bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Curcumin on the Mouse Model of Myocardial Infarction through Regulating Macrophage Polarization
Authors: Yan Shaoxi , Zhou Mo , Zheng Xiaoyun , Xing Yuanyuan , Dong Juan , Yan Mengwen , Li Rui
Published: August 2021

Inflammation causes tissue damage and promotes ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI), and the infiltration and polarization of macrophages play an important role in regulating inflammation post-MI. Here, we investigated the anti-inflammatory function of curcumin after MI and studied its relationship with macrophage polarization. In vivo, curcumin not only attenuated ventricular remodeling 3 months after MI but also suppressed inflammation during the first 7 days post-MI. Importantly, the results of qPCR and immunochemistry showed that curcumin decreased M1 (iNOS, CCL2, and CD86) but increased M2 macrophage (Arg1, CD163, and CD206) marker expression in the myocardium of MI mice during the first 7 days post-MI. And flow cytometry analysis indicated that curcumin suppressed M1 (CD45+Gr-1-CD11b+iNOS+ cells) but enhanced M2 macrophage (CD45+Gr-1-CD11b+Arg+ cells) expansion in the myocardium of MI mice during the first 7 days post-MI. In vitro, curcumin decreased LPS/IFNγ-elevated M1 macrophage marker (iNOS and CD86) expression and the proportion of M1 macrophages (iNOS+F4/80+ cells) but increased LPS/IFNγ-suppressed M2 macrophage marker (Arg1 and CD206) expression and the proportion of M2 macrophages (Arg1+F4/80+ cells). In addition, curcumin modulates M1/M2 macrophage polarization partly via AMPK. In conclusion, curcumin suppressed the MI-induced inflammation by modulating macrophage polarization partly via the AMPK pathway.
Research on Management Model Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Zhao Yuting
Published: August 2021

In this study, the focus was on the development of management models and future prediction for the cost and risk by using an improved deep learning (DL) algorithm. Management model can be defined as the management activities that are interlinked and organized inside organization of institutions. Different opportunities and different organizations are offered by different management models. Proper management models lead to strategies and decisions help to success organization. Deep neural network (DNN) is proposed to make good prediction for organization for increasing the cost and reduce risk in companies and institutions. The error of prediction is updated according to variable hidden layers and nodes within iteration. Improved DNN is used and modify weights that have an effect on the features extracted in advance to increase the accuracy and precisions are used. The proposed method is based on dynamic hidden layers with backpropagation and feedforward. Absolute mean relative error (AMRE) and variance (R2) are used for evaluation in term of accuracy. The training system is used with three available datasets from big company, health issue, and industry. Gained result proves the worth of the proposed system and is suitable for predicting complex data and reducing the risk as possible.
Cardiovascular Health Trajectories and Elevated C‐Reactive Protein: The CARDIA Study
Authors: Ruiz‐Ramie Jonathan J. , Barber Jacob L. , Lloyd‐Jones Donald M. , Gross Myron D. , Rana Jamal S. , Sidney Stephen , Jacobs David R. , Lane‐Cordova Abbi D. , Sarzynski Mark A.
Published: August 2021

Background

The relationship between long‐term cardiovascular health (CVH) patterns and elevated CRP (C‐reactive protein) in late middle age has yet to be investigated. We aimed to assess this relationship.

Methods and Results

Individual CVH components were measured in 4405 Black and White men and women (aged 18–30 years at baseline) in the CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study at 8 examinations over 25 years. CRP was measured at 4 examinations (years 7, 15, 20, and 25). Latent class modeling was used to identify individuals with similar trajectories in CVH from young adulthood to middle age. Multivariable Poisson regression models were used to assess the association between race‐specific CVH trajectories and prevalence of elevated CRP levels (>3.0 mg/L) after 25 years of follow‐up. Five distinct CVH trajectories were identified for each race. Lower and decreasing trajectories had higher prevalence of elevated CRP relative to the highest trajectory. Prevalence ratios for elevated CRP in lowest trajectory groups at year 25 were 2.58 (95% CI, 1.89–3.51) and 7.20 (95% CI, 5.09–10.18) among Black and White people, respectively. Prevalence ratios for chronically elevated CRP (elevated CRP at 3 or more of the examinations) in the lowest trajectory groups were 8.37 (95% CI, 4.37–16.00) and 15.89 (95% CI, 9.01–28.02) among Black and White people, respectively.

Conclusions

Lower and decreasing CVH trajectories are associated with higher prevalence of elevated CRP during the transition from young adulthood to middle age.
Right Heart Catheterization in Cardiogenic Shock Is Associated With Improved Outcomes: Insights From the Nationwide Readmissions Database
Authors: Ranka Sagar , Mastoris Ioannis , Kapur Navin K. , Tedford Ryan J. , Rali Aniket , Acharya Prakash , Weidling Robert , Goyal Amandeep , Sauer Andrew J. , Gupta Bhanu , Haglund Nicholas , Gupta Kamal , Fang James C. , Lindenfeld JoAnn , Shah Zubair
Published: August 2021

Background

The usefulness of right heart catherization (RHC) has long been debated, and thus, we aimed to study the real‐world impact of the use of RHC in cardiogenic shock.

Methods and Results

In the Nationwide Readmissions Database using
International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision
(
ICD‐1
0
), we identified 236 156 patient hospitalizations with cardiogenic shock between 2016 and 2017. We sought to evaluate the impact of RHC during index hospitalization on management strategies, complications, and outcomes as well as on 30‐day readmission rate. A total 25 840 patients (9.6%) received RHC on index admission. The RHC group had significantly more comorbidities compared with the non‐RHC group. During the index admission, the RHC group had lower death (25.8% versus 39.5%,
P
<0.001) and stroke rates (3.1% versus 3.4%,
P
<0.001). Thirty‐day readmission rates (18.7% versus 19.7%,
P
=0.04) and death on readmission (7.9% versus 9.3%,
P
=0.03) were also lower in the RHC group. After adjustment, RHC was associated with lower index admission mortality (odds ratio, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.66–0.72), lower stroke rate (odds ratio, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.72–0.90), lower 30‐day readmission (odds ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.78–0.88), and higher left ventricular assist device implantations/orthotopic heart transplants (odds ratio, 6.05; 95% CI, 4.43–8.28) during rehospitalization. Results were not meaningfully different after excluding patients with cardiac arrest.

Conclusions

RHC use in cardiogenic shock is associated with improved outcomes and increased use of downstream advanced heart failure therapies. Further blinded randomized studies are required to confirm our findings.
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Reveals Incipient Cardiomyopathy Traits in Adult Patients With Phenylketonuria
Authors: Tanacli Radu , Hassel Jan‐Hendrik , Gebker Rolf , Berger Alexander , Gräfe Michael , Schneeweis Christopher , Doeblin Patrick , Fleck Eckart , Stehning Christian , Tacke Frank , Pieske Burkert , Spranger Joachim , Plöckinger Ursula , Ziagaki Athanasia , Kelle Sebastian
Published: August 2021

Background

Phenylketonuria is the most common inborn error of amino acid metabolism, where oxidative stress and collateral metabolic abnormalities are likely to cause cardiac structural and functional modifications. We aim herein to characterize the cardiac phenotype of adult subjects with phenylketonuria using advanced cardiac imaging.

Methods and Results

Thirty‐nine adult patients with phenylketonuria (age, 30.5±8.7 years; 10‐year mean phenylalanine concentration, 924±330 µmol/L) and 39 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls were investigated. Participants underwent a comprehensive cardiac magnetic resonance and echocardiography examination. Ten‐year mean plasma levels of phenylalanine and tyrosine were used to quantify disease activity and adherence to treatment. Patients with phenylketonuria had thinner left ventricular walls (septal end‐diastolic thickness, 7.0±17 versus 8.8±1.7 mm [
P
<0.001]; lateral thickness, 6.1±1.4 versus 6.8±1.2 mm [
P
=0.004]), more dilated left ventricular cavity (end‐diastolic volume, 87±14 versus 80±14 mL/m
2
[
P
=0.0178]; end‐systolic volume, 36±9 versus 29±8 mL/m
2
[
P
<0.001]), lower ejection fraction (59±6% versus 64±6% [
P
<0.001]), reduced systolic deformation (global circumferential strain, −29.9±4.2 % versus −32.2±5.0 % [
P
=0.027]), and lower left ventricular mass (38.2±7.9 versus 47.8±11.0 g/m
2
[
P
<0.001]). T1 native values were decreased (936±53 versus 996±26 ms [
P
<0.001]), with particular low values in patients with phenylalanine >1200 µmol/L (909±48 ms). Both mean phenylalanine (
P
=0.013) and tyrosine (
P
=0.035) levels were independently correlated with T1; and in a multiple regression model, higher phenylalanine levels and higher left ventricular mass associate with lower T1.

Conclusions

Cardiac phenotype of adult patients with phenylketonuria reveals some traits of an early‐stage cardiomyopathy. Regular cardiology follow‐up, tighter therapeutic control, and prophylaxis of cardiovascular risk factors, in particular dyslipidemia, are recommended.
Long‐Term Ticagrelor in Patients With Prior Coronary Stenting in the PEGASUS‐TIMI 54 Trial
Authors: Bergmark Brian A. , Bhatt Deepak L. , Steg P. Gabriel , Budaj Andrzej , Storey Robert F. , Gurmu Yared , Kuder Julia F. , Im KyungAh , Magnani Giulia , Oude Ophuis Ton , Hamm Christian , Špinar Jindřich , Kiss Robert G. , Van de Werf Frans J. , Montalescot Gilles , Johanson Per , Braunwald Eugene , Sabatine Marc S. , Bonaca Marc P.
Published: August 2021

Background

Coronary stent type and risk of stent thrombosis remain important factors affecting recommended duration of dual antiplatelet therapy. We investigated the efficacy and safety of long‐term ticagrelor in patients with prior coronary stenting enrolled in the PEGASUS‐TIMI 54 (Prevention of Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Prior Heart Attack Using Ticagrelor Compared to Placebo on a Background of Aspirin–Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 54) trial.

Methods and Results

Patients in PEGASUS‐TIMI 54 had a myocardial infarction 1 to 3 year prior and were randomized 1:1:1 to ticagrelor 60 or 90 mg BID or placebo. The primary end point was a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (major adverse cardiovascular events). Stent thrombosis was prospectively adjudicated (Academic Research Consortium definition). Baseline characteristics were compared by most recent stent type (bare metal versus drug‐eluting stent and first‐ versus later‐generation drug‐eluting stent). Treatment arms were compared using Cox proportional hazards models. Of 21 162 patients randomized, 80% (n=16 891) had prior coronary stenting. Following randomization, myocardial infarction was the most frequent ischemic event in patients with prior stenting in the placebo arm, occurring in 5.2% of patients (Type 1: 4.1%), followed by cardiovascular death (2.3%), stroke (1.7%), and stent thrombosis (0.9%). Ticagrelor
pooled
reduced major adverse cardiovascular events (7.0% versus 8.0%; hazard ratio [HR], 0.85; 95% CI, 0.75–96) regardless of stent type (bare metal stent versus drug‐eluting stent: p
interaction
=0.767; first versus later generation: p
interaction
=0.940). The rate of any stent thrombosis was numerically lower with ticagrelor
pooled
(0.7% versus 0.9%; HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.50–1.05) and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction major bleeding was increased (HR, 2.65; 95% CI, 1.90–3.68).

Conclusions

Long‐term ticagrelor reduces major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with prior myocardial infarction and coronary stenting regardless of stent type, with the benefit driven predominantly by reduction in de novo events. Nonfatal major bleeding is increased with ticagrelor.

Registration Information

clinicaltrials.gov. Identifier: NCT01225562.
Association Between Testosterone Treatment and Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Events Among US Male Veterans With Low Testosterone Levels and Multiple Medical Comorbidities
Authors: Shores Molly M. , Walsh Thomas J. , Korpak Anna , Krakauer Chloe , Forsberg Christopher W. , Fox Alexandra E. , Moore Kathryn P. , Heckbert Susan R. , Thompson Mary Lou , Smith Nicholas L. , Matsumoto Alvin M.
Published: August 2021

Background

Testosterone treatment is common in men, although risks for major cardiovascular events are unclear.

Methods and Results

A study was conducted in US male veterans, aged ≥40 years, with low serum testosterone and multiple medical comorbidities and without history of myocardial infarction, stroke, venous thromboembolism, prostate cancer, or testosterone treatment in the prior year. For the primary outcome, we examined if testosterone treatment was associated with a composite cardiovascular outcome (incident myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or venous thromboembolism). Testosterone use was modeled as intramuscular or transdermal and as current use, former use, and no use. Current testosterone users were compared with former users to reduce confounding by indication. The cohort consisted of 204 857 men with a mean (SD) age of 60.9 (9.9) years and 4.7 (3.5) chronic medical conditions. During follow‐up of 4.3 (2.8) years, 12 645 composite cardiovascular events occurred. In adjusted Cox regression analyses, current use of transdermal testosterone was not associated with risk for the composite cardiovascular outcome (hazard ratio [HR], 0.89; 95% CI, 0.76–1.05) in those without prevalent cardiovascular disease, and in those with prevalent cardiovascular disease was associated with lower risk (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.70–0.91). In similar analyses, current use of intramuscular testosterone was not associated with risk for the composite cardiovascular outcome in men without or with prevalent cardiovascular disease (HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.80–1.04; HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.89–1.09, respectively).

Conclusions

In a large cohort of men without a history of myocardial infarction, stroke, or venous thromboembolism, testosterone treatment was not associated with increased risk for incident composite cardiovascular events.
Novel Prehospital Triage Scale for Detecting Large Vessel Occlusion and Its Cause
Authors: Wang Jianan , Gong Xiaoxian , Zhong Wansi , Zhou Ying , Lou Min
Published: August 2021

Background

Patients with large vessel occlusion stroke (LVOS) need to be rapidly identified and transferred to comprehensive stroke centers. However, current prehospital evaluation and strategies still remain challenging.

Methods and Results

We retrospectively reviewed our prospectively collected database of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Based on the items of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and medical history that had a strong association with LVOS, we designed the 4‐item Stroke Scale (4I‐SS) and validated it in multi‐centers. The 4I‐SS incorporated gaze, level of consciousness, arm weakness, and atrial fibrillation. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to compare the 4I‐SS with previously established prehospital prediction scales. Finally, 1630 and 11 440 patients were included in the derivation and validation cohort, respectively. In the validation cohort, Youden Index, area under the curve, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of the 4I‐SS≥4 to predict LVOS were 0.494, 0.800, 0.657, 0.837, 0.600, 0.868, and 0.788, respectively, and that of the 4I‐SS≥7 to predict basilar artery occlusion were 0.200, 0.669, 0.229, 0.971, 0.066, 0.974, and 0.899, respectively. Youden Index and area under the curve were higher than previously published scales for predicting LVOS. Further analysis showed that for predicting whether cardiogenic embolism was the cause, its accuracy was 0.922 when the 4I‐SS score, including atrial fibrillation, was ≥6, and its accuracy of predicting the occluded vessel was intracranial internal carotid artery or M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery when it was ≥7 was 0.590.

Conclusions

The 4I‐SS is an effective and simple tool that can identify LVOS and its cause.

Registration

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT03317639.
Improvement of Vascular Endothelial Function Reflects Nonrecurrence After Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Kanazawa Hisanori , Kaikita Koichi , Ito Miwa , Kawahara Yusei , Hoshiyama Tadashi , Kanemaru Yusuke , Kiyama Takuya , Iwashita Satomi , Tabata Noriaki , Yamanaga Kenshi , Fujisue Koichiro , Sueta Daisuke , Takashio Seiji , Arima Yuichiro , Araki Satoshi , Usuku Hiroki , Nakamura Taishi , Izumiya Yasuhiro , Sakamoto Kenji , Suzuki Satoru , Yamamoto Eiichiro , Soejima Hirofumi , Matsushita Kenichi , Tsujita Kenichi
Published: August 2021

Background

The clinical implication of vascular endothelial dysfunction in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the correlation between changes in vascular endothelial function assessed by reactive hyperemia‐peripheral arterial tonometry and the effect of sinus rhythm restoration after catheter ablation (CA) for AF.

Methods and Results

Consecutive 214 patients who underwent CA for AF were included in this single center, retrospective study. The natural logarithmic transformed reactive hyperemia‐peripheral arterial tonometry index (LnRHI) of all patients was measured before CA as well as 3 and 6 months after CA. LnRHI in sinus rhythm was significantly higher than that in AF before CA. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the presence of AF was an independent risk factor for lowering of LnRHI (odds ratio, 4.092;
P
=0.002) before CA. The LnRHI was significantly improved 3 and 6 months after CA in patients without AF recurrence. Multivariate Cox hazard analysis revealed that changes in LnRHI from before to 3 months after CA independently correlated with recurrence of AF (hazard ratio, 0.106;
P
=0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed the decrease in LnRHI levels from before to 3 months after CA as a significant marker that suspects AF recurrence (area under the curve, 0.792; log‐rank test,
P
<0.001).

Conclusions

The presence of AF was independently correlated with the impaired vascular endothelial function assessed by the reactive hyperemia‐peripheral arterial tonometry. Long‐term sinus rhythm restoration after CA for AF might contribute to the improvement of vascular endothelial function, which may reflect the nonrecurrence of AF.
Threatening Beauty and Demonic Seduction: Unveiling Hārītī’s Sexuality
Authors: Lazzerini Simona
Published: August 2021

The former child-eating demoness Hārītī is well-known throughout the Buddhist world as a fertility goddess, healer, and protector. However, two eighth-century Chinese esoteric texts, the Da yaochanü Huanximu bing Aizi chengjiufa (Sādhana of the great yakṣiṇī Mother Joy and Priyaṇkara) and the Helidimu zhenyan jing (Sūtra of the mantra of Mother Hārītī), shed light on a more obscure Hārītī, marked by her sexuality and romantic past. This article argues that Hārītī may be understood as a seductress, a potentially sensual deity who remains loyal to her husband but, at the same time, demonstrates the ability to displace her sexuality. More specifically, the article proposes that Hārītī should be recognized as a chaste seductress on two levels: through her relationship with her husband, and through her interaction with those who practice esoteric rituals. Furthermore, Hārītī’s threatening sexuality went beyond Buddhist texts and entered the world of Chinese literature: Song dynasty supernatural tales and Ming era fictional works reveal a less orthodox and more daring way in which the goddess is able to employ her sexuality.
Imperial Authority, Locality, and Gender: The Political Dynamics of Poetry Anthology Compilation in Qing and Early Republican China (1767–1919)
Authors: Li Xiaorong
Published: August 2021

This article examines two groups of poetry anthologies created in honor of specific locales. The first group, from the late eighteenth to mid-nineteenth century, contains works predominately by men hailing from a specific locale. The second group, from the nineteenth to early twentieth century, comprises poetry anthologies exclusively devoted to women also from specific localities. By tracing connections among the various anthologies, this article aims to identify the defining cultural and political factors in their creation and to reveal the political dynamics of literary production on various levels: 1) the prestigious or canonical collections which acted as models or even counter-models; 2) the continuum and tension between “our dynasty” (the empire) and “our locality”; 3) the promotion of female authors at both the dynastic and local levels; 4) the participation by some early-twentieth century anthologists in the National Learning Movement. These findings demonstrate the importance of studying the creation of poetry anthologies in China’s recent past toward understanding the politics of literary production or cultural initiatives.
Karbala Mourning among the Fāṭimid-Ṭayyibī Shīʿa of India: Doctrinal and Performative Aspects of Sayyidnā Ṭāhir Sayf al-Dīn’s Arabic Marthiya, “O King of Martyrs” (Yā Sayyida l-Shuhadāʾī)
Authors: Qutbuddin Tahera
Published: August 2021

The Sayyid al-Shuhadāʾ lament—a poignant fifty-one-stanza Arabic marthiya composed by the Ṭayyibī Dāʿī l-Muṭlaq Sayyidnā Ṭāhir Sayf al-Dīn (d. 1385/1965)—holds an iconic status in the Karbala tradition of the Fāṭimid-Ṭayyibī Shīʿa of India. This article transcribes, translates, and analyses the lament to showcase a distinct religious tradition within a hybrid cultural milieu. The lament’s forms intersect with Arabic poetic conventions set in pre-Islamic times; its themes overlap with Twelver-Shīʿī Karbala laments in Arabic, Persian, and Urdu from the Middle East and South Asia; and its performance stems from melodic Persianate-Urdu recital. Simultaneously, it reflects the Fāṭimid-Ṭayyibī heritage, particularly the teachings of al-Muʾayyad al-Shīrāzī (d. 470/1078), including the fundamentals of their Imāmate doctrine and the salvific importance of weeping for Ḥusayn.
Asās al-maqālāt fī qamʿ al-jahālāt: A Hitherto Unknown Zaydī Heresiography from Northern Iran
Authors: Ansari Hassan , Foroughi Rouhallah , Schmidtke Sabine
Published: August 2021

This paper revolves around a hitherto unknown heresiography from northern Iran, Asās al-maqālāt fī qamʿ al-jahālāt, which is preserved in a unique manuscript contained in a majmūʿa (Ms. Tehran, Majlis 10727). In the introduction, we describe the multitext codex, one of the few extant codices testifying to the continuous presence of Zaydism in northern Iran beyond the sixth/twelfth century. Additionally, we discuss two alternative tentative identifications of the author of Asās al-maqālāt, Abū Muḍar Shurayḥ b. al-Muʾayyad al-Muʾayyadī al-Shurayḥī and Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Shurayḥī al-Muʾayyadī. While the latter is entirely unknown, Abū Muḍar is renowned for his Asrār al-Ziyādāt, and we attempt to situate him more precisely in the chronology of Zaydī scholarship. Finally, we provide an editio princeps of Asās al-maqālāt fī qamʿ al-jahālāt.
Eugenio Griffini and Zaydi Studies in the Light of His Correspondence with Ignaz Goldziher, 1908 through 1920
Authors: Sagaria Rossi Valentina
Published: August 2021

Eugenio Griffini (1878-1925), the Italian Arabist, was the person who first realized the relevance and cultural significance of the Zaydi manuscript sources, who conveyed the largest Western collection of Zaydi manuscripts (the Caprotti collection) to the Ambrosiana Library in Milan in 1908, and who first immersed himself in this unique and virgin collection of manuscripts of Yemeni origin. Through his exploration of a treasure of nearly 2,000 manuscripts, he became experienced and acknowledged in the practice of reporting extended notes excerpted from the manuscript texts he examined. This outstanding experience over the course of twenty years of study and first-hand research at the Ambrosiana allowed him to unveil the existence and identify hundreds of unknown texts, opening up unexplored fields of interest and investigations into Zaydi literary production. With an extremely collaborative spirit, he lavished on many Orientalist scholars the insights that he had gleaned from the manuscripts he had come across, providing them with partial transcriptions and readings, sometimes upon request and other times even going beyond the requests. This article focusses on Griffini’s life and scholarly activity, particularly his involvement with Zaydi works, in the light of his correspondence with Ignaz Goldziher (1850-1921), of which an annotated edition is provided. The correspondence spans the period from 1908 to 1920 and reveals Griffini’s attitude towards his main projects: the cataloguing of the first three series of the Caprotti collection and his magnum opus, the edition of the Majmūʿ al-fiqh attributed to Zayd b. ʿAlī, on the basis of the Ambrosiana’s exemplars.
Do Accidents Need a Substrate? Critical Edition of al-Ḥasan al-Raṣṣāṣ’s Masʾala fī kayfiyyat wujūd al-aʿrāḍ
Authors: Ahmadi Mostafa , Ansari Hassan , Thiele Jan
Published: August 2021

This article offers an editio princeps of al-Ḥasan al-Raṣṣāṣ’s Masʾala fī kayfiyyat wujūd al-aʿrāḍ. In this text, al-Raṣṣāṣ argues in accordance with the Bahshamī theory that not all accidents need a substrate (maḥall). Although most accidents depend on atoms as their locus of inherence, there are three exceptions: the accident of “annihilation” (fanāʾ), whose existence in a substrate is inconceivable, and “will” (irāda) and “aversion” (karāha), which either subsist in a human body or exist without a substrate in the case of God.
Sixth/Twelfth-Century Zaydī Theologians of Yemen Debating Avicennan Philosophy
Authors: Ansari Hassan , Schmidtke Sabine
Published: August 2021

This article offers critical editions of three texts by Zaydī theologians of sixth/twelfth-century Yemen refuting philosophical notions. The three texts are Qāḍī Jaʿfar b. Aḥmad b. ʿAbd al-Salām al-Buhlūlī’s (d. 573/1177-78) Kitāb al-Risāla al-munāṣifa li-l-mutakallimīn wa-l-falāsifa (Masʾalat al-nafs) and two tracts by al-Ḥasan al-Raṣṣāṣ (d. 584/1188), al-Masʾala al-kāshifa ʿan buṭlān shubhat al-falāsifa, a refutation of the philosophers’ doctrine of the eternity of the world, and Masʾala fī ibṭāl al-qawl bi-talāzum al-hayūlā wa-l-ṣūra wa-anna l-jism murakkab minhumā, a refutation of hylomorphism. Qāḍī Jaʿfar’s tract, of which only a fragment has come down to us, contains four extensive quotations from an unidentified philosophical work. These are strikingly similar to those cited by Rukn al-Dīn Ibn al-Malāḥimī (d. 536/1141) in his Tuḥfat al-mutakallimīn fī l-radd ʿalā l-falāsifa; likewise, Qāḍī Jaʿfar’s responses to the arguments of the philosophers closely resemble those given by Ibn al-Malāḥimī. However, a comparison of the relevant passages shows that the possibility that Qāḍī Jaʿfar had consulted Ibn al-Malāḥimī’s Tuḥfa as his source can safely be excluded. Both rather seemed to have relied on a common and so far unidentified source, possibly written by a Muʿtazilī author. Qāḍī Jaʿfar’s tract is thus another early Muʿtazilī critique of Avicennan philosophy that can shed some additional light on the reception of Ibn Sīnā’s (d. 428/1037) philosophy among the mutakallimūn before Ibn al-Malāḥimī.
Organizational Responses to the covid-19 Crisis by Universities in Poland: A Survey of Student Attitudes
Authors: Godonoga Ana , Gruszka Danuta
Published: August 2021

The global health crisis caused by the sars-CoV-2 virus has impacted higher education systems worldwide. Emergency remote teaching strategies have been common organizational responses, which came with challenges, particularly in systems that lacked the capacity for digital provision. Building on strategic and crisis management theory and literature, this study investigates student attitudes towards organizational responses to the crisis in public higher education institutions in Poland. Drawing on findings of an online survey completed by 359 students from 61 institutions, this research has revealed that more than half of the respondents were satisfied with organizational responses to the crisis. Instructors’ self-motivation was identified as a key enabler of a successful implementation of distance learning, while their lack of familiarity with e-learning and technology were found as dominant barriers. The findings of this research can support institutions in other contexts to strengthen their commitment to educational improvement in a period of crisis and digital transformation.
Reforming Schools: A Comparison of Chinese Urban vs. Rural School Principals’ Values, Views & Visions
Authors: Su Zhixin , Xia Huixian , Wang Jian , Mao Dan , Wang Zili
Published: August 2021

Principal as the key to school reform has been a frequently discussed topic in the research literature. However, few studies have investigated principals’ own values, views and visions and how these may affect reform in their schools. The study reported in this paper intends to fill this void. It is a joint effort by American and Chinese education scholars to explore and examine the profiles, preparation and perspectives of urban and rural principals in China, based on the conceptual framework and research methodology of the American national Study of the Education of Educators and the earlier comparative study of Chinese, American and Australian school principals. A comprehensive principal survey was administered to several hundred urban and rural school principals in China and interviews were conducted with selected principals. Our study findings reveal both similarities and differences in values, views and visions between urban and rural school principals, and a huge gap in the quality and equality of education between urban and rural schools. Although Chinese principals are in general progressive and liberal in their fundamental beliefs and values, they perceive great difficulties in realizing their visions for ideal schools and recognize major obstacles to reform because of the existing school conditions, the national examination system, and certain policy restrictions on their autonomy and decision-making power in schools. Findings from this study provide special insight to policy makers and education reformers and urge them to create necessary policies, improve conditions, and increase autonomy and decision-making power for principals to manage and effect changes in their schools, especially those in rural and minority areas.
Improving Quality Physical Education: Conceptual and Practical Framework, and Barriers to Its Global Implementation
Authors: Xu Zhixing , Lin Jing , Xia Siyong
Published: August 2021

To exert benefits of physical education and enhance the health of teenagers, the idea of Quality Physical Education (qpe) had been put into practice since 1995 as the guideline for the implementation of physical education in K-12 schools in the United States. qpe consists of two parts: the conceptual framework and practical guidelines, which contain four core elements: “Opportunity to Learn,” “Meaningful Content,” “Appropriate Instruction,” and “Student and Program Assessment.” Each core component is broken down into sections, subsections, and programmatic elements, to fit into unesco’s benchmarks, which regulate the overall process and procedures in physical education as minimum standards, offering strong support for educators to design and implement high qpe. In the global endeavor to implement qpe, however there are major barriers, specifically institutional barriers, teacher-related barriers, and student-related barriers which prevent qpe to be fully and effectively adopted.
The Opioid Epidemic Was Not Caused by Economic Distress but by Factors That Could Be More Rapidly Addressed
Authors: Currie Janet , Schwandt Hannes
Published: August 2021

Without the opioid epidemic, American life expectancy would not have declined prior to 2020. The epidemic was sparked by the development and marketing of a new generation of prescription opioids, and the behavior of opioid providers is still helping to drive it. Little relationship exists between the opioid crisis and contemporaneous measures of labor market opportunity: cohorts and areas that experienced poor labor market conditions do show lagged increases in opioid mortality, but the effect is modest relative to the scale of the epidemic. We argue that specific policies and features of the U.S. health care market, especially liberal prescribing of opioids, led to the current crisis. It will not be possible to quickly reverse depressed economic conditions, but it is possible to implement policies that would reduce the number of new opioid addicts and save the lives of many who are already addicted.
Evaluating the Effect of Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis on Work Productivity
Authors: Chung Thomas K. , Hu Amanda , Sardesai Maya G. , Wilcox Haley , Jiang Lan , Meyer Tanya K.
Published: August 2021

Objective:

Patients with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) have significant vocal dysfunction which affects their performance at work. This study aimed to evaluate voice-related work productivity before and after ablative treatment for RRP.

Methods:

This is a prospective case series conducted at 2 academic laryngology outpatient clinics. Adult employed patients with RRP completed the Work Productivity & Activity Impairment instrument (WPAI), Voice Handicap Index (VHI-10), WorkHoarse, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and a demographics questionnaire immediately before and 1 month after ablative treatment of papilloma. The primary outcome measure was the change in work productivity impairment domain of the WPAI, and changes in ratings before and after ablation were compared using a Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test.

Results:

The 32 participants (mean age 45, 84% male) had a median (interquartile range) voice-related work productivity impairment score of 48.8% (30.0) at baseline which was improved to 5.0% (10.0) at 1 month after surgical ablation of papillomata (difference 30.0% (30.0) improvement). For the secondary outcome measures, there were significant improvements in VHI-10 ( P < .001), self-reported voice quality ( P = .002), and Workhoarse ( P = .001), but no significant change in HADS.

Conclusion:

Patients with RRP experience significant voice-related work productivity impairment, and ablation of papillomata significantly improves work productivity.
Mood disorders increase mortality mainly through dementia: A community-based prospective cohort study
Authors: An Hoyoung , Yang Hee Won , Oh Dae Jong , Lim Eunji , Shin Jin , Moon Dong Gyu , Suh Seung Wan , Byun Seonjeong , Kim Tae Hui , Kwak Kyung Phil , Kim Bong Jo , Kim Shin Gyeom , Kim Jeong Lan , Moon Seok Woo , Park Joon Hyuk , Ryu Seung-Ho , Lee Dong Woo , Lee Seok Bum , Lee Jung Jae , Jhoo Jin Hyeong , Bae Jong Bin , Han Ji Won , Kim Ki Woong
Published: August 2021

Objective:

The effects of mood disorders on mortality may be mediated by their effects on the risk of dementia, and interventions to reduce the occurrence of dementia may reduce their overall mortality. This study aimed to investigate the direct effects of depressive and bipolar disorders on the 6-year risk of mortality and also their indirect effects on mortality due to their effect on the risk of dementia.

Methods:

A total of 5101 Koreans were selected from a community-based prospective cohort study, and 6-year risks of mortality and dementia in participants with depressive and bipolar disorders were estimated by Cox proportional hazard analysis. The direct and indirect effects of depressive and bipolar disorders on the risk of mortality were estimated using structural equation modeling.

Results:

The depressive and bipolar disorder groups showed 51% and 85% higher 6-year mortality, and 82% and 127% higher risk of dementia, respectively, compared to euthymic controls. The effects of depressive and bipolar disorders on mortality were mainly mediated by their effects on the risk of dementia in a structural equation model. The direct effects of each mood disorder on mortality were not significant.

Conclusion:

Both depressive and bipolar disorders increased the risks of mortality and dementia, and the effects of mood disorders on mortality were mainly mediated through dementia. As dementia occurs later in life than mood disorders, measures to prevent it may effectively reduce mortality in individuals with a history of mood disorders, as well as being more feasible than attempting to control other causes of death.
Are Asian Victims Less Likely to Report Hate Crime Victimization to the Police? Implications for Research and Policy in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Lantz Brendan , Wenger Marin R.
Published: August 2021

Anti-Asian hate crimes have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, no research has considered whether crime reporting patterns are different among Asian hate crime victims, relative to other victims. Following this, this research presents an examination of differences in reporting victimization to the police between Asian and non-Asian victims using information from 997 respondents who experienced a hate crime in the first 1 to 2 months of the pandemic. Results indicate that Asian victims are significantly and substantially less likely to report victimization to the police than other victims. Taken together, these results suggest that current estimates of increases in anti-Asian hate crime based on official crime statistics—although high—may actually be an under-estimation of the true extent of the problem.
Providing Equity in Gifted Education in a Single-State Country
Authors: Tan Sema
Published: August 2021

Turkey adopts a single-state (centralized/unitary) system that results in following the same identification procedures and providing similar service delivery options for the entire country. At first glance, this might seem like a fair way to achieve equity within public school gifted programs. However, a close look at this system reveals several handicaps such as implementing the same teacher training program for all teacher candidates, ignoring the unequal opportunities provided in the most (İstanbul) and least (Şırnak) economically developed cities, and the accessibility of services delivered to gifted students. Turkey has paid much attention to the education of the gifted and taken several important steps for improvement in the last three decades. However, a need for bigger changes to achieve equity in gifted education is clear. With a careful planning and implementation, appropriate changes might pave the way for gifted students to access more equal opportunities to fulfill their potential.
Difficulties of Young Adults With Dyslexia in Reading and Writing Numbers
Authors: Cornoldi Cesare , Rivella Carlotta , Montesano Lorena , Toffalini Enrico
Published: August 2021

Letters and numbers are different domains, and their differentiation increases with schooling. It has nonetheless been argued that reading alphabetic and numerical materials partly involves the same processes, even in adults. Whether individuals with dyslexia have difficulty reading and writing numbers remains to be established. This study examined this issue in a group of 30 young adults with a diagnosis of dyslexia, without any concurrent specific difficulty in processing quantities, compared with a typically developing group matched for gender, age, university attended and course of studies, and approximate calculation ability. The results showed that adults with dyslexia also have severe difficulty in reading and writing numbers. It emerged that their number reading speed correlated moderately with word reading speed. We concluded that dyslexia is specifically related with difficulties in reading and writing not only alphabetic material but also numerical material. Our findings suggest that these abilities should be considered more carefully when assessing and supporting individuals with dyslexia.
The Prefrontal-Hippocampal Comparator: Volition and Episodic Memory
Authors: Numan Robert
Published: August 2021

This review describes recent research that is relevant to the prefrontal-hippocampal comparator model with the following conclusions: 1. Hippocampal area CA1 serves, at least in part, as an associative match-mismatch comparator. 2. Voluntary movement strengthens episodic memories for goal-directed behavior. 3. Hippocampal theta power serves as a prediction error signal during hippocampal dependent tasks. 4. The self-referential component of episodic memory in humans is mediated by the corollary discharge (the efference copy of the action plan developed by prefrontal cortex and transmitted to hippocampus where it is stored as a working memory; CA1 uses this efference copy to compare the expected consequences of action to the actual consequences of action). 5. Impairments in the production or transmission of this corollary discharge may contribute to some of the symptoms of schizophrenia. Unresolved issues and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Urban statecraft: The governance of transport infrastructures in African cities
Authors: Cirolia Liza Rose , Harber Jesse
Published: August 2021

Through the lens of infrastructure governance, this article explores the configurations and operations of the urban state in sub-Saharan Africa. We deploy and extend the concept of ‘statecraft’, drawing on the recent scholarship within urban studies which explores city and municipal statecraft. Consolidating insights across several studies on transport governance in African cities, we identify three ‘sites’ of urban statecraft evident in urban Africa. First, we look at sectoral authorities, which we analyse through the common experience of ringfenced national road agencies. Carving off urban functions can fragment power over urban infrastructure. Second, we look at metropolitan authorities, which we analyse through bus rapid transit (BRT) agencies. Metropolitanisation crafts new scales of governance in Africa’s larger cities. Finally, we turn to the regulation of informal service delivery systems, which we analyse through popular transport regulation. The regulation of minibus and motorcycle taxis shows the central importance of everyday practice in urban statecraft in Africa. The case of transport governance provides a particularly vivid display of the institutional fragmentation that exists between state agencies and institutions in African cities. In this context, the urban state is not a static municipal entity, but is enacted through complex and multi-scalar relationships. These relationships relate not only to the assignment of functions or territorial design, but also to the practices which animate infrastructural systems. More generally, we argue that there is ample scope within the African urban governance debates for deeper interrogation of statecraft.
On the conditions of ‘late urbanisation’
Authors: Fox Sean , Goodfellow Tom
Published: August 2021

We are living through a global urban transition, but the timing of this transition has varied significantly across countries and regions. This geographic variation in timing matters, both theoretically and substantively. Yet contemporary debates on urbanism hinge primarily on questions of universalism versus particularism, at the expense of attention to how history and geography collide to shape urban processes. Specifically, they neglect the critical fact that urbanisation in many countries today is late within the context of the global urban transition. We argue that trajectories of contemporary urbanisation must be understood in relation to a suite of conditions unique to the late 20th and early 21st centuries and partly shaped by early urbanisation, including historically unprecedented demographic intensity, hyperglobalisation, centripetal state politics and the spectre of environmental catastrophe in the late Anthropocene. These factors condition the range of possibilities for late urbanisers in ways that did not apply to early urbanisers yet can also produce diverse outcomes depending on local circumstances. We draw on a comparison between countries in sub-Saharan Africa and China to illustrate why the conditions of late urbanisation matter, but also why they have produced highly variable outcomes and are not deterministic of urban futures.
Social capital and perceived tenure security of informal housing: Evidence from Beijing, China
Authors: Zhang Mengzhu
Published: August 2021

Perceived tenure security is recognised to affect the socioeconomic behaviours and wellbeing of informal settlement dwellers. The provision of perceived tenure security is centred on the developmental agenda as a key policy alternative of tenure legalisation. Despite the consensus about its importance, the reason perceived tenure security is different amongst dwellers remains unclear. To fill this gap, we introduce social capital theory to understand the formation of and disparity in perceived tenure security. The hypotheses are that dwellers living in informal settlements with higher collective social capital and having higher individual social capital tend to feel more secure on their tenure because of higher backing power attained to deter the threats of eviction. We examine the hypotheses using a structural equation model approach to a dataset collected from three small property rights housing communities, which are emerging informal settlements in urban China. Modelling results support our hypotheses and suggest that female, low-income and migrant dwellers tend to feel less secure on their tenure because of the lack of social capital to deter the threats to their tenure. This study contributes to a new sociological explanation for the disparity in perceived tenure security other than the established psychological explanation. Empirically, this study contributes to the understanding of the rapid development of small property rights housing developments in China from the perspective of how dwellers develop security on informal tenure.
The prevalence of hope, subjective well-being, and psychopathology among trauma survivors at community-based clinics in Gauteng
Authors: Joubert Jolize , Guse Tharina , Maree David
Published: August 2021

This study examined the prevalence of hope and subjective well-being as well as symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder among trauma survivors at community-based clinics in Gauteng. We further explored traumatic events and help-seeking behaviour in this context. Using a cross-sectional survey design, we collected demographic information and administered questionnaires measuring hope, well-being, depression, and post-traumatic stress. The sample comprised 120 adults, of whom the majority were Black females. Results showed that participants experienced low levels of hope, positive affect, and life satisfaction as well as high levels of negative affect, depression, and post-traumatic stress. In addition, the majority of participants experienced multiple traumatic events in the past 5 years, which had a negative impact on their well-being. However, receiving professional help and being able to cope in the aftermath of trauma may contribute towards higher levels of well-being and fewer psychopathological symptoms. Our findings thus highlighted the need for effective therapeutic interventions among trauma survivors.