bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Autodeterminação e liberdade: sobre as ferramentas de emancipação dos povos negros da dominação colonial
Authors: Silva Natália Galvão Azevedo
Published: May 2023

Este artigo visa discutir uma das formas de dominação colonial executadas pelos povos advindos do continente europeu sobre os povos de África: a dominação cultural. Na introdução, acompanharemos algumas das estratégias de coerção cultural e histórica que o imperialismo capitalista colonial exerceu sobre África, em seguida, no primeiro tópico, acompanharemos a reflexão da filósofa indiana Gayatri Spivak quanto à construção das subjetividades subalternas. Já no segundo tópico, daremos destaque à importância de se produzir uma epistemologia africana, sendo essa uma das principais ferramentas de autodeterminação. No tópico final, destacaremos algumas das marcas iniciais do protagonismo negro no que tange à sua participação no contexto artístico, cultural, político e intelectual de sua história.
A Polipatria no Brasil e no Japão: comparando dimensões da nacionalidade
Authors: Akira Gabriel
Published: May 2023

Polipatria é o nome que se dá à situação em que o indivíduo tem mais de uma nacionalidade, o que ocorre em razão da sobreposição de normas de diferentes Estados. Este estudo de caso comparativo se debruça sobre as diferentes maneiras de lidar com a polipatria no Brasil e no Japão, respectivamente representativos de uma abordagem mais e menos tolerante sobre a polipatria. É possível concluir que ambos os países apresentam essa diferença por representarem de modo mais genérico duas dimensões distintas da nacionalidade: uma como recurso humano e outra como garantidora da igualdade. Essas dimensões contrastantes podem fornecer pistas importantes na compreensão da nacionalidade na contemporaneidade.
“Pharaonic Egypt: a Singular Pathway to Statehood in the Early Bronze Age”
Authors: Moreno García Juan Carlos
Published: May 2023

Situated at the crossroads between Northeast Africa, the Mediterranean, the Near East and the Indian Ocean, ancient Egypt was a strategic pathway that facilitated contacts and the circulation of peoples, products and ideas across these vast regions. Sometimes the monarchy took the initiative in these contacts, whereas in other cases, mobile populations, local leaders, itinerant merchants and independent individuals fulfilled such a role. Egyptian regions participated in these exchanges in distinctive ways. Hence, control over wealth flows, access to coveted goods, contacts with privileged trading partners and attracting royal support represented significant moves in their strategies. A constant tension between different political models (centralized, confederacies of cities and territories, regional kingdoms) reemerged through the millennia. This often led to the collapse of the central authority (as it happened around 2160 bc) and was inspired, at least in part, by the political impact of trading activities.
Characterization of leaf morphology of three species of Eremanthus (Vernonieae, Asteraceae): Untangling similar species
Authors: SILVA ELIAS ROMA DA , RIBEIRO ALESSANDRA OLIVEIRA , PIRES LIRA MARINÊS FERREIRA
Published: May 2023

The genus Eremanthus (Asteraceae) covers mostly arboreal species, popularly known as “candeia”. Three of these species, E. erythropappus, E. incanus and E. glomerulatus, are endemic to and extensively distributed in Brazil. “Candeias” are of commercial interest due to the good quality of their wood and, mainly, to their essential oils, used for various therapeutic purposes. These species of “candeia” have similar vegetative characteristics, mainly to E. erythropappus and E. incanus, making them difficult to differentiate in the field. This study aimed to characterize the anatomy and external morphology of these “candeia” species to facilitate identification. Qualitative and comparative analysis of the anatomy, histochemistry and ultrastructure of the leaf surface and the external morphology of the leaves were performed. The greatest differentiation between the three species was possible through the external morphological characteristics. The most representative characters were used to elaborate a dichotomous key.
The Brazilian Holepyris (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae), with description of a new species from Amazonian forest
Authors: GOBBI F. T. , AZEVEDO C. O.
Published: May 2023

The Brazilian fauna of Holepyris is investigated. H. eminentus sp. nov. from Amazonian rain forest is described and illustrated. It is recognized by having large and bulging eyes. New geographic records and taxonomic variation data for H. coriaceus Evans, 1977; H. micidus Evans, 1977; H. subtilis Evans, 1977; H. tenuis Evans, 1977; and H. turrialbae Evans, 1977 are provided. A key to Brazilian species is presented.
Redescription of a few Filchneria Klapálek, 1908 (Plecoptera, Perlodidae) species on the type and fresh material
Authors: TESLENKO VALENTINA A. , PALATOV DMITRY M.
Published: May 2023

Five Filchneria Klapálek, 1908 (Plecoptera, Perlodidae) species known since the last century (F. balcarica Balinsky, F. mesasiatica Zhiltzova, F. irani (Aubert), F. kuenluensis (Šámal), and F. olgae (McLachlan)) were redescribed on types stored in museums in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Russia and newly acquired material. The redescription were in accordance with the requirements of modern taxonomy, illustrated with color photographs of the habitus, head, pronotal patterns, eversible male paraproct lobes, male paraproctal sclerite, aedeagus (as possible), details of chaetotaxy, female subgenital plate, and egg using digital cameras and SEM. The diagnostic features of each species are revealed. The main differences were established in the male paraproctal sclerite shape, in the posterior margin of tergum 10, the female subgenital plate, and the egg structures. After reexamining the syntype series of Filchneria olgae, a lectotype is designated for this species. Filchneria kuenluensis is proposed to transfer to Perlodinella Klapálek, 1912 with the valid name Perlodinella kuenluensis (Šámal, 1935) comb. nov. Filchneria shobhaae is considered as a junior synonym of Zhiltzovaia amabilis (Jewett, 1958) syn. nov.
Three new species of Neotropical Ceraleurodicus Hempel (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) found in the Natural History Museum (London) collection, with notes and a puparial key to species
Authors: CANTY ROY J. , MARTINI BIANCAMARIA , WANKE DOMINIC
Published: May 2023

In this study, three new species of whitefly in the neotropical genus Ceraleurodicus Hempel are described and illustrated based on specimens discovered in the aleyrodid collection of the Natural History Museum, London (NHMUK): Ceraleurodicus boteh Canty sp. nov., Ceraleurodicus brianeno Canty sp. nov., and Ceraleurodicus wire Canty sp. nov. Also included is a key to puparia of the ten known species in the genus, and brief descriptions and illustrations of the known puparia and adults within the genus.
A new genus and species of micro-pagurid hermit crab (Crustacea, Decapoda, Paguridae) from the rariphotic reef zone in Curaçao, Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea
Authors: LEMAITRE RAFAEL , FELDER DARRYL L.
Published: May 2023

During field investigations of deep-reefs off the coast of Curaçao in the Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea, a female specimen was collected of an undescribed micro-pagurid crab with striking dorso-ventral flattening of the right cheliped. It was further characterized by a reduced branchial formula, fourth pereopods with grasping-like spines instead of typically pagurid rasp-like scales, nearly symmetrical uropods and telson, and a minute pair of first pleopods (gonopods). The single specimen was discovered in samples from the rariphotic zone (~130–309 m) obtained using a suction sampler operated from the manned submersible R/V Curasub over cryptic habitats and surfaces populated by communities of sessile macro-organisms. As the specimen does not fit any known pagurid taxon, we regard it to represent a new monotypic genus. We fully describe this new micro-pagurid as Raripagurus roseangelae n. gen., n. sp. and also provide photographs of its live coloration. The CO1 barcode for the holotype in the Barcode of Life Database and GenBank accession number are included as part of the description for any future phylogenetic investigations.
ERStruct: a fast Python package for inferring the number of top principal components from whole genome sequencing data
Authors: Yang Jinghan , Xu Yuyang , Yao Minhao , Wang Gao , Liu Zhonghua
Published: May 2023

Background

Large-scale multi-ethnic DNA sequencing data is increasingly available owing to decreasing cost of modern sequencing technologies. Inference of the population structure with such sequencing data is fundamentally important. However, the ultra-dimensionality and complicated linkage disequilibrium patterns across the whole genome make it challenging to infer population structure using traditional principal component analysis based methods and software.

Results

We present the ERStruct Python Package, which enables the inference of population structure using whole-genome sequencing data. By leveraging parallel computing and GPU acceleration, our package achieves significant improvements in the speed of matrix operations for large-scale data. Additionally, our package features adaptive data splitting capabilities to facilitate computation on GPUs with limited memory.

Conclusion

Our Python package ERStruct is an efficient and user-friendly tool for estimating the number of top informative principal components that capture population structure from whole genome sequencing data.
Machine learning models for prediction of invasion Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess syndrome in diabetes mellitus: a singled centered retrospective study
Authors: Feng Chengyi , Di Jia , Jiang Shufang , Li Xuemei , Hua Fei
Published: May 2023

Objective

This study aimed to develop and validate a machine learning algorithm-based model for predicting invasive Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess syndrome(IKPLAS) in diabetes mellitus and compare the performance of different models.

Methods

The clinical signs and data on the admission of 213 diabetic patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscesses were collected as variables. The optimal feature variables were screened out, and then Artificial Neural Network, Support Vector Machine, Logistic Regression, Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbor, Decision Tree, and XGBoost models were established. Finally, the model's prediction performance was evaluated by the ROC curve, sensitivity (recall), specificity, accuracy, precision, F1-score, Average Precision, calibration curve, and DCA curve.

Results

Four features of hemoglobin, platelet, D-dimer, and SOFA score were screened by the recursive elimination method, and seven prediction models were established based on these variables. The AUC (0.969), F1-Score(0.737), Sensitivity(0.875) and AP(0.890) of the SVM model were the highest among the seven models. The KNN model showed the highest specificity (1.000). Except that the XGB and DT models over-estimates the occurrence of IKPLAS risk, the other models' calibration curves are a good fit with the actual observed results. Decision Curve Analysis showed that when the risk threshold was between 0.4 and 0.8, the net rate of intervention of the SVM model was significantly higher than that of other models. In the feature importance ranking, the SOFA score impacted the model significantly.

Conclusion

An effective prediction model of invasion Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess syndrome in diabetes mellitus could be established by a machine learning algorithm, which had potential application value.
Acute septic thrombophlebitis of the lower extremities due to foreign body injury and infection: a case report
Authors: Zheng Guofu , Xiao Daoxiong , Xie Hailiang , Lai Minggui , Ye Bo , Liu Xiaochun
Published: May 2023

Background

Septic thrombophlebitis (STP) of the lower extremities caused by foreign bodies is rare in the clinic, and the symptoms are serious. If the correct treatment is not implemented as soon as possible, the patient may progress to sepsis.

Case presentation

We report the case of a 51-year-old normally healthy male who developed fever 3 days after field work. When he was weeding with a lawn mower in the field, a metal foreign body from the grass flew into his left lower abdomen, resulting in an eschar on his left lower abdomen. He was diagnosed with scrub typhus but did not respond well to anti-infective treatment. After a detailed inquiry of his medical history and an auxiliary examination, the diagnosis was confirmed as STP of the left lower limb caused by a foreign body. After surgery, anticoagulation and anti-infection treatment, the infection and thrombosis were controlled, and the patient was cured and discharged.

Conclusions

STP caused by foreign bodies is rare. Early detection of the aetiology of sepsis and early adoption of the correct measures can effectively block the progression of the disease and reduce the patient’s pain. Clinicians should identify the source of sepsis through a medical history and clinical examination.
The effect of a novel, digital physical activity and emotional well-being intervention on health-related quality of life in people with chronic kidney disease: trial design and baseline data from a multicentre prospective, wait-list randomised controlled trial (kidney BEAM)
Authors: Walklin C. G , Young Hannah M.L , Asghari E , Bhandari S , Billany R. E , Bishop N , Bramham K , Briggs J , Burton J. O. , Campbell J , Castle E. M , Chilcot J , Cooper N , Deelchand V , Graham-Brown M. P.M , Hamilton A , Jesky M , Kalra P. A , Koufaki P , McCafferty K , Nixon A. C , Noble H , Saynor Z. L. , Sothinathan C , Taal M. W , Tollitt J , Wheeler D.C , Wilkinson T. J , Macdonald J.H , Greenwood S. A
Published: May 2023

Background

Physical activity and emotional self-management has the potential to enhance health-related quality of life (HRQoL), but few people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have access to resources and support. The Kidney BEAM trial aims to evaluate whether an evidence-based physical activity and emotional wellbeing self-management programme (Kidney BEAM) leads to improvements in HRQoL in people with CKD.

Methods

This was a prospective, multicentre, randomised waitlist-controlled trial, with health economic analysis and nested qualitative studies. In total, three hundred and four adults with established CKD were recruited from 11 UK kidney units. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (Kidney BEAM) or a wait list control group (1:1). The primary outcome was the between-group difference in Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQoL) mental component summary score (MCS) at 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes included the KDQoL physical component summary score, kidney-specific scores, fatigue, life participation, depression and anxiety, physical function, clinical chemistry, healthcare utilisation and harms. All outcomes were measured at baseline and 12 weeks, with long-term HRQoL and adherence also collected at six months follow-up. A nested qualitative study explored experience and impact of using Kidney BEAM.

Results

340 participants were randomised to Kidney BEAM (n = 173) and waiting list (n = 167) groups. There were 96 (55%) and 89 (53%) males in the intervention and waiting list groups respectively, and the mean (SD) age was 53 (14) years in both groups. Ethnicity, body mass, CKD stage, and history of diabetes and hypertension were comparable across groups. The mean (SD) of the MCS was similar in both groups, 44.7 (10.8) and 45.9 (10.6) in the intervention and waiting list groups respectively.

Conclusion

Results from this trial will establish whether the Kidney BEAM self management programme is a cost-effective method of enhancing mental and physical wellbeing of people with CKD.

Trial Registration

NCT04872933. Registered 5th May 2021.
A unilateral whiteout lung in child with multisystem inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19 due to SARS-CoV-2: one case report of a boy
Authors: Sriboonyong Tidarat , Katanyuwong Poomiporn , Vaewpanich Jarin
Published: May 2023

Background

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a relatively new and rare complication of COVID-19. This complication seems to develop after the infection rather than during the acute phase of COVID-19. This report aims to describe a case of MIS-C in an 8-year-old Thai boy who presented with unilateral lung consolidation. Unilateral whiteout lung is not a common pediatric chest radiograph finding in MIS-C, but this is attributed to severe acute respiratory failure.

Case presentation

An 8-year-old boy presented with persistent fever for seven days, right cervical lymphadenopathy, and dyspnea for 12 h. The clinical and biochemical findings were compatible with MIS-C. Radiographic features included total opacity of the right lung and CT chest found consolidation and ground-glass opacities of the right lung. He was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin and methylprednisolone, and he dramatically responded to the treatment. He was discharged home in good condition after 8 days of treatment.

Conclusion

Unilateral whiteout lung is not a common pediatric chest radiographic finding in MIS-C, but when it is encountered, a timely and accurate diagnosis is required to avoid delays and incorrect treatment. We describe a pediatric patient with unilateral lung consolidation from the inflammatory process.
A missed diagnosis of sputum crust with fiberoptic bronchoscope causing extubation failure: a case report
Authors: Qian Kun , Wei Yiyong , Liu Xingkui , Li Zhengfu , Cao Song , Wen Dan , Shi Junhua , Zhang Yu , Zhang Yinan
Published: May 2023

Background

Fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) and bronchoscopic biopsy are the established methods for diagnosing and treating sputum crust. However, sputum crust in concealed locations can sometimes be missed or undiagnosed, even with bronchoscopy.

Case presentation

We present the case of a 44-year-old female patient who experienced initial extubation failure and postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) due to the missed diagnosis of sputum crust by FOB and low-resolution bedside chest X-ray. The FOB examination showed no apparent abnormalities prior to the first extubation, and the patient underwent tracheal extubation 2 h after aortic valve replacement (AVR). However, she was reintubated 13 h after the first extubation due to a persistent irritating cough and severe hypoxemia, and a bedside chest radiograph revealed pneumonia and atelectasis. Upon performing a repeat FOB examination prior to the second extubation, we serendipitously discovered the presence of sputum crust at the end of the endotracheal tube. Subsequently, we found that the sputum crust was mainly located on the tracheal wall between the subglottis and the end of the endotracheal tube during the “Tracheobronchial Sputum Crust Removal” procedure, and most of the crust was obscured by the retained endotracheal tube. The patient was discharged on the 20th day following therapeutic FOB.

Conclusion

FOB examination may miss specific areas in endotracheal intubation (ETI) patients, particularly the tracheal wall between the subglottis and distal end of the tracheal catheter, where sputum crust can be concealed. When diagnostic examinations with FOB are inconclusive, high-resolution chest CT can be helpful in identifying hidden sputum crust.
Changes in femoral rollback and rotation with increasing coupling in knee arthroplasty—a biomechanical in-vitro study
Authors: Lorenz Andrea , Winter Alexander , Mederake Moritz , Freidhager Clemens , Hofmann Ulf Krister , Leichtle Ulf Gunther
Published: May 2023

Background

After total knee arthroplasty, 10–30% of patients still complain about knee pain, even after exact positioning of the components. Altered knee kinematics are crucial in this regard.

The aim of our study was to experimentally determine the influence of different degrees of component coupling of knee prostheses on joint kinematics during muscle-loaded knee flexion in-vitro.

Methods

Femoral rollback and femoral rotation of a standard cruciate retaining (GCR), a posterior stabilized (GPS), a rotational hinge (RSL) and a total hinge (SSL) design of the same series of knee replacement implants (SL-series) of one single manufacturer (Waldemar Link GmbH, Hamburg, Germany) were analyzed and set in relation to the motion of the corresponding native knee in a paired study design. All different coupling degrees were analyzed in the same human knees. To simulate muscle loaded knee flexion, a knee simulator was used. Kinematics were measured with an ultrasonic motion capture system and integrated in a calculated coordinate system via CT-imaging.

Results

The largest posterior motion on the lateral side was found for the native knee (8.7 ± 7.0 mm), followed by the GPS (3.2 ± 5.1 mm) and GCR (2.8 ± 7.3 mm) implants, while no motion was found for the RSL (0.1 ± 3.0 mm) and the SSL (-0.6 ± 2.7 mm) implants. In contrast, on the medial side, only the native knee showed a posterior motion (2.1 ± 3.2 mm). Regarding femoral external rotation, the only implant where the observed difference did not reach statistical significance when compared to the native knee was the GCR (p = 0.007).

Conclusion

The GCR and GPS kinematics closely imitate those of the native joint. Medial femoral rollback is reduced, however, with the joint pivoting around a rotational center located in the medial plateau. Without additional rotational forces, the coupled RSL and SSL prostheses closely resemble each other with no femoral rollback or relevant rotational component. The femoral axis, however, shifts ventrally in both models when compared with their primary counterparts. The positioning of the coupling mechanism in the femoral and tibial component thus can already lead to altered joint kinematics even in prostheses with an identical surface geometry.
The antimicrobial efficacy of nanographene oxide and double antibiotic paste per se and in combination: part II
Authors: Eskandari Fateme , Ghahramani Yasamin , Abbaszadegan Abbas , Gholami Ahmad
Published: May 2023

Background

Finding strategies to overcome the rising trends of antimicrobial resistance against currently available antimicrobial agents has become increasingly relevant. Graphene oxide has recently emerged as a promising material due to its outstanding physicochemical and biological properties. This study aimed to validate previous data on the antibacterial activity of nanographene oxide (nGO), double antibiotic paste (DAP), and their combination (nGO-DAP).

Methods

The antibacterial evaluation was performed against a wide range of microbial pathogens. Synthesis of nGO was achieved using a modified Hummers' method, and loading it with ciprofloxacin and metronidazole resulted in nGO-DAP. The microdilution method was utilized to assess the antimicrobial efficacy of nGO, DAP, and nGO-DAP against two gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus and E. faecalis), two gram-negative bacteria (E. coli, and S. typhi), and an opportunistic pathogenic yeast (C. albicans). Statistical analysis was conducted using one-sample t-test and one-way ANOVA (α = 0.05).

Results

All three antimicrobial agents significantly increased the killing percent of microbial pathogens compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the synthesized nGO-DAP exhibited higher antimicrobial activity than nGO and DAP per se.

Conclusion

The novel synthesized nGO-DAP can be used as an effective antimicrobial nanomaterial for use in dental, biomedical, and pharmaceutical fields against a range of microbial pathogens, including gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, as well as yeasts.
Health professions students’ approaches towards practice-driven ethical dilemmas; a case-based qualitative study
Authors: Hlaing Phyu Hnin , Hasswan Ahmed , Salmanpour Vida , Shorbagi Sarra , AlMahmoud Tahra , Jirjees Feras Jassim , Kawas Sausan Al , Guraya Salman Yusuf , Sulaiman Nabil
Published: May 2023

Background

In healthcare practice, ethical challenges are inevitable and their optimal handling may potentialy improve patient care. Ethical development in medical education is critical for the transition from a medical and health sciences student to an ethical healthcare practitioner. Understanding the health professions students’ approaches towards practice-driven ethical dilemmas could harness i the effective ethical development in their medical education. This study attempts to identify the health professions students’ approaches towards practice-driven ethical dilemmas.

Methods

An inductive qualitative evaluation was conducted on six recorded videos of health professions students’ case-based online group discussions, followed by a one-hour online ethics workshop. The online ethics workshop was organized with students from the College of Medicine, College of Dental Medicine and College of Pharmacy at the University of Sharjah, and the College of Medicine at the United Arab Emirates University. . The recorded videos were transcribed verbatim and imported to the qualitative data analysis software of MAXQDA 2022. Data were analyzed applying four stages of review, reflect, reduce and retrieve and two different coders triangulated the findings.

Results

Six themes emerged from the qualitative analysis of the health professions students’ approaches to the practice-based ethical dilemmas; (1) emotions, (2) personal experiences, (3) law and legal system, (4) professional background, (5) knowledge of medical research and (6) inter-professional education. In addition, during the case-based group discussions in the ethics workshop, students efficiently applied the relevant ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice in their reasoning process to reach an ethical decision.

Conclusion

The findings of this study explained how health professions students resolve ethical dilemmas in their ethical reasoning process. This work sheds light on ethical development in medical education by gaining students’ perspectives in dealing with complex clinical scenarios. The findings from this qualitative evaluation will aid academic medical institutions in developing medical and research-based ethics curriculum to transform students to ethical leaders.
How do the post-graduation outcomes of students from gateway courses compare to those from standard entry medicine courses at the same medical schools?
Authors: Elmansouri Ahmad , Curtis Sally , Nursaw Ceri , Smith Daniel
Published: May 2023

Background

Widening participation (WP) for underrepresented students through six-year gateway courses helps to widen the demographic representation of doctors in the UK. ‘Most students from gateway courses graduate, even though many enter with lower grades than standard entry medicine students.’ This study aims to compare the graduate outcomes of gateway and SEM cohorts from the same universities.

Methods

Data from 2007–13 from the UK Medical Education Database (UKMED) were available for graduates of gateway and SEM courses at three UK medical schools. Outcome measures were passing an entry exam on the first attempt, Annual Review of Competency Progression (ARCP) outcome and being offered a level one training position from the first application. The univariate analysis compared the two groups. Logistic regressions, predicting outcomes by course type, controlled for attainment on completion of medical school.

Results

Four thousand four hundred forty-five doctors were included in the analysis. There was no difference found in the ARCP outcome between gateway and SEM graduates. Gateway graduates were less likely to pass their first attempt at any membership exam than graduates of SEM courses (39% vs 63%). Gateway graduates were less likely to be offered a level 1 training position on their first application (75% vs 82%). Graduates of gateway courses were more likely to apply to General Practitioner (GP) training programmes than SEM graduates (56% vs 39%).

Conclusions

Gateway courses increase the diversity of backgrounds represented within the profession and importantly the number of applications to GP training. However, differences in cohort performance are shown to continue to exist in the postgraduate arena and further research is required to ascertain the reasons for this.
Green quality by design HPLC approach for the simultaneous determination of Bilastine and Montelukast
Authors: Roshdy Aya , Salam Randa Abdel , Hadad Ghada , Belal Fathallah , Elmansi Heba
Published: May 2023

For the simultaneous estimation of two co-formulated antihistaminic drugs (Bilastine and Montelukast), a novel and eco-friendly reversed-phase HPLC approach with both diode array and fluorescence detection modes was designed. Rather than using the routine methodology, the Quality by Design (QbD) approach was adopted to speed up the method development and to test robustness of the method. To evaluate the effect of variable factors on chromatographic response, a full factorial design was used. The chromatographic separation was performed using isocratic elution on the C18 column. The mobile phase consists of 92% methanol, 6% acetonitrile, and 2% phosphate buffer with 0.1 (v/v) triethylamine adjusted to pH 3, it was pumped at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min with an injection volume of 20 μL. The developed stability indicating HPLC approach was used to assess the stability of montelukast (MNT). It was subjected to a variety of stress conditions, including hydrolytic (acid–base), oxidative, thermal, and photolytic stress conditions. All of these conditions were found to have relevant degradation pathways. Under the described experimental conditions, MNT degradation followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. The kinetic parameters of its degradation (rate constant and t1/2) were calculated and a proposal for the degradation pathway was postulated.
Exome Sequencing of Paired Colorectal Carcinomas and Synchronous Liver Metastases for Prognosis and Therapy Prediction
Authors: Hlaváč Viktor , Červenková Lenka , Šůsová Simona , Holý Petr , Liška Václav , Vyčítal Ondřej , Šorejs Ondřej , Fiala Ondřej , Daum Ondřej , Souček Pavel
Published: May 2023

PURPOSE

Analysis of somatic variant profiles in retrospectively collected pairs of primary tumors and synchronous liver metastases from surgically treated patients with colorectal carcinomas. Mutational profiles were compared between groups of patients stratified by response to chemotherapy and survival.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study used whole-exome sequencing of tumor sample pairs from 20 patients diagnosed and treated at a single center. The Cancer Genome Atlas COAD-READ data set (n = 380) was used for validation in silico, where possible.

RESULTS

The most frequently altered oncodrivers were APC (55% in primaries and 60% in metastases), TP53 (50/45), TRIP11 (30/5), FAT4 (20/25), and KRAS (15/25). Harboring variants with a high or moderate predicted functional effect in KRAS in primary tumors was significantly associated with poor relapse-free survival in both our sample set and the validation data set. We found a number of additional prognostic associations, including mutational load, alterations in individual genes, oncodriver pathways, and single base substitution (SBS) signatures in primary tissues, which were not confirmed by validation. Altered ATM, DNAH11, and MUC5AC, or a higher share of SBS24 signature in metastases seemed to represent poor prognostic factors, but because of a lack of suitable validation data sets, these results must be treated with extreme caution. No gene or profile was significantly associated with response to chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, we report subtle differences in exome mutational profiles between paired primary tumors and synchronous liver metastases and a distinct prognostic relevance of KRAS in primary tumors. Although the general scarcity of primary tumor-synchronous metastasis sample pairs with high-quality clinical data makes robust validation difficult, this study provides potentially valuable data for utilization in precision oncology and could serve as a springboard for larger studies.
Retrospectives: Edgar Sydenstricker: Household Equivalence Scales and the Causes of Pellagra
Authors: Clarke Philip , Erreygers Guido
Published: May 2023

In the early part of the 20th century the disease pellagra, now almost unknown, affected and killed thousands of people in the United States. Some claimed it was an infection, while others maintained it was due to a dietary deficiency. The economist Edgar Sydenstricker (1881-1936), who was a member of a US Public Health Service team examining the disease, argued it was critical to understand how pellagra varied by levels of income. Collecting survey data, he realized equivalence scales were needed to adjust household incomes. His research demonstrated that there was a strong negative correlation between the incidence of pellagra and equivalized household income. Further analysis of the dietary differences between households suggested that a dietary deficiency associated to a restricted availability of animal protein food was the cause of pellagra. This was confirmed more than a decade later when a deficiency of vitamin B-3 was identified as the cause.
Neighborhood Change, Gentrification, and the Urbanization of College Graduates
Authors: Couture Victor , Handbury Jessie
Published: May 2023

We study changing trends in within-city sorting by education over the last 40 years. We show that neighborhoods closest to the centers of large US cities rose from having the lowest levels of college attainment in 1980 to the highest in 2017. We discuss the determinants of changes in sorting patterns, focusing on the role of transportation technology and income growth. We outline various consequences of the recent urbanization of college graduates on neighborhood amenities, house prices, and segregation. We highlight the tendency of college graduates to cluster into select central neighborhoods, likely limiting opportunities for interactions across educational lines.
Novel radiomic features versus deep learning: differentiating brain metastases from pathological lung cancer types in small datasets
Authors: Tulum Gökalp
Published: May 2023

Objective:

Accurate diagnosis and early treatment are crucial for survival in patients with brain metastases. This study aims to expand the capability of radiomics-based classification algorithms with novel features and compare results with deep learning-based algorithms to differentiate the subtypes of lung cancer from MRI of metastatic lesions in the brain.

Methods:

This study includes 75 small cell lung carcinoma, 72 squamous cell carcinoma, and 75 adenocarcinoma segments. For the radiomics-based algorithm, novel features from the original Laplacian of Gaussian filtered and two-dimensional wavelet transformed images were extracted, and a new three-stage feature selection algorithm was proposed for feature selection. Two classification methods were applied to images to identify the subtypes of lung cancer. Additionally, EfficientNet and ResNet with transfer learning were used as classifiers to compare the results of the proposed algorithm.

Results:

The sensitivity and specificity values of the radiomics-based classifier are 94.44 and 95.33%, and for the second classifier are 87.67% and 92.62%, respectively. Besides, a one-vs-all approach comparison was made utilizing two deep learning-based classifiers; The sensitivity and specificity values of 94.29 and 94.08% were obtained from ResNet-50. Moreover, mentioned metrics for EfficientNet-b0 are 92.86 and 93.42%. Furthermore, the accuracies of two radiomics-based and two deep learning-based models were 84.68%, 78.37%, 92.34%, and 90.99%, respectively for one-vs-one approach.

Conclusion:

The results suggest that the proposed radiomics-based algorithm is a helpful diagnostic assistant to improve decision-making for treating patients with brain metastases in small datasets.

Advances in knowledge:

Firstly, the proposed method of this study extracts novel features from transformations of the original images, such as wavelet and Laplacian of Gaussian filter for the first time in literature. Secondly, this is the first study that investigates the classification performance of the shallow and deep learning approaches to identify subtypes of lung cancer.
Wilding Moments
Authors: Gearty Margaret
Published: May 2023

How might we make space for the natural world to accompany us in our working lives when so much takes place at a distance from nature? This glimpse takes place within a day-to-day learning setting. The practice described is about cultivating a sense of our own wildness via ‘wilding moments’ – invited in through improvised moments of poetry, presence and pause.
When Life Knocks, Listen
Authors: Nichols Chris
Published: May 2023

Chris Nichols finds that life floods in for free with the simplest ways of inviting groups to share what brings them alive.
The Corporate Opportunity Structure for Shareholder Activism: How Activist Hedge Funds Exploit Board Demographic Diversity
Authors: DesJardine Mark R. , Shi Wei , Marti Emilio
Published: May 2023

Inspired by research on social movements, we extend the idea that activists look for opportunities to target firms to the realm of financially motivated shareholder activists. Focusing on activist hedge funds, we argue that hedge fund campaigns are more likely to succeed when boards are slow and less united and that, compared with more homogeneous boards, demographically diverse boards tend to act more slowly and with less unity. Although these attributes make demographically diverse boards more effective under “normal” circumstances, they become a liability in confrontations with activist hedge funds. We, therefore, hypothesize that when subject to governance and performance problems, firms become more likely targets of activist hedge funds when they also have demographically diverse boards. To further probe our theory, we explore the opportunity recognition of activist hedge funds in two ways. First, we posit that this opportunity will be recognized and exploited primarily by experienced activist hedge funds. Second, we argue that activist hedge funds’ opportunity recognition is correct in so far that demographically diverse boards respond to activism campaigns in ways that are likely to benefit activist hedge funds. Using data on United States-based activism campaigns, we find support for our theory. By simultaneously studying problems and opportunities, this study establishes a foundation for examining when the disciplinary effect of shareholder activism may go awry and reveals why a strict business case for demographic diversity may be insufficient to align all shareholders behind board diversity.

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2023.1679 .
DIVERSIFIKASI SEBAGAI STRATEGI KEBERLANJUTAN PROGRAM KEWIRAUSAHAAN BERBASIS DIGITAL
Authors: Hamid Rahmad Solling , Anwar Suhardi M. , Ukkas Imran , Goso Goso
Published: May 2023

Diversification is a way to support the sustainability of digital-based strategies. The purpose of this research is to formulate a digital-based entrepreneurship development strategy. This study uses a qualitative approach through an interpretive paradigm. The population in this study was all young entrepreneurs between the ages of 25 and 40 years, and the sampling technique was non-probability sampling with a sample size of 280 respondents. A validity and reliability test was carried out for the data quality test with the result that all data was valid dan reliable. The analytical method used to formulate a digital-based marketing strategy was SWOT analysis (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) by identifying the External Factor Analysis Strategy (EFAS) and the Internal Factor Analysis Strategy (IFAS). The result of this study shows that strategy formulation that should be obtained is using the opportunity to minimize weakness. Thus the rationalization strategy is the recommended strategy.
ANTESEDEN PERILAKU KONSUMTIF DI MASA PANDEMI COVID-19
Authors: Fitriani Dyah , Setyono Hendro , Solehatin Sarazfhiga
Published: May 2023

The development of e-commerce provides many conveniences for shopping consumers. Consumers are increasingly familiar with the online shopping system since the emergence of the covid-19 pandemic, which limited people's mobility, including shopping. This study analyzes student consumerism behavior regarding self-control, peers, and socioeconomic status. The sample in this study amounted to 180 students. The sampling technique used simple random sampling with a questionnaire to collect respondents' answers. The results of this study prove that peers have a positive effect on consumptive behavior. However, self control and socio-economic status have no effect on consumptive behavior.
O status informacional dos referentes de elementos focalizados em construções de foco alternantes
Authors: Brito Danilo Da Silva Santos
Published: May 2023

Neste artigo investigamos as propriedades informacionais de elementos que instanciam a posição de foco em três construções QU do português brasileiro: a “Clivada Canônica” [SER X QUE Y], a “Construção Que” [X QUE Y] e a “Construção SerQue” [X ÉQUE Y], nas quais X corresponde ao constituinte focalizado e Y ao segmento não focalizado. A pesquisa é orientada pelo pressuposto teórico da Gramática de Construções Baseadas no Uso (GCBU) e para o estudo do status informacional de referentes do discurso adaptamos propostas de Prince (1989, 1992). Objetivo é verificar se há alguma restrição a configurações/contextos variáveis que justifiquem a defesa da não sinonímia (GOLDBERG, 1995) entre as construções em pauta, já que, mesmo de formalmente distintas, elas se mostram intercambiáveis em muitas situações de uso. As ocorrências foram coletadas dos registros de fala dos 64 informantes que integram a amostra de fala carioca Censo-1980 (PEUL/UFRJ) e analisadas com a utilização de ferramentas de processamento estatístico. Os dados mostram que ao mesmo tempo que esses esquemas compartilham parte substancial de sua semântica de construção, os mesmos parecem diferir em termos de uma série de variantes diretamente relacionados ao tipo de informação codificada no slot de foco.
A rede gramatical das construções com se no português brasileiro
Authors: Godoy Luisa , Pinheiro Diogo
Published: May 2023

Este trabalho objetiva desenvolver um estudo sobre o sincretismo do clítico se em português brasileiro, propondo uma categorização em tipos e uma representação da sua gramática. Elegemos a Gramática de Construções Baseada no Uso como aporte teórico e a concepção cognitiva da gramática como rede. Também, propomos que o sincretismo ocorre por polissemia, pois assumimos que as formas são motivadas funcionalmente. Um pequeno corpus de dados escritos de notícias foi montado, a partir do qual foram observadas seis categorias semânticas nos usos do se: recíproca, reflexiva, média dinâmica, média cognitiva, incoativa e impessoal. Essas categorias foram tratadas como construções de estrutura argumental, contendo sujeito, verbo e se em posição proclítica, e distribuídas em três grandes domínios abstratos: reflexivo-recíproco, médio e impessoal. Finalmente, elaboramos um desenho da rede de construções com se, representando o conhecimento gramatical sobre o fenômeno, no qual a classificação proposta é acomodada na rede de links taxonômicos que organizam as construções em diferentes níveis de abstração.
Doing it my way
Authors: Garnett Helen
Published: May 2023

‘Conation’ is the will or urge to do something. Helen Garnett explores the importance of understanding children's different styles of motivation for learning and development
The plants in my street
Authors: Mountain Julie
Published: May 2023

Not only is elder versatile all year round, with edible spring flowers and autumn berries, it also makes excellent pea shooters, says Julie Mountain
Wellbeing
Authors: O'Sullivan June
Published: May 2023

Tuning into children is a vital part of practice, says June O'Sullivan, CEO of London Early Years Foundation
Safeguarding Part 2: Top Priority
Authors: Buckler's Rachel
Published: May 2023

Early years practitioners are best-placed to recognise when a vulnerable child needs help. By Rachel Buckler, a trainer and consultant specialising in safeguarding
Inappropriate posts
Authors: Jozwiak Gabriella
Published: May 2023

Is it a manager's place to address controversial staff comments that they have made on social media? By Gabriella Jozwiak
Removal of Indigo Blue Dye Using Iron Oxide Nanoparticles– Process Optimization Via Taguchi Method
Authors: Yadav Sangita , Chander Subhash , Neha Neha , Kumari Sweta , A Ankur , Gupta Asha
Published: May 2023

In this study, the parameters for the adsorption of indigo blue dye onto iron oxide nanoparticles were optimized in a batch system (Fe3O4@ME nanoparticles nanomaterials synthesized using bacterial extracts and Fe3O4 nanomaterials synthesized using bacterial cell mass). The Taguchi optimization approach (an L9 array design) was utilized to estimate the significance and interaction impacts of many examined parameters (initial concentration of indigo blue dye, adsorbent dose, and contact time) on the adsorption process. It was observed that the ideal conditions were 0.125 gm of adsorbent, 13 mg/lit of initial dye concentration, and 90 minutes of contact time at pH 7, room temperature. In this study, at optimized conditions, the percent dye removal for Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@ME nanoparticles was 86 and 76, respectively. The percentage contribution of each process parameter to the elimination of indigo blue dye was determined using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) method. It was found that Taguchi could accurately forecast the outcomes. In order to support the accuracy of the process parameter optimization under the specified experimental conditions, it was found that the percentage removal of the indigo blue dye obtained in the confirmatory experiments carried out under optimized conditions was higher than that optimized in each of the Taguchi design's test runs.
Alkaloid, Phenolic Profiling and Biological Activities of Caralluma russeliana Methanol Extracts from Al Baha region, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alsenani Nawaf I
Published: May 2023

The current work highlights the antioxidant, cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activities of the methanol extract of Caralluma russeliana and their alkaloids and phenolics composition by HPLC analysis. The antioxidant activity of the methanol extract of C. russeliana displayed that it quenched DPPH with IC50 119.17 μg/ml, ABTS with IC50 155.71 μg/ml, NO with IC50 223.40 μg/ml and H2O2 with IC50 184.40 μg/ml. Among the tested cell lines, hepatocellular (HepG2) and lung (A549) were the most sensitive cell lines towards the extract which significantly block proliferation with IC50 24.37 μg/mL and 26.84 μg/mL, respectively, and moderately active against HCT-116, skin A-431 and prostate PC-3 cells. Furthermore, the extract was active against the bacterial strains and inactive against the tested fungal strains and showed MIC 3300 μg/mL and 1666.66 μg/mL against S. aureus and P. vulgaris, respectively in antimicrobial assay. The identified alkaloids and phenolic constituents by HPLC such as berberine, camptothecin, chlorogenic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, catechol and cycloclavine are known to exert antimicrobial and anticancer effect triggered by oxidative stress through different mechanisms.
Adamantane-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine Derivatives; Synthesis, Characterization and Investigation of Antimicrobial Study
Authors: Tank Manishkumar Jinabhai , Kucha Navinkumar A. , Naik Chirag G. , Barot Tina R. , Malik G. M.
Published: May 2023

Target molecules based on Adamantane-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives were prepared. Adamantane-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine series using N-(hydroxyadamantan-1-yl)-5-(2,4-substitutedphenyl)-2-Methyl-4-Oxo-7-(2-oxo-2H-Chromen-3-yl)pyrido[2,3-d]Pyrimidine-3(4H)carboxamide (6a-j) was synthesized by reaction between 3-(2-chloroacetyl)-5-(2,4-substitutedphenyl)-2-Methyl-7-(2-Oxo-2H-Chromen-3-yl) pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one (5a-j) and 3-aminoadamantan-1-ol. These derivatives of Adamantane-pyrido[2,3-d]Pyrimidine were investigated in vitro for their biological characteristics against the strains which were isolated clinically and confirmation of their structure was done by FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C NMR and LCMS. The newly synthesized derivatives gave promising antimicrobial activity.