bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long-term observation after transplantation of cultured human corneal endothelial cells for corneal endothelial dysfunction
Authors: Sun Peng , Shen Lin , Li Yuan-Bin , Du Li-Qun , Wu Xin-Yi
Published: June 2022

Background

Corneal transplantation is the only way to treat serious corneal diseases caused by corneal endothelial dysfunction. However, the shortage of donor corneal tissues and human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs) remains a worldwide challenge. We cultivated HCECs by the use of a conditioned medium from orbital adipose-derived stem cells (OASC-CM) in vitro. Then the HCECs were used to treat animal corneal endothelial dysfunction models via cell transplantation. The purpose of this study was to conduct a long-term observation and evaluation after cell transplantation.

Methods

Orbital adipose-derived stem cells (OASCs) were isolated to prepare the conditioned medium (CM). HCECs were cultivated and expanded by the usage of the CM (CM-HCECs). Then, related corneal endothelial cell (CEC) markers were analyzed by immunofluorescence. The cell proliferation ability was also tested. CM-HCECs were then transplanted into monkey corneal endothelial dysfunction models by injection. We carried out a 24-month postoperative preclinical observation and verified the long-term effect by histological examination and transcriptome sequencing.

Results

CM-HCECs strongly expressed CEC-related markers and maintained polygonal cell morphology even after 10 passages. At 24 months after cell transplantation, there was a CEC density of more than 2400 cells per square millimeter (range, 2408–2685) in the experimental group. A corneal thickness (CT) of less than 550 μm (range, 490–510) was attained. Gene sequencing showed that the gene expression pattern of CM-HCECs was similar to that of transplanted cells and HCECs.

Conclusions

Transplantation of CM-HCECs into monkey corneal endothelial dysfunction models resulted in a transparent cornea after 24 months. This research provided a promising prospect of cell-based therapy for corneal endothelial diseases.
Misdiagnosis of COVID-19 infection before molecular confirmation in Sulaimaniyah City, Iraq
Authors: Mustafa Hemn Muhammed , Abdulateef Darya Saeed , Rahman Heshu Sulaiman
Published: June 2022

Background

During the last 2 years, in the Kurdistan Region, Northern Iraq, there were thousands of COVID-19 cases that have not been reported officially, but diagnosed and confirmed by private laboratories and private hospitals, or clinicians based on typical clinical signs, as well as few people using home self-test after appearing of some flu-like clinical symptoms. Thus, this study aims to assess the misdiagnosis and mismanagement of cases before COVID-19 confirmation.

Methods

This study enrolled 100 consecutive patients who visited an outpatient clinic of Shar Hospital that had symptoms highly suspicious of COVID-19 infection while misdiagnosed previously to have other types of disease. Detailed questionnaires were filled for all studied patients, including age, gender, main presenting symptoms, and duration of these symptoms with the following questions: who made the false diagnosis, depending on which diagnostic test the false diagnosis was made, which medication was used for the false diagnosis, who prescribed those medications, and how long those medications were used. They were investigated by RT-PCR on their nasopharyngeal swab for confirmation.

Results

Most of the false diagnoses were typhoid (63%), influenza (14%), pneumonia (9%), gastroenteritis (5%), common cold (4%), brucellosis (4%), and meningitis (1%). Regarding the false diagnosis of cases, 92% were made by non-physician healthcare workers, and only 8% were made by physicians. All false diagnoses with typhoid, gastroenteritis, and common cold were made by non-physician healthcare workers, together with about half of the diagnosis of pneumonia and brucellosis, with statistically significant results (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

We realized that some patients had been misdiagnosed before the COVID-19 infection confirmation. Their health conditions improved drastically after correct diagnosis and treatment, and this research is considered the first research to be conducted in Iraq in this regard.
Early-life galacto-oligosaccharides supplementation alleviates the small intestinal oxidative stress and dysfunction of lipopolysaccharide-challenged suckling piglets
Authors: Tian Shiyi , Wang Jue , Gao Ren , Wang Jing , Zhu Weiyun
Published: June 2022

Background

Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are non-digestible food ingredients that promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut. This study investigated the protective effect of the early-life GOS supplement on the piglets’ gut function against the oxidative stress induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenge.

Methods

Eighteen neonatal piglets were assigned to three groups including CON, LPS and LPS + GOS groups. The piglets in CON group and LPS group received physiological saline, while those in LPS + GOS group received GOS solution for 13 d after birth. On d 14, the piglets in LPS group and LPS + GOS group were injected with LPS solutions, while the piglets in CON group were injected with the same volume of physiological saline.

Results

The results showed that the early-life GOS supplement blocked the LPS-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) secretion, malondialdehyde (MDA) production and the increase of pro-apoptotic factor expression. Meanwhile, the early-life GOS supplement improved the activities of antioxidant enzymes, disaccharidase enzymes activities, and digestive enzymes activities, and increased the mRNA abundance of the gene related to nutrient digestion and absorption and the relative protein expression of tight junction. The study also showed that the early-life GOS supplement improved the expression of Hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H/quinone acceptor oxidoreductase-1 (NQO-1), and activated the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK).

Conclusions

These results suggested that GOS enhanced the gut function, reduced the ROS production and pro-apoptotic factors gene expression, and activated the AMPK signaling pathway in LPS-challenged piglets.
Inclusion body myositis and associated diseases: an argument for shared immune pathologies
Authors: Nelke Christopher , Kleefeld Felix , Preusse Corinna , Ruck Tobias , Stenzel Werner
Published: June 2022

Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is the most prevalent idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) affecting older adults. The pathogenic hallmark of IBM is chronic inflammation of skeletal muscle. At present, we do not classify IBM into different sub-entities, with the exception perhaps being the presence or absence of the anti-cN-1A-antibody. In contrast to other IIM, IBM is characterized by a chronic and progressive disease course. Here, we discuss the pathophysiological framework of IBM and highlight the seemingly prototypical situations where IBM occurs in the context of other diseases. In this context, understanding common immune pathways might provide insight into the pathogenesis of IBM. Indeed, IBM is associated with a distinct set of conditions, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or hepatitis C—two conditions associated with premature immune cell exhaustion. Further, the pathomorphology of IBM is reminiscent of other muscle diseases, notably HIV-associated myositis or granulomatous myositis. Distinct immune pathways are likely to drive these commonalities and senescence of the CD8+T cell compartment is discussed as a possible mechanism of pathogenesis. Future effort directed at understanding the co-occurrence of IBM and associated diseases could prove valuable to better understand the enigmatic IBM pathophysiology.
Global polygons for terrain classification divided into uniform slopes and basins
Authors: Iwahashi Junko , Yamazaki Dai
Published: June 2022

Global terrain classification data have been used for various issues related to topography such as the estimation of soil types and of ground vulnerability to earthquakes and the creation of seismic hazard maps. However, due to the resolution of digital elevation models (DEMs), the terrain classification data from previous studies could not discriminate small landforms such as plains at the bottom of narrow valleys and small rises in plains. Owing to the greater regional variation of small landforms, there is trade-off between DEMs of higher resolution and the creation of global geomorphological legends. To address this problem, we first merged regions with similar topographic characteristics using slope gradients and HAND (height above the nearest drainage) calculated by the 90-m-spatial-resolution DEMs interpolated from the multi-error-removed improved-terrain DEM (MERIT DEM), and united the polygons with the unit catchments of the MERIT-Basins dataset, so that the polygons contain calculated terrain measurements (slope gradient, HAND, surface texture, local convexity, sinks) and noise types as attributes, as well as the ID number of the unit catchment. In addition, we performed k-means clustering on the dataset using slope gradient, HAND, and surface texture, which can be combined with the dataset as a simple terrain classification. The clustering results were prepared in 15 and 40 global uniform clusters and 15 and 40 clusters for each basin to understand the global appearance of the terrain and provide zoning data for regional problem-solving. The 15 clusters were prepared to observe the outline of the terrain without any processing, whereas the 40 clusters were prepared to group and reclassify the polygons to create zoning data for each region. This dataset showed improvements in terms of capturing the small rises in plains compared to the authors' previous global terrain classification data. This dataset can be used as a proxy and is expected to contribute to modeling and estimation in various applications that are known to be related to topography. The datasets of this article are available at [https://gisstar.gsi.go.jp/terrain2021/].
Intravitreal injection of mitochondrial DNA induces cell damage and retinal dysfunction in rats
Authors: Guo Yue , Gan Dekang , Hu Fangyuan , Cheng Yun , Yu Jian , Lei Boya , Shu Qinmeng , Gu Ruiping , Xu Gezhi
Published: June 2022

Background

Retinal neurodegeneration is induced by a variety of environmental insults and stresses, but the exact mechanisms are unclear. In the present study, we explored the involvement of cytosolic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), resulting in the cGAS-STING dependent inflammatory response and apoptosis in retinal damage in vivo.

Methods

Retinal injury was induced with white light or intravitreal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). After light- or LPS-induced injury, the amount of cytosolic mtDNA in the retina was detected by PCR. The mtDNA was isolated and used to transfect retinas in vivo. WB and real-time PCR were used to evaluate the activation of cGAS-STING pathway and the levels of apoptosis-associated protein at different times after mtDNA injection. Retinal cell apoptosis rate was detected by TUNEL staining. Full-field electroretinography (ERG) was used to assess the retinal function.

Results

Light injury and the intravitreal injection of LPS both caused the leakage of mtDNA into the cytoplasm in retinal tissue. After the transfection of mtDNA in vivo, the levels of cGAS, STING, and IFN-β mRNAs and the protein levels of STING, phosph-TBK1, phospho-IRF3, and IFN-β were upregulated. mtDNA injection also induced the activation of caspase 3 and caspase 9. BAX and BAK were increased at both the mRNA and protein levels. The release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria to the cytosol was increased after mtDNA injection. The wave amplitudes on ERG decreased and retinal cell apoptosis was detected after mtDNA injection.

Conclusions

Cytosolic mtDNA triggers an inflammatory response. It also promotes apoptosis and the dysfunction of the retina.
Effects of philosophical ethics in early childhood on preschool children's social–emotional competence and theory of mind
Authors: Arda Tuncdemir Tugce B. , Burroughs Michael D. , Moore Ginger
Published: June 2022

Although social–emotional learning (SEL) and ethics education are important, it remains a challenging issue to effectively implement these practices. In this study, a Philosophical Ethics in Early Childhood approach is proposed for developing children's social–emotional competence and Theory of Mind. To evaluate the effectiveness of this expanded intervention, an experiment was conducted by assigning 73 children aged 3–5 to an experimental group (N = 37) and a comparative group (N = 36). Parents and teachers completed Head Start Competence Scales, the Theory of Mind Inventory and parent and teacher questionnaires. Teacher and Child Interviews were conducted. According to the teachers’ reports, the experimental group children demonstrated significantly increased social–emotional competence skills and increased understanding of their own and others’ emotions compared to the comparative group children. This program includes games, extension activities, and dialogue to support children in deeply thinking about social and emotional dilemmas, sharing their ideas, and creating solutions.
Sexuality After Cancer as an Unmet Need: Addressing Disparities, Achieving Equality
Authors: Katz Anne , Agrawal Laila S. , Sirohi Bhawna
Published: June 2022

One extremely important and often neglected aspect of cancer care is sexuality. Sexuality is inherently a human trait, and this does not cease to be true after a cancer diagnosis. Multiple domains comprise sexuality, and all are at risk from cancer and its treatment. Despite the importance of sexual health, it still represents an unmet need in the United States and internationally. The disparities in meeting the sexual health needs of women with cancer extend beyond issues related to genitourinary symptoms of menopause and sexual pleasure; we propose that it extends toward the needs of sexual and gender minorities. Therefore, we focus on the delivery of sexual health care for people with cancer with an emphasis on women, women in low- and middle- income countries, and marginalized sexual and gender minorities.
Contemporary Approach to Acute Myeloid Leukemia Therapy in 2022
Authors: Roloff Gregory W. , Odenike Olatoyosi , Bajel Ashish , Wei Andrew H. , Foley Nicole , Uy Geoffrey L.
Published: June 2022

Recent advances in acute myeloid leukemia biology and drug development have transformed the therapeutic landscape for patients diagnosed with this disease. By harnessing insights from the study of the molecular pathogenesis of the disease, the acute myeloid leukemia treatment armamentarium now extends beyond conventional cytotoxic agents to include targeted therapies, and immunotherapeutics, with multiple novel modalities under investigation. During the past 5 years, recent drug approvals have also focused attention on disease scenarios and patient populations for whom newer therapies might be deployed. In this review, we highlight select acute myeloid leukemia therapies in the frontline setting through the lens of both disease and patient-related factors. Particular emphasis is placed on the assessment of patient fitness, as contemporary acute myeloid leukemia therapy decisions largely hinge on the determination of whether intensive chemotherapy is suitable for a patient. Additionally, we detail scenarios and areas of controversy wherein disease biology may inspire a reframing of traditional intensive treatment philosophies, regardless of patient fitness. Lastly, we provide an overview of emerging agents that are being investigated in the relapsed/refractory setting.
Immunotherapy for Microsatellite Stable Colorectal Cancers: Challenges and Novel Therapeutic Avenues
Authors: Sahin Ibrahim Halil , Ciombor Kristen K. , Diaz Luis A. , Yu James , Kim Richard
Published: June 2022

With the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors, immunotherapy researchers have facilitated substantial progress for patients with mismatch repair deficient/microsatellite instability-high colorectal cancer, which has led to practice changes at a head-spinning pace. However, this benefit has not been translated into microsatellite stable colorectal cancer, which carries the hallmarks of chromosomal instability. So far, clinical trials have not shown any substantial clinical benefits of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for patients with microsatellite stable colorectal cancer, which has been disappointing. Recently, combinations of immune checkpoint inhibitors with tyrosine kinase inhibitors and targeted therapies have been investigated for potential synergistic effects that may increase antitumor activity in the tumor microenvironment and achieve more substantial clinical and radiologic responses. In this article, we discuss the current state of the science for the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in microsatellite stable colorectal cancers, and we review the molecular underpinnings of inherited physiologic barriers for the delivery of effective immunotherapy. We also elaborate on existing therapeutic opportunities to convert microsatellite stable colorectal cancer into an “immune hot” cancer, which may define the future treatment paradigm of colorectal cancer for which there is a great unmet need.
Survival Nomogram for Young Breast Cancer Patients Based on the SEER Database and an External Validation Cohort
Authors: Huang Xiao , Luo Zhou , Liang Wei , Xie Guojian , Lang Xusen , Gou Jiaxiang , Liu Chenxiao , Xu Xiangnan , Fu Deyuan
Published: June 2022

Background

Young breast cancer (YBC) patients are more prone to lymph node metastasis than other age groups. Our study aimed to investigate the predictive value of lymph node ratio (LNR) in YBC patients and create a nomogram to predict overall survival (OS), thus helping clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Methods

Patients diagnosed with YBC between January 2010 and December 2015 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were enrolled and randomly divided into a training set and an internal validation set with a ratio of 7:3. An independent cohort from our hospital was used for external validation. Univariate and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression were used to identify the significant factors associated with prognosis, which were used to create a nomogram for predicting 3- and 5-year OS.

Results

We selected seven survival predictors (tumor grade, T-stage, N-stage, LNR, ER status, PR status, HER2 status) for nomogram construction. The C-indexes in the training set, the internal validation set, and the external validation set were 0.775, 0.778 and 0.817, respectively. The nomogram model was well calibrated, and the time-dependent ROC curves verified the superiority of our model for clinical usefulness. In addition, the nomogram classification could more precisely differentiate risk subgroups and improve the discrimination of YBC prognosis.

Conclusions

LNR is a strong predictor of OS in YBC patients. The novel nomogram based on LNR is a reliable tool to predict survival, which may assist clinicians in identifying high-risk patients and devising individual treatments.
A Dynamic Model of Owner Acceptance in Peer-to-Peer Sharing Markets
Authors: Yao Dai , Tang Chuang , Chu Junhong
Published: June 2022

The paper develops a new dynamic choice modeling framework and applies it to examine owner decisions in P2P sharing markets.
Prior Experience of Managers and Maladaptive Responses to Performance Feedback: Evidence from Mutual Funds
Authors: Gaba Vibha , Lee Sunkee , Meyer-Doyle Philipp , Zhao-Ding Amy
Published: June 2022

In this study, we examine how the prior experiences of decision makers systematically influence their assessment of and responses to negative performance feedback. We posit that, although greater and more specialized experiences enable managers to build relevant knowledge and expertise in specific domains, they also make them overconfident in their abilities and strategies. Such experience-induced overconfidence further leads to distortions in the performance assessment process, hindering a firm’s ability to recognize and respond to poor performance. We empirically test these arguments in the context of U.S. mutual fund managers making investment decisions in response to fund performance below aspirations. As hypothesized, we find that more experienced and more specialized fund managers change their investment decisions less when faced with negative performance feedback than managers who are less experienced and less specialized. In additional analyses, we further show that the lower responsiveness of more experienced (specialized) managers is associated with the fund’s lower future performance, supporting our proposed theoretical mechanism (overconfidence). This study augments existing performance feedback research by showing how decision makers’ prior experience can impede problem-solving behavior in organizations. It also contributes to the literature on human capital and organizational learning by documenting an unintended consequence of accumulated human capital on firm adaptive behavior.

Funding: This work was supported by INSEAD research & development funds.

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.1605 .
PMO implementation in trinidad and tobago engineering-service contractor firms: challenges and lessons learned
Authors: Mahabir Randell Jared , Mahabir Roneil Jareth
Published: June 2022

This paper explores the challenges and lessons learned in integrating a project management office (PMO) into the existing organizational structure of engineering-service contractor (ESC) companies in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). Although several T&T ESCs now boast of having a robust PMO, its implementation has been a difficult and expensive endeavor for most, persuading others to forego this. This disinclination is due to the lack of available insight and guidance on PMO implementation for ESCs operating in the Caribbean. Top management personnel and departmental managers from twenty-eight ESCs who played a direct role in the PMO incorporation at their organizations were polled in a self-report study which collected quantitative data via a questionnaire. Insights on their perceived PMO value, implementation weak and strong points, integration challenges and lessons learned were gathered and analyzed. The findings confirmed concurrence amongst all participating ESCs that PMO implementation bodes well for their strategic organizational goals. The biggest implementation challenges reported were creating a project management culture and realigning the power for resource management and allocation. Smoother integration was reported amongst companies that included suitable communication channels, pre-implementation planning, and project management training for PMO personnel into the process. For the findings varied across companies, this paper illustrates numerous areas of concern common to ESCs. There is no existing research on PMO implementation in T&T or Caribbean firms, and this paper provides foresight and direction for companies contemplating such endeavors.
About the Word Emre
Authors: ÖZDEMİR Hakan
Published: June 2022

Etymology studies, as it is known, occupy a very important and wide place in the field of Turcology. In essence, etymology is a study of origins that emerges by revealing possible views on the word by analyzing the structures on it by adhering to the possible meaning or meanings of the word, and by getting help from other words that fall within the conceptual field, if any. In this respect, etymology is a kind of mental exercise as a static knowledge production activity. It can be said that similar exercises have been done in the past for the word Emre. In this sense, it can be said that what has been said in the past is sufficient to get an idea about the origin of the word Emre. So much so that, at first glance, it can be stated with great ease that the word "emre" may be a modified form of the word "hemrah".

Both the lifestyle of Yunus Emre, whose philosophy of dervish transgressed the borders, the concept of leech, which includes the concept of the path in Sufism, and the sound changes of the word, which made it possible for us to build a bridge to the new form, have an important role in the formation of our opinion. Despite all these strong data, the relationship between emre and amrak, which we think is overshadowed, presents an image that deserves to be emphasized again. Contrary to the most basic basis of etymology, which includes a discipline that develops on the necessity of refuting the ideas that have been put forward, it would be useful to focus on the possibility of both ideas. In short, it can be argued that the word amrak, which has enough data to eclipse it, can be argued that all the doors cannot be closed on the way to hemrah.
ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE BODY STRUCTURES, PHYSICAL BEHAVIOR AND PERSONALITY OF ORHAN KEMAL'S NOVELS -Cemile, Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde, Bir Filiz Vardı, Kötü Yol-
Authors: AYDIN ÖZER Emel
Published: June 2022

Bu makalede, Orhan Kemal’in romanlarında öne çıkan kadın karakterlerin kişilikleriyle bedenleri arasında nasıl ilişkiler kurulduğu tespit edilecektir. Kişinin kendini ifade etmede bedenini nasıl kullandığı, yazar tarafından bunların nasıl anlamlandırıldığı incelenecektir. Yapılacak inceleme için yazarın kadın karakterleri ön plana çıkardığı dört roman seçilmiştir. Bu romanlar Cemile, Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde, Bir Filiz Vardı ve Kötü Yol’dur. Bahsi geçen bu dört romanda ön planda olduğunu gördüğümüz, yukarıda saydığımız roman isimlerindeki sıraya göre, Cemile, Fatma, Filiz ve Nuran’ı merkeze alarak bu inceleme yapılacaktır. Sözü edilen romanlardaki kişilerle ilgili yapılan tasvirlerden bu kişilerin karakterleriyle ilgili bazı noktaları tespit etmek mümkündür. Orhan Kemal, bahsi geçen bu dört romanda kadın karakterlerine çeşitli roller verir ve bu toplumsal nitelikli roller onların toplumdaki yeriyle ilgili ipuçları barındırır. Bu bilgiler bir yandan da onların psikolojik durumlarıyla ilgili çeşitli ipuçları vererek roman karakterlerinin ruh durumlarını ortaya koyar. Yani yazar, bu bedensel tasvirleri, o kadınlarla ilgili çeşitli ipuçları edinmemiz ve onları daha iyi anlayabilmemiz için kullanmıştır, denilebilir. Fatma’yla Cemile birbirine benzer şartlarda yaşar. Biri hayat karşısında yanlış tercihler yaparak yenik düşen, diğeri ise hayat karşısında direnen işçi kadınlardır. Aynı yolun iki farkı alternatifi gibidirler. Benzer ilgi Filiz’le Nuran için de kurulabilir. Filiz, Nuran’ın kötü sonla biten hikâyesinin iyi alternatifidir. Bu romanları seçme sebebimiz de tespit ettiğimiz bu benzerliklerdir.
KAŞKAY TÜRKLERİNDE TANRI, GÖKSEL VARLIKLAR VE GÖK/MAVİ RENK İLİŞKİSİ ÜZERİNE BİR İNCELEME
Authors: MUSTAFAYEVA Venera
Published: June 2022

Makalede, İran’da yaşayan Kaşkay Türklerinin inanç yapısı göksel varlıklar, Tanrı ve mavi renk ilişkisi üzerinden ele alınmıştır. İran’ın güneyinde dağınık halde yaşayan Kaşkay Türkleri, karışık bir coğrafyada yaşamalarına ve kendi dillerinde eğitim almamalarına rağmen kendilerini Türk olarak görmeye ve Türklüklerini yaşatmaya devam etmektedirler. İslam’ın Şiilik mezhebine mensup olan bu göçebe toplum, kültürel kimliklerini, dillerini, inançlarını günümüze kadar korumuştur. Kaşkay Türkleri eski Türk dini ve inançlarını hayatlarının her alanında yaşatmaktadırlar. Dillerinde göksel varlıklarla ilgili Tanrı kelimesi ve Gök Tanrı bağlantısı ile ilgili çok sayıda kelime ve inançlar barındırmaktadırlar ve mavi rengi kutsal bir renk olarak görmektedirler. Kaşkaylarda gök, gök cisimleri ve gök renk (mavi) ve Tanrı arasında doğrudan ve dolaylı bir şekilde bağlantı kurulmaktadır. Bu durum, Kaşkay inanç sistemini hem eski Türk inanç sistemine hem de günümüz Sibirya Türklerinin inanç sistemlerine bağlamaktadır. Hem gökyüzü hem Tanrı anlamına gelen “Gök” kelimesi, Kaşkay inanç sisteminin merkezinde yer almaktadır. Sözlü ve yazılı kaynaklardan elde edilen veriler üzerine kurulan çalışma, başta Kaşkaylar olmak üzere, İran’da yaşayan Türk topluluklarının geleneksel dünya görüşleri üzerine saha odaklı daha fazla çalışma yapılması gerektiğini gözler önüne sermiştir.
Mitolojik Ana Tasavvuru Bağlamında Toprak
Authors: AKÇAM Harun , KÖSE Serkan
Published: June 2022

Türk mitolojisinde kozmogonik tasarım; gök, yer ve yeraltı olmak üzere üç katmanlı olarak düşünülmüştür. Sözü edilen her bir katman, iyi ve kötü kavramlarıyla anlamlandırılmıştır. Bu düşünceye göre, gök, tanrısal mekân olarak iyiliği/aydınlığı; yeraltı ise Tanrı tarafından cezalandırılan Erlik mekânını yani kötülüğü/karanlığı temsil etmektedir. Yeryüzü ise hem iyi hem de kötüye meyilli olan kişioğlunun yaşadığı alanı simgelemektedir. Yeryüzünün merkez simgesi ise topraktır. Toprağın kutsallığı, yer ile gök arasında dünya ekseni (axis mundi) vazifesi gören ağaç, dağ gibi birçok unsura, tıpkı bir annenin bebeğini karnında taşıması gibi, yaşam alanı sağlaması düşüncesinden gelmektedir. Dolayısıyla toprak, üretici, bereket verici olarak tasarımlanmıştır. Toprak farklı kültürlerde üzerinde yaşanan mekân olmasının yanında hayat verici ve besleyici özellikleriyle anne merkezli simgesel anlatımın önemli bir unsuru olmuştur. Diğer birçok toplumda görüldüğü gibi, Türk toplum ve kültür hayatında da toprağın ana olarak algılanması, çoban kültüründe otlaklara olan gereksinimden; tarım kültüründe ise toprağa olan ekonomik bağlılık ihtiyacından kaynaklanmaktadır. Çalışmada, mitolojik ana algısının, Türk mitik tasarımından beslenen sözlü folklor ürünlerindeki işlevsel konumu üzerine bir değerlendirme yapılması planlanmaktadır.
ESKİŞEHİR İLİNDE YAŞAYAN MANAVLARIN KINA GECELERİ ve TÜRKÜLERİ: KARAOĞLAN KÖYÜ ÖRNEĞİ
Authors: DEMİRÇE ALTINTAŞ Pelin
Published: June 2022

Anadolu’da geçiş dönemleri adını verdiğimiz “doğum, evlenme, ölüm” dönemlerinden evlenme dönemi içinde yer alan düğünden bir gece önce yapılan ve “kına gecesi” adının verildiği gece; Anadolu’nun pek çok bölgesinde farklı ritüellerle gerçekleştirilmektedir. Manavlar; kültürel değerlerini de içinde barındıran bu gece de kına ezgilerini nesilden nesile aktararak günümüze kadar getirmişlerdir. Bu çalışmada; özellikle Manavların kına gecelerinde seslendirilen ezgiler, alan araştırmasına dayalı gözlem ve görüşme teknikleri kullanılarak derlenmiştir. Derlenen ezgilerin müzikal ve edebi açıdan incelenmesi ve manavların müzik kültürleri hakkında bilgiler sunulması amaçlanmıştır. Karaoğlan Köyü kadınlarından derlenen ve kendi aralarında gerçekleştirdikleri kına gecesinde söyledikleri “Amanın Yandım Hacı”, “Dağdan Keserler Fındığı” ve “Yaprak Gazeli Yarim” ezgileri ele alınmış, müzikal ve edebi açıdan incelenmiştir. Derlenen ezgilerin yanında evlenme süreci ile ilgili de bilgiler veren kaynak kişiler; şehre göçün başlaması ile birlikte köylerde gençlerin kalmaması ve yeni uygulamaların başlaması ile birlikte eski uygulamaların devam etmediğini belirtmiştir. Derlenen ezgilerin gün yüzüne çıkartılmış olması kültürel değerlerimizin yaşatılması ve yeni nesillere aktarılması bu çalışmanın önemini artırmaktadır.
Linear maps preserving the Lorentz spectrum: the $2 \times 2$ case
Authors: Bueno María I. , Furtado Susana , Klausmeier Aelita , Veltri Joey
Published: June 2022

In this paper, a complete description of the linear maps $\phi:W_{n}\rightarrow W_{n}$ that preserve the Lorentz spectrum is given when $n=2$, and $W_{n}$ is the space $M_{n}$ of $n\times n$ real matrices or the subspace $S_{n}$ of $M_{n}$ formed by the symmetric matrices. In both cases, it has been shown that $\phi(A)=PAP^{-1}$ for all $A\in W_{2}$, where $P$ is a matrix with a certain structure. It was also shown that such preservers do not change the nature of the Lorentz eigenvalues (that is, the fact that they are associated with Lorentz eigenvectors in the interior or on the boundary of the Lorentz cone). These results extend to $n=2$ those for $n\geq 3$ obtained by Bueno, Furtado, and Sivakumar (2021). The case $n=2$ has some specificities, when compared to the case $n\geq3,$ due to the fact that the Lorentz cone in $\mathbb{R}^{2}$ is polyedral, contrary to what happens when it is contained in $\mathbb{R}^{n}$ with $n\geq3.$ Thus, the study of the Lorentz spectrum preservers on $W_n = M_n$ also follows from the known description of the Pareto spectrum preservers on $M_n$.
Optimization of the moving averaging–moving differential algorithm for Φ-OTDR
Authors: Zhu Xuyang , Zhao Sitao , Li Xiuli , Zhang Rong , Kong Mei
Published: June 2022

The moving averaging–moving differential (MA-MD) algorithm is widely adopted for event recognition and positioning in phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry (

Φ

-OTDR) vibration sensing. In this paper, two theorems about the two critical parameters of this algorithm, the MA window width and the MD interval, are found, proved, and verified. According to them we can not only obtain an optimal signal-to-noise ratio and avoid missing the vibration signal but also greatly improve the signal-searching efficiency. Work in this paper is of essential importance for understanding the characteristics of the MA-MD algorithm and will remarkably benefit its practical applications.
Radiometric calibration of a multiphoton microscope capable of measuring absolute photon flux of single photon sources
Authors: Fu Yangting , Liu Xiangliang , He Yingwei , Wang Yingce , Lin Yandong , Gan Haiyong
Published: June 2022

Precise photon flux measurement of single photon sources (SPSs) is essential to the successful application of SPSs. In this work, a novel method, to our knowledge, was proposed for direct measurement of the absolute photon flux of single photon sources with a femtosecond laser multiphoton microscope. A secondary 2-mm-diameter aperture was installed under the microscope objective to define the numerical aperture (NA) of the microscope. The defined NA was precisely measured to be 0.447. An LED-based miniaturized integrating sphere light source (LED-ISLS) was used as a standard radiance source to calibrate the photon flux responsivity of the multiphoton microscope, with the defined NA. The combined standard uncertainty of the measured photon flux responsivity was 1.97%. Absolute photon flux from a quantum-dot based emitter was measured by the multiphoton microscope. The uncertainty of the photon flux was evaluated to be 2.1%. This work offers a new, to our knowledge, radiometric method for fast calibration of photon flux responsivity of microscopes, and absolute photon flux calibration of single photon sources.
High energy and low noise soliton fiber laser comb based on nonlinear merging of Kelly sidebands
Authors: Wang Chun , Chang Bing , Tan Teng , Qin Chenye , Wu Zhaohui , Yan Guofeng , Fu Bo , Wu Yu , Rao Yunjiang , Xia Handing , Yao Baicheng
Published: June 2022

Optical solitons in mode-locked laser cavities with dispersion-nonlinearity interaction, delivers pulses of light that retain their shape. Due to the nature of discretely distributed dispersion and nonlinearity, optical solitons can emit Kelly-sidebands via the frequency coupling of soliton and dispersive waves. In this paper, we generate a high-energy femtosecond laser comb, by using the intracavity Kelly radiations and 3rd order nonlinearities. By increasing the intracavity power, the soliton envelop and the Kelly-sidebands merge together via four-wave-mixing, forming a super-continuum spectrum, obtaining 3.18 nJ pulse energy. A supercontinuum span covering from 1100 nm to 2300 nm for further self-referenced f-2f stabilization can be directly achieved by using an amplification-free external supercontinuum technique. Our finding not only demonstrates a non-trivial frequency-time evolution based on ‘erbium + χ(3)’ nonlinear gains, but also offers a new opportunity to develop practically compact fiber frequency combs for frequency metrology or spectroscopy.
Fabry-Perot interferometric sensor demodulation system utilizing multi-peak wavelength tracking and neural network algorithm
Authors: Chen Shengchao , Yao Feifan , Ren Sufen , Yang Jianli , Yang Qian , Yuan Shuyu , Wang Guanjun , Huang Mengxing
Published: June 2022

For FPI sensor demodulation systems to be used in actual engineering measurement, they must have high performance, low cost, stability, and scalability. Excellent performance, however, necessitates expensive equipment and advanced algorithms. This research provides a new absolute demodulation system for FPI sensors that is high-performance and cost-effective. The reflected light from the sensor was demultiplexed into distinct channels using an array waveguide grating (AWG), with the interference spectrum features change translated as the variation of the transmitted intensity in each AWG channel. This data was fed into an end-to-end neural network model, which was utilized to interrogate multiple interference peaks’ absolute peak wavelengths simultaneously. This architecturally simple network model can achieve remarkable generalization capabilities without training large-scale datasets using an appropriate data augmentation strategy. Experiments show that in simultaneous multi-wavelength and cavity length interrogations, the proposed system has the precision of up to ± 14 pm and ± 0.07 µm, respectively. The interrogation resolution can theoretically reach the pm level benefit from the neural network method. Furthermore, the system’s outstanding demodulation repeatability and suitability were demonstrated. The system is expected to provide a high-performance and cost-effective, reliable solution for practical engineering applications.
Tunable and anisotropic perfect absorber using graphene-black phosphorus nanoblock
Authors: Xiao Gongli , Lin Zhixiong , Yang Hongyan , Xu Yanping , Zhou Sitong , Li Haiou , Liu Xingpeng , Wangyang Peihua
Published: June 2022

Two-dimensional (2D) materials, which have attracted attention due to intriguing optical properties, form a promising building block in optical and photonic devices. This paper numerically investigates a tunable and anisotropic perfect absorber in a graphene-black phosphorus (BP) nanoblock array structure. The suggested structure exhibits polarization-dependent anisotropic absorption in the mid-infrared, with maximum absorption of 99.73% for x-polarization and 53.47% for y-polarization, as determined by finite-difference time-domain FDTD analysis. Moreover, geometrical parameters and graphene and BP doping amounts are possibly employed to tailor the absorption spectra of the structures. Hence, our results have the potential in the design of polarization-selective and tunable high-performance devices in the mid-infrared, such as polarizers, modulators, and photodetectors.
A mathematical model of in vitro hepatocellular cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism for hyperlipidemia therapy
Authors: Efremov Yuri , Ermolaeva Anastasia , Vladimirov Georgiy , Gordleeva Susanna , Svistunov Andrey , Zaikin Alexey , Timashev Peter
Published: June 2022

Cardiovascular diseases associated with high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) levels are significant contributors to total mortality in developing and developed countries. Mathematical modeling of LDL metabolism is an important step in the development of drugs for hypercholesterolemia. The aim of this work was to develop and to analyze an integrated mathematical model of cholesterol metabolism in liver cells and its interaction with two types of drugs, statins and PCSK9 inhibitors. The model consisted of 21 ordinary differential equations (ODE) describing cholesterol biosynthesis and lipoprotein endocytosis in liver cells in vitro. The model was tested for its ability to mimic known biochemical effects of familial hypercholesterolemia, statin therapy, and PCSK9 inhibitors. The model qualitatively reproduced the well-known biology of cholesterol regulation, which confirms its potential for minimizing cellular research in initial testing of new drugs for cardiology.
Optimization algorithm of CT image edge segmentation using improved convolution neural network
Authors: Wang Xiaojuan , Wei Yuntao
Published: June 2022

To address the problem of high failure rate and low accuracy in computed tomography (CT) image edge segmentation, we proposed a CT sequence image edge segmentation optimization algorithm using improved convolution neural network. Firstly, the pattern clustering algorithm is applied to cluster the pixels with relationship in the CT sequence image space to extract the edge information of the real CT image; secondly, Euclidean distance is used to calculate similarity and measure similarity, according to the measurement results, convolution neural network (CNN) hierarchical optimization is carried out to improve the convergence ability of CNN; finally, the pixel classification of CT sequence images is carried out, and the edge segmentation of CT sequence images is optimized according to the classification results. The results show that the overall recognition rate of this method is at a high level. The training time is obviously reduced when the training times exceed 12 times, the recall rate is always about 90%, and the accuracy of image segmentation is high, which solves the problem of large failure rate and low accuracy.
SAR ship target detection method based on CNN structure with wavelet and attention mechanism
Authors: Huang Shiqi , Pu Xuewen , Zhan Xinke , Zhang Yucheng , Dong Ziqi , Huang Jianshe
Published: June 2022

Ship target detection in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images is an important application field. Due to the existence of sea clutter, especially the SAR imaging in huge wave area, SAR images contain a lot of complex noise, which brings great challenges to the effective detection of ship targets in SAR images. Although the deep semantic segmentation network has been widely used in the detection of ship targets in recent years, the global information of the image cannot be fully utilized. To solve this problem, a new convolutional neural network (CNN) method based on wavelet and attention mechanism was proposed in this paper, called the WA-CNN algorithm. The new method uses the U-Net structure to construct the network, which not only effectively reduces the depth of the network structure, but also significantly improves the complexity of the network. The basic network of WA-CNN algorithm consists of encoder and decoder. Dual tree complex wavelet transform (DTCWT) is introduced into the pooling layer of the encoder to smooth the speckle noise in SAR images, which is beneficial to preserve the contour structure and detail information of the target in the feature image. The attention mechanism theory is added into the decoder to obtain the global information of the ship target. Two public SAR image datasets were used to verify the proposed method, and good experimental results were obtained. This shows that the method proposed in this article is effective and feasible.
Effects of eight weeks of mat pilates training on selected hematological parameters and plasma volume variations in healthy active women
Authors: Ghazel Nourhen , Souissi Amine , Salhi Iyed , Dergaa Ismail , Martins-Costa Hugo Cesar , Musa Sarah , Ben saad Helmi , Ben Abderrahman Abderraouf
Published: June 2022

Aim

To evaluate the effects of eight weeks of mat Pilates training on selected hematological parameters, i.e. white blood cell, neutrophils, monocyte, lymphocyte, hematocrit, hemoglobin as well as plasma volume variations in healthy, active women.

Methods

Twenty-eight women physical education students volunteered to participate in the present investigation. They were assigned to two groups: a Pilates training group (n = 14) that followed an 8-week Pilates training program, and a control group (n = 14). Blood samples were collected at rest at two separate occasions before and after Pilates training.

Results

The Pilates training group had higher values of plasma volume variations and lower values of white blood cell (19.4%), neutrophils (32%), hematocrit (4.3%) and hemoglobin (4.6%) compared to control group (p<0.05).

Conclusion

The results of the present study suggested that Pilates training could be an effective strategy for increasing plasma volume variations and boosting immune system in healthy active women.
Hospitals early challenges and interventions combatting COVID-19 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Authors: Ravaghi Hamid , Naidoo Vanessa , Mataria Awad , Khalil Merette
Published: June 2022

Background

During rapidly evolving outbreaks, health services and essential medical care are interrupted as facilities have become overwhelmed responding to COVID-19. In the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), more than half of countries are affected by emergencies, hospitals face complex challenges as they respond to humanitarian crises, maintain essential services, and fight the pandemic. While hospitals in the EMR have adapted to combat COVID-19, evidence-based and context-specific recommendations are needed to guide policymakers and hospital managers on best practices to strengthen hospitals’ readiness, limit the impact of the pandemic, and create lasting hospital sector improvements towards recovery and resilience.

Aim

Guided by the WHO/EMR’s “Hospital readiness checklist for COVID-19”, this study presents the experiences of EMR hospitals in combatting COVID-19 across the 22 EMR countries, including their challenges and interventions across the checklist domains, to inform improvements to pandemic preparedness, response, policy, and practice.

Methods

To collect in-depth and comprehensive information on hospital experiences, qualitative and descriptive quantitative data was collected between May-October 2020. To increase breadth of responses, this comprehensive qualitative study triangulated findings from a regional literature review with the findings of an open-ended online survey (n = 139), and virtual in-depth key informant interviews with 46 policymakers and hospital managers from 18 out of 22 EMR countries. Purposeful sampling supported by snowballing was used and continued until reaching data saturation, measures were taken to increase the trustworthiness of the results. Led by the checklist domains, qualitative data was thematically analyzed using MAXQDA.

Findings

Hospitals faced continuously changing challenges and needed to adapt to maintain operations and provide essential services. This thematic analysis revealed major themes for the challenges and interventions utilized by hospitals for each of hospital readiness domains: Preparedness, Leadership, Operational support, logistics, supply management, Communications and Information, Human Resources, Continuity of Essential Services and Surge Capacity, Rapid Identification and Diagnosis, Isolation and Case Management, and Infection, Prevention and Control.

Conclusion

Hospitals are the backbone of COVID-19 response, and their resilience is essential for achieving universal health coverage. Multi-pronged (across each of the hospitals readiness domains) and multi-level policies are required to strengthen hospitals resilience and prepare health systems for future outbreaks and shocks.