bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“It’s kind of like a fifty-fifty”: Participant ambivalence and the queer(ed) potential of the focus group method
Authors: Goldstein Alanna
Published: May 2022

This paper explores the queer(ed) possibilities of the focus group method through analyzing the ambivalent responses provided by participants in a series of focus groups around their experiences with pornography. I argue that these ambivalences reflect participants’ tendencies to attach themselves to “happy affects” as they emerged within the sociality of the focus group encounter and therefore offer glimpses into the situated and relational nature of subjectivity. To the extent that sociality is a key feature of the focus group method, I suggest that focus groups might be utilized to queer the field of sex research more broadly.
Potential role of interleukin-33 in systemic lupus erythematosus by regulating toll like receptor 4
Authors: Li Yi , Shao Yijia , He Yan , Li Qiugen , Duan Lihua
Published: May 2022

Introduction

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by immune activation and multi-immunologic phenotypes. Interleukin-33 (IL-33) has been shown to be a critical and pleiotropic immunoregulatory mediator in the pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases. At present, there are conflicting findings in the research of IL-33 in SLE. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether and how IL-33 is involved in the occurrence and development of SLE.

Methods

43 SLE patients and 43 healthy volunteers were recruited for this study. Serum levels of IL-33, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-21 were measured by ELISA. The expression of IL-33 was investigated in kidney sections by immunohistochemistry in lupus nephritis patients ( n = 5) and controls ( n = 3). The mRNA expressions of Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4), TLR2, and tumorigenicity 2 (ST2)L were quantified in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by real-time PCR. The surface expression of TLR4 on T cells, B cells, monocytes, and neutrophils was assessed by flow cytometry ( n = 22). Mann–Whitney U-test and Spearman’s test were used for statistical analysis.

Results

Serum concentrations of IL-33 were significantly higher in SLE patients than in healthy controls ( p < 0.0001). IL-33 expressions were positively correlated with IL-4 and IL-6 levels in SLE patients, which play pivotal roles in the autoantibody production. In addition, TLR4 and TLR2 mRNA were markedly increased in PBMCs from SLE patients ( p < 0.05). TLR4 was positively associated with IL-33, while TLR2 was not.

Conclusions

These results imply that upregulated expression of serum IL-33 together with increased TLR4 in PBMCs may contribute to the pathogenesis of SLE via promotion of inflammatory cytokines production.
Principal's leadership and teacher-to-teacher knowledge-sharing in Iranian schools: Developing and validating a multi-dimensional scale
Authors: Zeinabadi Hassanreza , Abbasian Hossein
Published: May 2022

While teacher-to-teacher knowledge-sharing is promising for professional learning and improving teaching quality, it lacks integration and timeliness in schools because teachers are usually weak at knowledge-sharing. Despite this weakness, principals as knowledge-sharing leaders can make a difference. There is still limited research about this promising leadership role. One possible reason might be the deficiency of a focussed assessing scale. This study was conducted to develop and validate a scale in Tehran, Iran. To this end, four consecutive sub-studies, including inductive item-pool generation, deductive item-pool generation, content validation, and construct validation, were conducted, and the Knowledge-Sharing Leadership Scale was introduced consequently. The KSLS comprised five dimensions: role-modelling, trust-building, setting expectations, creating a knowledge-sharing-driven environment, and encouraging teachers. It is expected that the KSLS could serve as a practical means for promoting relevant research and practice. Directions for future research and implications are discussed.
‘The human toll’: Highlighting the unacknowledged harms of prison suicide which radiate across stakeholder groups
Authors: Banwell-Moore Rebecca , Tomczak Philippa , Wainwright Lucy , Traynor Catherine , Hyde Sara
Published: May 2022

Internationally, prisoner mortality rates are up to 50% above those in the community. Although prisoner deaths are frequent and have significant implications across a broad range of stakeholder groups, these harms are rarely acknowledged. We address this by presenting original data from semi-structured interviews with 19 senior Prison Service staff (representing 8 prisons and 11 regions) and 16 Ombudsman investigators in England and Wales. These professional groups have received limited consideration in previous research. Without negating implications for bereaved families and other prisoners, we demonstrate that scholars have grasped neither the impacts of prisoner deaths on investigators, nor the extent of the harms experienced through investigations. All stakeholders benefit from reducing prisoner suicides, but death investigations do not enable stakeholders’ ‘shared ground’ to be mobilised. Currently, death investigations compound the harms of deaths.
High-sensitivity next-generation sequencing MRD assessment in ALL identifies patients at very low risk of relapse
Authors: Short Nicholas J. , Kantarjian Hagop , Ravandi Farhad , Konopleva Marina , Jain Nitin , Kanagal-Shamanna Rashmi , Patel Keyur P. , Macaron Walid , Kadia Tapan M. , Wang Sa , Jorgensen Jeffrey L. , Khoury Joseph D. , Yilmaz Musa , Kebriaei Partow , Takahashi Koichi , Garcia-Manero Guillermo , Daver Naval , Post Sean M. , Huang Xuelin , Kornblau Steven M. , Pelletier Sara , Flores Wilmer , Matthews Jairo , Garris Rebecca , Jabbour Elias
Published: May 2022

Measurable residual disease (MRD) is highly prognostic for relapse and overall survival (OS) in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), although many patients with apparent “MRD negativity” by standard assays still relapse. We evaluated the clinical impact of a highly sensitive next-generation sequencing (NGS) MRD assay in 74 adults with ALL undergoing frontline therapy. Among remission samples that were MRD negative by multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC), 46% were MRD+ by the NGS assay. After 1 cycle of induction chemotherapy, MRD negativity by MFC at a sensitivity of 1 × 10−4 and NGS at a sensitivity of 1 × 10−6 was achieved in 66% and 23% of patients, respectively. The 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) among patients who achieved MRD negativity by MFC at complete remission (CR) was 29%; in contrast, no patients who achieved early MRD negativity by NGS relapsed, and their 5-year OS was 90%. NGS MRD negativity at CR was associated with significantly decreased risk of relapse compared with MRD positivity (5-year CIR, 0% vs 45%, respectively; P = .04). Among patients who were MRD negative by MFC, detection of low levels of MRD by NGS identified patients who still had a significant risk of relapse (5-year CIR, 39%). Early assessment of MRD using a highly sensitive NGS assay adds clinically relevant prognostic information to standard MFC-based approaches and can identify patients with ALL undergoing frontline therapy who have a very low risk of relapse and excellent long-term survival.
Changes in causes of pregnancy-related and maternal mortality in Zimbabwe 2007-08 to 2018-19: findings from two reproductive age mortality surveys
Authors: Musarandega Reuben , Ngwenya Solwayo , Murewanhema Grant , Machekano Rhoderick , Magwali Thulani , Nystrom Lennarth , Pattinson Robert , Munjanja Stephen ,   the Zimbabwe Maternal and Perinatal Mortality Study Group, Chikutiro Admire , Mahomva Agnes , Mangombe Aveneni , Madzima Bernard , Guzha Bothwell , Chimamise Chipo , Gwanzura Chipo , Makosa Davidzoyashe , Ziki Enesia , Ngaru Esther , Tahuringana Eunice , Madziyire Gerald , Murewanhema Grant , Chimhini Gwendoline , Kasule Jonathan , Chirengwa Julius , Gondongwe Lucia , Nyandoro Margaret , Chirehwa Maxwell , Parirenyatwa McMillan , Gaza Mercy , Nyakura Michael , Gona Nhamo , Musarandega Reuben , Mataya Ronald , Makoni Rumbidzai , Gunguwo Sarah , Magwali Thulani , Magure Tsitsi , Mushangwe Velda , Dondo Vongai , Chirombe Winston
Published: May 2022

Background

Reducing maternal mortality is a priority of Sustainable Development Goal 3.1 which requires frequent epidemiological analysis of trends and patterns of the causes of maternal deaths. We conducted two reproductive age mortality surveys to analyse the epidemiology of maternal mortality in Zimbabwe and analysed the changes in the causes of deaths between 2007-08 and 2018-19.

Methods

We performed a before and after analysis of the causes of death among women of reproductive ages (WRAs) (12-49 years), and pregnant women from the two surveys implemented in 11 districts, selected using multi-stage cluster sampling from each province of Zimbabwe (n=10); an additional district selected from Harare. We calculated mortality incidence rates and incidence rate ratios per 10000 WRAs and pregnant women (with 95% confidence intervals), in international classification of disease groups, using negative binomial models, and compared them between the two surveys. We also calculated maternal mortality ratios, per 100 000 live births, for selected causes of pregnancy-related deaths.

Results

We identified 6188 deaths among WRAs and 325 PRDs in 2007-08, and 1856 and 137 respectively in 2018-19. Mortality in the WRAs decreased by 82% in diseases of the respiratory system and 81% in certain infectious or parasitic diseases' groups, which include HIV/AIDS and malaria. Pregnancy-related deaths decreased by 84% in the indirect causes group and by 61% in the direct causes group, and HIV/AIDS-related deaths decreased by 91% in pregnant women. Direct causes of death still had a three-fold MMR than indirect causes (151 vs. 51 deaths per 100 000) in 2018-19.

Conclusion

Zimbabwe experienced a decline in both direct and indirect causes of pregnancy-related deaths. Deaths from indirect causes declined mainly due to a reduction in HIV/AIDS-related and malaria mortality, while deaths from direct causes declined because of a reduction in obstetric haemorrhage and pregnancy-related infections. Ongoing interventions ought to improve the coverage and quality of maternal care in Zimbabwe, to further reduce deaths from direct causes.
Oral health status of nursing staff in Ilembula, Wanging’ombe District, Njombe region, Tanzania: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Bensel Tobias , Erhart Imke , Megiroo Simon , Kronenberg Werner , Bömicke Wolfgang , Hinz Sebastian
Published: May 2022

Background

Owing to the reduced dental treatment infrastructure in the Tanzanian highlands, maintaining good oral health is a challenge for not only the general population but also individual professional groups. In this study, the caries prevalence and, subsequently, the prosthetic treatment needs of the nurses of the Ilembula Lutheran Hospital (ILH) and Ilembula Institute of Health and Allied Sciences (IIHAS), Tanzania, were investigated.

Materials and methods

One hundred and sixty-eight ILH and IIHAS nurses and nursing students (87 women, 81 men; age 23.1 ± 6.1 years, range 18–58 years) participated in this cross-sectional study conducted in February 2020. The participants were examined at the dental office of ILH. The Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMF/T) Index, Simplified Oral Hygiene Index, and details regarding edentulism, nutrition habits, and socioeconomic factors were collected. Linear regression and binary logistic regression were used for statistical analysis.

Results

The mean DMF/T-Index was 6.30 ± 4.52. In 7.14% of the investigated nurses, no dental plaque was detected. An enhanced prosthodontic treatment (Kennedy Class III) demand was identified in 31.50% of the participants, and 4.80% of the participants required treatment for acute malocclusion. Oral hygiene products were used by 99.4% of the patients.

Conclusions

The current oral health situation of the study participants showed a moderate restorative and prosthetic treatment demand in the rural area of Tanzania. The development of an interdisciplinary oral health prophylaxis system could be a means to remedy this situation.
E3 ligase TRIM15 facilitates non-small cell lung cancer progression through mediating Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway
Authors: Liang Manman , Wang Lijing , Sun Zhengui , Chen Xingwu , Wang Hanli , Qin Lilong , Zhao Wenying , Geng Biao
Published: May 2022

Background

Recent studies have indicated that some members of the tripartite motif (TRIM) proteins function as important regulators for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), However, the regulatory mechanism underpinning aberrant expression of TRIM in NSCLC remains unclear. Here we report that TRIM15 plays important roles in NSCLC progression through modulating Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Methods

TRIM15 expression was evaluated by western blot analysis, tissue microarray-based immunohistochemistry analysis. The interactions between TRIM15 and Keap1 were analyzed by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and immunofluorescence co-localization assay. The correlation between TRIM15 and Keap1 was measured by Co-IP and ubiquitination analysis in vitro. Gain- and lost-of-function experiments were used to detect TRIM15 promotes proliferation and invasion of NSCLC cells both in vitro and vivo.

Results

Here, we revealed that TRIM15 was frequently upregulated in NSCLC samples and associated with poor prognosis. Functionally, TRIM15 knockdown resulted in decreased cancer cell proliferation and metastasis, whereas ectopic TRIM15 expression facilitated tumor cancer cell proliferation and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, TRIM15 promoted cell proliferation and metastasis depends on its E3 ubiquitin ligase. Mechanistically, TRIM15 directly targeted Keap1 by ubiquitination and degradation, the principal regulator of Nrf2 degradation, leading to Nrf2 escaping from Keap1-mediated degradation, subsequently promoting antioxidant response and tumor progression.

Conclusions

Therefore, our study characterizes the pivotal roles of TRIM15 promotes NSCLC progression via Nrf2 stability mediated by promoting Keap1 ubiquitination and degradation and could be a valuable prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target in NSCLC.
Proportion of serum thyroid hormone concentrations within the reference ranges in athyreotic patients on levothyroxine monotherapy: a retrospective study
Authors: Ito Mitsuru , Takahashi Sawako , Okazaki-Hada Mikiko , Minakata Mizuho , Kohsaka Kazuyoshi , Nakamura Tomohiko , Kasahara Toshihiko , Kudo Takumi , Nishihara Eijun , Fukata Shuji , Nishikawa Mitsushige , Akamiuzu Takashi , Miyauchi Akira
Published: May 2022

Background

In patients receiving thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) suppressive therapy with levothyroxine (LT4) after total thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer, thyroid function tests should be performed to adjust the LT4 dose. Specifically, serum TSH concentrations are commonly measured because TSH suppression is necessary according to thyroid cancer risk. The aim of the present study was to elucidate whether free thyroxine (FT4) or free triiodothyronine (FT3) indicates better for adjusting the dose in athyreotic patients on LT4 monotherapy after total thyroidectomy.

Methods

We retrospectively studied the compatibility of free thyroid hormone (FT4 and FT3) concentrations with reference ranges in athyreotic patients on LT4 monotherapy after total thyroidectomy.

Results

We identified 2210 consecutive patients from their medical records. Of these patients, 250 had both FT4 and FT3 concentrations in addition to TSH. Two hundred seven had serum TSH concentrations below the reference range (0.5–5.0 μIU/mL), while 43 had them within the reference range. In the 207 patients with TSH concentrations below the reference range, 61 patients (29.5%) had FT4 concentrations within the reference range (0.9–1.7 ng/dL) and 146 patients (70.5%) had FT4 concentrations above the reference range. In contrast, 10 patients (4.8%) had FT3 concentrations below the reference range (2.3–4.0 pg/mL) and 8 (3.9%) had FT3 concentrations above the reference range; 189 patients (91.3%) had concentrations within the reference range. Of the 43 patients with TSH concentrations within the reference range, 25 (58.1%) had FT4 concentrations within the reference range and 18 (41.9%) had FT4 concentrations above the reference range. While, 11 patients (25.6%) had FT3 concentrations below the reference range and one (2.3%) had FT3 concentrations above the reference range; hence, 31 patients (72.1%) had FT3 concentrations within the reference range.

Conclusion

This study showed that measuring FT3 concentrations rather than FT4 concentrations as the subsequent parameter of thyroid function might be more useful for disease management in terms of the proportion of serum thyroid hormone concentrations within the reference ranges. Furthermore, FT3 measurement could be useful in providing more detailed treatments, including avoiding more aggressive TSH suppressive therapy and identifying the presence of low T3 syndrome in the background.
Changes in glial cell phenotypes precede overt neurofibrillary tangle formation, correlate with markers of cortical cell damage, and predict cognitive status of individuals at Braak III-IV stages
Authors: Taddei Raquel N. , Sanchez-Mico Maria V. , Bonnar Orla , Connors Theresa , Gaona Angelica , Denbow Dominique , Frosch Matthew P. , Gómez-Isla Teresa
Published: May 2022

Clinico-pathological correlation studies show that some otherwise healthy elderly individuals who never developed cognitive impairment harbor a burden of Alzheimer’s disease lesions (plaques and tangles) that would be expected to result in dementia. In the absence of comorbidities explaining such discrepancies, there is a need to identify other brain changes that meaningfully contribute to the cognitive status of an individual in the face of such burdens of plaques and tangles. Glial inflammatory responses, a universal phenomenon in symptomatic AD, show robust association with degree of cognitive impairment, but their significance in early tau pathology stages and contribution to the trajectory of cognitive decline at an individual level remain widely unexplored. We studied 55 brains from individuals at intermediate stages of tau tangle pathology (Braak III-IV) with diverging antemortem cognition (demented vs. non-demented, here termed `resilient’), and age-matched cognitively normal controls (Braak 0-II). We conducted quantitative assessments of amyloid and tau lesions, cellular vulnerability markers, and glial phenotypes in temporal pole (Braak III-IV region) and visual cortex (Braak V-VI region) using artificial-intelligence based semiautomated quantifications. We found distinct glial responses with increased proinflammatory and decreased homeostatic markers, both in regions with tau tangles (temporal pole) and without overt tau deposits (visual cortex) in demented but not in resilient. These changes were significantly associated with markers of cortical cell damage. Similar phenotypic glial changes were detected in the white matter of demented but not resilient and were associated with higher burden of overlying cortical cellular damage in regions with and without tangles. Our data suggest that changes in glial phenotypes in cortical and subcortical regions represent an early phenomenon that precedes overt tau deposition and likely contributes to cell damage and loss of brain function predicting the cognitive status of individuals at intermediate stages of tau aggregate burden (Braak III-IV).
Ghosts in Nelly Rosario’s Song of the Water Saints and Angie Cruz’s Soledad
Authors: Méndez Susan C.
Published: May 2022

Recent texts in Latinx literature have ghosts that demonstrate new knowledge about history, culture, and subjectivity. In Song of the Water Saints and Soledad, the first novels of authors Nelly Rosario and Angie Cruz, respectively, the figure of the ghost is a trope that imaginatively reconnects communities of women that are fractured by the corruptive influence of the United States and other Western nations in the Latin Caribbean. The ghost of Graciela in Song of the Water Saints and the “living ghost” of Olivia in Soledad allow readers to see how matrilineal bonds in families can be restored. These ties are cut by the prolonged and detrimental exploitation of the Dominican Republic by the United States and more generally the West. With a focus on women, the use of ghosts in these novels attends to the material, historical, and cultural practices between people and the geographies they inhabit.
The (Im)Possibility of Black Repair
Authors: Rhiney Kevon
Published: May 2022

This essay draws on Jovan Scott Lewis’s Scammer’s Yard: The Crime of Black Repair in Jamaica (2020), a rich ethnographic study of lottery scammers in Jamaica and the ethical logic they use to justify scamming as a form of reparations, to think about the limits of Black reparative claims. Specifically, it draws on various theorizings of Black insurgent life to explore the inherent challenges in engendering a radical politics of change premised around principles of repair, alterity, and fugitivity. The author argues that theorizing Blackness and, by extension, Black repair necessitates exploring questions of the unimaginable, the liminal, and the otherwise.
Η χρήση της Ευκλείδειας Γεωμετρίας στην επίλυση προβλημάτων Φυσικής
Authors: ΜΠΑΡΑΛΗΣ ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΣ Η , ΠΑΤΣΑΛΙΑΣ ΜΙΧΑΛΗΣ
Published: May 2022

Είναι παλιά αλλά και αντικειμενική η αντίληψη ότι οι Φυσικές Επιστήμες και η διδασκαλία τους είναι άμεσα και πολύπλευρα συνδεδεμένες με τα Μαθηματικά. Πολλά χρόνια τώρα γίνεται συζήτηση για τη σπουδαιότητα του ουσιαστικού και ενεργητικού συσχετισμού μεταξύ των δύο αυτών επιστημών χωρίς όμως να έχει γίνει κάτι ιδιαίτερα αποτελεσματικό στην κατεύθυνση αυτή. Οι διδάσκοντες των Φυσικών Επιστημών, ειδικότερα στα σχολεία της Μέσης Εκπαίδευσης, αναγνωρίζουν ότι οι μαθητές τους δεν έχουν πάντα την κατάλληλη μαθηματική υποδομή για να διδαχθούν τη Φυσική. Τις περισσότερες φορές μάλιστα την αποκτούν ετεροχρονισμένα στο μάθημα των Μαθηματικών αφού ήδη όμως την έχουν διδαχθεί υποχρεωτικά για τις ανάγκες του μαθήματος της Φυσικής.Στην εργασία αυτή θα προσπαθήσουμε να αποδείξουμε την αναγκαιότητα της γνώσης και τον τρόπο χρήσης της Ευκλείδειας Γεωμετρίας στην επίλυση προβλημάτων που αφορούν το Ηλεκτρικό πεδίο.
The Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale-the Thai Translation (ASEX-Thai): Reliability and validity in Thai patients with mental disorders
Authors: Charoenmakpol Natthaphon , Chiddaycha Mayteewat , Wainipitapong Sorawit
Published: May 2022

Background: Sexual dysfunction is common among patients with mental disorders but receives less clinical attention, especially in Thailand and other Asian countries. The Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale-the Thai Translation (ASEX-Thai), a self-rated, brief, questionnaire is a potential tool for screening for sexual dysfunction in this population. Our study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of ASEX-Thai in Thai patients with mental disorders.

Methods: We enrolled 202 patients from an outpatient psychiatric department at a tertiary hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. Demographic data, clinical data, and diagnosis of sexual dysfunction were assessed. ASEX-Thai was done, and we analyzed the test’s psychometric properties. 

Results: Most participants were diagnosed with major depressive disorder (48%). A score of ≥ 17 points of the ASEX-Thai was the most suitable for sexual dysfunction screening (sensitivity 77.23 %, and specificity 58.42 %). For reliability, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (0.831) showed good internal consistency.

Conclusions: The ASEX-Thai is a valid and reliable self-rated questionnaire for screening for sexual dysfunction among Thai patients with mental disorders. The test could help clinicians to evaluate this undetected condition and deliver proper interventions.
Effect of Antigravity Treadmill Training on Gait and Balance in Patients with Diabetic Polyneuropathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Abdelaal Ashraf , El-Shamy Shamekh
Published: May 2022

Background: Diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) is the most prevalent consequence of diabetes mellitus, and it has a significant impact on the patient's health. This study aims to evaluate effects of antigravity treadmill training on gait and balance in patients with DPN. Methods: The study included 45 males with type 2 diabetes who were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the experimental group (n=23) or the control group (n=22). For a period of 12 weeks, the experimental group received antigravity treadmill training (75% weight bearing, 30 min per session, three times per week) combined with traditional physical therapy. During the same time period, the control group received only traditional physical therapy. The Biodex Balance System was used to assess postural stability indices, while the GAITRite Walkway System was used to assess spatiotemporal gait parameters. All measurements were obtained before and at the end of the study after 12 weeks of treatment. Results: The mean values of all measured variables improved significantly in both groups (P<0.05), with the experimental group showing significantly greater improvements than the control group. The post-treatment gait parameters (i.e., step length, step time, double support time, velocity, and cadence) were 61.3 cm, 0.49 sec, 0.25 sec, 83.09 cm/sec, and 99.78 steps/min as well as 56.14 cm, 0.55 sec, 0.29 sec, 75.73 cm/sec, and 88.14 steps/min for the experimental and control group, respectively. The post-treatment overall stability index was 0.32 and 0.70 for the experimental and control group, respectively. Conclusions: Antigravity treadmill training in combination with traditional physical therapy appears to be superior to traditional physical therapy alone in terms of gait and balance training. As a result, the antigravity treadmill has been found to be an effective device for the rehabilitation of DPN patients.
Optimizing within-distance queries by approximating shapes with maximal bounded boxes
Authors: Prokopaki-Kostopoulou Nefeli , Konstantopoulos Stasinos
Published: May 2022

Background: In geospatial query processing, spatial containment and intersection queries can be efficiently answered from the index. There is, however, a class of queries (such as within-distance) with a semantics that implies that every shape in the database is a potential match and should, in principle, be compared with the threshold. Naturally, this is impractical and optimizations have been developed that efficiently refine the set of candidate shapes before starting to actually compute distances and apply the threshold. In the case of the within-distance queries, many instances can be discarded in advance as too distant. Since geospatial databases organize data as a hierarchy of bounding boxes, this already provided the first direct optimization as the actual distance cannot be smaller than the distance between the bounding boxes. One can easily understand that there are shape configurations that give bounding boxes that are not very selective for near-by shapes. That is, configurations where there are shapes outside the requested distance but within the request distance from the bounding box.

Methods: In this article, we investigate a further optimization in addition to  and after comparing the bounding boxes, but before computing  precise distances. We describe the distance optimizer operation currently used by PostGIS and show how the existing implementation prevails over approaches that use additional approximations. We implement a recursive algorithm to calculate the minimal possible largest inner rectangles of geometries.

Results: We observe that the performance of the distance operation cannot be improved by using the inner approximations instead of the actual shapes. The overheads of the inner rectangles would not be recovered from calculating the distance between simpler geometries.

Conclusions: The execution time of the distance operator has a small dependence on polygon complexity. Conclusively, an inner approximation for complex polygons cannot out-perform the standard PostGIS implementation.
Das Interesse des Theologen an naturwissenschaftlichem Wissen. Die Suche nach den Gründen
Authors: Anderwald Andrzej
Published: May 2022

Abstract. A theologian interested in the knowledge from natural science. In search of the reasons. This paper is an attempt to indicate the reasons why a theologian should be interested in other sciences. The openness of the Church towards science is a relevant issue for Christian faith. Its justification today is in a climate of scientific thinking, in which scientific tools of recognising of the world, as well as the scientific picture of the world play an important role. This article will demonstrate the following: 1) the anthropological reason; (2) the ecological reason; (3) the kerygmatic reason.
Pośrednictwo Ducha Świętego w myśli Paula Tillicha
Authors: Walczak Marcin
Published: May 2022

Temat pośrednictwa jest jednym z istotnych dla teologii dogmatycznej, a także dla dialogu ekumenicznego i międzyreligijnego. Nie ulega wątpliwości, że najważniejszym w chrześcijaństwie jest pośrednictwo Chrystusa, jednak nie wyklucza ono innych pośrednictw. Do świadomości teologów coraz bardziej przebija się pośrednicząca rola Ducha Świętego. Paul Tillich w swojej pneumatologii nie nazywał Ducha Pośrednikiem, jednak ukazywał Go w roli pośredniczącej. Niniejszy artykuł analizuje myśl Tillicha o Duchu Świętym w kluczu pośrednictwa. Najpierw ukazane zostaną podstawy pneumatologii Tillicha, następnie zaś przedstawiona będzie rola Ducha w procesie uświęcenia człowieka. W trzeciej części przedstawione zostaną media, którymi posługuje się Duch Święty, by zapośredniczyć swoją obecność (słowo, sakramenty).
Tryb zmiany konstytucji polskich z 1921 i 1935 r. – geneza, interpretacja, praktyka
Authors: Szmyt Andrzej
Published: May 2022

W styczniu 1919 r. odbyły się wybory do Sejmu Ustawodawczego, którego naczelnym zadaniem było przygotowanie i uchwalenie konstytucji. Konstytucja została ostatecznie uchwalona przez Sejm Ustawodawczy w dniu 17 marca 1921 r., stąd przeszła do historii jako Konstytucja marcowa. Duży wpływ na rozwiązania konstytucyjne wprowadzone do polskiej ustawy zasadniczej miały wzorce francuskiej konstytucji z roku 1875. Konstytucja wprowadzała system parlamentarno-gabinetowy. Nowelizacja konstytucji dokonana w sierpniu 1926 r. była odpowiedzią na krytykę dotychczasowego modelu konstytucyjnego i zmierzała do zwiększenia kompetencji władzy wykonawczej. Konstytucja marcowa została ostatecznie zastąpiona przez nową ustawę konstytucyjną z 23 kwietnia 1935 r. Nowa ustawa zasadnicza, zwana Konstytucją kwietniową, była wyrazem dążenia obozu rządowego do dalszego wzmocnienia władzy wykonawczej i centralizacji kluczowych kompetencji w urzędzie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. Niniejszy artykuł ma na celu przedstawienie procedur zmian ustawy zasadniczej przyjętych w polskich konstytucjach okresu międzywojennego.
Constitutional priorities as an example of substantive amendment of the Constitution
Authors: Lis-Staranowicz Dorota , Doktór-Bindas Kamila
Published: May 2022

The aim of this article is to present the phenomenon of constitutional priorities as an example of so-called informal constitutional change. Constitutional priorities are a form of informal (substantive) constitutional amendment. Constitutional priorities are construed as a process of determining or giving priority to certain constitutional rules (constitutional provisions) and assigning lesser importance to others. Constitutional priorities are not permanent, they are a response to emerging social and economic, as well as political issues (situational context). They follow the changing reality and have an impact on the content and understanding of the provisions of the Constitution. The “substitution” of constitutional priorities may proceed in a crawling manner, i.e. through transformation of the state (e.g. environmental protection and sustainable development) or in an immediate manner as a response to a serious threat to the state and its citizens.
Perspectives and directions of the desired changes to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland with particular focus on local government
Authors: Bułajewski Stanisław , Giżyńska Monika
Published: May 2022

The present paper focuses on the prospects for and the directions of possible amendments to the current Constitution of the Republic of Poland with particular focus on local government. The authors discuss the scope of the recommended amendments and look for an answer to the question of whether an amendment to the Polish Constitution is needed or, instead, a new Constitution should be adopted.
Mammal use of some crossing structures in a Federal Highway in Jalisco, México
Authors: González-Gallina Alberto , Hidalgo-Mihart Mircea , Peña-Ramírez Marco A. , González-Gallina Alejandro
Published: May 2022

Desde la construcción de la carretera Federal 200 en la costa de Jalisco, México, se ha generado una serie de procesos de degradación a lo largo de ésta. Sin tener ningún paso de fauna construido, la conectividad “segura” de los mamíferos se ha mantenido a través de arroyos y ríos con sus correspondientes puentes.  Utilizamos foto-trampeo para monitorear 2 puentes y 1 alcantarilla en las inmediaciones de Careyes, dentro del área de influencia de la Reserva de la Biosfera Chamela-Cuixmala de noviembre 2020 a marzo 2021.  Comparamos los puentes con cámaras arroyo-arriba para ver si existen diferencias en riqueza de especies y abundancia relativa.  Con un esfuerzo de 736 noches / cámara obtuvimos un total de 421 registros de mamíferos, de los cuales 252 correspondientes a 14 especies de mamíferos, 12 nativas y 2 introducidas, que cruzaron por debajo de la carretera, 241 a través de puentes y 11 por alcantarilla.  Las cámaras arroyo-arriba mostraron una mayor diversidad de mamíferos comparadas con los puentes.  Los puentes de los arroyos sirven para mantener la conectividad de los mamíferos a través de la carretera.  Los ungulados pueden utilizar la carretera más frecuentemente que los carnívoros debido a su reticencia a acercarse a caminos. Futuras estructuras de paso de fauna en esta carretera deben tener lo anterior en mente
Ecological connectivity and wildlife passages on roads: a reflection for México
Authors: Fernández-Buces Norma , Trinidad-Lora Karina , Olivé-Arrioja Marisol , Resendiz-Rodríguez Julisa , López-Noriega Sergio , Juárez-Casillas Luis Antonio
Published: May 2022

La construcción de pasos para fauna silvestre es una tendencia creciente en el mundo, fundamentada en marcos jurídicos adecuados y experiencias prácticas que han dado como resultado la valoración de su eficacia y eficiencia en reducir el atropello, particularmente de mamíferos.  No obstante, en México el tema es aún incipiente, con pocos ejemplos ejecutados y un marco legal específico inexistente; quedando su ejecución obligada a través de los resolutivos de autorización en impacto ambiental de los proyectos de infraestructura carretera.  El papel que los pasos para fauna tienen en la conservación de la biodiversidad y recuperación de la conectividad en el paisaje es de gran relevancia; sin embargo, hacen falta a nivel mundial, planificar estudios que permitan cuantificar su relevancia en la conservación de comunidades y poblaciones de especies en el tiempo y espacio antes y después de su construcción.  Esta nota resume algunas de las consideraciones actuales en materia de conectividad y fragmentación, y su relación con la construcción de pasos para fauna silvestre en la infraestructura vial como una forma de mitigar el daño ejercido, invitando a la reflexión sobre el estado que guarda México con respecto a estos temas y la importancia de retomarlos en la práctica y a través de un marco legal, como parte de los compromisos que México ha adquirido en materia de conservación de la biodiversidad a nivel mundial.
Impact of the roadkill of a jaguar cub (Panthera onca) on social networks and the inhabitants of Sinaloa, México
Authors: Rubio-Rocha Yamel , Chávez-Tovar Cuauhtémoc , Gaxiola-Camacho Soila , Ayala-Rubio Mariana , Alvarado-Hidalgo Daniel , Pérez-Camacho Alexis , Sicairos-López Jesús
Published: May 2022

El tráfico vehicular en carreteras se ha evidenciado como un factor de riesgo más para la fauna silvestre; las muertes por atropellamiento de individuos pueden tener impactos negativos directos a nivel poblacional, sobre todo para aquellas especies en peligro de extinción, como es el jaguar (Panthera onca).  El objetivo de este documento es dar a conocer el primer registro de atropellamiento de una cría de jaguar y el impacto que generó en comunidades del sur de Sinaloa, México.  El accidente ocurrió en noviembre de 2020 en una carretera colindante a la reserva ecológica Meseta de Cacaxtla.  Las personas involucradas en el rescate del cuerpo y los medios de comunicación dieron a conocer la muerte de la cría.  Cerca de 50 mil personas fueron alcanzadas / informadas en redes sociales; en los pueblos de la región se llevaron a cabo talleres de educación ambiental, conferencias y webinarios, dirigidos a sensibilizar y tomar precauciones para evitar accidentes que comprometan el bienestar de la fauna y los transeúntes en carretera.
A review of gallbladder mucocele – part 1: aetiopathogenesis and diagnosis
Authors: Uusaed Liis , Aldridge Paul
Published: May 2022

Gallbladder mucocele is defined as a build-up of immobile mucus within the gallbladder that can result in extrahepatic biliary obstruction, pressure necrosis of the gallbladder wall and ultimately, rupture. The incidence of this disease has increased steadily in veterinary medicine and now it is one of the most recognised extrahepatic biliary tract problems in the dog. This is not likely to solely be a result of an increased incidence of the disease, but more so the increasingly widespread use of ultrasonography to diagnose it. There are several proposed causes and predisposing factors of gallbladder mucocele, including mechanical or functional obstruction of the cystic duct, idiopathic dyslipidaemias, glucocorticoid excess and cholecystitis. Although clinicopathological changes are often present, they are not specific to the disease and the gold standard diagnostic imaging tool is ultrasonography.
Overcoming OSCE anxiety
Authors: Chappell Ginny
Published: May 2022

Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) can generate more anxiety than other forms of assessment. Ginny Chappell looks at methods of overcoming this

Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) are used to assess competency in advanced practice programmes. OSCEs generate more anxiety than other forms of assessment, which can be helpful to motivate studying but 20% of students find their performance is affected. OSCE anxiety may activate the sympathetic nervous system (flight for fight response). Worrying and catastrophising can lead to negative self-talk and increase stress levels further. These thought patterns and behaviours can be overcome using mindfulness techniques (including deep breathing exercises and grounding techniques), thought reframing or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and with careful preparation for the examination. Mindfulness reduces the sympathetic response and CBT retrains the brain to increase the positive self-talk. Together these techniques help students overcome OSCE anxiety and give their best performance in the examination.
Current concept of kinematic alignment total knee arthroplasty and its derivatives
Authors: Hiranaka Takafumi , Suda Yoshihito , Saitoh Akira , Tanaka Atsuki , Arimoto Akihiko , Koide Motoki , Fujishiro Takaaki , Okamoto Koji
Published: May 2022

The kinematic alignment (KA) approach to total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has recently increased in popularity. Accordingly, a number of derivatives have arisen and have caused confusion. Clarification is therefore needed for a better understanding of KA-TKA. Calipered (or true, pure) KA is performed by cutting the bone parallel to the articular surface, compensating for cartilage wear. In soft-tissue respecting KA , the tibial cutting surface is decided parallel to the femoral cutting surface (or trial component) with in-line traction. These approaches are categorized as unrestricted KA because there is no consideration of leg alignment or component orientation. Restricted KA is an approach where the periarthritic joint surface is replicated within a safe range, due to concerns about extreme alignments that have been considered ‘alignment outliers’ in the neutral mechanical alignment approach. More recently, functional alignment and inverse kinematic alignment have been advocated, where bone cuts are made following intraoperative planning, using intraoperative measurements acquired with computer assistance to fulfill good coordination of soft-tissue balance and alignment. The KA-TKA approach aims to restore the patients’ own harmony of three knee elements (morphology, soft-tissue balance, and alignment) and eventually the patients’ own kinematics. The respective approaches start from different points corresponding to one of the elements, yet each aim for the same goal, although the existing implants and techniques have not yet perfectly fulfilled that goal.
The Formation of Shanghai Customs Quarantine System based on Medical Inspection: Acceptance and Transformation between England-Shanghai-Joseon from 1872 to 1894
Authors: JIN Qing
Published: May 2022

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the process of establishing a quarantine system based on medical inspection by Shanghai Customs. England was the first to introduce a quarantine system based on medical inspection during the nineteenth century; with the majority of the Shanghai Customs administration being English, this system was able to be adopted with ease, and it was later transformed and accepted in Joseon. This paper further investigates the details of the actual medical inspection conducted by the Customs Medical Officer (CMO) who worked at the forefront of the actual quarantine as a medical inspector. In the nineteenth century, International Sanitary Conferences were held in Paris, Vienna, and Constantinople to discuss the process of quarantine and public health. Furthermore, the Public Health Act was passed in England in 1872. This Act established port sanitary authorities in each of England’s ports to carry out medical inspections. This medical inspection enabled healthy and infected people to be separated from each other instead of conventional isolation. The duties of the CMO would consist of boarding any incoming ship to check for any infected people. Any infected persons would then be sent to a non-quarantine hospital, and the ship was sanitized. This concept of quarantine based on medical inspection was borrowed by Shanghai Customs. The unique political situation in Shanghai, which consisted of multiple imperial concessions, necessitated the adaptation of England’s medical quarantine concept to suit the special environment in which the Shanghai Customs was located, and by 1875, the Shanghai Customs quarantine medical inspection system was established. In this system, patients found in the Customs quarantine medical inspection were sent to a non-quarantine hospital in the settlement. Due to the extraterritoriality, the extent of the authority of the Customs Medical Officer was dependent on agreements with the possibility to be granted a one-time or temporary position after conferring with the Shanghai local government and consuls in each country. The Treaty Ports of Joseon were similar to Shanghai with regards to the presence of the Customs system alongside different settlements. The Joseon ports went through another transformation when the Commissioner of Shanghai Customs, H. F. Merrill, who also served as the Chief Commissioner of Seoul, accepted the Shanghai Customs’ modified concept of medical inspection in 1887. The process of acceptance and transformation of the medical quarantine concept leading to the ‘England-Shanghai-Joseon’ connection shows that the concept of medical quarantine in the nineteenth century spread from England to Joseon through Shanghai Customs as a medium.
Family relatedness: a challenge for making decisions in child welfare
Authors: Enroos Rosi , Pösö Tarja
Published: May 2022

This article examines children’s and parents’ positions as rights holders and family members in child welfare decision making as seen by social workers who prepare child removal decisions. The study is based on qualitative interviews with social workers, each of which includes the story of one child’s case. The interviews were conducted in Finland, where the consent or objection expressed by parents and children of a certain age determine the decision-making process, as each of them can independently express a view about the removal proposal. The study highlights how family relatedness shapes the parties’ autonomy and self-determination through intergenerational, interparental and other dynamics of emotional and power relations. Relational autonomy is emphasised more than individual autonomy in the social workers’ descriptions. It is suggested that self-determination needs to be refined so that it acknowledges family relatedness as well as individuals as rights holders.
Artificial neural networks assisting the design of a dual-mode photonic crystal nanobeam cavity for simultaneous sensing of the refractive index and temperature
Authors: Gou Zixing , Wang Chao , Han Zhe , Nie Tongyu , Tian HuiPing
Published: May 2022

We put forward a dual-mode photonic crystal nanobeam cavity for simultaneous sensing of the refractive index (RI) and temperature (T) designed with the assistance of artificial neural networks (ANNs). We choose the structure of quadratically tapered elliptical holes with a slot to improve the sensitivities of the two modes. To reduce the time consumption of the design, the ANNs are trained to predict the band structure and to inverse design the geometric structure. For the forward prediction and the inverse design neural networks, low mean square errors of

5.1

×

1

0

−
4

and

1.4

×

1

0

−
2

are achieved, respectively. Through a specific design of band properties by the well-trained neural networks, a dual-mode nanobeam sensor with high quality factors of

9.34

×

1

0

4

and

1.55

×

1

0

5

and a small footprint of

23.8

×

0.7

µ

m

2

are designed. The RI and

T

sensitivities of the air mode are 405 nm/RIU and 40 pm/K, respectively, whereas those of the dielectric mode are 531 nm/RIU and 27 pm/K, respectively. The present work shows significance in further research on the design and applications for dual-mode cavities.
Hybrid ray-tracing/Fourier optics method to analyze multilayer diffractive optical elements
Authors: Laborde Victor , Loicq Jérôme , Hastanin Juriy , Habraken Serge
Published: May 2022

The performance (paraxial phase delay) of conventional diffractive optical elements is generally analyzed using the analytical scalar theory of diffraction, based on thin-element approximation (TEA). However, the high thickness of multilayer diffractive optical elements (MLDOEs) means that TEA yields inaccurate results. To address this, we tested a method based on ray-tracing simulations in mid-wave and long-wave infrared wave bands and for multiple

f

-numbers, together with the effect of MLDOE phase delay on a collimated on-axis beam with an angular spectrum method. Thus, we accurately generate optical figures of merit (point spread function along the optical axis, Strehl ratio at the “best” focal plane, and chromatic focal shift) and, by using a finite-difference time-domain method as a reference solution, demonstrate it as a valuable tool to describe and quantify the longitudinal chromatic aberration of MLDOEs.