bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Vaginal Panel Realtime PCR kit (Vircell, SL) for diagnosing vaginitis: A comparative study with routinely used diagnostics
Authors: Amor Isabel , Alberola Ana , De Salazar Adolfo , Viñuela Laura , Úbeda-Portugués Sara , Galán María Isabel , Mendoza Pablo , García Federico
Published: November 2024

Vaginitis is a prevalent clinical disorder associated with several adverse health consequences, prompting women to seek medical care. In this study we evaluate the Vaginal Panel Real-Time PCR kit (qPCR test) against routinely used diagnostics for detection of bacterial vaginosis (BV), vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), and trichomoniasis. A total of 1011 vaginal swab specimens were analyzed. The routinely diagnostic methods for BV was Gram stain-based Nugent score. VVC presence was detected by culture, and Candida species were identified using MALDI-TOF MS. Trichomonas vaginalis was identified by culture in a selective medium. Molecular analyses were conducted on the MagXtract® 3200 System and analyzed using the CFX96™ Real-Time PCR Detection System. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the qPCR test compared to the reference method for BV diagnosis was 93.1%, 88.8%, 90.1% and 92.2%, respectively, with a Kappa value of 0.82. For Candida species, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 96.0%, 98.4%, 95.3%, and 98.7%, respectively. The qPCR test detected 32 additional positive samples for Candida not reported by the routinely used diagnostics. For trichomoniasis, the qPCR test identified T. vaginalis in fifteen specimens, despite no microscopic detection in cultured specimens. Our results demonstrate that the Vaginal Panel Real-Time PCR kit shows optimal concordance with routinely used diagnostics for diagnosing vaginitis. Furthermore, enhancing detection of T. vaginalis. However, further validation studies are necessary to confirm its full diagnostic accuracy. The use of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) provides rapid and accurate diagnosis, crucial for early detection and treatment of vaginitis.
Antiracist Journalism: The Challenge of Creating Equitable Local News, Andrea Wenzel (2023)
Authors: Baker Andrea Jean
Published: November 2024

Review of: Antiracist Journalism: The Challenge of Creating Equitable Local News, Andrea Wenzel (2023)

New York: Columbia University Press, 304 pp.,

ISBN 978-0-23120-969-4, p/bk, USD 35.00

ISBN 978-0-23120-968-7, h/bk, USD 140.00

ISBN 978-0-23155-806-8, e-book, USD 34.99
Transnational Broadcasting in the Indo Pacific: The Battle for Trusted News and Information, Alexandra Wake (ed.) (2024)
Authors: Josephi Beate
Published: November 2024

Review of: Transnational Broadcasting in the Indo Pacific: The Battle for Trusted News and Information, Alexandra Wake (ed.) (2024)

London: Palgrave Macmillan, 227 pp.,

ISBN 978-3-03147-570-2, h/bk, AUD 169.00

ISBN 978-3-03147-571-9, e-book, AUD 157.94
Crossing the (abyssal) line: Performing the violence of the witness in Buenos Aires
Authors: Evans Florence
Published: November 2024

In 2002, Emilio García Wehbi’s multi-site performance artwork, Proyecto Filoctetes: Lemnos en Buenos Aires saw the dissemination of 23 lifelike human puppets across Argentina’s capital, each with a gesture and position intended to intimate a state of unconsciousness or death. Participant-observers of the artwork recorded reactions to the puppets using written fieldnotes, video and photography – objects which now describe the performance in posterity through a digitized archive. This article focuses on the project’s transformation – its distorting and refracting – of a real-world social relation, arguing that its effects work to implicate the spectatorial gaze, producing a state of perceptual responsibility as a fantasy of solidarity and potentiality. The multiple layers of knowledge which make up shared social realities are examined through de Sousa Santos’s term ‘abyssal thinking’ (2007) as grounds for understanding relations between subjects and political conditions of modern State formations.
The Minimally Invasive 1-Hour Esophageal String Test Monitors Therapeutic Changes in Mucosal Inflammation in Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Authors: Ackerman Steven J. , Kagalwalla Amir F. , Pan Zhaoxing , Wechsler Joshua , Keeley Kaitlin , Gonsalves Nirmala , Hirano Ikuo , Zalewski Angelika , Menard-Katcher Paul , Menard-Katcher Calies , Gupta Sandeep K. , Chauhan Nikhil , Grozdanovic Milica , Atkins Dan , Nguyen Nathalie , Furuta Glenn T.
Published: November 2024

INTRODUCTION:

Endoscopy, standard-of-care for monitoring eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), assesses mucosal inflammation. The Esophageal String Test (EST), a minimally invasive swallowed capsule and immunoassays, quantifies EoE inflammation. We determined whether the EST/EoEScore can monitor disease in patients undergoing treatment.

METHODS:

Thirty-three samples from 14 patients with EoE (7 children, 7 adults) who underwent repeat endoscopies and ESTs were studied. Biopsies were analyzed for peak eosinophil counts; ESTs were analyzed for EoEScores.

RESULTS:

Eosinophil counts and EoEScores significantly correlated during treatment, distinguishing patients with active EoE from treatment-associated remissions for 93.9% of ESTs performed.

DISCUSSION:

The EST can be used to longitudinally monitor responses to treatment in EoE.
Electrochemical Characteristics of Ambarella Peel Waste as Liquid Electrolyte for Zn-Cu Biobattery
Authors: Christwardana Marcelinus , Putri Pramudita Renanda Aprilia , Ngadiwiyana Ngadiwiyana
Published: November 2024

This study focuses on the electrochemical characterization of Zn-Cu bio-battery cells utilizing electrolytes derived from ambarella peel waste. The primary objectives are to determine the half-cell and full-cell characteristics of these bio-batteries at various concentration ratios and to identify the optimal concentration ratio for maximum performance. Cyclic voltammetry analysis of the half-cells revealed an oxidation peak at 0.5 V vs Ag/AgCl, corresponding to the conversion of uronic acid to aldaric acid. Additionally, two reduction peaks were observed: hydrogen ion reduction to H2 at 0 V vs Ag/AgCl and water reduction at –0.42 V vs Ag/AgCl. The rate-determining step analysis indicated that the redox reactions in the ambarella peel electrolyte solution were surface reactions. The highest rate constant (ks) of 0.722 ± 0.05 s–1 was observed at a 1:2 concentration ratio. This ratio also resulted in the highest battery capacity of 0.0816 mAh and the maximum power density of 16.13 mW/m2. The study concluded that the 1:2 concentration ratio of ambarella peel waste electrolyte solution is optimal, outperforming the 1:1 and 1:3 ratios in terms of battery capacity and power density.
Biophysical and biochemical parameters of Sorghum associated to shoot fly resistance
Authors: Mohana J , Murugan M , Srinivasan T , Kavithamani D , Meenakshi P , Prakash K
Published: November 2024

The sorghum shoot fly, Atherigona soccata (Muscidae: Diptera), represents a significant biotic constraint to sorghum production, leading to considerable yield losses globally. This study aimed to systematically classify sorghum genotypes based on their resistance to A. soccata infestation. A total of 188 genotypes were subjected to rigorous evaluation employing standardized screening methodologies. The analysis revealed substantial variability in resistance levels across the genotypes. Based on damage assessments in field trials, 14 genotypes were selected for further investigation under controlled pot culture conditions. Comprehensive biochemical analyses were conducted on each genotype under both uninfested and infested scenarios. Among the evaluated genotypes, IS 10588 and IS 8380 exhibited high levels of resistance, IS 12787 demonstrated moderate resistance, while TNFS 230 was classified as moderately resistant to A. soccata infestation. Critical morphological and biochemical traits associated with resistance were identified, including trichome density, leaf glossiness, and enzyme activity levels of peroxidase (PO), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), tannins, and phenolic compounds. The study concludes that these morpho-physiological and biochemical characteristics contribute significantly to the resistance mechanisms in sorghum against A. soccata. Thus, these identified genotypes may serve as valuable genetic resources for breeding programs aimed at enhancing resistance to A. soccata in sorghum.
Unravelling genetic variability for yield and contributing characteristics in green gram [vigna radiata (L.) wilczek] germplasm
Authors: Susanthika S M , Yuvaraja A , Vanniarajan C , Menaka C , Ramajegathesh R
Published: November 2024

Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] is an essential crop for food, feed, and income generation in rice-based farming systems across Southeast Asia and other regions. Its popularity stems from its good taste, high nutritional value, and ease of digestion, making it a promising crop for enhancing livelihoods. However, despite its significance, mungbean productivity remains low, primarily due to environmental stresses and a lack of sufficient genetic variability. This study examines the variability, heritability, phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variation, and genetic advance among yield-contributing traits in green gram germplasm. A total of 450 germplasm lines were evaluated alongside check varieties, revealing significant variation, with the analysis of variance showing notable differences across nearly all traits. The mean sum of squares for the germplasm was highly significant for all phenotypic traits. Several traits exhibited high estimates of heritability and genetic advance, viz., the number of branches/ plants, number of clusters/ plants, number of pods/ clusters, pod length, test weight, and seed yield/plant, indicating their potential for direct selection in breeding programs. These findings suggest that additive gene effects play a dominant role in controlling these traits, with minimal environmental influence, making simple phenotypic selection an effective approach. The results provide valuable insights for advancing green gram breeding programs focused on improving yield and quality through targeted hybridization and trait selection.
The Social Contract in Epicureanism
Authors: Asmis Elizabeth
Published: November 2024

Epicurus held that justice came into being when individuals made compacts with one another to secure the benefit that comes from not harming one another. He also distinguished just laws from those that are not just; and he recognized a virtue of justice. This much is well supported by our evidence. There is also much that is controversial. At the very basis, there is disagreement on his conception of justice. There are also basic questions on how compacts are related to the justice of laws, as well as to the virtue of justice. Plato and Aristotle severed compacts from virtue; and some modern thinkers consider the justice of institutions prior to that of individuals. What was Epicurus’ position? This paper will sketch an outline of Epicurus’ theory of justice as a path to the goal of a pleasant life. As Phillip Mitsis (1988) suggested, Epicurus sought to harmonize a contractual view of justice with the virtue of justice. My aim is to investigate further the coherence of this endeavor. As I will argue, Epicurus presents a unitary theory of justice, composed of a number of steps that develop out of each other in a consistent way. As a developmental path, it admits of much variation. By tracing its basic features, I seek to show how Epicurus puts individuals in charge of attaining their goal, pleasure.
Aristotle and the Stoics on the Notion of ἐνέργεια
Authors: Nastasi Giuseppe
Published: November 2024

The Stoic theory of movement has never been the object of a deep investigation despite the considerable number of sources in Neoplatonist commentators. This paper explores for the first time the Stoic notion of ἐνέργεια, which plays a fundamental role in the Stoic conception of movement and generally in the characterization of interaction between bodies. I will show that the Stoics identified movement and activity, so that everything that is active is necessarily moved. This implies that the Stoics merely characterized ἐνέργεια in a dynamic or kinetic sense, namely by connecting it with movement. In order to prove the coherence of this philosophical position to the Stoic doctrine, I will display the compatibility of Neoplatonists’ reports with other sources. Accordingly, I will claim that the Stoics conceived this peculiar sense of ἐνέργεια in reaction to Aristotle, who clearly distinguished between ἐνέργεια and κίνησις in his physical theory.
Look Back in Hunger: The Metaphorization of Women as Food in Tim O’Brien’s Tomcat in Love
Authors: Friji Noureddine
Published: November 2024

Drawing on the conceptual metaphor WOMAN IS FOOD, the present article aims to offer a fresh perspective on the representation of predatory conduct in American campus fiction and on the attendant manipulation of the meaning and essence of femininity. More precisely, it investigates how Thomas H. Chippering, the overly and overtly lecherous professor-cum-narrator in Tim O’Brien’s Tomcat in Love (1998), straddling town and gown and armed with the self-bestowed authority to set rules and assign roles, pigeonholes his female students and acquaintances as edible objects and proceeds to edge them towards his plate and palate, as it were. The persistent utilization of culinary images and analogies in the novel underscores the extent to which prejudices and stereotypes are ingrained in language, thought, and action. On the other hand, individual and collective female resistance augurs well for the possibility of warding off unwanted sexual advances and innuendo, weeding out predators, and fostering easy coexistence of the sexes inside and outside academia. Similarly, it is demonstrated that universities’ promptness in addressing and redressing on-campus moral transgressions helps maintain public faith in the value and values of education.
Felt Anticipation: Rhythm, Expectation, and Emotion in Friederike Mayröcker’s Poetic Spoken Atmospheres
Authors: Bermúdez Víctor
Published: November 2024

This paper addresses the work of the Austrian poet Friederike Mayröcker (1924–2021) with an interdisciplinary approach contextualised within Cognitive Poetics and Cognitive Literary Theory studies. The specific focus of this study is the voice and the meaning produced through the proposed notion of a ‘poetic spoken atmosphere’. The poetic spoken atmosphere is understood here not as the unique property of an audio-text but rather as an intersubjective phenomenon emerging at the intersection of the poetic language and a listener. This notion underlines the importance of voice and its effects in the dynamics of poetry reception in order to investigate sound patterns and meaning-making dynamics, approaching three specific processes – rhythm, expectation, and emotion. The general theoretical frame of this study is based on principles of both phenomenology and cognitive sciences. Likewise, the analysis of Mayröcker’s poems is based on her recordings, available on the Lyrikline platform of the Haus für Poesie Berlin, from which spectrograms were generated to complement the textual and acoustic analysis. The observations of this study address the vocal structures modulating what can be termed an ‘insideness’, which allows to analyze sound attributes such as duration, intensity, ubiquity, and disappearing. Recognising such attributes help us to understand the emotional level of poetic sounds, i. e. the relationship between feeling and meaning in listening, hypothesising that meaning is indeed felt. Finally, the paper offers a comparative perspective that suggests further research on the basis of the paper’s theoretical-analytical methodology, and it provides specific examples from several literary systems.
The Energy Transition and Its Macroeconomic Effects
Authors: Americo Alberto , Johal Jesse , Upper Christian
Published: November 2024

The energy transition will have profound and varying effects across the globe. We provide an evidence-based qualitative analysis and assess how clean technologies are evolving – mainly wind, solar and electric vehicles – and the challenges and opportunities the transition poses for fossil fuel and metals and minerals producers in the short and long term. We describe the likely macroeconomic consequences of the energy transition and identify the countries that are most positively and negatively exposed. A small number of fossil fuel-producing countries are likely to be severely hit. Meanwhile, a concentrated group of minerals producers should experience large net benefits. Fuel importers – that is, most of the world – should benefit to varying degrees.
Rhotic metathesis in Gandhari
Authors: Suzuki Yasuko
Published: November 2024

Rhotic metathesis is a characteristic feature of the northwest Middle Indo-Aryan dialect called Gandhari. At the early stage, in the Aśokan rock edicts, rC is eliminated by metathesis with either the preceding vowel or the following consonant, resulting in Cr if not simplified by r-loss. At the later stage of the Khotan Dharmapada and other Gandhari texts, metathesis in the opposite direction, from Cr to rC, is also observed. This paper evaluates contact metathesis in Gandhari by examining parallels in relevant languages and other Indo-European languages, and by scrutinizing the motivations behind the attested metathesis. The developments of r-clusters and syllabic r̥ in the Aśokan rock edicts and the Khotan Dharmapada show that in Gandhari, Cr or, at a later stage, stop-r clusters tend to be more persistent than other types of r-clusters. Different contact metatheses of r in Gandhari are a shift towards more stable sequences-or at least away from unstable sequences- and are thus linguistically plausible, although it has been asserted that some cases of metatheses are merely orthographic.
The fronting of back vowels after *j in Slavonic
Authors: Ōyama Yūsuke
Published: November 2024

In the field of Slavonic historical phonology, it has long been known that many of the Proto-Indo-European back vowels become front after *j in Late Common Slavonic (henceforth LCS). We call this sound change Vowel Fronting. Vowel Fronting plays an important role in the rise of one of the major characteristics of the Slavonic languages, namely, the distinction between hard and soft declensions. However, not all the back vowels become front after *j in LCS, and the exact conditions for the vowel fronting have not been found yet. Here we show that the fronting is a regular sound change. The presence or absence of the etymological syllable-final consonants, which are lost in LCS, plays a decisive role in Vowel Fronting. By assuming that Vowel Fronting occurred before syllable-final consonants are lost, we define Vowel Fronting as a sound law that occurs in the following four environments without any exception: (1) in final closed syllables, (2) in light syllables, (3) between two *j’s, and (4) when the nucleus is *y [ɨ].
On the etymology of Tocharian A śemäl ‘domestic animal’
Authors: Kremmer Véronique M.
Published: November 2024

The Tocharian languages show an extensive array of animal names, some of which are still in want of an etymology or even a precise definition. In this paper, I undertake an in‑depth study of the Tocharian A (TA) noun śemäl, which has been translated as ‘goat’, ‘sheep’, or ‘small livestock’. First, I examine every instance of this lexeme within the Tocharian corpus to establish the precise meaning. This study confirms that śemäl refers to domestic animals regardless of their size, as well as animals used in sacrificial rituals. In the second part of the paper, I review previous etymological proposals, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses with respect to phonology, morphology, and semantics. I then propose my own account of the etymology of śemäl as an appurtenance derivative of an abstract derived from the well‑attested Proto‑Indo‑European item *ḱéi̯‑mo‑ ‘(at) home’, also reflected in Germanic (PGmc. *haimaz), Balto‑Slavic (reshaped as an ā‑stem in OCS sěmьja f. ‘family’), and, if the form to be reconstructed is actually *tḱéi̯‑mo‑, also in Indo‑Iranian (Skt. kṣema‑ m./n. ‘secure living’). TA śemäl, derived with the appurtenance suffix *‑lo‑ from an *-i-stem abstract, would have meant ‘belonging to the household’, hence the meaning ‘domestic (animal)’.
‘A man of full-sin’
Authors: Linnemeier Jan-Niklas
Published: November 2024

It is shown that the seemingly random alternation in the position of attributive adjectives in Old Irish can be explained by a system of referent/reference modification as first described by Bolinger (1967). The correspondence is prenominal = reference modification and postnominal = referent modification, not unlike some modern Romance languages. Comparing the Brittonic evidence, the phenomenon is found to be of Insular Celtic age, where it applied to a small class of underived prototypical adjectives.
From oath to prohibition
Authors: Méndez Dosuna Julián Víctor
Published: November 2024

Prohibitive μά (/maː/) stands out as one of the most remarkable features of the poorly documented Thessalian variety of Hestiaeotis (Western Thessaly). The regular outcome μεί (/meː/) (< PrGk *mē), with the characteristic raising of its long vowel, is well documented in the other Thessalian regions, making unexpected μά all the more puzzling. Attempts to explain this deviant outcome in terms of a phonetic development are largely speculative and unsatisfactory in several respects. This sort of anomaly clearly suggests that a solution should be sought outside of the realm of phonology. Hence, in this paper, the substitution of prohibitive μά for μεί in Hestiaeotis is attributed to the analogical influence of the particle μά (/ma/) used in negative oaths.
Celtic in Greek characters and implications for Greek and Celtic phonology
Authors: Eska Joseph F.
Published: November 2024

This paper examines the use of the characters theta ⟨θ⟩ and khi ⟨χ⟩ in Transalpine Celtic inscriptions engraved in Greek characters. Since /th/ and /kh/, respectively, were not needed for Celtic, it is conventionally presumed that these characters were repurposed in these inscriptions, theta ⟨θ⟩ as the tau Gallicum phoneme and khi ⟨χ⟩ as the allophone [x] of the phoneme /k/ before /t/. It is argued that, in fact, the aspirated voiceless plosives of ancient Greek had become fricatives in southern Transalpine Gaul before the Celts of the region started employing Greek characters to engrave inscriptions in their language, and thus that theta ⟨θ⟩ and khi ⟨χ⟩ in Transalpine Celtic inscriptions were employed with their proximate phonemic values in Greek. We thus can determine a proximate terminus ante quem for the frication of the ancient Greek aspirated voiceless plosives in southern Transalpine Gaul, which leads to the prospect for Transalpine Celtic having contrasted its plosive series not via the Laryngeal feature [voice], but via [spread glottis].
On some cognates of Avestan hakat̰
Authors: Fattori Marco , Michetti Francesca
Published: November 2024

This article deals with a number of Middle and New Iranian words of doubtful etymology for which a derivation from Ir. *hakat ‘together, at once’ is proposed. Its possible reflexes in Western Iranian witness a development towards a conditional or temporal meaning (Parth. ag ‘if’, NP aknūn ‘now’), but remnants of the old meaning ‘together’ can be identified in MP ag(e)nēn ‘together’ and in the Arm. loanword hakaṙak ‘opposite, against’. In Eastern Iranian it seems to have undergone grammaticalization and developed into a preverb (Khot. gga‑) or a preposition (Sogd. ku ‘towards’, Orm. ku- ‘to, on, etc.’, Ishk. kI ‘to, on, for’, Zeb. ka ‘id.’). Especially in this latter group of languages, Ir. *hakat shows an evolution largely comparable to that of *hačā ‘from’, which, according to most scholars, belongs to the same root.
To compound or not to compound?
Authors: Hellwig Oliver
Published: November 2024

A characteristic trait of Vedic as well as Classical Sanskrit is the use of nominal compounds. Diachronic linguistic studies have observed an increasing use of compounds in Vedic texts. It is also generally accepted that compounds should be read as syntactic phrases and that they can be equivalent to subordinate clauses. However, it has not been studied so far whether and to which degree compounds replaced competing syntactic structures such as relative clauses or participial constructions over time. Using data from a syntactic treebank of Vedic and early Classical Sanskrit, this paper addresses the questions whether compounding replaced equivalent constructions and which textual and sociolinguistic factors may have driven this process. The paper studies compounds used as adnominal and adverbial modifiers, and compares their frequency distributions with those of subordinate clauses, adjectives, converbs, and participial constructions. Since the number of relevant cases is limited and the sociolinguistic factors driving the use of compounds are not well understood, the observed distributions are modeled with a hierarchical Bayesian framework that extracts an optimal subset from a set of possible explanatory factors (chronology, geography, poetry/prose alternation, genre, and school affiliation of Vedic texts).
Digitale Teilhabe und Chancengleichheit: Wege zu gerechten Bildungsangeboten für Erwachsene
Authors: Stiller Juliane , Trkulja Violeta
Published: November 2024

Der Artikel untersucht die Herausforderungen und Chancen der digitalen Gerechtigkeit mit einem besonderen Fokus auf Erwachsenenbildung in einer Gesellschaft, die zunehmend digital vernetzt ist. Er argumentiert, dass digitale Ungleichheiten, die durch fehlenden Zugang zu Infrastruktur und mangelnde digitale Kompetenzen entstehen, komplexer sind als oft angenommen und nicht allein durch die Bereitstellung technischer Ressourcen und Schulungen überwunden werden können. Stattdessen ist eine differenzierte Betrachtung erforderlich, die die komplexen Facetten von digitaler Ungleichheit und deren Auswirkungen auf Bildung, soziale Teilhabe und den Arbeitsmarkt berücksichtigt. Der Artikel beleuchtet zunächst die theoretischen Grundlagen der digitalen Gerechtigkeit und zeigt dann anhand eines praktischen Beispiels, eines Online-Kurses für Menschen mit Fluchterfahrung, wie digitale Bildungsangebote gestaltet werden können, um den spezifischen Bedürfnissen marginalisierter Gruppen gerecht zu werden. Abschließend wird ein Toolkit vorgestellt, das Bildungseinrichtungen als Leitfaden zur Entwicklung eigener inklusiver digitaler Bildungsangebote dienen kann. Der Artikel plädiert für umfassende Ansätze, die über technologische Lösungen hinausgehen und die soziale Dimension der digitalen Teilhabe stärker in den Fokus rücken.
International symposium on integrative bioinformatics 2024 – editorial
Authors: Türker Can , Panse Christian , Sommer Bjorn , Friedrichs Marcel , Hofestädt Ralf
Published: November 2024

Integrative Bioinformatics faces the challenge of integrating, aligning, modelling, and simulating data in a coherent fashion to gain deeper insights into complex biological systems. This special issue of the Journal of Integrative Bioinformatics consists of six articles accepted for the presentation at the “18th International Symposium on Integrative Bioinformatics” held in Zürich on September 12–13, 2024. In addition, the symposium featured five keynote talks which will be discussed here as well.
Demystifying artificial intelligence for the global public interest: establishing responsible AI for international development through training
Authors: Zarei Ardestani Zahra , Mao Esther , Krueger Robert
Published: November 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a buzzword around the globe. For many, AI was once contained in high-tech labs and has now been released out into the world for the rest of us to use. Generative AI, which is what Microsoft, Apple, and OpenAI have recently offered, is only one version of AI – probably the one with the most ‘curb appeal’. In fact, AI dates to the 1950s and has offered much more banal – by today’s standards – innovations. This case study represents an effort to demystify popular notions of AI and take a first baby step toward developing AI literacy among international development practitioners. We offer two cases of courses that we developed to build appropriate bridges to the future, to show AI is not like the discovery of fire – a gift from the gods – but rather a technology that is a baby step forward in data analytics.
A systematic approach of correct laboratory commissioning: special procedural features for medical laboratories using the example of specialised forms of care
Authors: Rathenberg Jan , Pallast Niklas , Wähner Katharina , Wähner Marcel , Wohlfart Cornelia
Published: November 2024

Since the complexities of commissioning medical laboratory tests have grown continuously as a result of the increase in specialised forms of care, this article aims to create a practice-oriented structure of the legal and procedural requirements and to illustrate these using case studies – specifically using the example of so-called ambulatory medical specialist care (ASV) in accordance with Par. 116b SGB V and selected selective contracts in accordance with Par. 140a SGB V. Even if the system of correct laboratory billing described in our previous articles has remained largely valid, we believe that structuring specialised forms of care in the outpatient sector would be particularly helpful. In addition to our previous articles on the system of correct laboratory billing, it is shown that laboratory commissioning must also be systematically correct and that all parties involved in the process (doctor’s surgeries, clinics, medical laboratories and insured persons) will benefit from this. In doing so, we are developing a system for correct laboratory ordering that leads to an improvement in process quality and process simplification when functionalised via so-called “order/entry”- or automated registration systems.
The Scope and Limits of Fine-Grained Image and Category Information in the Ventral Visual Pathway
Authors: Badwal Markus W. , Bergmann Johanna , Roth Johannes H.R. , Doeller Christian F. , Hebart Martin N.
Published: November 2024

Humans can easily abstract incoming visual information into discrete semantic categories. Previous research employing functional MRI (fMRI) in humans has identified cortical organizing principles that allow not only for coarse-scale distinctions such as animate versus inanimate objects but also more fine-grained distinctions at the level of individual objects. This suggests that fMRI carries rather fine-grained information about individual objects. However, most previous work investigating fine-grained category representations either additionally included coarse-scale category comparisons of objects, which confounds fine-grained and coarse-scale distinctions, or only used a single exemplar of each object, which confounds visual and semantic information. To address these challenges, here we used multisession human fMRI (female and male) paired with a broad yet homogenous stimulus class of 48 terrestrial mammals, with two exemplars per mammal. Multivariate decoding and representational similarity analysis revealed high image-specific reliability in low- and high-level visual regions, indicating stable representational patterns at the image level. In contrast, analyses across exemplars of the same animal yielded only small effects in the lateral occipital complex (LOC), indicating rather subtle category effects in this region. Variance partitioning with a deep neural network and shape model showed that across-exemplar effects in the early visual cortex were largely explained by low-level visual appearance, while representations in LOC appeared to also contain higher category-specific information. These results suggest that representations typically measured with fMRI are dominated by image-specific visual or coarse-grained category information but indicate that commonly employed fMRI protocols may reveal subtle yet reliable distinctions between individual objects.
Shifting GnRH Neuron Ensembles Underlie Successive Preovulatory Luteinizing Hormone Surges
Authors: Yeo Shel-Hwa , Han Su Young , Herbison Allan E.
Published: November 2024

The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons operate as a neuronal ensemble exhibiting coordinated activity once every reproductive cycle to generate the preovulatory GnRH surge. Using GCaMP fiber photometry at the GnRH neuron distal dendrons to measure the output of this widely scattered population in female mice, we find that the onset, amplitude, and profile of GnRH neuron surge activity exhibits substantial variability from cycle to cycle both between and within individual mice. This was also evident when measuring successive proestrous luteinizing hormone surges. Studies combining short (c-Fos and c-Jun) and long (genetic robust activity marking) term indices of immediate early gene activation revealed that, while ∼50% of GnRH neurons were activated at the time of each surge, only half of these neurons had been active during the previous proestrous surge. These observations reveal marked inter- and intra-individual variability in the GnRH surge mechanism. Remarkably, different subpopulations of overlapping GnRH neurons are recruited to the ensemble each estrous cycle to generate the GnRH surge. While engendering variability in the surge mechanism itself, this likely provides substantial robustness to a key event underlying mammalian reproduction.
Sleep quality and cerebrospinal fluid oxysterols in degenerative dementias: correlations and possible biomedical implications
Authors: Pradotto Luca , Cattaldo Stefania , Priano Lorenzo , Cremascoli Riccardo , Prina Elisa , Milesi Alessandra , Mai Stefania , Piterà Paolo , Tripodi Domenico , Poli Giuseppe , Leoni Valerio , Mauro Alessandro
Published: November 2024

Objective

The combination and tentative correlation of a selected set of polysomnographic tests with the quantitative measurement of oxysterols of pathophysiological relevance in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with Alzheimer’s degenerative dementia (AD), non-Alzheimer’s degenerative dementia (NAD) and nondegenerative disorders (C) were afforded in a pilot study.

Methods

Sleep efficiency, percentage of sleep time spent in nonrapid eye movement (NREM) stage 3 (N3), apnea/hypopnea index and sleep time spent with oxygen saturation <90% were recorded. Oxysterols of both enzymatic and nonenzymatic origin were quantified in the CSF of the three groups of patients by isotope-dilution gas chromatography mass spectrometry.

Results

A remarkable increase in all tested oxysterols of autoxidation origin and of cholesterol was detectable in the CSF of AD and NAD patients in comparison with C patients. Of the four markers of sleep quality tested, only the percentage duration of N3 showed a net progressive reduction in NAD and AD patients. A strong inverse correlation between the CSF levels of 7k-cholesterol (7KC) and 7α-hydroxycholesterol and the duration of N3% in the recruited cohorts of patients appeared evident.

Conclusions

An abnormal increase in some oxysterols of autoxidation origin, particularly of 7KC, in the CSF of patients with degenerative dementia, with the highest levels reached in AD patients, appears to be a reliable candidate biomarker of reduced duration of N3 sleep. The observed accumulation of oxysterols in the CSF seems at least in part because of impaired efficiency of the glymphatic system, which indeed reaches, under normal conditions, its maximum activity in the N3 sleep phase. A contribution of altered cholesterol metabolism to sleep quality in AD patients cannot be excluded.

Significance statement

Oxysterols of nonenzymatic origin are proposed as new CSF candidate markers of sleep quality in patients with dementia.
YAP1 and WWTR1 are required for murine pregnancy initiation
Authors: Moldovan Genna E , Massri Noura , Vegter Erin L , Pauneto-Delgado Ivonne N , Burns Gregory W , Joshi Niraj , Gu Bin , Arora Ripla , Fazleabas Asgerally T
Published: November 2024

In brief

The HIPPO signaling effectors YAP1 and WWTR1 are required for murine pregnancy initiation, and mutation of these factors compromises the decidualization response and overall pregnancy success.

Endometrial stromal cell decidualization is required for pregnancy success. Although this process is integral to fertility, many of the intricate molecular mechanisms contributing to decidualization remain undefined. One pathway that has been implicated in endometrial stromal cell decidualization in humans in vitro is the HIPPO signaling pathway. Two previously conducted studies showed that the effectors of the HIPPO signaling pathway YAP1 and WWTR1 are required for decidualization of primary endometrial stromal cells in vitro. To investigate the in vivo role of YAP1 and WWTR1 in decidualization and pregnancy initiation, we generated progesterone receptor Cre-mediated mutation of a combination of Yap1 and Wwtr1 alleles. Female Yap1 and Wwtr1 triple allele mutants exhibited subfertility, a compromised decidualization response, decreased endometrial receptivity, delayed embryonic development and a unique transcriptional profile at 7.5 days post-coitus (dpc). Bulk mRNA sequencing revealed aberrant maternal remodeling evidenced by significant alterations in extracellular matrix-encoding genes at 7.5 dpc in mutant dams and enrichment for terms associated with fertility-compromising diseases such as pre-eclampsia and endometriosis. In addition, differentially expressed genes overlapped directionally with estrogen receptor- and epidermal growth factor receptor-regulated genes as identified by microarray. Our results indicate that Yap1 and Wwtr1 are necessary for successful mammalian pregnancy initiation.
State and Local Government Expenditures and Infant Mortality
Authors: Sowmyan Shivani J. , Hirai Ashley H. , Kaufman Jay S.
Published: November 2024

OBJECTIVES

A previous study reported that increased state and local government expenditures were associated with decreased infant mortality rates (IMRs). However, reported estimates of the association between expenditures and IMR represented the degree to which the association changed each year, not the main effect. We reproduced the original results, reporting this main effect and replicated the analysis using improved methodology and updated data.

METHODS

For the reproduction analysis, we used methods and data identical to the original study: A publicly-posted, state-level data set of expenditures from 2000 to 2014 US Census Bureau survey data linked to 2-year lagged IMR data with a random intercept model including an interaction between time and expenditures. For the replication analysis, we added 5 years of data and adjusted for fixed state differences and inflation.

RESULTS

In the reproduction, the main effects of total, environmental, and educational expenditures on IMR were much larger than the interaction effects previously reported as the main effects. For example, a 1-SD increase in per-capita total expenditures was associated with a reduction of 0.35 infant deaths per 1000 live births instead of 0.02 deaths per 1000 live births originally reported. In the updated replication, the main effects were generally even larger (eg, −0.51 deaths per 1000 per SD increase in total expenditures). Increased total expenditures were associated with absolute but not relative reductions in Black–white IMR gaps.

CONCLUSIONS

State and local government expenditures are associated with greater reductions in IMR than previously reported, underscoring the importance of continued public investment.
Candidacy Decisions for Long-term Ventilation
Authors: Vo Holly Hoa , Keegan Duncan , Sveen William N. , Wilfond Benjamin S. , Campelia Georgina , Henderson Carrie M.
Published: November 2024

Decisions to initiate long-term ventilation (LTV) in children with severe neurologic impairment have recently been subject to candidacy determinations by home ventilation teams that exclude patients based on their neurologic status alone. Determinations of whether decisions are inappropriate require careful analysis of specific clinical circumstances and attention to the family’s values. In this Ethics Rounds, we present a case of a previously healthy child who sustained an acute severe anoxic brain injury and was assessed by the medical team to have a high likelihood of remaining minimally conscious or unconscious. It was determined that he was not a candidate for LTV based on the severity of neurologic impairment. The family disagreed and declined withdrawal of ventilatory support. Drawing upon our backgrounds in intensive care, pulmonology, and bioethics, we offer commentary on utilizing a candidacy-based approach for LTV decisions in children with severe neurologic impairment from variable perspectives, including clinical determinations of inappropriate care, ablest biases and discrimination, and obligations to maintain a just process.
Nova História do Cristianismo Negro na África Ocidental e nas Américas
Authors: Dewulf Jeroen
Published: November 2024

em agosto de 1733, Jacobus van Cortlandt colocou um anúncio na New-York Gazette, na tentativa de recuperar Andrew Saxon, um “negro alto e forte de pele muito escura”, que tinha fugido. Saxon provavelmente trabalhava como carpinteiro ou tanoeiro na cervejaria de van Cortlandt ou em sua plantação de trigo em Manhattan, onde hoje fica o Van Cortlandt Park. Seu anúncio usava a linguagem padronizada da época, especificando certas características físicas do fugitivo (Saxon andava mancando com a perna esquerda” e tinha o polegar esquerdo rígido “por causa de um ferido”), habilidades linguísticas (ele falava “muito bem inglês”), objetos roubados (Saxon levava consigo um machado) e roupas (ele usava um par de calças e um casaco) – mas, então, (o protestante) van Cortlandt fez uma referência surpreendente, informando que Saxon “professa ser católico” e que “suas camisas estavam marcadas com uma cruz no lado esquerdo do peito”
A study of metamorphopsia following rhegmatogenous retinal detachment surgery
Authors: Bálint R. , Árpádffy-Lovas T. , Hári-Kovács A.
Published: November 2024

Purpose

Our objective was to quantitatively investigate metamorphopsia in patients who had undergone pars plana vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment at the Department of Ophthalmology of the University of Szeged. We aimed to compare our findings with perioperative clinical data, and in particular the patients' optical coherence tomography (OCT) results.

Materials/Methods

Our study is a retrospective analysis of data from 23 patients who had undergone surgery for retinal detachment. We evaluated best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), metamorphopsia (MM) using M-CHARTS, and macular morphological abnormalities using OCT images in patients who attended regular follow-up visits 1–6 months after the surgery.

Results

The mean preoperative BCVA of the patients was 0.4, while the mean postoperative BCVA was 0.6, indicating a significant improvement (P = 0.03). We observed a negative correlation between preoperative BCVA and postoperative MM (Pearson's r = −0.27), indicating that lower preoperative BCVA was associated with higher postoperative MM. Additionally, we noted a strong trend between disintegration of the ellipsoid zone (EZ), abnormality of the external limiting membrane (ELM), and MM (P = 0.051 and 0.072 respectively).

Conclusions

While no significant correlation was found between MM and specific perioperative factors, we observed a notable trend between EZ disintegrity and MM, as well as abnormal ELM and MM. This trend is anticipated to become significant with higher numbers of patients.
Materials beyond monolayers: The magnetic quasi-1D semiconductor CrSBr
Authors: Klein Julian , Ross Frances M.
Published: November 2024

The all-surface nature of atomically thin van der Waals materials can present challenges for practical applications. Fortunately, new layered materials are on the horizon that preserve their useful properties even when thicker than a monolayer. Here, we summarize our interest in one of these emergent materials, the magnetic semiconductor CrSBr. We describe monolayer properties exhibited by this material in its bulk form, discussing how the quasi-1D electronic structure of CrSBr allows mono- or bilayer physics to be displayed even in thick crystals. Long-range magnetic order offers additional tuning with the coupled lattice, spin, orbit, and charge degrees of freedom enabling magneto-correlated phenomena. We discuss the stability of CrSBr in air and show atomic scale structural manipulation through electron beam-driven transformations. We conclude that the stability and structural amenability of CrSBr provide opportunities for imagining devices that use bulk crystals yet exploit unique magnetic and quantum confinement effects.

Graphical abstract
On Methodological Agnosticism and Neurotheology
Authors: Nenadalová Jana , Geertz Armin W
Published: November 2024

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Investigation of Benzimidazole Derivatives in Molecular Targets for Breast Cancer Treatment: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Katiyar Pratima , Kalpana  , Srivastava Aditi , Singh Chandra Mohan
Published: November 2024

This article provides a basic summary of computational research on benzimidazole and its molecular targets in breast cancer (BC) drug discovery. The drug development process is streamlined, expenses are decreased, and the possibility of finding successful therapies for this difficult illness is increased with the use of computational tools. The utilization of benzimidazole derivatives in medication research and discovery is discussed, along with the results of benzimidazole derivative-related clinical trials conducted against blood cancer during the previous five years. Additionally, it includes analysis of changes in structure and how they affect pharmacology. The structure-based method and other computational tools used in drug development are also covered, as well as the importance of structural information such as stereochemistry, physiological action, and the use of spectroscopic methods like NMR and X-ray crystallography in understanding the interactions between bioactive compounds and receptors. The article highlights the potential of benzimidazoles as bioactive heterocyclic molecules with various biological activities, including antimicrobial and anti-cancer properties.
Angle-based residual strength estimation of geotextile/textured geomembrane interface
Authors: Xu G. , Shi J. , Liu Z. , Zhang H. , Gu Y.
Published: November 2024

Geotextile and geomembrane are widely used in landfill liner systems, but the relationship between geomembrane roughness and geotextile/geomembrane interface residual shear strength remains to be studied. In this paper, by using a large-scale ring shear apparatus, a series of ring shear tests of geotextile/geomembrane interfaces were conducted, and the profile inclined angle distributions of the textured geomembrane surfaces were obtained by a profilometer. The experiment results showed that the geotextile/geomembrane interface reached residual strength after a shear displacement of 3 m, and the average inclined angle of the textured geomembrane was close to zero. With the increase of geomembrane asperity height, the interface residual strength increases. Through force analysis and statistical analysis, quantitative relationships between residual shear strength of geotextile/co-extruded geomembrane and geotextile/cone-shape structured geomembrane interfaces and inclined angle distribution were established. The model was validated by test results and case analysis. This study helps to understand the mechanism that causes the textured geomembrane to generate high interface residual strength.