bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mediterráneamente. Estudio de eficacia cuantitativa en las películas publicitarias de Estrella Damm
Authors: Rodríguez-Rabadán María , Galán-Fajardo Helena , Del-Pino-Romero Cristina
Published: January 2022

El objeto de estudio de esta investigación está comprendido por dos de las películas publicitarias de branded content en formato cortometraje, de la marca de cervezas Estrella Damm: Vale (Amenábar, 2015) y Las pequeñas cosas (Rodríguez, 2016), programadas en período estival. Ambas comparten el mismo claim: Mediterráneamente, basado en una estrategia de identificación marca-territorio bajo la fórmula del entretenimiento. Además de tratarse de creación de contenido por parte de una marca o branded content, nos encontramos ante dos casos de branded entertainment. La principal aportación de este artículo es la elaboración de una novedosa propuesta metodológica con el fin analizar el efecto que produce en el espectador una mayor o menor presencia de brand placement en el contexto del branded content. Mediante el Test de Fisher se hace un estudio de eficacia cuantitativa que se aplica a una muestra constituida por 66 personas, alumnado universitario. A partir de las hipótesis se deduce que un mayor o menor número de brand placement no interfiere directamente en la comprensión de los valores de la historia, tampoco influye en una actitud negativa hacia la presencia de la marca. El estudio también demuestra una relación directa entre el nivel de entretenimiento de los cortometrajes y la intención de compra del producto.
Exposición de menores en Instagram: instamadres, presencia de marcas y vacío legal
Authors: Jiménez-Iglesias Estefanía , Elorriaga-Illera Angeriñe , Monge-Benito Sergio , Olabarri-Fernández Elena
Published: January 2022

El fenómeno influencer ha permitido a personas previamente desconocidas adquirir altos niveles de popularidad mediante la exhibición de imágenes que recrean sus actividades, sus intereses o su vida cotidiana. Las instamadres son influencers que comparten en la red social Instagram contenido relacionado con su vida familiar, mostrando con frecuencia a sus hijas e hijos pequeños. En sus publicaciones se aprecia alta presencia de marcas comerciales, pero la naturaleza de la relación que mantienen con la publicidad no siempre es clara. Mediante una ficha ad hoc, se han analizado 1.000 publicaciones de diez cuentas de instamadres populares para cuantificar la frecuencia con la que muestran en ellas a menores y la presencia de marca. En el 45,6% de los posts analizados aparecen menores y estas publicaciones reciben un 41% más de likes que aquellas en las que no hay niños. En más de la mitad de las publicaciones analizadas aparecen marcas comerciales, y se percibe un incremento al respecto entre 2019 (43,3%) y 2020 (63,5%). Solo en una de cada cinco ocasiones en las que hay una marca se explicita que es publicidad, y por tanto, remunerada. Nuestro trabajo demuestra que los niños y niñas son elementos frecuentes en las cuentas de sus instamadres, y contribuyen a generar comunidades grandes y atractivas para la industria publicitaria. Es necesario regular tanto la aparición en estas cuentas de menores como el modo en el que se hace presente la publicidad en ellas.
El Branded Content en la era de la comunicación posdigital [Reseña]
Authors: Ortega-Fernández Eglée
Published: January 2022

El libro “El Branded Content en la comunicación posdigital: estructuras, aplicaciones y casos de éxito” plantea una visión integral que busca consolidar la conexión entre la universidad y la empresa, generando una propuesta para definir en qué consiste exactamente esta estrategia desde diferentes visiones, a fin de entender sus principales objetivos y el papel que cumple en la estructura del trabajo de los anunciantes. Gracias a las colaboraciones entre académicos y profesionales se expresan en cada capítulo, investigaciones en la era de la comunicación posdigital que animan, tanto a estudiantes como a responsables de marca, a entender el branded content como una estrategia de comunicación eficaz que contempla nuevas fórmulas adaptadas a una audiencia que ha evolucionado.
Recurrent, Multisubtype Posttransplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder Masquerading as Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Mussarat Saad , Houston Kevin V. , Parekh Parth J.
Published: January 2022

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a severe posttransplant complication that occurs because of immunosuppression within the first year; however, recurrent PTLD or development of multiple histologic subtypes are rare. Our case demonstrates a renal transplant recipient with rare, recurrent PTLD with multiple histologic subtypes (monomorphic and polymorphic PTLD) despite a previous response to rituximab and resolution of inflammatory changes on endoscopy. It is essential that clinicians maintain a high suspicion for PTLD when caring for patients with previous transplantation and that they have a lower threshold for biopsy with endoscopic findings of nonspecific inflammatory changes.
REPRESENTASI INDONESIA DALAM NOVEL TRILOGI TERJEMAHAN KAYA TUJUH TURUNAN KARYA KEVIN KWAN
Authors: Nanta Adhitya Galant , Wulandari Novi
Published: January 2022

The presence of literary works translated from foreign languages in Indonesia enriches the literary readership in region (Adi, 2016). In addition to gaining a wider readership, the understanding of the literary text will improve. Readers who may not fully understand the version in the original language have the opportunity to digest the story thoroughly. The comprehensive understanding becomes more important when dealing with foreign literature talking about Indonesia, such as Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. The trilogy was translated into Bahasa as Kaya Tujuh Turunan (2016), Kekasih Kaya Raya (2017), and Masalah Orang Kaya (2018). This article examines how Indonesia is represented in the trilogy what factors influence the construction. The three novels were analyzed using the representation theory proposed by Stuart Hall with the descriptive-qualitative method. There are two representations of Indonesia, as a nation and as a state. Indonesian is represented of as a nation Chinese-Indonesians with their newly acquired wealth who are obsessed with having white skin and foreign husbands, on the one hand, non-Chinese Indonesians who work as manual due to lack of education on the other hand. Meanwhile, Indonesia as a state is represented as a developing rural country with rich and beautiful natural resources, yet are exploited by other countries and stolen by few government officials, resulting in weak economic and military situation.
Experimental Analysis of Viscoelastic Properties of Room Temperature Vulcanized Silicone based Magnetorheological Elastomer
Authors: Bhaktha Sandesh , Hegde Sriharsha , Rao U. Sathish
Published: January 2022

Magnetorheological Elastomers (MRE) endure a change in mechanical properties with the application of an externally applied magnetic field. It consists of an elastomeric matrix reinforced with ferromagnetic powdered particles. This paper focuses on the investigation of viscoelastic properties of Room Temperature Vulcanized (RTV) silicone based isotropic MRE in sandwich beam configuration by varying the volume percentage of Carbonyl Iron Powdered (CIP) reinforcement. Viscoelastic properties of the MRE core material were calculated by following the ASTM E756-05 standard. The magnetic field was applied by employing a Halbach array which was numerically analyzed using Finite Element Method Magnetics (FEMM). The magnetic field was varied up to 0.15 T. Loss factor and shear modulus were found to be strongly influenced by the percentage content of CIP. The loss factor and shear modulus of 30% MRE at 0.15 T were higher than other tested samples. The variation of natural frequency with respect to the addition of CIP was validated numerically using Modal analysis conducted in Hyperworks.
Nephroprotective effects of polyherbal extract via attenuation of the severity of kidney dysfunction and oxidative damage in the diabetic experimental model
Authors: Kausar Mohd. Adnan , Parveen Kehkashan , Siddiqui Waseem A. , Anwar Sadaf , Zahra Aqeela , Ali Abrar , Badraoui Riadh , Jamal Azfar , Akhter Naseem , Bhardwaj Neha , Saeed Mohd
Published: January 2022

In view of many complications of diabetes, kidney failure is considered as one of the main complications. The oxidative stress-induced due to persistent hyperglycemic conditions is the major cause of kidney disease. The present study was designed to explore the nephroprotective efficacy of polyherbal (PH) extract in a diabetic model induced by streptozotocin (STZ). STZ (55 mg/kg body weight, intraperitoneal) was injected in overnight fasting rats to develop the diabetic experimental model. Effect on kidney injury was evaluated by investigating biochemical and histological evidences in renal tissue after 56 days of treatment of PH extract. Results showed the high glucose level in STZ treated rats that suggested hyperglycemia persistence along with the successful establishment of nephropathy in diabetic rats with altered renal function, inflammatory cytokines level as well as oxidative and nitrosative stress. Administration of PH extract significantly improved the glycemic condition, glomerular function and proximal reabsorptive markers. Further, elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines levels and disturbed redox status were restored. Moreover, findings were fostered and substantiated by histopathological examinations. Our work strongly proposes that the nephroprotective effect of the PH extract on renal damage could be attributed due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Thus, PH extract could have potential as a pharmaceutical drug for diabetes mellitus (DM). Additional long-term study or clinical trial is required for further investigations.
Physicochemical characterization of C-phycocyanin from Plectonema sp. and elucidation of its bioactive potential through in silico approach
Authors: Husain Arbab , Farooqui Alvina , Khanam Afreen , Sharma Shubham , Mahfooz Sadaf , Shamim Adeeba , Akhter Firoz , Alatar Abdulrahman A. , Faisal Mohammad , Ahmad Saheem
Published: January 2022

C-phycocyanin (C-PC), the integral blue-green algae (BGA) constituent has been substantially delineated for its biological attributes. Numerous reports have illustrated differential extraction and purification techniques for C-PC, however, there exists paucity in a broadly accepted process of its isolation. In the present study, we reported a highly selective C-PC purification and characterization method from nontoxic, filamentous and non-heterocystous cyanobacterium Plectonema sp. C-PC was extracted by freeze-thawing, desalted and purified using ion-exchange chromatography. The purity of C-PC along with its concentration was found to be 4.12 and 245 µg/ml respectively.  Comparative characterization of standard and purified C-PC was performed using diverse spectroscopic techniques namely Ultra Violet-visible, fluorescence spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). Sharp peaks at 620 nm and 350 nm with UV-visible and FT-IR spectroscopy respectively, confirmed amide I bands at around 1638 cm-1 (C=O stretching) whereas circular dichroism (CD) spectra exhibited α-helix content of secondary structure of standard 80.59% and 84.59% of column purified C-PC. SDS-PAGE exhibited two bands of α and β subunits 17 and 19 kDa respectively. HPLC evaluation of purified C-PC also indicated a close resemblance of retention peak time (1.465 min, 1.234 min, 1.097 min and 0.905 min) with standard C-PC having retention peak timing of 1.448 min, 1.233 min and 0.925 min. As a cautious approach, the purified C-PC was further lyophilized to extend its shelf life as compared to its liquid isoform. To evaluate the bioactive potential of the purified C-PC in silico approach was attempted. The molecular docking technique was carried out of C-PC as a ligand-protein with free radicals and α-amylase, α-glucosidase, glycogen synthase kinase-3 and glycogen phosphorylase enzymes as receptors to predict the free radical scavenging (antioxidant) and to target antidiabetic property of C-PC. In both receptors free radicals and enzymes, ligand C-PC plays an important role in establishing interactions within the cavity of active sites. These results established the antioxidant potential of C-PC and also give a clue towards its antidiabetic potential warranting further research.
Knockdown of EIF3H inhibits the development and progression of pancreatic cancer by regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis in vitro
Authors: Shan Yuqiang , Kong Wencheng , Zhu Akao , Li Jiangtao , Jin Huicheng , Zhu Weiming
Published: January 2022

Nowadays, pancreatic cancer has been recognized as one of the most fatal malignancies worldwide, the molecular mechanism of which is still not fully understood. In this study, we aimed to uncover the fundamental functions of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3H subunit (EIF3H) in the development and progression of pancreatic cancer. Firstly, the results of immunohistochemical (IHC) staining revealed that EIF3H was highly expressed in pancreatic cancer. Moreover, lentiviruses were used to deliver shRNAs into pancreatic cancer cells for silencing EIF3H. Furthermore, the loss-of-function assays demonstrated that knockdown of EIF3H could inhibit the progression of pancreatic cancer cells by reducing proliferation capacity, promoting apoptosis, arresting cell cycle in G2 and suppressing cell migration. In summary, EIF3H may play a critical role in the development and progression of pancreatic cancer, which possesses the potential to act as a therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer treatment.
Study of flavonoids and phenolic acids in green tea leaves
Authors: Maslov O. Yu. , Kolisnyk S. V. , Komisarenko M. A. , Akhmedov E. Yu. , Poluian S. M. , Shovkova Z. V.
Published: January 2022

The aim of work is study qualitative composition and quantitative content of flavonoids and phenolic acids in green tea leaves.
Material and methods. The object of the study was green tea leaves, which were collected in Anhui Province, China. The analysis of 60  % ethanolic extract from green tea leaves was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography using a Prominence LC-20 Shimadzu chromatographic system (Japan) with an SPD-20AV spectrophotometric detector, an Agilent Technologies Microsorb-MV-150 column (reversed-phase, C18 modified silica gel, length – 250 mm, diameter – 4.6 mm, particles size – 5 μm). Identification of substances in the extract was carried out by comparing the retention time and the spectral characteristics of the test substances with the same characteristics of the reference standards.
Results. 13 compounds were identified and determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Among flavonoid aglycones quantitatively dominated by quercetin (0.35 %), in the case of flavonoid glycosides, it was luteolin-6-C-glycoside (1.30 %) and among phenolic acids, it was gallic acid (5.21 %).
Conclusions. The qualitative composition, quantitative content of flavonoids and phenolic acids in the green tea leaves were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. According to HPLC, the content of flavonoids in green tea leaves was higher than the content of phenolic acids.
Individual versus pair work on L2 speech acts: production and cognitive processes
Authors: Lin Ming-Fang , Chen Yuan-shan , Wu Hui-Ju
Published: January 2022

This study aims to examine the extent to which peer collaboration affects EFL learners’ speech act production and cognitive processes. Eleven EFL students in the individual group and 22 students (11 pairs) in the collaborative groups were asked to report their cognitive processes when working on a written discourse completion task (WDCT). The WDCT performances were rated on a five-point Likert-type scale, and the verbalizations were analyzed in terms of pragmatic-related episodes (PREs). Results showed that the individual group scored higher on content, whereas the collaborative group outperformed their counterparts on forms. Regarding the cognitive processes, the individual group tended to plan the general direction of their writing before writing the WDCT and paid more attention to sociopragmatic content while writing. In contrast, the collaborative group planned specific details before the task and attended to pragmalinguistic forms more often while writing.
Monocyte distribution width (MDW): a useful biomarker to improve sepsis management in Emergency Department
Authors: Poz Donatella , Crobu Danila , Sukhacheva Elena , Rocchi Marco Bruno Luigi , Anelli Maria Chiara , Curcio Francesco
Published: January 2022

Objectives

Sepsis is a time-dependent and life-threating condition. Despite several biomarkers are available, none of them is completely reliable for the diagnosis. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic utility of monocyte distribution width (MDW) to early detect sepsis in adult patients admitted in the Emergency Department (ED) with a five part differential analysis as part of the standard clinical practice.

Methods

A prospective cohort study was conducted on 985 patients aged from 18 to 96 and included in the study between November 2019 and December 2019. Enrolled subjects were classified into four groups based on sepsis-2 diagnostic criteria: control, Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS), infection and sepsis. The hematology analyzer DxH 900 (Beckman Coulter Inc.) provides the new reportable parameter MDW, included in the leukocyte 5 part differential analysis, cleared by Food and Drug administration (FDA) and European Community In-Vitro-Diagnostic Medical Device (CE IVD) marked as early sepsis indicator (ESId).

Results

MDW was able to differentiate the sepsis group from all other groups with Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.849, sensitivity of 87.3% and specificity of 71.7% at cut-off of 20.1. MDW in combination with white blood cell (WBC) improves the performance for sepsis detection with a sensitivity increased up to 96.8% when at least one of the two biomarkers are abnormal, and a specificity increased up to 94.6% when both biomarkers are abnormal.

Conclusions

MDW can predict sepsis increasing the clinical value of Leukocyte 5 Part Differential analysis and supporting the clinical decision making in sepsis management at the admission to the ED.
S100B in cardiac surgery brain monitoring: friend or foe?
Authors: Lapergola Giuseppe , Graziosi Alessandro , D’Adamo Ebe , Brindisino Patrizia , Ferrari Mariangela , Romanelli Anna , Strozzi Mariachiara , Libener Roberta , Gavilanes Danilo A. W. , Maconi Antonio , Satriano Angela , Varrica Alessandro , Gazzolo Diego
Published: January 2022

Recent advances in perioperative management of adult and pediatric patients requiring open heart surgery (OHS) and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for cardiac and/or congenital heart diseases repair allowed a significant reduction in the mortality rate. Conversely morbidity rate pattern has a flat trend. Perioperative period is crucial since OHS and CPB are widely accepted as a deliberate hypoxic-ischemic reperfusion damage representing the cost to pay at a time when standard of care monitoring procedures can be silent or unavailable. In this respect, the measurement of neuro-biomarkers (NB), able to detect at early stage perioperative brain damage could be especially useful. In the last decade, among a series of NB, S100B protein has been investigated. After the first promising results, supporting the usefulness of the protein as predictor of short/long term adverse neurological outcome, the protein has been progressively abandoned due to a series of limitations. In the present review we offer an up-dated overview of the main S100B pros and cons in the peri-operative monitoring of adult and pediatric patients.
Failure analysis of motorcycle shock breakers
Authors: Mahendra Afrizal Yose , Prabowo Aditya Rio , Triyono Triyono
Published: January 2022

The shock breaker is one of the most important parts of a motorcycle, which functions as a vibration damper. This study aims to analyze the causes of motorcycle shock breaker failure. The research method used is comprised of visual observation, chemical composition testing, Vickers hardness testing, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis, and tensile testing of a damaged shock breaker. From visual observation, it is found that the damage can be classified as a fatigue fracture, forming a damage pattern at 45°. The chemical composition testing results of the shock breaker fractures show that the material includes low-carbon alloy steel (of ST42 series) with a carbon content of 0.162%. The average hardness value of the damaged part of the shock breaker was increased to 204.87 HV, compared with 171.02 HV in areas far from the damage. The difference in hardness in the shock breaker was caused by the high stress acting on the shock breaker and the consequent strain hardening. The results of this study indicate that the failure mechanism of the motorcycle shock breaker was a functional failure due to errors in the shock breaker manufacturing process and fatigue.
Homogeneous Branching Processes with Non-Homogeneous Immigration
Authors: Rahimov Ibrahim
Published: January 2022

The stationary immigration has a limited effect over the asymptotic behavior of the underlying branching process. It affects mostly the limiting distribution and the life-period of the process. In contrast, if the immigration rate changes over time, then the asymptotic behavior of the process is significantly different and a variety of new phenomena are observed. In this review we discuss branching processes with time non-homogeneous immigration. Our goal is to help researchers interested in the topic to familiarize themselves with the current state of research.
Corporate entrepreneurship programmes as mechanisms to accelerate product innovations
Authors: Ghura Amarpreet Singh , Erkut Burak
Published: January 2022

This paper explores how firms engage in corporate entrepreneurship through programmes, and what kind of outcomes they achieve in terms of innovations. Insights are drawn from four cases of organisations that engaged in corporate entrepreneurial activities. The paper identifies two dimensions of corporate entrepreneurship programmes as idea themes, indicating whether programmes are designed with specific themes in mind, and idea ownership, indicating whether there is a dedicated team to focus on new ideas, or not. These dimensions are under the direct control of management. Based on these two dimensions, four models of corporate entrepreneurial activities are presented linking each of these models to one of the four cases of product innovations (product line extensions, product improvements, new products, start-up businesses). By drawing on the insights of the effectuation and causation logics, the paper provides a fresh perspective of corporate entrepreneurship programmes in an emerging, non-Western cultural setup and the product innovation context. This is primarily done by introducing a 2 × 2 matrix regarding corporate entrepreneurship idea themes and idea ownership in an emerging context.
Efficient degradation of methyl orange and methylene blue in aqueous solution using a novel Fenton-like catalyst of CuCo-ZIFs
Authors: Luong Thanh H. V. , Nguyen Thao H. T. , Nguyen Binh V. , Nguyen Nghia K. , Nguyen Thanh Q. C. , Dang Giao H.
Published: January 2022

In this study, the synthesized CuCo-zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) catalyst was used to degrade methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) in water via a novel Fenton-like catalytic reaction. Effects of catalyst dosage, H2O2 concentration, initial concentration of the contaminants, and reaction time were evaluated. The results showed that MO and MB decomposition efficiencies were highly influenced by CuCo-ZIF concentration. The presence of H2O2 accelerated the degradation reaction of both MO and MB. Although it took 100 min to complete the removal of MB, it was 60 min for MO. At concentrations of MO and MB lower than 40 mg·L−1, the catalyst showed an almost complete degradation. The CuCo-ZIF catalyst presented a good recyclability with more than 90% removal of MO and MB after four times and five times reuse, respectively. These results demonstrated that MO and MB were efficiently degraded by a Fenton-like catalyst of CuCo-ZIFs and its potential in industrial wastewater treatment.
Industrial analytics – An overview
Authors: Gröger Christoph
Published: January 2022

The digital transformation generates huge amounts of heterogeneous data across the industrial value chain, from simulation data in engineering, over sensor data in manufacturing to telemetry data on product use. Extracting insights from these data constitutes a critical success factor for industrial enterprises, e. g., to optimize processes and enhance product features. This is referred to as industrial analytics, i. e., data analytics for industrial value creation. Industrial analytics is an interdisciplinary subject area between data science and industrial engineering and is at the core of Industry 4.0. Yet, existing literature on industrial analytics is fragmented and specialized. To address this issue, this paper presents a holistic overview of the field of industrial analytics integrating both current research as well as industry experiences on real-world industrial analytics projects. We define key terms, describe typical use cases and discuss characteristics of industrial analytics. Moreover, we present a conceptual framework for industrial analytics that structures essential elements, e. g., data platforms and data roles. Finally, we conclude and highlight future research directions.
Courts and Diversity: Normative Justifications and Their Empirical Implications
Authors: Weinshall Keren
Published: January 2022

The study distinguishes between three normative approaches that view diversity in the judiciary as a desirable ideal, outlines their expected empirical implications for judicial decision-making, and tests the implications against data from the Israeli Supreme Court. The “reflecting” approach suggests that diversifying the courts is important mainly as a means of strengthening the public’s confidence in them and does not impact judicial decisions. The “representing” approach asserts that judges serve as representatives of their social sectors. Thus, they tend to rule in favor of their group’s interest only in cases that are relevant to their in-group. The “social background theory” is based on the premise that people of different backgrounds develop distinct worldviews. Hence, social attributes are expected to influence judicial decisions across a wide range of socio-legal issues. The empirical investigation centers on the role of gender and religiosity in judging on five carefully selected socio-legal issues: petitions against the Great Rabbinical Court’s rulings, constitutional disputes in all legal procedures, social welfare cases, and criminal appeals in sex offenses and in drug offenses. The results lend support to social background theory with regard to gender and are consistent with the representing approach with respect to religiosity. I further discuss the limitations and policy implications of the findings.
Religious Courts and Rights in Plural Societies: Interlegal Gaps and the Need for Complex Concurrency
Authors: Neo Jaclyn L.
Published: January 2022

The administration or recognition of religious courts is a form of religious accommodation present in many constitutional states today commonly analysed in legal pluralism terms. This article contributes to the further analysis of the relationship between legal pluralism and rights in religiously diverse societies by examining the status of state religious courts and their interaction with state non-religious (secular) courts. In particular, I examine what Cover calls “jurisdictional redundancies” between the courts and conceptualize the allocation of power between religious and non-religious courts as a potentially productive site of interlegality. In doing so, I support concurrent jurisdictional allocations, arguing that exclusive jurisdiction could result in what I call an interlegal gap, whereby instead of inter-penetration of norms and production of reconciliatory principles, there is a justice gap whereby litigants may find themselves unable to obtain appropriate legal recourse including when neither court is willing to assume jurisdiction over the matter. This requires us to see the relationship between religious courts and non-religious courts through the more mundane but more practical lens of jurisdictional overlaps and competition, rather than through the more abstract framing of normative or even civilizational clashes. Accordingly, I argue that concurrent jurisdiction and interlegality have greater potential to strike a balance between individual and group rights and could be more protective of religious diversity. In other words, I argue for a closer, rather than a more separate, relationship between religious and non-religious courts, while denying that a hierarchical relationship where religious courts are subordinated to non-religious courts is the only way to protect rights.
Representations of Immigration in Third World countries: a comparative study between ‘Dave’ in The Arrangers of Marriage by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and ‘Nazneen’ in Monica Ali’s Brick Lane
Authors: Mohrem Boubaker , El-Khawaldeh Samira
Published: January 2022

Generally speaking, third-world literary scholars have been seen as representative tools for their societies. The current article aims to look at postmodern African and Asian societies. Thus, these two literary works “The Arrangers of Marriage” by the African novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and “Brick Lane” by Monica Ali belong to third world Contemporary Literature. Dave who is a Nigerian figure when he went to the United States, he leaves his traditions, besides, Nazneen, who stands against her tradition too to formulate a new identity. This article examines the effects of Immigration on third-world characters. Also, the focus on major concepts such as identity. Both authors are involved in what we call living in Diaspora. This article is a comparative study between the two works of two marginalized writers of a Nigerian and Bangladeshi identity, especially as the continent gradually becomes part of the postmodern and globalized world.
Structural material with designed thermal twist for a simple actuation
Authors: Yang Nan , Deng Yong , Huang Jinlun , Niu Xiaodong
Published: January 2022

Materials with desired thermal deformation are very important for various engineering applications. Here, a material with the combination of chiral structure and TiNi shape memory alloy (SMA) sheets that performs a twist during heating is proposed. The thermo-mechanical properties of these materials are experimentally investigated. Inspired by this, a car-like material performing translational and rotational motion is designed, which illustrates the potential applications for the next-generation soft robotic devices. Based on this method, one can design remotely manipulated artificial muscles, nanorobots, revolute pairs, and thermal sensors or actuators in a noncontact fashion.
Effective factors on performance of zeolite based metal catalysts in light hydrocarbon aromatization
Authors: Sharifi Khashayar , Halladj Rouein , Royaee Seyed Javid , Towfighi Farshid , Firoozi Sepideh , Yousefi Hamidreza
Published: January 2022

Aromatic hydrocarbons are essential compounds, that the presence of which in fuels can improve the octane number. The conversion of the light alkanes to high value aromatics is vital from theoretical and industrial standpoints. Zeolites such as ZSM-5 play an essential role in the aromatization of light alkanes. This paper highlights the mechanism of aromatization of light alkanes such as methane, ethane, propane, butane, and its isomers. Furthermore, effective factors on the aromatization of light alkanes including metal type, crystallinity, acidity, space velocity, pretreatment of zeolites, co-feeding of light hydrocarbon, and operating factors such as temperature have been investigated to determine how a system of zeolite with metals can be useful to reach aromatization with high conversion.
Neurophysiological and Brain Structural Markers of Cognitive Frailty Differ from Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Kocagoncu Ece , Nesbitt David , Emery Tina , Hughes Laura E. , Henson Richard N. , Rowe James B. ,   Cambridge Center for Ageing and Neuroscience
Published: January 2022

With increasing life span and prevalence of dementia, it is important to understand the mechanisms of cognitive aging. Here, we focus on a subgroup of the population we term “cognitively frail,” defined by reduced cognitive function in the absence of subjective memory complaints, or a clinical diagnosis of dementia. Cognitive frailty is distinct from cognitive impairment caused by physical frailty. It has been proposed to be a precursor to Alzheimer's disease, but may alternatively represent one end of a nonpathologic spectrum of cognitive aging. We test these hypotheses in humans of both sexes, by comparing the structural and neurophysiological properties of a community-based cohort of cognitive frail adults, to people presenting clinically with diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment, and community-based cognitively typical older adults. Cognitive performance of the cognitively frail was similar to those with mild cognitive impairment. We used a novel cross-modal paired-associates task that presented images followed by sounds, to induce physiological responses of novelty and associative mismatch, recorded by EEG/MEG. Both controls and cognitively frail showed stronger mismatch responses and larger temporal gray matter volume, compared with people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Our results suggest that community-based cognitively frail represents a spectrum of normal aging rather than incipient Alzheimer's disease, despite similar cognitive function. Lower lifelong cognitive reserve, hearing impairment, and cardiovascular comorbidities might contribute to the etiology of the cognitive frailty. Critically, community-based cohorts of older adults with low cognitive performance should not be interpreted as representing undiagnosed Alzheimer's disease.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThe current study investigates the neural signatures of cognitive frailty in relation to healthy aging and Alzheimer's disease. We focus on the cognitive aspect of frailty and show that, despite performing similarly to the patients with mild cognitive impairment, a cohort of community-based adults with poor cognitive performance do not show structural atrophy or neurophysiological signatures of Alzheimer's disease. Our results call for caution before assuming that cognitive frailty represents latent Alzheimer's disease. Instead, the cognitive underperformance of cognitively frail adults could result in cumulative effects of multiple psychosocial risk factors over the lifespan, and medical comorbidities.
Long-term outcomes of patients with acromegaly: a report from the Swedish Pituitary Register
Authors: Arnardóttir Steinunn , Järås Jacob , Burman Pia , Berinder Katarina , Dahlqvist Per , Erfurth Eva Marie , Höybye Charlotte , Larsson Karin , Ragnarsson Oskar , Ekman Bertil , Edén Engström Britt
Published: January 2022

Objective

To describe the treatment and long-term outcomes of patients with acromegaly from all healthcare regions in Sweden.

Design and methods

Analysis of prospectively reported data from the Swedish Pituitary Register of 698 patients (51% females) with acromegaly diagnosed from 1991 to 2011. The latest clinical follow-up date was December 2012, while mortality data were collected for 28.5 years until June 2019.

Results

The annual incidence was 3.7/million; 71% of patients had a macroadenoma, 18% had visual field defects, and 25% had at least one pituitary hormone deficiency. Eighty-two percent had pituitary surgery, 10% radiotherapy, and 39% medical treatment. At the 5- and 10-year follow-ups, insulin-like growth factor 1 levels were within the reference range in 69 and 78% of patients, respectively. In linear regression, the proportion of patients with biochemical control including adjuvant therapy at 10 years follow-up increased over time by 1.23% per year. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) (95% CI) for all patients was 1.29 (1.11–1.49). For patients with biochemical control at the latest follow-up, SMR was not increased, neither among patients diagnosed between 1991 and 2000, SMR: 1.06 (0.85–1.33) nor between 2001 and2011, SMR: 0.87 (0.61–1.24). In contrast, non-controlled patients at the latest follow-up from both decades had elevated SMR, 1.90 (1.33–2.72) and 1.98 (1.24–3.14), respectively.

Conclusions

The proportion of patients with biochemical control increased over time. Patients with biochemically controlled acromegaly have normal life expectancy, while non-controlled patients still have increased mortality. The high rate of macroadenomas and unchanged age at diagnosis illustrates the need for improvements in the management of patients with acromegaly.
Italian Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AME) and International Chapter of Clinical Endocrinology (ICCE). Position statement for clinical practice: prolactin-secreting tumors
Authors: Cozzi Renato , Ambrosio Maria Rosaria , Attanasio Roberto , Battista Claudia , Bozzao Alessandro , Caputo Marco , Ciccarelli Enrica , De Marinis Laura , De Menis Ernesto , Faustini Fustini Marco , Grimaldi Franco , Lania Andrea , Lasio Giovanni , Logoluso Francesco , Losa Marco , Maffei Pietro , Milani Davide , Poggi Maurizio , Zini Michele , Katznelson Laurence , Luger Anton , Poiana Catalina
Published: January 2022

Prolactinomas are the most frequent pituitary adenomas. Prolactinoma may occur in different clinical settings and always require an individually tailored approach. This is the reason why a panel of Italian neuroendocrine experts was charged with the task to provide indications for the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches that can be easily applied in different contexts. The document provides 15 recommendations for diagnosis and 54 recommendations for treatment, issued according to the GRADE system. The level of agreement among panel members was formally evaluated by RAND-UCLA methodology. In the last century, prolactinomas represented the paradigm of pituitary tumors for which the development of highly effective drugs obtained the best results, allowing to avoid neurosurgery in most cases. The impressive improvement of neurosurgical endoscopic techniques allows a far better definition of the tumoral tissue during surgery and the remission of endocrine symptoms in many patients with pituitary tumors. Consequently, this refinement of neurosurgery is changing the therapeutic strategy in prolactinomas, allowing the definitive cure of some patients with permanent discontinuation of medical therapy.
Unusual increase in carcinoembryonic antigen despite response to selpercatinib in two patients with medullary thyroid cancer
Authors: Bardet Stéphane , Ciappuccini Renaud , Lamartina Livia , Leboulleux Sophie
Published: January 2022

Introduction

Serum calcitonin (CT) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) are valuable tumour markers in patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). Both markers most often evolve in parallel after treatment. Selpercatinib (LOXO-292) is a highly selective RET kinase inhibitor indicated in advanced RET-mutant MTC patients.

Cases presentation

In this study, we report two observations of RET-mutant progressive metastatic and symptomatic MTC patients who were treated with selpercatinib. Patient 1, a 61-year-old man, presented dyspnoea and diarrhoea at selpercatinib initiation with large neck lymph nodes and lung metastases. Patient 2, a 76-year-old man, had acute discomfort with flush and diarrhoea, with small but diffuse bone and liver disease. Both patients had an objective tumour response with rapid clinical improvement and RECIST 1.1 response (−90%) in patient 1. A rapid dramatic decrease in CT level was observed in both patients (−99% in both patients), while CEA levels gradually and sustainably increased after selpercatinib initiation (+207% at cycle 15 in patient 1 and + 835% at cycle 14 in patient 2). In both patients, 18FDG PET/CT did not show any abnormal uptake that could explain the CEA increase. Colonoscopy and oesogastric fibroscopy showed colonic polyposis with mild oesophagitis and gastritis in patient 1 and were normal in patient 2.

Conclusion

These observations show an unusual and lasting increase in serum CEA in two MTC patients who exhibited an objective tumour response to selpercatinib. The mechanism behind this unexpected rise in CEA level remains unknown. The frequency of this evolving profile will be determined in further phase III studies.
Pregnancy-specific glycoproteins: evolution, expression, functions and disease associations
Authors: Moore Tom , Williams John M , Becerra-Rodriguez Maria Angeles , Dunne Matthew , Kammerer Robert , Dveksler Gabriela
Published: January 2022

Pregnancy-specific glycoproteins (PSGs) are members of the immunoglobulin superfamily and are closely related to the predominantly membrane-bound CEACAM proteins. PSGs are produced by placental trophoblasts and secreted into the maternal bloodstream at high levels where they may regulate maternal immune and vascular functions through receptor binding and modulation of cytokine and chemokine expression and activity. PSGs may have autocrine and paracrine functions in the placental bed, and PSGs can activate soluble and extracellular matrix bound TGF-β, with potentially diverse effects on multiple cell types. PSGs are also found at high levels in the maternal circulation, at least in human, where they may have endocrine functions. In a non-reproductive context, PSGs are expressed in the gastrointestinal tract and their deregulation may be associated with colorectal cancer and other diseases. Like many placental hormones, PSGs are encoded by multigene families and they have an unusual phylogenetic distribution, being found predominantly in species with hemochorial placentation, with the notable exception of the horse in which PSG-like proteins are expressed in the endometrial cups of the epitheliochorial placenta. The evolution and expansion of PSG gene families appear to be a highly active process, with significant changes in gene numbers and protein domain structures in different mammalian lineages and reports of extensive copy number variation at the human locus. Against this apparent diversification, the available evidence indicates extensive conservation of PSG functions in multiple species. These observations are consistent with maternal–fetal conflict underpinning the evolution of PSGs.
Changes in Quality of Economic Planning in the Late USSR: Technological and Institutional Dynamics
Authors: Didenko Dmitry V.
Published: January 2022

Introduction. Studying the Soviet economic performance is important in searching for arguments in the ongoing debate on the possibilities of routine and strategic planning application for economic development of the Russian Federation. The purpose of the article is to identify the dynamics of the planning quality of the Soviet economy in the framework of the institutional approach to economic history. Materials and Methods. The author constructed a data set filled with available information on key growth indicators (national income, production volume and labor productivity, capital investment) targeted in five-year and annual plans, which passed their way from initial drafts proposed by academic economists and employees of the State Planning Commission to approved legal documents, and to the further implementation, presented in branch (industry, agriculture, retail) and spatial (union republics) breakdown. The archival data on the growing activity of the State Planning Commission for revising the approved planned indicators is of our primary contribution. Results. The author highlights the factors underlying the deviations for key planned aggregated indicators that arose at various stages of their preparation, adoption and revision, between their approved figures and actual performance. The results of the data analysis basically confirmed our hypothesis that the technological improvement of the planning process was largely offset by the deterioration of institutional interactions between its subjects. Discussion and Conclusion. While there were signs of an increase in the role of scientists in the process of drafting five-year plans from the second half of the 1950s to the mid-1970s, then from the second half of the 1970s we find less and less evidence that they played a meaningful role in the short and medium term planning processes. On the other hand, our analysis revealed a significantly higher level of fulfillment in annual breakdown compared to five-year one. This confirms the view that just annual plans performed more operational functions, as compared to the motivational ones, in managing the Soviet economy.
La fiscalidad en la historia de Centroamérica y Chiapas: trayectorias historiográficas y posibles caminos, 1760-1840
Authors: Pollack Aaron , Sarazúa Pérez Juan Carlos
Published: January 2022

La historiografía que se ocupa de los cambios y las continuidades en la fiscalidad en Centroamérica y Chiapas entre 1760 y 1840 es el objeto de las reflexiones en este artículo. Las investigaciones realizadas sobre el final del periodo colonial son relativamente pocas y ha habido más atención, notablemente en años recientes, sobre las primeras décadas después de las independencias. La historiografía resalta la importancia de la fiscalidad para la configuración del Estado y del resto de la sociedad. Los estudios contemplados se enfocan principalmente en los monopolios estatales del tabaco y el aguardiente, el tributo y las contribuciones directas, la alcabala, la expropiación de los bienes eclesiásticos y la importancia de la deuda. Se compara y contrasta las variaciones en la importancia relativa de estas fuentes de ingreso en los diferentes territorios. Además, se proponen caminos para futuras investigaciones en este campo.