bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multiplexing information limits in ptychography
Authors: Molina Daniel Penagos , Eschen Wilhelm , Liu Chang , Limpert Jens , Rothhardt Jan
Published: September 2024

Ptychography is a lensless modality for high-resolution imaging, in which the lateral extension of the sample is only limited by the area scanned. Multiplexing capabilities are known and used to scan larger areas faster by using multiple beams simultaneously. In this work, the limits of massive multiplexing to enhance imaging throughput are systematically investigated. Through an experimental study, a more than sixfold increase in throughput is demonstrated by spatially separating and scanning independent regions with 16 beams. Furthermore, numerical multiplexed ptychography investigations with 64 beams are demonstrated, only limited by the numerical constraints imposed by the reconstruction algorithm. It is observed that the requirements for successfully reconstructing additional areas depend on both a high degree of beam overlap (i.e., more scan positions per area) and the information oversampling ratio (i.e., the ratio of measured pixels against the total pixels to be reconstructed). Exploring the limits of multiplexing paves the way for high-throughput ptychography using partially coherent light sources, such as laser-produced plasmas. Furthermore, these findings are expected to be applicable to other multiplexing scenarios, including polarisation, temporal, and spectral multiplexing.
Changes in the medical admissions and mortality amongst children in four South African hospitals following the COVID-19 pandemic: A five-year review
Authors: Naidoo Kimesh Loganathan , Dorward Jienchi , Chinniah Kogielambal , Lawler Melissa , Nattar Yugendhree , Bottomley Christian , Archary Moherndran
Published: September 2024

Vulnerable children from poor communities with high HIV and Tuberculosis(TB) burdens were impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns. Concern was raised about the extent of this impact and anticipated post-pandemic surges in mortality. Interrupted time series segmented regression analyses were done using routinely collected facility-level data of children admitted for medical conditions at four South African referral hospitals. Monthly admission and mortality data over 60 months from 01 April 2018 to 31 January 2023 was analysed using models which included dummy lockdown level variables, a dummy post-COVID period variable, Fourier terms to account for seasonality, and excess mortality as a proxy for healthcare burden. Of the 45 015 admissions analysed, 1237(2·75%) demised with significant decreases in admissions during all the lockdown levels, with the most significant mean monthly decrease of 450(95%, CI = 657·3, -244·3) p<0·001 in level 5 (the most severe) lockdown. There was evidence of loss of seasonality on a six-month scale during the COVID periods for all admissions (p = 0·002), including under-one-year-olds (p = 0·034) and under-five-year-olds (p = 0·004). No decreases in mortality accompanied decreased admissions. Post-pandemic surges in admissions or mortality were not identified in children with acute gastroenteritis, acute pneumonia and severe acute malnutrition.During the COVID-19 pandemic, paediatric admissions in 4 hospitals serving communities with high levels of HIV, TB and poverty decreased, similar to global experiences; however, there was no change in in-hospital mortality. No post-pandemic surge in admissions or mortality was documented. Differences in the impact of pandemic control measures on the transmission of childhood infections and access to health care may account for differing outcomes seen in our setting compared to the global experiences. Further studies are needed to understand the impact of pandemic control measures on healthcare provision and transmission dynamics and to better inform future responses amongst vulnerable child populations.
MultiGreen: A multiplexing architecture for GreenGate cloning
Authors: Pennetti Vincent J. , LaFayette Peter R. , Parrott Wayne Allen
Published: September 2024

Genetic modification of plants fundamentally relies upon customized vector designs. The ever-increasing complexity of transgenic constructs has led to increased adoption of modular cloning systems for their ease of use, cost effectiveness, and rapid prototyping. GreenGate is a modular cloning system catered specifically to designing bespoke, single transcriptional unit vectors for plant transformation—which is also its greatest flaw. MultiGreen seeks to address GreenGate’s limitations while maintaining the syntax of the original GreenGate kit. The primary limitations MultiGreen addresses are 1) multiplexing in series, 2) multiplexing in parallel, and 3) repeated cycling of transcriptional unit assembly through binary intermediates. MultiGreen efficiently concatenates bespoke transcriptional units using an additional suite of level 1acceptor vectors which serve as an assembly point for individual transcriptional units prior to final, level 2, condensation of multiple transcriptional units. Assembly with MultiGreen level 1 vectors scales at a maximal rate of 2*⌈log6n⌉+3 days per assembly, where n represents the number of transcriptional units. Further, MultiGreen level 1 acceptor vectors are binary vectors and can be used directly for plant transformation to further maximize prototyping speed. MultiGreen is a 1:1 expansion of the original GreenGate architecture’s grammar and has been demonstrated to efficiently assemble plasmids with multiple transcriptional units. MultiGreen has been validated by using a truncated violacein operon from Chromobacterium violaceum in bacteria and by deconstructing the RUBY reporter for in planta functional validation. MultiGreen currently supports many of our in-house multi transcriptional unit assemblies and will be a valuable strategy for more complex cloning projects.
Cortical mechanisms of across-ear speech integration investigated using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)
Authors: Sobczak Gabriel G. , Zhou Xin , Moore Liberty E. , Bolt Daniel M. , Litovsky Ruth Y.
Published: September 2024

This study aimed to investigate integration of alternating speech, a stimulus which classically produces a V-shaped speech intelligibility function with minimum at 2–6 Hz in typical-hearing (TH) listeners. We further studied how degraded speech impacts intelligibility across alternating rates (2, 4, 8, and 32 Hz) using vocoded speech, either in the right ear or bilaterally, to simulate single-sided deafness with a cochlear implant (SSD-CI) and bilateral CIs (BiCI), respectively. To assess potential cortical signatures of across-ear integration, we recorded activity in the bilateral auditory cortices (AC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (DLPFC) during the task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). For speech intelligibility, the V-shaped function was reproduced only in the BiCI condition; TH (with ceiling scores) and SSD-CI conditions had significantly higher scores across all alternating rates compared to the BiCI condition. For fNIRS, the AC and DLPFC exhibited significantly different activity across alternating rates in the TH condition, with altered activity patterns in both regions in the SSD-CI and BiCI conditions. Our results suggest that degraded speech inputs in one or both ears impact across-ear integration and that different listening strategies were employed for speech integration manifested as differences in cortical activity across conditions.
Sex-differences in psychological readiness for return-to-sport following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
Authors: Robby Turk , Hussein Nadim , Welbeck Arakua , Faherty Mallory , Killelea Carolyn , Diehl Lee , Wittstein Jocelyn , Riboh Jonathan , Toth Alison , Amendola Ned , Sell Timothy C.
Published: September 2024

Females are at greatest risk for reinjury after return to sport (RTS) following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR). The reasons for these sex differences, however, remain unclear. Psychological factors such as kinesiophobia have been identified as a potential predictor for reinjury following RTS. Studies investigating kinesiophobia have identified sex differences, yet whether this holds in the ACLR population remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine whether there are sex differences in kinesiophobia and other psychological factors, such as readiness to RTS and self-reported pain in the ACLR population. A total of 20 participants, eleven males (23.0 ± 8.4 years, 178.9 ± 7.6 cm, 76.8 ± 10.4 kg) and 9 females (19.6 ± 5.3 years, 165.1 ± 4.0 cm, 73.2 ± 25.0 kg) voluntarily participated in this study. The Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK-11), Anterior Cruciate Ligament Return to Sport After Injury (ACL-RSI) scale, and self-reported pain using a visual analog scale (VAS) were administered after clearance for RTS (10.5 ± 2.3 months post-ACLR). Statistical significance was set a priori at p<0.05. A significant difference between sexes was observed for the ACL-RSI with males reporting a significantly higher score (92.82±16.16) compared to females (77.0±15.54; p = 0.040). There were no significant differences between sexes for VAS for pain (males = 4.55 ± 6.50; females = 1.22 ± 3.31; p = 0.228) and TSK-11 (males = 18.73 ± 3.17; females = 19.67 ± 4.61; p = 0.596). The results of this study demonstrated males had significantly higher ACL-RSI scores than females, suggesting males may have higher psychological readiness following clearance for RTS. This study did not demonstrate significant differences between sexes for kinesiophobia or pain level. Caution in interpretation of results is warranted due to the small sample size, highlighting the need for further research in this area.
Interprofessional collaboration during a specialised mobile palliative care service pilot in the rural area of Lucerne
Authors: Bucher Sahra Maria Anna , Dimech Anne Marie Schumacher , Müller Beat , Beeler Patrick E.
Published: September 2024

Interprofessional collaboration in outpatient palliative care is critical to ensuring good quality of care in the home care sector. We investigated facilitators and barriers (FaBs) of interprofessional collaboration among healthcare professionals who participated in a 6-month pilot of a newly implemented specialised mobile palliative care service (SMPCS) in rural Lucerne. This study used a mixed-methods approach to collect (i) qualitative data on FaBs as perceived by nurses and primary care physicians (PCPs), and (ii) quantitative data across the entire interprofessional collaboration using a validated questionnaire expanded with 10 specific questions about the pilot. Identified facilitators of interprofessional collaboration were (i) use of standardised documents, (ii) clear allocation of responsibilities, (iii) regular exchange and clear communication and (iv) consideration of care coordination. Reported barriers were (i) a deficit of knowledge and experience of palliative care among PCPs and (ii) time constraints. This study provides valuable insights into FaBs of interprofessional collaboration in palliative care. Several recommendations can be drawn for how interprofessional collaboration may be optimised. Awareness of FaBs and their consideration in the implementation phase of new services can strengthen the foundation for a successful interprofessional collaboration.
Performance evaluation of industry-education integration in higher education from the perspective of coupling coordination-an empirical study based on Chongqing
Authors: Gong Xianwen
Published: September 2024

The coupling coordination between higher education and regional industries is an effective way to enhance the performance of industry-education integration and an important driving force for promoting sustainable economic and social development. This article aims to evaluate the performance level of industry-education integration in higher education from the perspective of coupling coordination between industry and education, and to analyze its sustainable development trends. To achieve this, a framework for the industry-education complex system is constructed based on the theory of coupling coordination, and a performance evaluation model for industry-education integration is established. The "structure-conduct-performance" (S-C-P) analysis paradigm of industrial organization theory is used to design a performance evaluation indicator system, and the entropy weight method is applied to assign weights to the indicator system. Empirical research is conducted on Chongqing based on statistical data from 2000 to 2022. The results show that: (1) During the sample period, the construction effectiveness of industry-education integration in higher education in Chongqing is relatively significant, and the coordination level between regional industries and higher education continues to rise. (2) The orderly development level of the two subsystems of regional industries and higher education alternately rises, jointly promoting the continuous improvement of the performance level of industry-education integration, which is the main driving factor for performance improvement. (3) The stagnation of the coupling strength between regional industries and higher education is a key obstacle to further improving the performance of industry-education integration. Industry-education integration is a systematic project that should be promoted collaboratively from the perspectives of the regional industrial subsystem, higher education subsystem, industry-education complex system, and external environment to continuously enhance the performance level.
Immediate efficacy of auricular acupuncture combined with active exercise in the treatment of acute lumbar sprains in 10 minutes: Protocol of a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Tang Xin , Li Qifu , Huang Gaoyangzi , Pei Xianmei , Chen Ziwen , Huang Ya , Zhao Siwen , Guo Taipin , Liu Zili
Published: September 2024

Background

Acute lumbar sprain (ALS) is common musculoskeletal disorder characterized by severe low back pain and activity limitation, which significantly impacts the patient’s work and life. Immediate relief of pain and restoration of mobility in a short period of time are the main needs of patients when they visit the clinic. This study aims to evaluate the immediate efficacy of this combined treatment for ALS within 10 minutes.

Methods

This is a single-center, prospective, randomized clinical trial. 128 eligible patients with ALS will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either the auricular acupuncture (AA) group or the sham auricular acupuncture (SAA) group. All patients will receive a single 10-minute treatment. The primary outcome will be the change in pain intensity after 10 minutes of treatment. The secondary outcomes include changes in pain intensity at other time points (2, 5 minutes), changes in lumbar range of motion (ROM) at different time points, blinded assessment, treatment effect expectancy scale evaluation, and treatment satisfaction scale evaluation. All participants will be included in the analysis according to the intention-to-treat principle.

Discussion

This is the first randomized controlled trial to assess the immediate efficacy of AA combined with active exercise for ALS. The findings of this study are expected to provide a simple and rapid treatment for ALS in clinical.

Trial registration

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2400083740. Registered 30 April 2024.
Post-myocardial infarction heart failure and long-term high-fat diet: Cardiac endoplasmic reticulum stress and unfolded protein response in Sprague Dawley rat model
Authors: Momot Karol , Krauz Kamil , Czarzasta Katarzyna , Tomaszewski Jakub , Dobruch Jakub , Żera Tymoteusz , Zarębiński Maciej , Cudnoch-Jędrzejewska Agnieszka , Wojciechowska Małgorzata
Published: September 2024

Background

Myocardial infarction (MI) significantly contributes to the global mortality rate, often leading to heart failure (HF) due to left ventricular remodeling. Key factors in the pathomechanism of HF include nitrosative/oxidative stress, inflammation, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Furthermore, while a high-fat diet (HFD) is known to exacerbate post-MI cardiac remodeling, its impact on these critical factors in the context of HF is not as well understood.

Aims

This study aimed to assess the impact of post-MI HF and HFD on inflammation, nitro-oxidative stress, ER stress, and unfolded protein response (UPR).

Methods

The study was performed on fragments of the left ventricle harvested from 30 male adult Sprague Dawley rats, which were divided into four groups based on diet (normal-fat vs. high-fat) and surgical procedure (sham operation vs. coronary artery ligation to induce MI). We assessed body weight, NT-proBNP levels, protein levels related to nitrosative/oxidative stress, ER stress, UPR, apoptosis, and nitric oxide synthases, through Western Blot and ELISA.

Results

HFD and MI significantly influenced body weight and NT-proBNP concentrations. HFD elevated 3-nitrotyrosine and myeloperoxidase levels and altered nitric oxide synthase levels. HFD and MI significantly affected ER stress markers and activated or inhibited UPR pathways.

Conclusions

The study demonstrates significant impacts of post-MI HF and dietary fat content on cardiac function and stress markers in a rat model. The interaction between HFD and MI on UPR activation suggests the importance of dietary management in post-MI recovery and HF prevention.
Status and subjective well-being: A conceptual replication and extension of Anderson et al. (2012)
Authors: Anderson Cameron , Hildreth John Angus D.
Published: September 2024

Does the status people possess shape their subjective well-being (SWB)? Prior research that has addressed this question has been correlational. Therefore, in the current research, we provide causal evidence of this effect: In two experiments, we found that individuals reported higher SWB when their own status was higher compared to when it was lower. However, individuals’ SWB was not only shaped by their own status, but also by others’ status. Specifically, individuals reported higher SWB when others’ status was lower than when it was higher. Thus, people have a competitive orientation towards status; they not only want to have high status on an absolute level (e.g., to be highly respected and admired), but also to have higher status than others (e.g., to be more respected and admired than others). A standard self-affirmation manipulation was used in an attempt to mitigate individuals’ competitive orientation towards status, but only helped already high-status members feel happier in groups of high-status members, rather than help low-status members feel happier when they uniquely held low status.
PatCen: A blockchain-based patient-centric mechanism for the granular access control of infectious disease-related test records
Authors: Yakubu Bello Musa , Ali Syeda Mahera , Khan Majid Iqbal , Bhattarakosol Pattarasinee
Published: September 2024

The recent global outbreaks of infectious diseases such as COVID-19, yellow fever, and Ebola have highlighted the critical need for robust health data management systems that can rapidly adapt to and mitigate public health emergencies. In contrast to traditional systems, this study introduces an innovative blockchain-based Electronic Health Record (EHR) access control mechanism that effectively safeguards patient data integrity and privacy. The proposed approach uniquely integrates granular data access control mechanism within a blockchain framework, ensuring that patient data is only accessible to explicitly authorized users and thereby enhancing patient consent and privacy. This system addresses key challenges in healthcare data management, including preventing unauthorized access and overcoming the inefficiencies inherent in traditional access mechanisms. Since the latency is a sensitive factor in healthcare data management, the simulations of the proposed model reveal substantial improvements over existing benchmarks in terms of reduced computing overhead, increased throughput, minimized latency, and strengthened overall security. By demonstrating these advantages, the study contributes significantly to the evolution of health data management, offering a scalable, secure solution that prioritizes patient autonomy and privacy in an increasingly digital healthcare landscape.
Advancing the performance characteristics of rubber asphalt mixtures through the integration of Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) slag: A focus on static and dynamic mechanical enhancements
Authors: Tian Zhongnan , Liang Peng , Zhai Bochao , Zhou Yue
Published: September 2024

To investigate the advantageous effects of incorporating industrial solid waste basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slag on the mechanical characteristics of warm-mixed rubber asphalt (WMRA) and hot-mixed rubber asphalt (HMRA) mixture, varying proportions of BOF slag were substituted for limestone coarse aggregates (0%, 25%, 50%, and 75%). Additionally, a 1.5% dosage of Sasobit warm-mixed modifier was introduced to prepare the rubber asphalt. Subsequent to preparation, both static mechanical tests (including Marshall and indirect tensile tests) and dynamic mechanical tests (including dynamic creep and elastic modulus tests) were conducted to evaluate the influence of BOF slag on the mechanical behavior of WMRA and HMRA mixtures across different substitution levels. Following testing, a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to dissect the impact of BOF slag content and Sasobit warm-mixed modifier on the static and dynamic mechanical properties of the rubber asphalt mixtures. The findings reveal that BOF slag exhibits commendable engineering aggregate properties, enabling substantial substitution of coarse aggregates in both HMRA and WMRA mixtures. As the proportion of BOF slag increases, it enhances the resistance of asphalt mixtures to permanent deformation and cracking under static and dynamic loading conditions, while broadening the range of elastic deformation for both WMRA and HMRA mixtures subjected to repeated loading. Moreover, a synergistic enhancement in the resistance of rubber asphalt mixtures to dynamic load-induced deformation is observed when employing both BOF slag and Sasobit warm-mixed modifier. The findings offer valuable insights for enhancing the performance of WMRA and HMRA mixtures, as well as broadening the utilization of BOF slag and waste rubber.
Spatiotemporal evolution and driving factors of agricultural land transfer in China
Authors: Chen Haijiang , Ho Hong-Wai , Ji Chunli , Zheng Haoqing , Zhang Songlin
Published: September 2024

This paper systematically analyzes the spatiotemporal evolution trends and macroeconomic driving factors of farmland transfer at the provincial level in China since 2005, aiming to offer a new perspective for understanding the dynamic mechanisms of China’s farmland transfer. Through the integrated use of kernel density estimation, the Markov model, and panel quantile regression methods, this study finds the following: (1) Farmland transfer rates across Chinese provinces show an overall upward trend, but regional differences exhibit a "U-shaped" evolution characterized by initially narrowing and then widening; (2) although provinces have relatively stable farmland transfer levels, there is potential for dynamic transitions; (3) factors such as per capita arable land, farmers’ disposable income, the social security level, the urban‒rural income gap, the urbanization rate, government intervention, and the marketization level significantly promote farmland transfer, while inclusive finance inhibits transfer, and agricultural mechanization level and population aging have heterogeneous impacts. Therefore, to achieve convergence of low farmland transfer regions to medium levels while promoting medium-level regions to higher levels, it is recommended that the government increase support for agricultural mechanization, increase farmers’ income and social security levels, and optimize marketization processes and government intervention strategies. The main contributions of this paper are (1) systematically revealing the spatiotemporal evolution patterns of China’s farmland transfer and (2) employing panel quantile regression methods to explore the heterogeneous impacts of driving factors, providing more precise and detailed empirical support for the government’s formulation of farmland transfer policies.
Different features for different races: Tracking the eyes of Asian, Black, and White participants viewing Asian, Black, and White Faces
Authors: Burgund E. Darcy , Zhao Yiyang , Laubach Inaya N. , Abebaw Eyerusalem F.
Published: September 2024

The own-race bias (ORB) is an effect in which humans remember faces from their own race better than faces from another race. Where people look when processing faces of different races plays a role in this effect, but the exact relationship between looking and the ORB is debated. One perspective is that the same facial features are important for memory for faces of all races and the ORB emerges when people look longer at the useful features for own- than other-race faces. Another perspective is that different facial features are useful for faces of different races and the ORB emerges when people look longer at features that are useful for their own race than at features that are useful for other-race faces. The present study aimed to discriminate these perspectives by examining looking patterns in Asian, Black, and White participants while they learned and later recognized Asian, Black, and White faces. Regardless of their race, participants looked at different facial features depending on the race of the face. In addition, different features were useful for memory depending on the race of the face. As such, results are in line with the perspective that different facial features are useful for different race faces.
RELAÇÃO VERBO-VISUAL NA LEITURA DE RINOCERONTES NÃO COMEM PANQUECAS
Authors: Wilmsen Lilibth , Ramos Flávia Brocchetto , Bortoncello Munhoz Estella Maria
Published: September 2024

O presente artigo analisa a relação entre o visual e o verbal no livro ilustrado Rinocerontes não comem panquecas, escrito por Anna Kemp e ilustrado por Sarah Ogilive, selecionado pelo Programa Nacional Biblioteca na Escola, edição 2014. O estudo qualitativo contempla análise da composição verbo-visual do livro e do modo como crianças de dois a três anos interagem com o exemplar, com base em Lacerda (2014), Linden (2018), Fittipaldi (2008), Nikolajeva e Scott (2011), Ramos e Paiva (2014), Zilberman (2012), entre outros. Verifica-se que a linguagem verbal, além de trazer dados do enredo, orienta a dimensão visual. A imagem assume aspectos de colaboração com o discurso verbal, ampliando as possibilidades de leitura. O estudo sinaliza que a obra, ainda que  apresente paratextos e trechos do enredo com viés diretivo, contempla a polissemia observada por aproximações e distanciamentos estabelecidos entre as dimensões verbal e visual, pelo emprego das cores, pela configuração do cenário e pelo uso da tipografia, entre outros. Além da análise da narrativa, o artigo contempla a interação de crianças com o objeto livro, ação que revelou o protagonismo infantil frente às linguagens verbal e visual e reforçou que a interação das crianças referenda a polissemia do título.
Treatment of halitosis antibiotics or probiotics
Authors: Robo Ilma , Heta Saimir , Hysi Joana , Balla Iriana , Alliu Nevila
Published: September 2024

Background: Halitosis as the primary causative source is thought to be the oral cavity, including here not only pathologies of dental origin such as caries or periodontitis, but also including the effect of a diet rich or not in nitrite products, which is reflected in the produced saliva, with the effect of in the oral cavity. Halitosis originates from pathologies of different systems, mainly mentioning the gatointestinal one. If these pathologies have a new treatment trend such as the application of probiotics, the question is whether or not they can be used for halitosis treatment. Collecting data from published literature sources about the possibility of treating halitosis with probiotics is another goal of this study.
Main body of the abstract: The study is of the review type with the aim of knowing the data published in the literature on the possibility of treating halitosis through the application of probiotics. Probiotics are seen as the newest possibility for the treatment of periodontal pathologies and not only but also carious processes. Based on the literature data, the initial source of halitosis is exactly periodontal pathologies and carious processes, to continue further with problems related to pathologies of different systems of the body. The time of selection for the articles included in this study was 5 years of publications, so the purpose is the analysis of the data published in the literature on the Pubmed page on this topic, in the last 5 years, considering the trend of scientific research on this topic. Based on these key word combinations and based on the application of search filters, 15 articles were selected for further analysis on this topic.
Short conclusion: Studies about probiotics should be channeled into the "in vivo" type for real clinical results. Probiotics should come up with specific names of effective bacteria versus specific names of pathogenic bacteria of oral pathologies. The family of lactobacilli is effective against specifically p. gingivalis, but against S. mutans this data is missing. In about 7% of cases, halitosis is caused by gastrointestinal disorders, and as an oral cause of halitosis, there is no specific division from only caries or only periodontitis.
The relationship between nutritional status and the eruption of lower permanent incisors in 6-7-year-old students at Candijati 01 elementary school in Arjasa, Jember, Indonesia
Authors: Setyorini Dyah , Berlian Prihatiningrum  , Muqsitoh Alfatah Aysha , Sulistiyani  , Probosari Niken , Budi Rahardjo Roedy , Prijatmoko Dwi
Published: September 2024

Tooth eruption is a normal movement of tooth to the oral cavity from its growth position in alveolar bone. This process is influenced by various factors, one of which is nutritional status. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between nutritional status and the eruption of permanent mandibular incisors. This descriptive analytic study with a cross-sectional design involved 43 students aged 6-7 years from Candijati 01 Elementary School, Arjasa, Jember. The nutritional status was assessed using the Body Mass Index (BMI) according to age, The subjects were categorized into three nutritional status groups: underweight, normal, and overweight. Results is analyzed using the Spearman statistical test, indicated a significant relationship between nutritional status and the eruption of permanent mandibular incisors (p<0.05). The conclusion of this study is that there is a significant relationship between nutritional status and the eruption status of perma-nent mandibular incisors in children aged 6-7 years.
Isolation and Characterization of Neural Crest Stem Cells from Adult Human Hair Follicles
Authors: Krejčí Eliška , Grim M.
Published: September 2024

Neural crest (NC) is a transient embryonic tissue, whose cells are motile and multipotent until they reach their destination and differentiate according to microenvironmental cues into a variety of cell types. However, a subpopulation of these cells remains multipotent. They were found, among other locations, in a bulge of adult murine whisker follicle and were designated epidermal neural crest stem cells (EPI-NCSCs). The aim of this work is to ascertain whether the EPI-NCSCs could be isolated from human hair follicles as well. Due to their exceptional properties, they could represent potential candidates for stem cell therapy. The presented work focuses on the isolation and characterization of EPI-NCSCs from human skin. We obtained a population of cells that expressed markers of NC, NC progeny and general stem cell markers. After prolonged cultivation, the subpopulation of cells spontaneously differentiated into some of NC derivatives, i.e. neurons, smooth muscle cells and Schwann cell progenitors. Targeted differentiation with neuregulin 1 highly increased the number of Schwann cells in the culture. Human EPI-NCSCs could also grow under non-adherent conditions and form 3-dimensional spheres. Microarray analysis was performed and gene profile of human EPI-NCSCs was compared with the list of key genes of murine EPI-NCSCs and the list of genes up-regulated in newly induced NC cells. This revealed 94% and 88% similarity, respectively. All presented results strongly support the NCSC identity and multipotency of isolated human cells. These cells could thus be used in regenerative medicine, especially because of the easy accessibility of donor tissue.
The Expression of NADPH Oxidases and Production of Reactive Oxygen Species by Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Epithelial Cell Line A549
Authors: Kolářová H. , Binó L. , Pejchalová K. , Kubala Lukáš
Published: September 2024

Controlled production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by NADPH oxidases in non-phagocytic cells has recently been suggested to participate in the regulation of cellular functions. Due to the role of ROS in control of cellular functions, precise and accurate detection of ROS is of essential importance. However, various methodological approaches currently used for ROS determination vary in sensitivity, specificity, as well as in requirements for specialized equipment. In this study, human lung epithelial cell line A549 was screened for expression of NADPH oxidases NOX1, NOX2, NOX4, NOX5, DUOX1 and DUOX2 by quantitative RT-PCR. Fluorometric, colorimetric, and chemiluminometric methods were applied to determine ROS production. A549 cells were found to significantly express NOX1, NOX2, DUOX1 and DUOX2. ROS production by A549 cells was detected with fluorometric probes 2’,7’-dichlorofluorescein-diacetate, dihydroethidium, and amplex red or colorimetric probe nitrobluetetrazolium. The production of ROS detected by these probes was partially reduced by NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium. The inhibitory effect of diphenyleneiodonium was the most significant regarding amplex red detection of phorbol myristate acetateactivated ROS production. In contrast to other probes, neither cytochrome c colorimetric determination nor luminoland L-012-amplified chemiluminescence, regardless of the addition of horseradish peroxidase, exerted sufficient sensitivity to detect ROS production by A549. The results revealed differences among methods used for ROS formation measurement by human lung epithelial cell line A549 and highlighted the sensitivity of fluorometric determination for this purpose.
Voice, impersonal construction, and zero lexeme: formalization of crucial notions
Authors: Mel’čuk Igor
Published: September 2024

The paper considers a relatively rare verbal syntactic construction found in East Sakhalin Ainu and in Lingala: an active form of a transitive verb governs simultaneously a direct object and an agentive complement, has no overt syntactic subject and is in the 3rd person plural. In order to characterize this verb form, three sets of formal linguistic notions are introduced and described: voice (with a calculus of logically possible voice grammemes), impersonal construction, and zero lexeme; many illustrations come from Lingala and Kinyarwanda, as well as several other languages. The verb forms under analysis are shown to be the partial demotional passive.
A wideband folded reflectarray antenna with a 3-D printed circularly polarized converter
Authors: Wang Kai Xuan , Wang Jia Qi , Shi Zeng Hui , Wang Qi , Wei Feng , Xu Le , Li Rui , Tong Xiao Yu , Li Qiwei
Published: September 2024

In this letter, a wideband folded reflectarray antenna with a novel circularly polarized converter is presented. The main reflectarray is composed of dual-polarized units, which can achieve good polarization and phase characteristics with a smaller size. Based on 3-D printing technology, the proposed dielectric unit can be used to design the low-cost linear-to-circular polarization converter (LCPC) with wider bandwidth. In order to validate the performance of the proposed circularly polarized folded reflectarray antenna (CPFRA), a prototype is manufactured and measured. The maximum gain of 25.3 dBic and the maximum aperture efficiency of 38 % are obtained. The measured 3 dB gain bandwidth is 32.7 % and the measured 3 dB AR bandwidth is 31.7 %, respectively. The simulated and measured results show great agreement.
Long-distance transmission conductor condition sensing based on distributed fiber optic sensing technology
Authors: Jia Boyan , Wang Yixin , Pang Xianhai , Ding Likun , Sun Cuiying
Published: September 2024

The existing long-distance transmission line perception mainly focuses on the measurement and analysis of electrical parameters. When the line is subject to wind vibration, icing or galloping, the changes of electrical parameters are not obvious and difficult to capture, resulting in poor performance of long-distance transmission line fault state perception. In this regard, the long-distance transmission line condition sensing based on distributed optical fiber sensing technology is studied. This method designs corresponding sensing methods for four working conditions: using the back Brillouin scattering sensor and phase sensitive Rayleigh scattering sensor in the optical fiber sensing technology to form a multi parameter distributed optical fiber sensing device, which is used to sense the surface temperature, vibration, strain and other data of the long-distance transmission line; By analyzing the linear relationship between fiber Brillouin frequency shift and Brillouin power and fiber strain and temperature, the sensing results of icing thickness of long-distance transmission lines are obtained; By calculating the amplitude and phase information of the detection signal, the sensing results of long-distance transmission line vibration are obtained; By calculating the time difference of polarization mutation signal at both ends of long-distance transmission line, combined with the propagation speed of optical signal and the length of long-distance transmission line, the perception result of lightning fault location of long-distance transmission line can be obtained. The experimental results show that this method can more accurately collect the real-time operation data of long-distance transmission lines, and can effectively perceive the galloping, wind vibration and lightning fault location of long-distance transmission lines.
Lot’s Daughters: “Sacrificial Children” and the Ethos of Hospitality
Authors: Omar Sara
Published: September 2024

Upon discovering the arrival of guests at Lot’s home, the men of the city rushed to his door and demanded that he bring them out, prompting Lot to respond by offering his daughters to the mob instead (Q 11:78–79, 15:67–71). The depiction of Lot’s offer of his daughters in Q 11:78–79 and 15:67–71 has troubled many scholars, some of whom question both the nature of this offer and Lot’s moral character. While early Muslim sources depict Lot as a righteous host and focus on the legal implications of his offer, later scholars grapple with how Lot sought to protect his guests. Such concerns arise from the later Muslim belief that Lot, being a prophet, is protected from sin. In this article, I propose adopting a historical reading of Lot’s offer of his daughters that takes into account early Muslims’ perceptions of the Lot narrative as fundamentally about hospitality. Moreover, I contend that Lot’s offer of his daughters can be read in light of other ancient narratives of “sacrificial children” for the purpose of upholding the sacred virtues of hospitality, generosity, and loyalty.
Portrait of the grammarian as an artist
Authors: Knobl Werner
Published: September 2024

The enigmatic final sūtra of Pāṇini’s Grammar has long challenged commentators to interpret it as an ingenious illustration of phonology, involving a reinstatement of a rule, suspended in the body of the grammar, that the open vowel
a
is closed in fluent speech. The possibility is considered, though ultimately rejected, that the sutra is predicate-first and not predicate-last. Parallels are drawn with other passages in Pāṇini, where multiple readings are possible for the same passage. Given the creativity we know to have been pervasive in his work, a reinterpretation of the final sūtra is proposed, whereby the rule suspension is situated in the text itself, to be read as an uroboros.
Cultured Meat as a Transitional Step Towards Interspecies Justice?
Authors: Cooke Steve
Published: September 2024

For some, cultured animal products ought to be celebrated for the potential they offer to replace factory farming. Others argue that, for the same reason, there is a duty to support their production and consumption. This paper argues that the ethical status of cultured animal products ought to be assessed not just in comparison with factory farming, but also in terms of its potential to bring about interspecies justice. The claim is made that the attitudes embodied within cultured animal products show a lack of proper respect for nonhuman animals and are at odds with those required by justice. Although cultured animal products have the potential to greatly reduce harms done to nonhuman animals, this paper argues that their adoption ought to nevertheless be regarded with some regret. Using a Rawlsian framework for assessing transitional steps towards justice, the paper shows that, whilst the adoption of cultured animal products may be permissible, the case for regarding it as a duty is much weaker. For cultured meats to be permissible, it must first be shown that alternatives that respect the value of nonhuman animals as ends-in-themselves do not exist.
Neo-Aristotelian Naturalism as a Metaethical Route to Virtue-Ethical Longtermism
Authors: Runge Richard Friedrich
Published: September 2024

This article proposes a metaethical route from neo-Aristotelian naturalism, as developed in particular by Philippa Foot, to virtue-ethical longtermism. It argues that the metaethical assumptions of neo-Aristotelian naturalism inherently imply that a valid description of the life-form of a species must satisfy a formal requirement of internal sustainability. The elements of a valid life-form description then serve as a normative standard. Given that humans have the ability to influence the fate of future generations and know about their influence, this article posits that our future as a species becomes a part of the description of the human life-form. Consequently, in our case, the sustainability requirement is extended into the future, leading to a minimal and humanist version of longtermism. As in Rosalind Hursthouse’s naturalistic virtue ethics, the focus of the proposed virtue-ethical longtermism remains on developing virtues as the only reliable way for the agent to achieve the good life. However, since what can count as virtue must be compatible with a life-form description that, taken as a whole, facilitates the long-term survival of our species, this position still implies a genuine longtermism, although it contrasts with the quantifying and maximizing logic of consequentialism.
Relating 2D isovists to audiovisual assessments of two urban spaces in a neighbourhood
Authors: Llorca-Bofí Josep , Heck Jonas , Vorländer Michael
Published: September 2024

In the field of urban design assessment, increasing attention to the nonexpert verbalizations is paid to engage social participation in planning processes, especially those not limited to static visual renderings. However, little has been explored on reproducible methods to collect these vocabularies and their relationship with architectural features. This study presents a hierarchical multifactor analysis to extract the main perceptual nonexpert clusters; and a linear correlation analysis to relate them with 2D isovist measures. In an on-line experiment, participants (

n
=
20

n=20

) elicited individual attributes (

n
=
120

n=120

) to describe their soundscape and visual perception and compared recorded urban environments (

n
=
8

n=8

). The results show that a percentage of nonexpert audio attributes correlate as well as the visual ones with isovist metrics.
Examining the Military Spending Economic Growth Nexus in the Presence of Informality: Evidence from the Balkan Peninsula
Authors: Dimitraki Ourania , Emmanouilidis Kyriakos , Asllani Alban
Published: September 2024

This paper examines the military expenditure (milex) economic growth nexus, in selected Balkan and peripheral countries from 1990 to 2022, considering the presence of informality within an institutional framework. Specifically, we employ Principal Components Analysis (PCA) to formulate an index of informality and use the Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) and Fully-Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) methods to identify the long-run equilibria. To provide a more comprehensive insight, the study also incorporates two types of causality tests – Dumitrescu-Hurlin and Juodis et al. – to determine the direction of the relationships. Our findings indicate that in the long-run milex can be detrimental to economic growth whilst informality boosts it.
Null objects, null nominal anaphora and antilogophoricity
Authors: Barbosa Pilar
Published: September 2024

This paper discusses null objects (NOs) in Ibero-Romance. European Portuguese (EP) has both definite and indefinte NOs, but Castillian Spanish (CSpanish) only allows NOs when the antecedent is a bare plural nominal or a mass noun. The paper argues that these differences are related to the distribution of bare nominals in each language and proposes that the same underlying mechanism is at the root of indefinite and definite object drop, namely a rootless [
nP

n ] proform. [
nP

n ] denotes a contextually salient property, its possible interpretations being derived by general type-shifting operations. In CSpanish, the property denoted by [
nP

n ] is interpreted as a restrictive modifier of the predicate and the relevant variable is bound under VP level Existential Closure. Focusing on EP, there are striking similarities between definite NOs and other types of nominal anaphora, including epithets. In particular, like epithets, NOs are subject to an Antilogophoricity Constraint. This affinity between NOs and epithets constitutes a case in favor of the idea that the NO is a base-generated nominal. The difference with respect to CSpanish lies in the possibility of interpreting the null nominal by a choice function, a function maps a property onto an entity that has the property.