bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The “Vanderbilt Boys” and the Modernization of Brazilian Economics
Authors: Suprinyak Carlos Eduardo , Fernández Ramón García
Published: August 2021

Economics as a scholarly discipline was transformed in Latin America during the 1960s and 1970s, when many countries in the region received financial and academic support from US institutions ostensibly aimed at “modernizing” the standards of training and research in the field. Even though Chile remains the most well-known case, similar developments took place in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, and elsewhere. In Brazil, the restructuring of economics derived much of its strength from a cooperation agreement signed between Vanderbilt University and the University of São Paulo, financially backed by USAID and the Ford Foundation. This article recovers the early postwar origins of this partnership, the process through which it was implemented during the 1960s, and its influence in reshaping Brazilian scholarly standards. Just as the University of Chicago left a lasting mark on Chilean economics, Vanderbilt also became a pervasive point of reference for the future development of the discipline in Brazil. Different actors, institutions, and contexts, however, ultimately produced quite distinct results in each case.
Magical Habits
Authors: Huerta Monica
Published: August 2021

In Magical Habits Monica Huerta draws on her experiences growing up in her family's Mexican restaurants and her life as a scholar of literature and culture to meditate on how relationships among self, place, race, and storytelling contend with both the afterlives of history and racial capitalism. Whether dwelling on mundane aspects of everyday life, such as the smell of old kitchen grease, or grappling with the thorny, unsatisfying question of authenticity, Huerta stages a dynamic conversation among genres, voices, and archives: personal and critical essays exist alongside a fairy tale; photographs and restaurant menus complement fictional monologues based on her family's history. Developing a new mode of criticism through storytelling, Huerta takes readers through Cook County courtrooms, the Cristero Rebellion (in which her great-grandfather was martyred by the Mexican government), Japanese baths in San Francisco—and a little bit about Chaucer too. Ultimately, Huerta sketches out habits of living while thinking that allow us to consider what it means to live with and try to peer beyond history even as we are caught up in the middle of it.

Duke University Press Scholars of Color First Book Award recipient
Anesthesia modality does not affect clinical outcomes of intra-arterial vasodilator treatment in patients with symptomatic cerebral vasospasms
Authors: Fischer Corinne , Vulcu Sonja , Goldberg Johannes , Wagner Franca , Rodriguez Belén , Söll Nicole , Mordasini Pasquale , Haenggi Matthias , Schefold Joerg C. , Raabe Andreas , Z'Graggen Werner J.
Published: August 2021

Background: Delayed cerebral ischemia and cerebral vasospasm remain the leading causes of poor outcome in survivors of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Refractory cerebral vasospasms can be treated with endovascular vasodilator therapy, which can either be performed in conscious sedation or general anesthesia. The aim of this study is to compare the effect of the anesthesia modality on long-term clinical outcomes in patients undergoing endovascular vasodilator therapy due to cerebral vasospasm and hypoperfusion.

Methods: Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores were retrospectively analyzed at time of discharge from the hospital and six months after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Additionally, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was assessed 24 hours before, immediately before, immediately after, and 24 hours after endovascular vasodilator therapy, and at discharge and six months. Interventional parameters such as duration of intervention, choice and dosage of vasodilator and number of arteries treated were also recorded.

Results: A total of 98 patients were included in this analysis and separated into patients who had interventions in conscious sedation, general anesthesia and a mix of both. Neither mRS at discharge nor at six months showed a significant difference for functionally independent outcomes (mRS 0-2) between groups. NIHSS before endovascular vasodilator therapy was significantly higher in patients receiving interventions in general anesthesia but did not differ anymore between groups six months after the initial bleed.

Conclusion: This study did not observe a difference in outcome whether patients underwent endovascular vasodilator therapy in general anesthesia or conscious sedation for refractory cerebral vasospasms. Hence, the choice should be made for each patient individually.
INFLUENCE OF GRAPE CULTURE AND AGROTECHNICAL METHODS ON ITS YIELD AND WINE QUALITY
Authors: Dergunov Aleksandr , Kurdenkova Ekaterina Konstantinovna Ekaterina
Published: August 2021

The quality characteristics of technical grapes and wines largely depend on the management system of this culture. The aim of the study was to establish the influence of various norms of the load of a grape bush in a self-rooted and grafted culture on the yield, quality of grapes, as well as the aesthetic and biological value of wine products in the conditions of this terroir. The experiment was carried out in 2018-2019 in Temryuk district of Krasnodar region. The objects of research were grapes and wine material of Krasnostop AZOS variety in a grafted and rooted culture with a different load of shoots on the bush. The plantation was established in 2007 according to 3 × 2 m scheme, the formation of the bush was a spiral cordon AZOS-1. The soil of the experimental site is soddy-calcareous, thick, low-humus, light-clayey granulometric composition, formed on tertiary saline clays. The upper horizon (0-60 cm) has favorable agrochemical properties and a sufficient level of fertility. The normalization of the load by shoots of grape bushes cultivated in a self-rooted or grafted culture had a significant impact on the yield and technological qualities of Krasnostop AZOS grape variety during the years of the study. The highest yield result was provided by the variant of own-rooted bushes Krasnostop AZOS with standardized shoots 36 ... 40 pcs/bush - 3.45 kg/bush. The excess yield was significant at the 5% significance level in comparison with the control and other variants of the experiment and amounted to 0.45-0.9 kg/bush. The best ratio of sugar content and titratable acidity (standard glucose value - 4.36) for dry red wines had a variant of own-rooted culture with a load of shoots of 36-40 pcs/bush. In the investigated variants, the highest concentration of phenolic substances was in wine from self-rooted grapes with a load of 36 ... 40 shoots per bush - 4130 mg/dm3. This had a positive effect on the organoleptic evaluation of this sample. The maximum total content of substances from a number of biologically active substances was found in wine from grape raw materials obtained from the grafted culture (134.9 ... 147.9 mg/dm3). According to the results of two years of research, the optimal concentration of biologically active substances in the range of 120-135 mg/dm3, which, in combination with other wine components, is able to provide the best quality of dry red wine. In 2018-2019 from the organoleptic point of view, wine materials from grapes of own-rooted culture proved to be of the highest quality. This advantage over the grafted crop was traced in all variants of rationing the load by the shoots of grape bushes.
Anwendbarkeit der ISO 17100 auf intralinguales Übersetzen in Leichte und Einfache Sprache
Authors: Deilen Silvana , Hansen-Schirra Silvia , Maaß Christiane
Published: August 2021

Nach dem aktuellen Stand des Behindertengleichstellungsgesetzes (BGG, 2018) sollen Kommunikationen in Leichter und Einfacher Sprache zugänglich gemacht werden. Diese Tätigkeiten sind im Bereich der intralingualen Übersetzung angesiedelt, die ihrerseits Teil der kommunikativen Barrierefreiheit sind. Es stellt sich mithin die Frage, inwiefern Instrumente und Prozesse der Qualitätssicherung und -optimierung, wie sie sich für die interlinguale Übersetzung bewährt haben, auf die intralinguale Übersetzung in Leichte und Einfache Sprache anwenden lassen. Im vorliegenden Beitrag gehen wir dieser Frage insbesondere mit Blick auf die ISO 17100 nach, die den Standard für Übersetzungsdienstleister definiert und Übersetzungsqualität über die Prozessqualität definiert.
El teletrabajo en las Administraciones Públicas.
Authors: Gala Durán Carolina
Published: August 2021

Al igual que ha pasado en el sector privado vía Real Decreto-ley 28/2020, también en las Administraciones Públicas se ha regulado recientemente el teletrabajo, a través del Real Decreto-ley 29/2020 y la incorporación en el TREBEP del nuevo artículo 47 bis. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar cómo se ha regulado el teletrabajo en las Administraciones Públicas, distinguiendo tres etapas: a) la anterior al Real Decreto-ley 29/2020, donde varias Comunidades Autónomas asumieron un papel relevante en esta cuestión; b) la recogida en el propio artículo 47 bis del TREBEP, precepto que incorpora una regulación claramente insuficiente a pesar de la importancia que tiene el teletrabajo en estos momentos; y, c) la referida a los reglamentos sobre teletrabajo aprobados con posterioridad a la entrada en vigor del citado artículo 47 bis, que, como veremos, tienen un carácter continuista respecto a la regulación anterior
Sobre el acuerdo del trabajo a distancia: voluntariedad, contenido, modificación y reversibilidad del pacto.
Authors: Lázaro Sánchez José Luis
Published: August 2021

La nueva regulación del trabajo a distancia propicia el análisis de diversos aspectos, entre ellos, el acuerdo que las partes han de firmar para articular esta forma de desarrollar la prestación laboral. Este pacto, sus modificaciones y la reversibilidad de lo acordado, reviste unas determinadas formalidades, pero sobre todo está ordenado en sus contenidos, que quedan a lo que las partes concierten, si bien algunos aspectos se encuentran regulados por el legislador, como también pueden serlo por la negociación colectiva
O TURISMO NO PARÁ E A COVID-19: DIVERSIDADE ECONÔMICA E POLÍTICAS PÚBLICAS REGIONAIS A PARTIR DO IMPACTO DA PANDEMIA
Authors: Tavares Maria Goretti Da Costa , Serra Hugo Rogério Hage , Da Silva Sandra Maria Sousa , Chaves Ágila Flaviana Alves Chaves Flaviana Alves Chaves , Barreto Elcivânia De Oliveira , Farias Kássia Suelen Da Silva , De Castro Milene de Cássia Santos , Paz Izabela Rodrigues
Published: July 2021

No Estado do Pará, a diversidade territorial fez com que a Covid-19  impactasse a ativi-dade turística de forma diferenciada em suas sub-regiões. Neste sentido, levando-se em consideração uma abordagem da produção do espaço turístico, em contexto pandêmico, este artigo analisa as particularidades do impacto da Covid-19 nas seguintes regiões tu-rísticas paraenses referentes ao ano de 2020: Região Metropolitana de Belém, Região dos Campos do Marajó, Região Baixo Tapajós e Região Carajás. Nessas quatro regiões selecionadas são apresentados os impactos da Covid-19 nos fluxos de transportes e atra-tivos na região, no caso da Região do Tapajós; as contradições da pandemia da Covid-19 na região do Carajás, no que se refere aos dados de restaurantes e outros estabeleci-mentos de serviços de alimentação e bebidas e hotéis; e para a região Metropolitana de Belém e dos Campos Marajó são apresentados os impactos nos empregos no setor de Hospedagem, assim como na movimentação na atividade de organização de eventos. E, por fim, os principais impactos da pandemia apontados pelos agentes entrevistados nes-sas duas últimas regiões. A partir de dados estatísticos de instituições que fazem levan-tamento de informações periódicas, conclui-se que em todas as regiões selecionadas para análise dos impactos do turismo, ocorreu um significativo endividamento do setor du-rante o ano de 2020 a despeito das medidas adotadas pelo Estado para dirimir esses impactos. Nesse sentindo, o baixo nível de capital dos estabelecimentos e a falta de pre-visão de retomada total das atividades dos agentes do setor tem inviabilizado a retoma-da do turismo no território paraense.
IMPACTOS DA PANDEMIA DE COVID -19 NO TURISMO DO PANTANAL DE MATO GROSSO
Authors: Fonseca Gizelle Prado da Silva , Mendes Luiz Geraldo , Cañizal José Manuel
Published: July 2021

Este artigo apresenta uma análise preliminar dos efeitos da pandemia de Covid-19 sobre o turismo em três dos principais municípios do Pantanal Matogrossense: Barão de Melgaço, Poconé e Cáceres, no período compreendido pelo primeiro semestre de 2019 e primeiro semestre de 2020, com o início das restrições de mobilidade, na tentativa de evitar a proliferação da doença e o fechamento das fronteiras internacionais. O estudo foi realizado à luz da “Teoria do sistema de turismo”, por entender que os reflexos da pandemia repercutiram em todos os componentes do turismo, partes de um sistema em conexão e em constante transformação, influenciado pelos seus agentes e também pelo ambiente em que se encontra, principal fator atrativo de turistas. A análise desses componentes foi feita com base em dados representativos dos efeitos, nesse período, sobre os fluxos turísticos, mensurado pelo número de vôos no principal aeroporto de Mato Grosso (Várzea Grande), na economia e finanças desses municípios, na variação do número de empregos, na situação dos estabelecimentos ligados ao turismo e pela implementação de políticas públicas, que visavam o controle da mobilidade e o isolamento social. Conclui-se com a confirmação de efeitos da pandemia, com maior relevância sobre o conjunto das ações operacionais, na relação da oferta e demanda dos produtos turísticos, nos processos de produção, distribuição e consumo, com a diminuição do número de visitantes, regulamentada por legislações, queda no número de empregos, fechamento de estabelecimentos, diminuição da arrecadação e mudanças nos hábitos das pessoas.
High-efficiency smooth pseudo-random path planning for restraining the path ripple of robotic polishing
Authors: Li Hanjie , Li Xuyu , Wan Songlin , Wei Chaoyang , Shao Jianda
Published: August 2021

Computer-controlled subaperture polishing technology is limited by its propensity to introduce midspatial frequency (MSF) error (ripple error), which significantly inhibits the performance improvement of optical systems. The pseudo-random polishing path is an important method for suppressing MSF error. However, a pseudo-random path that ensures both path smoothness and planning efficiency is difficult to generate. This paper proposes a novel, to the best of our knowledge, pseudo-random path planning method employing a reconstructive points algorithm that efficiently achieves full coverage of the workpiece under massive sampling points at once. Moreover, the generation time for millions of path points is reduced to less than 3 minutes. Additionally, a path modification method is proposed that achieves smooth processing on a machine tool with few additional path points; the vibration magnitude under the proposed smooth path can be reduced to 0.749 g (gravity acceleration), which is the same as that of a raster path. A precise speed management method is also proposed to ensure precise surface error corrections. Overall, the experimental results show that the peak valley of the form error can be converted to

0.115

λ

using the proposed algorithm without introducing a periodic MSF error.
Integrated nanophotonic optical diodes designed by genetic algorithms
Authors: Zhu Xiaodong , Zhang Mingda , Li Xuemei , Yang Yibiao , Fei Hongming , Cao Binzhao , Liu Xin , Zhao Xiaodan
Published: August 2021

Integrable nanophotodiode devices have attracted much research interest in recent years because of their potential applications in all-optical computing and optical communication systems. We propose a new optical diode design scheme. We use genetic algorithms (GAs) to design an optical diode, which has a device footprint of only

2.5

×

2.5

µ

m

2

. These devices designed by GA have the ability to achieve high-efficiency unidirectional transmission. Simulations show the forward transmission efficiency can reach higher than 65% for a Gaussian beam between the wavelengths of 1400 and 1600 nm, and the peak transmission efficiency reaches 75%. The transmission contrast at the design wavelength between 1500 and 1600 nm is higher than 90%, which meets the requirements of high unidirectionality, wide operational bandwidth, and small scale. The devices have more advantages for optical diodes compared with structures designed by photonic crystals and gratings. The application of this scheme provides a new idea for the design and research of all-optical diodes in the field of optical communication.
Topology-preserving smoothing of retinotopic maps
Authors: Tu Yanshuai , Ta Duyan , Lu Zhong-Lin , Wang Yalin
Published: August 2021

Retinotopic mapping, i.e., the mapping between visual inputs on the retina and neuronal activations in cortical visual areas, is one of the central topics in visual neuroscience. For human observers, the mapping is obtained by analyzing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals of cortical responses to slowly moving visual stimuli on the retina. Although it is well known from neurophysiology that the mapping is topological (i.e., the topology of neighborhood connectivity is preserved) within each visual area, retinotopic maps derived from the state-of-the-art methods are often not topological because of the low signal-to-noise ratio and spatial resolution of fMRI. The violation of topological condition is most severe in cortical regions corresponding to the neighborhood of the fovea (e.g., < 1 degree eccentricity in the Human Connectome Project (HCP) dataset), significantly impeding accurate analysis of retinotopic maps. This study aims to directly model the topological condition and generate topology-preserving and smooth retinotopic maps. Specifically, we adopted the Beltrami coefficient, a metric of quasiconformal mapping, to define the topological condition, developed a mathematical model to quantify topological smoothing as a constrained optimization problem, and elaborated an efficient numerical method to solve the problem. The method was then applied to V1, V2, and V3 simultaneously in the HCP dataset. Experiments with both simulated and real retinotopy data demonstrated that the proposed method could generate topological and smooth retinotopic maps.
Model checking via testing for direct effects in Mendelian Randomization and transcriptome-wide association studies
Authors: Deng Yangqing , Pan Wei
Published: August 2021

It is of great interest and potential to discover causal relationships between pairs of exposures and outcomes using genetic variants as instrumental variables (IVs) to deal with hidden confounding in observational studies. Two most popular approaches are Mendelian randomization (MR), which usually use independent genetic variants/SNPs across the genome, and transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) (or their generalizations) using cis-SNPs local to a gene (or some genome-wide and likely dependent SNPs), as IVs. In spite of their many promising applications, both approaches face a major challenge: the validity of their causal conclusions depends on three critical assumptions on valid IVs, and more generally on other modeling assumptions, which however may not hold in practice. The most likely as well as challenging situation is due to the wide-spread horizontal pleiotropy, leading to two of the three IV assumptions being violated and thus to biased statistical inference. More generally, we’d like to conduct a goodness-of-fit (GOF) test to check the model being used. Although some methods have been proposed as being robust to various degrees to the violation of some modeling assumptions, they often give different and even conflicting results due to their own modeling assumptions and possibly lower statistical efficiency, imposing difficulties to the practitioner in choosing and interpreting varying results across different methods. Hence, it would help to directly test whether any assumption is violated or not. In particular, there is a lack of such tests for TWAS. We propose a new and general GOF test, called TEDE (TEsting Direct Effects), applicable to both correlated and independent SNPs/IVs (as commonly used in TWAS and MR respectively). Through simulation studies and real data examples, we demonstrate high statistical power and advantages of our new method, while confirming the frequent violation of modeling (including valid IV) assumptions in practice and thus the importance of model checking by applying such a test in MR/TWAS analysis.
Evaluation of the effect of carrier material on modification of release characteristics of poor water soluble drug from liquisolid compacts
Authors: Ali Beenish , Khan Amjad , Alyami Hamad S. , Ullah Majeed , Wahab Abdul , Badshah Munair , Naz Attiqa
Published: August 2021

Liquisolid compact is a novel dosage form in which a liquid medication (liquid drug, drug solution/dispersion in non-volatile solvent/solvent system) is converted to a dry, free flowing powder and compressed. Objective of the study was to elucidate the effect of carrier material on release characteristics of clopidogrel from liquisolid compacts. Different formulations of liquisolid compacts were developed using microcrystalline cellulose, starch maize, polyvinyl pyrollidone and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose as carrier material in three concentrations (40, 30 and 20%, w/w). Liquid vehicle was selected on the basis of solubility of clopidogrel. Colloidal silicondioxide was used as coating material and ratio of carrier to coating material was kept 10. A control formulation comprised of microcrystalline cellulose (diluents), tabletose-80 (diluents), primojel (disintegrant) and magnesium stearate (lubricant) was prepared by direct compression technique and was used for comparison. All the formulations were evaluated at pre and post compression level. Acid solubility profile showed higher solubility in HCl buffer pH2 (296.89±3.49 μg/mL). Mixture of propylene glycol and water (2:1, v/v) was selected as liquid vehicle. Drug content was in the range of 99–101% of the claimed quantity. All the formulations showed better mechanical strength and their friability was within the official limits (<1%). Microcrystalline cellulose and starch maize resulted in faster drug release while polyvinyl pyrollidone and HPMC resulted in sustaining drug release by gel formation. It is concluded from results that both fast release and sustained release of clopidogrel can be achieved by proper selection of carrier material.
Kidney organoids generated from erythroid progenitors cells of patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease
Authors: Facioli Roberta , Lojudice Fernando Henrique , Anauate Ana Carolina , Maquigussa Edgar , Nishiura José Luiz , Heilberg Ita Pfeferman , Sogayar Mari Cleide , Boim Mirian Aparecida
Published: August 2021

Background

Kidney organoids have been broadly obtained from commercially available induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs); however, it has been a great challenge to efficiently produce renal organoid models from patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) that recapitulate both embryogenesis and the mechanisms of cystogenesis.

Methods

Blood erythroid progenitors (EPs) from two ADPKD patients and one healthy donor (HC) was used as a comparative control to normalize the many technical steps for reprogramming EPs and for the organoids generation. EPs were reprogrammed by an episomal vector into iPSCs, which were differentiated into renal tubular organoids and then stimulated by forskolin to induce cysts formation.

Results

iPSCs derived from EPs exhibited all characteristics of pluripotency and were able to differentiate into all three germ layers. 3D tubular organoids were generated from single cells after 28 days in Matrigel. HC and ADPKD organoids did not spontaneously form cysts, but upon forskolin stimulation, cysts-like structures were observed in the ADPKD organoids but not in the HC-derived organoids.

Conclusion

The findings of this study showed that kidney organoids were successfully generated from the blood EP cells of ADPKD patients and a healthy control donor. This approach should contribute as a powerful tool for embryonic kidney development model, which is able to recapitulate the very early pathophysiological mechanisms involved in cytogenesis.
“Existimos”: Health and social needs of transgender men in Lima, Peru
Authors: Reisner Sari L. , Silva-Santisteban Alfonso , Salazar Ximena , Vilela Jesse , D’Amico Lynne , Perez-Brumer Amaya
Published: August 2021

Background

The health of transgender men (trans men)–individuals who identify as men and were assigned a female sex assigned at birth–is overlooked globally. This mixed-methods exploratory study sought to understand the lived experiences, health, and social needs of trans men in Lima, Peru to bring visibility to specific health needs and inform responsive and holistic public health efforts.

Methods

Between July 2016-January 2017, 46 trans men in Lima, Peru participated in a mixed-methods study. Four focus group discussions were conducted, complemented with 10 one-on-one interviews to explore in-depth issues that arose in groups. Two individuals participated in both a focus group and an interview. All participants completed a brief survey assessing sociodemographic characteristics and experiences with healthcare, mental health, and stigma. Audio files were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using an immersion crystallization approach to identify themes.

Results

Participants had a mean age of 24 years (range 18–48). Trans men reported a lack of awareness and information among medical providers, avoidance of healthcare due to discrimination and maltreatment, an absence of public services for medical gender affirmation (hormones, surgeries), and unmet mental health needs. Trans men described health as multidimensional and influenced by social, economic, and legal contexts including family, school, employment and work, legal identity recognition, discrimination in public spaces, and peer support. Violence, stigma, and intersecting forms of oppression were described as limiting social and legal recognition of trans identity a central dimension of health. Peer support, often in an online environment, was described as important to resistance and well-being.

Conclusions

Findings demonstrate that the physical and mental health of trans men, as well as unmet needs for healthcare services, are influenced by a complex set of social, economic, and legal challenges due to the social exclusion of trans people in Peruvian society. Results are a call to action for stakeholders in Peru to guarantee the rights, health, and wellbeing of this community.
Development of combination adjuvant for efficient T cell and antibody response induction against protein antigen
Authors: Haseda Yasunari , Munakata Lisa , Kimura Chiyo , Kinugasa-Katayama Yumi , Mori Yasuko , Suzuki Ryo , Aoshi Taiki
Published: August 2021

Most current clinical vaccines work primarily by inducing the production of neutralizing antibodies against pathogens. Vaccine adjuvants that efficiently induce T cell responses to protein antigens need to be developed. In this study, we developed a new combination adjuvant consisting of 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium propane (DOTAP), D35, and an aluminum salt. Among the various combinations tested, the DOTAP/D35/aluminum salt adjuvant induced strong T cell and antibody responses against the model protein antigen with a single immunization. Adjuvant component and model antigen interaction studies in vitro also revealed that the strong mutual interactions among protein antigens and other components were one of the important factors for this efficient immune induction by the novel combination adjuvant. In addition, in vivo imaging of the antigen distribution suggested that the DOTAP component in the combination adjuvant formulation elicited transient antigen accumulation at the draining lymph nodes, possibly by antigen uptake DC migration. These results indicate the potential of the new combination adjuvant as a promising vaccine adjuvant candidate to treat infectious diseases and cancers.
Parafoveal processing of orthographic, morphological, and semantic information during reading Arabic: A boundary paradigm investigation
Authors: Hermena Ehab W. , Juma Eida J. , AlJassmi Maryam
Published: August 2021

Evidence shows that skilled readers extract information about upcoming words in the parafovea. Using the boundary paradigm, we investigated native Arabic readers’ processing of orthographic, morphological, and semantic information available parafoveally. Target words were embedded in frame sentences, and prior to readers fixating them, one of the following previews were made available: (a) Identity preview; (b) Preview that shared the pattern morpheme with the target; (c) Preview that shared the root morpheme with the target; (d) Preview that was a synonym with the target word; (e) Preview with two of the root letters were transposed thus creating a new root, while preserving all letter identities of the target; (f) Preview with two of the root letters were transposed thus creating a pronounceable pseudo root, while also preserving all letter identities of the target; and (g) Previews that was unrelated to the target word and shared no information with it. The results showed that identity, root-preserving, and synonymous preview conditions yielded preview benefit. On the other hand, no benefit was obtained from the pattern-preserving previews, and significant disruption to processing was obtained from the previews that contained transposed root letters, particularly when this letter transposition created a new real root. The results thus reflect Arabic readers’ dependance on morphological and semantic information, and suggest that these levels of representation are accessed as early as orthographic information. Implications for theory- and model-building, and the need to accommodate early morphological and semantic processing activities in more comprehensive models are further discussed.
A small-molecule inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase improves obesity, nephropathy and cardiomyopathy in obese ZSF1 rats
Authors: Signore Pierre E. , Guo Guangjie , Wei Zhihua , Zhang Weihua , Lin Al , del Balzo Ughetta
Published: August 2021

Prolyl hydroxylase (PH) enzymes control the degradation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), a transcription factor known to regulate erythropoiesis, angiogenesis, glucose metabolism, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. HIF-PH inhibitors (HIF-PHIs) correct anemia in patients with renal disease and in animal models of anemia and kidney disease. However, the effects of HIF-PHIs on comorbidities associated with kidney disease remain largely unknown. We evaluated the effects of the HIF-PHI FG-2216 in obese ZSF1 (Ob-ZSF1) rats, an established model of kidney failure with metabolic syndrome. Following unilateral nephrectomy (Nx) at 8 weeks of age, rats were treated with 40 mg/kg FG-2216 or vehicle by oral gavage three times per week for up to 18 weeks. FG-2216 corrected blood hemoglobin levels and improved kidney function and histopathology in Nx-Ob-ZSF1 rats by increasing the glomerular filtration rate, decreasing proteinuria, and reducing peritubular fibrosis, tubular damage, glomerulosclerosis and mesangial expansion. FG-2216 increased renal glucose excretion and decreased body weight, fat pad weight, and serum cholesterol in Nx-Ob-ZSF1 rats. Additionally, FG-2216 corrected hypertension, improved diastolic and systolic heart function, and reduced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. In conclusion, the HIF-PHI FG-2216 improved renal and cardiovascular outcomes, and reduced obesity in a rat model of kidney disease with metabolic syndrome. Thus, in addition to correcting anemia, HIF-PHIs may provide renal and cardiac protection to patients suffering from kidney disease with metabolic syndrome.
Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for people with dementia and mild cognitive impairment: A meta-analysis and implications for future research
Authors: Nagaoka Maki , Hashimoto Zenta , Takeuchi Hiroyoshi , Sado Mitsuhiro
Published: August 2021

Objective

To assess the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on people with dementia and mild cognitive impairment.

Methods

We searched several electronic databases, namely Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and MEDLINE with no limitations for language or document type (last search: 1 February 2020). Randomized controlled trials of mindfulness-based interventions for people with dementia and mild cognitive impairment compared to active-control interventions, waiting lists, or treatment as usual were included. Predefined outcomes were anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, cognitive function, quality of life, mindfulness, ADL and attrition. We used the random effects model (DerSimonian-Laird method) for meta-analysis, reporting effect sizes as Standardized Mean Difference. Heterogeneity was assessed with the I2 statistics.

Results

Eight randomized controlled trials, involving 276 patients, met the eligibility criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. We found no significant effects for mindfulness-based interventions in either the short-term or the medium- to long-term on any outcomes, when compared with control conditions. The number of included studies and sample sizes were too small. Additionally, the quality of evidence was low for each randomized controlled trial included in the analysis. This is primarily due to lack of intent-to-treat analysis, high risk of bias, and imprecise study results. The limited statistical power and weak body of evidence prevented us from reaching firm conclusions.

Conclusions

We found no significant effects of mindfulness-based interventions on any of the outcomes when compared with control conditions. The evidence concerning the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions in this population is scarce in terms of both quality and quantity. More well-designed, rigorous, and large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed.
Screening and treatment of familial hypercholesterolemia in a French sample of ambulatory care patients: A retrospective longitudinal cohort study
Authors: Ferrières Jean , Banks Victoria , Pillas Demetris , Giorgianni Francesco , Gantzer Laurene , Lekens Beranger , Ricci Lea , Dova-Boivin Margaux , Chauny Jean-Vannak , Villa Guillermo , Désaméricq Gaelle
Published: August 2021

Background and aims

Untreated Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) leads to premature morbidity and mortality. In France, its epidemiology and management are understudied in ambulatory care. We described the clinical profile, pharmacological management, and clinical outcomes in a French sample of FH patients.

Methods

This was a retrospective longitudinal study on patients from The Health Improvement Network (THIN®) database in France, between October 2016-June 2019. Patients ≥18 years, with probable/definite FH based on the Dutch Lipid Clinic Network (DLCN) criteria were included. Baseline characteristics, lipid profile, lipid-lowering therapy (LLT), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) goal achievement; and disease management at 6-month of follow-up were analyzed.

Results

116 patients with probable (n = 70)/definite (n = 46) FH were included (mean age:57.8±14.0 years; 56.0% women; 9.5% with personal history of cardiovascular events); 90 patients had data available at follow-up. At baseline, 77.6% of patients had LDL-C>190 mg/dL, 27.6% were not receiving LLTs, 37.9% received statins alone, 20.7% statins with other LLTs, and 7.7% other LLTs. High-intensity statins were prescribed to 11.2% of patients, 30.2% received moderate-intensity statins, and 8.6% low-intensity statins. Only 6.0% of patients achieved LDL-C goal. At 6-month of follow-up, statins discontinuation and switching were 22.7% and 2.3%, respectively. None of the patients received proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors at baseline nor follow-up.

Conclusions

Despite the existence of effective LLTs, FH patients are suboptimally-treated, do not achieve LDL-C goal, and exhibit worsened pharmacological management over time. Future studies with longer follow-up periods and assessment of factors affecting LDL-C management, including lifestyle and diet, are needed.
Geomorphology of the Mirador-Calakmul Karst Basin: A GIS-based approach to hydrogeologic mapping
Authors: Ensley Ross , Hansen Richard D. , Morales-Aguilar Carlos , Thompson Josie
Published: August 2021

This paper classifies the karst landscapes of the Petén Plateau and defines the Mirador-Calakmul Karst Basin by illustrating the distribution of its karst hydrologic features. Archaeological and spatial research of the Mirador-Calakmul area of Guatemala and Mexico has shown it to be a karst basin with geopolitical implications. Current research characterizes the karst landscapes of the Petén Plateau, maps the distribution of karst hydrologic features, and delineates the basin in geomorphological terms. To further this aim, multiple forms of remote sensing data including orthophotographs, a satellite Digital Elevation Model, satellite multispectral images, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data have been integrated to interpret the karst features in the study area. Outcrop study and thin section analysis of the upper Buena Vista Formation document that the dominant lithologies are a shallow water algal boundstone interbedded with terrestrial caliche. Karst landforms have been mapped over the Petén Plateau and we identify five karst landscapes, the largest of which is a fluviokarst landscape dominated by karst valleys. We further map karst hydrologic features including seasonal swamps, dolines, intermittent lakes, intermittent streams, solution-enhanced fractures, and springs all of which are characteristic of drainage basins. Boundaries of the karst basin are mapped from multiple lines of evidence including distribution of the karst valleys, a line of springs along the western boundary of the fluviokarst landscape, and a surface drainage analysis. We capture and classify hydrologic data points and develop a regional groundwater map that indicates subsurface flow from east to west within the basin. A drainage map illustrates the extensive system of karst valleys, boundaries, and inferred groundwater flow paths of the Mirador-Calakmul Karst Basin. It was within this geomorphological setting that the ancient Maya developed an extensive civilization during the Middle and Late Preclassic periods (1000 BCE-150 CE).
Social distancing is a social dilemma game played by every individual against his/her population
Authors: Wu Zhijun
Published: August 2021

Since the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing has been known to everyone and recommended almost everywhere everyday. Social distancing has been and will be one of the most effective measures and sometimes, the only available one for fighting epidemics and saving lives. However, it has not been so clear how social distancing should be practiced or managed, especially when it comes to regulating everyone’s otherwise normal social activities. The debate on how to implement social distancing often leads to a heated political argument, while research on the subject is lacking. This paper is to provide a theoretical basis for the understanding of the scientific nature of social distancing by considering it as a social dilemma game played by every individual against his/her population. From this perspective, every individual needs to make a decision on how to engage in social distancing, or risk being trapped into a dilemma either exposing to deadly diseases or getting no access to necessary social activities. As the players of the game, the individual’s decisions depend on the population’s actions and vice versa, and an optimal strategy can be found when the game reaches an equilibrium. The paper shows how an optimal strategy can be determined for a population with either closely related or completely separated social activities and with either single or multiple social groups, and how the collective behaviors of social distancing can be simulated by following every individual’s actions as the distancing game progresses. The simulation results for populations of varying sizes and complexities are presented, which not only justify the choices of the strategies based on the theoretical analysis, but also demonstrate the convergence of the individual actions to an optimal distancing strategy in silico and possibly in natura as well, if every individual makes rational distancing decisions.
Integrated care pathways in neurosurgery: A systematic review
Authors: Lee Keng Siang , Yordanov Stefan , Stubbs Daniel , Edlmann Ellie , Joannides Alexis , Davies Benjamin
Published: August 2021

Introduction

Integrated care pathways (ICPs) are a pre-defined framework of evidence based, multidisciplinary practice for specific patients. They have the potential to enhance continuity of care, patient safety, patient satisfaction, efficiency gains, teamwork and staff education. In order to inform the development of neurosurgical ICPs in the future, we performed a systematic review to aggregate examples of neurosurgical ICP, to consider their impact and design features that may be associated with their success.

Methods

Electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched for relevant literature published from date of inception to July 2020. Primary studies reporting details of neurosurgical ICPs, across all pathologies and age groups were eligible for inclusion. Patient outcomes in each case were also recorded.

Results

Twenty-four studies were included in our final dataset, from the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, China, Korea, France, Netherlands and Switzerland, and a number of sub-specialties. 3 for cerebrospinal fluid diversion, 1 functional, 2 neurovascular, 1 neuro-oncology, 2 paediatric, 2 skull base, 10 spine, 1 for trauma, 2 miscellaneous (other craniotomies). All were single centre studies with no regional or national examples. Thirteen were cohort studies while 11 were case series which lacked a control group. Effectiveness was typically evaluated using hospital or professional performance metrics, such as length of stay (n = 11, 45.8%) or adverse events (n = 17, 70.8%) including readmission, surgical complications and mortality. Patient reported outcomes, including satisfaction, were evaluated infrequently (n = 3, 12.5%). All studies reported a positive impact. No study reported how the design of the ICP was informed by published literature or other methods

Conclusions

ICPs have been successfully developed across numerous neurosurgical sub-specialities. However, there is often a lack of clarity over their design and weaknesses in their evaluation, including an underrepresentation of the patient’s perspective.
Walking in a cage: Attuning to atmospheric intensities through corporeality
Authors: Heimonen Kirsi
Published: August 2021

This article discusses an artistic act: walking for seven sequential days inside a cage made of chicken wire in the grounds of a former mental hospital in Lapinlahti in Helsinki, Finland and its potential to offer insights into past events in mental hospitals through the notions of corporeal attunement and atmosphere. The idea for Walking Cage was prompted by a word in the data, which included memories by patients and non-patients of Finnish mental hospitals gathered in connection with a multidisciplinary research project. Passers-by, occasional co-walkers, weather conditions and the grounds of the former mental hospital partially formed and deformed the atmospheric qualities of the artistic research event. These qualities were experienced through corporeal attuning influenced by the Skinner Releasing Technique, a somatic movement method. The article proposes a singular way of approaching the possibilities of corporeal openness and sensibility in a choreographic process in which, illuminated by, among others, the notions of threshold and limit, one becomes a stranger to oneself by surrendering oneself to atmospheric intensities. This artistic research study adopts a phenomenological approach, drawing mainly on the ideas of Jean-Luc Nancy, Mikel Dufrenne and Emmanuel Levinas.
The risky temptation of wanting to be the Legislator of the Language
Authors: Niccolai Silvia
Published: August 2021

Criticizing the modern, rationalistic temptation to legislate on language, this article argues that issues of 'political correctness' are an aspect of the eternal problem of definitions in law. This problem has in its turn profound connections, on the one hand, with the need, entirely human, for a correct (not one-sided or arbitrary) relationship with reality; and, on the other hand, with the insidious attempt –  which is all the same typically human – to deny reality, with its conflicts and ambiguities, and to replace it with a false,  less challenging reality of 'objective' certainties. In law, the problem of definitions has historically followed many and different itineraries; this article briefly traces some, trying to show that the ideal of an objective definition – an ideal epitomized in the 'norm' idealized by legal positivism – has always co-existed, in the legal experience, with the different ideal of a subjective definition (dialectical, controversial, negative, refutative), of which the ancient maxims of equity, the regulae iuris, offer a model. The problem of legal definitions in law is then a matter of forms of reason that confront each other throughout the history of law, the one investing on a calculating and instrumental rationality, the other relying on a more porous and flexible reason. In the legacy of this second point of view – which, the article maintains, has more than one analogy with the paths of contemporary Feminist 'Radical' Thought – antidotes can be found to the temptation to legislate on language, which is risky. If objectivity tries to suppress subjectivity, in fact, this is in the name of the illusion, that problems that trouble the human conditions can be fixed, defined, solved once and for all. It is instead the open texture of these problems, which cannot be defined once and for all, that encourages the work of language and thought. And these latter are the resources for a living together really capable of freedom and equality, of change and future.
Diferencias sectoriales y regionales de la recesión económica motivadas por la pandemia de la COVID-19 en México y medidas de política pública para enfrentarla
Authors: Gasca Zamora José
Published: August 2021

A partir de las medidas extraordinarias que en México implementó el Gobierno Federal para mitigar la propagación de contagios causados por la pandemia de la COVID-19, se suspendieron actividades productivas consideradas no esenciales, ello repercutió en la contracción de la economía. Diversos organismos han estimado la magnitud de este comportamiento recesivo mediante indicadores agregados a nivel nacional, sin embargo, poco se conoce cómo afectó este proceso al interior del país.

Ámbitos espaciales en la escala subnacional, como estados o municipios, presentaron afectaciones diferenciales debido a que sus estructuras productivas actuaron como moduladoras del grado en que los sectores interrumpieron sus operaciones. Sin embargo, otras condiciones internas y externas a las empresas también funcionaron como factores recesivos, tales como su mayor composición de trabajo presencial, su integración a cadenas globales de valor o su dependencia de mercados internacionales.

Este trabajo tiene un doble propósito, por una parte, evaluar el descenso de la actividad económica de las entidades federativas de México y sus sectores durante el periodo de mayores restricciones impuestas a la operación de las empresas en el 2020. En segundo lugar, analizar las medidas que emprendieron los gobiernos estatales para amortiguar los efectos que provocó esta situación. El estudio contribuye a develar los factores asociados a la vulnerabilidad de los ámbitos territoriales que se analizan y las capacidades de respuesta institucionales frente a eventos disruptivos como la COVID-19 o similares.