bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Disulfide-constrained peptide scaffolds enable a robust peptide-therapeutic discovery platform
Authors: Zhou Lijuan , Cai Fei , Li Yanjie , Gao Xinxin , Wei Yuehua , Fedorova Anna , Kirchhofer Daniel , Hannoush Rami N. , Zhang Yingnan
Published: March 2024

Peptides present an alternative modality to immunoglobulin domains or small molecules for developing therapeutics to either agonize or antagonize cellular pathways associated with diseases. However, peptides often suffer from poor chemical and physical stability, limiting their therapeutic potential. Disulfide-constrained peptides (DCP) are naturally occurring and possess numerous desirable properties, such as high stability, that qualify them as drug-like scaffolds for peptide therapeutics. DCPs contain loop regions protruding from the core of the molecule that are amenable to peptide engineering via direct evolution by use of phage display technology. In this study, we have established a robust platform for the discovery of peptide therapeutics using various DCPs as scaffolds. We created diverse libraries comprising seven different DCP scaffolds, resulting in an overall diversity of 2 x 1011. The effectiveness of this platform for functional hit discovery has been extensively evaluated, demonstrating a hit rate comparable to that of synthetic antibody libraries. By utilizing chemically synthesized and in vitro folded peptides derived from selections of phage displayed DCP libraries, we have successfully generated functional inhibitors targeting the HtrA1 protease. Through affinity maturation strategies, we have transformed initially weak binders against Notch2 with micromolar Kd values to high-affinity ligands in the nanomolar range. This process highlights a viable hit-to-lead progression. Overall, our platform holds significant potential to greatly enhance the discovery of peptide therapeutics.
Willingness and ability to pay for breast cancer treatment among patients from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Demeke Tamiru , Hailemariam Damen , Santos Pablo , Seife Edom , Addissie Adamu , Sven Kroeber Eric , Mikolajczyk Rafael , Silbersack Birgit , Kantelhardt Eva Johanna , Unverzagt Susanne
Published: March 2024

Introduction

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignant neoplasm among women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The willingness and ability to pay (WATP) for treatment is a contributing factor in the utilization of health care services. The World Health Organization Breast Cancer Initiative calls for 80% of patients to complete multimodality treatment and indicates payment as central factor to improve BC outcome. The objectives of this study are to identify how much female BC patients paid in Addis Ababa for BC treatment, their WATP for BC treatment, and the factors that affect WATP.

Methods

The researchers collected data from 204 randomly selected BC patients who were treated in one of four different health facilities (one public and three private) between September 2018 and May 2019. A structured questionnaire was used to assess their WATP for BC treatment and multivariable regression to investigate factors associated with patients’ WATP.

Results

Of interviewed patients, 146 (72%) were at reproductive age. Patients’ median expenditure for all BC treatment services was 336 US dollars (USD) in a public cancer center and 926 USD in privately owned health facilities. These amounts are in contrast with a reported WATP of 50 USD and 149 USD. WATP increased with increasing expenditure (OR 1.43; 95% CI 1.09 to 1.89 per 100 US), educational level (OR 1.37; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.85) and service quality (OR 1.34; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.72). In contrast, a monthly income increase by 100 USD corresponds to a 17% decrease of WATP (OR 0.83; 95% CI 0.70 to 0.99).

Conclusions

We demonstrated that BC treatment was very expensive for patients, and the cost was much higher than their WATP. Thus, we suggest that BC should be included in both social and community-based health insurance plans and treatment fees should consider patients’ WATP.
Penalized Bayesian forward continuation ratio model with application to high-dimensional data with discrete survival outcomes
Authors: Seffernick Anna Eames , Archer Kellie J.
Published: March 2024

While time-to-event data are often continuous, there are several instances where discrete survival data, which are inherently ordinal, may be available or are more appropriate or useful. Several discrete survival models exist, but the forward continuation ratio model with a complementary log-log link has a survival interpretation and is closely related to the Cox proportional hazards model, despite being an ordinal model. This model has previously been implemented in the high-dimensional setting using the ordinal generalized monotone incremental forward stagewise algorithm. Here, we propose a Bayesian penalized forward continuation ratio model with a complementary log-log link and explore different priors to perform variable selection and regularization. Through simulations, we show that our Bayesian model outperformed the existing frequentist method in terms of variable selection performance, and that a 10% prior inclusion probability performed better than 1% or 50%. We also illustrate our model on a publicly available acute myeloid leukemia dataset to identify genomic features associated with discrete survival. We identified nine features that map to ten unique genes, five of which have been previously associated with leukemia in the literature. In conclusion, our proposed Bayesian model is flexible, allows simultaneous variable selection and uncertainty quantification, and performed well in simulation studies and application to real data.
National clinical and financial outcomes associated with acute kidney injury following esophagectomy for cancer
Authors: Ng Ayesha P. , Chervu Nikhil , Branche Corynn , Bakhtiyar Syed Shahyan , Marzban Mehrab , Toste Paul A. , Benharash Peyman
Published: March 2024

Background

Esophagectomy is a complex oncologic operation associated with high rates of postoperative complications. While respiratory and septic complications have been well-defined, the implications of acute kidney injury (AKI) remain unclear. Using a nationally representative database, we aimed to characterize the association of AKI with mortality, resource use, and 30-day readmission.

Methods

All adults undergoing elective esophagectomy with a diagnosis of esophageal or gastric cancer were identified in the 2010–2019 Nationwide Readmissions Database. Study cohorts were stratified based on presence of AKI. Multivariable regressions and Royston-Parmar survival analysis were used to evaluate the independent association between AKI and outcomes of interest.

Results

Of an estimated 40,438 patients, 3,210 (7.9%) developed AKI. Over the 10-year study period, the incidence of AKI increased from 6.4% to 9.7%. Prior radiation/chemotherapy and minimally invasive operations were associated with reduced odds of AKI, whereas public insurance coverage and concurrent infectious and respiratory complications had greater risk of AKI. After risk adjustment, AKI remained independently associated with greater odds of in-hospital mortality (AOR: 4.59, 95% CI: 3.62–5.83) and had significantly increased attributable costs ($112,000 vs $54,000) and length of stay (25.7 vs 13.3 days) compared to patients without AKI. Furthermore, AKI demonstrated significantly increased hazard of 30-day readmission (hazard ratio: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.01–1.32).

Conclusions

AKI after esophagectomy is associated with greater risk of mortality, hospitalization costs, and 30-day readmission. Given the significant adverse consequences of AKI, careful perioperative management to mitigate this complication may improve quality of esophageal surgical care at the national level.
Random forest model in tax risk identification of real estate enterprise income tax
Authors: Xu Chunmei , Kong Yan
Published: March 2024

The text describes improvements made to the random forest model to enhance its distinctiveness in addressing tax risks within the real estate industry, thereby tackling issues related to tax losses. Firstly, the paper introduces the potential application of the random forest model in identifying tax risks. Subsequently, the experimental analysis focuses on the selection of indicators for tax risk. Finally, the paper develops and utilizes actual taxpayer data to test a risk identification model, confirming its effectiveness. The experimental results indicate that the model’s output report includes basic taxpayer information, a summary of tax compliance risks, value-added tax refund situations, directions of suspicious items, and detailed information on common indicators. This paper comprehensively presents detailed taxpayer data, providing an intuitive understanding of tax-related risks. Additionally, the paper reveals the level of enterprise risk registration assessment, risk probability, risk value, and risk assessment ranking. Further analysis shows that enterprise risk points primarily exist in operating income, selling expenses, financial expenses, and total profit. Additionally, the results indicate significant differences between the model’s judgment values and declared values, especially in the high-risk probability of total operating income and profit. This implies a significant underreporting issue concerning corporate income tax for real estate enterprises. Therefore, this paper contributes to enhancing the identification of tax risks for real estate enterprises. Using the optimized random forest model makes it possible to accurately assess enterprises’ tax compliance risks and identify specific risk points.
Colorectal cancer survival disparities in the five regions of Georgia
Authors: Tsai Meng-Han , Cabral Daramola N. , Grunert Caitlyn , Moore Justin X.
Published: March 2024

Background/objective

The objective of this study was to examine 5-year colorectal cancer survival rates. We also determined whether demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatment modality were associated with 5-year CRC survival in the Clayton, West Central, East Central, Southeast, and Northeast Georgia regions because the significant higher CRC mortality rates in these regions in comparison to the overall rates in the State of Georgia.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis using data from the 1975–2016 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program aggregated CRC patients to these five regions. Five-year CRC survival was calculated and stratified by the five regions of Georgia, using the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to examine the mentioned association in these five regions.

Results

Among 11,023 CRC patients, 5-year CRC survival was lowest in Clayton (65.9%) compared to the West Central (69.0%), East Central (68.2%), Southeast (70.5%), and Northeast regions (69.5%) (p-value = 0.02). In multivariable analysis, greater risk of CRC death was found in the Clayton region compared to the West Central (HR, 1.12; 95%, 1.00–1.25) region when adjusting for demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatment modality. Among Clayton Georgians, age of 75+ years (HR, 2.13; 95%, 1.56–2.89), grade 3 & 4 tumors (HR, 2.22; 95%, 1.64–3.00), and distant stage (HR, 20.95; 95%, 15.99–27.45) were negatively associated with CRC survival.

Conclusion

We observed place-based differences in CRC survival with significantly lower survival rates in the Clayton region. Factors associated with higher risk of CRC death include older age at diagnosis, high-grade tumors, and distant stage CRC among Clayton Georgians. Our study provides important evidence to all relevant stakeholders in furthering the development of culturally tailored CRC screening interventions aimed at CRC early detection and improved outcomes.
The VertiGO! Trial protocol: A prospective, single-center, patient-blinded study to evaluate efficacy and safety of prolonged daily stimulation with a multichannel vestibulocochlear implant prototype in bilateral vestibulopathy patients
Authors: Vermorken Bernd L. , Volpe Benjamin , van Boxel Stan C. J. , Stultiens Joost J. A. , van Hoof Marc , Marcellis Rik , Loos Elke , van Soest Alexander , McCrum Chris , Meijer Kenneth , Guinand Nils , Pérez Fornos Angélica , van Rompaey Vincent , Devocht Elke , van de Berg Raymond
Published: March 2024

Background

A combined vestibular (VI) and cochlear implant (CI) device, also known as the vestibulocochlear implant (VCI), was previously developed to restore both vestibular and auditory function. A new refined prototype is currently being investigated. This prototype allows for concurrent multichannel vestibular and cochlear stimulation. Although recent studies showed that VCI stimulation enables compensatory eye, body and neck movements, the constraints in these acute study designs prevent them from creating more general statements over time. Moreover, the clinical relevance of potential VI and CI interactions is not yet studied. The VertiGO! Trial aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of prolonged daily motion modulated stimulation with a multichannel VCI prototype.

Methods

A single-center clinical trial will be carried out to evaluate prolonged VCI stimulation, assess general safety and explore interactions between the CI and VI. A single-blind randomized controlled crossover design will be implemented to evaluate the efficacy of three types of stimulation. Furthermore, this study will provide a proof-of-concept for a VI rehabilitation program. A total of minimum eight, with a maximum of 13, participants suffering from bilateral vestibulopathy and severe sensorineural hearing loss in the ear to implant will be included and followed over a five-year period. Efficacy will be evaluated by collecting functional (i.e. image stabilization) and more fundamental (i.e. vestibulo-ocular reflexes, self-motion perception) outcomes. Hearing performance with a VCI and patient-reported outcomes will be included as well.

Discussion

The proposed schedule of fitting, stimulation and outcome testing allows for a comprehensive evaluation of the feasibility and long-term safety of a multichannel VCI prototype. This design will give insights into vestibular and hearing performance during VCI stimulation. Results will also provide insights into the expected daily benefit of prolonged VCI stimulation, paving the way for cost-effectiveness analyses and a more comprehensive clinical implementation of vestibulocochlear stimulation in the future.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04918745. Registered 28 April 2021.
Metabolomic response to acute resistance exercise in healthy older adults by 1H-NMR
Authors: Moosavi Darya , Vuckovic Ivan , Kunz Hawley E. , Lanza Ian R.
Published: March 2024

Background

The favorable health-promoting adaptations to exercise result from cumulative responses to individual bouts of physical activity. Older adults often exhibit anabolic resistance; a phenomenon whereby the anabolic responses to exercise and nutrition are attenuated in skeletal muscle. The mechanisms contributing to age-related anabolic resistance are emerging, but our understanding of how chronological age influences responsiveness to exercise is incomplete. The objective was to determine the effects of healthy aging on peripheral blood metabolomic response to a single bout of resistance exercise and whether any metabolites in circulation are predictive of anabolic response in skeletal muscle.

Methods

Thirty young (20–35 years) and 49 older (65–85 years) men and women were studied in a cross-sectional manner. Participants completed a single bout of resistance exercise consisting of eight sets of 10 repetitions of unilateral knee extension at 70% of one-repetition maximum. Blood samples were collected before exercise, immediately post exercise, and 30-, 90-, and 180-minutes into recovery. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to profile circulating metabolites at all timepoints. Serial muscle biopsies were collected for measuring muscle protein synthesis rates.

Results

Our analysis revealed that one bout of resistance exercise elicits significant changes in 26 of 33 measured plasma metabolites, reflecting alterations in several biological processes. Furthermore, 12 metabolites demonstrated significant interactions between exercise and age, including organic acids, amino acids, ketones, and keto-acids, which exhibited distinct responses to exercise in young and older adults. Pre-exercise histidine and sarcosine were negatively associated with muscle protein synthesis, as was the pre/post-exercise fold change in plasma histidine.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that while many exercise-responsive metabolites change similarly in young and older adults, several demonstrate age-dependent changes even in the absence of evidence of sarcopenia or frailty.

Trial registration

Clinical trial registry: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03350906.
How negative self-views may interfere with building positive relationships: An experimental analogue of identity dysfunction in borderline personality disorder
Authors: van Schie Charlotte C. , Whiting Laura , Grenyer Brin F. S.
Published: March 2024

Introduction

A disturbed, negative sense of self is associated with various interpersonal difficulties and is characteristic of disorders such as borderline personality disorder (BPD). Negative self-views may affect an individuals’ ability to build positive relationships, including a therapeutic relationship. However, it is not yet well understood how identity disturbances give rise to interpersonal difficulties. Using an experimental analogue design, we tested whether identity disturbances are associated with interpersonal difficulties.

Methods

Participants were university students (N = 43, age M = 20.51 (SD = 3.08), women N = 32 (74.4%)) who reported moderate to high levels of BPD features, with 34.9% reporting significant BPD features as measured by the Borderline scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI-BOR). In a within-subject experimental paradigm using a Social Feedback Task, participants received negative, intermediate, and positive evaluations, supposedly from a panel. Using multilevel models, we tested whether negative self-views were associated with how much the participants liked, trusted, and felt close to each of the three panel members who provided either predominantly negative, intermediate, or positive feedback.

Results

People with more negative self-views reported lower mood in response to positive feedback. In addition, where people with more positive self-views felt better when receiving feedback that was congruent with their self-views, people with more negative self-views did not report a better mood. Importantly, people with negative self-views felt lower desire to affiliate with the member who provided predominantly positive feedback. Affiliation was not affected when feedback was given by the negative member and intermediate member to those with negative self-views.

Conclusions

The findings validated that those with more negative self-views anticipated and expected more negative responses from others. Negative self-views, as relevant for BPD, may explain how people relate differently to those giving different types of feedback. Pervasive negative self-views may interfere with building new relationships including the therapeutic alliance. It may be helpful for clinicians to be aware of the potential challenges around creating a supportive therapeutic relationship for patients with negative self-views. Overly positive affirmations made by clinicians may inadvertently lower the patient’s mood and may impede alliance formation.
Research on the coupling relationship and interaction between urbanization and eco-environment in urban agglomerations: A case study of the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration
Authors: Wu Weilong , Huang Ying , Zhang Yuzhou , Zhou Bo
Published: March 2024

Urban agglomerations are emerging as new regional units for national participation in global competition and the international division of labor. However, they face increasingly severe resource and eco-environment pressures during urbanization. The coordination of the relationship between urbanization and the eco-environment has attracted global attention. In this study, we used Coupling Coordination Degree and Vector Autoregression models to examine the dynamic evolution, coupling relationships, coordinated development patterns, and interaction mechanisms between urbanization and the eco-environment. The results indicate that: (1) The level of urbanization in the Chengdu-Chongqing Urban agglomeration was relatively low, and the region showed a good eco-environment background. However, rapid urbanization is gradually straining the carrying capacity of the eco-environment. (2) A close and stable coupling relationship exists between urbanization and the eco-environment, which has reached an advanced coupling stage. The status of coordinated development among cities differs considerably, and multiple stable forms may exist simultaneously. (3) Urbanization has a substantial impact on environmental changes, whereas the restrictive effect of the eco-environment on urbanization development is not particularly notable. (4) Various interactive relationships exist between the urbanization and eco-environment subsystems, including positive promotion and negative constraint effects. The positive promotion effect mainly manifests between the economic, social, and ecological response subsystems, while the negative constraint effect is most evident in the mutual coercion and inhibition between the regional urbanization, economic urbanization, ecological status, and ecological pressure subsystems. These findings have important policy implications for decision makers exploring the path of coordinated and sustainable development in urbanization and the eco-environment in Urban agglomerations.
A novel sORF gene mutant strain of Yersinia pestis vaccine EV76 offers enhanced safety and improved protection against plague
Authors: Guo Xiao , Xin Youquan , Tong Zehui , Cao Shiyang , Zhang Yuan , Wu Gengshan , Chen Hongyan , Wang Tong , Song Yajun , Zhang Qingwen , Yang Ruifu , Du Zongmin
Published: March 2024

We recently identified two virulence-associated small open reading frames (sORF) of Yersinia pestis, named yp1 and yp2, and null mutants of each individual genes were highly attenuated in virulence. Plague vaccine strain EV76 is known for strong reactogenicity, making it not suitable for use in humans. To improve the immune safety of EV76, three mutant strains of EV76, Δyp1, Δyp2, and Δyp1&yp2 were constructed and their virulence attenuation, immunogenicity, and protective efficacy in mice were evaluated. All mutant strains were attenuated by the subcutaneous (s.c.) route and exhibited more rapid clearance in tissues than the parental strain EV76. Under iron overload conditions, only the mice infected with EV76Δyp1 survived, accompanied by less draining lymph nodes damage than those infected by EV76. Analysis of cytokines secreted by splenocytes of immunized mice found that EV76Δyp2 induced higher secretion of multiple cytokines including TNF-α, IL-2, and IL-12p70 than EV76. On day 42, EV76Δyp2 or EV76Δyp1&yp2 immunized mice exhibited similar protective efficacy as EV76 when exposed to Y. pestis 201, both via s.c. or intranasal (i.n.) routes of administration. Moreover, when exposed to 200–400 LD50 Y. pestis strain 201Δcaf1 (non-encapsulated Y. pestis), EV76Δyp2 or EV76Δyp1&yp2 are able to afford about 50% protection to i.n. challenges, significantly better than the protection afforded by EV76. On 120 day, mice immunized with EV76Δyp2 or EV76Δyp1&yp2 cleared the i.n. challenge of Y. pestis 201-lux as quickly as those immunized with EV76, demonstrating 90–100% protection. Our results demonstrated that deletion of the yp2 gene is an effective strategy to attenuate virulence of Y. pestis EV76 while improving immunogenicity. Furthermore, EV76Δyp2 is a promising candidate for conferring protection against the pneumonic and bubonic forms of plague.
Hacking new musical instruments and considerations of disability in design
Authors: Bell Adam Patrick , Bonin David
Published: March 2024

We report our findings of an instrumental case study of the ‘New Musical Instruments Hackathon’, which was hosted by Monthly Music Hackathon New York City. Our article commences with an overview of research literature on hackathons in general and then proceeds with a discussion of research on making accessible musical instruments, which occurs in multiple fields. Following, we outline our methodological approach that employed video-recorded observations and semi-structured interviews to examine how participants displayed and discussed hacking new musical instruments, and how, if at all, they designed with disability in mind. Our findings provide a description of the various activities that took place over the course of the hackathon event, two vignettes that detail the working processes of participants working on projects, and participants’ responses to semi-structured interview questions. While we are situated in the field of music education, our theoretical framework is rooted in disability studies, and our findings from this study may be applicable to those with an interest in the intersection of disability, music and technology. Our analyses and discussion confirm how many of the activities that occurred within this hackathon align with previous research on non-music hackathons; however, there are some notable differences that may be attributable to music hackathons and/or this specific hacking community in New York City. Finally, we make clear the conspicuous absence of design discussions and actions that centre disability and how this issue might be addressed in future research and practice.
Fortuna / desfortuna de los conversos sevillanos ante el establecimiento de la Inquisición. Dinámica histórica y casuística varia
Authors: Montes Romero-Camacho Isabel
Published: March 2024

Como es sabido, 1391 significó un antes y un después para la mayor parte de las aljamas judías hispanas. Las consecuencias de los asaltos a las juderías fueron múltiples y de largo alcance, siendo las principales de ellas la muerte, el destierro y la conversión. Como consecuencia de ello, la Andalucía Bética se convirtió en una de las regiones de la corona de Castilla con un mayor número de judeoconversos, circunstancia que podría explicar los acontecimientos que se desarrollaron durante el siglo XV y que, entre otras cosas, determinaría a los Reyes Católicos a establecer la Inquisición en Sevilla, lo que tuvo lugar en 1480, con lo que, una vez más, la ciudad del Guadalquivir se situaba a la vanguardia de todo lo relacionado con la minoría hebrea. Trataremos de sintetizar las muchas e importantes consecuencias que el establecimiento de la Inquisición tuvo para los conversos sevillanos, para lo que, en primer lugar, nos referiremos a la dinámica histórica de la instauración de la Inquisición, durante el reinado de los Reyes Católicos, en la que Sevilla y sus conversos tuvieron un gran protagonismo, para seguidamente tratar de resumir sus principales consecuencias, tales como la muerte o el encarcelamiento, el destierro, la desarticulación familiar o la inhabilitación de cargos y oficios, con la consiguiente confiscación de bienes, todo lo cual marcó el destino trágico de un buen número de conversos y de sus familias. Como contrapartida, muchos de estos conversos judaizantes, que fueron perseguidos por la Inquisición, consiguieron rehabilitarse y recuperar sus vidas y fortunas, mientras que otros tantos conversos, tenidos por cristianos ortodoxos, nunca fueron acusados ante la Inquisición. Tratar de aproximarnos a esta compleja y poliédrica realidad, es nuestro principal objetivo en las páginas que siguen.
Pagar al rei a Biar en la Baixa Edat Mitjana. Les rendes reials i la seua gestió en una vila valenciana (segles XIV-XV)
Authors: Payá Sanchis José Vicente
Published: March 2024

El present article tracta de recollir els aspectes més importants de la fiscalitat de la vila de Biar durant la Baixa Edat Mitjana. Es tracta d’un treball sobre història social, on se segueix l’activitat dels recaptadors i dels gestors de les diverses rendes i impostos que es cobraven: els delmes, les regalies, impostos directes (com la peita o la cena), impostos extraordinaris, etc. Coneixerem els beneficis que n’obtenien, i el lligam que els unia a l’oligarquia municipal, convertint-los en una de les bases socials del poder reial. També estudiarem el creixement econòmic que experimentarà la vila de Biar al llarg del segle XV per causa de l’augment dels ingressos que generarà la principal renda de la Corona (el terç-delme) i per la moltura i la distribució dels cereals (molins i forns). S’aporta una extensa collita de dades, que estimula la seua reflexió i, al mateix temps, s’ofereix una visió de la societat d’aquell moment històric. A més a més, s’aporten dades que s’han pogut extraure de la col·lecció de pergamins de l’Arxiu Històric Municipal de Biar (AHMB). Pergamins que fan referència a l’economia i la fiscalitat de la vila com: àpoques, censals i quitaments, impostos i pagaments, salaris dels càrrecs municipals i escrivanies, exoneració del pagament de la peita per privilegis reials, establiment de regalies i aspectes sobre aigua, molins i la conflictivitat que ocasionava el seu ús per a tasques de regadiu.
La Justicia: ni ciega ni sorda. Consideraciones sobre el universo visual y sonoro de la Russkaya Pravda a partir de un análisis sensorial
Authors: Becchi Pedro Martin
Published: March 2024

En el presente artículo se propone un estudio de la Russkaya Pravda (ru. Правда Руськая, «verdad rusa» o «ley rusa») desde una perspectiva de la historia sensorial. La Pravda es un conjunto de fuentes legales datadas entre los siglos XI y XII, que, sin embargo, se anclan en tradiciones legales anteriores, producidas en el territorio de las actuales Rusia, Ucrania y Belarús. En su estructura interna, la Pravda posee un sistema axiomático de ofensas y penas, en su mayoría económicas. La versión corta consta de 48 artículos y la versión larga contiene hasta 121 artículos. A manera de introducción, proponemos un breve estado de la cuestión de las unidades temáticas donde el presente análisis se inscribe; la Rus de Kiev (siglos IX-XIII), entidad socio histórica del este europeo medieval, la historia sensorial con los cambios operados en los últimos tiempos historiográficos, y los análisis efectuados a la Pravda desde la historia legal y social de las historiografías eslavas. Por un lado, nos interesa contribuir a la construcción del universo sensorial de la experiencia socio-histórica conocida como Rus de Kiev, fundamental para la historia del este europeo medieval, territorio que aún no ha sido explorado desde el punto de vista de los sentidos. Por otro lado, buscamos entender particularmente cómo este universo sensorial tiene una puesta en escena específica para el caso de la ley y los procesos jurídicos. Para ello utilizamos la metodología propuesta por la historia sensorial para el análisis específico de dos sentidos: la audición y la vista. Al final del artículo, propondremos un listado de breves conclusiones sobre la naturaleza sensorial de la ley rusa.
Single and Combined Algorithms for Open Set Classification on Image Datasets
Authors: Al-Shouha Modafar , Szűcs Gábor
Published: March 2024

Generally, classification models have closed nature, and they are constrained by the number of classes in the training data. Hence, classifying "unknown" - OOD (out-of-distribution) - samples is challenging, especially in the so called "open set" problem. We propose and investigate different solutions - single and combined algorithms - to tackle this task, where we use and expand a K-classifier to be able to identify K+1 classes. They do not require any retraining or modification on the K-classifier architecture. We show their strengths when avoiding type I or type II errors is fundamental. We also present a mathematical representation for the task to estimate the K+1 classification accuracy, and an inequality that defines its boundaries. Additionally, we introduce a formula to calculate the exact K+1 classification accuracy.
A tanuláshoz, a tankönyvi szövegek megértéséhez nélkülözhetetlen szókincs játékos, számítógép-alapú, személyre szabott fejlesztése 2-4. évfolyamon
Authors: Habók Anita , Magyar Andrea , Molnár Gyöngyvér
Published: March 2024

Az olvasás a szavak és a szöveg jelentésének megértésén alapuló, többféle tevékenység párhuzamos elvégzését igénylő komplex folyamat. Alsó tagozaton az olvasástanítás fokozott figyelmet kap, beépül a magyar nyelv és irodalom órák menetébe. Több hangsúlyt kapnak a szómagyarázatok, a szövegértelmezések. Későbbi évfolyamokon több a tanulnivaló és ezzel az értelmezendő szöveg, így a tanulók között a tanulási teljesítményben is egyre inkább megjelennek a különbségek. Az olvasás-szövegértés fejlesztésének egy igen hatékony eszköze a szókincsfejlesztés, specifikusan azon szavak olvasásának és értésének fejlesztése, amelyre a diákoknak az iskolai tanulás során szükségük lesz. Kutatásunk célja egy olyan átfogó online szókincsfejlesztő program kidolgozása, amely az általános iskola nyolc évfolyamán alkalmazott tankönyvekben előforduló leggyakoribb több mint tízezer szavas korpuszra épít, és amely segítségével iskolai vagy iskolán kívüli keretek között megvalósítható a diákok személyre szabott fejlesztése a játékalapú tanulás eszközeivel. Kontrollcsoportos kutatás keretein belül tartalomfüggetlen és tartalomba ágyazott feladattípusok segítségével monitoroztuk a fejlesztő program hatását 2-4. évfolyamos tanulók körében. A mérőtesztek reliabilitásmutatója megfelelőnek bizonyult minden évfolyamon és minden feladattípusban. Összességében mind a fejlesztésbe bevont tanulók, mind a kontrollcsoportban résztvevő tanulók szignifikáns fejlődést mutattak a fejlesztési időszak végére, ami a kiválasztott korosztály fejlesztés iránti szenzitivitását mutatja. Az utóteszten a 3. és 4. évfolyamosok eredménye között a tartalomtól függetlenül mérő feladatok esetében nem jelentkezett szignifikáns különbség. A kontrollcsoportban a 2. évfolyamon a tartalomba ágyazott feladattípus az utóteszten is nehezebbnek bizonyult, ellentétben a fejlesztőcsoport eredményeivel, akik szignifikánsan jobban teljesítettek a fejlesztés végére ebben a feladattípusban. A kutatás jelentősége, hogy a szókincsfejlesztő program lehetővé teszi az általános iskolai tankönyvi szókészlet játékos, számítógép alapú elsajátítását, ami jelentős mértékben hozzájárulhat az olvasás-szövegértés fejlesztéséhez és a tanulási hatékonyság növeléséhez.
Viruses and Bacteria – Antiviral and Antibacterial Textile Materials: A Review
Authors: Hosseini Kalahroodi Kimiasadat , Shahidi Sheila , Moazzenchi Bahareh , Mongkholrattanasit Rattanaphol
Published: March 2024

Protective textiles, such as antiviral and antimicrobial textiles, are essential for daily human health during pandemics. This paper focused on different studies of bacteria, the classification of viruses and features, different antibacterial and antiviral agents, and the manufacture of antibacterial and antiviral textiles and masks. This review primarily considered the representative specifications of ideal antiviral agents compatible with antimicrobial textile purposes.
Foliar Application of Humic Acid on Growth and Biomass Improvement of Bok Choy and Red Leaf Lettuce
Authors: Anandakumar Selvaraj , Ranjith Sellappan , Senthamilselvi Dhandapani , Rajadurai Gothandaraman , Sivakumar Kaliyannan
Published: March 2024

Humic acid (HA) is an organic product that is applied as a foliar spray to stimulate the growth and health of various horticultural and agricultural crops. However, its impact on the growth, yield, and health of exotic vegetable crops such as bok choy (Brassica rapa L.) and red leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) needs to be further explored. The current study aimed to assess the impact of foliar application of HA on the growth and biomass production of bok choy and red leaf lettuce. Notably, the foliar spray of 2% HA resulted in increased plant height, leaf length and width, leaf area, and overall plant biomass production in both bok choy and red leaf lettuce compared to the control group. However, the foliar spray of HA did not significantly affect the shoot and root length, nor the number of leaves of bok choy compared to a control. Moreover, the application of HA significantly improved the shoot length and the number of leaves of red leaf lettuce compared to the control group. Hence, HA emerges as a promising natural resource for enhancing agricultural production sustainably. It could serve as a superior growth enhancer for both bok choy and red leaf lettuce.
“Nonnative? Next!” Native-speakerism in world language job advertisements
Authors: Thompson Amy S. , Asanov Emil
Published: March 2024

Given the lack of research into native-speakerism among teachers of languages other than English (LOTEs), this qualitative study aims to bridge the gap by investigating the discriminatory and inclusive language employed in online recruitment for post-secondary institution instructors of LOTEs. The study also looks at how post-secondary institutions phrase language requirements and whether there is a difference in “native-speaker-teacher” bias depending on the language. For the purposes of this study, qualitative content analysis was used to examine 187 online job advertisements for teaching positions of different LOTEs that were posted by different post-secondary institutions across the United States. The findings of the study show that post-secondary institutions use discriminatory language such as “native” or “near-native” much more often than inclusive language such as “superior language skills,” regardless of the language(s) that the position advertises for. The findings, however, show that job candidates for teaching positions of LOTEs are often required to have “native” or “near-native” proficiency in at least two languages, most commonly English plus the target language of focus.
Task-based elementary Spanish in rural Indiana: A practice-based collaboration
Authors: Gurzynski-Weiss Laura , Wray Madison , Coulter-Kern Mackenzie , Bernardo Johana
Published: March 2024

Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States and the most taught additional language (L2) in elementary-level schools. However, the amount and type of access differs according to the resources available. Rural settings, which comprise a third of all schools in the US, often have fewer resources and support for the development and maintenance of exposure-track L2 programs, which meet once per week with the goal of, as the name suggests, providing exposure to the L2, rather than a focus on cumulative language development. Given that there are immediate and long-term benefits of even low levels of early bilingualism, ensuring access to quality L2 education is a matter of equity. This paper centers on the first year of a longitudinal collaboration between an exposure-track Spanish language teacher in a rural elementary school, and the research team who created a task-based program tailored for the school following a needs analysis. We analyze the first year of the grant-funded program based on task effectiveness, student enjoyment, and teacher perspectives. We contextualize results within the rural community and offer initial longitudinal data on US exposure-track Spanish. We detail how we adjusted the program for the second year, are freely sharing the materials on the Task Bank (tblt.indiana.edu) and have transferred the program to the teacher’s autonomy. Finally, we highlight that the success of this program was and is due to the collaborative nature of the partnership between the teacher, the researchers, and the administrators.
Starving the Wolf: Olga Stefan’s Gestures of Resistance
Authors: Randall Herbert Franklin
Published: March 2024

This review discusses Olga Stefan’s 2019 documentary Gestures of Resistance, featuring interviews with Holocaust survivors who highlight lesser-known resistance movements from Central and Eastern Europe.
A high-selectivity ceramic bandpass filter with controllable transmission zeros
Authors: Fang Yingxuan , Yu Mengxia , Zhang Xiaochuan , Zhang Rou , Ma Jing
Published: March 2024

This paper proposes a microstrip filter with controllable transmission zeros based on the λ/4 stepped impedance resonator. This filter utilizes hybrid electric-magnetic coupling to generate transmission zeros, which can improve selectivity and stop-band performance. A fifth-order filter is designed and manufactured on a ceramic substrate with a center frequency of 26 GHz, bandwidth of 2 GHz and the signal suppression level is better than 42.51 dB from 10 to 22.8 GHz and 48.23 dB from 29.1 to 40 GHz. Furthermore, the proposed filter has a compact size of 2.074 × 1.071 mm (0.566λ

g
 × 0.292λ

g
).
Exploring the Social Context of Self-directed Learning in the Contemporary Workplace
Authors: Hrabalová Veronika , Urban Kamila
Published: March 2024

The evolving landscape of workforce learning underscores the increasing importance of self-directed learning (SDL) within business organizations. SDL shifts the learning responsibility to learners themselves, requiring self-control, self-management, and autonomous motivation. Despite its numerous benefits for both business organizations and workers, it is challenged by the varying degrees of workers’ individual self-direction. This literature review aims to articulate the significance of social context – the support from leaders and peers – in facilitating workers’ SDL. It highlights leader autonomy support as the key factor of fostering workers’ autonomous motivation in SDL. Moreover, it examines the role of learner-peer interactions, including help, feedback, and information seeking, as specific aspects of peer support. These interactions further facilitate positive attitudes towards SDL and advance problem-solving, potentially leading to collaborative learning. The literature review is concluded by outlining possible future research directions.
Periodic analysis of scenic spot passenger flow based on combination neural network prediction model
Authors: Yin Fang
Published: March 2024

To prevent in a short time the rapid increase of tourists and corresponding traffic restriction measures’ lack in scenic areas, this study established a prediction model based on an improved convolutional neural network (CNN) and long- and short-term memory (LSTM) combined neural network. The study used this to predict the inflow and outflow of tourists in scenic areas. The model uses a residual unit, batch normalization, and principal component analysis to improve the CNN. The experimental results show that the model works best when batches’ quantity is 10, neurons’ quantity in the LSTM layer is 50, and the number of iterations is 50 on a workday; on non-working days, it is best to choose 10, 100, or 50. Using root mean square error (RMSE), normalized root mean square error (NRMSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and mean absolute error (MAE) as evaluation indicators, the inflow and outflow RMSEs of this study model are 82.51 and 89.80, MAEs are 26.92 and 30.91, NRMSEs are 3.99 and 3.94, and MAPEs are 1.55 and 1.53. Among the various models, this research model possesses the best prediction function. This provides a more accurate prediction method for the prediction of visitors’ flow rate in scenic spots. Meanwhile, the research model is also conducive to making corresponding flow-limiting measures to protect the ecology of the scenic area.
Medulloblastoma in a child with osteoma cutis – a rare association due to loss of GNAS expression
Authors: Suntharesan Jananie , Lyulcheva-Bennett Ekaterina , Hart Rachel , Pizer Barry , Hayden James , Ramakrishnan Renuka
Published: March 2024

Objectives

Inactivating GNAS mutations result in varied phenotypes depending on parental origin. Maternally inherited mutations typically lead to hormone resistance and Albright's hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO), characterised by short stature, round facies, brachydactyly and subcutaneous ossifications. Paternal inheritance presents with features of AHO or ectopic ossification without hormone resistance. This report describes the case of a child with osteoma cutis and medulloblastoma. The objective of this report is to highlight the emerging association between inactivating germline GNAS mutations and medulloblastoma, aiming to shed light on its implications for tumor biology and promote future development of targeted surveillance strategies to improve outcomes in paediatric patients with these mutations.

Case presentation

A 12-month-old boy presented with multiple plaque-like skin lesions. Biopsy confirmed osteoma cutis, prompting genetic testing which confirmed a heterozygous inactivating GNAS mutation. At 2.5 years of age, he developed neurological symptoms and was diagnosed with a desmoplastic nodular medulloblastoma, SHH molecular group, confirmed by MRI and histology. Further analysis indicated a biallelic loss of GNAS in the tumor.

Conclusions

This case provides important insights into the role of GNAS as a tumor suppressor and the emerging association between inactivating GNAS variants and the development of medulloblastoma. The case underscores the importance of careful neurological assessment and ongoing vigilance in children with known inactivating GNAS variants or associated phenotypes. Further work to establish genotype–phenotype correlations is needed to inform optimal management of these patients.
Tackling access and payer barriers for growth hormone therapy in Saudi Arabia: a consensus statement for the Saudi Working Group for Pediatric Endocrinology
Authors: Attia Najya , Moussa Khairya , Altwaim Abdulaziz , Al-Agha Abdulmoein Eid , Amir Ashraf A. , Almuhareb Aseel
Published: March 2024

Prompt diagnosis and early treatment are key goals to optimize the outcomes of children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and attain the genetically expected adult height. Nonetheless, several barriers can hinder prompt diagnosis and treatment of GHD, including payer-related issues. In Saudi Arabia, moderate-to-severe short stature was reported in 13.1 and 11.7 % of healthy boys and girls, respectively. Several access and payer barriers can face pediatric endocrinologists during the diagnosis and treatment of GHD in Saudi Arabia. Insurance coverage policies can restrict access to diagnostic tests for GHD and recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) due to their high costs and lack of gold-standard criteria. Some insurance policies may limit the duration of treatment with rhGH or the amount of medication covered per month. This consensus article gathered the insights of pediatric endocrinologists from Saudi Arabia to reflect the access and payer barriers to the diagnostic tests and treatment options of children with short stature. We also discussed the current payer-related challenges endocrinologists face during the investigations of children with short stature. The consensus identified potential strategies to overcome these challenges and optimize patient management.
Crystal structure of (E)-N′-(4-((E)-3-(dimethylamino)acryloyl)-3-hydroxyphenyl)-N, N-dimethylformimidamide, C14H19N3O2
Authors: Li Wei-Zhong , Xu Lian-Hua , Liang Chun-Bo , Wang Hua-Bin
Published: March 2024

C14H19N3O2, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 8.62239(12) Å, b = 15.3515(3) Å, c = 10.86408(16) Å, β = 99.5170(14)°, V = 1418.25(4) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt
(F) = 0.0452, wRref
(F
2) = 0.1354, T = 295.52(10) K.
Synthesis and crystal structure of 4-(4-cyclopropylnaphthalen-1-yl)-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione, C15H13N3S
Authors: Hui-lei Zeng , Ying He , Ding-Wa Zhang , Xiu-Guang Yi , Zhi-Qiang Yi
Published: March 2024

C15H13N3S, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 9.9017(6) Å, b = 11.7665(6) Å, c = 11.6065(8) Å, β = 96.262(6)°, V = 1344.19(14) Å3, Z = 4, R
gt(F) = 0.0443, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.1204, T = 296(2) K.
The crystal structure of (E)-2-chloro-5-((2-(nitromethylene)imidazolidin-1-yl)methyl)pyridine, C10H11ClN4O2
Authors: Chen Zhen , Guo Kang , Sun Yanwen , Liu Chang , Li Sijun
Published: March 2024

C10H11ClN4O2, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 12.7802(17) Å, b = 7.6211(12) Å, c = 12.0486(17) Å, β = 95.551(4)°, V = 1168.0(3) Å3, Z = 4, R

gt
(F) = 0.0562, wR

ref
(F
2) = 0.1172, T = 273(2) K.