bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of rainfall on parasitism and survival of
Telenomus remus
, an egg parasitoid of fall armyworm
Authors: Yan Sanqiang , Lyu Baoqian , Lu Hui , Tang Jihong , Zhang Qikai , Jiao Bin , Zang Liansheng , He Xing
Published: November 2024

Telenomus remus
is an egg parasitoid of
Spodoptera
species, including the major agricultural pest
Spodoptera frugiperda
. Climatic factors are closely related to the development and population dynamics of such parasitoids. However, the effects of rainfall on the biological performance of this wasp have not be studied. Here, we modeled the effects of different intensities of rainfall (control: 0, light rain: 5.0, moderate rain: 10.2, and torrential rain: 42.8 mm/h; falling over a 30 min period) on the parasitism rate, developmental time, and survival of
T. remus
on eggs of
S. frugiperda
. We assessed the effect of rainfall exposure on both
T. remus
adults and on parasitized
S. frugiperda
eggs. Simulated rainfall resulted in a notable decline in the number of hosts parasitized by
T. remus
adults for up to 12 h following rainfall, but the parasitism rate returned to normal within one day after rain ceased. Torrential rain reduced immediate (within 24 h) survival of adults of
T. remus
females, but there was no subsequent effect on adult survival after rain ceased. When parasitized host eggs were exposed to rain events, some eggs were dislodged. Moderate or torrential intensity rainfall dislodged 12 and 44% of
S. frugiperda
eggs from maize leaves. For
T. remus
eggs exposed to rain that were not dislodged, the probability of reaching adulthood and successfully emerging was negatively correlated with rainfall intensity. However, for all levels of rainfall intensity, the survival of eggs that were not dislodged was greater than those that were dislodged. These findings suggest farmers should avoid releasing natural enemies when rainfall occurs or is forecast, and they should make supplemental releases after unanticipated rainfall occurs immediately after releases.
Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting in Pediatrics: Incidence and Guideline Adherence—a Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Portnoy Yotam , Glebov Maxim , Orkin Dina , Katsin Maxim , Berkenstadt Haim
Published: November 2024

BACKGROUND:

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in pediatric patients is a common and clinically significant postoperative complication. The incidence of PONV has not been extensively studied in large pediatric cohorts. Furthermore, in 2020, the Fourth Consensus Guidelines for the management of PONV were published. However, the association between perioperative factors and adherence to these guidelines remains unclear. This study aims to assess both the incidence of PONV and guideline adherence within a large and diverse pediatric population.

METHODS:

We conducted a retrospective observational study at a large tertiary medical center, including pediatric patients (≤18 years) who underwent surgery between September 2020 and March 2023. We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from our electronic health records, focusing on patient demographics, surgical details, anesthesia details, and prophylaxis for PONV. We calculated the incidence of PONV and used multivariable logistic regression to identify the predictors of guideline adherence.

RESULTS:

The cohort included 3772 patients with a median (interquartile range [IQR]) age of 9.21 (3.55–14.68) years. The incidence (95% confidence intervals) of early PONV was 1.0% (0.7–1.4) and 3.8% (3.2–4.5) for delayed PONV. Adherence to the fourth consensus guidelines for PONV management was observed in 32.5% (31.0–34.0) of cases. A high risk of PONV was identified in 55.9% (54.3–57.5) of the patients. The most common number of PONV risk factors was 3, observed in 1151 patients (30.5% [29.1–32.0]). Significant predictors of guideline adherence included the intraoperative use of long-acting opioids (odds ratio [OR], 2.711, P < .001) and age ≥3 years (OR, 2.074, P < .001). Nonadherence was associated with a higher incidence of PONV at 24 hours postsurgery (4.4% (3.6–5.2) vs 2.7% (1.9–3.8), P = .012). Factors such as specific high PONV risk surgeries (P = .001), maintenance with inhalational agents solely (P = .017), and neostigmine use (P < .001) were also all statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our study revealed a lower-than-expected incidence of PONV in pediatric patients, highlighting the need for standardized definitions and improved reporting. Adherence to PONV guidelines was suboptimal, emphasizing the need for better implementation strategies.
Recurrences and Subsequent Treatments After Curative-Intent Surgery for Localised and Locally Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Petersson Rasmus Due , Niebuhr Malene H. , Jensen Christian Fuglesang S. , Azawi Nessn H. , Thomsen Frederik F.
Published: November 2024

Background

There is a lack of evidence concerning recurrent patterns and treatment of repeat recurrences for surgically treated renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Thus, the objective was to describe patterns of recurrences and subsequent treatments in patients with recurrent RCC.

Patients and Methods

We identified 525 patients who received surgical treatment for RCC at our institution in 2010–2015. The treatment of recurrences was classified as no active treatment, treatment with the aim to achieve no evidence of disease (NED) or systemic oncological treatment (OT). Relationships were analysed using multivariable Cox regression and log-rank analysis.

Results

The median follow-up was 7.8 [interquartile range (IQR 6.5–9.4)] years. Ninety-one patients experienced a first recurrence, of which 49 received NED-aimed treatment—47 of these patients had their recurrence more than 2 years after surgery. Thirty patients experienced a second recurrence with 17 patients undergoing NED-aimed treatment. Eight patients had a third recurrence with four undergoing NED-aimed treatment. The most common locations of recurrence were pulmonary, local or multiple sites—30% and 38% of patients experienced a second or third recurrence in the same location, respectively. The 3-year overall survival estimates for patients receiving NED-aimed treatment for their first recurrence were 83.1% [95% confidence interval (CI) 72.3–93.8%] and 79.3% (95% CI 58.4–100%) for patients receiving NED following a second recurrence.

Conclusions

Treatments aimed at achieving NED seem to provide good oncological control and in repeat recurrences, 50% or more were managed with repeat NED-aimed treatments.
(Nie)obecność ideałów i celów wychowania (nie tylko) w języku pedagogiki
Authors: Dziaczkowska Lucyna
Published: November 2024

Autorka prezentowanego tekstu stawia główne pytanie o sposoby obecności w pedagogice zagadnień związanych z ideałami i celami wychowania. Próbuje również odpowiedzieć na pytania o zasadność oraz możliwości uobecniania ideałów i celów wychowania w myśleniu teoretyków i działaniu praktyków wychowania. Artykuł jest próbą obrony tezy o potrzebie stanowienia ideałów wychowawczych w odniesieniu do samych wychowawców, którzy urzeczywistniając je we własnym życiu, dają wychowankom możliwość ich krytycznej oceny oraz podjęcia trudu szukania ideału i sensu własnej egzystencji.
Rozumne wychowanie i wolność w historiozoficznej refleksji Piotra Czaadajewa
Authors: Aleksiejuk Artur
Published: November 2024

Artykuł jest poświęcony analizie pedagogicznego potencjału zapatrywań filozoficznych Piotra Czaadajewa, jednego z najważniejszych rosyjskich myśliciei pierwszej połowy XIX wieku. Celem pracy jest wyodrębnienie z jego historiozoficznych rozważań, zawartych w Listach (filozoficznych) i Apologii obłąkanego, komponentów mających – zdaniem autora – fundamentalne znaczenie dla wychowania człowieka jako konstytutywnego elementu jego edukacji. Wśród nich można wymienić synergię rozumu i wiary, wolność i dialogiczną relacyjność. Refleksja Czaadajewa, chociaż osadzona w realiach połowy XIX wieku, to interesujący materiał do przemyśleń na temat skomplikowanych relacji Rosja–Zachód, których konsekwencji doświadczamy także we współczesnych czasach.
A Robust Optimization Approach to Network Control Using Local Information Exchange
Authors: Darivianakis Georgios , Georghiou Angelos , Shafiee Soroosh , Lygeros John
Published: November 2024

Managing networks often involves extensive communication between all parts of the system, which can be inefficient and raise privacy concerns. This paper explores an alternative approach where each part of the system only communicates with its closest neighbors. By simplifying the communication structure, the system can operate with less computational effort while maintaining privacy. Applied to areas like energy management and supply chains, this method has the potential to provide similar outcomes to traditional models but with fewer communication requirements. The results suggest that this approach could offer a more efficient and privacy-conscious way to manage networks.
When in doubt – look again
Authors: Harvey Bill
Published: November 2024

Bill Harvey reports on a recent webinar organised by DOCET, which was essential for all who regularly have to decide upon the severity of lumps and bumps on the lid and ocular surface
Going beyond the rainbow
Authors: Price Alan
Published: November 2024

Alan Price explains how to avoid tokenism and really help LGBT+ staff
Specsavers increases charity support
Authors: McClean Andrew
Published: November 2024

Andrew McClean finds out how the multiple is creating access to eye care for people experiencing homelessness
Identification of Slip Surfaces Using Vertical Electrical Sounding Method in Desa Seumadam for The Study of Landslide-Prone Areas
Authors: Anda Sabrian Tri , Fajriani Fajriani , Fajri Haikal , Fadhli* Zul , Fahril Muhammad Ari , Putra Rachmad Almi
Published: November 2024

This study explores the application of the Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) method for identifying potential slip surfaces in the Desa Seumadam region, a known landslide-prone area. By employing geophysical techniques, the assessment has been made in order to delineate the subsurface characteristics for slip surface identification landslide volume estimation. Based on data interpretation regarding the resistivity model of the subsurface in the study area, the slip surface or weak zone is classified as a clay layer underlain by sand and clayey sand layer. The clay is identified with resistivity value varying from 7 – 54.5 Ωm and located at depth of 6 to 11.68 m while the sand and clayey sand layer are categorized with resistivity value of 4 – 1395 Ωm with a thickness of 11.68 m. As for the estimation of landslide volume, the calculation was made using the landslide mass volume potential approach and found that the landslide volume is estimated at around 2.139 m3. It is believed that the study not only reveals the potential slip surface of the study area but also enhances the understanding of landslide mechanisms. The findings reveal valuable insights into the geological factors contributing to landslides, facilitating informed decision-making for landslide risk mitigation and land-use planning.
In-plane beam focusing via integrated photonic gradient-index subwavelength grating metalens
Authors: Jaidye Nafiz , Lee Jaewhan , Pimbi Daniel , Kim Myoung-Hwan , Bernussi Ayrton , Kim Sangsik
Published: November 2024

We present an in-plane beam converter scheme that can focus a large Gaussian slab mode into a tightly focused spot approximately hundreds of micrometers away from the chip facet. Our approach involves designing the modal expander that converts a photonic waveguide mode to a large Gaussian slab mode and engineering the two-dimensional (2D) gradient-index subwavelength grating arrays that modify modal wavefront to be focused as the beam propagates. The device is designed on a monolithic silicon nitride scheme, which is transparent at the visible wavelength regime and readily available for the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor process. Our device can be utilized in various chip-scale photonic applications, especially involving biochemical species and target samples ranging from one to tens of micrometer scales.
Coherent control in quartz-enhanced photoacoustics: fingerprinting a trace gas at ppm-level within seconds
Authors: Angstenberger Simon , Floess Moritz , Schmid Luca , Ruchka Pavel , Steinle Tobias , Giessen Harald
Published: November 2024

Quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) has become a
versatile tool for detection of trace gases at extremely low
concentrations, leveraging the high quality (Q)-factor of quartz
tuning forks. However, this high Q-factor imposes an intrinsic
spectral resolution limit for fast wavelength sweeping with tunable
laser sources due to the long ringing time of the tuning fork. Here,
we introduce a technique to coherently control and damp the tuning
fork by phase-shifting the modulation sequences of the driving laser.
Particularly, we send additional laser pulses into the photoacoustic
cell with a timing that corresponds to a π phase shift with respect to the
tuning fork oscillation, effectively stopping its oscillatory motion.
This enables acquisition of a complete methane spectrum spanning
3050–3450 nm in just three seconds, preserving the spectral
shape. Our measured data is in good agreement with the theoretically
expected spectra from the HITRAN database when convolved with the
laser linewidth of . This will leverage the use of QEPAS
with fast-sweeping OPOs in real-world gas sensing applications beyond
laboratory environments with extremely fast acquisition speed enabled
by our coherent control scheme.
Dispersive wave generation in photonic crystal fibers with normal dispersion pumping
Authors: Crevon Elliott , khallouf charbel , Dudley John , Sylvestre Thibaut
Published: November 2024

We present a comprehensive numerical and experimental investigation of dispersive wave emission in photonic crystal fibers, generated from femtosecond pulses under normal dispersion pumping. Particular attention is given to the roles of self-phase modulation and optical wave breaking in shaping both the temporal and spectral characteristics of the pulses in the presence of higher-order dispersion. Our findings underscore the critical importance of accounting for higher-order dispersion to accurately model the dynamics of optical wave breaking and dispersive wave generation in the anomalous dispersion regime.
Experimentally, our results show excellent agreement with numerical simulations, further validating the model. Additionally, we examine polarization effects and supercontinuum relative intensity noise using the dispersive Fourier transform technique.
Thalamic spindles and Up states coordinate cortical and hippocampal co-ripples in humans
Authors: Dickey Charles W. , Verzhbinsky Ilya A. , Kajfez Sophie , Rosen Burke Q. , Gonzalez Christopher E. , Chauvel Patrick Y. , Cash Sydney S. , Pati Sandipan , Halgren Eric
Published: November 2024

In the neocortex, ~90 Hz ripples couple to ~12 Hz sleep spindles on the ~1 Hz Down-to-Up state transition during non-rapid eye movement sleep. This conjunction of sleep waves is critical for the consolidation of memories into long-term storage. The widespread co-occurrences of ripples (“co-ripples”) may integrate information across the neocortex and hippocampus to facilitate consolidation. While the thalamus synchronizes spindles and Up states in the cortex for memory, it is not known whether it may also organize co-ripples. Using human intracranial recordings during NREM sleep, we investigated whether cortico-cortical co-ripples and hippocampo-cortical co-ripples are either: (1) driven by directly projected thalamic ripples; or (2) coordinated by propagating thalamic spindles or Up states. We found ripples in the anterior and posterior thalamus, with similar characteristics as hippocampal and cortical ripples, including having a center frequency of ~90 Hz and coupling to local spindles on the Down-to-Up state transition. However, thalamic ripples rarely co-occur or phase-lock with cortical or hippocampal ripples. By contrast, spindles and Up states that propagate from the thalamus strongly coordinate co-ripples in the cortex and hippocampus. Thus, thalamo-cortical spindles and Up states, rather than thalamic ripples, may provide input facilitating spatially distributed co-rippling that integrates information for memory consolidation during sleep in humans.
Large language models in medicine: A review of current clinical trials across healthcare applications
Authors: Omar Mahmud , Nadkarni Girish N. , Klang Eyal , Glicksberg Benjamin S.
Published: November 2024

This review analyzes current clinical trials investigating large language models’ (LLMs) applications in healthcare. We identified 27 trials (5 published and 22 ongoing) across 4 main clinical applications: patient care, data handling, decision support, and research assistance. Our analysis reveals diverse LLM uses, from clinical documentation to medical decision-making. Published trials show promise but highlight accuracy concerns. Ongoing studies explore novel applications like patient education and informed consent. Most trials occur in the United States of America and China. We discuss the challenges of evaluating rapidly evolving LLMs through clinical trials and identify gaps in current research. This review aims to inform future studies and guide the integration of LLMs into clinical practice.
Survival benefit of adjuvant therapy following neoadjuvant therapy in patients with resected esophageal cancer: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Jia Weiyi , Li Chao , Liu Can , Hu Renwang
Published: November 2024

Background

There is controversy about the benefit of administering adjuvant therapy to esophageal cancer (EC) patients after preoperative neoadjuvant therapy and surgical treatment. This study aims to investigate the clinical benefit of postoperative adjuvant therapy in EC patients with neoadjuvant therapy and surgery.

Materials and methods

The study included EC patients diagnosed from 2007 to 2020 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Patients who received neoadjuvant therapy (NCRT) were defined as those who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy or neoadjuvant radiotherapy before surgery, while patients who received adjuvant therapy (ACRT) were defined as those who underwent adjuvant chemotherapy or adjuvant radiotherapy after surgery. Propensity score matching (PSM) method was employed to establish matched cohorts, and Kaplan-Meier analysis, COX regression model, and Fine-Gray model were used for survival analysis.

Results

The study included a total of 5805 EC patients, with 837 (14.4%) in the ACRT group and 4968 (85.4%) in the no-ACRT group. After PSM, a cohort of 1660 patients who received NCRT was enrolled for analysis, with 830 patients in each group. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed no significant differences between the two groups in terms of median overall survival (OS) (34.0 vs. 36.0 months, p = 0.89) or cancer-specific survival (CSS) (40.0 vs. 49.0 months, p = 0.16). Multivariate Cox models and Fine-Gray models indicated that ACRT was not a predictive factor for OS or CSS (p > 0.05). Subgroup analysis for CSS suggested a protective effect of ACRT in the N2 (Cox model: HR = 0.640, p = 0.090; Fine-Gray model: HR = 0.636, p = 0.081) and the N3 subgroup (Cox model: HR = 0.302, p = 0.018; Fine-Gray model: HR = 0.306, p = 0.034).

Conclusions

Only for esophageal cancer patients with a more advanced N stage, postoperative adjuvant therapy after completing neoadjuvant therapy and curative surgical treatment may be beneficial.
The effect of survival pressure-based defector reward behavior on cooperation in spatial prisoner’s dilemma games
Authors: Zhang Xuechao , Lu Shichang
Published: November 2024

Research has shown that rewarding behavior can greatly facilitate the occurrence of cooperation in social dilemmas. Yet rewards entail costs, making the reward itself an altruistic behavior. The reasons for adopting rewarding behaviors then become an interesting matter, so we propose a game model in which defectors are pressured by survival to adopt rewarding behaviors. Research suggests that defector reward strategies can be used as a transition strategy for defectors to alleviate survival stress and promote cooperation in the spatial prisoner’s dilemma. A small survival pressure threshold will make it altogether easier for defectors to adopt a strategy that rewards defection and thus tempts the emergence of cooperators in their neighborhood. In addition, the effect of the payment cost α and the reward amount β of the rewarding behavior on the evolution of the system will be limited by the temptation b of the defector, and the effect of each parameter on the promotion of cooperation in the system is not linear. That is, when α is fixed, b and β can still optimize the level of cooperation in a given combination. The same holds for α and β when b is fixed.
Over expression of modified Isomaltulose Synthase Gene II (ImSyGII) under single and double promoters drive unprecedented sugar contents in sugarcane
Authors: Awan Mudassar Fareed , Ali Sajed , Sarwar Muhammad Farhan , Shafiq Muhammad , Arif Usman , Ali Qurban , Farooq Abdul Munim , Han Shiming , Nasir Idrees Ahmad
Published: November 2024

Sugarcane has been grown all around the world to meet sugar demands for industrial sector. The current sugar recovery percentage in sugarcane cultivars is dismally low which demands scientific efforts for improvements. Multiple approaches were adopted to enhance sugar contents in commercial sugarcane plants in contrast to conventional plant breeding methods. The exploitation of biotechnological methods and exploration of isomaltulose synthetic genes presented a promising solution to increase the existing low level of sugar recovery percentage in Saccharum officinarum L. Isomaltulose synthase gene II was employed and integrated into plant expression vector driven under the leaf and stem specific promoters terminated by nopaline synthase gene in a cloning strategy shown in the present study. Three gene constructs were developed in various combinations driven under promoters Zea mays ubiquitin and Cestrum Yellow Leaf Curl virus in the single and double combined stacked system. The transformation was executed in multiple formats with single transformed events, double promoter transformation events and triple construct stacked promoters in sugarcane induced calli via the particle gene gun. The transformation of ImSyGII in sugarcane genotype HSF-240 was confirmed by molecular gene analysis while expression quantification was determined through Real Time PCR. Furthermore, HPLC was also done to harvest the increased amounts of Isomaltulose in transgenic sugarcane juice. The present work upheld the enhanced ImSyGII expression in leaves owing to the exploitation of ubiquitin, while the Cestrum Yellow Leaf Curl virus promoter enhanced gene expression in sugarcane stems. The employment of three gene constructs collectively produced elite sugar lines producing more than 78% enhancements in whole sugar recovery percentage. The mature internode proved highly efficient and receptive regarding the production of isomaltulose. Quantifications and sugar contents evaluations upheld an increased Brix ratio of transgenic sugarcane lines than control lines.
The Zymoseptoria tritici effector Zt-11 contributes to aggressiveness in wheat
Authors: Karki Sujit Jung , Pilo Paola , Lawless Colleen , Mastrodimos Nikolaos , Tiley Anna M. M. , Burke James , Feechan Angela
Published: November 2024

Zymoseptoria tritici is an ascomycete fungus and the causal agent of Septoria tritici leaf blotch (STB) in wheat. Z. tritici secretes an array of effector proteins that are likely to facilitate host infection, colonisation and pycnidia production. In this study we demonstrate a role for Zt-11 as a Z. tritici effector during disease progression. Zt-11 is upregulated during the transition of the pathogen from the biotrophic to necrotrophic phase of wheat infection. Deletion of Zt-11 delayed disease development in wheat, reducing the number and size of pycnidia, as well as the number of macropycnidiospores produced by Z. tritici. This delayed disease development by the ΔZt-11 mutants was accompanied by a lower induction of PR genes in wheat, when compared to infection with wildtype Z. tritici. Overall, these data suggest that Zt-11 plays a role in Z. tritici aggressiveness and STB disease progression possibly via a salicylic acid associated pathway.
A new method based on physical patterns to impute aerobiological datasets
Authors: Tagliaferro Sofia , Corrochano Adrián , Marchetti Pierpaolo , Marcon Alessandro , Le Clainche Soledad
Published: November 2024

Limited research has assessed the accuracy of imputation methods in aerobiological datasets. We conducted a simulation study to evaluate, for the first time, the effectiveness of Gappy Singular Value Decomposition (GSVD), a data-driven approach, comparing it with the moving mean interpolation, a statistical approach. Utilizing complete pollen data from two monitoring stations in northeastern Italy for 2022, we randomly generated missing data considering the combination of various proportions (5%, 10%, 25%) and gap lengths (3, 5, 7, 10 days). We imputed 4800 time series using the GSVD algorithm, specifically implemented for this study, and the moving mean algorithm of the “AeRobiology” R package. We assessed imputation accuracy by calculating the Root Mean Square Error and employed multiple linear regression models to identify factors independently affecting the error (e.g. pollen variability, simulation settings). The results showed that the GSVD was as good as the well-established moving mean method and demonstrated its strong generalization capabilities across different data types. However, the imputation error was primarily influenced by pollen characteristics and location, regardless of the imputation method used. High variability in pollen concentrations and the distribution of missing data negatively affected imputation accuracy. In conclusion, we introduced and tested a novel imputation method, demonstrating comparable performance to the statistical approach in aerobiological data reconstruction. These findings contribute to advancing aerobiological data analysis, highlighting the need for improving imputation methods.
Landfill leachate: An invisible threat to soil quality of temperate Himalayas
Authors: Islam Shayesta , Bano Haleema , Malik Asif Aziz , Alotaibi Fahad
Published: November 2024

Landfills are the most affordable and popular method for managing waste in many parts of the world, However, in most developing nations, including India, the infiltration of hazardous materials from improperly managed dumping site continues to be a significant environmental problem. Around the world, leachate is a significant point source of contamination in numerous environmental media, including soil, groundwater, and surface water. Soil is an important asset as it is the key factor for food production and has tremendous significance in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). The contaminants from soil enter into food chain and ultimately reach humans. So in order to prevent the adverse effects of toxic elements on humans, there is need to maintain the soil quality and to prevent deterioration. Keeping in view the consequences of unscientific management of waste, the goal of the experiment was to determine how landfill leachate from Achan landfill affected the soil quality in the temperate Himalayas. All four seasons of the year, viz Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, at four sites viz, Center of dumping site, inside, Outside and Control were monitored. Among sites center was found to have maximum value of EC (3.04 dS/m), Moisture content (42.51%), N (285.43 mg/kg), P (70.07 mg/kg), K (265.71 mg/kg), Ca (957.67 mg/kg), Mg(402.42 mg/kg), Zn (2.02 mg/kg), Fe (10.56 mg/kg), Cu (2.07 mg/kg), Mn (10.73 mg/kg), Pb (85.02 mg/kg), Cd (4.50 mg/kg), Ni (29.04 mg/kg), Cr (23.37 mg/kg), As (14.10 mg/kg). While as the lowest value of all parameters was reported at control site. From the study it is recommended that the waste generated is mostly organic (65–75%), thus can be segregated and treated at source. The waste can be treated at source using microbial consortium technology in order to transform the waste in to wealth in a sustainable way and to prevent the deterioration of soil quality.
Carotid intima-media thickness and risk of atherosclerosis in multiple sclerosis: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Najmi Elyar Alizadeh , Mirzaasgari Zahra , Motamed Mohammad Reza , Aslani Armin
Published: November 2024

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by inflammation and demyelination in the central nervous system. Recent studies have suggested a potential association between MS and an increased risk of atherosclerosis, a systemic vascular disease involving arterial wall thickening. Understanding this relationship is crucial, given the heightened cardiovascular risk observed in MS patients.

Objective

To investigate factors influencing the development of atherosclerosis in patients with multiple sclerosis (pwMS), focusing on carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) as a marker.

Methods

114 pwMS (82 females and 32 males) and 127 control subjects (57 females and 70 males) were included. The mean CIMT between the two groups was compared. Additionally, the effects of annual relapse rate, EDSS (Expanded Disability Status Scale), MS duration, treatment duration, and type of Disease-modifying treatment (DMT) on CIMT were evaluated.

Results

This study included 241 participants with a mean (SD) age of 41.13 years (10.93). CIMT was significantly higher in pwMS compared to controls (p < 0.001). Even after adjusting for age, sex, and BMI (Body Mass Index), CIMT remained significantly higher in the pwMS group (p < 0.001). Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed significant associations between CIMT and age, BMI, EDSS score, and disease duration (all p < 0.05). Additionally, the SPMS (Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis) disease course was significantly associated with higher CIMT (p < 0.001). Linear regression analysis identified age as the most significant predictor of increased CIMT in pwMS (p < 0.001), followed by BMI (p = 0.054).

Conclusion

This study demonstrates a significant association between MS and increased CIMT. Additionally, age emerged as the most prominent predictor of high CIMT in pwMS, followed by BMI. These findings suggest a potential link between MS and increased cardiovascular risk. Further research is warranted to explore the underlying mechanisms and investigate the long-term cardiovascular outcomes in this population.
The Cryptococcus neoformans STRIPAK complex controls genome stability, sexual development, and virulence
Authors: Peterson Patricia P. , Choi Jin-Tae , Fu Ci , Cowen Leah E. , Sun Sheng , Bahn Yong-Sun , Heitman Joseph
Published: November 2024

The eukaryotic serine/threonine protein phosphatase PP2A is a heterotrimeric enzyme composed of a scaffold A subunit, a regulatory B subunit, and a catalytic C subunit. Of the four known B subunits, the B”’ subunit (known as striatin) interacts with the multi-protein striatin-interacting phosphatase and kinase (STRIPAK) complex. Orthologs of STRIPAK components were identified in Cryptococcus neoformans, namely PP2AA/Tpd3, PP2AC/Pph22, PP2AB/Far8, STRIP/Far11, SLMAP/Far9, and Mob3. Structural modeling, protein domain analysis, and detected protein-protein interactions suggest C. neoformans STRIPAK is assembled similarly to the human and fungal orthologs. Here, STRIPAK components Pph22, Far8, and Mob3 were functionally characterized. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that mutations in STRIPAK complex subunits lead to increased segmental and chromosomal aneuploidy, suggesting STRIPAK functions in maintaining genome stability. We demonstrate that PPH22 is a haploinsufficient gene: heterozygous PPH22/pph22Δ mutant diploid strains exhibit defects in hyphal growth and sporulation and have a significant fitness disadvantage when grown in competition against a wild-type diploid. Deletion mutants pph22Δ, far8Δ, and mob3Δ exhibit defects in mating and sexual differentiation, including impaired hyphae, basidia, and basidiospore production. Loss of either PPH22 or FAR8 in a haploid background leads to growth defects at 30°C, severely reduced growth at elevated temperature, abnormal cell morphology, and impaired virulence. Additionally, pph22Δ strains frequently accumulate suppressor mutations that result in overexpression of another putative PP2A catalytic subunit, PPG1. The pph22Δ and far8Δ mutants are also unable to grow in the presence of the calcineurin inhibitors cyclosporine A or FK506, and thus these mutations are synthetically lethal with loss of calcineurin activity. Conversely, mob3Δ mutants display increased thermotolerance, capsule production, and melanization, and are hypervirulent in a murine infection model. Taken together, these findings reveal that the C. neoformans STRIPAK complex plays an important role in genome stability, vegetative growth, sexual development, and virulence in this prominent human fungal pathogen.
Notes for a tropicuir curatorship
Authors: Altmayer Guilherme
Published: November 2024

The present article offers some critical reflections derived from a curatorial experience of a sexual and gender dissidence art exhibition called The Bodies Are the Artworks, which took place in Rio de Janeiro, in 2017 – within a decade of major queer insurgence on the streets of Brazil. On a journey that begins by locating my own cis-gay-White-man body – and its limitations – in the process, we look at activist curatorial practices as an agency to bring about queer arts and activism that configure micropolitical tools for the interconnected insurgency of dissident bodies. We look at strategies to guarantee a diversity of perspectives and practices and also equality concerning representation of bodies. The process of putting together the exhibition raised questions such as: What political issues should and could we address? How to deal with representativeness in the face of so many complex and intersectional issues? How do we decide which artists should be present – and therefore which should be excluded? Moves were made to collectivize the curatorial process in order to guarantee a multiplicity of transgressive aesthetic-political artworks and activations as counter-normative strategies.
Cruising the archive: Discovering a queer methodology
Authors: Paige Steven
Published: November 2024

As an artist researcher I am exploring how I orientate my queer body in an archival space. The focus of this article is how my discursive body negotiates archival relations, conflating ‘cruising’ as a method, seeking through intrigue and desire, making connections and disruptions across archival accounts. I am building upon the current dialogues across ‘queering and queered’ archives and this understanding offers a recognition of the visceral relationship that forms when finding and meeting the charged archival items. In seeking through a ‘queer/ed’ approach to creative research, I am acknowledging the ‘distinct knowing of self’ that takes place, where an archive yields to me and me to it. In this case I am recognizing and acknowledging potential relations and partnerships with my own curiously, cruising gaze through the artefacts, be they clearly announced or in the gaps and slippages. This self-perpetuating path, as I seek one queer body after another, one encounter after another, is a possible alternative approach to the normative and historized methods of archival research. The locus of this research is centred through time spent in the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Archive, New York, in June 2023. My approach develops a form of community recognition and building, a renewed discovery of a queer/queered network of sympathies, where both the researcher and archive and the creative opportunities become more porous, affected and meaningful.
The drag of the archive
Authors: Clarke Elly
Published: November 2024

Dragging the Archive: A Personal Re:encounter with Franklin Furnace’s Cyber Beginnings was an exhibition I curated in the Victorian Library at Pratt Institute in New York that showed a range of materials relating to the ‘cyber turn’ the organization took in the mid-1990s and the first few years of Franklin Furnace’s decade-long performance series of work presented online entitled The Future of the Present. Keen to highlight the labour involved with maintaining such an archive, my curatorial approach included weaving in my own personal diary entries from that time to provide a 22-year-old’s perspective of New York at that time; my own photographs of both the archive and the people involved in it; a video I made of never before shown slides of the first two years of the Netcasts, and e-mails revealing the pushback founding director Martha Wilson and her team encountered in this decision to move from being a physical arts organization with a space in downtown Tribeca, to an online organization. A fax from Laurie Anderson expresses dismay at this new mode of presenting work, whilst negotiations with Pseudo Studios revealed how much money was being charged for this pixilated vision of the present moving into the future. This article is a poetic reflection on the personal approach I took to putting this show together a year on, incorporating where I am (was) now (then) as I wrote/write, not very well with lingering COVID-19, feeling myself to be archived, as the digital version of the show lives on. My own labour (for the time being) exhausted.
The Lure of the Social: Encounters with Contemporary Artists, Gretchen Coombs (2021)
Authors: Whelan Fiona
Published: November 2024

Review of: The Lure of the Social: Encounters with Contemporary Artists, Gretchen Coombs (2021)

Bristol: Intellect, 200 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-78938-322-5, p/bk, GBP 34.00
Editorial
Authors: Mututa Addamms
Published: November 2024

In this issue of the Journal of African Cinemas, a mix of transnational and cross-regional scholars discuss documentary cinemas and African stories. Beyond the erstwhile hotly debated question of the positionalities of Global North and Global South in the production of theory, these scholars offer a sutured argumentation that usurps this intellectual duel. The discussions enliven a transnational debate centred on the documentation of Africa in world cinema history, critique and galas. Tangential to this idea of documenting African cinemas is a most respected iconic figure – the late Distinguished Professor Emeritus Kenneth Harrow – who significantly advanced scholarship on African cinemas despite his Global North affiliations. The issue features two Obituaries on Harrow, written by his intellectual peers, celebrating his generous personality and intermediary role as a borderless intellectual. There are also three book reviews. The first is about Kenneth Harrow’s unique book, which correlates African cinema with space and time quantum theories. The second review is on the history of Africa’s sidelined classic cinemas, a book by Lizelle Bisschoff and David Murphy. The third review focuses on a recently published auto-ethnographic scholarship on South Africa’s prolific filmmaker, Richard Green, and a leading scholar, Keyan Tomaselli. All these discussions are closely anchored on global interlinkages in the critique of how Africa is documented in documentary cinemas of human stories and wildlife filmmaking, in Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) generative technologies, and diverse global assemblies.
Sketch Circle: Using collective drawing to illuminate the personal identities of South Koreans
Authors: Sung Karen Jiyun
Published: November 2024

Through practice-based research, I co-developed an illustration method called the Sketch Circle to illuminate a visual definition of self for South Koreans to fill the void left by language. The method merges various participatory methods, such as Empathic and User-Centred Design, Digital Storytelling and Illustration, to empower the participants to sketch their own visual vocabulary that refers to their personal sense of self. The article outlines the methods, trials and iterations that led to the facilitation of illustration as a co-creative method to illuminate the abstract sense of self in South Korean individuals and how drawing served as an alternative form of reflection, reflexion and expression of self among others. The article concludes with how the practice serves as a pilot case for the development of the Sketch Circle method to be used in other participatory illustration research.
Building bridges between images and the tangible world in children’s picturebooks
Authors: Ridolfi Danielle
Published: November 2024

This article examines how pedagogical theories prioritizing objects and direct sensory experiences can be applied to the creation of picturebook illustrations. In response to the need for what illustrator Eric Carle characterizes as a bridge between the tactile world of objects and the world of images, this article proposes an ‘archaeological’ approach to image-making that prioritizes observation, collection and curation of found objects and materials and harnesses those materials as image-making tools and media such that the resulting images actually contain objects instead of just mimetically reproducing them. This exploration builds upon the work of two pedagogues who attempted to unify object-based theories with picture theories – Johann Pestalozzi and Lucy Sprague Mitchell – and uses the threads of their work to weave together recommendations about archaeological image-making strategies best suited for strengthening connections between pictures and the tangible world – namely, photography, collage and tactile enhancements.
Generative AI and illustration: Questions from the field
Authors: Doyle Susan
Published: November 2024

The multi-year international project ‘Illuminating the Non-Representable’ (IN-R) sought to consider the breadth of possibilities in contemporary illustration practice. A question was how, in an ever-more global context, illustration might sensitively communicate concepts of ‘the other’ – meaning persons who do not share heritage or characteristics of the perceived audience or illustrators themselves. With growing AI image generation in 2022, new questions arose regarding types of AI images users were prompting and whether resulting images perpetuate bias inherited through machine learning that is trained on databases already proven to encode bias. This article shares an analysis of a sampling of AI-generated images in response to those questions and includes expert opinions on the benefits and limits of AI creativity, ethical issues related to plagiarism and the unauthorized scraping of copyrighted works into training databases, as well as more generally on the erosion of professional practice that generative AI portends.
The face between us
Authors: Dalager Thilde Louise
Published: November 2024

‘The Face Between Us’ investigates Otherness by examining the gaze and perceptions formed through embodied experiences. Initially focused on the neurotypical gaze on autism, particularly in relation to my brother with Asperger’s syndrome, the research shifted to exploring self-perception and the concepts of ‘us’ and ‘them’. Grounded in the theories of Mulvey, Levinas and Kristeva, and employing autoethnography, the project uses multimedia illustrations, such as animations on mirrors and fog screens, to create an immersive experience. The aim is to highlight the power of our gaze and foster an understanding of our roles as others in different contexts.
Between the global and the national: Reading place and non-place in El hombre de al lado/The Man Next Door (Cohn and Duprat 2009)
Authors: Malagón Camilo A.
Published: November 2024

This article analyses the spatial logic of the Argentine film El hombre de al lado/The Man Next Door (2009) directed by Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat by using Marc Augé’s categories of place and non-place. In the film, neighbours Leonardo and Víctor fight over the building of a window in Víctor’s apartment that will face Leonardo’s home and modern architecture exemplar, the Curutchet House – a house built by renowned architect Le Corbusier. The tension between Leonardo and Víctor can be better understood as a tension between the global and the national, and how their particular perspectives match how they see the Curutchet House itself, either as non-place or place. The article proposes the non-place/anthropological place entanglement as a useful tool to understand how subjects interact with a given space, and how such interactions can be read as favouring one type of relationship or another, space as place or space as non-place, in practices of textual critique. Reading El hombre de al lado, this article pays close attention to how the protagonists, Víctor and Leonardo, occupy space in the film, whether as place or non-place, and read this contingent relationship as a commentary on the tension between the global and the national.
The fugitive image: Deframing, memory and the revolution in Desde La Habana ¡1969! Recordar/From Havana 1969! To Remember (Guillén Landrián 1970)
Authors: Borrego Nils Longueira
Published: November 2024

In 1968, the Cuban government led by Fidel Castro prepared the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the country’s independence wars marked by a notion of history conceived as a teleological process of which the revolution was the culmination. However, in Desde La Habana ¡1969! Recordar/From Havana 1969! To Remember (Guillén Landrián 1970), Landrián replaced the dominant conception of history with a fragmented and immersive sensorial experience. I argue that Landrián’s film staged a radical resistance to the homogenizing enterprise carried out by the official cultural policies in post-revolutionary Cuba. Contrary to the epic tone of Cuban cinema in the 60s, the revolution’s leaders in Landrián’s film are always deframed and displaced towards the margins of the shot, merged into a larger context of chaotic events. Hence, Landrián’s framing produced a dissident practice that introduced alternative temporalities, subjectivities and a unique cinematic experience in Cuban cinema.
Representations of psychoanalysis in Argentine cinema: Psexoanálisis/Psex-analysis (Olivera 1968) and Heroína/Heroine (de la Torre 1972)
Authors: López Martínez Rodrigo
Published: November 2024

This article examines Psexoanálisis/Psex-analysis directed by Héctor Olivera (1968) and Heroína/Heroine directed by Raúl de la Torre (1972) as paradigmatic examples of the cultural relevance of psychoanalysis in Argentina. The depiction of psychoanalytic treatments in these films shows how cinema has been instrumental in turning psychoanalysis into a widespread sociocultural phenomenon beyond the consultation room. Both films turned psychoanalytic themes and motifs into narrative devices and interpretative tools useful to address periods of intense social transformation. While Psexoanálisis’s playful depiction of avant-garde art and the psychoanalytic boom was archetypal of the process of cultural modernization experienced in the mid-1960s, Heroína participated in the broader political radicalization of Argentine society in the early 1970s.
Tradução Portuguesa da Altercatio Hadriani Augusti et Epicteti philosophi
Authors: Abrantes Miguel Carvalho
Published: November 2024

Este artigo é composto por uma breve apresentação da obra hoje conhecida por Altercatio Hadriani Augusti et Epicteti philosophi, de autoria desconhecida, a que se segue uma proposta de tradução do seu texto latino para o Português de Portugal.
Uma leitura de “À Morte de Leandro e Hero” de Manuel Maria Bocage
Authors: Pires dos Santos Touça Gabriel
Published: November 2024

Neste brevíssimo estudo, a atenção centra-se sobre a cantata de Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage, "À Morte de Leandro de Hero", onde se procede à análise da receção do mito clássico de Leandro e Hero por este reconhecido autor do primeiro romatismo português através do seu trabalho estilístico e estético.