bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
External validation of three diabetes prediction scores in a Spanish cohort: does adding high risk for depression improve the validation of the FINDRISC score (FINDRISC-MOOD)?
Authors: Salinero-Fort Miguel , Mostaza-Prieto Jose M , Lahoz-Rallo Carlos , Cárdenas-Valladolid Juan , Iriarte-Campo Victor , Estirado-Decabo Eva , Garcia-Iglesias Francisca , Gonzalez-Alegre Teresa , Fernandez-Puntero Belen , Cornejo-Del Rio Victor M , Sanchez-Arroyo Vanesa , Sabín-Rodríguez Concesa , López-López Silvia , Gómez-Campelo Paloma , Taulero-Escalera Belen , Rodriguez-Artalejo Fernando , San Andrés-Rebollo Francisco Javier , De Burgos-Lunar Carmen
Published: June 2024

Objectives

To evaluate the external validity of the FINDRISC, DESIR and ADA risk scores for the prediction of diabetes in a Spanish population aged >45 years and to test the possible improvement of FINDRISC by adding a new variable of high risk of depression when Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) questionnaire score ≥10 (FINDRISC-MOOD).

Design

Prospective population-based cohort study.

Setting

10 primary healthcare centres in the north of the city of Madrid (Spain).

Participants

A total of 1242 participants without a history of diabetes and with 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) plasma glucose <200 mg/dL (<11.1 mmol/L) were followed up for 7.3 years (median) using their electronic health records (EHRs) and telephone contact.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Diabetes risk scores (FINDRISC, DESIR, ADA), PHQ-9 questionnaire and 2-hour-OGTT were measured at baseline. Incident diabetes was defined as treatment for diabetes, fasting plasma glucose ≥126 mg/dL (≥7.0 mmol/L), new EHR diagnosis or self-reported diagnosis. External validation was performed according to optimal cut-off, sensitivity, specificity and Youden Index. Comparison between diabetes risk scores, including FINDRISC-MOOD (original FINDRISC score plus five points if PHQ-9 ≥10), was measured by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC).

Results

During follow-up, 104 (8.4%; 95% CI, 6.8 to 9.9) participants developed diabetes and 185 had a PHQ-9 score ≥10. The AUROC values were 0.70 (95% CI, 0.67 to 0.72) for FINDRISC-MOOD and 0.68 (95% CI, 0.65 to 0.71) for the original FINDRISC. The AUROCs for DESIR and ADA were 0.66 (95% CI, 0.63 to 0.68) and 0.66 (95% CI, 0.63 to 0.69), respectively. There were no significant differences in AUROC between FINDRISC-MOOD and the other scores.

Conclusions

The results of FINDRISC-MOOD were like those of the other risk scores and do not allow it to be recommended for clinical use.
Loneliness in the Digital World: protocol for a co-produced ecological momentary assessment study in adolescents
Authors: Xiao Zhuoni , Robertson Sarah , Long Emily , Flaig Robin , Kirby Liz , Romaniuk Liana , Murray Aja , Whalley Heather
Published: June 2024

Introduction

Loneliness has been identified as an important public health issue, peaking during adolescence. Previous research has suggested that social interaction is a key factor in loneliness, and positive social interaction can act as a protective factor against loneliness. However, it is unclear whether there are differing impacts of in-person and online social interaction on adolescents’ loneliness and mental health. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) designs are ideally suited for better understanding these associations.

Method and analysis

In the ‘Loneliness in the Digital World’ study, we will use a co-developed EMA design to capture daily social interactions, loneliness and mental health such as positive and negative emotions, depression and anxiety in approximately 200 adolescents aged 12–15 years. We will combine this with comprehensive information gathered from online surveys. Analysing the data using techniques such as dynamic structural equation modelling, we will examine, among other research questions, the associations between online and in-person social interaction and feelings of loneliness. The results can help inform interventions to support adolescents with high levels of loneliness and poor mental health.

Ethics and dissemination

We received the ethics approval for the data collection from The Academic and Clinical Central Office for Research and Development, followed by the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Ethics panel at University of Edinburgh, and finally reviewed by East of Scotland Research Ethics Service. The results will be disseminated through journal publications, conferences and seminar presentations and to relevant stakeholders such as teachers.
Anal cancer screening in women with a history of human papillomavirus-related lower genital tract cancers: a pilot study
Authors: Poynten Isobel Mary , Jin Fengyi , Farrell Rhonda , Tejada-Berges Trevor , Law Carmella , Hillman Richard , Roberts Jennifer , Grulich Andrew
Published: June 2024

Objectives

Women diagnosed with a history of lower genital tract cancer (LGTC) and precancer are at increased risk of anal cancer. Screening for anal cancer in a manner analogous to cervical cancer may detect precursor anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) and prevent progression to cancer.

Methods

In a pilot study of anal cancer screening, women with previous LGTC and aged ≥18 years in Sydney, Australia underwent a digital anorectal examination, anal swab for human papillomavirus (HPV) and p16/Ki67 testing and completed a questionnaire. Participants with positive HPV and/or p16/Ki67 results were referred for a high-resolution anoscopy (HRA) and evaluation of their HSILs.

Results

Of 52 participants, 46 agreed to screening and 6 provided demographic information only. Median age was 46.5 years (IQR: 36.0–59.0). Anal high-risk HPV (HRHPV) was detected in only seven (15.2%) participants (three HPV16). Eight (17.4%) had positive p16/Ki67 dual staining, with invalid results for 25 (54.4%). Of 10 women referred for HRA, 9 attended and 3 had HSILs, representing 6.5% of the screened population. Questionnaires were completed by 41 participants (89.1%). The majority reported that being screened was reassuring (97.5%) and was positive for their health (95.1%).

Conclusion

This pilot study demonstrated a lower-than-expected prevalence of anal HRHPV. Screening with HRHPV and p16/Ki67 staining identified anal HSILs in 6.5% of screened women. Despite some discomfort, screening was viewed as beneficial by almost all participants. The utility of p16/Ki67 dual staining was low, suggesting it may not be a suitable anal cancer screening methodology.
Safety of carrageenan-based gels as preventive microbicides: a narrative review
Authors: Laurie Cassandra , El-Zein Mariam , Franco Eduardo L
Published: June 2024

Background

Carrageenan-containing gels researched for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have shown promising results for human papillomavirus prevention in women, but not in men. We conducted a narrative review to assess the safety of these gels for genital use.

Methods

We searched PubMed using MeSH terms and keywords on 5 November 2023. Title/abstract of articles were screened to identify relevant ones. Full-text screening determined eligibility: empirical study evaluating safety of carrageenan-containing gel(s) for genital use.

Results

Of the 125 identified records, 15 were eligible, comprising 14 (10 randomised controlled trials and 4 cohorts) unique study populations. Studies included women only (n=11), men only (n=1) or both (n=3); number of participants ranged from 4 to 6202. Safety was assessed for vaginal (n=13), penile (n=3) and anal use (n=2). Most studies assessed safety of Carraguard (53%), followed by Divine9 (14%), and one each of iota-carrageenan gel, lambda-carrageenan gel, Carvir, PC-6500 (griffithsin and carrageenan) and PC-1005 (MIV-150/zinc acetate/carrageenan). Safety assessment relied on self-report (80.0%), testing for STIs (53.3%), investigator-identified genital findings (93.3%) and/or testing for changes in genital flora (60.0%). Adverse events (AEs) were described by investigators as mostly mild, (mostly) comparable between groups, not observed and/or not significant for vaginal and penile use. Only one study, assessing anal use of carrageenan, reported a significantly higher proportion of AEs in the carrageenan compared with placebo group.

Conclusions

Carrageenan-based gels are generally well tolerated for vaginal and penile, but not anal use. Studies on carrageenan gel’s safety for anal use are scarce.
Energy levels and characteristic features in photoionization of Cl III using the R-matrix method
Authors: Nahar Sultana N.
Published: June 2024

We report study of Cl III for its large number of fine structure bound levels, 890, with n ≤ 10 and l ≤ 9, and 1/2 ≤ j ≤ 19/2 of even and odd parities with spectroscopic designation and photoionization cross sections (σPI) of the levels revealing various characteristic features. Various resonant structures and the shapes of the background, and their interference in σPI are illustrated for the ground, excited equivalent electron, low and high lying excited levels with single valence electron, and effects of fine structure couplings. σPI of the ground level shows Rydberg series of resonances on smooth background, and of equivalent electron levels producing strong closely spaced Rydberg series of resonances belonging to the low lying core ion excitation thresholds. They will impact applications in low temperature plasma. For the single valence electron excited levels, we find that σPI of low lying excited states are dominated by Rydberg series of resonances and of high lying excited states exhibit prominent broad feature of Seaton resonances. Partial photoionization cross sections of the ground level for leaving the core ion in the ground and various excited levels are also presented for applications in plasma modeling. The study was carried out in relativistic Breit–Pauli R-matrix method using a large close coupling wave function expansion of 45 levels of the core ion configurations 3 s23 p2, 3 s3 p3, 3 s23 p3 d, 3 s23 p4 s, 3 s3 p23 d, and 3 p4 with closed 1s, 2s, 2p orbitals. They belong to the optimized set of 13 configurations of Cl IV, 3 s23 p2, 3 s3 p3, 3 s23 p3 d, 3 s23 p4 s, 3 s23 p4 p, 3 s23 p4 d, 3 s3 p23 d, 3 s3 p24 s, 3 s3 p24 p, 3 p4, 3 p33 d, 3 p34 s, and 3 p34 p. Cl III energies are in good agreement with measured values. σPI features of low lying levels were benchmark with observation carried out at Advanced Light Source at LBNL with very good agreement. The present set of high accuracy data should complete for any practical applications.
Pascual Jordan: from matrix multiplication to interference law
Authors: Costantini Domenico , Ferigato Carlo
Published: June 2024

Pascual Jordan was the first to propose the law of interference of probability amplitudes as a principle of quantum mechanics. We analyze the role of probabilistic ideas played in this proposal from a historical perspective. In particular, we point out the relation between the usual theory of probability that Jordan called elementary and quantum mechanics. Jordan was the first to stress the analogy between the law of total probability and the law of interference. In this regard, we speculate about the intellectual path Jordan might have followed in order to arrive at the interference law. We do not oppose the usual probability to quantum probability. Instead, we are convinced, as Jordan was, that the rules of quantum mechanics are the rules of a probability theory that has ceased to be elementary.
On invariants of multiplexed virtual links
Authors: Wada Kodai
Published: June 2024

For a virtual knot [Formula: see text] and an integer [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text], we introduce a method of constructing an [Formula: see text]-component virtual link [Formula: see text], which we call the [Formula: see text]-multiplexing of [Formula: see text]. Every invariant of [Formula: see text] is an invariant of [Formula: see text]. We give a way of calculating three kinds of invariants of [Formula: see text] using invariants of [Formula: see text]. As an application of our method, we also show that Manturov’s virtual [Formula: see text]-colorings for [Formula: see text] can be interpreted as certain classical [Formula: see text]-colorings for [Formula: see text].
Braided quantum symmetries of graph C∗-algebras
Authors: Bhattacharjee Suvrajit , Joardar Soumalya , Roy Sutanu
Published: June 2024

We prove the existence of a universal braided compact quantum group acting on a graph [Formula: see text]-algebra in the category of [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]-algebras with a twisted monoidal structure, in the spirit of the seminal work of Wang. To achieve this, we construct a braided analogue of the free unitary quantum group and study its bosonization. As a concrete example, we compute this universal braided compact quantum group for the Cuntz algebra.
Stability and Bifurcation of a Gordon–Schaefer Model with Additive Allee Effect
Authors: Liao Simin , Song Yongli , Xia Yonghui
Published: June 2024

The rarity of species increases its market price, consequently leading to the overexploitation of the species and even the extinction of the species. We study how the harvest intensity and the additive Allee effect impact on the Gordon–Schaefer model. In addition, by Sotomayor’s theorem and Poincaré–Andronov theorem, we prove the existence of Hopf bifurcation, saddle-node bifurcation and transcritical bifurcation, respectively. Finally, we illustrate our results by numerical simulations. We find that both the cost per unit of harvest and the additive Allee effect have a significant impact on human exploitation of the population. As the additive Allee effect reduces to the weak Allee effect, the lower harvest cost encourages humans to increase the exploitation of species. This threshold is a switch that controls the strong Allee effect. If it exceeds its threshold, then the motivation of humans to exploit the species increases.
Beyond ROUGE: A Comprehensive Evaluation Metric for Abstractive Summarization Leveraging Similarity, Entailment, and Acceptability
Authors: Briman Mohammed Khalid Hilmi , Yildiz Beytullah
Published: June 2024

A vast amount of textual information on the internet has amplified the importance of text summarization models. Abstractive summarization generates original words and sentences that may not exist in the source document to be summarized. Such abstractive models may suffer from shortcomings such as linguistic acceptability and hallucinations. Recall-Oriented Understudy for Gisting Evaluation (ROUGE) is a metric commonly used to evaluate abstractive summarization models. However, due to its n-gram-based approach, it ignores several critical linguistic aspects. In this work, we propose Similarity, Entailment, and Acceptability Score (SEAScore), an automatic evaluation metric for evaluating abstractive text summarization models using the power of state-of-the-art pre-trained language models. SEAScore comprises three language models (LMs) that extract meaningful linguistic features from candidate and reference summaries and a weighted sum aggregator that computes an evaluation score. Experimental results show that our LM-based SEAScore metric correlates better with human judgment than standard evaluation metrics such as ROUGE-N and BERTScore.
Nash Smoothing on the Test Bench: Hα-Essential Equilibria
Authors: Duman Papatya , Trockel Walter
Published: June 2024

Nash’s [1953] demand game models the second step in a “two-move game” that formalizes his “Negotiation Model”. Nash claimed for any two-person bargaining game [Formula: see text] the existence of a unique stable equilibrium of its associated second move demand game that by its payoff vector supports the symmetric Nash solution of that bargaining game.

Nash’s negotiation game is considered the first contribution to the Nash program. Only weaker versions of stability than that claimed by Nash have been formally proven later by other authors. However, Nash’s request for “studying the relative stabilities” of the demand game’s equilibria has never been complied with. By performing that task, we establish analogous stability results for all generalized Nash solutions and thereby disprove Nash’s “unique stability” claim.

Furthermore, we explain the impact of our result on the Nash solution with endogenous variable threats (NBWT) of the two move negotiation game, which is defined as the symmetric Nash solution of that bargaining game [Formula: see text] whose status quo point [Formula: see text] is the unique payoff vector of the payoff-equivalent equilibria of the first move threat game.
On free and plus-one generated curves arising from free curves by addition–deletion of a line
Authors: Dimca Alexandru
Published: June 2024

In a recent paper, after introducing the notion of plus-one generated hyperplane arrangements, Takuro Abe has shown that if we add (respectively, delete) a line to (respectively, from) a free line arrangement, then the resulting line arrangement is either free or plus-one generated. In this paper, we prove that the same properties hold when we replace the line arrangement by a free curve and add (respectively, delete) a line. The proof uses a new version of a key result due originally to H. Schenck, H. Terao and M. Yoshinaga, in which no quasi-homogeneity assumption is needed. Two conjectures about the Tjurina number of a union of two plane curve singularities are also stated. As a geometric application, we show that, under a mild numerical condition, the projective closure of a contractible, irreducible affine plane curve is either free or plus-one generated, using a deep result due to U. Walther.
Clinical Outcomes of Frozen-Thawed Single Blastocyst Transfers in Relation to Blastocyst Diameter and Timing of Cryopreservation
Authors: Saito Mizuho , Hattori Hiromitsu , Koizumi Masae , Toya Mayumi , Igarashi Hideki , Kyono Koichi
Published: June 2024

Background: It is important to select blastocysts based on their likelihood of leading to pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to focus on expansion time and blastocyst diameter as simple factors to assess blastocysts relative to clinical outcomes.

Methods: This study is based on 1,514 cycles in women [Formula: see text] years who underwent frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer (FBT) between November 2017 and February 2021. Blastocysts were classified according to the time they reached [Formula: see text]m inner diameter (116, 120, and 140[Formula: see text]h). Furthermore, blastocyst diameter at freezing was classified into three groups: groups S (under 167[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m), M (167–181[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m), and L (over 181[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m), based on tertile values. We compared the clinical outcomes (including the clinical pregnancy rate [CPR]) of FBT.

Results: CPR was significantly higher in groups M and L than in group S at 116[Formula: see text]h ([Formula: see text]). At 120[Formula: see text]h, CPR in group L was significantly higher than in group S ([Formula: see text]). However, at 140[Formula: see text]h, there were no significant differences among the three groups. There were no significant differences in miscarriage rates at 116, 120, and 140[Formula: see text]h. When only good quality embryos were compared, group L resulted in a significantly higher CPR than group S at 116[Formula: see text]h ([Formula: see text]). At 120[Formula: see text]h, both groups M and L had significantly higher CPR than group S ([Formula: see text]). There were no significant differences at 140[Formula: see text]h.

Conclusion: These results suggest that when multiple embryos are frozen at the same time on day 5 of culture, a higher pregnancy rate can be obtained by selecting embryos with larger blastocyst diameters. In addition, it is important to confirm sufficient blastocyst expansion before cryopreservation.
Spatial distribution law of landslides and landslide susceptibility assessment in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis region
Authors: Cui Yulong , Chen Chen , Zhu Lulu , Xu Chong , Xu Ming , Zheng Jun
Published: June 2024

The eastern Himalayan syntaxis region is located on the eastern edge of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, and it is one of the regions with the most intense geological tectonic activity in the world. There have been many large-scale landslides in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis region and the distribution of these landslides is of great significance for the inversion of regional tectonic activity strength, major engineering construction and urban–rural planning. However, no researchers have systematically studied all these landslides of this area. In this study, based on Google Earth satellite imagery, landslides were identified using artificial visual interpretation. Then, we analysed 11 landslide-influencing factors were selected, comprising topographic factors (elevation, slope, aspect, curvature), geological environmental factors (strata, distance to faults, distance to water, distance to roads, normalized difference vegetation index), inducing factors (peak ground acceleration, rainfall), the relationships between the distribution law of landslides and influencing factors. Finally, we used the logistic regression model, the weight of evidence model and the weight of evidence–logistic regression coupled model to evaluate the landslide susceptibility.
Laboratory and Computational Studies of Interstellar Ices
Authors: Cuppen Herma M. , Linnartz H. , Ioppolo S.
Published: June 2024

Ice mantles play a crucial role in shaping the astrochemical inventory of molecules during star and planet formation. Small-scale molecular processes have a profound impact on large-scale astronomical evolution. The areas of solid-state laboratory astrophysics and computational chemistry involve the study of these processes. We review laboratory efforts in ice spectroscopy, methodological advances and challenges, and laboratory and computational studies of ice physics and ice chemistry. We place the last of these in context with ice evolution from clouds to disks. Three takeaway messages from this review are:
▪Laboratory and computational studies allow interpretation of astronomical ice spectra in terms of identification, ice morphology, and local environmental conditions as well as the formation of the involved chemical compounds.▪A detailed understanding of the underlying processes is needed to build reliable astrochemical models to make predictions about abundances in space.▪The relative importance of the different ice processes studied in the laboratory and computationally changes during the process of star and planet formation.
Cyanobacteriochromes: A Rainbow of Photoreceptors
Authors: Rockwell Nathan C. , Lagarias J. Clark
Published: June 2024

Widespread phytochrome photoreceptors use photoisomerization of linear tetrapyrrole (bilin) chromophores to measure the ratio of red to far-red light. Cyanobacteria also contain distantly related cyanobacteriochrome (CBCR) proteins that share the bilin-binding GAF domain of phytochromes but sense other colors of light. CBCR photocycles are extremely diverse, ranging from the near-UV to the near-IR. Photoisomerization of the bilin triggers photoconversion of the CBCR input, thereby modulating the biochemical signaling state of output domains such as histidine kinase bidomains that can interface with cellular signal transduction pathways. CBCRs thus can regulate several aspects of cyanobacterial photobiology, including phototaxis, metabolism of cyclic nucleotide second messengers, and optimization of the cyanobacterial light-harvesting apparatus. This review examines spectral tuning, photoconversion, and photobiology of CBCRs and recent developments in understanding their evolution and in applying them in synthetic biology.
Eating Around the Clock: Circadian Rhythms of Eating and Metabolism
Authors: McHill Andrew W. , Butler Matthew P.
Published: June 2024

The time of day that we eat is increasingly recognized as contributing as importantly to overall health as the amount or quality of the food we eat. The endogenous circadian clock has evolved to promote intake at optimal times when an organism is intended to be awake and active, but electric lights and abundant food allow eating around the clock with deleterious health outcomes. In this review, we highlight literature pertaining to the effects of food timing on health, beginning with animal models and then translation into human experiments. We emphasize the pitfalls and opportunities that technological advances bring in bettering understanding of eating behaviors and their association with health and disease. There is great promise for restricting the timing of food intake both in clinical interventions and in public health campaigns for improving health via nonpharmacological therapies.
The Risk of Virus Emergence in South America: A Subtle Balance Between Increasingly Favorable Conditions and a Protective Environment
Authors: de Thoisy Benoit , Gräf Tiago , Mansur Daniel Santos , Delfraro Adriana , dos Santos Claudia Nunes Duarte
Published: June 2024

South American ecosystems host astonishing biodiversity, with potentially great richness in viruses. However, these ecosystems have not yet been the source of any widespread, epidemic viruses. Here we explore a set of putative causes that may explain this apparent paradox. We discuss that human presence in South America is recent, beginning around 14,000 years ago; that few domestications of native species have occurred; and that successive immigration events associated with Old World virus introductions reduced the likelihood of spillovers and adaptation of local viruses into humans. Also, the diversity and ecological characteristics of vertebrate hosts might serve as protective factors. Moreover, although forest areas remained well preserved until recently, current brutal, sudden, and large-scale clear cuts through the forest have resulted in nearly no ecotones, which are essential for creating an adaptive gradient of microbes, hosts, and vectors. This may be temporarily preventing virus emergence. Nevertheless, the mid-term effect of such drastic changes in habitats and landscapes, coupled with explosive urbanization and climate changes, must not be overlooked by health authorities.
The Cold War and Phage Therapy: How Geopolitics Stalled Development of Viruses as Antibacterials
Authors: Summers William C.
Published: June 2024

The bacteriolytic character of bacteriophages was employed as antibacterial therapy almost from the time of their discovery in 1917. In the United States, phage therapy was sporadic during the 1920s and 1930s but had dwindled into obscurity by the post-WWII period. This demise of phage therapy has traditionally been attributed to the superiority of antibiotics, discovered and first used during the war years, but this explanation is complicated by the fact that phage therapy outside the United States has had a longer and more successful life, especially in the countries of Eastern Europe. This review considers another, probably synergetic factor that was specific to the medical uses of phage in the United States: the geopolitical climate fostered by the Cold War reaction against Soviet science and its associated specter, socialized medicine. This analysis suggests that even such a purely scientific matter involving bacterial viruses cannot escape social forces and political ideologies.
Flow-mediated dilation is modified by exercise training status during childhood and adolescence: preliminary evidence of the youth athlete’s artery
Authors: Talbot Jack S. , Perkins Dean R. , Dawkins Tony G. , Lord Rachel N. , Oliver Jon L. , Lloyd Rhodri S. , McManus Ali M. , Stembridge Mike , Pugh Christopher J. A.
Published: June 2024

We report preliminary evidence of the “youth athlete’s artery,” characterized by training-related arterial remodeling and elevated endothelium-dependent arterial function in children and adolescents. However, training-related adaptations in brachial artery diameter and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) were associated with cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescents, but not in children. Our findings indicate that endothelium-dependent arterial function is modifiable with chronic exercise training during childhood, but the association between FMD and elevated cardiorespiratory fitness is only apparent during later stages of adolescence.
Magnetohydrodynamic Flow of Immiscible Jeffrey Fluids Through a Horizontal Porous Cylinder
Authors: Daba Yitagesu , Gadisa Gosa
Published: June 2024

This paper investigates the steady and fully developed magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow of two nonmiscible Jeffrey fluids in a horizontal cylinder filled with a homogenous porous medium. A constant pressure gradient drives the flow in both regions, and a uniform magnetic field is applied transversely to the flow direction. Instead of the usual no‐slip condition, the linear Navier slip is used as a boundary condition on the cylinder’s surface, whereas the usual continuity conditions of velocity and shear stress are presumed at the fluid–fluid interface. The equations describing the problem under consideration are mathematically formulated and transformed into nondimensional forms with the proper choice of nondimensional variables. Analytical solutions have been obtained by solving the transformed equations of motion. The effects of different nondimensional parameters involved in the flow problem, including the magnetic number, Jeffrey parameter, Darcy number, ratio of viscosities, Reynolds number, slip parameter, and pressure gradient, on the velocity in each region are studied, and the results are exhibited graphically. In addition, numerical values for stress at the wall and volume flow rates are calculated for various fluid parameters and shown in tables. It is noticed that an increase in the values of the magnetic number and viscosity ratio reduces the velocity of the fluid, whereas increasing the Jeffrey parameters, Darcy number, Reynolds number, slip parameter, and pressure gradient enhances fluid velocity. Furthermore, the most favorable agreement was observed between the results of this study and the results of the previous studies.
Risk Factors and Clinical Outcomes of Renal Thrombotic Microangiopathy in Children with Lupus Nephritis in Terms of Pathological and Clinical Features
Authors: Zhang Pei , Yang Xiao , Fu Meng-zhen , Gao Chun-lin , Fang Xiang , Xia Zheng-kun
Published: June 2024

Background: Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is an important risk factor for the prognosis of lupus nephritis (LN). Patients with LN complicated with TMA tend to be critically ill with high mortality and poor prognosis. In the present study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical manifestations, laboratory results, renal pathological manifestations, and prognosis of children with LN-TMA and analyzed the risk factors for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in children with LN-TMA. Methods: Seventy-four patients with LN and renal TMA (rTMA) were selected and compared to 128 LN controls without TMA (1:2 ratio) matched according to demographics, pathological type and treatments. Results: The mean values of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), urinary protein quantitation (PRO), urine red blood cells, N-acetyl-β-D-glucosidase (NAG), retinol-binding protein, systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity score (SLEDAI), and activity index (AI) scores in the TMA group were all higher than those in the non-TMA group (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01). The mean values of complement C3, hemoglobin, platelets, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and chronic index (CI) score in the TMA group were all lower than those in the non-TMA group (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01). The number of cases of glomerular crescent, fibrous crescent, endocapillary proliferation, tubular atrophy, interstitial fibrosis, C3 and C1q deposition in the TMA group was higher than that in the non-TMA group (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01). The 3-year and 5-year renal survival rates in the TMA group (88.93% vs. 97.00%, p < 0.05) and TMA group (61.41% vs. 82.31%, p < 0.05) were significantly lower than those in the non-TMA group. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that serum creatinine before treatment (≥110 μmol/L), TMA and interstitial fibrosis were independent risk factors for the development of ESRD in LN children. Conclusion: The general condition of children with TMA is critical, and the prognosis is poor. Early detection, early treatment and the development of new treatments are key to improving LN-TMA outcomes in children.
Effects of Intravenous Immunoglobulins on Human Innate Immune Cells: Collegium Internationale Allergologicum Update 2024
Authors: Jandus Camilla , Jandus Peter
Published: June 2024

Background: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) has been used for almost 40 years in the treatment of autoimmune and systemic inflammatory diseases. Numerous cells are involved in the innate immune response, including monocytes/macrophages, neutrophils, dendritic cells, mast cells, basophils, eosinophils, natural killer cells, and innate lymphoid cells. Many studies have investigated the mechanisms by which IVIg down-modulates inflammatory and autoimmune processes of innate immune cells. However, questions remain regarding the precise mechanism of action in autoimmune or inflammatory conditions. The aim of this work was to review the immunomodulatory effect of IVIg on only human innate immune cells. A narrative review approach was chosen to summarize key evidence on the immunomodulatory effects of commercially available and unmodified IVIg on human innate immune cells. Summary: Numerous different immunomodulatory effects of IVIg have been reported, with some very different effects depending on the immune cell type and disease. Several limitations of the different studies were identified. Of the 77 studies identified and reviewed, 29 (37.7%) dealt with autoimmune or inflammatory diseases. Otherwise, the immunomodulatory effects of IVIg were studied only in healthy donors using an in vitro experimental approach. Some of the documented effects showed disease-specific effects, such as in Kawasaki disease. Various methodological limitations have also been identified that may reduce the validity of some studies. Key Message: As further insights have been gained into the various inflammatory cascades activated in immunological diseases, interesting insights have also been gained into the mechanism of action of IVIg. We are still far from discovering all the immunomodulatory mechanisms of IVIg.
Determinação do sexo através do diâmetro vertical da cabeça do úmero e fêmur
Authors: Galvão Luis Carlos C. , Vitoria Eunice Moura
Published: June 2024

Muitas vezes os peritos recebem ossadas ou partes delas para exame médico-legal. A proposição do presente trabalho foi a de determinar o sexo pelo diâmetro vertical da cabeça do úmero e fêmur. Foram estudados 102 esqueletos, de sexo conhecido, de indivíduos acima de 20 anos. Propositadamente foi dispensada a variável cor da pele. Dos resultados, foi possível estabelecer valores médios para comparações futuras, e o estabelecimento de uma fórmula que, através do diâmetro vertical da cabeça do fêmur direito, pode ser aplicada em determinações futuras, fornecendo ainda o escore de probabilidade. O índice de acerto na amostra estudada foi de 94% para o sexo feminino e 96,2% para o sexo masculino. Foi possível ainda a construção de um programa computadorizado para execução rápida da fórmula na determinação do sexo pelo diâmetro vertical da cabeça do fêmur direito.
Residência médica em Medicina Legal e Perícias Médicas: a formação técnico-científica do perito
Authors: Chaves Lyvia Lorena Gandra , Gianvecchio Victor Alexandre Percinio , Razaboni Renata Schwed , Miziara Ivan Dieb , Muñoz Daniel Romero
Published: June 2024

A Medicina Legal tem por objetivo auxiliar a Justiça em matéria técnico-científica. Assim, para que o perito possa atuar da forma mais adequada em perícias de ordem criminal, cível, trabalhista, administrativa, previdenciária, securitária e/ou nas auditorias médicas (públicas e privadas) é necessária uma formação ampla e sólida. O Programa de Residência Médica em Medicina Legal e Perícias Médicas é a opção mais completa e segura para a formação acadêmica de peritos médicos, conforme o conteúdo programático de atividades práticas e teóricas. Implementado em 2004, o programa tem a duração de três anos e, atualmente, oferece cinco vagas por ano credenciadas pela Comissão Nacional de Residência Médica. Até a presente data já formou 16 médicos peritos que atuam nas diversas áreas da perícia médica e no meio acadêmico (graduação e pós-graduação).
Empagliflozin Improves Diastolic Function in HFpEF by Restabilizing the Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain
Authors: Schauer Antje , Adams Volker , Kämmerer Susanne , Langner Erik , Augstein Antje , Barthel Peggy , Männel Anita , Fabig Gunar , Alves Paula Ketilly Nascimento , Günscht Mario , El-Armouche Ali , Müller-Reichert Thomas , Linke Axel , Winzer Ephraim B.
Published: June 2024

BACKGROUND:

Clinical studies demonstrated beneficial effects of sodium-glucose-transporter 2 inhibitors on the risk of cardiovascular death in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, underlying processes for cardioprotection remain unclear. The present study focused on the impact of empagliflozin (Empa) on myocardial function in a rat model with established HFpEF and analyzed underlying molecular mechanisms.

METHODS:

Obese ZSF1 (Zucker fatty and spontaneously hypertensive) rats were randomized to standard care (HFpEF, n=18) or Empa (HFpEF/Empa, n=18). ZSF1 lean rats (con, n=18) served as healthy controls. Echocardiography was performed at baseline and after 4 and 8 weeks, respectively. After 8 weeks of treatment, hemodynamics were measured invasively, mitochondrial function was assessed and myocardial tissue was collected for either molecular and histological analyses or transmission electron microscopy.

RESULTS:

In HFpEF Empa significantly improved diastolic function (E/é: con: 17.5±2.8; HFpEF: 24.4±4.6;
P
<0.001 versus con; HFpEF/Empa: 19.4±3.2;
P
<0.001 versus HFpEF). This was accompanied by improved hemodynamics and calcium handling and by reduced inflammation, hypertrophy, and fibrosis. Proteomic analysis demonstrated major changes in proteins involved in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Cardiac mitochondrial respiration was significantly impaired in HFpEF but restored by Empa (V
max
complex IV: con: 0.18±0.07 mmol O
2
/s/mg; HFpEF: 0.13±0.05 mmol O
2
/s/mg;
P
<0.041 versus con; HFpEF/Empa: 0.21±0.05 mmol O
2
/s/mg;
P
=0.012 versus HFpEF) without alterations of mitochondrial content. The expression of cardiolipin, an essential stability/functionality-mediating phospholipid of the respiratory chain, was significantly decreased in HFpEF but reverted by Empa (con: 15.9±1.7 nmol/mg protein; HFpEF: 12.5±1.8 nmol/mg protein;
P
=0.002 versus con; HFpEF/Empa: 14.5±1.8 nmol/mg protein;
P
=0.03 versus HFpEF). Transmission electron microscopy revealed a reduced size of mitochondria in HFpEF, which was restored by Empa.

CONCLUSIONS:

The study demonstrates beneficial effects of Empa on diastolic function, hemodynamics, inflammation, and cardiac remodeling in a rat model of HFpEF. These effects were mediated by improved mitochondrial respiratory capacity due to modulated cardiolipin and improved calcium handling.
Fragments of Armenian Miniature Art of the Ninth Century (Bagratid Kingdom Era)
Authors: Manukyan Seda , Chatyan Gohar
Published: June 2024

Regrettably, numerous examples of early Armenian miniatures have not survived to the present day. The era of Arab dominance had a negative impact on Armenian manuscript art, leading to the loss of the manuscripts copied between the VII and IX centuries and only a handful of copies and guard-leaf sewn into the manuscripts have survived from this period.

In this study, we will focus on a particular guard-leaf fragment affixed into the Matenadaran manuscript (ms. M963), which is a palimpsest. The initial manuscript, employed as the foundation for the new one, is a Gospel written in բոլորգիծ երկաթագիր/bolorgits erkat’agir (the Armenian circular uncial script).

The new manuscript dates back to the fourteenth century and is a Mashtots’ (ritual book). Deacon Յովհաննէս/John is its scribe and miniaturist, and it was commissioned by Bishop Stepanos. The guard-leaves found in the manuscript are believed to be remnants of the earlier Armenian uncial script manuscript into which the Mashtots’ was transcribed. This inference is drawn from a comparative analysis of the remaining traces of writing on other pages of the manuscript.

The guard-leaves in the M963 manuscript are notable for their resemblance to Byzantine miniatures. These fragments represent another instance of Armenian miniatures from the ninth century, a comparative examination of which suggests the possibility that they were created in one of the scriptoria of the Bagratid kingdom, where familiarity with Byzantine artistic traditions was evident.
Émilie Du Châtelet’s Theory of Simple Beings
Authors: Carus Clara
Published: June 2024

The first part of this paper investigates the purpose, methodological approach, and fundamental thesis of Du Châtelet’s theory of simple beings. The paper shows that ‘simple beings’ in Du Châtelet is a theory concerned with the understanding of extended bodies. The second part of the paper shows that her theory of simple beings, while it has important roots in both Leibniz and Wolff, is remarkably different from theirs. Thus, contrary to a common thread in the literature, Du Châtelet’s theory of simple beings does not commit her to an ontology that can be equated with that of Leibniz or Wolff. Instead, her theory of simple beings is faculty-centred and draws a fundamental and novel distinction between the phenomenal realm of the senses and ‘real’ substances, which can only be grasped through the understanding.
صورة المسيح في التراث الإسلاميّ
Authors: عبده خالد محمّد
Published: June 2024

الملخص

‫يسلّط هذا المقال الضوء على الصورة التي نُسجت للسيّد المسيح عليه السلام في تراثنا الإسلاميّ، بغية تعريف القارئ بها، ذلك أنّ تلك الصورة لم تبرز بالشكل اللائق بها في الأدبيّات العربيّة، بقدر ما ظهر المسيح موضوعًا للجدل الدينيّ والعقائد. وقد كانت تلك الصورة منذ زمن طويل موضوعًا للبحث والمناقشة في الأدبيات الغربيّة. فكتبَ كثيرٌ من المستشرقين في هذا الموضوع باللغات الإنجليزيّة والفرنسية والإسبانيّة والألمانيّة، عن الأشكال التي يتصور فيها المسلمون المسيح، كما جُمعت روايات المسلمين للإنجيل سواء ما اعتمدوا فيه على نسخ قديمة للأناجيل الأربعة أو نقلوا مروياتهم عن الأناجيل المنحولة أو الروايات الشفاهيّة. كانت كلُّ صورةٍ ترسم عالمًا جديدًا يتّسم بالرحابة في النظرة الإسلاميّة للمسيح. فالمسيح مثال للورع والتقوى والزهد، ومثال للمعلم المربّي للسالكين، ومثال للروح الرقيقة التي تمثّلت بشرًا من أجل الإيمان. وعى العلماء المسلمون هذه الصور، ورسم كلّ واحد منهم رواية لحياة المسيح بحسب ذوقه. قدّمت هذه الروايات تأويلات تتّسم بالجدّة والطرافة، لذا ستحاول هذه الدراسة لفت النظر إلى بعض هذه الروايات، نظرًا لأهميّتها ودورها في الكشف عن ثراء التصوّرات الإسلاميّة على تنوّعها وتعدّدها.‬
Moving beyond anxiety
Authors: Blocksidge Katie , Primeau Hanna
Published: June 2024

Information Professionals are avid users of data points to inform their practices, but have we flattened the data to such an extent that we have lost the emotional side of research that students experience? In this article, we will discuss our findings regarding student emotions and information beliefs and share ways in which this data can give depth to our practices. In this qualitative study, we used twenty interviews conducted in 2019 to uncover student information beliefs. Through exploratory data analysis we discovered students expressing a variety of emotions beyond anxiety, not all of which were negative.
It is only when we examine student perceptions that we reveal the emotionally fraught process of research. Recommendations based on our findings fall into three categories: encouraging information professionals to find paths to removing access barriers, find ways to move into faculty development, and acknowledging the aspects of research that can make it hard but rewarding for students. Our findings and recommendations focus on how to establish practices that allow students to use their persistence in ways that enhance their learning rather than using cognitive energy on the intricacies of a library specific task.
Building a bridge between skills and thresholds
Authors: Folk Amanda , Blocksidge Katie , Hammons Jane , Primeau Hanna
Published: June 2024

Within the past decade, there has been a shift in how our guiding professional documents conceptualise information literacy (IL) — evolving from a skills-based conceptualisation to one emphasising ways of thinking and knowing. This has been both productive and disruptive. Our professional documentation does not provide a framework for making this shift or for scaffolding learning to develop complex and sophisticated ways of thinking and knowing. In this study, we apply Bloom’s revised taxonomy for educational objectives to instructor descriptions of IL (n=51) to develop a draft taxonomy that attempts to build a bridge between these two conceptualisations. The data was drawn from a survey that was administered to instructors and instructional support staff immediately preceding their participation in a multi-day teaching professional development workshop related to IL. We believe that this model has implications for how we approach the development of learners’ IL with intentionality, both in collaboration with faculty and for our own teaching practices as librarians.
Cruel optimism, or, this time will be different!
Authors: Seale Maura , Nicholson Karen
Published: June 2024

Information literacy (IL) is an important means by which academic libraries prove their value within higher education and to broader (sceptical) society. Yet if IL is an array of sociocultural practices that are ultimately about how we find meaning in and engage with the world, then it cannot be taught or obtained in a classroom, even through the most carefully considered (critical) pedagogy. As a result, we find ourselves in a "stuck place", in a relation of “cruel optimism” (Berlant, 2011) with IL, a relation in which we return again and again to the thing we desire, with the expectation that this time, things will be different; everything will work out. What if academic librarians were to acknowledge and refuse the ambivalence of our cruel relation with IL and envision ourselves as helping students learn “how to library” instead? If we de-centred this particular version of IL within academic librarianship, what might we make room for? What alternative spaces for thinking might open up?
The negative spaces of information literacy
Authors: Hicks Alison
Published: June 2024

Suggestions that information literacy (IL) is being employed in subversive or unorthodox activities, including criminal or anti-democratic aims, have largely been dismissed as evidence for the need for more IL instruction. Possible solutions to situations in which librarian-promoted IL skills advance subversive activities, which include a renewed focus on standardisation or virtue epistemology, introduce additional issues, such as whose values would prevail. In contrast, engagement with IL’s negative space, a design term that refers to the aspects of a composition that surround the main focal object, provides an opportunity to learn about what has been obscured through our focus on more socially acceptable goals — and develop a richer, more responsive understanding of practice.
LILAC 2024
Authors: Haire Amelia
Published: June 2024

The experience of the LILAC 2024 conference as one of the student Rowena McCrae-Gibson award holders.