bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Humanistic and economic burden associated with depression in the United States: a cross-sectional survey analysis
Authors: Jain Saundra , Gupta Shaloo , Li Vicky W. , Suthoff Ellison , Arnaud Alix
Published: August 2022

Background

Depression (major depressive disorder [MDD]) affects the functioning of patients in many facets of life. Very few large-scale studies to date have compared health and economic related outcomes of those with versus without depression, and across various depression severity groups. We aimed to evaluate humanistic and economic burden in respondents with and without depression diagnosis, and across symptom severity groups.

Methods

Data from the 2017 US National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS) were utilized. Of the adult respondents (N = 75,004), 59,786 were < 65 years old. Respondents not meeting eligibility criteria were excluded (e.g., those self-reporting bipolar disorder or experiencing depression in past 12 months but no depression diagnosis). Overall, data from 39,331 eligible respondents (aged 18–64 years) were analyzed; and comprised respondents ‘with depression diagnosis’ (n = 8853; self-reporting physician diagnosis of depression and experiencing depression in past 12 months) and respondents ‘without depression diagnosis’ (n = 30,478; no self-reported physician diagnosis of depression and not experiencing depression). Respondents with depression were further examined across depression severity based on Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Outcome measures included health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL; Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form [SF-36v2]: mental and physical component summary [MCS and PCS]; Short-Form 6 Dimensions [SF-6D]; and EuroQol 5 Dimensions [EQ-5D]), work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI), and health resource utilization (HRU). Multivariate analysis was performed to examine group differences after adjusting covariates.

Results

Respondents with depression diagnosis reported significantly higher rates of diagnosed anxiety and sleep problems versus those without depression (for both; P < 0.001). Adjusted MCS, PCS, SF-6D, and EQ-5D scores were significantly lower in respondents with depression versus those without depression (all P < 0.001). Consistently, respondents with depression reported higher absenteeism, presenteeism, and overall WPAI, as well as greater number of provider visits, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations compared with those without depression (all P < 0.001). Further, burden of each outcome increased with an increase in disease severity.

Conclusions

Diagnosed depression was associated with lower health-related quality-of-life and work productivity, and higher healthcare utilization than those without depression, and burden increased with an increase in symptom severity. The results show the burden of depression remains high even among those experiencing minimal symptoms.
Adverse childhood experiences are associated with a higher risk for increased depressive symptoms during Covid-19 pandemic – a cross-sectional study in Germany
Authors: Clemens Vera , Köhler-Dauner Franziska , Keller Ferdinand , Ziegenhain Ute , Fegert Jörg M.
Published: August 2022

Background

Covid-19 pandemic has been profoundly affecting people around the world. While contact restrictions, school closures and economic shutdown were effective to reduce infection rates, these measures go along with high stress for many individuals. Persons who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have an increased risk for mental health problems already under normal conditions. As ACEs can be associated with a higher vulnerability to stress we aimed to assess the role of ACEs on depressive symptoms during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Methods

In a cross-sectional online survey, 1399 participants above the age of 18 years were included during the first lockdown in Germany. Via two-way repeated measures ANOVA, differences in depressive symptoms before (retrospectively assessed) and during the pandemic were analyzed. Linear regression analyses were performed in order to identify predictors for increase of depressive symptoms.

Results

Compared to prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, depressive symptoms increased among all participants. Participants with ACEs and income loss reported about a stronger increase of depressive symptoms. Other predictors for increased depressive symptoms were young age and a lack of social support.

Conclusions

Based on these results, ACEs are a significant predictor for an increase in depressive symptoms during the pandemic, indicating that personss with ACEs may be a risk group for mental health problems during the current and potential later pandemics. These findings underline the relevance of support for persons who have experienced ACEs and may help to provide more targeted support in possible scenarios due to the current or possible other pandemics. Besides, economic stability seems to be of prior importance for mental health.
Predictors for weight loss after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: the trend and associated factors for weight loss
Authors: Eghbali Foolad , Bahardoust Mansour , Pazouki Abdolreza , Barahman Gelayol , Tizmaghz Adnan , Hajmohammadi Amir , Karami Reza , Hosseini-Baharanchi Fatemeh Sadat
Published: August 2022

Background

Historically, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) has been considered the gold standard of bariatric surgery (BS). This procedure acts as a mixed restrictive and malabsorptive operation.

Methods

 This retrospective cohort study included 410 morbidly obese patients (BMI > 40 kg/m2 or BMI > 35 kg/m2 along with at least one major comorbidity) who underwent primary laparoscopic RYGB surgery from 2009 to 2015 by a single surgery team. The patients were 18 years and older with at least 12 months of follow-up. Total weight loss (%TWL) and comorbidity resolution were compared in short-term (12 months) and mid-term (12–60 months) follow-ups. The primary and secondary outcomes were evaluating the effect of Roux-en-Y on weight loss and control of comorbidities, respectively.

Results

 The mean ± SD age, weight, and BMI at surgery were 40.1 ± 10.58 years, 123.32 ± 19.88 kg, and 45.78 ± 5.54 kg/m2, respectively, and 329 (80%) were female, and 62 (15%) had T2DM. %TWL was significantly higher in T2DM patients 9 months postoperatively and after that. Patients with lower BMI (< 50 kg/m2) at surgery and non-diabetic patients had a significantly lower %TWL over a short- and long-term follow-up (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

BS remains the most efficacious and durable weight loss treatment. However, a proportion of patients will experience insufficient weight loss following BS.
Role of PI3K in the bone resorption of apical periodontitis
Authors: Wang LiNa , Dong Ming , Shi DongMei , Yang CaiHui , Liu Shuo , Gao Lu , Niu WeiDong
Published: August 2022

Background

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) is located within cells, and is involved in regulating cell survival, proliferation, apoptosis and angiogenesis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of PI3K in the process of bone destruction in apical periodontitis, and provide reference data for the treatment of this disease.

Methods

The relative mRNA expression of PI3K, Acp5 and NFATc1 in the normal human periodontal ligament and in chronic apical periodontitis were analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). A mouse model of apical periodontitis was established by root canal exposure to the oral cavity, and HE staining was used to observe the progress of apical periodontitis. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of PI3K and AKT in different stages of apical periodontitis, while enzymatic histochemical staining was used for detection of osteoclasts. An Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated inflammatory environment was also established at the osteoclast and osteoblast level, and osteoclasts or osteoblasts were treated with the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 to examine the role of PI3K in bone resorption.

Results

The expression of PI3K, Acp5 and NFATc1 genes in chronic apical periodontitis sample groups was significantly increased relative to healthy periodontal ligament tissue (P < 0.05). Mouse apical periodontitis was successfully established and bone resorption peaked between 2 and 3 weeks (P < 0.05). The expression of PI3K and Akt increased with the progression of inflammation, and reached a peak at 14 days (P < 0.05). The gene and protein expression of PI3K, TRAP and NFATc1 in osteoclasts were significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the E. coli LPS-mediated inflammatory microenvironment compared to the normal control group. Meanwhile in osteoblasts, the gene and protein expression of PI3K, BMP-2 and Runx2 were significantly reduced (P < 0.05) in the inflammatory microenvironment. With the addition of LY294002, expressions of bone resorption-related factors (TRAP, NFATc1) and bone formation-related factors (BMP-2, Runx2) significantly decreased (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Under the inflammatory environment induced by LPS, PI3K participates in the occurrence and development of chronic apical periodontitis by regulating the proliferation and differentiation of osteoclasts and osteoblasts.
The combination of high glucose and LPS induces autophagy in bovine kidney epithelial cells via the Notch3/mTOR signaling pathway
Authors: Cui Yaocheng , Guo Hongrui , Zhang Qin , Fang Jing , Xie Yue , Chen Shiyi , Ma Xiaoping , Gou Liping , Cui Hengmin , Geng Yi , Ye Gang , Zhong Zhijun , Ren Zhihua , Wang Ya , Deng Junliang , Yu Shuming , Cao Suizhong , Wang Zhisheng , Zuo Zhicai
Published: August 2022

Background

Aside respiratory diseases, beef cattle may also suffer from serious kidney diseases after transportation. Hyperglycemia and gram-negative bacterial infection may be the main reasons why bovine is prone to severe kidney disease during transportation stress, however, the precise mechanism is still unclear. The purpose of the current study is to explore whether the combined treatment of high glucose (HG) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) could induce madin-darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells injury and autophagy, as well as investigate the potential molecular mechanisms involved.

Results

As we discovered, the combined effect of HG and LPS decreased MDBK cells viability. And, HG and LPS combination also induced autophagy in MDBK cells, which was characterized by increasing the expression of LC3-II/I and Beclin1 and decreasing p62 expression. LC3 fluorescence signal formation was also significantly increased by HG and LPS combination treatment. Furthermore, we measured whether the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and the Notch3 signaling pathways were involved in HG and LPS-induced autophagy. The results showed that the combination of HG and LPS significantly increased the protein expression of Notch3 and decreased protein expression of p-mTOR, indicating that Notch3 and mTOR signaling pathways were activated. However, co-treatment with the Notch3 inhibitor (DAPT) could reverse the induction of autophagy, and increased the protein expression of p-mTOR.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that the combination effect of HG and LPS could induce autophagy in MDBK cells, and the Notch3/mTOR signaling pathway was involved in HG and LPS-induced autophagy.
From strain engineering to process development: monoclonal antibody production with an unnatural amino acid in Pichia pastoris
Authors: Tir Nora , Heistinger Lina , Grünwald-Gruber Clemens , Jakob Leo A. , Dickgiesser Stephan , Rasche Nicolas , Mattanovich Diethard
Published: August 2022

Background

Expansion of the genetic code is a frequently employed approach for the modification of recombinant protein properties. It involves reassignment of a codon to another, e.g., unnatural, amino acid and requires the action of a pair of orthogonal tRNA and aminoacyl tRNA synthetase modified to recognize only the desired amino acid. This approach was applied for the production of trastuzumab IgG carrying p-azido-l-phenylalanine (pAzF) in the industrial yeast Pichia pastoris. Combining the knowledge of protein folding and secretion with bioreactor cultivations, the aim of the work was to make the production of monoclonal antibodies with an expanded genetic code cost-effective on a laboratory scale.

Results

Co-translational transport of proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum through secretion signal prepeptide change and overexpression of lumenal chaperones Kar2p and Lhs1p improved the production of trastuzumab IgG and its Fab fragment with incorporated pAzF. In the case of Fab, a knockout of vacuolar targeting for protein degradation further increased protein yield. Fed-batch bioreactor cultivations of engineered P. pastoris strains increased IgG and IgGpAzF productivity by around 50- and 20-fold compared to screenings, yielding up to 238 mg L−1 and 15 mg L−1 of fully assembled tetrameric protein, respectively. Successful site-specific incorporation of pAzF was confirmed by mass spectrometry.

Conclusions

Pichia pastoris was successfully employed for cost-effective laboratory-scale production of a monoclonal antibody with an unnatural amino acid. Applying the results of this work in glycoengineered strains, and taking further steps in process development opens great possibilities for utilizing P. pastoris in the development of antibodies for subsequent conjugations with, e.g., bioactive payloads.
Injectable self-healing hydrogel fabricated from antibacterial carbon dots and ɛ-polylysine for promoting bacteria-infected wound healing
Authors: Mou Chengjian , Wang Xinyuan , Teng Jiahui , Xie Zhigang , Zheng Min
Published: August 2022

Developing highly efficient pharmaceuticals to eradicate pathogens and facilitate wound healing is of great concern. Despite some cationic carbon dots (CDs) have been used for sterilization, hardly any anionic CDs with antimicrobial activity have appeared. In the present work, we engineered a string of anionic CDs (especially CD31) as valid broad-spectrum bactericides to kill bacteria. Furthermore, CD31 conjugated with ɛ-polylysine (Plys) to construct injectable, and self-healing hydrogel (CD-Plys) that possess the advantages of remarkable broad spectrum antibacterial activity, excellent wound healing ability and satisfied biocompatibility. CD-Plys could dramatically accelerate wound healing with epithelization and enhanced angiogenesis. Taken together, this work provides a two-pronged strategy to explore CDs-based antimicrobial agents for disease therapy and tissue engineering.
Iron oxide@chlorophyll clustered nanoparticles eliminate bladder cancer by photodynamic immunotherapy-initiated ferroptosis and immunostimulation
Authors: Chin Yu-Cheng , Yang Li-Xing , Hsu Fei-Ting , Hsu Che-Wei , Chang Te-Wei , Chen Hsi-Ying , Chen Linda Yen-Chien , Chia Zi Chun , Hung Chun-Hua , Su Wu-Chou , Chiu Yi-Chun , Huang Chih-Chia , Liao Mei-Yi
Published: August 2022

The escape of bladder cancer from immunosurveillance causes monotherapy to exhibit poor efficacy; therefore, designing a multifunctional nanoparticle that boosts programmed cell death and immunoactivation has potential as a treatment strategy. Herein, we developed a facile one-pot coprecipitation reaction to fabricate cluster-structured nanoparticles (CNPs) assembled from Fe3O4 and iron chlorophyll (Chl/Fe) photosensitizers. This nanoassembled CNP, as a multifunctional theranostic agent, could perform red-NIR fluorescence and change the redox balance by the photoinduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and attenuate iron-mediated lipid peroxidation by the induction of a Fenton-like reaction. The intravesical instillation of Fe3O4@Chl/Fe CNPs modified with 4-carboxyphenylboronic acid (CPBA) may target the BC wall through glycoproteins in the BC cavity, allowing local killing of cancer cells by photodynamic therapy (PDT)-induced singlet oxygen and causing chemodynamic therapy (CDT)-mediated ferroptosis. An interesting possibility is reprogramming of the tumor microenvironment from immunosuppressive to immunostimulatory after PDT-CDT treatment, which was demonstrated by the reduction of PD-L1 (lower “off” signal to the effector immune cells), IDO-1, TGF-β, and M2-like macrophages and the induction of CD8+ T cells on BC sections. Moreover, the intravesical instillation of Fe3O4@Chl/Fe CNPs may enhance the large-area distribution on the BC wall, improving antitumor efficacy and increasing survival rates from 0 to 91.7%. Our theranostic CNPs not only demonstrated combined PDT-CDT-induced cytotoxicity, ROS production, and ferroptosis to facilitate treatment efficacy but also opened up new horizons for eliminating the immunosuppressive effect by simultaneous PDT-CDT.
Hexokinase 2 promoted cell motility and proliferation by activating Akt1/p-Akt1 in human ovarian cancer cells
Authors: Tian Xueye , Liu Dan , Zuo Xiaohang , Sun Xiaoli , Wu Mengmin , Li Xu , Teng Yue
Published: August 2022

Background

Recently, increasing evidence has indicated that elevation of Hexokinase 2 (HK2) plays an important role in several cancers on regulating cell motility and growth. However, its role on regulating cell EMT in human ovarian cancer still less to known.

Methods

The transwell and wound-healing assay were used to detect the effective of HK2 on regulating motility of ovarian cancer cells. Real Time PCR and Western Blotting were used to explore the changing of EMT-related proteins in HK2-modified cells. The clonogenic formation, cell growth curves and MTT assays were used to evaluate the effective of HK2 on regulating cell proliferation in HK2-modified cells. The flow cytometry was used to detect the differences in the distribution of cells in the cell cycle between the HK2-modified cells and their control cells. The correlation of HK2 and Akt1/p-Akt1 was explored by using Western Blotting, Akt1 inhibitor (MK2206) and transient transfection of an Akt1 recombinant plasmid. The potential correlation between HK2 and EMT-related proteins in human ovarian cancer tissues and OV (ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma) was confirmed by using Pearson correlation analysis and TIMER 2.0.

Results

In ovarian cancer cells, overexpressing of HK2 enhanced cell motility by inducing of EMT-related proteins, such as CDH2, fibronectin, MMP9, ZEB1, ZEB2 and vimentin. Moreover, overexpressing of HK2 promoted cell growth by reducing p21 and p27 expression in ovarian cancer cells. Further studies demonstrated that this promotion of cell motility and growth by HK2 was probably a result of it activating of Akt1 (p-Akt1) in ovarian cancer cells. Additionally, the positive correlation between HK2 and p-Akt1, fibronectin, MMP9 expression in human ovarian cancer samples was verified by using Pearson correlation analysis. The positive correlation between HK2 and CDH2, fibronectin, MMP9, ZEB1, ZEB2 and vimentin in OV (ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma) was confirmed by using TIMER 2.0.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that HK2 could induce EMT-related proteins and reduce cell cycle inhibitor by activating Akt1 in human ovarian cancer cells, subsequently enhancing cell motility and growth, suggesting that HK2 participate in the malignant process of ovarian cancer by interacting with Akt1.
Metagenomic assembly reveals hosts and mobility of common antibiotic resistome in animal manure and commercial compost
Authors: Qiu Tianlei , Huo Linhe , Guo Yajie , Gao Min , Wang Guoliang , Hu Dong , Li Cheng , Wang Zhanwu , Liu Guiming , Wang Xuming
Published: August 2022

Background

Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) used in intensive animal farming threaten human health worldwide; however, the common resistome, ARG mobility, and ARG host composition in different animal manures and mixed manure composts remain unclear. In the present study, metagenomic assembly and cross-sample mapping were used to comprehensively decipher the common resistome and its potential mobility and hosts in animal manure and composts.

Results

In total, 201 ARGs were shared among different animal (layer, broiler, swine, beef cow, and dairy cow) manures and accounted for 86–99% of total relative abundance of ARGs. Except for multidrug, sulfonamide, and trimethoprim resistance genes, the relative abundance of most ARGs in composts was significantly lower than that in animal manure. Procrustes analysis indicated that antibiotic residues positively correlated with ARG composition in manure but not in composts. More than 75% ARG subtypes were shared between plasmids and chromosomes in our samples. Transposases could play a pivotal role in mediating the transfer of ARGs between different phyla in animal manure and composting. Cross-sample mapping to contigs carrying ARGs showed that the hosts of common resistome in manure had preference on animal species, and the dominant genus of ARG host shifted from Enterococcus in manure to Pseudomonas in composts. The broad host range and linking with diverse mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were two key factors for ARGs, such as sul1 and aadA, which could survive during composting. The multidrug resistance genes represented the dominant ARGs in pathogenic antibiotic-resistant bacteria in manure but could be effectively controlled by composting.

Conclusions

Our experiments revealed the common resistome in animal manure, classified and relative quantified the ARG hosts, and assessed the mobility of ARGs. Composting can mitigate ARGs in animal manure by altering the bacterial hosts; however, persistent ARGs can escape from the removal because of diverse host range and MGEs. Our findings provide an overall background for source tracking, risk assessment, and control of livestock ARGs.
Performance and security enhancement using generalized optimal unified power flow controller under contingency conditions and renewable energy penetrations
Authors: Kumar Kavuturu K. V. , Sai Tejaswi K. N. V. , Janamala Varaprasad
Published: August 2022

In this paper, a novel flexible AC transmission system (FACTS) device named generalized optimal unified power flow controller (GOUPFC) is introduced to control the power flows in multi transmission lines and to regulate the voltages and angles at the load buses. The detailed power injection modeling of GOUPFC is presented in this paper. The optimal location of GOUPFC is determined based on line collapse proximity indicator (LCPI). A multi-objective function is framed in terms of average voltage deviation (AVDI), real power loss (Ploss) and average line collapse proximity indicator (LCPIavg) to test the effectiveness of the proposed device. The simulation studies are performed on standard IEEE 57-bus test system under single line contingency and considering various renewable energy source (RES) penetrations. The control parameters of GOUPFC are optimized by using whale optimization (WO-BAT) algorithm, by hybridizing WOA and BAT algorithms, and the superiority of WO-BAT is observed in minimizing the proposed objective function and enhancing the voltage profile.
Associations between childhood maltreatment and oxidative nucleoside damage in affective disorders
Authors: Eriksen Johanne Kofod Damm , Coello Klara , Stanislaus Sharleny , Kjærstad Hanne Lie , Sletved Kimie Stefanie Ormstrup , McIntyre Roger S. , Faurholt-Jepsen Maria , Miskowiak Kamilla K. , Poulsen Henrik Enghusen , Kessing Lars Vedel , Vinberg Maj
Published: August 2022

Background

Childhood maltreatment is an established risk factor for incident unipolar disorder and bipolar disorder. It is separately observed that affective disorders (AD) are also associated with higher nucleoside damage by oxidation. Childhood maltreatment may induce higher levels of nucleoside damage by oxidation and thus contribute to the development of AD; however, this relation is only sparsely investigated.

Methods

In total, 860 participants (468 patients with AD, 151 unaffected first-degree relatives, and 241 healthy control persons) completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). The association between CTQ scores and markers of systemic DNA and RNA damage by oxidation as measured by urinary excretion of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine (8-oxoGuo) levels, respectively, was investigated.

Results

In multiple regression models adjusted for sex- and age, 8-oxodG and 8-oxoGuo levels were found to be higher in individuals who had experienced more childhood maltreatment. These associations persisted in models additionally adjusted for body mass index, alcohol, and current smoking status. Emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional neglect were principally responsible for the foregoing associations.

Conclusions

Our findings of an association between childhood maltreatment and oxidative stress markers suggest that childhood maltreatment overall, notably emotional abuse and emotional neglect, is associated with enhanced systemic damage to DNA and RNA in adulthood. Further, individuals with AD reported a higher prevalence of childhood maltreatment, which may induce higher levels of nucleoside damage by oxidation in adulthood, possibly leading to increased risk of developing AD. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify this relationship further.
Anesthetic-Induced Intraoperative Dream Associated With Remission of a Psychiatric Disorder: A Case Report
Authors: Chow Harrison S. , Hack Laura M. , Kawai Makoto , Heifets Boris D.
Published: August 2022

Trauma is associated with debilitating acute and posttraumatic stress disorders, which have limited treatment options. We report on a patient undergoing surgical hand repair after a recent knife attack who experienced vivid dreaming and subsequent remission of acute stress disorder. After local anesthesia with propofol sedation she recalled a dream wherein she relived the attack, sought medical care, completed surgery, and returned home with a healed hand. While intraoperative dreaming is common, this case details potential associations between anesthetic state, dreaming, intraoperative electroencephalography, and remission of a psychiatric disorder. Our experience suggests a novel intervention for stress disorders.
A History of the Institutionalization of Feminist Economics through Its Tensions and Founders
Authors: Espinel Camila Orozco , Betancourt Rebeca Gomez
Published: August 2022

Feminist economics was produced by the deployment of relatively diverse research under a single academic label. This article offers a global picture of the first years of feminist economics. Focusing on the heterogeneity of the approaches that coexist in the field—and the porosity among them—this article proposes an answer to the question, How does feminist economics persist as an approach and a community even though both are quite diverse? The three tensions studied were as follows: the tension between the Women's Caucus of the Union for Radical Political Economics and the Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession, along with the role played by the sessions organized during the ASSA conferences; the tension between the different methodologies used by feminist economists; and the tension surrounding the place of feminist economics in the discipline. We identified different elements to understand how feminist economists coexist under the same umbrella. Feminist economists' common frustration about economics' resistance to including feminist perspectives is central. The main sources for this paper are seventeen semistructured interviews we conducted in 2019 and 2020 aiming to collect the oral histories of selected feminist economists closely related to the beginning of the institutionalization process of the field.
Tracing Barbara Bergmann's Occupational Crowding Hypothesis: A Recent History
Authors: Small Sarah F.
Published: August 2022

Barbara Bergmann was well known for many contributions to economics, but she was perhaps most famous for her 1971 occupational crowding hypothesis. The hypothesis was published during a surge of literature on the economics of discrimination, and it temporarily stood among the mainstream neoclassical theories before being relegated primarily to feminist and stratification economics. This article situates the crowding hypothesis among contemporary competing theories on the economics of discrimination and explains why it did not last in the mainstream camp. Despite Bergmann's neoclassical framing, the model's conclusions did not align with models of perfect competition and more closely aligned with heterodox perspectives on group power and conflict.
The Concert Hall as Agonistic Public Space: The Gewandhaus in Leipzig
Authors: Schicker Juliane
Published: August 2022

This article deals with questions of the sociopolitical involvement of classical music performance spaces. During the last twenty years of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), the Gewandhaus in Leipzig provided opportunities for its users to emancipate themselves from Socialist Unity Party oppression. Through its architecture, music, and visual art, the Gewandhaus symbolized an agonistic space that aided in disrupting its sociopolitical surroundings, because it made visible what real-existing socialism was lacking: unity, openness, transparency, and internationality. Examining how the Gewandhaus interacted with its sociopolitical surroundings sheds light on its ability to engage with public discourse within the restricted society of the GDR.
The Child in the Dark: On Child Abuse in Robert Walser
Authors: Nagel Barbara N.
Published: August 2022

The attention that the Swiss modernist writer Robert Walser pays to domestic violence can be regarded as exceptional. So why does child abuse still remain a blind spot in the scholarship on Walser? This article discerns techniques that Walser uses to render family violence invisible, such as multiperspectivism and changes of tonality. These aesthetic techniques gain in depth through comparison to concepts from object relations theory: Sándor Ferenczi’s “identification with the aggressor” and Wilfred R. Bion’s “attacks on linking.” With family brutality, the problem of perspective is not purely formal but intrinsic, because part of the violence of domestic violence is the exhausting degree of affective mobility it demands—a capacity but also a vertiginous obligation to change tones and perspectives.
Guy Maddin’sCarefuland the Mountain Film: A Transnational Approach to German Film History
Authors: Watroba Karolina
Published: August 2022

Guy Maddin is a contemporary Canadian director who has been often lauded for the national distinctiveness of his work. Maddin’s Careful (1992), however, poses as an unrestored German Bergfilm (mountain film) from the early 1930s. This article offers a close reading of Careful and a critical dialogue with commentaries on both the mountain film and discussions of Maddin’s oeuvre. Putting to use transnational perspectives, this analysis of a Canadian director’s appropriation of a hallmark German genre problematizes previous constructions of national identity and national cinema as well as the periodization of film history.
The Fruits of Demolition: Generative Neglect in Zhengzhou's Urban Villages
Authors: Steffen Megan
Published: August 2022

Drawing on over twenty-four months of ethnographic fieldwork conducted between March 2013 and January 2018 in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province, this article identifies neglect as a generative process. It demonstrates three related points: (1) that neglect generates new economic, social, and aesthetic forms; (2) that neglect in the PRC is marked by a historically informed temporality that presumes the state's continued interference; (3) that an expectation of neglect reifies the government as that which neglects. For years, Zhengzhou's urban villages were the best place to observe what neglect made possible, as migrants, students, entrepreneurs, and illegal enterprises took advantage of cheap rents and a lack of regulation. Just after the Spring Festival in 2014, however, the government announced that all urban villages would be demolished by the end of the year. This article examines key players in the demolitions, such as the chaierdai 拆二代 (rich-through-demolition), zhengfu 政府 (government), renmin 人民 (people), residents of the urban core, and evicted migrant workers. Looking at who benefits from the literal and metaphorical fruits of demolition reveals how the uneven temporality of official neglect challenges the PRC's narrative of constant progress.
Analysis of hydroxychloroquine adverse events in COVID-19 patients reported throughout Iraqi pharmacovigilance center in VigiBase™: A study based on WHO database
Authors: A. Noori Yasir , S. Arif Inam , M. Younus Manal , Mahmood Mohammed Mohammed
Published: August 2022

Background: Hydroxychloroquine is a long-used medication, most commonly used to treat and prevent malaria, that also has anti-inflammatory and antiviral characteristics. Therefore, specialists have shown interest in the underlying mechanism of its antiviral activity. In vitro experiments have demonstrated its efficiency against SARS coronavirus, and in vitro and in vivo research on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is being conducted. We aimed to investigate reports on adverse events of hydroxychloroquine submitted to the Iraqi Pharmacovigilance Centre and compare the incidence of these reported adverse events in Iraq to globally reported cases during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 using information component (IC)025 values.

Methods: The reported adverse events of hydroxychloroquine to the national Pharmacovigilance database, VigiBase™ a WHO global database of reported potential side effects of medicinal products, were investigated qualitatively (age, sex, and severity) and quantitatively (using IC025) as a measure of the existence of new/altered safety information associated with hydroxychloroquine.

Results: A total of 132 reports were found, with women representing 37.1% and men representing 60.6% of cases, while the rest were unidentified, with the predominant age groups ranging from 18–44 years old accounting for 47.4% of cases. The most reported adverse events were upper (17%) and lower abdomen pain (21%), nausea (14%), diarrhea (13%), and electrocardiogram (ECG) QT prolongation (13%). There were 44 different drug-adverse reaction pairings in which the adverse reaction reports included more than one event. The IC025 value for the most widely reported adverse events showed a positive comparable value for upper (2/0.3) and lower abdominal pain (1.8/-0.0), palpitation (1.6/-0.4), and dyspepsia (1.1/0.6). There was a decreased value for IC025 in cases of ECG QT prolongation (3.5/5), diarrhea (0.3/0.8), abdominal discomfort (0.1/2), and oral fungal infection (-0.4/0.6).

Conclusions: The IC025 helped determine the higher reporting rate of adverse events compared to the average global rates.
Electronic signature and attestation in conveyancing practice: A Malaysian legal perspective
Authors: Hua Siong Wong , Munzil Muhamad Mohd
Published: August 2022

Background 

The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic brought about an unprecedented disruption to global business activities. Physical face-to-face activities must be restricted due to movement control order (MCO). The clients are required to sign the documents physically in the presence of the solicitor who must subsequently attest to the signature of the clients. The issue arises whether electronic signature (e-signature) and attestation are permissible under the laws of Malaysia. The aim of this research was to study the legality of e-signature and attestation in conveyancing practice in Malaysia and subsequently to propose recommendations to overcome these issues.  

Methods  

This is qualitative study and not an empirical study. The data was collected by library-based research from various primary and secondary data sources, including case law in Malaysia, written statutes, publication of journal and article.  

Results 

The Digital Signatures Act 1997 (DSA) and the Electronic Commerce Act 2006 (ECA) have legalised e-signatures. The DSA is the law that governs the digital signatures in Malaysia. ECA has listed a few documents which are not legally accepted if signed electronically, namely Power of Attorney, the Wills and codicils, the Trusts, and negotiable instruments. However, with regards to the issue of attestation of these documents, there are no clear laws which govern the attestation. The legal issue arises when the lawyers who have attested these documents are liable to be called as witness under the Evidence Act 1950 to testify their signature if these documents are tendered as evidence in any court proceedings.  

Conclusion 

The laws in Malaysia have provided sufficient provisions for e-signatures but not the issue of attestation via online. Thus, it is suggested that there is a need for unique legal framework for attestation via online in Malaysia.
MECHANISMS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INNOVATION POLICY IN AGRICULTURE OF KYZYLORDA REGION OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN
Authors: Buharbaeva Akmaral , Klychova Guzaliya , Ziganshin Bulat , Zakirova Alsu , Khoruzhy Valery , Nurieva Regina
Published: August 2022

The study was conducted in order to study the current state and development trends of the economic potential of agricultural enterprises in Kyzylorda region of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as to determine the innovative development directions and increase the efficiency of agricultural production. The study found that in recent years, the production of gross agricultural output in the period 2016-2020 increased by 1.8 times, in the gross output structure the share of livestock decreased by 2.9%, the share of crop production increased by 3.2%. That is, we can conclude that the agricultural enterprises of Kyzylorda region began to pay more attention to the production of crop products. In almost all administrative districts of Kyzylorda region, there was an increase in gross agricultural output by an average of 1.8 times. A further increase in agricultural production creates great potential for its export, which will solve many problems that reduce the profitability of agricultural production in Kyzylorda region of the Republic of Kazakhstan and limit its export. Such problems include low material and technical equipment of production; lack of modern highly productive zoned varieties of agricultural crops; lack of deep processing of agricultural products, as well as integration between the areas of agro-industrial production, such as processing, storage, transportation. As directions for innovative development and improving the efficiency of agricultural production, the following are proposed: expanding the composition of the crop rotation and the use of highly productive varieties that allow increasing crop yields; formation of investment funds from extra-budgetary and budgetary sources; use of the leasing mechanism as an effective tool to ensure the production of the necessary equipment at affordable prices
THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF TECHNICAL MODERNIZATION OF AGRICULTURE IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Authors: Subaeva Asiya , Mukhametgaliev Farit , Mukhametshin Ilshat , Avhadiev Fayaz , Gaynutdinov Ilgizar
Published: August 2022

Technical re-equipment in the economic literature involves equipping enterprises with new equipment, the introduction of progressive technologies, modernization and replacement of outdated and physically worn equipment, mechanization and automation of technological processes. Developing this direction, we will expand the theoretical aspects of re-equipment such as the development of equipment and technologies in several stages based on innovations of scientific and technological progress, and the influence of scientific potential in the field of modernization of technology, including the process of digital transformation.

The purpose of the study is to analyze and expand the theoretical aspects of technical modernization of agriculture based on the formation of a model of technical modernization of agribusiness. Main research methods: general scientific (analysis of literature on the research problem, generalization, comparison and systematization of empirical and theoretical data) approach. The study widely uses the concepts of modern science of digitalization of the economy. For further improvement of this process, the author's model of technical and technological re-equipment of agriculture in the conditions of transition to the digital economy is proposed, which involves the identification of re-equipment factors (STP, state support, staffing, the state of the technical base), identification of digitalization risks (information security, job cuts, equipment downtime due to lack of Internet), determination of the result (growth of competitiveness, improvement of social infrastructure, increase in production efficiency, improvement of the environmental situation).
Decent Citizens Serving Chauvinism. Social Portrait of Students Participating in the Blockade of the University of Warsaw in 1936
Authors: Mrzygłód Izabela
Published: August 2022

November 1936 saw the blockade of the University of Warsaw, an occupational strike organised by far-right students demanding the introduction of the so-called ‘ghetto benches’ for Jewish students. This article draws a social portrait of the ordinary participants in the blockade and analyses their motivations. I argue that the socialisation of youth into exemplary citizens of a modern nation-state created a fertile ground for far-right organisations and their demands. Moreover, the largest student association, the Fraternal Aid Society, became a space for self-organisation into extreme nationalist politics. Its leaders tapped into the positive motivations of youth, i.e. the search for a sense of belonging and the desire of individuals to fit into the normative order of the community. My examination of the blockade offers a unique insight into the academic background of the far-right and its means of political mobilisation.
El lenguaje de la revelación, su testimonio y promesa cómo actos de habla
Authors: Ramírez Téllez Alberto Rene , Toro Carlos Mario
Published: August 2022

La doctrina cristiana de la revelación expresa la gran alegría de saber que Dios no permanece oculto, sino que se nos da a conocer a sí mismo por medio de acontecimientos extraordinarios que se marcan en la vida y en la historia. La tesis aquí presentada hace hincapié en el carácter lingüístico que el misterio revelado de Dios, según una concepción cristiana y tomista, adquiere en su darse. Ella resalta además un rasgo singular de esa revelación: es una palabra que se hace acción. Esta particularidad es perceptible en la Sagrada Escritura, y, sobre todo, en el acontecimiento redentor de Jesucristo. Para dar cuenta de ello, se ha recurrido a la teoría performativa del lenguaje desarrollada por pensadores como Austin y Searle, a las aplicaciones bíblicas de esta teoría realizadas por D. Evans, así como por los planteamientos teológicos posteriores de J. Ladrière. Todo ello recapitulado bajo las categorías de promesa y testimonio leídas desde una perspectiva cristológica y tomista.
Prawda jako determinanta aksjologiczna ustawodawstwa Jana Pawła II w zakresie ochrony małoletnich
Authors: Jaszcz Adam
Published: August 2022

Zapobieganie nadużyciom seksualnym wobec małoletnich w każdej społeczności związane jest z tworzeniem norm oraz stosowaniem obowiązujących przepisów. Ujawnienie nadużyć w Kościele przypadło na pontyfikat Jana Pawła II, który rozpoczął długi proces odnowy. Jego ważnym i koniecznym składnikiem stały się reformy prawnokanoniczne. Normę kanoniczną tworzy rozum ustawodawcy, oświecony wiarą i dążący do określonych wartości. Dodatkowo należy stwierdzić, że rozum ustawodawcy kościelnego nie może być obojętny na wartości wynikające z Ewangelii. Artykuł odpowiada na pytanie, jaka determinanta aksjologiczna ukształtowała Jana Pawła II jako najwyższego ustawodawcę? W jaki sposób wpłynęła ona na reformy w zakresie ochrony małoletnich?
Frontiers: Spilling the Beans on Political Consumerism: Do Social Media Boycotts and Buycotts Translate to Real Sales Impact?
Authors: Liaukonytė Jūra , Tuchman Anna , Zhu Xinrong
Published: August 2022

This paper quantifies the consequences of a brand taking a political stance and measures the net effect of boycott/buycott movements on sales.
From Compliance to Progress: A Sensemaking Perspective on the Governance of Corruption
Authors: Schembera Stefan , Haack Patrick , Scherer Andreas Georg
Published: August 2022

The governance of corruption is increasingly important in a global business environment involving ever more frequent transactions across diverse institutional contexts. Previous scholarship has theorized a fundamental tension between the enforcement of organizational compliance and the achievement of social ends, finding that efforts to remedy policy-practice decoupling in the governance of corruption and other complex global issues can exacerbate means-ends decoupling. However, these studies have tended to apply a rather static lens to a highly evaluative and processual phenomenon, meaning we still lack in-depth understanding of the dynamics underlying the interactive communicative processes of sensemaking and negotiation involved in working out the problems of both means-ends and policy-practice decoupling across different institutional contexts. To address this gap, we present a longitudinal qualitative study of the governance of corruption that identifies the emergence of locally contingent and open-ended sensemaking processes arising from and surrounding problems of decoupling. Specifically, we identify four key sensemaking mechanisms across different contexts and periods that ultimately shifted the focus of the actors away from a compliance-based approach toward a new shared understanding of progress as achievement, i.e., the mechanisms of localized theorizing, leveling, recalibrating, and public criticizing. Based on these findings, we develop a model to explain the role of sensemaking in the governance of corruption and the dynamics of decoupling.

Funding: This work was supported by Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung [Grants 100018_137789 and 100018_159485].
QUALIDADE DOS SERVIÇOS PRESTADOS E O DESEMPENHO ECONÔMICO-FINANCEIRO DAS COMPANHIAS DE DISTRIBUIÇÃO DE ENERGIA ELÉTRICA NO BRASIL
Authors: Diehl Cabral Pedro Henrique , Pain Patrícia , Bianchi Márcia
Published: August 2022

Este estudo objetivou analisar a relação entre a qualidade do serviço prestado e os indicadores de desempenho econômico-financeiros das distribuidoras de energia elétrica brasileiras, no período de 2011 a 2018. Com dados coletados do portal eletrônico da Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (ANEEL) e do Relatório de Indicadores de Sustentabilidade Econômico-Financeira das Distribuidoras. A amostra compreendeu 53 empresas. Os resultados destacam o impacto da crise do setor entre 2013 e 2014 nos indicadores e nas significativas diferenças entre as cinco regiões brasileiras. As regiões Norte e Nordeste se destacaram ao apresentar os maiores índices de investimento e os piores indicadores de qualidade. A percepção de significância das variáveis de qualidade em cinco dos sete modelos de regressão revelou que preservar a qualidade do serviço poderia impactar positivamente o desempenho econômico-financeiro das distribuidoras, mas é necessário melhor alinhamento entre os indicadores para que a ANEEL otimize seu processo de fiscalização.