bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Re-Imagining Peace Education: Using Critical Pedagogy as a Transformative Tool
Authors: Nicoson Christie , Magalhães Teixeira Barbara , Mårtensson Alva 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Existing studies demonstrate that although peace and conflict studies (PCS) emerged from a deep connection between political activism and research, the field has increasingly moved toward promoting liberal ideals of peace that sustain the status quo. Amidst this trend, many scholars have pushed research and education programs to explore beyond a hegemonic liberal peace, for example by diversifying reading lists and drawing on decolonial frameworks. This paper adds to such efforts: through the case study of a higher education PCS classroom, we use narratives from two course conveners and a student to explore challenges and opportunities of realizing a critical pedagogy approach to peace education. This approach recenters the classroom not necessarily in terms of what students ought to think, but how; critical theory provides a basis for fostering curiosity, using query as a tool of learning, and focusing class structure on students’ needs. Our findings suggest that using critical pedagogy in PCS addresses calls for a greater understanding of peace beyond the absence of violence, fosters active envisioning of peace, and works toward decolonizing and demystifying peace work. Ultimately, we call for PCS classrooms to foster critical thinking and radical imagination for a pedagogy of peace praxis.
The Key Role of Political Prisoners in Transcending Protracted Conflicts
Authors: Schorr-Liebfeld Tomer , Sela Avraham 
Published: November 2023

AbstractResolving protracted, asymmetric, and ethno-national conflicts is a notoriously problematic process, and only a handful of such attempts have ended in success. This paper is the first comparative study examining the relevance of “politically motivated violent offenders” (PMVOs) in propelling the shift from a long and bloody armed struggle to a negotiated agreement; indeed, they play an indispensable role in the ratification and the eventual implementation of any such agreement. We compare the role of PMVOs in three cases of protracted conflict resolution processes in the 1990s—Northern Ireland, South Africa, and the Israeli-Palestinian Oslo Accords. We argue that PMVOs constitute a distinguished socio-political actor characterized by high symbolic capital as the embodiment of the national struggle. This renders them a major source of political legitimacy, a necessary condition for attaining peace with hitherto sworn enemies and securing its implementation and stabilization. The paper analyzes the provisions within the respective agreements pertaining to prisoners’ release as an incentive, or lack thereof, especially for organizations outside the peace process to cease violence. Whereas the British and South African governments fully recognized the PMVO issue, Israel’s failure to recognize its importance was a major factor leading to the breakdown of the Oslo process.
Standardized amino acid digestibility and nitrogen-corrected true metabolizable energy of frozen raw, freeze-dried raw, fresh, and extruded dog foods using precision-fed cecectomized and conventional rooster assays
Authors: Geary Elizabeth L , Parsons Carl M , Utterback Pam L , Templeman James R , Swanson Kelly S 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Processing conditions, particularly temperature and duration of heating, impact pet food digestibility. Various commercial pet food formats are now available, but few have been tested thoroughly. The objective of this study was to determine the amino acid (AA) digestibilities and nitrogen-corrected true metabolizable energy (TMEn) values of frozen raw, freeze-dried raw, fresh (mildly cooked), and extruded dog foods using the precision-fed cecectomized and conventional rooster assays. The diets tested were Chicken and Barley Recipe [Hill’s Science Diet, extruded diet (EXT)], Chicken and White Rice Recipe [Just Food for Dogs, fresh diet (FRSH)], Chicken Formula [Primal Pet Foods, frozen raw diet (FRZN)], Chicken and Sorghum Hybrid Freeze-dried Formula [Primal Pet Foods, hybrid freeze-dried raw diet (HFD)], and Chicken Dinner Patties [Stella & Chewy’s, freeze-dried raw diet (FD)]. Two precision-fed rooster assays utilizing Single Comb White Leghorn roosters were conducted. Cecectomized roosters (n = 4/treatment) and conventional roosters (n = 4/treatment) were used to determine standardized AA digestibilities and TMEn, respectively. All roosters were crop intubated with 12 g of test diet and 12 g of corn, with excreta collected for 48 h. In general, FD had the highest, while EXT had the lowest AA digestibilities; however, all diets performed relatively well and few differences in AA digestibility were detected among the diets. Lysine digestibility was higher (P &lt; 0.05) in FD and FRZN than EXT, with other diets being intermediate. Threonine digestibility was higher (P &lt; 0.05) in FD than EXT, with other diets being intermediate. Digestibilities of the other indispensable AA were not different among diets. The reactive lysine:total lysine ratios were 0.94, 0.96, 0.93, 0.93, and 0.95 for EXT, FRSH, FRZN, HFD, and FD, respectively. TMEn was higher (P &lt; 0.05) in FRZN than FD, FRSH, and EXT, higher (P &lt; 0.05) in HFD than FRSH and EXT, and higher (P &lt; 0.05) in FD than EXT. In conclusion, our results support the notion that AA digestibilities are affected by diet processing, with FD, HFD, FRZN, and FRSH diets having higher AA digestibility coefficients and greater TMEn values, than the EXT diet; however, other factors such as ingredient inclusion and macronutrient composition may also have affected these results. More research in dogs is necessary to test the effects of format on diet palatability, digestibility, stool quality, and other physiologically relevant outcomes.
Estimation of carcass chemical composition in beef-on-dairy cattle using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans of cold half-carcass or 11th rib cut
Authors: Xavier Caroline , Morel Isabelle , Dohme-Meier Frigga , Siegenthaler Raphael , Le Cozler Yannick , Lerch Sylvain 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
The aim of the present study was to estimate the chemical composition (water, lipid, protein, mineral, and energy contents) of carcasses measured postmortem using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans of cold half-carcass or 11th rib cut. One hundred and twenty beef-on-dairy (dam: Swiss Brown, sire: Angus, Limousin, or Simmental) bulls (n = 66), heifers (n = 42), and steers (n = 12) were included in the study. The reference carcass composition measured after grinding, homogenization, and chemical analyses was estimated from DXA variables using simple or multiple linear regressions with model training on 70% (n = 84) and validation on 30% (n = 36) of the observations. In the validation step, the estimates of water and protein masses from the half-carcass (R2 = 0.998 and 0.997; root mean square error of prediction [RMSEP], 1.0 and 0.5 kg, respectively) and 11th rib DXA scans (R2 = 0.997 and 0.996; RMSEP, 1.5 and 0.5 kg, respectively) were precise. Lipid mass was estimated precisely from the half-carcass DXA scan (R2 = 0.990; RMSEP = 1.0 kg) with a slightly lower precision from the 11th rib DXA scan (R2 = 0.968; RMSEP = 1.7 kg). Mineral mass was estimated from half-carcass (R² = 0.975 and RMSEP = 0.3 kg) and 11th rib DXA scans (R2 = 0.947 and RMSEP = 0.4 kg). For the energy content, the R2 values ranged from 0.989 (11th rib DXA scan) to 0.996 (half-carcass DXA scan), and the RMSEP ranged from 36 (half-carcass) to 55 MJ (11th rib). The proportions of water, lipids, and energy in the carcasses were also precisely estimated (R2 ≥ 0.882) using either the half-carcass (RMSEP ≤ 1.0%) or 11th rib-cut DXA scans (RMSEP ≤ 1.3%). Precision was lower for the protein and mineral proportions (R2 ≤ 0.794, RMSEP ≤ 0.5%). The cattle category (sex and breed of sire) effect was observed only in some estimative models for proportions from the 11th rib cut. In conclusion, DXA imaging of either a cold half-carcass or 11th rib cut is a precise method for estimating the chemical composition of carcasses from beef-on-dairy cattle.
Comparison of Efficacy of Vacuum Dressing Versus Conventional Dressing Over Autologous Split Skin Grafts in Burn Wounds: A Single-Center Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Babu Basil , Gaba Sunil , John Jerry R , Subair Mohsina 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
This study was carried out to compare the efficacy of vacuum dressing and conventional dressing over split skin grafts in burn patients. It was a single-center prospective cohort study on patients, with less than 40% TBSA burn, undergoing skin grafting at 2 different sites simultaneously over the burn wounds. One site underwent conventional dressing following grafting, and the other underwent vacuum dressing. The primary objective was to compare the percentages of skin graft uptake on Day 5 and Day 14. The secondary objectives were to compare the duration of dressings, time for complete epithelization, need for regrafting, and wound swab culture positivity rates. Three independent examiners assessed the efficacy of dressings in terms of epithelization percentage, need for continued dressing, graft loss, wound swab culture positivity rate, and qualitative assessment of grafts. A total of 16 patients were included in the study. The graft loss, number of days of dressings, and complete epithelization time were statistically lower in the negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) group compared with the conventional group (P values .007, .006, and 0009, respectively). The percentage of epithelization was also found to be higher in the NPWT group (P = .006). The incidence of positive cultures and clinically significant graft loss was found to be lower in the NPWT group. However, this was not found to be statistically significant. NPWT dressings can be used in burn wounds following skin grafting and have been found to reduce the time for epithelization compared to conventional dressing.
A study on unmanned combat vehicle path planning for collision avoidance with enemy forces in dynamic situations
Authors: Ahn Jisoo , Jung Sewoong , Kim Hansom , Hwang Ho-Jin , Jun Hong-Bae 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
This study focuses on the path planning problem for unmanned combat vehicles (UCVs), where the goal is to find a viable path from the starting point to the destination while avoiding collisions with moving obstacles, such as enemy forces. The objective is to minimize the overall cost, which encompasses factors like travel distance, geographical difficulty, and the risk posed by enemy forces. To address this challenge, we have proposed a heuristic algorithm based on D* Lite. This modified algorithm considers not only travel distance but also other military-relevant costs, such as travel difficulty and risk. It generates a path that navigates around both fixed unknown obstacles and dynamically moving obstacles (enemy forces) that change positions over time. To assess the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm, we conducted comprehensive experiments, comparing and analyzing its performance in terms of average pathfinding success rate, average number of turns, and average execution time. Notably, we examined how the algorithm performs under two UCV path search strategies and two obstacle movement strategies. Our findings shed light on the potential of our approach in real-world UCV path planning scenarios.
A bio-medical snake optimizer system driven by logarithmic surviving global search for optimizing feature selection and its application for disorder recognition
Authors: Khurma Ruba Abu , Alhenawi Esraa , Braik Malik , Hashim Fatma A , Chhabra Amit , Castillo Pedro A 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
It is of paramount importance to enhance medical practices, given how important it is to protect human life. Medical therapy can be accelerated by automating patient prediction using machine learning techniques. To double the efficiency of classifiers, several preprocessing strategies must be adopted for their crucial duty in this field. Feature Selection (FS) is one tool that has been used frequently to modify data and enhance classification outcomes by lowering the dimensionality of datasets. Excluded features are those that have a poor correlation coefficient with the label class, i.e., they have no meaningful correlation with classification and do not indicate where the instance belongs. Along with the recurring features, which show a strong association with the remainder of the features. Contrarily, the model being produced during training is harmed, and the classifier is misled by their presence. This causes overfitting and increases algorithm complexity and processing time. The pattern is made clearer by FS, which also creates a broader classification model with a lower chance of overfitting in an acceptable amount of time and algorithmic complexity. To optimize the FS process, building wrappers must employ metaheuristic algorithms as search algorithms. The best solution, which reflects the best subset of features within a particular medical dataset that aids in patient diagnosis, is sought in this study using the Snake Optimizer (SO). The swarm-based approaches that SO is founded on have left it with several general flaws, like local minimum trapping, early convergence, uneven exploration and exploitation, and early convergence. By employing the cosine function to calculate the separation between the present solution and the ideal solution, the logarithm operator was paired with SO to better the exploitation process and get over these restrictions. In order to get the best overall answer, this forces the solutions to spiral downward. Additionally, SO is employed to put the evolutionary algorithms’ preservation of the best premise into practice. This is accomplished by utilizing three alternative selection systems – tournament, proportional, and linear – to improve the exploration phase. These are used in exploration to allow solutions to be found more thoroughly and in relation to a chosen solution than at random. These are Tournament Logarithmic Snake Optimizer (TLSO), Proportional Logarithmic Snake Optimizer, and Linear Order Logarithmic Snake Optimizer. A number of 22 reference medical datasets were used in experiments. The findings indicate that, among 86% of the datasets, TLSO attained the best accuracy, and among 82% of the datasets, the best feature reduction. In terms of the standard deviation, the TLSO also attained noteworthy reliability and stability. On the basis of running duration, it is, nonetheless, quite effective.
Bermudagrass mite (Acari: Eriophyidae) infestation worsens in response to increasing nitrogen fertility and decreasing irrigation volume but not mowing height
Authors: Brown Matthew S , Chong Juang Horng 
Published: November 2023

AbstractSevere bermudagrass mite (Aceria cynodoniensis Sayed) infestation stunts turfgrass growth and reduces the aesthetic and recreational value of managed bermudagrass. Management practices, such as fertilization, mowing, and irrigation, may impact bermudagrass mite infestation and damage, but empirical evidence is lacking. Two 20 wk experiments were conducted with potted bermudagrass in a greenhouse or nursery to evaluate the effect of varying nitrogen rates (0, 24.5, or 49 kg N/ha), mowing heights (1.3, 2.5, 3.8, or 5 cm), and irrigation rates (60%, 100%, or 140% evapotranspiration [ET] rate) on the densities of witch’s brooms (i.e., stunted and deformed terminals symptomatic of infestation) and bermudagrass mites. Increasing nitrogen fertility from 0 to 49 kg N/ha increased witch’s broom and bermudagrass mite densities by 292% and 339%, respectively. Bermudagrass fertilized with nitrogen maintained higher turf quality than unfertilized grass despite greater mite damage. Decreasing irrigation from 140% to 60% of the ET rate also increased witch’s broom densities by 124%. Mowing height did not consistently affect witch’s broom or mite densities. Witch’s broom and mite densities were positively correlated and followed a general trend with greater densities in April–August and a decline in densities in August–October. These findings suggest that nitrogen fertilization and water stress influence bermudagrass mite damage. Thus, limiting nitrogen fertilization to a level necessary to maintain turfgrass health and quality (0.5 kg N/ha) and minimizing turfgrass water stress can complement current chemical control strategies as part of an integrated pest management program.
An Ill-bred Culture of Experimentation: Malaria Therapy and Race in the United States Public Health Service Laboratory at the South Carolina State Hospital, 1932-1952
Authors: Pelletier Bradford Charles 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
While most are aware of the Tuskegee syphilis experiments in which African American syphilis patients went untreated, less is known about experiments with malaria fever therapy conducted upon syphilis patients during the same period by the Unites States Public Health Service at the Williams Laboratory on the grounds of the South Carolina State Hospital (SCSH) in Columbia, SC. Over a twenty-year period, physicians maintained patients as malaria reservoirs for patient-to-patient inoculation and subjected patients to extreme fevers and thousands upon thousands of insect bites as part of a program in which one disease was tested as therapy for another. Using extant administrative files, medical journals from the period, and a database created from SCSH annual reports, this paper considers the ethics of malaria fever therapy experiments while exposing the conditions under which patients suffered the intersecting oppressions of race, class, and mental illness. It illuminates the prevalent scientific racism of the period that enabled pseudo-medical assumptions about African Americans’ perceived penchant for poverty, deviant sex, and pain tolerance, which combined to enable a culture of experimentation that influenced events at Stateville Penitentiary and continued long after penicillin became widely available.
NKG2D receptor signaling shapes T cell thymic education
Authors: Perez Cynthia , Plaza-Rojas Lourdes , Boucher Justin C , Nagy Mate Z , Kostenko Elena , Prajapati Kushal , Burke Brianna , Reyes Michael Delos , Austin Anna L , Zhang Shubin , Le Phong T , Guevara-Patino José A 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
The role of natural killer group 2D (NKG2D) in peripheral T cells as a costimulatory receptor is well established. However, its contribution to T cell thymic education and functional imprint is unknown. Here, we report significant changes in development, receptor signaling, transcriptional program, and function in T cells from mice lacking NKG2D signaling. In C57BL/6 (B6) and OT-I mice, we found that NKG2D deficiency results in Vβ chain usage changes and stagnation of the double-positive stage in thymic T cell development. We found that the expression of CD5 and CD45 in thymocytes from NKG2D deficient mice were reduced, indicating a direct influence of NKG2D on the strength of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling during the developmental stage of T cells. Depicting the functional consequences of NKG2D, peripheral OT-I NKG2D-deficient cells were unresponsive to ovalbumin peptide stimulation. Paradoxically, while αCD3/CD28 agonist antibodies led to phenotypic T cell activation, their ability to produce cytokines remained severely compromised. We found that OT-I NKG2D-deficient cells activate STAT5 in response to interleukin-15 but were unable to phosphorylate ERK or S6 upon TCR engagement, underpinning a defect in TCR signaling. Finally, we showed that NKG2D is expressed in mouse and human thymic T cells at the double-negative stage, suggesting an evolutionarily conserved function during T cell development. The data presented in this study indicate that NKG2D impacts thymic T cell development at a fundamental level by reducing the TCR threshold and affecting the functional imprint of the thymic progeny. In summary, understanding the impact of NKG2D on thymic T cell development and TCR signaling contributes to our knowledge of immune system regulation, immune dysregulation, and the design of immunotherapies.
Growth of force chain network upon non-Bagnold transition of inclined surface granular flows via discrete element simulation
Authors: Tsai Cheng-Ting , Cheng Chih-Ying , Yang F-L 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
A steady granular flow down an inclined surface is an important flow configuration to study the dynamic of dry granular flow. This work adopts two-dimensional discrete element simulation to study how inter-grain friction may play a role in momentum transport, in addition to the collision-based transport, to induce the non-Bagnold flow velocity profile reported in the literature. Special efforts were made to apply the knowledge of network science to identify the contact force chain network from particle dynamics information using the graph theory with the Louvain greedy algorithm. We studied how the number of grains born in the force chain network grows when the flow scaled velocity profile degrades from Bagnold to non-Bagnold flows. Concurrently, the stress loading ratio carried by these frictional contacts rises abruptly upon the non-Bagnold flow transition identifies when the flow Froude number falls roughly below 2.15. Both phenomena suggest that the non-local phenomenon of Bagnold velocity profile degradation occurs when sufficient grains are confined in the force chain network to assist the stress transport, replacing the collisional transport. Hence, a refined rheology model is needed in the future to account for this friction-assisted momentum transport at a mesoscopic yet flow-dependent length scale like that of the currently investigated force network.
The conspicuously large bracts influence reproductive success in Thunia alba (Orchidaceae)
Authors: Wu Shi-Mao , Gao Jiang-Yun 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
In angiosperms, diverse floral traits are adaptations to various selective pressures and ecological functions. So far, studies on floral traits in orchids have focused primarily on the labellum but never on bracts. A bumblebee-pollinated and rewarding terrestrial or epiphytic herb, Thunia alba (Lindley) H. G. Reichenbach (Orchidaceae), has conspicuously large and curly bracts that enclose the spur and pedicel of flowers. We hypothesized that these large bracts could protect spurs against nectar robbers. To confirm this hypothesis, we experimentally removed the bracts to record the changes in visiting behavior of mutualistic pollinators and antagonistic nectar robbers and evaluated their effects on reproduction success. Our result revealed that Bombus breviceps, the only pollinator of T. alba, shifted to nectar robbery when the bracts were removed, and the proportion of robbed flowers also significantly increased. Thunia alba was found to be pollinator limited regardless of whether in intact treatment or removed bract treatment. Removal of bracts had no effect on the visiting frequency of B. breviceps, but it reduced male and female reproductive success. These findings indicate that, under complex environmental pressures with limited pollination, large bracts can protect against nectar robbers and enhance the fitness of T. alba.