bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
African schistosomes in small mammal communities: Perspectives from a spatio-temporal survey in the vicinity of Lake Guiers, Senegal
Authors: Kincaid-Smith Julien , Savassi Boris Sègnito A. E. , Senghor Bruno , Diagne Christophe , Niang Youssoupha , Kane Mamadou , Tatard Caroline , Brouat Carine , Granjon Laurent
Published: December 2024

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease of public health significance. In view of its elimination as a public health problem by 2030, adopting a One Health approach is necessary, considering its multidimensional nature. Animal reservoirs, in particular, pose a significant threat to schistosomiasis control in Africa and beyond. In this study, we conducted a spatio-temporal survey of Schistosoma infections in small mammal communities and intermediate snail hosts in the vicinity of Lake Guiers in northern Senegal. Sampling campaigns were undertaken four times between April 2021 and August 2022 around eight villages. A total of 534 small mammals of four species, primarily Hubert’s multimammate mice Mastomys huberti, were captured. Out of 498 individuals examined, only 18 rodents (17 M. huberti and 1 Arvicanthis niloticus) were infected with schistosomes. The infection rates in M. huberti varied over time (prevalence range: 2.4% to 9.3%, intensity range: 4 to 132), and space (prevalence range: 3.1% to 40%, intensity range: 2 to 110) and were higher in adult hosts captured during or just after the rainy season, a time when older individuals dominate in rodent populations. Using a multi-locus molecular approach (cox1 and ITS) on Schistosoma larvae (cercariae and miracidia) and adult worms, we identified Schistosoma mansoni as the most widespread species. We also detected Schistosoma bovis and Schistosoma haematobium in M. huberti from one locality (Temeye). Although no Schistosoma hybrids were found, the discovery of a male S. mansoni and a female S. bovis pair raises concerns about potential hybridization patterns that could occur in rodents. Finally, three snail species were found infected (25 Biomphalaria pfeifferi, 3 Bulinus truncatus and 1 Bulinus senegalensis) including with S. mansoni, S. bovis, S. haematobium and S. haematobium x S. bovis hybrids. Our findings highlight the spatial-temporal variations of Schistosoma infections in rodents and emphasize the need for fine-scale monitoring over time and space for effective One Health measures and ensuring the sustainability of schistosomiasis control efforts.
Microbiota in the ptarmigan intestine—An Inuit delicacy and its potential in popular cuisine
Authors: Bjørnsen Mads Bjørn , Valerón Nabila Rodríguez , Vásquez Diego Prado , Velasco Esther Merino , Hansen Anders Johannes , Hauptmann Aviaja Lyberth
Published: December 2024

The consumption of prey intestines and their content, known as gastrophagy, is well-documented among Arctic Indigenous peoples, particularly Inuit. In Greenland, Inuit consume intestines from various animals, including the ptarmigan, a small herbivorous grouse bird. While gastrophagy provides the potential to transfer a large number of intestinal microorganisms from prey to predator, including to the human gut, its microbial implications remain to be investigated. This study addresses this gap by investigating the microbial composition of the Greenlandic rock ptarmigan’s gastrointestinal tract by analyzing the crop, stomach, and intestines while also comparing it with the microbiota found in garum, a fermented sauce made from ptarmigan meat and intestines. Through 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we assessed whether garum made from ptarmigan intestines provides access to microbial diversity otherwise only accessible through gastrophagy. Our findings reveal that garum made from ptarmigan intestines displayed distinct flavors and microbial composition similar to that found in the ptarmigan gut and intestines, highlighting the potential role of fermented products in mediating food microbial diversity associated with Indigenous food practices. Furthermore, our study underscores the broader importance of understanding microbial diversity in different food systems, particularly in the context of shifting dietary patterns and concerns about diminishing food microbial diversity. By elucidating the microbial richness gained through gastrophagy this research contributes to a deeper understanding of traditional and Indigenous foodways and their implications for human gut health.
Parametric analysis on the global design of flexible riser under different environmental conditions using OrcaFlex
Authors: Amaechi Chiemela Victor , Butler Harrison Obed , Beddu Salmia Binti , Syamsir Agusril , Ja’e Idris Ahmed , Reda Ahmed , Ju Xuanze
Published: December 2024

The application of flexible risers has led to increased production of fluid contents in the marine industry. This paper presents the design challenges of a flexible riser subjected to internal pressure under deep-water conditions, at a water depth of 2000 m. Parametric variations with extensive dynamic analysis were carried out. The study highlights include the global analysis of lazy-wave configuration for the design of flexible risers, to understand the failure of flexible risers and application of hybrid configurations on flexible pipes. For the global analysis, the design of the riser was modelled in OrcaFlex by considering different sections and then analysed for the influence of effective tension, bending moment and environmental conditions. This riser model is multi-layered and was mainly subjected to the fluid pressure load and the environmental load. Model validations were performed with existing lazy-wave models. In the global design, the riser was assessed when connected to the vessel, but vessel motion was not included, additionally, three different environmental conditions were applied on the model. Also, the suitability of the adopted configuration for the proposed flexible riser was adopted considering it as a sustainable marine structure. Stress profile, tension profile and bending moment for the risers were presented and conclusions were made on the study. Some fatigue study is recommended in future study to be undertaken on the riser.
Education level, contraceptive communication, and IUD use among rural-to-urban migrants in China: A qualitative study
Authors: Kane Danielle , Han Bing , Chung Yu
Published: December 2024

Chinese rural-to-urban migrant workers have high rates of unintended pregnancy, yet many are reluctant to choose the most effective forms of contraception, such as IUDs (intrauterine devices). Those who do are often socioeconomically disadvantaged, a finding that contradicts much health research, namely that higher SES individuals can access better healthcare. This puzzle highlights the need to understand better migrant workers’ contraceptive decision-making. This paper reports findings from interviews with 91 migrant workers. Across educational backgrounds, IUD use usually followed contraceptive-related communication. Female interviewees with less education were more likely to have contraception-related discussions, including with doctors, in which the benefits of IUDs emerged. Typically, however, these conversations happened after a pregnancy. The findings suggest a need for public awareness campaigns that destigmatize discussion of contraception and interventions targeted by education level.
Primipaternity in multiparas as a predominant high risk factor for preeclampsia over prolonged birth intervals: A study of 33,000 singleton pregnancies in Reunion Island
Authors: Robillard Pierre-Yves , Iacobelli Silvia , Lorrain Simon , Bonsante Francesco , Boukerrou Malik , Scioscia Marco , Tran Phuong Lien , Dekker Gustaaf
Published: December 2024

Objectives

To evaluate the relative importance of changing paternity (“primipaternity”, direct inquiry with patients) in multiparas versus prolonged birth/pregnancy interval as risk factors for preeclampsia (PE) by a logistic regression model comparing the adjusted odds ratios of both exposures.

Design

Assessment of all consecutive singleton deliveries (from 22 weeks onwards) at South-Reunion University’s maternity (Reunion Island, Indian Ocean) over 23 years (2001–2023) using an epidemiological perinatal database on obstetrical factors (264 items in total, of which, chronic or gestational hypertension, proteinuria, HELLP syndrome).

Results

Among the 53,572 multiparous singleton pregnancies, we identified 33,312 (62%) of multiparas who gave consecutive births, allowing calculation of birth intervals.

Primipaternity multipara (N = 2790) were on average older than those in stable relationships (N = 50,782), 31 vs 30 years, p< 0.0001; they had almost systematically longer birth intervals compared with controls of approximately 1.5 year from the 2nd to the 4th pregnancy and approximately 1year after the 5th pregnancy (all p < 0.05). In the logistic regression model of 11 risk factors, intervals between pregnancies had similar adjusted odds ratios (1.05, p = 0.002) as increasing maternal age (AdjOR 1.02, p = 0.02), increasing parity (adjOR 1.09, p = 0.02) and pre-pregnancy BMI (AdjOR 1.05, p< 0.0001). Smoking was associated with an AdjOR of 0.85 (non-significant),primipaternity multiparas were twice as likely to be smokers (23.8% vs 13.4%, p< 0.0001) compared with controls. AdjOR for primipaternity was 3.34 (p < 0.0001) indicating that primipaternity as risk belonged in the category of well-established risk factors like history of preeclampsia (11.2, p< 0.0001) and chronic hypertension (6.45, p< 0.0001).

Conclusions

Primipaternities in multiparae belongs to the major risk factors such as history of preeclampsia, chronic hypertension, multiple pregnancies while prolonged birth intervals belongs to moderate “regular physiological aging processes” such as increasing maternal age, parity or increasing pre-pregnancy BMI.
Detection and location of EEG events using deep learning visual inspection
Authors: Fraiwan Mohammad Amin
Published: December 2024

The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a major diagnostic tool that provides detailed insight into the electrical activity of the brain. This signal contains a number of distinctive waveform patterns that reflect the subject’s health state in relation to sleep, neurological disorders, memory functions, and more. In this regard, sleep spindles and K-complexes are two major waveform patterns of interest to specialists, who visually inspect the recordings to identify these events. The literature typically follows a traditional approach that examines the time-varying signal to identify features representing the events of interest. Even though most of these methods target individual event types, their reported performance results leave significant room for improvement. The research presented here adopts a novel approach to visually inspect the waveform, similar to how specialists work, to develop a single model that can detect and determine the location of both sleep spindles and K-complexes. The model then produces bounding boxes that accurately delineate the location of these events within the image. Several object detection algorithms (i.e., Faster R-CNN, YOLOv4, and YOLOX) and multiple backbone CNN architectures were evaluated under a wide range of conditions, revealing their true representative performance. The results show exceptional precision (>95% mAP@50) in detecting sleep spindles and K-complexes, albeit with less consistency across backbones and thresholds for the latter.
Inhibition of CFTR-mediated intestinal chloride secretion by nornidulin: Cellular mechanisms and anti-secretory efficacy in human intestinal epithelial cells and human colonoids
Authors: Yibcharoenporn Chamnan , Kongkaew Thidarat , Worakajit Nichakorn , Khumjiang Rungtiwa , Saetang Praphatsorn , Satitsri Saravut , Rukachaisirikul Vatcharin , Muanprasat Chatchai
Published: December 2024

Secretory diarrhea, a major global health concern, particularly among young children, is often characterized by excessive chloride secretion through the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) channel. Nornidulin, a fungus-derived natural product from Aspergillus unguis, has previously been shown to inhibit cAMP-induced Cl- secretion in T84 cells (human intestinal cell lines). However, the cellular mechanism of nornidulin in inhibiting cAMP-induced Cl- secretion and its anti-secretory efficacy is still unknown especially in a human colonoid model, a preclinical model recapitulating intestinal physiology in humans. This research study aimed to examine the mechanism of nornidulin to inhibit cAMP-induced chloride secretion and assess its ability to reduce fluid secretion in both T84 cells and human colonoid models. Apical Cl- current analyses showed that nornidulin inhibited CFTR-mediated Cl- current in T84 cells with IC50 of ~1.5 μM. Nornidulin treatment had no effect on CFTR protein expression. Additionally, the inhibitory effects of nornidulin on CFTR-mediated chloride currents were unaffected by the presence of compounds that inhibit negative regulators of CFTR function, such as protein phosphatases, AMP-activated protein kinases, and phosphodiesterases. Interestingly, nornidulin suppressed the increase in intracellular cAMP levels caused by forskolin, an activator of adenylate cyclases, in T84 cells. Using human colonoid models, we found that nornidulin significantly suppressed the forskolin and cholera toxin-induced fluid secretion, indicating that nornidulin exerted an anti-secretory effect in human intestinal epithelia. Collectively, nornidulin represents a novel class of fungus-derived inhibitors of CFTR-mediated Cl- secretion, potentially making it a promising candidate for the development of anti-secretory treatments.
Indirectly acquired fear memories have distinct, sex-specific molecular signatures from directly acquired fear memories
Authors: Navabpour Shaghayegh , Patrick Morgan B. , Omar Nour A. , Kincaid Shannon E. , Bae Yeeun , Abraham Jennifer , McGrew Jacobi , Musaus Madeline , Ray W. Keith , Helm Richard F. , Jarome Timothy J.
Published: December 2024

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that affects women more than men. About 30% of patients suffering from PTSD develop the disorder by witnessing a traumatic event happen to someone else. However, as the focus has remained on those directly experiencing the traumatic event, whether indirectly acquired fear memories that underlie PTSD have the same molecular signature as those that are directly acquired remains unknown. Here, using a rodent indirect fear learning paradigm where one rat (observer) watches another rat (demonstrator) associate an auditory cue with foot shock, we found that fear can be indirectly acquired by both males and females regardless of the sex or novelty (familiarity) of the demonstrator animal. However, behaviorally, indirectly acquired fear responses resemble those of pseudoconditioning, a behavioral response that is thought to not represent learning. Despite this, using unbiased proteomics, we found that indirectly acquired fear memories have distinct protein degradation profiles in the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) relative to directly acquired fear memories and pseudoconditioning, which further differed significantly by sex. Additionally, Egr2 and c-fos expression in the retrosplenial cortex of observer animals resembled that of demonstrator rats but was significantly different than that of pseudoconditioned rats. Together, these findings reveal that indirectly acquired fear memories have sex-specific molecular signatures that differ from those of directly acquired fear memories or pseudoconditioning. These data have important implications for understanding the neurobiology of indirectly acquired fear memories that may underlie bystander PTSD.
DMRIntTk: Integrating different DMR sets based on density peak clustering
Authors: Zhang Wenjin , Jie Wenlong , Cui Wanxin , Duan Guihua , Zou You , Peng Xiaoqing
Published: December 2024

Background

Identifying differentially methylated regions (DMRs) is a basic task in DNA methylation analysis. However, due to the different strategies adopted, different DMR sets will be predicted on the same dataset, which poses a challenge in selecting a reliable and comprehensive DMR set for downstream analysis.

Results

Here, we develop DMRIntTk, a toolkit for integrating DMR sets predicted by different methods on a same dataset. In DMRIntTk, the genome is segmented into bins, and the reliability of each DMR set at different methylation thresholds is evaluated. Then, the bins are weighted based on the covered DMR sets and integrated into final DMRs using a density peak clustering algorithm. To demonstrate the practicality of DMRIntTk, it was applied to different scenarios, including tissues with relatively large methylation differences, cancer tissues versus normal tissues with medium methylation differences, and disease tissues versus normal tissues with subtle methylation differences. Our results show that DMRIntTk can effectively trim regions with small methylation differences from the original DMR sets and thereby enriching the proportion of DMRs with larger methylation differences. In addition, the overlap analysis suggests that the integrated DMR sets are quite comprehensive, and functional analyses indicate the integrated disease-related DMRs are significantly enriched in biological pathways associated with the pathological mechanisms of the diseases. A comparative analysis of the integrated DMR set versus each original DMR set further highlights the superiority of DMRIntTk, demonstrating the unique biological insights it can provide.

Conclusions

Conclusively, DMRIntTk can help researchers obtain a reliable and comprehensive DMR set from many prediction methods.
ATRA-induced NEAT1 upregulation promotes autophagy during APL cell granulocytic differentiation
Authors: Tang Doudou , Wang Huihui , Jiang Yafeng , Chen Mingjie , Zhang Guangsen , Wu Shangjie , Wang Yewei
Published: December 2024

Aims

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) progresses quickly and often leads to early hemorrhagic death. Treatment with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) promotes differentiation of APL cells and clinical remission, making APL a potentially curable malignancy. Understanding how ATRA works may lead to new treatments for other types of leukemia. Long non-coding RNA NEAT1 has been implicated in the differentiation of APL cells. This study aims to elucidate the specific role of NEAT1 in the granulocytic differentiation of APL.

Methods

The influence of NEAT1 on autophagy and PML/RARα degradation was assessed using western blot assays. The impact of NEAT1 on the expression of autophagy-related genes was evaluated through quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Mechanistic insights into the role of NEAT1 in modulating autophagy were supported by RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pulldown assays.

Key findings

Knockdown of NEAT1 suppressed autophagy and attenuated ATRA-induced PML/RARα degradation and granulocytic differentiation of APL cells. Subsequent screening of autophagy-related genes demonstrated that silencing NEAT1 impaired the ATRA-induced upregulation of ATG10 and ATG12. Mechanistic investigations revealed that the RNA-binding protein TAF15 interacted with NEAT1, synergistically stabilizing the mRNA of ATG10 and ATG12. Furthermore, knockdown of NEAT1 impaired the interactions between TAF15 and the mRNAs of ATG10 and ATG12, thereby compromising their mRNA stability.

Significance

Our study elucidates the critical role of NEAT1-mediated autophagy in the differentiation of APL cells and delineates the molecular mechanism by which upregulation of NEAT1 enhances autophagy. Specifically, NEAT1 binds to the RNA-binding protein TAF15, which in turn stabilizes the mRNA of both ATG10 and ATG12.
Qualification and quantification of cyanobacterial biochromes from the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu, India
Authors: Sasikala J , Subramanian G , Ramachandran M
Published: December 2024

Marine cyanobacteria are a class of extinct photosynthetic bacteria that go back 3.5 million years. The most precious marine microorganisms are produced for various pigment extraction. Their production of beneficial secondary metabolites is abundant. Pigments are bright substances that are used to give other materials color. True pigments make up the majority of these coloring agents, which are also referred to as biological pigments or biochromes. These biological pigments are typically applied as a mixture of solid and liquid, as they are insoluble in water. The pigments are produced by living things, and particular light absorption methods give them their color. Natural selection has refined their metabolites over millions of years to have effects on a range of biological targets. The food, feed, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and aquaculture sectors all make extensive use of marine pigments. The objective of this study was to evaluate the many marine cyanobacterial species Microcystis sp., Lyngbya limnetica, Oscillatoria roai, Oscillatoria acuminata, and Oscillatoria princes, which have garnered some interest. These species were chosen for this examination of their biochromes, such as chlorophyll pigments, phycocyanin, beta-carotene, and phycoerythrin. Preliminary research had been done on all biochromes estimations, including those for beta-carotene, carotenoid content, phycocyanin, phycoerythrin, and chlorophyll pigments. At 5.9%, Oscillatoria princes had the greatest quantities of chlorophyll-a. The phycocyanin contents of Oscillatoria acuminata and Oscillatoria princes are higher, 0.78% and 0.85%, respectively. The amounts of carotenoid were 1.7% and 1.8% for Microcystis sp. and Lyngbya limnetica, respectively. Microcystis sp. exhibited up to 1.5% beta-carotene levels.
A systems biology-based study to assess the effects of TNF-alpha ± apigenin in triple-negative breast cancer cell line
Authors: Amjad E , Sokouti B , Asnaashari S , Dastmalchi S
Published: December 2024

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a type of breast cancer that lacks estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors. Various treatment methods are available for breast cancer, but therapies with minimal toxic side effects are particularly important. This study  computationally investigates the impact of apigenin, a compound used in traditional Chinese medicine, on the TNBC cell line. The GSE120550 dataset was retrieved from the NCBI-GEO database. BRB-ArrayTools were used for pre- and post-processing to identify significantly differentially expressed genes. Additionally, the DAVID web server was utilized to analyze three main components:"biological process," "cellular component," and "molecular function," along with the KEGG signaling pathway. Finally, a Venn diagram was employed to thoroughly investigate the number of shared genes among 15 groups derived from 6 compared sample sets. The primary analysis of 6 pairs of samples revealed significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were prioritized using the TOPPgene web server. These identified genes, playing key roles in inhibiting the progression of BC, are involved in various signaling pathways. Protein-protein interaction network analysis highlighted the biomarkers associated with the inhibitory effects of apigenin across the 15 sets derived from the 6 sample pairs. The findings of this study confirm the inhibitory effects of apigenin, with no toxic side effects, on patients with TNBC. This natural compound holds promise for future therapeutics and novel drug designs.
Object-based image analysis and machine learning for mapping cashew plantations in Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu
Authors: Alaguvel K , Ramalingam K , Sellaperumal P , Dhanaraju M , Kaliyaperumal R , Selvakumar  , Moorthi N
Published: December 2024

An object-based image analysis (OBIA) approach provides a comprehensive method for delineating homogeneous segments based on spectral characteristics, geometry, and spatial imagery structures. The present study utilizes OBIA and machine learning (ML) techniques to map cashew plantations in Ariyalur district of Tamil Nadu, India. Sentinel-2 Multi-Spectral Instrument (MSI) imagery, acquired during the 2023 Kharif season, was employed as the primary data source due to its high spatial and spectral resolution, suitable for detailed land cover mapping. The OBIA methodology involved multiresolution segmentation using eCognition software to delineate homogeneous image objects based on spectral, spatial, and contextual characteristics. Machine learning algorithms, including Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Decision Tree (DT), were evaluated to improve classification accuracy. The SVM demonstrated the best superior performance, achieving an overall accuracy of 92.1% and a kappa coefficient of 0.85. The results underscore the effectiveness of machine learning techniques in conjunction with object-based image analysis (OBIA) for precise cashew plantation mapping while contributing to improved land use/land cover mapping, agricultural resource management, and sustainable development within the region.
Iron release characteristics in groundnut growing red and black calcareous soils of Cuddalore district
Authors: Porkodi G , Shanmugasundaram R , Sugumaran MP , Ramamoorthy P , Bharathi Kumar K , Kiruba M , Brindhavathy R , Anand G
Published: December 2024

The current study was assessed the nutrient release pattern of iron using different sources of iron fertilizer at various levels in groundnut-growing red and black calcareous soils of the Cuddalore district at regular sampling intervals. The study design was completely randomized block design with different levels of iron sulphate (FeSO4) at 25 and 50 kg ha-1, iron-enriched farmyard manure (Fe-EFYM) at 37.5 and 50 kg ha-1 and iron-ethylene diamine dihydroxy phenylacetic acid (Fe-EDDHA) at 1 and 5 kg ha-1 three replicates at different sampling intervals of incubation. The release pattern of iron was analyzed. The study revealed that the releasing rate of iron increased with the advancement of the incubation period up to 42 days and thereafter declined in both type of calcareous soil. The maximum release of iron was found with the application of 50 kg FeSO4 ha-1 as Fe- EFYM, which recorded mean values of 26.92 and 26.13 mg kg-1 on 42nd day in red and black calcareous soils, respectively. Application of Fe-EDDHA at 5 kg ha-1 recorded a gradual increase in DTPA iron availability from 7th day (17.35 mg kg-1 and 12.03 mg kg-1 in red and black calcareous soil, respectively) to 42nd day (21.49 mg kg-1 and 18.87 mg kg-1 in red and black calcareous soil respectively). Then it showed a steady decline in both calcareous soils. The results of the current study showed that the efficient usage of iron in both calcareous soils was greatly increased by the combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers.
Second Century Trauma to the Eye
Authors:   University of New Mexico, Department of Neurology and Medicine, Appenzeller Otto
Published: December 2024

We scrutinized several mummy portraits and found one with evidence of trauma to the left eye. This is the first evidence from the second century AD to show that children were beaten perhaps for disciplinary reasons then and now. Why the trauma to the eye occurred in this girl will forever remain a mystery.
A Review of the Cardiovascular Consequences of Concussion and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors:   Case Western Reserve University, Avdeev William
Published: December 2024

Objection: During 2010-2016, approximately 2.7 million annual emergency department visits for sport injuries were made by patients ages 5 to 24 years old. Injuries in professional sports have been reported as high as 49.4 per 1000 athletes in ice hockey, 64.7 in football, 19.3 in basketball and 3.61 in baseball. Sports-related injuries, specifically concussions, have healthcare costs as well as long-term physical and psychological implications. As the result, sports medicine professionals and organizations have attempted to implement injury risk reduction strategies and promote safe sport participation. Methods: This study examines several existing studies of concussion injuries and their impact on cardio-vascular health and draws conclusions and recommendations based on their review. Literature search was conducted using ABI Business Periodicals Database. Three studies were examined, and conclusions were drawn based on their findings. In addition, based on the findings in the published studies, inferences were drawn for further research and examination. Results: Athletes with concussion history display suppressed cardiac autonomic recovery after moderate aerobic exercise, compared to those who did not suffer any concussion injuries. Players with multiple previous concussions displayed increased time to physiological recovery after moderate exercise compared to athletes with only one or no concussions. Conclusion: This paper will discuss the need to respond to these statistics. Further studies are needed to examine the long-term effect of concussion injuries, where social and economic impacts also cannot be overlooked.
Sars-Cov2 Pneumonia in Mexico
Authors:   Department of Surgery of the General Hospital "Dr. Rubén Leñero", Ministry of Health of Mexico City, Martínez Bertha Zenaida Acevedo
Published: December 2024

Introduction: pneumonia is a very common pathology and, in some countries, it is a fatal in-hospital complication. However, at the end of November 2019, the first cases of acute respiratory syndrome were reported in people in the city of Wuhan, China. It was initially called atypical pneumonia. Objective: to report the experience of SARS-COV2 pneumonia at the "El Vergel" Zone Military Hospital. Method: this is a retrospective, longitudinal, cross-sectional, observational and descriptive study, in a period of time carried out in a second-level medical care hospital. Results: 220 patients with SARS-COV2 pneumonia disease are reported. Of which 145 male patients are 66% and 75 female patients representing 34%. Confirmation of the diagnosis for covid 19 was carried out by nasopharyngeal PCR for Sars-cov-2. Most of the cases are severe and present hypoxia on admission, classifying the covid 19 disease as mild (3.6%), moderate (15.9%) and severe (80.4%). Conclusions: atypical pneumonia due to SARS-COV2 is a disease with a high level of virulence and/or pathogenicity in terms of clinical progression and aggressiveness, its mortality is overwhelming, hence the importance of presenting this research.
Post Operative Pain Control Following Colon Resection and the Pendulum that has Swung from One Extreme to the Other
Authors:   Underwood Digestive Disease Center Houston Methodist Hospital Department of Surgery Adjunct Assistant Professor Texas A&M School of Medicine 16605 Southwest Freeway Suite 430 Sugar Land, TX 77479 USA, Mahmood Ali
Published: December 2024

The mitigation and limitation of narcotics following colon resection procedures has had many positive outcomes. The quicker return of bowel function has enabled many patients to be discharged from the hospital sooner. Earlier return to home not only provides the patients with a familiar environment to heal expediently, but also limits their exposure to nosocomial infections and provides a financial savings to healthcare. However, has the pendulum swung to far? Colon resection is a tremendous trauma to the patient. Even laparoscopy requires a small incision to extract the resected specimen, severing skin, muscle, fascia and peritoneum, inciting visceral and somatic pain. While the volume of narcotics has been markedly decreased, there is a role for narcotic usage in the post surgical colon resection patient. There is real pain that is incurred by the patient following a laparoscopic colon resection. Adequate control of this pain fosters an environment where the patient is willing to ambulate more, motivated to push themselves to recovery and build trust with their surgeons and caregivers. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of pain medication, in particular the pain medication prescribed upon discharge. Our hypothesis centered around adequate and robust pain control would result in a motivated patient enabling a faster return to pre-surgical quality of life and fewer narcotic refills. Appropriate care with potent narcotics yield a more robust and faster recovery, with less refills on pain medication and a shorter path to recovery.
Intestinal Transplant: A Myth in México
Authors:   *Specialist in Surgery and with a Subspecialty in Colon and Rectal Surgery attached to the Surgery Department of the General Hospital Ministry of Health of Mexico City. "Dr. Rubén Leñero". Graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Mexico City. Country Mexico, Sánchez Morelos Adolfo García
Published: December 2024

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Ready to Study
Authors: Balavijendran Logan , Burnie Morag
Published: December 2024

Despite widespread implementation of initiatives to support student transition into higher education, research reports that many students, both undergraduate and graduate, still lack awareness of expectations and preparedness for study (Baik, Naylor & Arkoudis, 2015; Ozga & Sukhnandan, 1998; Drew 2001; Haggis & Pouget, 2002; Wingate, 2007). In this paper we report on the design and development of an online adaptive diagnostic module to help students better understand the expectations of studying at a large Australian university, reflect on and evaluate their current skill level in relation to these expectations, and address any skills gaps. The module1 was designed to (1) gather evidence of student needs through analysis of student perceptions and behaviours, (2) be personalised enough to maximise opportunity for students to reflect on and self-regulate learning, and (3) be scalable and sustainable enough to develop and maintain within resourcing constraints. Preliminary learning analytics and student surveys from the pilot (n=402) indicate that this approach allowed students, teachers and developers to measure current learning in relation to expectations and take action. Importantly, it was also easily embedded in and adapted for different contexts.
Investigating MOOC users’ persistence in completing MOOCs from network externalities and human motivation
Authors: Wang Xinghua
Published: December 2024

This study investigated how network externalities affect users’ persistence in completing massive online open courses (MOOCs) through the mediation of human motivation. A theoretical model was built utilizing network externalities and self-determined theory, and was validated with the responses from 346 students in a public university in China via partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that network externalities constituted essential social contexts that directly and indirectly impacted the development of learners’ self-determined motivation. Learners’ persistence in completing MOOCs was significantly predicted by learners’ competence, followed by relatedness, autonomy, and network benefit; network benefit, which was predicted by network size (direct network externalities) and perceived complementarity (indirect network externalities) also had greater indirect influence on learners’ persistence in completing MOOCs. As to gender differences, relatedness showed stronger influence on female learners’ persistence in completing MOOCs than males. Network benefit had stronger prediction on female learners’ perceived relatedness; but it exerted greater direct influence on male learners’ persistence in completing MOOCs.
Evaluative judgement and peer assessment
Authors: Tai Joanna
Published: December 2024

There are many pedagogical benefits of peer assessment: it can develop content knowledge, students’ feedback skills, and afford additional sources of feedback for students. Furthermore, peer assessment can contribute to the development of students' evaluative judgement, a core capability for independent practice and lifelong learning. However, peer assessment is frequently seen as problematic, due to logistical issues, and concern from both staff and students around the ability of peers to contribute meaningfully to learning. Somewhat paradoxically, students’ evaluative judgement is likely to contribute to successful peer assessment. Technological solutions for peer assessment can have a significant role in improving uptake of peer assessment practices. If such implementations also focus on the core requirements/principles of evaluative judgement development, this may be one way to improve the success of peer assessment. This paper provides a rationale for the inclusion of peer assessment within curricula. It introduces the concept of evaluative judgement; highlights the benefits and challenges currently faced within peer assessment, and identifies desired functionalities for peer assessment and evaluative judgement that could be implemented through technological means.
From digital natives to digital literacy
Authors: Smith Erika E. , Kahlke Renate , Judd Terry
Published: December 2024

While the academic community and the general public often refer to learners today as inherently tech- savvy digital natives, those in the educational technology community have long advocated for a move away from digital native stereotypes in favour of fostering digital literacy. As such, the educational technology community can play a vital role in shifting from popular conceptions of digital natives and toward developing digital literacy for the benefit of all learners. In this paper, we provide a comparative analysis of search data from Google Trends showing continued use of the term digital natives and the rising interest in digital literacy. In order to help educators move away from popularized concepts of digital natives by instead developing digital literacy in three domains, we propose a conceptual framework for anchoring digital practices within a Learning Design model.
Don’t Just Stay in Your Lane
Authors: Shalavin Courtney
Published: December 2024

Digital literacies are no longer optional for higher education staff - they are a necessity. However, comprehensive solutions on how to develop digital literacies in the workforce remain elusive. While many institutions implement clear definitions and frameworks in policies at the macro-level, rigid application of these tools is ineffective at a micro-level wherein personalized approach is needed. This paper describes the approach of a pilot professional development program at a regional university library that scopes and evolves to meet the needs of the workforce. The program is guided by design principles focusing on personalization and flexibility. In the future, the program will be evaluated to determine its impact on the workforce’s development of digital literacies to provide guidance for other higher education institutions.
Group work in IT
Authors: Parker Joanne , Campbell Chris
Published: December 2024

It is well known that students dislike working in groups. However, preparing students for the workplace is important and part of the graduate attributes for each university. As such, group work can be seen as an integral part of university assignments for many students. This paper reports on the group work experiences of IT students who complete a team work assessment as part of one of their subjects. Most students in the cohort study online which can add some complexity to the team work process. Most students felt that all members of the team were given an equal opportunity to contribute, with students reporting they generally worked at least adequately well together. One of the obstacles to working together was reported as working together online due to not being able to meet face to face. Overall, with scaffolding, working as a team does not have to be a negative experience for students and can provide deep learning.
Can we calm first-year student’s “neuroscience anxiety” with adaptive learning resources?
Authors: Linden Kelly , Webster Lucy , Pemberton Louise , Davison Wendy Rose
Published: December 2024

An understanding of neurophysiology is vital for undergraduate allied health students; however, it is often perceived as an intimidating and difficult subject. Adaptive learning presents a novel teaching pedagogy to enhance student learning and engagement in the teaching of neurophysiology to first year students. An adaptive online neurophysiology lesson was developed in the Smart Sparrow platform. The lesson was piloted and evaluated using a survey and focus group. Of the 26 students that completed the survey, 21 students indicated that they had a better understanding of the nervous system topic after they completed the lesson. Students found the lesson was helpful in assisting with their understanding of the nervous system, whilst also being interesting and engaging. Findings from this pilot project revealed adaptive learning technologies show significant promise in enhancing student learning in a difficult first year subject.
Towards the use of cognitive load theory as a diagnostic tool in online learning
Authors: Kehrwald Benjamin A. , Bentley Brendan
Published: December 2024

This paper examines cognitive load theory in online learning. The central idea of the paper is that by identifying instances of cognitive load in online courses, educators can make practical adjustments in the design and teaching of courses in order to minimise the cognitive load experienced by learners and thereby increase the likelihood of successful cognitive processing. The presentation brings together current thinking in cognitive load theory and descriptions of key aspects of contemporary online learning to identify and describe of potential instances of cognitive load experienced by online learners.
Return on investment in higher education retention
Authors: Gibson David C. , Huband Simon , Ifenthaler Dirk , Parkin Eric
Published: December 2024

This article describes the human and technical infrastructure analytics capabilities that have evolved at a university in Western Australia, which have been applied to curriculum and learning data with a focus on the return on investment (ROI) of improving retention. The ROI approach has been used to highlight the benefits of further inquiry and action by decision-makers from the classroom level to school and faculty levels. The article will briefly describe the capability developed and methods underpinning continuous on-demand production of analyses and insights aimed to stimulate inquiry and action to improve retention.
Designing online delivery through educational design research
Authors: Cram Andrew
Published: December 2024

This paper reports on an early-stage educational design research project to develop scalable online delivery at a higher education institution with relatively low maturity with digital learning. This involves not only an intervention aimed at transforming the curriculum and teaching practices, but also considers the broader set of institutional services that support students and faculty. The paper introduces the substantive problem in context, reviews existing design principles in the literature on high-quality online delivery and provides an overview of the emerging intervention design. This ‘whole-of- institution’ scope is fairly novel for educational design research, and the paper closes with a reflective analysis of using educational design research for this type of project.
New shores
Authors: Bevacqua John , Colasante Meg
Published: December 2024

Contemporary higher education providers require students to choose between on-campus, online, or hybrid ‘blended’ study modes. Education providers predetermine which study mode/s are available for each course. Even in ‘blended’ offerings, education providers pre-determine the mix of on-campus and online study activities all students must complete. This paper focusses on the multi-faceted challenges of defining, designing and trialling a new student-centric ‘StudyFlex’ mode of study at La Trobe University and the genesis and rationale behind that initiative. StudyFlex does away with predetermined bright line distinctions between online, blended and on-campus offerings and empowers students, within the context of a single course or subject offering, to self-select and adjust their preferred study mode pathway throughout their studies. Specifically, in this paper, the focus is on the curriculum design and development challenges of ensuring equivalent learning quality experiences for all students, whilst at the same time accommodating a multitude of bespoke student-selected study mode pathways within a single course or subject offering. As a primer for further research, the authors also flag the additional polycentric regulatory and administrative challenges posed by innovations such as the StudyFlex trial and the attempts to reach new student-centric shores which such initiatives represent.
Interdisciplinary Open Science
Authors: Alhadad Sakinah S. J. , Searston Rachel A. , Lodge Jason M.
Published: December 2024

Evidence-based educational practice and policy relies on educational research to be accessible and reliable. For educators, creating the next generation of critical thinkers, collaborators, and effective communicators, is a complex educational problem, requiring a delicate marriage of methods and approaches for understanding the mind, behaviour, and social context of the learner in the digital age. As such, educational technology research plays an important role for informing practice and policy. However, reaching across the boundaries of research, policy, and practice, is inherently challenging, and can invoke unintended consequences. Miscommunications, and mistakes, are inevitable in interdisciplinary and applied science, but advances in technology now make it possible to openly share and translate educational technology research for policy and practice. Our aim in this paper is to describe how the emerging set of practices and philosophies within the Open Science movement can make educational technology research more transparent and aid translating it into practice.
Beyond Constructive Alignment
Authors: Bellamy Craig
Published: December 2024

Constructive Alignment has been with us for quite some time. From its origins in education theory in the 1990s, partly as a means to address some of the pedagogical challenges of scale in mass, higher- education, it has now become the dominant pedagogy in Australian higher education. Originally intended as a means to consistently and holistically design syllabi around learning outcomes and delivery and assessment methods (Biggs, 2003), it is now—as claimed in a recent book on the subject—an overly mechanistic, industrial process that may stifle innovation and creativity, some of the key skills of a 21st Century workplace and society (Nelson, 2018). This is because of its slavish, uncritical application and lack of imagination regarding refreshing and building upon its significant legacy. Is there a Post- Constructive future and what may this future look like? And what does this mean for digital education, in its various guises, one of the more transformative areas of higher education? In this debate we will survey the various applications of Constructive Alignment and perhaps imagine a Post-Constructivist future!
Filosowiecki tryb cenzury filmowej we Włoszech epoki zimnej wojny – kontekst i studia przypadków
Authors: Jóźwiak Karol
Published: December 2024

Despite Italy participating in the western alliance during the Cold War, anticommunism is quite absent from Italian movies. Any explicit criticism of the Soviet regime is a rarity in Italian cinema of the early Cold War period as well. The Soviet regime is never denounced as a totalitarian state, and seldom approached in a critical manner. Rare examples of films containing criticism of the Soviet Union usually faced difficulties at the level of development, censorship, and distribution. Surprisingly, this issue is not tackled by Italian film studies, and particularly by those focusing on censorship. This article addresses the issue of philosovietic mode of film censorship, the reason why it is misrepresented in film criticism and film history, and also the relevance of this issue in the current geopolitical situation.