bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Virological outcomes and risk factors for non-suppression for routine and repeat viral load testing after enhanced adherence counselling during viral load testing scale-up in Zimbabwe: analytic cross-sectional study using laboratory data from 2014 to 2018
Authors: Mhlanga Trudy Tholakele , Jacobs Bart K. M. , Decroo Tom , Govere Emma , Bara Hilda , Chonzi Prosper , Sithole Ngwarai , Apollo Tsitsi , Van Damme Wim , Rusakaniko Simbarashe , Lynen Lutgarde , Makurumidze Richard
Published: July 2022

Background

Since the scale-up of routine viral load (VL) testing started in 2016, there is limited evidence on VL suppression rates under programmatic settings and groups at risk of non-suppression. We conducted a study to estimate VL non-suppression (> 1000 copies/ml) and its risk factors using "routine" and "repeat after enhanced adherence counselling (EAC)" VL results.

Methods

We conducted an analytic cross-sectional study using secondary VL testing data collected between 2014 and 2018 from a centrally located laboratory. We analysed data from routine tests and repeat tests after an individual received EAC. Our outcome was viral load non-suppression. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with having VL non-suppression for routine and repeat VL.

Results

We analysed 103,609 VL test results (101,725 routine and 1884 repeat test results) collected from the country’s ten provinces. Of the 101,725 routine and 1884 repeat VL tests, 13.8% and 52.9% were non-suppressed, respectively. Only one in seven (1:7) of the non-suppressed routine VL tests had a repeat test after EAC. For routine VL tests; males (vs females, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.19, [95% CI 1.14–1.24]) and adolescents (10–19 years) (vs adults (25–49 years), aOR = 3.11, [95% CI 2.9–3.31]) were more at risk of VL non-suppression. The patients who received care at the secondary level (vs primary, aOR = 1.21, [95% CI 1.17–1.26]) and tertiary level (vs primary, aOR = 1.63, [95% CI 1.44–1.85]) had a higher risk of VL non-suppression compared to the primary level. Those that started ART in 2014–2015 (vs < 2010, aOR = 0.83, [95% CI 0.79–0.88]) and from 2016 onwards (vs < 2010, aOR = 0.84, [95% CI 0.79–0.89]) had a lower risk of VL non-suppression. For repeat VL tests; young adults (20–24 years) (vs adults (25–49 years), (aOR) = 3.48, [95% CI 2.16 -5.83]), adolescents (10–19 years) (vs adults (25–49 years), aOR = 2.76, [95% CI 2.11–3.72]) and children (0–9 years) (vs adults (25–49 years), aOR = 1.51, [95% CI 1.03–2.22]) were at risk of VL non-suppression.

Conclusion

Close to 90% suppression in routine VL shows that Zimbabwe is on track to reach the third UNAIDS target. Strategies to improve the identification of clients with high routine VL results for repeating testing after EAC and ART adherence in subpopulations (men, adolescents and young adolescents) at risk of viral non-suppression should be prioritised.
Short-term temporal analysis and children's knowledge of the composition of important medicinal plants: the structural core hypothesis
Authors: Sousa Daniel Carvalho Pires , Ferreira Júnior Washington Soares , Albuquerque Ulysses Paulino
Published: July 2022

Background

Measures of the importance of medicinal plants have long been used in ethnobotany and ethnobiology to understand the influence of social-ecological system factors in the formation of individuals’ differential knowledge and use. However, there is still a gap in empirical studies that seek to understand the temporal aspects of this process.

Methods

To overcome this issue, we used the concept of the structural core of medicinal plants, a theoretical-evolutionary model, which argues that the importance of medicinal plant resources is related to the increase in individual and population fitness. It represents the set of the most effective and available resources that would treat the most common diseases in an environment. This composition of knowledge would be conservative over space and time. To test these questions, we hypothesized that the composition of the structural core remains constant during temporal changes in a social-ecological context, and that the composition of the infantile structural core (new generation) is similar to that of the adults (older generation). For 2 years, we tracked the structure of important medicinal plants among the same 49 residents of a community located in Vale do Catimbau in Pernambuco, Brazil. We also compared the importance of the medicinal plants among two different generations, children/adolescents and adults, in the same space/time context.

Results and Conclusion

Our results refuted both hypotheses. Regarding the composition of important medicinal plants through temporal variations and for children's learning, our results were not predicted by the model. This suggests that the structural core should not be regarded as a conservative phenomenon, but rather a congenital, dynamic, and plastic occurrence that has adapted to configure itself as a short-term population response to the treatment of local diseases.
An observational, non-interventional study for the follow-up of patients with amyloidosis who received miridesap followed by dezamizumab in a phase 1 study
Authors: Richards Duncan , Millns Helen , Cookson Louise , Lukas Mary Ann
Published: July 2022

Background

Miridesap depletes circulating serum amyloid P (SAP) and dezamizumab (anti-SAP monoclonal antibody) targets SAP on amyloid deposits, triggering amyloid removal. In a phase 1, first-in-human study (FIHS), progressive amyloid removal was observed in some patients after ≤ 3 cycles of miridesap/dezamizumab.

Methods

This observational, non-interventional study in patients who received miridesap/dezamizumab during the FIHS (planned follow-up: 5 years) evaluated response to treatment based on routine assessments of disease status and key organ function. In a post hoc analysis, patients responding to treatment in the FIHS during follow-up were identified as responders and further categorized as sustained or declining responders.

Results

In the FIHS, 17/23 patients were treatment responders. Of these patients, seven (immunoglobulin light chain [AL], n = 6; serum amyloid A, n = 1) were considered sustained responders and ten (fibrinogen-a alpha chain [AFib], n = 5; AL, n = 4; apolipoprotein A-I, n = 1) were considered declining responders. We primarily present responder patient-level data for functional, cardiac, laboratory and imaging assessments conducted during the follow-up period, with non-responder data presented as supplementary.

Conclusion

No further development of miridesap/dezamizumab is planned in amyloidosis. However, long-term follow-up of these patients may provide insight into whether active removal of amyloid deposits has an impact on disease progression.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01777243. Registered 28 January 2013, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT01777243.
Evaluation of antiplasmodial activity in silico and in vitro of N-acylhydrazone derivatives
Authors: Oliveira Fernanda A. , Pinto Ana Claudia S. , Duarte Caique L. , Taranto Alex G. , Lorenzato Junior Eder , Cordeiro Cleydson Finotti , Carvalho Diogo T. , Varotti Fernando P. , Fonseca Amanda L.
Published: July 2022

N-acylhydrazones are considered privileged structures in medicinal chemistry, being part of antimicrobial compounds (for example). In this study we show the activity of N-acylhydrazone compounds, namely AH1, AH2, AH4, AH5 in in vitro tests against the chloroquine-resistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum (W2) and against WI26 VA-4 human cell lines. All compounds showed low cytotoxicity (LC50 > 100 µM). The AH5 compound was the most active against Plasmodium falciparum, with an IC50 value of 0.07 μM. AH4 and AH5 were selected among the tested compounds for molecular docking calculations to elucidate possible targets involved in their mechanism of action and the SwissADME analysis to predict their pharmacokinetic profile. The AH5 compound showed affinity for 12 targets with low selectivity, while the AH4 compound had greater affinity for only one target (3PHC). These compounds met Lipinski's standards in the ADME in silico tests, indicating good bioavailability results. These results demonstrate that these N-acylhydrazone compounds are good candidates for future preclinical studies against malaria.

Graphical Abstract
Multiple fluctuating targets track-before-detect using multi-Bernoulli filter in radar sensor
Authors: Li Dongsheng , Wu Sunyong , Deng Honggao , Sun Xiyan , Cai Ruhua
Published: July 2022

This paper addresses the detection and tracking of multiple fluctuating targets for a track-before-detect algorithm based on the Multi-Bernoulli (MB-TBD) filter in surveillance radar systems. MB-TBD usually considers target amplitude information and ignores the fact that radar measurements are complex-valued. In this paper, we first propose to utilize phase information to improve the discrimination of targets from noise. More precisely, complex likelihood ratios are used instead of squared modulus measurements likelihood ratios for fluctuations of types Swerling 0, 1, 3. Secondly, the traditional MB-TBD filter cannot solve the problem of coexistence between targets with stronger amplitude and weaker amplitude when multiple fluctuating targets are moving. To address this limitation, an adaptive birth distribution based on joint successive target cancellation and measurement likelihood ratio driven is proposed. Moreover, in order to reduce computational complexity, the Bernoulli components of the same targets are merged after the MB-TBD updating. Finally, the proposed algorithm is implemented using Sequential Monte Carlo technology. The simulation results show that in challenging scenarios, the performance of the improved algorithm is better than the traditional algorithm, and it has a good application prospect.
Severe ACTA1-related nemaline myopathy: intranuclear rods, cytoplasmic bodies, and enlarged perinuclear space as characteristic pathological features on muscle biopsies
Authors: Labasse Clémence , Brochier Guy , Taratuto Ana-Lia , Cadot Bruno , Rendu John , Monges Soledad , Biancalana Valérie , Quijano-Roy Susana , Bui Mai Thao , Chanut Anaïs , Madelaine Angéline , Lacène Emmanuelle , Beuvin Maud , Amthor Helge , Servais Laurent , de Feraudy Yvan , Erro Marcela , Saccoliti Maria , Neto Osorio Abath , Fauré Julien , Lannes Béatrice , Laugel Vincent , Coppens Sandra , Lubieniecki Fabiana , Bello Ana Buj , Laing Nigel , Evangelista Teresinha , Laporte Jocelyn , Böhm Johann , Romero Norma B.
Published: July 2022

Nemaline myopathy (NM) is a muscle disorder with broad clinical and genetic heterogeneity. The clinical presentation of affected individuals ranges from severe perinatal muscle weakness to milder childhood-onset forms, and the disease course and prognosis depends on the gene and mutation type. To date, 14 causative genes have been identified, and ACTA1 accounts for more than half of the severe NM cases. ACTA1 encodes α-actin, one of the principal components of the contractile units in skeletal muscle. We established a homogenous cohort of ten unreported families with severe NM, and we provide clinical, genetic, histological, and ultrastructural data. The patients manifested antenatal or neonatal muscle weakness requiring permanent respiratory assistance, and most deceased within the first months of life. DNA sequencing identified known or novel ACTA1 mutations in all. Morphological analyses of the muscle biopsy specimens showed characteristic features of NM histopathology including cytoplasmic and intranuclear rods, cytoplasmic bodies, and major myofibrillar disorganization. We also detected structural anomalies of the perinuclear space, emphasizing a physiological contribution of skeletal muscle α-actin to nuclear shape. In-depth investigations of the nuclei confirmed an abnormal localization of lamin A/C, Nesprin-1, and Nesprin-2, forming the main constituents of the nuclear lamina and the LINC complex and ensuring nuclear envelope integrity. To validate the relevance of our findings, we examined muscle samples from three previously reported ACTA1 cases, and we identified the same set of structural aberrations. Moreover, we measured an increased expression of cardiac α-actin in the muscle samples from the patients with longer lifespan, indicating a potential compensatory effect. Overall, this study expands the genetic and morphological spectrum of severe ACTA1-related nemaline myopathy, improves molecular diagnosis, highlights the enlargement of the perinuclear space as an ultrastructural hallmark, and indicates a potential genotype/phenotype correlation.
Analytical studies on commercial artists’ colour charts from Das Deutsche Farbenbuch (1925)—identification of synthetic and natural organic colourants by Raman microscopy, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and metal underlayer ATR-FTIR spectroscopy
Authors: Sessa Clarimma , Steuer Christoph , Quintero Balbas Diego , Sciutto Giorgia , Prati Silvia , Stege Heike
Published: July 2022

Historical colour charts provide a rich and often well-dated reference materials source for studying the chemical composition of all kinds of commercial brands of artists’ paints. This article presents the results of an extensive analytical study of more than 80 paint hues from 11 colour charts that are included in the German standard book Das Deutsche Farbenbuch by H. Trillich (1925, Part II). Our research focused on the identification of synthetic organic pigments, whose quickly increasing significance for artists’ paints in the early twentieth century is impossible to evaluate by documentary source research alone. A stepwise procedure combining different non- or minimally invasive vibrational spectroscopy techniques—Normal Raman and Surface-Enhanced Raman spectroscopy as well as Metal Underlayer Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy—allowed the identification of 18 different organic colourants in artists’ watercolours, tempera and oil colours from six German manufacturers. In addition, micro-X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopy was applied to determine the elemental pattern of substrates, fillers, and admixed inorganic pigments. In addition to a few traditional natural organic colourants (dark and rose madder lake, cochineal lake), most of the identified compounds comprised synthetic organic pigments or synthetic dyes from various chemical classes (indigo, anthraquinone, monoazo, ß-naphthol, xanthene, triarylcarbonium, nitroso, and azine compounds). Some of these have not or only rarely been reported in artists’ paints so far. Since the identified organic colourants have mainly poor to fair (only sometimes good) fastness to light according to modern standards and partially also to solvents typically used in conservation treatments, it is evident that works of art from this period should be treated keeping in mind the possible presence of such colourants, when planning both interventive treatments and preventive measures.
Detecting multiscale periodicity from the secular effusive activity at Santiaguito lava dome complex (Guatemala)
Authors: Massaro Silvia , Costa Antonio , Sulpizio Roberto , Coppola Diego , Soloviev Anatoly
Published: July 2022

Santiaguito, Guatemala, represents one of the best cases of active lava dome complex in the world, producing lava flow effusion, weak explosive activity, and cycles of lava dome extrusion over varying timescales. Since the inception in 1922, it has shown a remarkable constant eruptive activity, characterized by effusion of blocky domes and lava flows punctuated by moderate explosions of gas-and-ash and pyroclastic flows. In this study, we reconstruct the time evolution of discharge rates of Santiaguito across one entire century, from 1922 to 2021, combining, for the more recent activity, new satellite thermal data. By using discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and Morlet wavelet analyses, we identify three fundamental periodicities in subsets of the 1922–2021 time-series: (i) long term (ca. 10 years), (ii) intermediate term (ca. 3.5 years), and (iii) short term (from ca. 1 year to ca. 3 months), which are comparable with those observed at other lava dome eruptions at calc-alkaline volcanoes. Such inferred periodicities provide a powerful tool for the interpretation of the non-linear eruptive behaviour and represent a pivotal benchmark for numerical modelling aimed to reconstruct the dynamics of the magma feeding system based on a time-averaged discharge rate dataset.

Graphical Abstract
Developing an experimental model of early knee osteoarthritis after medial meniscus posterior root release: an in vivo study
Authors: Dzidzishvili Lika , López-Torres Irene Isabel , Guerrero Carlos Carnero , Calvo Emilio
Published: July 2022

Purpose

To develop a predictable and reproducible model of knee osteoarthritis after medial meniscus posterior root release.

Methods

Posteromedial meniscal root tears were created in 12 White New Zealand rabbit knees. The contralateral limbs were used as healthy controls. The animals were euthanized at 16 weeks postoperatively; tissue samples of femoral and tibial articular cartilage were collected and processed for macro and microscopic analyses to detect signs of early degeneration. Clinical evaluation of the weight-bearing status on the affected knee was conducted at 0-, 4-, 8-, and 16-weeks postoperatively.

Results

Early and severe osteoarthritic changes were the hallmark and the main findings after 16-weeks post-surgery. Macroscopically, extensive osteoarthritic changes were observed across the femoral condyle and tibial plateau. Microscopic finding included ulcerations, fissures, fibrillations, pitting, and loss of the superficial layer. Cellularity was diminished, the normal pattern of distribution in columns was lost, and subchondral bone exposure was also evident.

Conclusions

This study describes a novel model of knee osteoarthritis that may guide the development of tailored interventions to delay or prevent knee osteoarthritis. This knowledge could shift the current treatment paradigm toward more conservative and knee salvageable treatment options and increase surgeons’ awareness of this injury pattern. Such considerations may have a positive impact on clinical decision-making and subsequent patient-reported clinical outcomes.

Design

Controlled laboratory study.

Level of evidence

II.
Mesenteric desmoid fibromatosis entrapping metastatic urothelial carcinoma: a unique collision tumor or fibromatosis-like variant?
Authors: Gitto Lorenzo , Vandermeer Thomas , Lubin David J. , Zaccarini Daniel J.
Published: July 2022

A collision tumor is a neoplastic lesion comprised of two or more distinct cell populations with distinct borders. Desmoid fibromatosis (DF) is a rare musculoaponeurotic tissue tumor that grows deep in the connective tissue and shows locally aggressive behavior. Only two cases of collision tumors with desmoid fibromatosis are reported in the English literature, albeit papillary thyroid carcinoma with desmoid fibromatosis-like stroma is regarded as a variant rather than a collision tumor. We present a unique case of collision tumor with desmoid fibromatosis surrounding intra-abdominal metastasis from urothelial carcinoma. A 65-year-old white male with history of bladder and left renal pelvis high-grade papillary urothelial carcinoma status post-nephrectomy was found to have a small bowel obstruction due to a soft tissue mass. Histology of the mass showed multiple matted lymph nodes with metastatic urothelial carcinoma admixed with a proliferation of spindle cells positive for nuclear beta-catenin, consistent with desmoid fibromatosis. While the prior surgical site likely acted as a nidus for development of desmoid fibromatosis, we also hypothesize that a dysregulation of beta-catenin signaling pathways within the cancer cells might have attributed to the spindle cell proliferation in the stroma surrounding the tumor. Our case emphasized the importance of clinical suspicion of desmoid fibromatosis in patients with metastatic cancer, requiring a prompt diagnosis and treatment to decrease the risk of complications and local recurrence.
The role of project management in the success of green building projects: Egypt as a case study
Authors: Abdelkhalik Heba Farouk , Azmy Hisham Hussein
Published: July 2022

Sustainability and project management are two trends that have taken global interest in the last decades due to their significant role in various fields of life. However, these two topics have rarely been addressed in one study or framework. As sustainability and environmental issues are not specifically or systematically considered in most major project management frameworks such as the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), Individual Competence Baseline (ICB), International Organization for Standardization (ISO 21500:2012), and so on. Furthermore, sustainability applications in the construction field under the term “green buildings” are facing various types of obstacles that obstruct the pervasion of this type of construction in an adequate and required way. Some of these obstacles have been addressed in recent studies with suggested solutions, but the role of project management in overcoming or even mitigating the risk of these obstacles was almost absent in most of these studies. Therefore, this paper attempts to observe the most important obstacles facing the application of sustainability in the construction field and taking the green construction situation in Egypt as a case study. In addition, this paper aims to investigate the role of project management in green building projects’ success, through project management best practices’ applications to overcome the main reasons that obstruct the green building projects movement. The results showed that there is a lack of management methods that address sustainable construction projects. In addition, there is no clear methodology governing the green building management process. Also, the unspecified responsibilities between stakeholders in green building projects lead to difficulties in managing and implementing green buildings. However, some defined obstructions could be overcome by project management’s best practices and methods.
Effectiveness of electrokinetic-enhanced oil recovery (EK-EOR): a systematic review
Authors: Ikpeka Princewill M. , Ugwu Johnson O. , Pillai Gobind G. , Russell Paul
Published: July 2022

Hydrocarbons continue to play an important role in providing affordable energy to meet rising energy demand. Amidst growing concerns on the environmental impact of oil and gas production processes, many researchers are increasingly exploring environmentally sustainable methods of extracting hydrocarbons from the reservoir. The introduction of direct current into the pore space activates mechanisms that enhance fluid flow, reduces produced water, decreases associated hydrogen sulfide production, and leaves no material footprint on the environment. Previous laboratory studies and field applications have reported varying degrees of success of the EK-EOR mechanism. However, the mechanism and effectiveness of this technique remain unclear. This systematic literature review provides an opportunity to critically evaluate laboratory results, establish a basis for the effectiveness of the EK-EOR mechanism and identify possible future research directions. In this study, 52 articles were identified and reviewed in a selection process that adhered to the PRISMA protocol. Data extracted from these articles were fed into the EK-EOR model, and Monte Carlo simulation (10,000 iterations) was used to determine the success rate of the EK-EOR process. Insights obtained from the simulation indicate that EK-EOR alone is not effective (with a success rate of 45%). Insights from published laboratory experiments indicate that interstitial clay affects the electro-osmotic permeability of reservoir rocks which determines the effectiveness of the EK-EOR mechanism. Salt deposition on the cathode and generation of gases (oxygen and chlorine at the anode) are significant limitations of the EK-EOR. The review concludes by identifying future areas of application of EK-EOR.
The 21-Gene Recurrence Score in Clinically High-Risk Lobular and Ductal Breast Cancer: A National Cancer Database Study
Authors: Abel Mary Kathryn , Shui Amy M. , Chien A. Jo , Rugo Hope S. , Melisko Michelle , Baehner Frederick , Mukhtar Rita A.
Published: July 2022

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether patients with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) are more likely to have discordant clinical and genomic risk than those with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) when using the 21-gene recurrence score (RS), and to assess overall survival outcomes of patients with 1–3 positive nodes and RS ≤25 with and without chemotherapy, stratified by histology.

Methods

We performed a cohort study using the National Cancer Database and included patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative, stage I–III invasive breast cancer who underwent 21-gene RS testing. Our primary outcome was rate of discordant clinical and genomic risk status by histologic subtype. Propensity score matching was used to compare 60-month overall survival in individuals with 1–3 positive nodes and RS ≤25 who did and did not receive chemotherapy.

Results

Overall, 186,867 patients were included in our analysis, including 37,685 (20.2%) patients with ILC. There was a significantly higher rate of discordant clinical and genomic risk in patients with ILC compared with IDC. Among patients with 1–3 positive nodes and RS ≤25, there was no significant difference in survival between those who did and did not receive chemotherapy in the IDC or ILC cohorts. Unadjusted exploratory analyses of patients under age 50 years with 1–3 positive nodes and RS ≤25 showed improved overall survival in IDC patients who received chemotherapy, but not among those with ILC.

Conclusion

Our findings highlight the importance of lobular-specific tools for stratifying clinical and genomic risk, as well as the need for histologic subtype-specific analyses in randomized trials.
Malignant complications of masturbation – a case study
Authors: Mędrala Wojciech , Rodek Patryk , Alli-Balogun Barbara , Barabasz-Gembczyk Aleksandra , Wójcik Paulina , Kucia Krzysztof
Published: July 2022

Zaprezentowano przypadek 32-letniej pacjentki, cierpiącej od wielu lat z powodu schizofrenii paranoidalnej, która rozwinęła złośliwy zespół neuroleptyczny (ZZN) w wyniku podania leku przeciwpsychotycznego o przedłużonym działaniu. Z uwagi na nieskuteczność terapii benzodiazepinami (BDZ) została zakwalifikowana do zabiegów elektrowstrząsowych (EW).
Pomimo początkowo dobrej odpowiedzi na EW po 3 tygodniach jej stan somatyczny i psychiczny uległ znacznemu pogorszeniu, co trudno było wytłumaczyć wyłącznie potencjalną utratą skuteczności sejsmoterapii czy niespecyficznymi odchyleniami parametrów laboratoryjnych. Diagnostykę poszerzono o badania obrazowe oraz konsultację ginekologiczną, które wykazały obecność w pochwie otorbionej tkanką łączną zakrętki opakowania popularnego preparatu multiwitaminowego. W trakcie późniejszego ukierunkowanego wywiadu pacjentka przyznała, że w istocie przed 6 miesiącami podczas masturbacji fragment tubki utknął jej w drogach rodnych, jednak z powodu poczucia wstydu i subiektywnego braku niepokojących objawów fakt ten przemilczała. Po miesiącu od ewakuacji ciała obcego pacjentka w stanie pełnej remisji objawowej powróciła do rodzinnego domu.
Prezentowany przypadek ukazuje, iż stan zapalny toczący się w organizmie może wikłać katatonię i ZZN, powodując niespecyficzny przebieg oraz trudności w diagnostyce i leczeniu. W przypadku niektórych pacjentów proces zapalny może być spowodowany ciałem obcym zlokalizowanym w różnych otworach naturalnych ciała. Ma to szczególne znaczenie biorąc pod uwagę charakterystykę pacjentów cierpiących z powodu zaburzeń psychicznych. Po raz kolejny uzmysławia nam również jak ogromną rolę odgrywa szczegółowe zebranie wywiadu, także w obszarze życia autoerotycznego pacjenta.
A Polish adaptation of the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS) in older adults
Authors: Brudek Paweł , Cyranka Katarzyna , Webster Jeffrey Dean
Published: July 2022

Cel pracy

W artykule przedstawiono wyniki prac nad polską adaptacją Samoopisowej Skali Mądrości (SAWS). Przedstawiono właściwości psychometryczne polskiej wersji narzędzia.

Metoda

Badanie miało charakter ilościowy i zostało przeprowadzone w schemacie korelacyjnym. Respondenci wypełnili zestaw kwestionariuszy. W badaniu wzięło udział 880 osób w wieku od 60 do 80 lat (M = 68,15, SD = 5,96). Oprócz SAWS zastosowano sześć innych metod psychologicznych. Dobór narzędzi pomiarowych był celowy.

Wyniki

Ostateczna polska wersja SAWS zawiera z 40 pozycji (w tym 36 diagnostycznych), które składają się na 5 wymiarów mądrości: (1) Doświadczenia życiowe, (2) Regulacja emocjonalna, (3) Reminiscencja i refleksyjność, (4) Otwartość i (5) Humor. Współczynnik rzetelności dla całej skali (36 pozycji) wyniósł a = 0,92 (bardzo wysoki). Rzetelności (α-Cronbach) dla poszczególnych skal waha się od α=0,60 do α=0,84. Trafność skali oceniano za pomocą analizy konfirmacyjnej.

Wnioski

Wyniki są zgodne z pierwotną wersją skali, wykazano zatem, że polska wersja SAWS spełnia wymagania psychometryczne stawiane testom psychologicznym. Skalę z powodzeniem można stosować badaniach naukowych dotyczących osób starszych
DRAG QUEEN PABLLO VITTAR COM “O HOMEM DO ANO”: Representações de mo(vi)mentos de (re)existências
Authors: Ramos-Soares Wilker , Correia Vanessa Da Silva , Gottardi Letícia
Published: July 2022

Somos diariamente provocadas pela ideia do que é ser mulher e do que é ser homem na sociedade brasileira contemporânea. Imposição de normas de comportamento e disciplina, exigências sobre o que falar e como se comportar e humilhações constantes, se tornam partes comuns do dia a dia daquelas que divergem deste comportamento normativo. Com isso, este artigo busca problematizar os debates e as discussões que surgiram com a premiação de uma drag queen como o Homem do Ano de uma importante revista e como isso possibilita tensionarmos as noções de identidade de gênero e orientação sexual. Para tanto, nos fundamentamos em Fairclough (2001), Seffner (2021), Austin (1990), entre outras para refletir sobre o discurso como prática social e as relações de poder, Takara (2020), Butler (2012), Urzêda-Freitas (2018), entre outras para debater sobre sexualidade e discurso de ódio, Baxter (2008), Lazar (2016), Lugones (2008), Curiel (2001), entre outras para discutir sobre feminismo e feminismo decolonial. Discutir sobre as representações discursivas em suas múltiplas modalidades, aqui em especial no que tange às questões de gênero e sexualidade, torna-se necessário e urgente para a des(re)construção de uma sociedade menos violenta e que condenem diariamente as práticas que provocam o sofrimento humano e a barbárie. Além disso, este artigo argumenta em favor de perceber a performatividade e os atos de corpo como novas oportunidades para implementações de debate sobre corpo, afeto e identidade, especialmente em se tratando de um mundo virtual e visual conectado em semioses e redes.
“MANGÁS SURDOS”: uma proposta de elaboração de material didático para o ensino de língua portuguesa para alunos surdos
Authors: Pinho Milena De Souza Caldas , Amaro Vitória Muniz , Baalbaki Angela Corrêa Ferreira
Published: July 2022

O presente artigo tem como objeto apresentar a proposta metodológica que embasa a elaboração de material didático para o ensino de língua portuguesa como segunda língua, na modalidade escrita, para alunos surdos. O foco recai, especialmente, no gênero discursivo mangá, as suas características principais e as diferenças em relação às histórias em quadrinhos ocidentais. Além disso, busca-se promover a difusão de mangás que tematizam a questão dos surdos e as línguas de sinais envolvidas, quais sejam, a Libras e a Língua de Sinais Japonesa (LSJ).
(Re)enquadrando a pandemia através do discurso: reflexões a partir das favelas do Rio de Janeiro
Authors: Polycarpo Clara , Fleury Sonia
Published: July 2022

A grave crise sanitária, econômica e humanitária provocada pela pandemia de Covid-19 no Brasil, e as ações (e omissões) governamentais, levaram ao aprofundamento de desigualdades estruturais, atingindo ainda mais as populações já vulnerabilizadas, como moradores(as) de favelas e periferias. Neste trabalho, questionamos o enquadramento dado à pandemia e à favela em 2020, a partir da análise de diferentes discursos reproduzidos pela mídia comercial e pela mídia comunitária e coletados pelo Dicionário de Favelas Marielle Franco na seção “Coronavírus nas Favelas”. Por meio da análise de discurso e seu processo interativo, nosso objetivo é acompanhar o envolvimento de diferentes atores na construção de políticas e de subjetividades, problematizando a arena política – e a própria política – nas favelas e periferias durante a pandemia.
(DES)CAMINHOS DA BNCC E DA CONTRARREFORMA DO ENSINO MÉDIO SOB O AMPARO DA INTERNACIONALIZAÇÃO DAS POLÍTICAS EDUCACIONAIS: IMPLICAÇÕES PARA O TRABALHO DOCENTE
Authors: Viana Jeane Santos Silva
Published: July 2022

O estudo apresenta como foco a compreensão das relações entre a política nacional (BNCC e contrarreforma do ensino médio) e a política internacional estabelecidas pelas orientações e acordos com os organismos multilaterais e suas possíveis implicações para o trabalho docente, além de tratar sobre a utilização de linguagem específica para produzir consensos e hegemonia, presente nos textos oficiais e contexto político de elaboração e implementação das reformas educacionais. Para isso, utilizou-se uma abordagem qualitativa documental, tendo como referencial teórico o materialismo histórico-dialético. Destaca-se a necessidade e relevância da construção de enfrentamento e resistência ativa, uma vez que os projetos atuais de sociedade e de educação não estão carregados apenas pelos determinantes de controle e dominação.Palavras-chave: Base Nacional Comum Curricular; Contrarreforma do ensino médio; Internacionalização; Políticas educacionais; Trabalho docente.
PEDAGOGIA HISTÓRICO-CRÍTICA E A EMANCIPAÇÃO DO INDIVÍDUO
Authors: Chiappetta Tatiana
Published: July 2022

Este estudo é uma revisão de literatura que objetiva compreender a pedagogia histórico-crítica como alternativa ao modelo de escola dominante. A partir desse pressuposto onde a escola, na sociedade burguesa, trabalha como um aparelho ideológico com o objetivo de disseminar o modo de produção capitalista. Ao mesmo tempo que forma mão-de-obra para o trabalho, internaliza no indivíduo o modo de vida burguesa.  A pedagogia histórico-crítica (PHC) surge como uma proposta didática para romper essa ação reprodutivista e colaborar para formação de um indivíduo crítico e emancipado.
Reflecting on acne scarring for Acne Awareness Month
Authors: Phillips Derrick
Published: July 2022

Following Acne Awareness Month in June, Dr Derrick Phillips details the types of acne scars that patients may have and the treatment modalities that can be used
Attitudes toward cosmetic procedures: a comparative study
Authors: Ahmadi Atefeh , Shahmohammadipour Parisa , Heidarzadeh Aazam , Dehghan Mahlagha , Forouzi Mansooreh Azzizadeh , Esmaeili Mohammad
Published: July 2022

Objective: This study aimed to compare attitudes toward cosmetic procedures in the participants and their relatives who were non-applicants for cosmetic procedures. Method: This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on 100 applicants and 100 non-applicants of cosmetic surgery. An attitude towards cosmetic surgery checklist was used. Descriptive tests, Mann-Whitney U, Chi-square and multivariate logistic regression model by goodness-of-fit were used. Results: The mean (SD) of the general attitude towards cosmetic surgery among applicants was 64.93 (14.84) and among non-applicants was 63.08 (11.66). Applicants’ attitude was non-significantly more positive towards cosmetic surgery compared to the non-applicants (P= 0.26). Employed people had less tendency for cosmetic surgery compared with the students (p<0.001). High-income people were more eager to undergo cosmetic surgeries in comparison with lower-income people (p<0.001). Discussion: some factors are significantly related to the attitude toward cosmetic surgery. Conclusion: The results of this study point out the need for education and psychological intervention affecting attitude toward cosmetic surgery.
RESEARCH ROUNDUP
Authors: McGloin Claudia
Published: July 2022

In this regular feature, aesthetic nurse Claudia McGloin presents a brief synopsis of a range of recently published articles on medical aesthetics. Research roundup aims to provide an overview, rather than a detailed summary and critique, of the papers selected. Should you wish to look at any of the papers in more detail, a full reference is provided at the end of each study summary
Burnout—not another mental health buzzword?
Authors: Hool Claire
Published: July 2022

Although use of the phrase ‘burnout’ is growing, few understand the severity and symptoms of the condition. Claire Hool explores the latest mental health buzzword and why medical practitioners are, now more than ever, most at risk of burning out
Falls in older people
Authors: Hayes Catherine , Yemm Heather , Graham Yitka
Published: July 2022

Paramedic programmes incorporate person-centred approaches to the individualisation of emergency care. Within this context, older patients (aged 65+) pose specific challenges in relation to their ambulatory health and wellbeing. Helping these patients to avoid falling can contribute significantly to reducing their morbidity and mortality and improving their overall health and wellbeing. Alongside this, in times of economic constraint, it is the responsibility of all health professionals to promote ambulatory wellbeing to address the inordinate number of people necessitating paramedic support and intervention because of falls each year in the UK. Understanding the underlying processes of ageing, which are often a mix of the normal processes of physiological senescence, plus the impact of pathology—which is not age specific but occurs more commonly in older people—enables practitioners to build knowledge of how best these people can be supported. This short module affords paramedics the opportunity to learn about these physiological processes and to look at the holistic impact that falls can have on older people.
The right to exist
Authors: Torres Soler Antoinette
Published: July 2022

This text explores the importance of online activism with respect to Black and racialized people existing within the systemic form of Otherness that often still excludes. Technology offers immense opportunities for people living within diasporic communities, yet it must be noted that technology has been – and often still is – created by and for White people. This text examines how online networks can help analyse and relocate Black narratives and lives by creating an identity that is able to locate peers through the digital space. The networks facilitated by this digital diasporic community aid in deconstructing how Black and racialized stories – which used to only be told by White people – are now shaped by first-person Black narratives. The presence of an online network and community enables Black and racialized people to overcome systemic obstacles, bringing to the fore social movements and dynamics that are not oppressive but inclusive and enriching.
African diasporic literatures in the virtual space: Narration, interaction and performance in Teju Cole’s Twitter story ‘Hafiz’
Authors: de Haas Ricarda
Published: July 2022

African writers from the diaspora as much as from the continent have emphatically embraced the potential of new media technologies. A vast and tightly woven network of literary enthusiasts connects writers, scholars, publishers, journalists and readers, who often interact independently from western publishing houses. Digital diasporic literatures are thus created within multiple cyberplaces that are interlinked. My article focuses on ‘Hafiz’ (2014), a collaborative piece published on Twitter by Teju Cole. Thirty-five voices jointly tell a story, thereby conjuring the illusion of an event that simultaneously takes place in metropolises of Nigeria, South Africa, Europe, the United States and India. With regard to the performative collaboration displayed in ‘Hafiz’, my article discusses how Achille Mbembe’s conceptualization of Afropolitanism ([2010] 2021), the relational approach to digital diasporas by Candidatu and Koen, and concepts of digital literatures can be fruitful for the analysis of new media based literatures.
How to shape Black diasporic identity in France by reading (about) literature
Authors: Febel Gisela
Published: July 2022

This article gives an overview of francophone African diasporic websites such as Africultures.com, africavivre.com and other digital magazines, networks and blogs that are present on different platforms. Taking recent novels, texts of literary criticism, reviews and comments as examples, I analyse in what way they share in discourse about diasporic and migratory identity positions of Afropéens (‘Afropeans’) (and differ therein from other readings of the same novels). Methodologically, I draw on Stephen Greenblatt’s concepts of self-fashioning and circulation of social energy as well as on Pierre Bourdieu’s notion of the production of social capital. With respect to socially preformed discursive formation of Black people as an ostensibly homogeneous minority in the twenty-first century France, I refer to Pap Ndiaye’s ground-breaking study La condition noire from 2009 which closely analyses the complex situation of the Black migrant and post-migrant population. I focus on two narrative texts which are widely perceived both in France and on an international level: First, the autobiographically inspired novel Le Ventre de l’Atlantique (The Belly of the Atlantic) by Fatou Diome and second, Marie Ndiaye’s narrative triptych Trois femmes puissantes (Three Strong Women). Studying remarks and comments of literary criticism concerning these texts on francophone African diasporic websites, I raise the following questions: What relevance do these narrated characters (still) have today? To what extent do they shape the discourse of Black migrants in France? What kind of interpretation of the colonial history and context do they offer? And which emancipatory moments and decolonial strategies create a new, proper symbolic capital and, thus, add to the Imagined Community of ‘Noirs en France’ (‘Black people in France’)?
Afropunk’s digital imagined community on Instagram or the politics of disidentification and of sensing the Brown commons
Authors: Gallo González Danae
Published: July 2022

This article revolves around the old question of whether politics and punk can or should be seen in terms of aesthetic by analysing Afropunk’s transnational digital imagined community, more specifically, its Instagram page. Afropunk is a fluid term that embraces everyone in a wide spectrum of Blackness feeling addressed by the defining phrase ‘the other Black experience’ and therefore considering themselves non-normative in any axis of discrimination in respect to ‘Black’ and ‘White’ (hetero)normativity. Instagram as a popular social-media platform is characterized by a focus on highly aestheticized images. Drawing on an understanding of media as practice, my article discusses Afropunk’s political use of aesthetics on Instagram in light of José Esteban Muñoz’s theories. Adopting a cultural studies’ approach that offers a conceptual meta-reflection on Afropunk’s Instagram use based on exemplary entries of 2020 and 2021, it argues that, for this distinctive community within the afro-diaspora, aesthetic works as a mode of articulating the politics of ‘disidentification’ () and of sensing the ‘Brown commons’ () that open up alternative ways of both facing the majoritarian society and enacting community beyond identitarian paradigms.
Vor der Zunahme der Zeichen: Approaching a postdigital diasporic poetics
Authors: Llamas Ubieto Miriam
Published: July 2022

The novel Vor der Zunahme der Zeichen (2016) by Senthuran Varatharajah is a conversation on Facebook of two characters, both of whom are heirs of the diaspora (from Sri Lanka and from Kosovo) in Germany. It experiments with various forms to break free from multiple limits and imposed cultural assignments and also presents diverse manifestations of the relationship between the current diasporic condition and the postdigital. Therefore, it serves as an intriguing exponent for the exploration of this relationship. First, the representation of the diasporic condition is reassessed once it has been modified by the impact of these new, postdigital practices. And second, the role of digital media and of postdigital practices is especially relevant to the aesthetic representation of the diaspora, reaching beyond a traditional notion of the diasporic condition. For this reason, the function of select postdigital characteristics will be explored as component elements of a new diasporic poetics.
Commentary: Digital diaspora as a travelling concept
Authors: Leurs Koen
Published: July 2022

This is a commentary to the Special Issue ‘Textures of Diaspora and (Post-) Digitality: A Cultural Studies Approach’, edited by Shola Adenekan, Julia Borst and Linda Maeding. The commentary reflects on digital diaspora as a travelling concept, and considers the analytic scope of the terms post-migration, post-digital and post-global for digital diasporas studies. I argue digital diaspora studies can be situated in the following continuums: universal-particular, decentring–recentering, global–local, inclusion and exclusion as well as media-centrism and non-media-centrism. Future scholarship may listen better to the sounds of digital diasporas and attend to the implications of digital platformization.
Spectral Splitting Optimization for Highly Efficient Hybrid Photovoltaic devices by using Na3AlF6, Y2O3 and TiO2 beam splitter
Authors: Ahmad Imran , Rehman Saif ur , Khan Muhammad Noman , Nasim Muhammad
Published: July 2022

Spectral splitting optimization for efficient hybrid solar energy cell is studied by materials which are Na3AlF6, Y2O3, and TiO2. The Essential Macleod software is used to design this beamsplitter. Multilayer coating design consist of Na3AlF6 as low index material, Y2O3 as middle index material and TiO2 as high index material. The wavelength range of design is from 400nm to 2000nm with reference wavelength 700nm having incident angle 45 degree. Design consists of 56 alternating layers based on formula [LMHM]^14. Optimac refinement techniques is used to improve the design. It is concluded in the result that a good beam splitter is designed which transmits about 80% light in the spectrum range from 400nm to 975nm and reflect 77% light in the infrared region from 1000nm to 2000nm. The transmitted light is used for the solar cell and reflected light is used for thermoelectric generator.
Gruppensolidarität zwischen Rationalität und Ritualität
Authors: Tranow Ulf
Published: July 2022

Group solidarity requires that members are committed to solidarity norms. Addressing the question of how such commitments are socially (re)produced, the starting point of this article is Lindenberg's Theory of Social Rationality (TSR) and its notion of solidarity frames. These frames consist of solidarity as a goal of action and associated stocks of knowledge and moral feelings. TSR makes it clear that solidarity frames are fragile and precarious. They must be regularly recharged with motivational energy and symbols in order to prevail over compet-ing motives. However, TSR cannot satisfactorily explain how this works. This shortcoming is addressed by Collins' Interaction Ritual Chains Theory (IRCT). It is argued that solidarity frames are a potential outcome of interaction rituals and it is clarified under which conditions this can be expected. A distinction is made between three essential types of rituals: identity rituals, governance rituals, and exchange rituals.