bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Marlborough Cottage and the Great Aunts
Authors: Loadman John , James Francis
Published: November 2023

The Revd James Lyne B. James was the grandson of Eliza James, née Hancock, whose photograph appears as Fig. 16.13. the three ladies in Figs 14.1–14.3 were his great aunts. As we saw in the previous chapter, the two eldest sisters, Maria (1816–1902) and Frances (Fanny)(1818–95) inherited the lease to Marlborough Cottage in Thomasߣ will and lived there as spinsters until their deaths in 1902 and 1895 respectively.
The Garden Temple
Authors: Kingsmill Slg Edmée
Published: November 2023

The word gan, ‘garden’, occurs in the Hebrew Bible forty times, of which fourteen are in Genesis, where it occurs in varying ways as ‘a garden in Eden’ (2: 8), or ‘the garden of Eden’ (2: 15), and otherwise simply as ‘the garden’, except once when it is ‘the garden of the Lord’ (13: 10). In Ezekiel it occurs four times as ‘the garden of God’ and once as ‘the garden of Eden’, which it is also at Isaiah 51: 3 and Joel 2: 3. Otherwise we find only odd references to a garden in Deuteronomy, 1 and 2 Kings, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Nehemiah, except in the Song, where it is a key word, occurring nine times. The first task, then, is to examine in what sense the poet is using ‘garden’ in this book.
Using Environmental Taxation For Transport Demand Management
Authors: Potter Stephen
Published: November 2023

Transport is a particularly problematic area for environmental policy. Good transport is a vital part of our economy and society, but transport activities have a range of negative environmental and other impacts. Direct physical effects include vehicle emissions, which have both a local impact on air quality but also global impacts in terms of CO and other climate change gasses. Other direct impacts include vehicle noise, land-take by roads, airports and railways, and the waste produced when vehicles are scrapped. But a distinctive feature of transport activities is that they also have ‘second-order’ system impacts. These relate to how societies and economies create and adapt to increasingly transport-intensive lifestyles. Such effects include changes in activity and settlement patterns which stimulate dispersed land-use patterns and high transport dependence. These second-order effects of transport developments can have long-term, entrenched, and often unanticipated social impacts. For example, health effects are not just traffic accidents or even traffic pollution contributing to respiratory illness, but poor health from an increasingly sedentary and obese society.
Petroleum Royalties And Municipal Development: The Case Of Campos Basin In Brazil
Authors: Campos Bruno Cesar
Published: November 2023

The oil industry’s role in the Brazilian economy has grown considerably. Although started in the 1950s, it was from the 1970s that with the exploration of the Campos Basin, production became significant. Responsible for approximately 84 per cent of the oil production and natural gas in Brazil, the Campos Basin stretches out along the coast of two Brazilian states: Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro. Its daily production exceeds 1.5 million barrels.
Carbon Taxes Versus Cap-And-Trade: The Relative Burdens And Risks Of Market-Based Administration
Authors: Milne Janet E
Published: November 2023

Market-based environmental instruments originated with relatively straightforward economic theories. Government can raise prices through taxes in order to induce changes in decision-making, or it can limit the quantities through a cap-and-trade programme to allow the market to efficiently allocate the right to pollute up to a stated level.
The environmental fee-for-tax reform in china: a one-size-fits-all solution for environmental problems?
Authors: Qin Tianbao , Chen Ping
Published: November 2023

China faces a serious environmental situation. The environment’s limited load capacity and the need to meet energy-emission-reduction targets has led to the introduction of successful examples of environmental governance from economically advanced countries. Economic incentives are one such valuable example. Currently, the most significant economic incentive to control pollution emission is the pollution discharge fee (PDF) system. This system started in 1982. Over the past 20 years it has played an important role in pollution-emission control and environmental protection. However, many problems remain: for example, the low collection rate, the lack of transparency in procedures, the uncertainty of the scope and amount of charge, as well as arbitrariness and confusion in using the fee, etc. Compared to the existing fee system, the environmental taxation system has obvious advantages, with its mandatory implementation, stability, and standardization, and the use of the taxes as earmarked. In the light of the successful experiences of environment tax in foreign countries and China’s lack of success with the PDF, many have strongly argued that China immediately abolish the PDF system, and establish an environmental taxation system (‘feefor- tax reform’).
Symmetry and the solid state
Authors: Bradley C J , Cracknell A P
Published: November 2023

The history of man’s interest in symmetry goes back many centuries (Belov 1956b, Coxeter and Moser 1965, Steno 1669), but its study on a modern scientific basis can be considered to have been started by the Abbe HaÜy. HaÜy studied the behaviour of a specimen of calcite when it was cleaved and, by breaking it into smaller and smaller pieces and studying the angles between the faces of the fragments, he convinced himself that the crystal was made up by the repetition of a large number of identical units. HaÜy (1815a–d) studied many other crystals as well and summarized his conclusions in his so-called Loi de symmetrie. The study of symmetry developed through the nineteenth century with the formulation of ideas about point groups, Bravais lattices, and space groups.
The single-valued representations of the 230 space groups
Authors: Bradley C J , Cracknell A P
Published: November 2023

In this chapter we tabulate the reps of each of the 230 space groups at each point of symmetry and along each line of symmetry in the basic domain of the appropriate Brillouin zone. The theory that has been used in the derivation of these reps was discussed in the later sections of Chapter 3 and, in more abstract terms, in Chapter 4. In addition to tabulating the results we shall include, in section 5.4, some examples to illustrate the extraction of information from the tables which are, of necessity, in a relatively condensed form.
The magnetic groups and their corepresentations
Authors: Bradley C J , Cracknell A P
Published: November 2023

The 230 space groups (Fedorov groups) were discussed in Chapter 1 and a detailed classification of them was given in section 3.5. These groups were regarded as the ultimate development in the study of the symmetry of a crystal until Shubnikov in 1951 introduced the idea of operations of anti-symmetry. By considering an extra coordinate, with only two possible values, in addition to the ordinary position coordinates in a crystal, for example colour (black or white), sign ( + or − ), or direction of magnetic moment (parallel or anti-parallel to a given direction) it is possible to define the operation of anti-symmetry as the operation which changes the value of this coordinate, i.e. black to white and white to black for example. If this operation of anti-symmetry is denoted by ℛ it is possible to have compound operations of anti-symmetry corresponding to the performance of both an ordinary point-group or space-group operation { R | v} together with the operation of anti-symmetry ℛthis is analogous to an improper point-group operation that consists of the performance of a pure rotation operation together with the inversion operation.
Investigating the influence of PVDF binder crystallinity on the performance of LiFePO4 cathode in Li-ion batteries
Authors: Nishanth Joseph , Singh Dinachandra , Panja Santu , Chandran T Mani , Brajesh Kumar , Omar Shobit , Nalwa Kanwar S
Published: November 2023

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) has been widely utilized as a binder material in cathode as well as anode preparation for Li-ion batteries. Recent reports on water-soluble and functional binders have firmly established that even though the binder consists of only a small part of the electrode, it can significantly boost cell performance. However, no previous report has specifically explored the role of PVDF crystallinity on the performance of the LiFePO4 cathode and cell. In the present work, LiFePO4 cathodes with two different binders PVDF 1 (Kynar HSV 900), and PVDF 2 (Solef 5130) have been prepared. The PVDF binder with higher crystallinity showed more viscosity (86.3 Pa.s), higher adhesion strength (11.42 N-cm−1), and minimal electrolyte uptake (11.3%) as compared to the low crystallinity binder (32.8 Pa.s, 1.30 N-cm−1, and 18.88%). Thus, the cell having more crystalline PVDF binder showed a higher initial capacity of ∼146 mAh-g−1 and stable cyclability performance (82% capacity retention after 500 cycles) as compared to the cell with less crystalline binder PVDF (∼136 mAh-g−1 and 64%). The post-mortem analysis performed after 500 cycles of charging and discharging revealed relatively smaller cracks formed in the cathode with higher crystallinity binder, which explains its better cyclability.
Oceanic and Continental Lithospheric Mantle in the 1.95-Ga Jormua Ophiolite Complex, Finland: Implications for Mantle and Crustal Evolution
Authors: Finlayson Valerie A , Haller Mitchell , Day James M D , Ginley Stephen , O'Driscoll Brian , Kontinen Asko , Hanski Eero , Walker Richard J
Published: November 2023

The ca. 1.95-Ga Jormua Ophiolite Complex (JOC), Finland, is a rare Paleoproterozoic ophiolite that preserves a record of diverse upper mantle materials and melting processes. Meter-scale grid sampling of four JOC outcrops, as well as non-grid samples, permits evaluation of meter- to kilometer-scale mantle heterogeneity within the JOC. Significant heterogeneity is observed between the four grids, and also among a number of the non-grid samples examined. Variations in the concentrations of fluid-mobile elements are particularly large among different samples and locations. New whole-rock major, lithophile trace, and highly siderophile element data (HSE: Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, Pd, Re), including 187Re–187Os isotopic data, for serpentinized harzburgites indicate the presence of two distinct compositional types and probable modes of origin within the JOC. This is consistent with prior findings. Type 1 is similar to modern refractory abyssal-type mantle. Type 2 is more highly refractory than Type 1, and most likely represents samples from sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). Type 1 mantle is moderately heterogeneous with respect to major and trace element and Os isotopic compositions at both the meter and kilometer scales. By contrast, Type 2 mantle is considerably more homogeneous than Type 1 grids at the meter scale, but is more heterogeneous at the kilometer scale. The median initial γOs value for Type 1 mantle, calculated for 1.95 Ga, is ~ −2.0 (where γOs is the % deviation in 187Os/188Os relative to a chondritic reference calculated for a specified time). This isotopic composition is consistent with a moderate, long-term decrease in Re/Os relative to the estimate for primitive mantle, prior to JOC formation. The similarity in this γOs value to the value for the modern abyssal mantle, as well as the initial values for several Phanerozoic ophiolites, suggests that the upper mantle achieved a Re/Os ratio similar to the chondritic reference by ~2 Ga, then evolved along a subparallel trajectory to the chondritic reference since then. For this to occur, only limited Re could have been permanently removed from the upper mantle since at least the time the JOC formed. A localized secondary metasomatic event at ~2 Ga, concurrent with the estimated obduction age for the JOC and subsequent Svecofennian Orogeny, affected the HSE systematics of some Type 1 samples. By contrast, late Archean Os TRD model ages for Type 2 rocks indicate a depletion event superimposed upon the long-term Re depletion of the abyssal mantle. This event was established no later than ~2.6 Ga and may have occurred during a period of significant, well-documented crustal production in the Karelia craton at ~2.7 Ga.
Impact of different CRPS phenotypes and diagnostic criteria on quantitative sensory testing outcomes: systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Sobeeh Mohamed Gomaa , Hassan Karima Abdelaty , Silva Anabela G , Bruehl Stephen
Published: November 2023

Objectives

This review and meta-analysis evaluated the impact of diagnostic criteria and clinical phenotypes on quantitative sensory testing (QST) outcomes in patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).

Methods

Eight databases were searched based on a previously published protocol. Forty studies comparing QST outcomes between CRPS-I vs II, warm vs cold CRPS, upper vs lower limb CRPS, males vs females, or using Budapest vs older IASP criteria were included.

Results

Studies investigating QST differences between CRPS-I vs II (n = 4), between males vs females (n = 2), and between upper and lower limb CRPS (n = 2) showed no significant differences. Four studies compared QST outcomes in warm vs cold CRPS, showing heat hyperalgesia in warm CRPS, with thermal and mechanical sensory loss in cold CRPS. Although CRPS diagnosed using the Budapest criteria (24 studies) vs 1994 IASP criteria (13 studies) showed similar sensory profiles, there was significant heterogeneity and low quality of evidence in the latter.

Conclusions

Based on the findings of this review, classifying CRPS according to presence or absence of nerve lesion into CRPS-I and II, location (upper or lower limb) or according to sex might not be clinically relevant as all appear to have comparable sensory profiles that might suggest similar underlying mechanisms. In contrast, warm vs cold phenotypes exhibited clear differences in their associated QST sensory profiles. To the extent that differences in underlying mechanisms might lead to differential treatment responsiveness, it appears unlikely that CRPS-I vs II, CRPS location, or patient sex would prove useful in guiding clinical management.
Compassion Fatigue Syndrome in Social Workers and Its relationship with Emotional Intelligence
Authors: Barrera-Algarín Evaristo , Castro-Ibáñez Rebeca , Vallejo-Andrada Ana , Martínez-Fernández Rocío
Published: November 2023

A study was conducted on how emotional intelligence and compassion fatigue (CF) interact in social workers. The hypothesis was that social workers with higher emotional intelligence were less likely to suffer/develop CF. A sample of 264 subjects was selected from among 2,014 active social workers in Seville (Spain). They were administered a sociodemographic questionnaire (α = .710), the Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Short Form (α = .790), and the Compassion Fatigue Scale (α = .770). Authors carried out a reliability analysis (Cronbach’s alpha), a frequency study, contingency tables, a Pearson-type correlations analysis, a linear regression analysis, and analysis of variance–type significance tests (with values between p = .001 and p = .005). The social workers who participated in this study presented high emotional intelligence, yet high rates of CF were found. Specifically, the lower the social worker’s manifest level of emotional intelligence, the greater the suffering of CF. Overall, social workers with higher emotional intelligence were less likely to suffer or develop CF.
Frequency, Markers and Costs of Secondary Bacterial Infection in Pediatric Dengue
Authors: Salgado Doris , Silva Jennifer M. , Salcedo Arnold , Losada Paula Ximena , Niño Angela P. , Molano Milton , Bermeo Juan M. , Restrepo Ruby , Perdomo-Celis Federico , Narváez Carlos F. , Toro Jessica F.
Published: November 2023

Background:

Secondary bacterial infection (SBI) occurs in a proportion of individuals with dengue and results in longer hospitalization, higher mortality, and increased health-related costs. However, the frequency, risk factors and predictive biomarkers of this comorbidity in pediatric dengue is partially known.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective multicenter study in a dengue hyperendemic region of Colombia, analyzing 1597 children from two pediatric cohorts. We included children with confirmed dengue (mild to severe disease) and evaluated the rate of SBI, their clinical characteristics, diagnostic predictors and attention costs. We also assessed the diagnostic performance of plasma interleukin (IL)-6 for detecting SBI in pediatric dengue.

Results:

The frequency of SBI in children with dengue with warning signs in cohorts 1 and 2 was 2.4% and 7.3%, respectively, and this rate reached 30.7% and 38.2% in children with severe disease. Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were the more frequent infectious agents. Increased total leukocytes and C-reactive protein levels, as well as high IL-6 at hospital admission, in children <48 months of age were early indications of SBI in dengue. Higher rates of organ dysfunction, the requirement of a longer hospitalization and a 2.3-fold increase in attention costs were observed in SBI.

Conclusions:

An important proportion of children with dengue course with SBI and exhibit higher morbidity. Elevated leukocytes, C-reactive protein and IL-6 in young children are early markers of SBI. Physicians should identify children with dengue and risk factors for SBI, microbiologically confirm the bacterial infection, and rationally and timely provide antimicrobial therapy.
Measurement of portal vein indices and splenic index by ultrasound and their association with gastroesophageal varices in cirrhosis of liver
Authors: Katwal Shailendra , Ansari Mukhtar A. , Suwal Sundar , Rayamajhi Surendra , Ghimire Prasoon , Ghimire Aastha
Published: November 2023

Background and Objectives:

Esophageal and gastric fundic varices are common in liver cirrhosis patients. Ultrasound with the Doppler study assesses liver cirrhosis severity, measuring portal vein and splenic indices’ association with gastroesophageal varices.

Methodology:

This study was conducted on 64 subjects with sonographic features of chronic liver disease who were referred for routine follow-up scans. Portal vein diameter, average velocity, splenic index, congestion index (CI), and portal vein area and velocity were measured.

Result:

Subjects with gastroesophageal varices had significantly larger portal vein diameters (14.7±1.64 mm) compared to those without varices (12.05±1.26 mm) (P<0.05). Conversely, subjects without varices exhibited a higher portal vein velocity of (17.9±0.6 cm/s) than with varices (13.91±2.01 cm/s) (P=0.0005). The splenic index was higher in subjects with varices (1120±494 cm3) than those without varices (419 cm3) (P<0.05). The CI was also higher in subjects with varices. Portal vein velocity showed the highest sensitivity (94%) with a cutoff of 19 cm/s, while the CI had the highest diagnostic accuracy (93.75%) with a cutoff of 0.10 cm xsec. The splenic index demonstrated a sensitivity of 92.85% and diagnostic accuracy of 92.18% with a cutoff of 480 cm3. The splenic index followed by the CI is found to be a better predictor of esophageal varices (area under the curve of 96.8 and 96%, respectively).

Conclusion:

Ultrasonographic assessment of the portal vein and spleen is a reliable, noninvasive method for predicting gastroesophageal varices in liver cirrhosis. The splenic index and CI have high diagnostic accuracy.
Analysis of Drug Formulary Exclusions from the Patient’s Perspective: 2023 Update
Authors: Chea Sara , Sydor Anne M. , Popovian Robert
Published: November 2023

Objective

Pharmacy benefit management companies (PBMs) often determine medication reimbursement, out-of-pocket costs, and access through formularies. Formularies were initially intended to ensure the use of cost-effective medication. Today, formularies are designed to maximize concessions (i.e., rebates, discounts, fees, and other concessions) to PBMs from the biopharmaceutical industry. Formulary exclusions enhance the ability to drive profits through rebate contracting for PBMs. Our 2022 research analyzed whether formulary exclusions benefit patients medically or economically. This update provides an analysis of exclusions based on the 2023 Express Scripts (ESI) national formulary.

Methods

We analyzed ESI’s 2023 national preferred formulary exclusions. ESI is the second-largest PBM in the U.S. and makes its national preferred formulary exclusions list publicly available. We categorized substitutions as equivalent (same active agent used) vs. therapeutic (different active agent). From a patient perspective, we evaluated each exclusion by potential clinical or economic outcomes and compared it to the results from the 2022 analysis.

Results

More than half (57.4%) of the formulary exclusions had questionable economic or medical benefits or both for patients. The results demonstrate a 9% increase in questionable patient benefits compared with 48.4% in 2022.

Conclusions

Because patient co-pays and deductibles are based on retail prices, some formulary exclusions force patients to pay substantially more for a preferred drug or use a medication with questionable medical benefits for their condition. Exclusions also force prescribers to choose treatments that may have adverse financial or medical outcomes for their patients.
Probing the Evolution of Genes Associated With DNA Methylation inListeria monocytogenes
Authors: Nwaiwu Ogueri , Onyeaka Helen , Rees Catherine
Published: November 2023

In the last decade, there have been increased reports of atypicalListeriaand the discovery of new species. There are public health concerns that new strains may come with increased pathogenicity. Hence, this study aimed to establish the prevalence, evolutionary lineage and ancestry of aListeria monocytogenescollection that includes isolates that harbour a unique set of methylase genes. The addition of methyl groups to DNA can interfere with transcription. Allelic-specific lineage analysis and ribotyping with southern hybridization were carried out after which further phylogenetic analysis was performedin silico. Results show that all the methylase strains belonged to Lineage I and were serotypes 4b or 4d. All designated ancestral strains also belonged to Lineage 1. AListeria monocytogenesplasmid from a serotype 1/2a (Lineage II) contained sequences homologous to that of Lineage I isolates. The methylase nucleotide sequence in the strains studied appears to be highly conserved inListeria monocytogenesand not yet orthologous among other bacterial genera. It is of epidemiological interest and public benefit if wider or continuous surveillance is carried out to ascertain if these rare strains are linked with increased pathogenesis, food type or geographical region.
Context Dependent Perturbation of Allelic Expression Imbalance Reveals Novel Candidate Therapeutic Targets for Metabolic diseases
Authors: Moon Sunjin , Park So-Young
Published: November 2023

Background

Obesity is a pivotal trigger for a spectrum of complex metabolic disorders. By colocalizing cis-eQTLs in adipose tissues from the GTEx consortium and trait-associated SNPs for complex traits from the GWAS Catalog within 3.6 million DNase I hypersensitive sites (DHSs), we systematically identify regulatory variants and genes that exhibit cis effects, as well as potential causal variants within the context of regulatory elements.

Results

Our analysis reveals that 229,504 (26.4%) cis-eQTLs located within DHS reside densely near the transcription start sites, contrasting with those outside of DHS. We observed that genes with higher allelic imbalance have shorter transcript lengths with larger number cis-eQTLs within DHS, and such imbalance genes are predominantly linked to signaling and immune response, whereas those with lower allelic imbalance tend to be involved in metabolism. Our composite colocalization score prioritizes 5,202 DHSs that encompass both cis-eQTLs and trait-associated SNPs, targeting 2,232 protein-coding genes and 523 lncRNAs across complex traits. We highlight the lncRNA SNHG5 as a prime example; it is associated with high-density lipoprotein levels and exhibits low allelic imbalance, and is also down-regulated in adipose tissue from patients with obesity.

Conclusions

Our findings underscore the critical role of regulatory context in pinpointing causal variants and refining target genes, offering rich insights into the genetic mechanisms pertinent to obesity and providing valuable resources for the diagnosis and therapeutic targeting of metabolic diseases.
Comprehensive mapping of cell fates in microsatellite unstable cancer cells supports dual targeting of WRN and ATR
Authors: Zong Dali , Koussa Natasha C. , Cornwell James A. , Pankajam Ajith V. , Kruhlak Michael J. , Wong Nancy , Chari Raj , Cappell Steven D. , Nussenzweig André
Published: November 2023

Addiction to the WRN helicase is a unique vulnerability of human cancers with high levels of microsatellite instability (MSI-H). However, while prolonged loss of WRN ultimately leads to cell death, little is known about how MSI-H cancers initially respond to acute loss of WRN—knowledge that would be helpful for informing clinical development of WRN targeting therapy, predicting possible resistance mechanisms, and identifying useful biomarkers of successful WRN inhibition. Here, we report the construction of an inducible ligand-mediated degradation system in which the stability of endogenous WRN protein can be rapidly and specifically tuned, enabling us to track the complete sequence of cellular events elicited by acute loss of WRN function. We found that WRN degradation leads to immediate accrual of DNA damage in a replication-dependent manner that curiously did not robustly engage checkpoint mechanisms to halt DNA synthesis. As a result, WRN-degraded MSI-H cancer cells accumulate DNA damage across multiple replicative cycles and undergo successive rounds of increasingly aberrant mitoses, ultimately triggering cell death. Of potential therapeutic importance, we found no evidence of any generalized mechanism by which MSI-H cancers could adapt to near-complete loss of WRN. However, under conditions of partial WRN degradation, addition of low-dose ATR inhibitor significantly increased their combined efficacy to levels approaching full inactivation of WRN. Overall, our results provide the first comprehensive view of molecular events linking upstream inhibition of WRN to subsequent cell death and suggest that dual targeting of WRN and ATR might be a useful strategy for treating MSI-H cancers.
Does diversity facilitate consumer decisions: a comparative perspective based on single-category versus multi-category products
Authors: Dong Xiaosong , Tu Hanqi , Zhu Hanzhe , Liu Tianlang , Zhao Xing , Xie Kai
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This study aims to explore the opposite effects of single-category versus multi-category products information diversity on consumer decision making. Further, the authors investigate the moderating role of three categories of visitors – direct, hesitant and hedonic – in the relationship between product information diversity and consumer decision making.

Design/methodology/approach

The research utilizes a sample of 1,101,062 product click streams from 4,200 consumers. Visitors are clustered using the k-means algorithm. The diversity of information recommendations for single and multi-category products is characterized using granularity and dispersion, respectively. Empirical analysis is conducted to examine their influence on the two-stage decision-making process of heterogeneous online visitors.

Findings

The study reveals that the impact of recommended information diversity on consumer decision making differs significantly between single-category and multiple-category products. Specifically, information diversity in single-category products enhances consumers' click and purchase intention, while information diversity in multiple-category products reduces consumers' click and purchase intention. Moreover, based on the analysis of online visiting heterogeneity, hesitant, direct and hedonic features enhance the positive impact of granularity on consumer decision making; while direct features exacerbate the negative impact of dispersion on consumer decision making.

Originality/value

First, the article provides support for studies related to information cocoon. Second, the research contributes evidence to support the information overload theory. Third, the research enriches the field of precision marketing theory.
Developing an ecology of disabilities framework: viewing disability inclusively
Authors: Walker Gabriela
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This study introduces an ecological framework for disabilities meant to provide a new model of viewing and learning about disabilities and special education. This model projects a multi-systemic view of factors that influence a person's life, where people with disabilities are active actors in the development of the world. The increased awareness about interconnectedness, globalization, inter- and trans-disciplinarity, influences on human experience, greening, sustainability, inequality, inequity and lack of opportunities is shifting how people think about potential and growth.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodological approach is qualitative, interpretive research.

Findings

In disability studies, the Ecological Model of Disabilities helps reframe this uniqueness as part of the spectrum of human experiences. In special education, the Ecoducation Model helps reframe the learning experience.

Research limitations/implications

This research is conceptual, but it is also all-inclusive, rendering itself to a wide application in educational settings.

Practical implications

The Ecoducation Model for Special Education is specific to the education of children and adults with disabilities, and it is directly compatible with the broader Ecological Model of Disabilities. These ecological models can be applied to all levels of the ecological system, and to different ecodemes of population. Nevertheless, the ecological models need to be locally implemented, with general principles tailored to national traditions, laws and resources.

Social implications

Advocating for the pursuit of individual well-being within the larger society, both models call for practical changes in a multitude of areas, including legislation and policy, training of professional personnel, sufficient financial input in programs designed for the care of children and adults with disabilities, change in societal mentalities to fight discrimination, disempowerment and isolation. Because the scope of ecological frameworks is incommensurate, being both interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary, further research possibilities are countless. The ecological perspective opens the fields of disability studies and special education to new theoretical and empirical possibilities.

Originality/value

Two epistemological models are described as new frameworks in disability studies: the Ecological Model of Disabilities and the Ecoducation Model for Special Education. Both are original models that look into the education and inclusion of the person with disabilities.
Exclusive liquor and cocktail consumption is associated with at‐risk fibrosis among nonheavy alcohol users with metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease
Authors: Ting Peng‐sheng , Lin Wei‐Ting , Huang Chiung‐Kuei , Lin Hui‐Yi , Tseng Tung‐Sung , Chen Po‐Hung
Published: November 2023

Background

Metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and alcohol consumption have both increased in recent years, and there is debate as to whether nonheavy alcohol use is safe in MASLD. We analyzed the association between different nonheavy alcohol use patterns and at‐risk liver fibrosis among individuals with MASLD.

Methods

We conducted a cross‐sectional study of 1072 eligible National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants with MASLD who reported nonheavy alcohol consumption. We used vibration‐controlled transient elastography to define the primary outcome of at‐risk liver fibrosis as >8.2 kPa (stage F2‐F4). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine the association of different alcohol consumption patterns (average drinks/day, drinking days/week, weekly alcohol intake, type of alcoholic beverage) and at‐risk hepatic fibrosis, controlling for demographic/socioeconomic, lifestyle/dietary, and metabolic risk factors.

Results

Exclusive liquor or cocktail drinkers had a 5.02‐fold odds of at‐risk fibrosis (95% CI: 1.15–21.95) compared with non‐drinkers when controlling for potential confounders. While consuming an average of 2 drinks/day, ≥3 drinking days/week, or 1–3 drinks/week appeared to have a lower association with at‐risk fibrosis when controlling for demographic/socioeconomic risk factors, the association was not present after controlling for lifestyle/dietary and metabolic risk factors.

Conclusions

There is an association between exclusive liquor/cocktail consumption and at‐risk liver fibrosis in patients with MASLD who report nonheavy alcohol consumption.
Remote ischemic conditioning after stroke: Research progress in clinical study
Authors: Jiang Bin , Wang Xiaojie , Ma Jianping , Fayyaz Aminah , Wang Li , Qin Pei , Ding Yuchuan , Ji Xunming , Li Sijie
Published: November 2023

Background and Purpose

Stroke is a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, indicating the necessity and urgency of effective prevention and treatment. Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) is a convenient, simple, non‐intrusive, and effective method that can be easily added to the treatment regime of stroke patients. Animal experiments and clinical trials have proved the neuroprotective effects of RIC on brain injury including (examples of neuroprotective effects). This neuroprotection is achieved by raising brain tolerance to ischemia, increasing local cerebral blood perfusion, promoting collateral circulations, neural regeneration, and reducing the incidence of hematomas in brain tissue. This current paper will summarize the studies within the last 2 years for the comprehensive understanding of the use of RIC in the treatment of stroke.

Methods

This paper summarizes the clinical research progress of RIC on stroke (ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke (HS)). This paper is a systematic review of research published on registered clinical trials using RIC in stroke from inception through November 2022. Four major databases (PUBMED, WEB OF SCIENCE, EMBASE, and ClinicalTrials.gov) were searched.

Results

Forty‐eight studies were identified meeting our criteria. Of these studies, 14 were in patients with acute ischemic stroke with onset times ranging from 6 h to 14 days, seven were in patients with intravenous thrombolysis or endovascular thrombectomy, 10 were in patients with intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis, six on patients with vascular cognitive impairment, three on patients with moyamoya disease, and eight on patients with HS. Of the 48 studies, 42 were completed and six are ongoing.

Conclusions

RIC is safe, feasible, and effective in the treatment of stroke. Large‐scale research is still required to explore the optimal treatment options and mechanisms of RIC in the future to develop a breakthrough in stroke prevention and treatment.
Optic nerve pilomyxoid astrocytoma: Intraoperative squash smear cytology of a rare entity
Authors: Tathe Shilpa P. , Parate Sanjay N.
Published: November 2023

Pilomyxoid astrocytoma [PMA] is a rare, recently described variant of pilocytic astrocytoma with unique clinical and histopathological characteristics. It typically affects the optico‐chiasmatic and hypothalamic region in infants and young children. Though the pilocytic astrocytoma is the commonest tumor of the optic nerve, pilomyxoid astrocytoma arising from the intraorbital part of the optic nerve is extremely rare. To the best of our knowledge, only one case of introrbital optic nerve pilomyxoid astrocytoma has been described in the English literature. We report two cases of pilomyxoid astrocytoma arising from the intraorbital optic nerve, diagnosed on intraoperative squash smear cytology and later confirmed on histopathology. Like in other locations, optic nerve pilomyxoid astrocytoma behaves in an aggressive manner.
The longitudinal impact of type 2 diabetes on brain gyrification
Authors: Crisóstomo Joana , Duarte João V. , Canário Nádia , Moreno Carolina , Gomes Leonor , Castelo‐Branco Miguel
Published: November 2023

Type 2 diabetes has an effect on brain structure, including cortical gyrification. The significance of these changes is better understood if assessed over time. However, there is a lack of studies assessing longitudinally the effect of this disease with complex aethology in gyrification. While changes in this feature have been associated mainly with genetic legacy, our study allowed to shed light on the effect of the variation of glycaemic profile over time in gyrification in this metabolic disease. In this longitudinal study, we analysed brain anatomical magnetic resonance images of 15 participants with type 2 diabetes and 13 healthy control participants to investigate the impact of this metabolic disease on the gyrification index over a 7‐year period. We observed a significant interaction between time and group in six regions, four of which (left precentral gyrus, left gyrus rectus, left subcentral gyrus and sulci and right inferior temporal gyrus) showed an increase in gyrification in type 2 diabetes and a decrease in the control group and the two others (left pericallosal sulcus and right inferior frontal sulcus) the opposite pattern. The variation of the gyrification was correlated with the variation of the glycaemic profile. Following the interaction, the simple main effect of time in each group separately has shown that in the group with diabetes, there were more regions susceptible to alterations of gyrification. In sum, our results raise credit for the possibility that glycaemic control also might influence gyrification in type 2 diabetes.
Managing understandings of palliative care as more than care immediately before death: Evidence from observational analysis of consultations
Authors: Sansone Holly , Ekberg Stuart , Lord Sarah , Stevenson James , Martinez Katherine , Yates Patsy
Published: November 2023

Background

Evidence suggests that public, and some professional, understandings of palliative care are limited to care provided immediately before death, which contrasts palliative care's scope as care provided across a range of illness stages.

Objective

To examine how clinicians manage patients' understandings of palliative care during initial consultations.

Design

Initial palliative care consultations were video‐recorded and analysed using conversation analytic methods.

Setting/Participants

Consultations were recorded in a specialist palliative care outpatient unit within an Australian public hospital. Participants included 20 newly referred patients and their families, and three palliative care clinicians.

Results

During initial consultations, it was observed that specialist palliative care clinicians frequently managed the possibility that patients may understand palliative care as limited to care provided immediately before death. Clinicians used recurrent practices that seemed designed to pre‐empt and contradict patients' possible narrow understandings. When discussing the palliative care inpatient unit, clinicians recurrently explained inpatient care could include active treatment and referred to the possibility of being discharged. These practices contradict possible understandings that future admission to the inpatient unit would be solely for care immediately before death.

Discussion

The findings demonstrate that palliative care clinicians are aware of possible narrow understandings of their discipline among members of the public. The practices identified show how clinicians pre‐emptively manage these understandings to patients newly referred to palliative care.

Conclusions

These findings highlight scope for greater partnership with teams referring patients to palliative care, to assist patients in understanding the range of reasons for their referral.

Patient or Public Contribution

The observational method of conversation analysis provides direct insight into matters that are relevant for patients, as raised in their consultations with clinicians. This direct evidence enables analysis of their lived experience, as it occurs, and grounds analysis in observable details of participants' conduct, rather than interpretations of subjective experiences. The patients' contributions, therefore, were to allow observation into their initial palliative care consultations.
The Japanese Urological Association's clinical practice guidelines for urotrauma 2023
Authors: Horiguchi Akio , Shinchi Masayuki , Ojima Kenichiro , Iijima Kazuyoshi , Inoue Koji , Inoue Takamitsu , Kaneko Naoyuki , Kanematsu Akihiro , Saito Daizo , Sakae Tatefumi , Sugihara Toru , Sekine Kazuhiko , Takao Tetsuya , Tabei Tadashi , Tamura Yoshimi , Funabiki Tomohiro , Yagihashi Yusuke , Yanagi Masato , Takahashi Satoru , Nakajima Yosuke
Published: November 2023

The Japanese Urological Association's guidelines for the treatment of renal trauma were published in 2016. In conjunction with its revision, herein, we present the new guidelines for overall urotrauma. Its purpose is to provide standard diagnostic and treatment recommendations for urotrauma, including iatrogenic trauma, to preserve organ function and minimize complications and fatality. The guidelines committee comprised urologists with experience in urotrauma care, selected by the Trauma and Emergency Medicine Subcommittee of the Specialty Area Committee of the Japanese Urological Association, and specialists recommended by the Japanese Association for the Surgery of Trauma and the Japanese Society of Interventional Radiology. The guidelines committee established the domains of renal and ureteral, bladder, urethral, and genital trauma, and determined the lead person for each domain. A total of 30 clinical questions (CQs) were established for all domains; 15 for renal and ureteral trauma and five each for the other domains. An extensive literature search was conducted for studies published between January 1, 1983 and July 16, 2020, based on the preset keywords for each CQ. Since only few randomized controlled trials or meta‐analyses were found on urotrauma clinical practice, conducting a systematic review and summarizing the evidence proved challenging; hence, the grade of recommendation was determined according to the 2007 “Minds Handbook for Clinical Practice Guidelines” based on a consensus reached by the guidelines committee. We hope that these guidelines will be useful for clinicians in their daily practice, especially those involved in urotrauma care.
War and Suicide*
Authors: Rojcewicz Stephen J.
Published: November 2023

ABSTRACT: The suicide rate generally appears to decline during the time of war. The traditional psychodynamic explanation that this decrease results from the legitimization of outward aggression is questioned. World War II evidence from both occupied and neutral countries, together with fluctuations of the suicide rates among the Scandinavian countries, are better understood as reflecting the social conditions of wartime, rather than the presence of actual fighting. These data, and others, point to the hypothesis that the decreased suicide rate during wartime is tied to the greater social integration–increased patriotism, ease of promotions, greater sense of purpose, and so forth–resulting from a state of war.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Authors: Meier Carolyn A.
Published: November 2023

ABSTRACT: This paper examines some of the known facts about the “Sudden Infant Death” syndrome, such as its occurrence in the past, some of the theories and hypotheses proposed and rejected or unproven concerning its etiology, and a description of typical findings upon investigation of such a death. The psychological damage to the parents is presented as a problem to be considered in the approach and attitude of the coroner, police, examining physician, and general public including neighbors and relatives. Two parent self‐help groups have been formed recently in the hope of eliminating the guilt that is often an accompaniment to grief. Their goals are educating the public so that an unexplained death is not automatically suspect, and research to find the cause. It is proposed that this death without apparent cause is psychologically traumatic in our modern society of rational explanations.
Transcultural Attitudes toward Homicide and Suicide*
Authors: Weiss James M. A. , Perry Margaret E.
Published: November 2023

ABSTRACT: Using the concept that homicide and suicide are complex sociopsychiatric phenomena clearly influenced by cultural norms and values that define which behaviors are viewed as deviant, the investigators constructed a small‐sample model to determine relevant qualitative attributes of public opinion. A stratified factorial sample of 258 subjects distributed among eight large cities throughout the world was selected for interviewing. The 2,603 resulting statements were then subjected to content analysis and categorization. Results indicated that people in cities, regardless of location, are most concerned about crimes of violence, especially homicide, and those against property. Other kinds of life‐threatening offenses such as arson, war, and suicide are seldom seen as important “crimes.” Many people endorse a problem‐solving approach to dealing with crime and criminals, but a reservoir of traditional, punitive attitudes clearly remains among the less educated, lower socioeconomic classes. A commonality of many attitudes in these various urban centers does suggest that modern communication techniques may well have a modulating effect on culture‐bound orientations toward crime.
Evaluation of the antibacterial activity and protein profiling of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) epidermal mucus under different feeds and culture systems (biofloc technology and earthen pond)
Authors: Habib Syed Sikandar , Batool Aima Iram , Rehman Muhammad Fayyaz Ur , Naz Saira
Published: November 2023

The mucus layers of fish serve as the main interface between the organism and the environment. They play an important biological and ecological role. The current study focuses on Nile tilapia epidermal mucus reared under different commercial feeds (coded A and B) and environments (biofloc technology and earthen pond systems). Crude protein levels in feed A and B were 30% and 28%, respectively. Water parameters in all culturing systems were suitable for tilapia throughout the study period. The antimicrobial potency of tilapia (n = 5 from each) epidermal mucus was tested in vitro against human and fish pathogenic strains viz. Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Francisella noatunensis, and Aeromonas hydrophila. To determine the antimicrobial activity, zones of inhibition (ZOI) were measured in millimetres and compared with two antibiotics (chloramphenicol and ciprofloxacin). SDS‐PAGE analysis was performed on skin mucus samples of tilapia to determine protein quantity and size (molecular weight). Results of tilapia skin mucus (crude and aqueous) revealed a strong antibacterial effect against all the selected pathogenic strains. However, variation has been observed in the mucus potency and ZOI values between the biofloc and pond tilapia mucus. The crude mucus of tilapia fed on feed A and cultured in the pond exhibited strong antibacterial effects and high ZOI values compared to the mucus of biofloc tilapia, aqueous mucus extracts and positive control chloramphenicol (antibiotic). The SDS‐PAGE results showed that the high molecular weight proteins were found in the collected epidermal mucus of BFT‐B (240 kDa) and EP‐B (230 kDa). Several peptides in fish skin mucus may play a crucial role in the protection of fish against disease‐causing pathogens. Thus, it can be utilized in the human and veterinary sectors as an ‘antimicrobial’ for treating various bacterial infections.