Rosenwald Andreas , Buck Andreas K. , Kircher Stefan , Werner Rudolf A. 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Background
C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) is overexpressed in various solid cancers and can be targeted by CXCR4-directed molecular imaging. We aimed to characterize the in-vivo CXCR4 expression in patients affected with solid tumors, along with a comparison to ex-vivo findings.

Methods
A total 142 patients with 23 different histologically proven solid tumors were imaged with CXCR4-directed PET/CT using [68 Ga]Ga-pentixafor (total number of scans, 152). A semi-quantitative analysis of the CXCR4-positive tumor burden including maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) and target-to-background ratios (TBR) using blood pool was conducted. In addition, we performed histopathological staining to determine the immuno-reactive score (IRS) from patients’ tumor tissue and investigated possible correlations with SUVmax (by providing Spearman’s rho ρ). Based on imaging, we also assessed the eligibility for CXCR4-targeted radioligand therapy or non-radioactive CXCR4 inhibitory treatment (defined as more than five CXCR4-avid target lesions [TL] with SUVmax above 10).

Results
One hundred three of 152 (67.8%) scans showed discernible uptake above blood pool (TBR > 1) in 462 lesions (52 primary tumors and 410 metastases). Median TBR was 4.4 (1.05–24.98), thereby indicating high image contrast. The highest SUVmax was observed in ovarian cancer, followed by small cell lung cancer, desmoplastic small round cell tumor, and adrenocortical carcinoma. When comparing radiotracer accumulation between primary tumors and metastases for the entire cohort, comparable SUVmax was recorded (P > 0.999), except for pulmonal findings (P = 0.013), indicative for uniform CXCR4 expression among TL. For higher IRS, a weak, but statistically significant correlation with increased SUVmax was observed (ρ = 0.328; P = 0.018). In 42/103 (40.8%) scans, more than five TL were recorded, with 12/42 (28.6%) exhibiting SUVmax above 10, suggesting eligibility for CXCR4-targeted treatment in this subcohort.

Conclusions
In a whole-body tumor read-out, a substantial portion of prevalent solid tumors demonstrated increased and uniform [68 Ga]Ga-pentixafor uptake, along with high image contrast. We also observed a respective link between in- and ex-vivo CXCR4 expression, suggesting high specificity of the PET agent. Last, a fraction of patients with [68 Ga]Ga-pentixafor-positive tumor burden were rendered potentially suitable for CXCR4-directed therapy.
Testing omitted variables in VARs
Authors: Beccarini Andrea 
Published: December 2023

AbstractA procedure is outlined aiming at testing the bias due to omitted variables in vector autoregressions. The procedure consists first of filtering a vector of omitted variables and then testing the bias. The test does not rely on the availability of the omitted variables, and is based on a comparison between maximum-likelihood with Kalman filter vector autoregression and linear vector autoregression estimates. The empirical part considers two illustrative examples: a univariate regression analysis, based on the rational expectation-augmented Phillips curve; and a VAR with output, inflation and interest rates where a “price puzzle” arises.
Shallow fixes and deep reasonings: framing sustainability at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa)
Authors: de Jong van Lier Maíra , Duncan Jessica , Zhu Annah Lake , Bush Simon R. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe need for urgent, structural transformations to dominant food systems is increasingly recognized in research and policy. The direction these transformations take is in great part influenced by how the problem is framed and what future pathways become seen as plausible and desirable. Scientific knowledge and the organizations producing it hold considerable authority in suggesting what alternatives are or are not worth pursuing, ultimately shaping frames and in turn being shaped by them. This paper examines Brazil’s federal Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), a major contributor to technological advances that made Brazil into an agricultural powerhouse. We examine the ways in which Embrapa’s leadership has framed sustainable agriculture in its public communication and the wider implications for food systems transformation. Drawing from Embrapa news articles in the period 2015–2020, we identify four interrelated frames forming Embrapa’s prevalent position on sustainability. Our results show that while Embrapa promotes practices based on alternative approaches such as agroecology, its deeper framing often reflects the core assumptions driving dominant industrial food systems. This framing reinforces underlying logics of control, efficiency, and competition aligned with the productivist paradigm and excludes divergent perspectives that exist within the organization.
Unravelling the genetic pattern of seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) meadows in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Litsi-Mizan Victoria , García-Escudero Catalina A. , Tsigenopoulos Costas S. , Tsiaras Kostas , Gerakaris Vasilis , Apostolaki Eugenia T. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe genetic traits of seagrass populations are a crucial aspect of their ecology and evolution, influencing their adaptability and resilience. Here, we studied the genetic diversity, population structure, and connectivity of eighteen Posidonia oceanica meadows extending in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (Aegean, Ionian and Cretan Seas, Greece), combining twelve microsatellite markers and Lagrangian particle drift modelling. Our findings revealed a strong genetic differentiation between the Ionian Sea and the Aegean and Cretan Seas, suggesting limited genetic exchange between these two groups. High gene flow was observed within the meadows of the Aegean and Cretan Seas, indicating a well-connected group of populations. Notably, populations of the North Aegean Sea displayed the lowest genetic diversity and the highest clonality compared to the rest of the populations. The lack of substantial oceanographic connectivity between Ionian and Aegean/Cretan Sea populations supported their genetic differentiation. However, the Lagrangian simulations did not fully support gene flow patterns in the Aegean Sea, suggesting that in addition to contemporary processes, historical events may have contributed to the formation of the observed genetic pattern. The genetic information provided here can be incorporated into management strategies aimed at identifying suitable areas as management units in conservation efforts and determining meadows that may serve as donor sites in transplantation initiatives.
Cellulose-in-cellulose 3D-printed bioaerogels for bone tissue engineering
Authors: Iglesias-Mejuto Ana , Malandain Nanthilde , Ferreira-Gonçalves Tânia , Ardao Inés , Reis Catarina Pinto , Laromaine Anna , Roig Anna , García-González Carlos A. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractNanostructured scaffolds based on cellulose with advanced performances and personalized morphologies for bone tissue engineering are under technological development. 3D-printing and supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) technologies are innovative processing strategies that, when combined, allow the precise fabrication of highly porous aerogel scaffolds. Novel sterile cellulose-in-cellulose aerogels decorated with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are synthesized in this work by an integrated technological platform based on 3D-printing and scCO2. Methylcellulose (MC) and bacterial nanocellulose (BC) are two versatile cellulosic polysaccharides with remarkable physicochemical and biological performances, whereas SPIONs are commonly used to functionalize biomaterials aimed at tissue engineering. Aerogels with hierarchical porosity and high structural resolution were obtained according to nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis, confocal, scanning and transmission microscopies (SEM and TEM). The magnetic properties of SPIONs-doped aerogels confirmed the correct functionalization of the nanostructures. Finally, NIH/3T3 fibroblast cell viability, hemocompatibility with human blood and safety tests (in ovo with HET-CAM and in vivo with Artemia salina) indicate the biocompatibility of the cellulose-in-cellulose aerogels.
Graphical abstract
Green oleogels based on elm pulp cellulose nanofibers: effect of the nanofibrillation pre-treatment on their thermo-rheological behavior
Authors: Roman Claudia , Delgado Miguel A. , Fernández-Silva Samuel D. , García-Morales Moisés 
Published: December 2023

AbstractSustainable lubricating oleogels were obtained based on elm (Ulmus minor Mill.) pulp cellulose nanofibers in castor oil. Before their nanofibrillation, two samples of the same bleached pulp were subjected to two different pre-treatments, either mechanical PFI (Paper and Fibre Research Institute) refining or chemical TEMPO-mediated oxidation. Their effect on the oleogels’ viscous flow and oscillatory shear behaviors was determined at different temperatures. Very pronounced differences were observed between these oleogels. The oleogel from the chemically-pretreated nanofibers showed evidences of being much more sensitive to both temperature and large shear deformations. Hence, its shear modulus underwent a very remarkable decay of 95.8% when subjected to a non-linear stress value of 100 Pa for 30 min. In turn, under the same conditions, a decay of only 41.4% was observed for the oleogel based on the nanofiber from the mechanically-pretreated nanofibers.
Graphical abstract
Executive Functions, Psychiatric Symptoms and ADHD in Child Psychiatric Patients–Concurrent and Longitudinal Associations from Preschool to School Age
Authors: Seikku Tiina , Saarelainen Taru , Kuha Tiia , Maasalo Katri , Huhdanpää Hanna , Aronen Eeva T. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractWe investigated in a child psychiatric sample whether preschool age executive functions (EFs) associate with concurrent and school age psychiatric symptoms and ADHD diagnosis. At baseline the children (n = 172) were 4–7 years old, at follow-up (n = 65) 8–13 years. EFs were measured at baseline with Attention and Executive Function Rating Inventory—Preschool Version, psychiatric symptoms were measured at both timepoints by Child Behavior Checklist. Information on diagnoses was collected from medical records. Deficits in EFs were associated with more concurrent externalizing and attention symptoms, but less internalizing symptoms. Preschool EFs predicted only school age attention symptoms. Preschool EFs were associated with both concurrent and school age ADHD diagnosis. Our results emphasize the importance of recognizing EF deficits early to arrange appropriate support to reduce later problems. More research is needed to understand the role of EFs over time in the manifestation of psychiatric symptoms in child psychiatric patients.
Extradition and Whole Life Sentences
Authors: van Zyl Smit Dirk , Seeds Christopher 
Published: December 2023

AbstractSentences of life imprisonment without a prospect of adequate review and release are prohibited in States party to the European Convention on Human Rights. Should the same principle apply when extradition is sought to States not party to the Convention? In Sanchez Sanchez v United Kingdom (2022), the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights applied a less strict standard for potential extraditees facing life without parole. We analyse this decision and its repercussions in light of the history of international cooperation in extreme punishment cases between Europe and the USA and recent interpretations of the new standard. The article concludes with an assessment of the level of proof litigants must present to satisfy the Sanchez Sanchez test and of how the law could continue to prevent inhuman and degrading treatment of extraditees facing life sentences.
Two Types of Demonstration Through Guided Touch with Cane: Instruction Sequences in Orientation and Mobility Training for a Person with Visual Impairments
Authors: Minami Yasusuke , Nisisawa Hiro Yuki , Okada Mitsuhiro , Sakaida Rui 
Published: December 2023

AbstractPersons with visual impairments (hereafter PVI) detect and discover obstacles and road conditions by touching with a white cane when walking on the streets. In one training session, an Orientation and Mobility specialist (hereafter SPT) guided a PVI by grasping and moving the cane that the PVI was holding. We conducted a multimodal analysis of two instruction sequences, one a "proving and achieving" demonstration (Sacks in Lectures on conversation, Blackwell, 1992) and the other a "learnable" (Zemel and Koschmann, in Discourse Stud 16:163–183, 2014) demonstration. The achieving demonstration proved the assessment of the PVI's performance. In the "learnable" demonstration, the PVI was able to receive and perform the most critical part of the "learnable" of the long contact touch without the aid of talk. Sharing a single cane touch is an efficient way for both the guiding SPT and the guided PVI to jointly experience and understand the environmental features. The SPT did not need to verbally confirm that the guided touch was accountable to the PVI and seemed confident that intersubjectivity with the PVI had been established. A unique form of being with others and achieving intersubjectivity in society was identified. In traditional learning instruction, it has been assumed that the learnable is presented and communicated visually and audibly. However, through guided touch learnable is presented and conveyed effectively in the cases of this paper. It seems that the sense of touch has been considered to be just for the occasion, but this is an example of something that is not just for the occasion but is consequential, that is, usable for further occasions. The data is in Japanese.
Analyzing semiquantitative phytoplankton counts
Authors: Alster A. , Kaplan-Levy R. N. , Barinova S. S. , Zohary T. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractSemi-quantitative microscope counts of phytoplankton are often a compromise between time-consuming cell biomass analyses and no phytoplankton data. We demonstrate how semiquantitative data from a monitoring program can be used to study phytoplankton community composition, its annual cycle, and aspects of the ecosystem it inhabits. Semi-quantitative counts from Agmon Wetlands, Israel, collected monthly from 2008 to 2021, were generated by allocating a score from 1 (rare) to 6 (extremely abundant) to each taxon observed in a sample. Five samples could be analyzed at the time it takes to count one sample by the conventional Utermöhl method. Using an exponential regression equation, the scores were transformed to estimated concentrations (algal units/ml), then summed into taxonomic or other groups of species. A strong annual pattern of the sum of scores for each taxonomic group was observed. The method was useful for assessing ecosystem features based on indicator species, and for presenting the contribution of morpho-functional groups to the phytoplankton community. If making a species list is planned, we recommend assigning scores, creating calibration curves, converting the scores to concentration estimates, and using those estimates to achieve higher resolution and better conclusions than possible with a species list alone.