bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quality of life of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis: A comparative analysis of the EQ-5D-3L and CLIQ questionnaires
Authors: Galvão Endi Lanza , de Pina Carvalho Janaína , Machado de Assis Tália Santana , Freire Mariana Lourenço , Cota Gláucia , Nascimento Silva Sarah
Published: February 2024

Purpose

To evaluate the performance of the Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Impact Questionnaire (CLIQ) using the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D-3L) as a reference standard (criterion validation); to evaluate the responsiveness of the instruments and estimate a cut-off point for the CLIQ to be able to discriminate between high and low impacts of cutaneous leishmaniasis on patients.

Methods

Between 2020 and 2022, a longitudinal validation study was conducted at a reference centre for leishmaniasis in Brazil. The EQ-5D-3L and CLIQ questionnaires were administered before, during and after treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis. The correlation between the instruments was assessed using Spearman’s correlation coefficient, responsiveness was assessed using the Wilcoxon test, and CLIQ cut-off points were proposed based on results of the EQ-5Q-3L, dichotomized between patients reporting no problems’ and ’some or extreme problems’.

Results

There were satisfactory correlation coefficients between the two instruments before (-0.596) and during treatment (-0.551) and a low correlation between the instruments after the end of treatment (-0.389). In general, the responsiveness of the instruments was satisfactory. The CLIC scores that maximized sensitivity and specificity for recognizing impaired health status before and during treatment were 7 points and 17 points, respectively. However, at the end of treatment, based on the results for the EQ-5D-3L, the CLIC was not able to discriminate between individuals with high and low impacts of the disease.

Conclusion

The CLIQ corresponds well with the EQ-5D-3L when applied before and during treatment but does not seem to be appropriate for follow-up evaluations after the end of treatment.
Analysis of adherence to a healthy lifestyle among vegetarian and non-vegetarian Peruvian university students: A cross-sectional survey
Authors: Saintila Jacksaint , Rojas-Humpire Ricardo , Newball-Noriega Edda E. , Huancahuire-Vega Salomón , Ignacio-Cconchoy Felipe L. , Calizaya-Milla Yaquelin E.
Published: February 2024

Background

Evidence shows that a healthy lifestyle can promote physical and mental well-being in the general population. However, there are few studies that assess the adherence to a healthy lifestyle in vegetarian and non-vegetarian university students. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in adherence to a healthy lifestyle between vegetarian and non-vegetarian university students in Peru.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was carried out considering data from 6,846 students selected by non-probabilistic convenience sampling. The Diet and Healthy Lifestyle Scale (DEVS), the Peruvian validation of the Vegetarian Lifestyle Index (VLI), was used. In addition, sociodemographic and anthropometric data such as weight and height were collected. Body mass index (BMI) was also calculated.

Results

Semi-vegetarian and vegetarian students had a high healthy lifestyle score compared to non-vegetarians. In addition, vegetarian diets showed a significantly higher proportion among students with a lower BMI (normal and underweight). Students with excess body weight (overweight and obesity) were less likely to report healthy lifestyle. In the overall population analyzed, it was observed that the levels of health and lifestyle behaviors, such as daily exercise and sunlight exposure, were mostly moderate and low. Additionally, sweets intake was high, while healthy food consumption such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains was low.

Conclusion

The current findings show that although vegetarians had better adherence to a healthy lifestyle, interventions in the university setting are needed to improve healthy lifestyle in university students.
A tick saliva serpin, IxsS17 inhibits host innate immune system proteases and enhances host colonization by Lyme disease agent
Authors: Nguyen Thu-Thuy , Kim Tae Heung , Bencosme-Cuevas Emily , Berry Jacquie , Gaithuma Alex Samuel Kiarie , Ansari Moiz Ashraf , Kim Tae Kwon , Tirloni Lucas , Radulovic Zeljko , Moresco James J. , Yates John R. , Mulenga Albert
Published: February 2024

Lyme disease (LD) caused by Borrelia burgdorferi is among the most important human vector borne diseases for which there is no effective prevention method. Identification of tick saliva transmission factors of the LD agent is needed before the highly advocated tick antigen-based vaccine could be developed. We previously reported the highly conserved Ixodes scapularis (Ixs) tick saliva serpin (S) 17 (IxsS17) was highly secreted by B. burgdorferi infected nymphs. Here, we show that IxsS17 promote tick feeding and enhances B. burgdorferi colonization of the host. We show that IxsS17 is not part of a redundant system, and its functional domain reactive center loop (RCL) is 100% conserved in all tick species. Yeast expressed recombinant (r) IxsS17 inhibits effector proteases of inflammation, blood clotting, and complement innate immune systems. Interestingly, differential precipitation analysis revealed novel functional insights that IxsS17 interacts with both effector proteases and regulatory protease inhibitors. For instance, rIxsS17 interacted with blood clotting proteases, fXII, fX, fXII, plasmin, and plasma kallikrein alongside blood clotting regulatory serpins (antithrombin III and heparin cofactor II). Similarly, rIxsS17 interacted with both complement system serine proteases, C1s, C2, and factor I and the regulatory serpin, plasma protease C1 inhibitor. Consistently, we validated that rIxsS17 dose dependently blocked deposition of the complement membrane attack complex via the lectin complement pathway and protected complement sensitive B. burgdorferi from complement-mediated killing. Likewise, co-inoculating C3H/HeN mice with rIxsS17 and B. burgdorferi significantly enhanced colonization of mouse heart and skin organs in a reverse dose dependent manner. Taken together, our data suggests an important role for IxsS17 in tick feeding and B. burgdorferi colonization of the host.
Mina Loy: Woman, poet, genius, nomad
Authors: Rogers Theresa , Marshall Elizabeth
Published: February 2024

Following renewed efforts to reclaim Loy’s legacy and to contribute to an emerging archive of scholarship on her work, this article addresses the perplexing lack of attention to her poetry that was often lauded by iconic poets of her time. We focus on selected poems that took shape not only within the mélange of Loy’s writings, visual design and art but also within the context of her fascinating and tragic life experiences. Here the body in all its materiality – from childbirth to death – plays a significant role in Loy’s work, particularly in the context of her expressions of complex entanglements of the corporeal/spiritual, human/non-human, self/other, words/sounds and individual/collective in her oeuvre. Although Loy’s work was shaped by modernism, feminism, avant-gardism and Christianity it also transcended these influences – her work ultimately reaches toward a broader focus on those who are abject in society, and on the role of aesthetic consciousness in formulations of a more humane world.
Ecstasy inventories: The poetry of R. F. Langley
Authors: Wheale Nigel
Published: February 2024

The poet and literary scholar Nigel Wheale recalls with appreciation and affection the intellectual and artistic influence and friendship of his former teacher R. F. (Roger) Langley. Nigel outlines Langley’s background and education and recounts the friendship between Langley and his Cambridge University contemporary, the poet, teacher and critic, J. H. Prynne. Nigel then recalls his experience of Langley as the teacher who not only prepared him to successfully take Cambridge University Scholarship examinations but also became a close and much valued friend. Nigel was eventually able to extend his support to Langley by establishing the small press Infernal Methods, which published Langley’s first three books: Hem (1978), Sidelong (1981) and Twelve Poems (1994), before co-publishing, with Carcanet, Langley’s Collected Poems (2000).
Subnautica: The undersea comfort game
Authors: Murray Eoin
Published: February 2024

This review of Unknown Worlds Entertainment’s survival and exploration game, Subnautica () aims to discuss the game and highlight just how it presents an enjoyable experience to new and veteran players alike and why the game is seeing a continual boom in its player base. To do this, I will be discussing some context around Subnautica and its place in PlayStation’s ‘Play at Home Initiative’ over the course of the global pandemic. Then I will discuss the game in-depth, focusing on its atmosphere and style, its narrative and finally its gameplay before offering some final thoughts on Subnautica as an excellent ‘comfort’ game whose different gameplay modes can attract players of all inclinations, providing the experience they are looking for.
Hardcore Research: Punk, Practice, Politics, Konstantin Butz and Robert A. Winkler (eds) (2023)
Authors: Healy Grace
Published: February 2024

Review of: Hardcore Research: Punk, Practice, Politics, Konstantin Butz and Robert A. Winkler (eds) (2023)

Bielefeld and London: Transcript Publishing, 278 pp.,

ISBN 978-3-83766-406-5, p/bk, €39.00
Susceptibilidad a inestabilidad del terreno derivada del crecimiento urbano en la ciudad de Querétaro, México
Authors: Alanis Anaya Rocio Marisol
Published: February 2024

La ciudad de Querétaro ha tenido un crecimiento urbano constante desde 1970 abarcando nuevos espacios en áreas con relieve suavizado y que presentan un cambio de uso de suelo urbano intensivo y extensivo en los últimos tres años. Es por ello que este trabajo muestra la asociación entre la susceptibilidad a inestabilidad del terreno y el crecimiento urbano en un relieve poco abrupto. Para ello, se siguió una metodología que integra el análisis del crecimiento urbano, la identificación de la susceptibilidad a inestabilidad del terreno a partir de factores condicionantes y desencadenantes y la recopilación de evidencia documental y con trabajo de campo de eventos de inestabilidad del terreno. Los resultados indican que en la ciudad de Querétaro hay un crecimiento urbano horizontal fuera del graben queretano y un crecimiento vertical en el que destaca la construcción de nuevos edificios de más de 12 pisos en zonas con alta y muy alta susceptibilidad a inestabilidad del terreno.
Desarrollo de un modelo de regresión logística para evaluar el riesgo por inundación en la localidad de Fontibón, Bogotá D.C.-Colombia
Authors: Acero Carolina , Ortiz Felipe
Published: February 2024

Una parte natural del ciclo hidrológico son las inundaciones derivadas de los sistemas pluviales. Siendo, el peligro natural más frecuente y costoso, el que impacta habitualmente a la mayoría de los países. En las últimas décadas, la frecuencia de eventos de inundación ha aumentado a escala global y con ella las pérdidas económicas. La zona de estudio es la localidad de Fontibón ubicada en el occidente de la ciudad de Bogotá D.C., una de las más vulnerables a inundación debido a su geografía plana, con poca pendiente y baja capacidad para evacuar caudales. Este artículo presenta el desarrollo de un modelo de regresión logística para evaluar el riesgo de inundación en la localidad de Fontibón apoyado en información meteorológica y registros de eventos de inundación en un periodo de 21 años (2000 al 2021). El modelo es altamente sensible con una capacidad de detectar presencias de inundación del 96,15%, los meses con mayor riesgo de inundación son diciembre y enero y para octubre y diciembre del año 2023 la probabilidad de inundación es mayor del 50%.
Inundações e unidades construídas em Marabá: um estudo de caso na Amazônia brasileira
Authors: Araújo Marlisson , Andrade Milena
Published: February 2024

O objetivo desse artigo versa sobre o mapeamento das unidades construídas expostas (residências, escolas, lojas, restaurantes, bares, comércio e prédios públicos) a inundação dos rios Tocantins e Itacaiúnas na área urbana da cidade de Marabá (estado do Pará, Brasil). A metodologia envolveu o levantamento e o processamento digital de imagem do satélite Cbers 4A (com resolução espacial de 2m, ano de 2021), a vetorização e a correção dos polígonos realizada com o apoio do Google Earth, juntamente com levantamento de campo para validação dos dados. O processamento foi realizado com o auxílio do software Qgis versão 3.16.6 e consistiu no mapeamento das unidades construídas impactadas pelas inundações, tendo como parâmetro a cota de alerta mínima de 82m. Referência para o mapeamento das unidades residenciais situadas abaixo da referida cota. Foram mapeadas um total de 6583 unidades construídas expostas a inundação na área urbana de Marabá. Desse total, 220 estão localizadas no núcleo urbano de São Félix, 1527 no núcleo Nova Marabá, 2684 na Marabá Pioneira e 2152 na Cidade Nova.
Assessment of Vcheck® analyzer for rapid progesterone concentration measurement including recommendations for achieving the optimal breeding time in bitches
Authors: Wutthiwitthayaphon Supphathat , Suwannachote Thanikran , Arayatham Saengtawan , Prasitsuwan Wisut , Ruenphet Sakchai
Published: February 2024

Background and Aim: Serum progesterone concentration plays critical role in determining the optimal breeding time in bitches and diagnosing reproductive-related issues. This study aimed to conduct a comparative analysis of serum progesterone results obtained from commercial point-of-care immunological analyzers, namely, Vcheck®, with those obtained using chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA). Our overarching goal was to evaluate these analyzers’ accuracy and establish standardized guidelines for optimal breeding timing.

Materials and Methods: Ninety-four serum samples from bitches were analyzed using the Vcheck® analyzer and compared with CMIA. Thorough documentation included the mean, standard deviation, 95% confidence interval (CI), and minimum and maximum values of serum progesterone concentrations. Furthermore, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient, and the bias correction factor were meticulously recorded.

Results: The mean progesterone concentration measured using the Vcheck® analyzer was significantly lower than that measured using CMIA, with a mean difference of 1.26 ng/mL of serum. The Bias correction factor was 0.935, which was nearly 1.00, indicating that the line of best-fit was on the perfect line of agreement, providing insight into the measurement accuracy. Pearson’s correlation coefficient, a measure of precision, was also close to 1 (0.939), confirming the reliability of the data. Furthermore, Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient was 0.877, indicating a fair overall agreement between the Vcheck® and CMIA methods. These results support the validity of the Vcheck® analyzer’s results. The present study was developed by aligning with established CMIA guidelines and adapting them using the range and 95% CI derived from each set of results, ensuring a standardized and rigorous approach.

Conclusion: The Vcheck® analyzer provides a rapid assessment of serum progesterone concentration in bitches, with results comparable to those measured using the CMIA technique. However, when considering the use of the Vcheck® analyzer, it is recommended that the results should be interpreted carefully and the interpretation guidelines should be followed. In conclusion, Vcheck® provides a reliable and convenient method for veterinarian practitioners to measure canine progesterone levels in a clinical/hospital setting.

Keywords: chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay, optimal breeding time, progesterone, Vcheck®.
Islam dalam Kebijakan Luar Negeri Indonesia: Kebijakan Indonesia Terhadap Cina dalam Penyelesaian Konflik Etnis Uighur
Authors: Oktavia Enika Maya
Published: February 2024

Abstract: Indonesia is faced with a foreign policy dilemma regarding the Uighur conflict. Despite its strategic relationship with China, Indonesia, as an Islamic country, places the protection of the rights of Uighur Muslims as a priority. The limitations of direct action against China arise from geopolitical considerations, economic interests, and the complexity of bilateral relations. Indonesia plays an active role in international forums, such as the OIC and the UN, to fight for the rights of Uighur Muslims, while Islam becomes the moral basis of foreign policy. Economic challenges, relationship complexity, and limited resources are factors that affect policy implementation. The research methodology uses a qualitative approach, with data tracing through literature studies to analyze the phenomenon of the Uighur conflict. Overall, Indonesia's policy reflects political, economic, and moral considerations in responding to the Uighur conflict with China, using a soft diplomacy approach.  Diplomacy that avoids confrontation and is influenced by the balance of power and international capabilities.Abstrak: Indonesia dihadapkan pada dilema kebijakan luar negeri terkait konflik Uighur. Meskipun menjalin hubungan strategis dengan Cina, Indonesia, sebagai negara berbasis Islam, menempatkan perlindungan hak-hak Muslim Uighur sebagai prioritas. Keterbatasan tindakan langsung terhadap Cina timbul dari pertimbangan geopolitik, kepentingan ekonomi, dan kompleksitas hubungan bilateral. Indonesia berperan aktif di forum internasional, seperti OKI dan PBB, untuk memperjuangkan hak-hak Muslim Uighur, sementara Islam menjadi dasar moral dalam kebijakan luar negeri. Tantangan ekonomi, kompleksitas hubungan, dan keterbatasan sumber daya menjadi faktor yang memengaruhi implementasi kebijakan. Metodologi penelitian menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif, dengan data tracing melalui studi kepustakaan untuk menganalisis fenomena konflik Uighur. Secara keseluruhan, kebijakan Indonesia mencerminkan pertimbangan politik, ekonomi, dan moral dalam menanggapi konflik Uighur dengan Cina, dengan menggunakan pendekatan diplomasi lunak.  Diplomasi yang menghindari konfrontasi dan dipengaruhi oleh keseimbangan power dan kapabilitas internasional.
Kritik Hukum Pidana Islam Klasik: Metodologi Pembacaan Klasik Dengan Paradigma Konstitusional
Authors: Fanesti Shabrian Hammam
Published: February 2024

Abstract: This article performs a reconstruction of classical Islamic penal law. The problem is a shift in the world's perspective on human values, including Indonesia. This shift began when the PBB established the Convention Against Torture and Other Crueal (CAT) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) as derivatives of the Declaration of Human Rights. It contains a commitment to abolish and reform criminal sanctions that are sadistic, degrading and killing people. This became an obstacle to the enforcement of classical Islamic penal code. Therefore, it is necessary to reconstruct the methodology of nash-nash readings of criminal law. This research is a qualitative research that is a literature review. The conclusion offered is that criminal law in Islam is a constitutional and dynamic affair so that the new Criminal Code (KUHP) is legally legal shari'i as a formulation of criminal law in Indonesia. Abstrak: Artikel ini melakukan rekonstruksi hukum pidana Islam klasik. Problematikanya adalah pergeseran cara pandang dunia terhadap nilai kemanusiaan, termasuk Indonesia . Pergeseran ini dimulai saat PBB menetapkan Convention Againts Torture and Other Crueal (CAT) dan International Covenant on Civil and Political Right (ICCPR) sebagai turunan dari Deklarasi Hak Asasi Manusia. Di dalamnya memuat komitmen untuk menghapus dan mereformasi sanksi pidana yang sadis, merendahkan mertabat manusia dan menghilangkan nyawa. Ini menjadi hambatan untuk penegakan hukum pidana Islam klasik. Oleh karena itu, perlu kiranya untuk merekonstruksi metodologi pembacaan nash-nash tentang hukum pidana. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif yang bersifat kajian pustaka. Kesimpulan yang ditawarkan adalah hukum pidana dalam Islam adalah urusan konstitusional dan dinamis sehingga Kitab Undang-undang Hukum Pidana (KUHP) baru legal secara syar’i sebagai rumusan hukum pidana di Indonesia.
Volumes
Authors: Romero Dianderas Eduardo
Published: February 2024

Recent years have witnessed the advancement of several technocratic interventions in the context of the global environmental crisis that aim to calculate and track different objects of environmental concern at various scales. In this article, I focus on how such technocratic interventions are transforming the processes by which tropical timber is technically rendered into calculational abstractions known as “volumes” in Peru’s tropical timber supply chains. Drawing on twenty-four months of fieldwork following the activities of loggers, timber industrialists, and state technocrats across Peru’s Amazonian region of Loreto, I show how calculational abstractions can never fully circumvent the frictions of power, history, and bodily experience. Rather, technocratic interventions aiming to standardize tropical timber-calculation procedures ultimately transform volumes into fertile ethnographic terrains from which to appreciate how competing forms of political imagination intersect and collide with each other as Amazonia enters the age of climate change and biodiversity loss. 

RESUMEN

Durante los últimos años, distintas intervenciones tecnocráticas han sido desplegadas en el contexto de la crisis ambiental global con el fin de calcular y trazar distintos objetos de preocupación ambiental a distintas escalas. En este artículo, me centro en cómo estas intervenciones tecnocráticas están transformando los procesos por los cuales la madera tropical es convertida en abstracciones calculacionales llamadas “volúmenes” dentro de las cadenas de suministro de madera tropical del Perú. Sobre la base de veinticuatro meses de trabajo de campo siguiendo las actividades de madereros, industriales y tecnócratas del Estado en la región amazónica de Loreto, muestro cómo las abstracciones calculacionales nunca pueden escapar del todo de las fricciones del poder, la historia y la experiencia corporal. Más bien, las intervenciones tecnocráticas que buscan estandarizar los procedimientos de calculo sobre la madera tropical transforman los volúmenes en terrenos etnográficos fértiles desde los cuales es posible apreciar cómo distintas formas de imaginación política se intersectan y colisionan al tiempo que la Amazonía ingresa a la era del cambio climático y la perdida de biodiversidad.
The Ordinariness of Ethics and the Extraordinariness of Revolution
Authors: Aly Ramy
Published: February 2024

In this article I present experiences of Egyptians too young to have taken part in the street protests and movement of the 2011 revolution. Today in their early twenties, they narrate their experiences during the early months of the uprising. None claimed to be revolutionaries then or now, but the revolution seems to animate them in complex and long-lasting ways. The January revolution failed to bring about change at the level of state power. Yet more is at stake than the political endgame. I turn my attention to how people narrate the revolution as a process of ethical reflection and self-formation through everyday relationships and settings that took on new meanings. These accounts challenge notions of what it means to participate in a revolution and where it is located and generate a conversation between the anthropology of ethics and the anthropology of revolutions.
Discovering the Longing for God as a Fruit of Spiritual Motherhood
Authors: Benešová Hana
Published: February 2024

The objective of this article is to explore the concept of spiritual motherhood from the perspective of helping the other to discover the desire for God within their life story. I will work with the hypothesis that the desire for God can be revealed through awareness and reflection on profane desires. To support this hypothesis, the article outlines a perceptual journey that enables the other to gain a deeper understanding of their desires by learning to perceive the objects of their longing as they are, using a phenomenological method. The goal of this journey is to place desires in their proper place within the order of love, known as Ordo Amoris and to discover their identity as a child of God.
Antonín Cyril Stojan (1851–1923) and the Union Congresses of Velehrad: New Documents from the Vatican Archives for a Better Understanding of His Legacy
Authors: Dommarco Maria Chiara
Published: February 2024

On the occasion of the first centenary of the death of Antonin Cyril Stojan, Archbishop of Olomouc from 1921 to 1923, the article provides an original interpretation of some relevant aspects of his spiritual legacy. In analysing a number of documents kept in the Vatican Apostolic Archives (Archivio Apostolico Vaticano) and in the Archive of the Congregation for Oriental Churches (Archivio della Congregazione per le Chiese Orientali), the author outlines the peculiarity of Stojan’s contribution to the quest for unity among Christians. The organization of the seven Union Congresses of Velehrad, held from 1907 up to 1936, based on Stojan’s intuition, took place in a very difficult political and social context, including the First World War. Stojan showed how hope for a future good is not only linked to the present external conditions: it can be concretely cultivated in the forms granted by the age in which one lives. For this reason, even after his death, during the pontificate of Pius XI, the cycles of Congresses and moments of prayer and study of the Eastern Churches of the Byzantine liturgical tradition that Stojan had begun, continued. Regarding this original way of approaching interconfessional relations, some significant documents kept in the aforementioned Archives can shed light on two relevant dimensions of these cycles of Congresses, which remain faithful to the Catholic Church and rejecting proselytism as a means of spreading Catholicism.
Elias Kifon Bongmba, The Routledge Handbook of African Theology
Authors: Havelka Ondřej
Published: February 2024

Book review on Elias Kifon Bongmba, The Routledge Handbook of African Theology, London, New York: Routledge, 2022, 535 pages, ISBN 978-1-03-233613-8
Strontium and copper co-doped nanohydroxyapatite for bone augmentation
Authors: Sathyanarayanan Shivani , Kannan Saranya
Published: February 2024

Bone disorders and conditions have been increasing at an alarming rate all over the world, especially in niches where increased obesity and poor physical activity have been prevailing. Synthetic nanohydroxyapatite (HAp) is one of the remedies to reconstruct bone formation. Its rate of dissolution and compatibility is in the moderately acceptable range. The doping of HAp with bone-forming ions can make them highly biologically compatible materials. In the present work, we formulated HAp doped with essential micronutrients of strontium and copper. Nanoglobular Sr and Cu doped HAp (SC-HAp) with an average size of 30 nm was prepared. The SC-HAp was partially crystalline and amorphous, which could influence the dissolution rate of the material. The biomineralization ability of the SC-HAp seemed to be effective in apatite formation. The calcium, collagen and alkaline phosphatase secretion levels after the addition of SC-HAp on MG63 cells indicate the bone-forming capacity of the material. Further, the cell proliferation rate was enhanced compared to the control with SC-HAp.
A socio-cognitive reinterpretation of Grice’s theory of conversation
Authors: Hu Yanwei
Published: February 2024

Pragmatics research has been following two separate lines: the cognitive-philosophical line and the sociocultural-interactional line. Joining recent efforts of integration in pragmatics research, this paper reinterprets from a socio-cognitive perspective Grice’s theory of conversation (the Cooperative Principle with attendant maxims). The paper aims to incorporate social considerations into the theory, in the hope of enhancing its explanatory potential for information exchange in real-life discourse contexts. Focusing on cooperation as process, this paper examines Grice’s theory of conversation in connection with his theory of meaning and looks into the social-normative basis of the conversational behavior predicted by Grice. The conversational maxims can be characterized as socio-cognitive in the sense of being both cognitive and normative. They are normative expectations whose breach commits the speaker to interpretive and social consequences. The maxims used to be thought of in terms of a simple dichotomy: they are either observed or not observed, and non-observance has often been equated with non-cooperation. The paper draws attention to the fact that non-observance comes in different types (violating, opting out, flouting, and so on). It matters communicatively and extra-communicatively which type the non-observance falls into, as different types of non-observance have different interpretive and social consequences.
Evaluation of a Treponema IgG ELISA alone and in combination with an IgM ELISA as substitutes for Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) as confirmatory tests in a two-tier diagnostic algorithm for diagnosis of syphilis infection
Authors: Wellinghausen Nele , Rangel Vivar Teresa Esthela , Plonné Dietmar
Published: February 2024

Objectives

The Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) has been used for decades for serological diagnostics of syphilis but is no longer available. Therefore, we evaluated the Treponema IgG ELISA (TpG) alone and in combination with the Treponema IgM ELISA (TpG+M, both from Euroimmun) as possible substitutes for TPPA as a confirmatory test in a two-tier syphilis screening algorithm. Furthermore, we investigated whether a TPPA titer of 5,120 which is used as cut-off for therapeutic decision in pregnant women in Germany can be transferred to an appropriate cut-off value of the TpG.

Methods

All serum samples with reactive syphilis screening test (CLIA, Diasorin) within a 13-months period were included (n=739). In addition to TPPA and rapid plasma reagin test both ELISA tests were done in all samples.

Results

Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 92.2, 100, 100, and 74.5 % for TpG, and 93.2, 85.4, 96.6, and 74.1 % for TpG+M. By ROC analysis the cut-off of TpG corresponding to a TPPA titer ≥5,120 was calculated to be 54 RU/mL with a sensitivity of 99.6 % and a resulting specificity of 58.6 %.

Conclusions

TpG appears suitable to substitute TPPA as a confirmatory test for syphilis diagnostics but TpG-negative samples have to be evaluated by further tests like FTA-Abs or immunoblot. Treponema IgM determined in addition to TpG did not improve the test performance compared to the TPPA as a reference standard. Valid prediction of a TPPA titer ≥5,120 from TpG result appears not reasonable.
Can triglyceride related indices be reliable markers in the assessment of polycystic ovarian syndrome?
Authors: Yavuzcan Ali , Keyif Betül , Yavuzcan Gizem , Göynümer Gökhan
Published: February 2024

Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic utility of the triglyceride glucose (TyG), triglyceride glucose–body mass (TyG-BMI), and lipid accumulation product (LAP) indices for both screening polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and diagnosing insulin resistance (IR) in women diagnosed with PCOS.

Methods

Retrospective data from medical records of 124 women were analyzed, with 71 in the PCOS group and 53 in the non-PCOS group. The PCOS diagnosis followed the 2003 Rotterdam criteria. Basic clinical and biochemical parameters were compared. The TyG index was computed using the formula ln [triglyceride (TG) (mmol/L) × fasting plasma glukose (FPG) (mg/dL)/2]. TyG-BMI value was derived as TyG × BMI. LAP was calculated as (waist circumference (WC-58) × TG (mmol/L). IR was identified if Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) was >2.7.

Results

TyG-BMI (AUC=0.62) and LAP indices (AUC=0.61) did not demonstrate statistically significant diagnostic performance for PCOS. Regarding IR in PCOS patients, the highest AUC was for TyG-BMI (0.84, 95 % CI: 0.73–0.93, p<0.001) with a cutoff at 116.15, showing 80 % sensitivity and 86 % specificity. LAP had an AUC of 0.86 with a cutoff of 30.21 (sensitivity 80 %, specificity 81 %), while TyG showed an AUC of 0.78 (95 % CI: 0.67–0.89, p<0.001) with a cutoff of 4.47, demonstrating a sensitivity of 70 % and specificity of 72 %.

Conclusions

Numerous biochemical markers have been explored for PCOS detection, however, many are expensive, not universally available, and necessitate specific test kits. TyG, TyG-BMI, and LAP indices might not serve as reliable markers for PCOS screening but could offer utility in identifying IR in Turkish women diagnosed with PCOS.
Small-molecule Inhibitors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Development
Authors: Chong Matthew A.
Published: February 2024

Shinerama is one of the hallmark events of McMaster’s Welcome Week. Through this student-led initiative, Mac students raised $60,000 last year for cystic fibrosis research. Interestingly, and as some undergraduates would agree, that money is being put to great use right here at McMaster’s laboratories. Here we present the exciting new discoveries of one such group: the laboratory of Dr. Lori Burrows. Matthew A. Chong is a third year student in the Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) Program. Funded by a generous studentship from the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Matthew spent his summer researching biofilm development by opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The central focus of his project was to characterize the structure activity relationship of potent biofilm inhibitor palmitoyl-DL-carnitine.
Obesity and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Bridge between Two Worlds
Authors: Fan Zhen (Jason) , Aditya Ishan
Published: February 2024

Obesity and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are two chronic illnesses with far reaching effects. Although both diseases are manifested in physiologically different ways, they share many molecular similarities and affect millions of individuals. Three mechanistic links for these two diseases include: brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), insulin, and chronic inflammation. BDNF has long been associated with neuronal growth and synaptic plasticity but has also been linked to hunger control. Studies independently investigating obesity and AD have shown down-regulation of BDNF in both pathologies. While insulin functions as a critical regulator of blood glucose, insulin resistance and feedback inhibition of insulin production have both been described in the initiation and maintenance of obesity and AD. Lastly, chronic inflammation may lead to and result from AD and obesity. For example, brain inflammation in AD may lead to neurodegeneration, while obesity may also place the body in a state of chronic inflammation. This review seeks to elucidate and bridge the gap between obesity and AD, thus identifying new therapeutic targets common to both diseases.
Glioblastoma Tumours: Complex Challenges and Deadly Outcomes
Authors: Kilian Alexandra
Published: February 2024

Glioblastoma (GBM) tumours are the most common primary brain tumours among adults, with many treatment challenges. In addition to being highly malignant and fatal tumours, GBMs are also heterogeneous in tissue and genetic composition, difficult to target, frequently recurring and often treatment-resistant. As a result of these challenges, GBM treatment has been essentially unchanged for decades, with minute improvements in patient prognosis, despite active research efforts. Currently, patients have a mean survival time of less than fifteen months. This article aims to explore the current questions in GBM research, including the role and limitations of surgery and chemotherapy treatments, the relationship between age and prognosis, and the controversy surrounding the optimal extent of resection. Additionally, this article outlines the impact of notable research developments in the field, including the role of nanotechnology in the first successful chemo-radiotherapy treatment on otherwise treatment-resistant GBM cells.
Managing Chronic Diseases in the Dominican Republic
Authors: Suryavanshi Tanishq , Jiang Shirley (Xue) , Jin Shicheng , Noor Salmi , Suleman Raiya
Published: February 2024

Chronic conditions and diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer significantly influence health status around the world.1 By 2020, an estimated 75% of deaths will be caused by chronic diseases, with an estimated 80% of these deaths occurring in low to middle-income countries (LMICs).1,2 Furthermore, problems with chronic disease are exacerbated by socioeconomic and geopolitical factors.3 An example of an LMIC burdened with chronic diseases is the Dominican Republic (DR), where non-communicable diseases account for about 70% of deaths each year.4 The DR is located on the island of Hispaniola, which is shared with Haiti. Despite their geographical proximity, the two countries are vastly different with regards to development, with the DR placing over 50 countries above Haiti on the United Nations (UN) Human Development Index.5 This disparity leads to the migration of many Haitian workers to the DR. A large portion of the Haitian migrants work in the sugar industry as laborers. In fact, approximately 85% of sugarcane workers in the DR are from Haiti.6 The sugarcane workers are primarily housed in batey communities. A batey is an underdeveloped village located near sugar cane fields, built by large multi-national sugar production companies. These villages are severely underfunded, which gives rise to a variety of health and quality of life issues. Common conditions found among batey inhabitants include gastroesophageal reflux disease, hypertension, and upper respiratory infections.7 Given that many Haitian residents are paid extremely low wages and have limited access to many social services, the burden of these health problems is amplified greatly. There have been many attempts to address these problems by both local and foreign aid teams. However, many factors complicate the provision of chronic disease management, such as care aversive behavior and difficulties with achieving continuity of care.
Vitamin D Gains: A look at Potatoes, Vitamin D, and Symbiotic Relationships.
Authors: Chandhoke Gurrattan , Herman Jennifer , Misra Avika , Ferreira Eric
Published: February 2024

Vitamin D deficiency is a health issue that affects millions of people worldwide. In 2013, one in ten Canadians were reported to have a vitamin D deficiency. Recent research proposes that vitamin D deficiency can be addressed by creating a vitamin D-rich food source. Plant species contaminated with fungi contain traces of vitamin D, suggesting that vitamin D may be transferred from fungal organisms to plants in a mutualistic symbiotic relationship. This relationship exists between arbuscular mycorrhizae and Solanum tuberosum, a common potato plant that provides food security for millions living in Africa, Asia and South America. We propose that the pathway of radioactively labelled vitamin D from fungi to host plant can be followed in order to identify the protein responsible for transporting vitamin D. Once the genomic sequence of the transporter protein is identified, the gene can be upregulated to increase protein expression and consequently, vitamin D content in S. tuberosum crops. Understanding the specific vitamin D transfer process from fungi to plants will enable sustainable and large-scale production of vitamin D-rich food sources.
Lifting the Price on Human Life
Authors: Li Edward
Published: February 2024

The increasing number of patients in need of organtransplantation has fostered the growth of an internationalblack market in which the wealthy purchase kidneys, liver,or other tissue from vulnerable persons. Oftentimes, victimsendure substandard care and are forced to consent to lifethreatening procedures for little to no compensation. Since voluntary donation alone is unable to reconcile supply with demand, more economically developed countries have begun to experiment with reimbursing donors for incurred expenses and creating procedural barriers for those who would prefer to opt out of post-mortem donation.1 However, poverty can be equally as problematic as the shortage of organs itself. In this regard, the ideal solution should eliminate the initial need for people to donate out of desperation. After relating the organ trade to issues of substandard care and criminal exploitation, it becomes evident that nonfinancial donor compensation, in the form of housing, tuition, insurance, or employment, could be an effective means of suppressing the illegal organ marketand restoring basic rights to disadvantaged donors.
Cover Page
Authors: Meducator The
Published: February 2024

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How do new species arise?
Authors: Diatlov Daniel , Chee Jessica
Published: February 2024

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Dr. Mike Apkon
Authors: Lifshitz Romi
Published: February 2024

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IWCH Abstracts
Authors: Campagnolo Danielle , D'Souza Daniel , Balkaran Sabrina , Lopez Ana
Published: February 2024

This article represents a series of abstracts from the poster presentation winners of the 2021 IWCH conference.
Tuberculous Meningitis
Authors: Kylas Anya , Tauqir Rida
Published: February 2024

This article is a creative and visual depiction of the pathophysiology of tuberculous meningitis, and its underlying biological processes.
Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Chen Jacqueline , Patel Ria
Published: February 2024

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is defined as low filtration function in the kidneys, protein in the urine, or functionally-important structural abnormalities. Low filtration function is associated with waste build-up in the bloodstream and difficulty in excreting salt and water, leading to fluid build-up. CKD may worsen over time, and some individuals with CKD may experience kidney failure, at which point dialysis or transplantation is required to replace kidney function.
CKD may be caused by diabetes, renovascular disease, glomerulonephritis, polycystic kidney disease, and various genetic and environmental factors. In 2023, approximately four million Canadians live with and 11-13% of the global population are affected by CKD. This disorder has a 50% five-year mortality rate and is associated with lower quality of life compared to other chronic diseases, including sickle cell anemia, cancer, and cystic fibrosis. CKD’s comorbidities, such as diabetes, are increasing in prevalence and can increase the risk of developing CKD. Thus, the rates of CKD are also set to rise.3 Annual CKD management costs across Canada total $40 billion, with dialysis treatment for people with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) costing $100,000 per patient.
A McMaster Undergraduate Study of the Social Origins and Implications of Slang and Gendered Language
Authors: Zhou Millee Yu Qing.
Published: February 2024

Previous American studies on university slang such as Pamela Munro’s UCLA Project have stated that there are more derogatory terms to describe women than men, and that there are more complimentary and varied terms for men. In “The Semantic Derogation of Women” and “Gender Marking in American English,” Muriel Schulz and Julia Penelope remark that women are mainly described in relation to men. Florie Aranovitch observes that women are labeled in positive and negative extremes in Munro’s Slang U. Finally, Schulz and Penelope claim that men are mainly using the derogatory terms for women. The purpose of this original study is to investigate how gendered words are used in a Canadian university context, particularly in McMaster University of 2005. The McMaster survey reveals that the number of complimentary and derogatory terms used to describe men and women are almost equal, and that traditional stereotypes of men and women still exist but are more relaxed. Another interesting result is that women appear to be using derogatory terms as often, if not more than men. According to this study, the usage of gendered language in McMaster University does not privilege men and degrade women to the extent that was maintained in previous American slang studies.
High-Dose Steroids and Pentoxifylline in Methanol Induced Optic Neuropathy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Nanji Keean , Pozdnyakov Alex , Semalulu Teresa , Patel Ameen
Published: February 2024

No abstract as this was a case report
Internal Representations Are Prioritized by Frontoparietal Theta Connectivity and Suppressed by alpha Oscillation Dynamics: Evidence from Concurrent Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation EEG and Invasive EEG
Authors: Riddle Justin , McPherson Trevor , Sheikh Atif , Shin Haewon , Hadar Eldad , Frohlich Flavio
Published: February 2024

Control over internal representations requires the prioritization of relevant information and suppression of irrelevant information. The frontoparietal network exhibits prominent neural oscillations during these distinct cognitive processes. Yet, the causal role of this network-scale activity is unclear. Here, we targeted theta-frequency frontoparietal coherence and dynamic alpha oscillations in the posterior parietal cortex using online rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in women and men while they prioritized or suppressed internally maintained working memory (WM) representations. Using concurrent high-density EEG, we provided evidence that we acutely drove the targeted neural oscillation and TMS improved WM capacity only when the evoked activity corresponded with the desired cognitive process. To suppress an internal representation, we increased the amplitude of lateralized alpha oscillations in the posterior parietal cortex contralateral to the irrelevant visual field. For prioritization, we found that TMS to the prefrontal cortex increased theta-frequency connectivity in the prefrontoparietal network contralateral to the relevant visual field. To understand the spatial specificity of these effects, we administered the WM task to participants with implanted electrodes. We found that theta connectivity during prioritization was directed from the lateral prefrontal to the superior posterior parietal cortex. Together, these findings provide causal evidence in support of a model where a frontoparietal theta network prioritizes internally maintained representations and alpha oscillations in the posterior parietal cortex suppress irrelevant representations.