bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Circulating Lysophosphatidylcholines in Early Pregnancy and Risk of Gestational Diabetes in Chinese Women
Authors: Liu Jinnan , Li Jing , Li Sainan , Leng Junhong , Li Weiqin , Yang Wen , Huo Xiaoxu , Chen Liwei , Ma Ronald C W , Hu Gang , Fang Zhongze , Yang Xilin
Published: February 2020

Objectives

This study aimed to explore associations of lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs) in early pregnancy with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and whether LPCs mediated the associations of bile acids with GDM risk or had interactive effects with bile acids on GDM risk.

Design

We conducted a 1:1 nested case-control study (n = 486) from a large prospective pregnant women cohort in urban Tianjin, China. Blood samples were collected at their first antenatal care visit (median at 10th gestational week). LPCs were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Conditional binary logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analysis were used to identify cutoff points of these metabolites for GDM risk.

Results

Of the 6 detectable LPCs, LPC14:0 less than 0.24 nmol/mL, LPC15:0 at 0.45 nmol/mL or greater, and LPC18:0 at 18.00 nmol/mL or greater were independently associated with GDM risk. Adjustment for LPC18:0 slightly attenuated odds ratios (ORs) of deoxycholic acid (DCA, ≤ 0.36 nmol/mL) and glycoursodeoxycholic acid (GUDCA, ≤ 0.07 nmol/mL) for GDM, and the correlations of DCA and GUDCA with LPC18:0 were weak. However, the presence of DCA at 0.36 nmol/mL or less greatly amplified the adjusted OR of LPC18:0 at 18.00 nmol/mL or greater alone for GDM from 8.18 (2.51-26.7) up to 17.7 (6.64-47.1), with significant additive interaction. Similarly, the presence of GUDCA at 0.07 nmol/mL or less also greatly amplified the adjusted OR of LPC18:0 at 18.00 nmol/mL or greater alone for GDM from 17.2 (1.77-168) up to 73.8 (12.7-429), with significant additive interaction.

Conclusions

LPCs in early pregnancy were associated with GDM risk. Low DCA or GUDCA greatly amplified the effect of high LPC18:0 on GDM, and its molecular mechanism is worth further investigations.
Rate and Extent of Recovery from Reproductive and Cardiac Dysfunction Due to Androgen Abuse in Men
Authors: Shankara-Narayana Nandini , Yu Christopher , Savkovic Sasha , Desai Reena , Fennell Carolyn , Turner Leo , Jayadev Veena , Conway Ann J , Kockx Maaike , Ridley Lloyd , Kritharides Len , Handelsman David J
Published: February 2020

Context

Androgen abuse impairs male reproductive and cardiac function, but the rate, extent, and determinants of recovery are not understood.

Objective

To investigate recovery of male reproductive and cardiac function after ceasing androgen intake in current and past androgen abusers compared with healthy non-users.

Methods

Cross-sectional, observational study recruited via social media 41 current and 31 past users (≥3 months since last use, median 300 days since last use) with 21 healthy, eugonadal non-users. Each provided a history, examination, and serum and semen sample and underwent testicular ultrasound, body composition analysis, and cardiac function evaluation.

Results

Current abusers had suppressed reproductive function and impaired cardiac systolic function and lipoprotein parameters compared with non- or past users. Past users did not differ from non-users, suggesting full recovery of suppressed reproductive and cardiac functions after ceasing androgen abuse, other than residual reduced testicular volume. Mean time to recovery was faster for reproductive hormones (anti-Mullerian hormone [AMH], 7.3 months; luteinizing hormone [LH], 10.7 months) than for sperm variables (output, 14.1 months) whereas spermatogenesis (serum follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH], inhibin B, inhibin) took longer. The duration of androgen abuse was the only other variable associated with slower recovery of sperm output (but not hormones).

Conclusion

Suppressed testicular and cardiac function due to androgen abuse is effectively fully reversible (apart from testis volume and serum sex hormone binding globulin) with recovery taking between 6 to 18 months after ceasing androgen intake with possible cumulative effects on spermatogenesis. Suppressed serum AMH, LH, and FSH represent convenient, useful, and underutilized markers of recovery from androgen abuse.
Estradiol Potentiates But Is Not Essential for Prolactin-Induced Suppression of Luteinizing Hormone Pulses in Female Rats
Authors: Silva Juneo F , Henriques Patricia C , Campideli-Santana Ana C , Araujo-Lopes Roberta , Aquino Nayara S S , Hipolito Laisa T M , Lopes-Aguiar Cleiton , Reis Adelina M , Grattan David R , Szawka Raphael E
Published: February 2020

Hyperprolactinemia causes infertility by suppressing gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion. Because effects of prolactin (PRL) on the hypothalamus usually require estradiol (E2), we investigated the role of E2 in PRL-induced suppression of LH pulses. Ovariectomized (OVX) rats treated with oil or E2 (OVX + E2) received a subcutaneous injection of ovine PRL (oPRL) 30 minutes before serial measurement of LH in the tail blood by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. E2 reduced pulsatile LH secretion. oPRL at 1.5 mg/kg further reduced LH pulse frequency in OVX + E2 but had no effect in OVX rats. The higher dose of 6-mg/kg oPRL decreased LH pulse frequency in both OVX and OVX + E2 rats, whereas pulse amplitude and mean LH levels were lowered only in OVX + E2 rats. Kisspeptin immunoreactivity and Kiss1 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels were decreased in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of OVX + E2 rats. oPRL decreased both kisspeptin peptide and gene expression in the ARC of OVX rats but did not alter the already low levels in OVX + E2 rats. In the anteroventral periventricular nucleus, oPRL did not change kisspeptin immunoreactivity and, paradoxically, increased Kiss1 mRNA only in OVX + E2 rats. Moreover, oPRL effectively reduced Gnrh expression regardless of E2 treatment. In this study we used tail-tip blood sampling to determine the acute effect of PRL on LH pulsatility in female rats. Our findings characterize the role of E2 in the PRL modulation of hypothalamic components of the gonadal axis and LH release, demonstrating that E2 potentiates but is not essential for the suppression of pulsatile LH secretion caused by hyperprolactinemia.
The Impact of Skeletal Muscle ERα on Mitochondrial Function and Metabolic Health
Authors: Hevener Andrea L , Ribas Vicent , Moore Timothy M , Zhou Zhenqi
Published: February 2020

The incidence of chronic disease is elevated in women after menopause. Increased expression of ESR1 (the gene that encodes the estrogen receptor alpha, ERα) in muscle is highly associated with metabolic health and insulin sensitivity. Moreover, reduced muscle expression levels of ESR1 are observed in women, men, and animals presenting clinical features of the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn). Considering that metabolic dysfunction elevates chronic disease risk, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers, treatment strategies to combat metabolic dysfunction and associated pathologies are desperately needed.

This review will provide published work supporting a critical and protective role for skeletal muscle ERα in the regulation of mitochondrial function, metabolic homeostasis, and insulin action. We will provide evidence that muscle-selective targeting of ERα may be effective for the preservation of mitochondrial and metabolic health. Collectively published findings support a compelling role for ERα in the control of muscle metabolism via its regulation of mitochondrial function and quality control. Studies identifying ERα-regulated pathways essential for disease prevention will lay the important foundation for the design of novel therapeutics to improve metabolic health of women while limiting secondary complications that have historically plagued traditional hormone replacement interventions.
Low-dose immune challenges result in detectable levels of oxidative damage
Authors: Armour Ellen M. , Bruner Taylor L. , Hines Justin K. , Butler Michael W.
Published: February 2020

Infection can result in substantial costs to animals, so they frequently respond by removing infectious agents with an immune response. However, immune responses entail their own costs, including up-regulation of processes that destroy pathogens (e.g., the production of reactive oxygen species), and processes that limit the extent of self-damage during the immune response (e.g., production of anti-inflammatory proteins such as haptoglobin). Here, we simulated bacterial infection across a 1,000-fold range using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administered to northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus), and quantified metrics related to pro-inflammatory conditions (i.e., generation of oxidative damage [d-ROMs], depletion of antioxidant capacity), anti-inflammatory mechanisms (i.e., production of haptoglobin, expression of the enzyme heme oxygenase, production of the organic molecule biliverdin), and nutritional physiology (e.g., circulating triglyceride levels, maintenance of body mass). We detected increases in levels of haptoglobin and d-ROMs even at LPS doses that are 1/1,000th the concentration of doses frequently used in ecoimmunological studies, while loss of body mass and decreases in circulating triglycerides manifested only in individuals receiving the highest dose of LPS (1 mg LPS/ kg body mass), highlighting variation among dose-dependent responses. Additionally, individuals that lost body mass during the course of the experiment had lower levels of circulating triglycerides, and those with more oxidative damage had greater levels of heme oxygenase expression, which highlights the complex interplay between pro- and anti-inflammatory processes. Because low doses of LPS may simulate natural infection levels, variation in dose-dependent physiological responses may be particularly important in modeling how free-living animals navigate immune challenges.
Preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy on surgical condition and oncogene expression in advanced gastric cancer
Authors: Sun Guangyu Sun , Wang Shuyan , Liu Guangsheng
Published: February 2020

Objective: To evaluate the effect of preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen of XELOX (capecitabine combined with oxaliplatin) on surgical condition and oncogene expression in advanced gastric cancer.

Methods: From January 2015 to July 2016, 124 patients with advanced gastric cancer who were admitted to our hospital were selected. Random number table method was used to divide them into an observation group and a control group, 62 each group. The observation group received two courses of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (XELOX) before operation, and the control group received surgery. The operation condition, expression of oncogenes in gastric cancer lesions, occurrence of adverse reactions and the long-term prognosis were compared between the two groups.

Results: The R0 resection rate of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The operation time of the observation group was shorter than that of the control group, the amount of intraoperative bleeding and the amount of postoperative drainage of the observation group were less than that of the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The mRNA expression of gastrokine 1, multiple tumor suppressor protein, Wilms tumor gene on the X chromosome (WTX gene) and gene of phosphate and tension homology deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN gene) in the observation group after treatment was significantly higher than that in the control group before treatment, and the increase amplitude of the observation group was more obvious than that of the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05). In terms of long-term prognosis, the disease-free survival time and average survival time of the observation group during the two-year follow-up period were significantly better than those of the control group, and the recurrence rate of the observation group was significantly lower than that of the control group; the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Preoperative XELOX for advanced gastric cancer patients can effectively increase the proportion of radical surgery, reduce the risk of surgery, and significantly regulate the expression of oncogene, thus improving the long-term prognosis of patients.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.3.1608

How to cite this:Sun G, Wang S, Liu G. Preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy on surgical condition and oncogene expression in advanced gastric cancer. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(3):485-489. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.3.1608

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Allergic Fungal rhino-sinusitis frequency in chronic rhino-sinusitis patients and accuracy of fungal culture in its diagnosis
Authors: Awan Nukhbat Ullah , Cheema Khalid Muneer , Naumeri Fatima , Qamar Samina
Published: February 2020

Objective: To determine the frequency of Allergic Fungal Rhino-sinusitis (AFRS) in Chronic Rhino-sinusitis (CRS) patients and the accuracy of fungal culture in diagnosing AFRS.

Methods: Immunocompetent patients with CRS and without invasive fungal rhino-sinusitis presenting over a period of 3 years in ENT department of Mayo Hospital, from April 2014 to September 2017 were included in the study. AFRS was diagnosed clinically and on Bent and Kuhn diagnostic criteria. All patients underwent endoscopic sinus surgery. Removed tissue histopathology and fungal culture was done. Diagnostic accuracy of fungal culture in AFRS patients was determined.

Results: Out of 216 patients of CRS, 45 (20.8%) had AFRS. Mean age of patients diagnosed with AFRS was 29.49±9.16. Out of 45 patients, 26 were male and 19 were female. Nasal polyps were present in 45 (100%) patients, fungal stain was positive in 39(86.7%). CT scan showed sinus expansion in 28(62.2%) patients, heterogeneous opacity in 45(100%) patients and bone destruction in 13(28.9%). Presence of Allergic Mucin was seen in 45(100%) patients, high IgE levels in 36(80.0%), eosinophilia in 21(46.7%), presence of Charcot Leyden crystals in 27(60.0%). Asymmetrical involvement of sinuses was seen in 30 (66.7%) and co-existent asthma was seen in 18(40.0%). Fungal culture positive patients were 25(55.6%). Diagnostic accuracy of fungal culture was 91.6%.

Conclusion: Fungal culture has a key role in confirming diagnosis of AFRS. We also noted that frequency of AFRS is increasing in CRS patients.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.3.1661

How to cite this:Awan NU, Cheema KM, Naumeri F, Qamar S. Allergic Fungal rhino-sinusitis frequency in chronic rhino-sinusitis patients and accuracy of fungal culture in its diagnosis. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(3):555-558. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.3.1661

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Plight of Dentistry in Pakistan
Authors: Jawaid Shaukat Ali
Published: February 2020

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.3.2278

How to cite this:Jawaid SA. Plight of Dentistry in Pakistan. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(3):299-302.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.3.2278

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Everything seems so settled here: The conceivability of post-Peircean biosemiotics
Authors: Rodríguez Higuera Claudio J.
Published: February 2020

Theory change is a slow, tortuous process. Problems associated with how we communicate ideas and how these ideas are received by our peers become catalysts for change in how we ourselves perceive and sanction what the discipline is capable of doing. Some parts of semiotics, and particularly biosemiotics, have come under critical scrutiny because of their heavy commitment to Peircean philosophy, but at the same time, the contributions of Peircean philosophy are almost impossible to discount. The ripples of this situation are quite visible in the emergence of code biology as a post-semiotic research programme. Yet there is a general balance between those who do not put that much stock in Peircean concepts and those who cannot conceive semiotics without these.

This paper will ask whether a biosemiotics after Peirce is possible at all in the sense of acknowledging Peirce’s contributions to the field while also taking to heart the criticisms raised by those skeptical of the implications of Peircean semiotics. While the answer is most likely positive, it depends on what background our concept of meaning relies on and how it may bleed into the other areas of semiotics that biosemiotics may claim a stake on. Being able to discuss potential theoretical distinctions across semiotics while also allowing communication between the areas caught in this differentiation will be crucial for the health of the discipline as the gap between theories becomes more profound.
Keepers as social companions: Tactile communication and social enrichment for captive apes
Authors: Cerrone Mirko
Published: February 2020

The article addresses the topic of great ape–keeper tactile communication. The aim of this paper is to understand whether direct physical contact can be considered a source of enrichment for captive apes and whether it could be used to enhance animal welfare in zoos. We make use of a multispecies perspective provided by umwelt theory in an attempt to determine the role of touch in zoological gardens. By referring to Konrad Lorenz, we describe keeper–animal relationships as a special case of companionship, highlighting the role of keepers in apes’ social behaviour. The paper considers social touch as the primary means used by social animals to create and maintain increasingly complex relationships. Since tactile communication in interspecific contexts has been underestimated previously, our theoretical framework allows for a better understanding of physical contact in zoological gardens without assuming an anthropocentric point of view. Our hypothesis is that physical contact with keepers may provide enriching opportunities for social animals and help strengthen the bond between animals and their keepers. We emphasize that ape–animal interactions in zoos need to involve keeper–animal physical contact as a possible means for enhancing the apes’ welfare.
Translating from monosemiotic to polysemiotic narratives: A study of Finnish speech and gestures
Authors: Louhema Karoliina , Zlatev Jordan , Graziano Maria , Van de Weijer Joost
Published: February 2020

Human communication can be either monosemiotic or polysemiotic, depending on whether it combines ensembles of representations from one or more semiotic systems such as language, gesture and depiction. Each semiotic system has its unique storytelling potentials, which makes intersemiotic translation from one system to another challenging. We investigated the influence of the source semiotic system, realised in speech and a sequence of pictures, respectively, on the way the same story was retold using speech and co-speech gestures. The story was the content of the picture book Frog, Where Are You?. A group of Finnish speakers saw the story in pictures, and another group heard it in matched oral narration. Each participant retold the story to an addressee and all narrations were video-recorded and analysed for both speech and gestures. Given the high degree of iconicity in depiction, we expected more iconic gestures (especially enactments) in the narratives translated from pictures than in those translated from speech. Conversely, we expected greater narrative coherence in the narratives translated from speech. The results showed that more iconic gestures were produced in the narratives translated from speech, but these were primarily not from the enactment subtype. As expected, iconic enactments were more frequent in the narratives translated from the story presented in pictures. The narratives produced by participants who had only heard the story did not have a greater variety of connective devices, yet the type of devices differed slightly between the groups. Together with some additional differences between the groups that had not been anticipated, the results indicate that a story presented in different semiotic systems tends to be translated into different polysemiotic narratives.
Mastering the Methods of Cognition of Natural Phenomena As an Important Component of the Natural Science Functional Literacy of a Primary Schoolchild
Authors: Timofeeva L.
Published: February 2020

The article discusses the features of building the process of familiarizing elementary schoolchildren with scientific methods of cognition (observation, experience) and their application to obtain new knowledge, solve educational, practical and educational-cognitive problems. This direction of educational activity of schoolchildren implements meta-subject learning outcomes in accordance with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard of Primary General Education, and also forms the basis of natural-scientific functional literacy among younger schoolchildren. On the basis of the author’s study, the principles of adapting scientific methods of cognition for use as ways of organizing learning activities are determined; the main stages of the formation of the ability of students to use scientific methods of cognition in students are identified.
The Use of Multimedia for the Development of Reading Literacy of Primary Schoolchildren
Authors: Kopoteva G. , Merzlikina I.
Published: February 2020

The article discusses the problem of the need to use the enthusiasm of schoolchildren with gadgets to activate their need for reading, the formation of reading literacy among them. As a means of solving this problem, the integration of interdisciplinary programs for the development of universal educational actions “Reading. Work with text” and “Formation of ICT readiness of schoolchildren” is proposed. The universality of the proposed model and technologies is emphasized, which allows in the process of extracurricular activities to increase the level of universal reading educational actions of schoolchildren at the initial and main stages of general education.
Electronic library in the context of the electronic information and educational environment of the University
Authors: Baryshev R. , Noskov Mihail , Manushkina Margarita
Published: February 2020

The monograph examines the structure and functions of the electronic information and educational environment of the University and the place of the electronic library in this structure. The analysis of literary sources is carried out and the most important directions of development of University electronic libraries are highlighted. Based on the analysis, a model for the development of the library of a modern University is proposed.
For students, postgraduates, teachers, and anyone interested in library systems.
Management Sociology
Authors: Nikolaev Aleksandr
Published: February 2020

The tutorial covers the basics of the institutional and organizational management, social control as a key management function, stimulation of work and motivation in the control system.
We give assignments, tests, and an example of sociological research program, and a glossary.
Textbook meets federal state educational standards of the latest generation of higher education.
For future bachelors studying sociology and management, institutional and organizational management, as well as graduate students and teachers of higher educational institutions.
Comparative Analysis of Terrorists’ Objectives Hierarchies
Authors: Siebert Johannes Ulrich , von Winterfeldt Detlof
Published: February 2020

To develop effective counterterrorism strategies, it is important to understand the capabilities and objectives of terrorist groups. Much of the understanding of these groups comes from intelligence collection and analysis of their capabilities. In contrast, the objectives of terrorists are less well understood. In this article, we describe a decision analysis methodology to identify and structure the objectives of terrorists based on the statements and writings of their leaders. This methodology was applied in three case studies, resulting in the three objectives hierarchies of al-Qaeda, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and Hezbollah. In this article, we propose a method to compare the three objectives hierarchies, highlight their key differences, and draw conclusions about effective counterterrorism strategies. We find that all three terrorist groups have a wide range of objectives going far beyond the objective of killing and terrorizing people in the non-Muslim world. Among the shared objectives are destroying Israel and expelling Western powers from the Middle East. All three groups share the ambition to become a leader in the Islamic world. Key distinctions are the territorial ambitions of ISIL and Hezbollah versus the large-scale attack objectives of al-Qaeda. Objectives specific to ISIL are the establishment of a caliphate in Iraq and Syria and the re-creation of the power of Sunni Islam. Hezbollah has unique objectives related to the establishment of a Palestine State and to maintain the relationship with and support of Iran and Syria. Al-Qaeda’s objectives remain focused on large-scale attacks in the West. We also note a recent shift to provide support for small-scale attacks in the West by both al-Qaeda and ISIL. Our method can be used for comparing objectives hierarchies of different organizations as well as for comparing objectives hierarchies over time of one organization.
Design of Lotteries and Wait-Lists for Affordable Housing Allocation
Authors: Arnosti Nick , Shi Peng
Published: February 2020

We study a setting in which dynamically arriving items are assigned to waiting agents, who have heterogeneous values for distinct items and heterogeneous outside options. An ideal match would both target items to agents with the worst outside options and match them to items for which they have high value. Our first finding is that two common approaches—using independent lotteries for each item and using a waitlist in which agents lose priority when they reject an offer—lead to identical outcomes in equilibrium. Both approaches encourage agents to accept items that are marginal fits. We show that the quality of the match can be improved by using a common lottery for all items. If participation costs are negligible, a common lottery is equivalent to several other mechanisms, such as limiting participants to a single lottery, using a waitlist in which offers can be rejected without punishment, or using artificial currency. However, when there are many agents with low need, there is an unavoidable trade-off between matching and targeting. In this case, utilitarian welfare may be maximized by focusing on good matching (if the outside option distribution is light tailed) or good targeting (if it is heavy tailed). Using a common lottery achieves near-optimal matching, whereas introducing participation costs achieves near-optimal targeting.

This paper was accepted by Charles Corbett, operations management.
If Higher Pay Is Profitable, Why Is It So Rare? Modeling Competing Strategies in Mass Market Services
Authors: Rahmandad Hazhir , Ton Zeynep
Published: February 2020

Several case studies suggest that firms targeting mass market services can align profitability with jobs offering a living wage, stable schedules, and engaging work. Yet, few do. To understand this puzzle, we draw on theories of firms as systems of interdependent choices. Building on a few cases, we map the processes connecting managerial choice to performance and formalize the resulting performance landscape. In a strategy space defined by two dimensions—task richness and compensation—two local profitability peaks emerge: one with low compensation and low task richness and one with high compensation and high task richness. The bimodal landscape results from complementarity among choices and is robust when the strategy space is expanded from two to six dimensions and under many alternative parameterizations. Exploring how firms discover, move to, and remain at the high-compensation–high-task richness peak, we find three challenges to this strategy: (a) contextuality—adoption, imitation, and replication are harder for strategies that rely on interdependences among components and thus, require significant customization for each context; (b) temporal complexity—strategies depending on long-term and synergistic investments and slow-moving reinforcing feedbacks are hard to learn owing to misleading performance feedback; and (c) variable demand with no inventory buffers—efforts to adjust labor supply to highly variable demand in services often lead to unstable schedules given with short notice that drive quality employees away and compromise the strategy. These mechanisms can undermine promising strategies even if the actual performance landscape includes a small number of local peaks.
High-tech MRI could potentially aid the detection of early cardiac transplant rejection
Authors: Palmer Sarah Jane
Published: February 2020

Sarah Jane Palmer discusses the latest research in technology
Funding is only the start of fixing CPD
Authors: Foster Sam
Published: February 2020

Sam Foster, Chief Nurse, Oxford University Hospitals, considers the Government's promise of funding for continuing professional development, and calls for transparecy and further guidance
Developing an Instructional Design for the Field of ICT and Software for Gifted and Talented Students
Authors: Avcu Yunus Emre , Er Kemal Oguz
Published: February 2020

This study aimed to develop an instructional design that focuses on programming teaching for gifted and talented students and to investigate its effects on the teaching process. During the development of the instructional design; the steps of Morrison, Ross and Kemp Instructional Design Model were followed. Embedded experimental design, one of the mixed-method research designs, was used in the modeling of the study. The participants consisted of students studying at the Science and Art Center (BILSEM) (experimental group: 13 girls and 12 boys, control group: 10 girls and 15 boys). While the instructional design developed by the researchers was applied to the gifted and talented students in the experimental group, the standard activities used in Information Technologies and Software Courses at BILSEM were applied to the gifted and talented students in the control group. “Computational Thinking Scale (CTS)”, “Torrance Creative Thinking Test (TCTT-Figural)” and “Computer Programming Self-Efficacy Scale (CPSES)” were used to collect the data of the quantitative phase of the study. Qualitative data were gathered by using interview form, observation forms, and design thinking rubric. Two-Factor ANOVA Test, Bonferroni Adjustment Multiple Comparisons Test, and interaction graphs were used to analyze quantitative data while qualitative data were analyzed by content analysis. The quantitative results of the research showed that the instructional design was effective on students' computational thinking and creative thinking skills, but not on programming self-efficacy. Qualitative findings revealed that the instructional design helped the students learn the computational concepts, use computational applications, and develop computational-perspectives. Also, students improved their design thinking skills to a certain level and expressed that they enjoyed the design thinking process, learned the course content, and experienced some difficulties.
The Rise and Fall of Algal Blooms – Systemic Aversion from Limits to Growth, I
Authors: Dikou Angela
Published: February 2020

Rising trends in contemporary local ubiquitous algal blooms worldwide are positively associated with historic unprecedented rates of C, N, and P accumulations in waters and sediments in all types of aquatic ecosystems. A synthesis of patterns, processes, and mechanisms of algal blooms from different spatial and temporal scales reveals that they are a symptom of systemic changes in the intensity of the trophic and the detrital food webs scaffolded through the interaction of warming, fertilization and over fishing. Research with reference sites within protected areas; on ecological stoichiometry; and on socio-ecological systems are recommended in forecasting, monitoring, and policy regarding algal blooms to timely avert from limits to growth without unintended consequences.
Anger fast and slow: mediations of justice and violence in the age of populism
Authors: Davies William
Published: February 2020

The rise of populist political rhetoric and mobilisation, together with a conflict-riven digital public sphere, has generated growing interest in anger as a central emotion in politics. Anger has long been recognised as a powerful driver of political action and resistance, by feminist scholars among others, while political philosophers have reflected on the relationship of anger to ethical judgement since Aristotle. This article seeks to differentiate between two different ideal types of anger, in order to illuminate the status of anger in contemporary populist politics and rhetoric. First, there is anger that arises in an automatic, pre-conscious fashion, as a somatic, reactive and performative way, to an extent that potentially spirals into violence. Second, there is anger that builds up over time in response to perceived injustice, potentially generating melancholia and ressentiment. Borrowing Kahneman’s dualism, the article refers to these as ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ anger, and deploys the distinction to understand how the two interact. In the hands of the demagogue or troll, ‘fast anger’ can be deployed to focus all energies on the present, so as to briefly annihilate the past and the ‘slow anger’ that has been deposited there. And yet only by combining the conscious reflection of memory with the embodied response of action can anger ever be meaningfully sated in politics.
LÉXICO PATRIMONIAL MIRANDÉS: ANÁLISIS COMPARATIVO
Authors: ÁLVAREZ VIVES Vicente , AZEVEDO SAMPAIO Melanie
Published: February 2020

The following contribution comprises the research on the patrimonial Mirandese lexicon, or, more precisely, the analysis of six Mirandese terms which have been collected from a recent literary work. A brief historical analysis of each word will be presented, based on its translation into Portuguese and Spanish and on the consultation of various etymological dictionaries.
Más allá de Rosenstone. Por una agenda de trabajo en Cine-Historia
Authors: Nigra Fabio
Published: February 2020

Sin perjuicio de la gran cantidad de investigadores de relevancia que se han dedicado a reflexionar sobre la forma y modalidad de representación de la Historia a través del cine, quien se posicionó claramente en la idea de que los films pueden ser entendidos como una forma de escritura de la Historia ha sido Robert Rosenstone, y sobre esta impronta se plantea el presente trabajo con la idea de profundizar y avanzar sobre cuestiones y conceptos delineados por ese autor. De esta forma se presentarán análisis tales como las particularidades de la narración en historia y en el cine, o cómo podría trabajarse la trasposición de un libro de historia a una película, y la existencia de referencias intertextuales con otros filmes; también, la capacidad de films no necesariamente basados en hechos reales para expresar la problemática de ciertos procesos históricos. El problema rector es ¿cómo hace un film de Hollywood para convencer y construir un particular nivel de consenso? ¿Su objetivo es meramente doméstico o se pretende su universalización? ¿Qué se pretende con ese intento de convencimiento?
Memoria ficcional/ficcionalizada como Historia en Infancia clandestina (2011): una perspectiva ignorada recupera el pasado argentino
Authors: K. Curry Richard
Published: February 2020

En la película argentina Infancia clandestina (2011), un niño, Ernesto (alias Juan) sirve de metonimia por la tragedia humana de los miles de desaparecidos argentinos y otras víctimas de la ‘guerra sucia.’ La infancia de Ernesto es clandestina no sólo porque él y su familia tienen que esconderse sino también porque la perspectiva del niño de los eventos histórico-sociales frecuentemente se calla, se ignora. El director Benjamín Ávila, niño durante el “proceso”, emplea una variedad de técnicas, algunas propias de otros tipos de discurso [por ejemplo, los comics], para construir un diálogo fílmico por medio del cual se comunica aquella perspectiva ignorada, creando al mismo tiempo un testimonio de los efectos duraderos de aquellos eventos traumáticos. Estableciendo relaciones intermediales, esta película dialoga tanto con otros medios y géneros como con importantes antecedentes del archivo del cine hispánico. A través del tejido de subjetividad e historicidad rememora un episodio en la historia argentina para que el pueblo pueda comprender el mundo en el que sobrevive.
Aplicación de las Metodologías Ágiles al proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje universitario
Authors: Martín Gómez Sonia
Published: February 2020

Aquesta proposta d'innovació docent té com a objectiu el de dinamitzar i apropar al món empresarial l'ensenyament  en l'assignatura de sis crèdits Gestió i organització d'Empreses II, cursada en el quart semestre dels diferents graus que s'ofereixen a la Facultad de Ciencias Económicas de la Universidad San Pablo-CEU, de forma que l'alumne participi de forma més activa del que fins ara venia fent i s'impliqui en la solució dels problemes d'empreses reals plantejats a l'aula. Amb aquesta finalitat s'utilizaran metodologies àgils i innovacions tecnològiques, que permetin aplicar de forma pràctica l'aprenentatge basat en projectes (APB).Per a la seva implementació es proposa la resolució d'un cas de producció per tallers, mitjançant la formació d'equips àgils, utilitzant Scrum i Kanban, fent servir per al darrer, l'aplicació Trello. L'enfoc iteratiu i incremental d'aquesta metodologia permetrà que l'alumne conegui de forma senzilla i pràctica conceptes que creixen en quant a la seva complexitat, segons es va evolucionant en la resolució del mateix.Per a l'assignatura en qüestió, el desenvolupament de la solució es farà en cinc iteracions o sprints, afegint a cada iteració nous resultats d'aprenentatge, que permetin aconseguir les competències marcades en la matèria.
Tipologías de estudiantes de Fisioterapia según el uso que hacen del campus virtual
Authors: Álvarez Vázquez Mª Pilar , Álvarez-Méndez Ana , Bravo-Llatas Carmen , Cristóbal Barrios Jesús , Angulo Carrere Mª Teresa
Published: February 2020

Presentem en aquest article els resultats obtinguts un cop processats els registres de l'espai virtual creat a la plataforma Moodle per a l'assignatura “Anatomía Humana III”, del grau en Fisioteràpia. L'anàlisi es dugué a terme utilitzant el software lliure per a la computació estadística i gràfics RStudio, un entorn de desenvolupament integrat per al llenguatge de programació R. Un total de 19.611 registres corresponents a l'activitat realitzada al llarg del curs acadèmic 2017/18 van ser depurats, fets anònims i posteriorment analitzats. Les variables quantitatives escollides varen ser el nombre total de visites per dia al curso virtual, la mitjana de la freqüència de visites a l'assignatura virtual per dia de la setmana i hora del dia i per mesos, el nombre d'accessos a recursos, autoavaluacions i a URLs. A més, es va realitzar l'anàlisi estadística de les dades amb el software IBM SPSS v.25, comparant l'ús del campus virtual amb el rendiment acadèmic. Es varen fer proves de correlació de Spearman no paramètriques i arbres de decisió amb dos criteris de tall. Els resultats obtinguts  van mostrar que el rendiment acadèmic dels estudiants d'aquesta assignatura està influenciat per l'ús que fan del campus virtual. D'aquesta manera, s'ha vist que els alumnes amb qualificació inferior a cinc punts sobre deu, van presentar menor activitat en la plataforma Moodle, en totes les variables analitzades. Per contra, els estudiants amb qualificacions entre vuit i deu punts sobre deu, van mostrar una activitat significativament major al campus virtual, especialment en el nombre de visites i recursos utilitzats.
Manuel Vázquez Montalbán i l’esport: una necessitat pedagògica.
Authors: Osúa Quintana Jordi
Published: February 2020

Manuel Vázquez Montalbán devoted part of his literary and journalistic output to reflecting on the meaning of sport in modern Western society. His concern for this mass phenomenon does not come from his sports education, but from his interest in popular culture. A subcultural analysis of his published articles reveals that the writer had an educational theory of sport in which a Marxist and humanist perspective vindicated the consideration of sport as a pedagogical necessity. This necessity, which cannot be postponed, requires sports education to help unmask the alienating elements hidden in both the contemplation of sport and its practice, in order to recover a more ethical sense of what sport means and orient its practice towards human improvement. Only then can sport serve its most humanly meaningful purpose: to be an instrument of personal emancipation and social transformation.
Invitacions per a la formació de mestres.
Authors: Esteban Bara Francisco , Sánchez Margalef Ferran
Published: February 2020

We need good teachers, the best we can have: teachers who are knowledgeable and who can explain knowledge; teachers who can keep abreast of the new technologies and innovative trends in educational psychology and teaching, and who respect the ethical code of the teaching profession. But experience tells us that the good teachers we need do more than this. All of us remember at least one teacher who did not so much pass through our life, as stay in it. She or he made certain things impossible to erase from our minds and hearts through typically human, simple and beautiful gestures. These teachers showed us that education can be a wonderful, humanising adventure, a true event of human transformation. This paper makes proposals about how to help trainees teachers do this.
Low-loss volume modes in a lamellar hyperbolic metamaterial slab
Authors: Koutsares S. R. , Tanyi E. K. , Daniel S. J. , Savelev R. S. , Rahmani M. , Neshev D. , Shadrivov I. V. , Noginov M. A.
Published: February 2020

We have studied, both theoretically and experimentally, the excitation
of volume modes in a lamellar metal/dielectric metamaterial with
hyperbolic dispersion. The highly efficient light penetration through
tens of metamaterial layers is consistent with a relatively low
propagation loss. The volume modes were found to be highly sensitive
to the surface roughness of the layers, which can be a detrimental
factor in device applications.
Tensor-to-matrix mapping in elasto-optics
Authors: Slezák Ondřej , Lucianetti Antonio , Mocek Tomáš
Published: February 2020

A matrix method for tensor transformations in Voigt notation known from the elasticity calculations has been applied to elasto-optical calculations. Using invariant tensor-to-matrix mapping, the second- and fourth-rank Cartesian tensor transformations and basic operations can be performed by means of matrix multiplication. This approach brings what we believe is a new method of correct tensorial operations in Voigt notation, replacing a well-known approach that allocated specific constants to some matrix elements to even up the difference between the tensor transformations and

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matrix operations. This general approach also simplifies the use of elasto-optical calculations for an arbitrary crystal class in an arbitrary orientation.
Evaluating imaging quality of optical dome affected by aero-optical transmission effect and aero-thermal radiation effect
Authors: Hui Wang , Chen Shouqian , Zhang Wang , Dang Fanyang , Ju Lin , Xu Xianmei , Fan Zhigang
Published: February 2020

The imaging quality of the aerodynamically heated optical dome was evaluated under the comprehensive influence of aero-optical transmission effect and aero-thermal radiation effect. The ray propagating algorithm based on the fourth order Runge-Kutta method was used to trace the target ray and the thermal radiation ray of the optical dome. Three imaging quality evaluation parameters were proposed to evaluate aero-optical effect: Modulation transfer function (MTF), irradiance, peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) of distorted images. The results show that: as the flight speed increased, the MTF decreased observably compared with the diffraction-limit MTF, the irradiance on the photosensitive surface of the detector increased gradually, and the distorted imaging quality under the influence of the comprehensive aero-optical effect gradually deteriorated. However, as the thickness of the optical dome increased, the MTF decreased sharply and the irradiance decreased gradually, that indicated the aero-optical transmission effect was reinforced and the aero-thermal radiation effect was weakened. The imaging quality improved with thickness increasing. The influence of aero-thermal radiation effect on the PSNR of the image was more serious than that of the aero-optical transmission effect.
Controlling the minimal feature sizes in adjoint optimization of nanophotonic devices using b-spline surfaces
Authors: Khoram Erfan , Qian Xiaoping , Yuan Ming , Yu Zongfu
Published: February 2020

Adjoint optimization is an effective method in the inverse design of nanophotonic devices. In order to ensure the manufacturability, one would like to have control over the minimal feature sizes. Here we propose utilizing a level-set method based on b-spline surfaces in order to control the feature sizes. This approach is first used to design a wavelength demultiplexer. It is also used to implement a nanophotonic structure for artificial neural computing. In both cases, we show that the minimal feature sizes can be easily parameterized and controlled.
High-efficiency ∼2 µm CW laser operation of LD-pumped Tm3+:CaF2 single-crystal fibers
Authors: Wang Yangxiao , Wang Shaozhao , Wang Jingya , Zhang Zhonghan , Zhang Zhen , Liu Rongrong , Zu Yuqian , Liu Jie , Su Liangbi
Published: February 2020

The Tm:CaF2 single-crystal fibers were successfully grown by modified temperature gradient technique method. The J-O intensity parameters, spontaneous radiative transition rates, radiative lifetimes and fluorescence branching ratios of Tm3+ were calculated with Judd-Ofelt theory. A systematic study of the fluorescence characteristics has been carried out. Simulated emission cross-sections of the 3F4 → 3H6 transition were calculated to be 6.68×10−21 cm−2 and 4.65×10−21cm−2 for crystal doped with 3 at.% and 4 at.% Tm3+. The 64.4% slope efficiency with output power of 2.23W was achieved in 3 at.% Tm:CaF2 single-crystal fiber. The slope efficiency decreased to 44.5% and maximum output power decreased to 1.65W in 4 at.% Tm:CaF2 single-crystal fiber. Obtained results show that Tm-doped CaF2 single-crystal fibers are promising materials for IR laser action generation.