bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Prognostic Significance of Combined Pretreatment Fibrinogen and Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio in Various Cancers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Liu Rongqiang , Zheng Shiyang , Yuan Qing , Zhu Peiwen , Li Biao , Lin Qi , Shi Wenqing , Min Youlan , Ge Qianmin , Shao Yi
Published: December 2020

Purpose. The prognostic value of a new scoring system, termed F-NLR, that combines pretreatment fibrinogen level with neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio has been evaluated in various cancers. However, the results are controversial. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively analyze the prognostic value of F-NLR score in patients with cancers. Methods. An integrated search of relevant studies was conducted by screening the PubMed and Embase databases. Pooled hazard ratios, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS)/progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated to estimate the prognostic significance of F-NLR score in patients with various tumors. A random effects model was used for comprehensive analysis, and subgroup and meta-regression analyses were used to explore sources of heterogeneity. Results. Thirteen articles reporting data from of 4747 patients were included in the study. Pooled analysis revealed that high F-NLR score was significantly associated with poor OS (

HR
=
1.77

; 95% CI, 1.51–2.08) and poor DFS/PFS (

HR
=
1.63

; 95% CI, 1.30–2.05). Subgroup and meta-regression analyses did not alter the prognostic role of F-NLR score in OS and DFS/PFS. Conclusions. Increased F-NLR score is significantly associated with poor prognosis in patients with cancers and can serve as an effective prognostic indicator.
A 16-Year-Old Male with Thoracic Compression following Posterior Spinal Instrumentation and Fusion for Marfan-Associated Syndromic Scoliosis
Authors: Uvodich Mason , Barman Ross , Reitz Adam , Sexton Matthew
Published: December 2020

Introduction. Marfan syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by a mutation in the FBN1 gene which affects connective tissue. The features of Marfan syndrome include many musculoskeletal abnormalities which require orthopaedic surgical intervention. Given the expansive phenotypic variations and comorbidities associated with Marfan syndrome, knowledge of perioperative risk factors and potential complications is essential. Case. In this case report, the authors describe a patient with Marfan syndrome who underwent spinal instrumentation and fusion from T3 to L4 for correction of syndromic scoliosis. The patient had a complicated perioperative course requiring significant fluid resuscitation and vasoactive medications to support blood pressure. He required intensive care unit level care for continued hemodynamic instability despite resuscitation in the postoperative period. Common causes of postoperative hypotension such as hypovolemic shock, sepsis, ongoing hemorrhage, and prolonged effects of anesthesia were diagnostically ruled out. Ultimately, the patient’s refractory hypotension was determined to be from mechanical compression, both from prolonged intraoperative prone positioning exacerbated by pectus excavatum and from the surgically corrected spine decreasing the diameter of his thoracic cavity (as referenced by his postoperative Haller index). Conclusion. Mechanical compression of thoracic contents as a result of a worsening chest wall deformity can be a complication of spinal deformity correction.
Evaluation of Seven Oat (Avena sativa) Genotypes for Biomass Yield and Quality Parameters under Different Locations of Western Oromia, Ethiopia
Authors: Tulu Abuye , Diribsa Mekonnen , Temesgen Worku
Published: December 2020

Recognizing the potential and importance of cultivating improved forage crops as a means of tackling the recurrent feed shortage facing the study area, seven oat genotypes were tested in randomized complete block design with three replications across two locations for three growing seasons (2014, 2015, and 2016). The study was aimed to evaluate dry matter (DM) and digestible organic matter yield and nutrient composition of oat genotypes. The study revealed that oat genotypes responded differently for herbage dry matter (DM) and digestible organic matter (OM) yield, and quality parameters in both study locations. Averaged over the seven oat genotypes, herbage DM and digestible OM yield. recorded at Bako were higher than Boneya Boshe location across the study periods. The ash (P > 0.05) content did not vary among oat genotypes at both testing locations, while variation was observed for DM, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), in vitro digestibility, and metabolizable energy (ME) constituents. In general, genotypes ILRI 6710 and 5453 showed higher herbage DM and digestible OM yield. Moreover, the two genotypes are also higher in their in vitro digestibility value and ME, DM, and CP contents but relatively lower in NDF, ADF, and ADL fiber constituents, and thus, they are recommended for wider cultivation.
Complex Dynamics of Beddington–DeAngelis-Type Predator-Prey Model with Nonlinear Impulsive Control
Authors: Li Changtong , Feng Xiaozhou , Wang Yuzhen , Wang Xiaomin
Published: December 2020

According to resource limitation, a more realistic pest management is that the impulsive control actions should be adjusted according to the densities of both pest and natural enemy in the field, which result in nonlinear impulsive control. Therefore, we have proposed a Beddington–DeAngelis interference predator-prey model concerning integrated pest management with both density-dependent pest and natural enemy population. We find that the pest-eradication periodic solution is globally stable if the impulsive period is less than the critical value by Floquet theorem. The condition of permanent is established, and a stable positive periodic solution appears via a supercritical bifurcation by bifurcation theorem. Finally, in order to investigate the effects of those nonlinear control strategies on the successful pest control, the bifurcation diagrams showed that the model exists with very complex dynamics. Consequently, the resource limitation may result in pest outbreak in complex ways, which means that the pest control strategies should be carefully designed.
Antibacterial and Anticancer Activity and Untargeted Secondary Metabolite Profiling of Crude Bacterial Endophyte Extracts from Crinum macowanii Baker Leaves
Authors: Sebola Tendani E. , Uche-Okereafor Nkemdinma C. , Mekuto Lukhanyo , Makatini Maya Mellisa , Green Ezekiel , Mavumengwana Vuyo
Published: December 2020

This study isolated and identified endophytic bacteria from the leaves of Crinum macowanii and investigated the potential of the bacterial endophyte extracts as antibacterial and anticancer agents and their subsequent secondary metabolites. Ethyl acetate extracts from the endophytes and the leaves (methanol: dichloromethane (1 : 1)) were used for antibacterial activity against selected pathogenic bacterial strains by using the broth microdilution method. The anticancer activity against the U87MG glioblastoma and A549 lung carcinoma cells was determined by the MTS (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxy-phenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium) assay. Bacterial endophytes that were successfully isolated from C. macowanii leaves include Raoultella ornithinolytica, Acinetobacter guillouiae, Pseudomonas sp., Pseudomonas palleroniana, Pseudomonas putida, Bacillus safensis, Enterobacter asburiae, Pseudomonas cichorii, and Arthrobacter pascens. Pseudomonas cichorii exhibited broad antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria while Arthrobacter pascens displayed the least MIC of 0.0625 mg/mL. Bacillus safensis crude extracts were the only sample that showed notable cell reduction of 50% against A549 lung carcinoma cells at a concentration of 100 μg/mL. Metabolite profiling of Bacillus safensis, Pseudomonas cichorii, and Arthrobacter pascens crude extracts revealed the presence of known antibacterial and/or anticancer agents such as lycorine (1), angustine (2), crinamidine (3), vasicinol (4), and powelline. It can be concluded that the crude bacterial endophyte extracts obtained from C. macowanii leaves can biosynthesize bioactive compounds and can be bioprospected for medical application into antibacterial and anticancer agents.
Analysis and Optimization of Asymmetric Wireless Power Transfer in Concrete
Authors: Tian Zijian , Liu Dairong , Chen Wei , Wang Wenqing , Pan Shan , Guo Ni
Published: December 2020

With the rapid development of the Internet of things (IoT) technology, the application of IoT has been expanded greatly, and the disadvantages of the traditional battery power supply have become increasingly prominent. The power supply mode limits the development of the concrete structural health monitoring network. And the application of magnetic resonance coupled wireless power transfer technology can solve the problem of power supply to sensors embedded in concrete. The corrected transmission efficiency considering the concrete conductivity is proposed which establishes the relationship between the electromagnetic field and the circuit model. And the field-circuit coupled model of asymmetric wireless power transfer system in concrete is developed. The effects of radial offset and axial dislocation on the transmission efficiency at different concrete conductivity are further analyzed. The relationship between the resonant frequency and the transmission efficiency in different concrete conductivity is analyzed, and an optimization scheme is proposed to improve the transmission efficiency. Finally, the experimental setups are established, and the theoretical analysis is verified. The conclusions cannot only break through the bottleneck of the scale of the concrete structural health monitoring network but also further releases the application potential of IoT.
Stabilizing Controllers for Landmark Navigation of Planar Robots in an Obstacle-Ridden Workspace
Authors: Prasad Avinesh , Sharma Bibhya , Vanualailai Jito , Kumar Sandeep
Published: December 2020

This paper essays a new solution to the landmark navigation problem of planar robots in the presence of randomly fixed obstacles through a new dynamic updating rule involving the orientation and steering angle parameters of a robot. The dynamic updating rule utilizes a first-order nonlinear ordinary differential equation for the changing of landmarks so that whenever a landmark is updated, the path followed by the robot remains continuous and smooth. This waypoints guidance is via specific landmarks selected from a new set of rules governing the robot’s field of view. The governing control laws guarantee asymptotic stability of the 2D point robot system. As an application, the landmark motion planning and control of a car-like mobile robot navigating in the presence of fixed elliptic-shaped obstacles are considered. The proposed control laws take into account the geometrical constraints imposed on steering angle and guarantee eventual uniform stability of the car-like system. Computer simulations, using Matlab software, are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique and its stabilizing algorithm.
Indoor Visible Light Communication: A Tutorial and Survey
Authors: Mapunda Galefang Allycan , Ramogomana Reuben , Marata Leatile , Basutli Bokamoso , Khan Amjad Saeed , Chuma Joseph Monamati
Published: December 2020

With the advancement of solid-state devices for lighting, illumination is on the verge of being completely restructured. This revolution comes with numerous advantages and viable opportunities that can transform the world of wireless communications for the better. Solid-state LEDs are rapidly replacing the contemporary incandescent and fluorescent lamps. In addition to their high energy efficiency, LEDs are desirable for their low heat generation, long lifespan, and their capability to switch on and off at an extremely high rate. The ability of switching between different levels of luminous intensity at such a rate has enabled the inception of a new communication technology referred to as visible light communication (VLC). With this technology, the LED lamps are additionally being used for data transmission. This paper provides a tutorial and a survey of VLC in terms of the design, development, and evaluation techniques as well as current challenges and their envisioned solutions. The focus of this paper is mainly directed towards an indoor setup. An overview of VLC, theory of illumination, system receivers, system architecture, and ongoing developments are provided. We further provide some baseline simulation results to give a technical background on the performance of VLC systems. Moreover, we provide the potential of incorporating VLC techniques in the current and upcoming technologies such as fifth-generation (5G), beyond fifth-generation (B5G) wireless communication trends including sixth-generation (6G), and intelligent reflective surfaces (IRSs) among others.
Continuous Trust Evaluation of Power Equipment and Users Based on Risk Measurement
Authors: Shi Congcong , Fei Jiaxuan , Zhang Xiaojian , Yao Qigui , Fan Jie
Published: December 2020

In power Internet of Things environment, the existing border-based protection system and the “one-time authentication, one-time authorization, and long-term effective” approach are difficult to deal with the threat of attacks from internal and external devices and users with legal authority. In order to solve the problem of authorized access of power equipment and users, combined with behavior risk assessment, a continuous trust evaluation scheme of power equipment and users is presented in this paper. The scheme is evaluated by the combination of direct trust, indirect trust, and comprehensive trust and adds the penalty reward factor and time attenuation function to improve the reliability of the results. In addition, this paper will quantify the risk of the behavior of power equipment and users and regard it as a factor affecting the degree of trust, so as to achieve continuous trust evaluation of equipment and users.
Temporal Backtracking and Multistep Delay of Traffic Speed Series Prediction
Authors: Qu Licheng , Zhang Minghao , Li Zhaolu , Li Wei
Published: December 2020

As a typical time series, the length of the data sequence is critical to the accuracy of traffic state prediction. In order to fully explore the causality between traffic data, this study established a temporal backtracking and multistep delay model based on recurrent neural networks (RNNs) to learn and extract the long- and short-term dependencies of the traffic state data. With a real traffic data set, the coordinate descent algorithm was employed to search and determine the optimal backtracking length of traffic sequence, and multistep delay predictions were performed to demonstrate the relationship between delay steps and prediction accuracies. Besides, the performances were compared between three variants of RNNs (LSTM, GRU, and BiLSTM) and 6 frequently used models, which are decision tree (DT), support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbour (KNN), random forest (RF), gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT), and stacked autoencoder (SAE). The prediction results of 10 consecutive delay steps suggest that the accuracies of RNNs are far superior to those of other models because of the more powerful and accurate pattern representing ability in time series. It is also proved that RNNs can learn and mine longer time dependencies.
In Silico Identification of New Targets for Diagnosis, Vaccine, and Drug Candidates against Trypanosoma cruzi
Authors: Trevisan Rafael Obata , Santos Malú Mateus , Desidério Chamberttan Souza , Alves Leandro Gomes , de Jesus Sousa Thiago , de Castro Oliveira Letícia , Jaiswal Arun Kumar , Tiwari Sandeep , Bovi Weslley Guimarães , de Oliveira-Silva Mariana , Costa-Madeira Juliana Cristina , Castellano Lúcio Roberto Cançado , Silva Marcos Vinicius , Azevedo Vasco , Rodrigues Junior Virmondes , Oliveira Carlo José Freire , de Castro Soares Siomar
Published: December 2020

Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Despite the efforts and distinct methodologies, the search of antigens for diagnosis, vaccine, and drug targets for the disease is still needed. The present study is aimed at identifying possible antigens that could be used for diagnosis, vaccine, and drugs targets against T. cruzi using reverse vaccinology and molecular docking. The genomes of 28 T. cruzi strains available in GenBank (NCBI) were used to obtain the genomic core. Then, subtractive genomics was carried out to identify nonhomologous genes to the host in the core. A total of 2630 conserved proteins in 28 strains of T. cruzi were predicted using OrthoFinder and Diamond software, in which 515 showed no homology to the human host. These proteins were evaluated for their subcellular localization, from which 214 are cytoplasmic and 117 are secreted or present in the plasma membrane. To identify the antigens for diagnosis and vaccine targets, we used the VaxiJen software, and 14 nonhomologous proteins were selected showing high binding efficiency with MHC I and MHC II with potential for in vitro and in vivo tests. When these 14 nonhomologous molecules were compared against other trypanosomatids, it was found that the retrotransposon hot spot (RHS) protein is specific only for T. cruzi parasite suggesting that it could be used for Chagas diagnosis. Such 14 proteins were analyzed using the IEDB software to predict their epitopes in both B and T lymphocytes. Furthermore, molecular docking analysis was performed using the software MHOLline. As a result, we identified 6 possible T. cruzi drug targets that could interact with 4 compounds already known as antiparasitic activities. These 14 protein targets, along with 6 potential drug candidates, can be further validated in future studies, in vivo, regarding Chagas disease.
Clinical Efficacy of Perioperative Immunonutrition Containing Omega-3-Fatty Acids in Patients Undergoing Hepatectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Gao Benjian , Luo Jia , Liu Ying , Zhong Furui , Yang Xiaoli , Gan Yu , Su Song , Li Bo
Published: December 2020

Background: The effect of immunonutrition in patients undergoing hepatectomy remains unclear. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the impact of immunonutrition on postoperative clinical outcomes in patients undergoing hepatectomy. Methods: A literature search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase databases was performed to identify all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) exploring the effect of perioperative immunonutrition in patients undergoing hepatectomy until the end of March 10, 2020. Quality assessment and data extraction of RCTs were conducted independently by 3 reviewers. Mean difference (MD) and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a fixed-effects or random-effects model. The meta-analysis was performed with RevMan 5.3 software. Results: Nine RCTs involving a total of 966 patients were finally included. This meta-analysis showed that immunonutrition significantly reduced the incidences of overall postoperative complications (OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.34–0.95; p = 0.03), overall postoperative infectious complications (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.37–0.75; p = 0.0003), and incision infection (OR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.28–0.89; p = 0.02), and it shortened the length of hospital stay (MD = −3.80, 95% CI: −6.59 to −1.02; p = 0.007). There were no significant differences in the incidences of pulmonary infection (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.32–1.12; p = 0.11), urinary tract infection (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 0.55–3.08; p = 0.55), liver failure (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.23–1.24; p = 0.15), and postoperative mortality (OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.26–1.83; p = 0.46). Conclusion: Given its positive impact on postoperative complications and the tendency to shorten the length of hospital stay, perioperative immunonutrition should be encouraged in patients undergoing hepatectomy.
Relative Validity of a Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire for Adolescents
Authors: Silva Ana Lúcia , Fragoso Maria Isabel Caldas Januário , Neto Francília Maria Carvalho dos Santos , Bento Cristina Paula Fidalgo Negreiros Monteiro , Teles Júlia Maria Vitorino
Published: December 2020

Introduction: A valid food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is a priority for epidemiological studies. We aimed to perform a relative validity of an FFQ for Portuguese adolescents. Methods: A semi-quantitative Portuguese FFQ (SQ-PortFood-FQ) was developed and the relative validity performed using the multiple-pass 24-h recall. Eighty adolescents (aged 10–17 years) completed both questionnaires to measure energy intake, macro- and specific micronutrient intake. We used the following methods for the relative validity: (1) Spearman’s correlation coefficient (r); (2) cross-classification into the same third (agreement) and into the opposite third (disagreement); (3) weighted κ-coefficient (κW); (4) and the Bland-Altman method. Results: We obtained acceptable correlation coefficients between questionnaires for energy (r =0.59; p < 0.001), protein (r =0.60; p< 0.001), fat (r = 0.55; p < 0.001), carbohydrates (r =0.51; p < 0.001) and sodium (r =0.51; p < 0.001). Tertile agreement for energy, protein, fat, carbohydrates and vitamin C intakes classified correctly more than 50% and grossly misclassified less than 10% of participants. Energy and protein produced moderate agreement between methods with a κW >0.40. The SQ-PortFood-FQ overestimated all analysed data when compared to the 24-h recall, although those estimations were <10% for energy, macronutrients and cholesterol. The 95% limits of agreement showed that all the variables (energy, protein, fat, carbohydrates, fibre, calcium, sodium, iron, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol) were within the desirable limits of agreement of 50–200%, with the exception of vitamin C (76–296%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (75–232%). Discussion/Conclusion: The SQ-PortFood-FQ showed acceptable relative validity at the individual level for energy, protein, fat, carbohydrates, fibre, calcium, sodium, iron, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol. Non-significant relationships were found for vitamin C and PUFA. Our results are in line with previous studies carried out amongst adolescents. As far as we know this is the first FFQ validated for Portuguese adolescents.
Infantile Pyknocytosis: End-Tidal CO, %Micro-R Measurements, Next-Generation Sequencing, and Transfusion Avoidance with Darbepoetin
Authors: Bahr Timothy M. , Knudsen Mari C. , Lozano-Chinga Michell , Agarwal Archana M. , Meznarich Jessica A. , Ohls Robin K. , Christensen Robert D.
Published: December 2020

Infantile pyknocytosis is a rare, self-limited, hemolytic condition of unknown pathogenesis. It is diagnosed when a neonate with Coombs-negative hemolytic anemia has abundant pyknocytes and a characteristic clinical course after other hemolytic disorders has been excluded. Previous reports suggest that transfusions might be avoidable in this condition by administering recombinant erythropoietin. We cared for a patient with this disorder where we employed novel diagnostics and therapeutics. Despite these, and a good outcome free of transfusions, we continue to consider the condition to be idiopathic.
Bridging Thrombolysis Achieved Better Outcomes Than Direct Thrombectomy After Large Vessel Occlusion
Authors: Wang Yuting , Wu Xiao , Zhu Chengcheng , Mossa-Basha Mahmud , Malhotra Ajay
Published: December 2020

The utility and necessity of pretreatment with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) before mechanical thrombectomy (MT) remains an issue of strong debate. This study aims to compare the outcomes of bridging thrombolysis (BT, IVT+MT) with direct MT (d-MT) after large vessel ischemic stroke based on the most up-to-date evidence. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library from January 2017 to June 2020 were searched for studies that directly compared the outcomes of the 2 strategies. Methodological quality was assessed using the Quality in Prognostic Studies tool. Combined estimates of odds ratios (ORs) of BT versus d-MT were derived. Multiple subgroup analyses were performed, especially for IVT-eligible patients. Thirty studies involving 7191 patients in the BT group and 4891 patients in the d-MT group were included. Methodological quality was generally high. Compared with patients in the d-MT group, patients in the BT group showed significantly better functional independence (modified Rankin Scale score 0–2) at 90 days (OR=1.43 [95% CI, 1.28–1.61]), had lower mortality at 90 days (OR=0.67 [95% CI, 0.60–0.75]), and achieved higher successful recanalization (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Ischemia score 2b-3) rate (OR=1.23 [95% CI, 1.07–1.42]). No significant difference was detected in the occurrence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage between 2 groups (OR=1.01 [95% CI, 0.86–1.19]). Subgroup analysis showed that functional independence frequency remained significantly higher in BT group regardless of IVT eligibility or study design. Compared with d-MT, bridging with IVT led to better clinical outcomes, lower mortality at 90 days, and higher successful recanalization rates, without increasing the risk of near-term hemorrhagic complications. The benefits of BT based on this most recent literature evidence support the current guidelines of using BT.
Selling Out or Buying In? CCM Magazine and Anxieties over Commercial Priorities in Christian Music, 1980s–1990s
Authors: Mall Andrew
Published: December 2020

In 1992, emi acquired Sparrow Records. At that time, emi was one of the “Big Six” (secular) major record labels; Sparrow was the largest and most successful label in the Christian record industry. As in other sectors of the music and entertainment industries, reactions to corporate consolidations are mixed. This issue is particularly fraught in the Christian industry, in which the relationship between financial and theological priorities was tense long before its incorporation into the secular industry. How did these discourses manifest in public? What significance did they have for fans, artists, and cultural intermediaries? ccm magazine and its sister publications, for decades the primary sources of information about and for the Christian market, provide a unique opportunity to observe and analyze these tensions leading up to these mergers and acquisitions. In this article I consider the role of ccm’s reporting and editorial content as a barometer of broader anxieties over commercial priorities and corporate consolidation.
Gaming and Grieving: Digital Games as Means of Confronting and Coping with Death
Authors: McGuire Beverley Foulks
Published: December 2020

This paper explores structural similarities between playing a digital game and experiencing grief. The digital game Mandagon evokes a sense of loss through its game environment of grey mountainous landscapes, broken wooden scaffolds, and Tibetan temples and prayer flags in states of disrepair. It elicits feelings of disorientation and dependency as players repeatedly fall from scaffolds but ascend by using lifts or finding air bubble streams underwater. It encompasses terrestrial, corporeal, and cosmic crossings as players move through air, land, and water, as they neither inhabit nor encounter a human body, and they cross various cosmic thresholds through the course of the game. For players struggling with grief, it validates and normalizes feelings of emptiness, loneliness, and vulnerability in the wake of death and loss.
The Abbasid Mosaic Tradition and the Great Mosque of Damascus
Authors: Leal Bea
Published: December 2020

Glass wall mosaic is a major feature of early Islamic architecture, surviving above all in the Umayyad monuments of the Dome of the Rock and the Great Mosque of Damascus. These grand mosaics inspired periodic revivals from the eleventh century onwards. The centuries between the Umayyad commissions and the first of the documented revivals, however, have been seen as a period of decline for the craft; the Abbasid dynasty that defeated the Umayyads in 750 has not traditionally been associated with the medium. This article reexamines the question, looking at textual and material evidence for Abbasid mosaic production. It argues that, in fact, there was a continuous mosaic tradition well into the ninth century, under the patronage of both caliphs and lower-ranking officials. The first part of the article considers written evidence for mosaics in Mecca and Medina. The second part looks in detail at a surviving example that, it will be argued, dates to the Abbasid period, on the Bayt al-Mal (Treasury) of the Great Mosque of Damascus. The concluding section discusses factors behind the general decline in mosaic production in the tenth century and the possibility of pockets of continuity.
Russian Modernization in East Anatolia: The Case of Kars
Authors: Gurallar Neşe
Published: December 2020

On the Armenian border of Turkey, Kars was under the rule of tsarist Russia between the years 1877 and 1917. In this period, Kars was rebuilt with a gridded urban plan and furnished with magnificent churches and other public buildings. This article studies the urban and architectural history of Kars in order to gain a deeper understanding of the complex relations between modernity, Russian colonization, and the memories of the city’s traumatic past. An embryo of modern urban bourgeois life emerged in Kars during the Russian occupation. Symbols of urban modernity—regular street patterns, European-style buildings, public squares, city parks, monuments decorating public spaces, macadamized streets and squares, public spaces lit at night, a vivid cultural life, banks and loans, shops with luxury goods—all came to fruition in Kars at this time, not only to modernize the city, but also to lighten its depressed look.
Effects of miR-124 on Proliferation and Apoptosis of Thyroid Cancer Cells by Regulating Notch1 Pathway
Authors: Yin Jianguang , Wu Anni , Yu Qichun
Published: December 2020

To discuss the influences of miR-124 on the proliferation and apoptosis of thyroid cancer cells by regulating Notch1 pathway. The TCGA database was used to analyze the effect of miR-124 expression on survival prognosis of patients with thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer cell line BC-PAP
was applied as a tool cell, the effects of miR-124 upregulation on proliferation and apoptotic functions were examined. The miR-124 target genes were searched through the miRBase database and verified by double luciferase reporter gene assay, cell function changes were observed after transfection
with Notch1 pathway inhibitor IMR-1. By analyzing the TCGA database, we found that miR-124 had a significant effect on the survival prognosis of patients with thyroid cancer (HR = 0.12, p = 0 00066). After transfection of miR-124 mimics, the expression of miR-124 in BC-PAP cells increased,
which significantly inhibited the growth of thyroid cancer cells (p < 0 05) and notably promoted cell apoptosis (p < 0 05). miRBase predicts that the target gene of miR-124 is Notch1, and the double luciferase reporter gene assay was used to verify that miR-124 and Notch1 do have binding
sites and can bind to each other. miR-124 has a regulatory effect on Notch1. Notch1 expression was significantly reduced after miR-124 mimic transfection, while Notch1 expression was significantly increased after transfection with miR-124 inhibitor, and the difference was statistically significant
(p < 0 05). Transfection of miR-124 mimics inhibited the proliferation of thyroid cancer cells, after Notch1 pathway inhibitor IMR-1 was added, this inhibitory effect was distinctively recovered (p < 0 05). miR-124 could regulate Notch1 pathway, thus significantly affects the proliferation
and apoptosis of thyroid cancer cells.
Gestational surrogacy: Transnational procreative practice and work for women in contemporary society
Authors: Bandelli Daniela
Published: December 2020

Gestational surrogacy is spreading across the world and it is increasingly accepted as an available way to make babies: the procreative process, the procurement of gametes, the recruitment of women and the relationships between the various subjects are administered by international agencies. At the same time there are signs of resistance such as transnational mobilizations calling for the universal ban of a practice that is viewed as a form of commodification of women and children. The author introduces the articles included in this monograph issue, which is an original contribution to a sociological understanding of an unprecedented social practice with peculiar characteristics: the presence of a new social actor, the surrogate woman, and the intentional separation of the newborn from the woman he or she identifies as their mother (although they are not genetically related). Because of these characteristics, surrogacy’s impact on the social role and subjective experience of motherhood, its imaginary and narrative, as well as on the status of the child, is not comparable to other forms of assisted procreation and family formation.
Still Logged in? The Link Between Facebook Addiction, FoMO, Self-Esteem, Life Satisfaction and Loneliness in Social Media Users
Authors: Uram Patrycja , Skalski Sebastian
Published: December 2020

Studies to date have shown that fear of missing out (FoMO) is related to the lack of fulfilling one’s psychological needs. Moreover, it affects one’s involvement in social media. The objective of this study was to assess the links between satisfaction with life (the Satisfaction with Life Scale), self-esteem (the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale), loneliness (the de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale), FoMO (the Fear of Missing Out Scale) and Facebook addiction (the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale). The study involved 309 individuals aged 18–70 (M = 25.11, SD = 5.86). The results of analyses carried out using structural equation modeling have revealed that FoMO combines deficits in mental well-being with addiction to Facebook. The presented results are discussed also in the context of the intermediary role of self-esteem in the link between life satisfaction and loneliness versus FoMO.
“Easier, Less Stressful, and Better Results”: Sociology and Criminal Justice Majors’ Experience of Library Research before and after Library Instruction
Authors: Willms Nicole , O’Brien-Jenks Kelly
Published: December 2020

This article argues for the incorporation of library instruction into research methods courses to foster information literacy skills important to disciplinary specialization. The evidence in support emerges from a collaborative teaching and assessment project conducted by a research methods instructor and a faculty instructional librarian. The project evaluated the effectiveness of library instruction in two ways: One, essays in which students described their research process before and after library instruction were evaluated qualitatively for dominant themes. Two, students’ postinstruction literature review projects were assessed using a rubric to determine the degree to which students met learning outcomes. These assessments indicate that library instruction led to several positive outcomes. In the essays, many students described increases in skills and confidence as well as appreciation for the new research tools introduced. In sampled literature review assignments, students demonstrated skills that met or exceeded expectations.
Toward Strategic Cohesion: A Reply to King’s Criticism of the Call for a Broader View of Cohesion
Authors: Käihkö Ilmari
Published: December 2020

In October 2018, Armed Forces & Society published a special issue that called for a theoretical and methodological broadening of the study of cohesion. In a response, King accuses me of ignoring his 2013 book The Combat Soldier, which he feels had already made this call redundant. This answer explains why this is not the case. The Combat Soldier ticks the three boxes of modern, Western, and state military that have dominated the study of cohesion. The resulting narrow vantage point affirms problematic assumptions of Western concepts as absolutes with universal validity with little room for other models of sociopolitical interaction. This becomes especially problematic when King defines cohesion as tactical-level combat performance, the be-all and end-all of what makes, and decides, war. The answer concludes with an appeal for truly interdisciplinary future studies of war that a broader understanding of cohesion, among other things, depends on.
Regional sanctions and the struggle for democracy: Introduction to the special issue
Authors: Hellquist Elin , Palestini Stefano
Published: December 2020

Regional organisations (ROs) around the world increasingly use sanctions against member states in situations of democratic crisis. This special issue unpacks the trend of RO sanctions in regions that are both democracy-dense (Europe and the Americas) and autocracy-dense (Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East). We argue that regional sanctions cannot be taken at face value as instruments of democracy promotion. Instead, the politics of regional sanctions unveil controversies over the substance and limits of democracy, as well as over practical processes of regional interference in a sphere that is at the core of ‘domestic affairs’. In this introductory article, we situate the special issue at the crossroads of debates within comparative regionalism, sanctions, and democracy/autocracy promotion, and discuss how the membership premise crucially distinguishes RO measures from foreign policy and United Nations (UN) sanctions.
Shared values or shared interests? Arab publics and intervention in Syria
Authors: Berger Lars , Gallagher Adrian
Published: December 2020

Analysing Arab public opinion on the international community’s response to the Syrian crisis, we expand existing scholarship by injecting a non-Western perspective into the oftentimes Western-centric debates on intervention. We demonstrate that publics in two prominent Arab Spring countries were quite willing to embrace intervention in Syria in order to depose Bashar al-Assad. More specifically, our analysis reveals that both interests and values shape support for different types of international intervention in Syria. In the context of the distinction between policy-driven and culture-driven anti-Americanisms, we show that Egyptian and Tunisian evaluations of US foreign policy behaviour and, to lesser extent, US culture correlate with support for Western-led intervention in Syria.
Reclaiming the chocolate city: Soundscapes of gentrification and resistance in Washington, DC
Authors: Summers Brandi Thompson
Published: December 2020

In Washington, DC, Black residents have experienced unprecedented levels of cultural and physical displacement since 2000. Because of gentrification, the first “chocolate city,” long been defined by its blackness, has experienced shifts in the economy and commitments by the local government, that privilege policies that facilitate the displacement of Black families. Everyday struggles against gentrification have been of wide-ranging theoretical concern and pose an ongoing challenge for scholars in geography to understand the ways people resist gentrification and displacement. In this article, I show through an analysis of the anti-gentrification movement, #DontMuteDC, how Black people challenge the processes of gentrification by reclaiming space and resisting capitalist dispossession through cultural production. I demonstrate the relationship between Black sound aesthetics, gentrification, and a spatial politics of reclamation. I analyze the movement’s emphasis on go-go music as part of a process to (re)claim their place in the city, which I argue disrupts structures governing and managing normative space. I propose reclamation aesthetics as an analytic through which we can understand Black cultural production and Black place- and space-making practices as responses to socio-spatial inequities.
Take a Seat and Get Into Its Shoes! When Humans Spontaneously Represent Visual Scenes From the Point of View of Inanimate Objects
Authors: Quesque François , Foncelle Alexandre , Chabanat Éric , Jacquin-Courtois Sophie , Rossetti Yves
Published: December 2020

Human description of the surrounding world may spontaneously rely on others’ perspective, which is a crucial component of social cognition. In five studies, participants were asked to describe the spatial relations between objects in visual scenes including, or not, other agents. In Experiment 1, a substantial proportion of participants used an other-centered perspective in the presence of another agent, replicating classical findings. To our own surprise, we also observed that an even greater number of participants used an other-centered perspective when the human agent was replaced by an armchair. In order to explore this phenomenon, Experiments 2 to 5 compared the respective strength of chair-centered and agent-centered perspectives and/or set them into conflict. A significant proportion of participants spontaneously took the seat’s perspective even when it may not be sat on (Experiments 3 and 4) and even when the seat was not referred to (Experiments 4 and 5). Altogether, these findings suggest that perspective taking may spontaneously apply to inanimate objects. These results question whether such tendencies originate from social cognitive skills—as classically assumed—or reveal a nonsocial phenomenon. Future works should specifically test the widely assumed social nature of spontaneous perspective-taking.
The study on the mechanical properties of magnetorheological elastomers under triaxial compression
Authors: Xu Yong , Li Ming , Li Hao , Zhang Shihong , Wang Hui , Guo Xunzhong , Li Tao , Wu Cong
Published: December 2020

In order to design magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) based craftsmanship for metal forming, a comprehensive study on the mechanical properties of MREs under triaxial compression is required. An experimental setup integrating free compression and triaxial compression is designed to characterize isotropic MREs specimens under compression mode. The results showed that the MREs specimen in mold had successively experienced free compression stage, transition stage and triaxial compression stage during the experiment. The stress-strain curves of the MREs specimen changed when the concentration of magnetic particles increased from 0 to 44.7%, and the strain required to reach the transition stage was reduced. The effect of magnetic flux density on the stress-strain curves of the MREs specimen depended on the concentration of magnetic particles. The measured data obtained at different strain rates revealed maximum changes of 15.7% and 0.096% in volume compression modulus and Poisson ratio, respectively, which occurred under the magnetic flux density of 200 mT and CIP concentrations of [Formula: see text]. In this study, through a set of experiments, the stress-strain curves of the MREs specimen under different concentrations was elucidated, and their effects on the volume compression modulus and Poisson ratio were discussed.
Applications and challenges in therapeutic drug monitoring of cancer treatment: A review
Authors: Salman Bushra , Al-Khabori Murtadha
Published: December 2020

Most anticancer agents show wide variability in pharmacokinetics (PK) and have a narrow therapeutic index which makes fixed dosing suboptimal. To achieve the best therapeutic outcomes with these agents, many studies have postulated using PK or therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM)-guided dosing. However, multiple factors contribute to the variability in PKs making the application of TDM in practice challenging. Also, despite the known association with clinical outcomes, standard guidelines on PK-guided dosing are lacking for most agents. Understanding the factors that contribute to PK variability and their impact is essential for dose individualization. The purpose of this review is to discuss the factors that contribute to the PK variability of anticancer agents and the challenges faced in practice when individualizing doses for certain widely used agents. Searching the literature has identified several gaps and efforts are needed to ensure better targeting of cancer therapeutics.
Effect of high pressure and setting condition on physico-chemical, structural and functional characteristics of transglutaminase mediated fish gels
Authors: Kunnath Sarika , Jaganath Bindu , Panda Satyen Kumar , Balange Amjad K , Gudipati Venkateshwarlu
Published: December 2020

Application of High pressure and low temperature setting condition on microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) mediated gelation was studied against conventional cooking in pink perch mince. A high pressure of 250 MPa was given to pink perch mince samples added with and without MTGase enzyme, for a holding time of 12 min and a setting condition of 25 °C for 30 min was given prior and after the treatments. Nine random experiments (T1 to T9) were made against high pressure and cooking and analysed its textural and functional properties. Addition of MTGase and setting conditions had significant effect on the textural properties of the both samples especially in inducing the gel strength. Reduction in total and reactive sulfhydryl groups observed was due to the formation of disulfide linkages, which was found more in T6 to T9. Setting condition had significant effect on protein hydrophobicity in both pressure and heat induced gels. No significant variation in the Ca2+-ATPase enzyme activity was observed among treatments. SEM images revealed more closed and dense fibrous network in samples with enzyme (T6 to T9), due to more protein polymerisation. So MTGase enzyme along with pressure treatment enhanced the conformational stability and produce stronger networks through the formation of non sulfide bonds between proteins and setting reinforced these networks. Hence the synergistic effect of high pressure and MTGase can enhance the textural and functional properties of fish gels, when compared with the conventional cooking.
Carrying as Method: Listening to Bodies as Archives
Authors: Puwar Nirmal
Published: December 2020

This article unpacks the notion of ‘carrying’ as an embodied set of influences that bear upon our research practices and journeys. It is widely recognised that we acquire and carry a body of books as intellectual companionship. It is not however readily acknowledged how we as researchers carry sounds, aesthetics, traumas and obsessions, which stay with us and take time to appear before us, as methodological projects within our grasp. Researchers are carriers embarked on exchanges in a double sense. Firstly, we are embodied and affected by our life trajectories. There is a temporality to our research which is entwined with the very knots of our lives. Secondly, we are carriers through the specific ways in which we activate our research materials and relationships. In this article, the two elements of carrying are underlined as being intimately related.
‘The metropolis and the life of spirit’ by Georg Simmel: A new translation
Authors: Boy John D
Published: December 2020

Two previous English translations of this classic essay by Georg Simmel have been in wide circulation, shaping the worldwide reception of Simmel’s urban theory. Both rendered Simmel’s philosophical idiom in psychologistic terms, translating Seele (soul) as ‘psyche’ and Geist (spirit) as ‘mind’. With their overtones of behaviourism, earlier translations bear the clear mark of their time. This translation seeks to return, as much as is possible without sacrificing lucidity, to Simmel’s original idiom, in the hope that this will contribute to an imaginative rediscovery of this classic text. The introduction to the new translation gives an overview of the publication’s historical and intellectual context, its reception and influence, and the distinctiveness of Simmel’s approach.