bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multiscale characterization of additively manufactured PMMA: the influence of sterilization
Authors: Rufo-Martín Celia , Mantecón Ramiro , Youssef Geroge , Miguelez Henar , Díaz-Álvarez Jose
Published: April 2024

Purpose

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a remarkable biocompatible material for bone cement and regeneration. It is also considered 3D printable but requires in-depth process–structure–properties studies. This study aims to elucidate the mechanistic effects of processing parameters and sterilization on PMMA-based implants.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach comprised manufacturing samples with different raster angle orientations to capitalize on the influence of the filament alignment with the loading direction. One sample set was sterilized using an autoclave, while another was kept as a reference. The samples underwent a comprehensive characterization regimen of mechanical tension, compression and flexural testing. Thermal and microscale mechanical properties were also analyzed to explore the extent of the appreciated modifications as a function of processing conditions.

Findings

Thermal and microscale mechanical properties remained almost unaltered, whereas the mesoscale mechanical behavior varied from the as-printed to the after-autoclaving specimens. Although the mechanical behavior reported a pronounced dependence on the printing orientation, sterilization had minimal effects on the properties of 3D printed PMMA structures. Nonetheless, notable changes in appearance were attributed, and heat reversed as a response to thermally driven conformational rearrangements of the molecules.

Originality/value

This research further deepens the viability of 3D printed PMMA for biomedical applications, contributing to the overall comprehension of the polymer and the thermal processes associated with its implementation in biomedical applications, including personalized implants.
Elastoplastic nanoindentation behaviors of sintered nano-silver under various sintering parameters
Authors: Dai Yanwei , Zhao Libo , Qin Fei , Chen Si
Published: April 2024

Purpose

This study aims to characterize the mechanical properties of sintered nano-silver under various sintering processes by nano-indentation tests.

Design/methodology/approach

Through microstructure observations and characterization, the influences of sintering process on the microstructure evolutions of sintered nano-silver were presented. And, the indentation load, indentation displacement curves of sintered silver under various sintering processes were measured by using nano-indentation test. Based on the nano-indentation test, a reverse analysis of the finite element calculation was used to determine the yielding stress and hardening exponent.

Findings

The porosity decreases with the increase of the sintering temperature, while the average particle size of sintered nano-silver increases with the increase of sintering temperature and sintering time. In addition, the porosity reduced from 34.88%, 30.52%, to 25.04% if the ramp rate was decreased from 25°C/min, 15°C/min, to 5°C/min, respectively. The particle size appears more frequently within 1 µm and 2 µm under the lower ramp rate. With reverse analysis, the strain hardening exponent gradually heightened with the increase of temperature, while the yielding stress value decreased significantly with the increase of temperature. When the sintering time increased, the strain hardening exponent increased slightly.

Practical implications

The mechanical properties of sintered nano-silver under different sintering processes are clearly understood.

Originality/value

This paper could provide a novel perspective on understanding the sintering process effects on the mechanical properties of sintered nano-silver.
House building techniques for achieving sustainable development goals
Authors: Shahraki Abdol Aziz , Mollashahi Hossein
Published: April 2024

This study aims to design and build a pilot home according to the United Nations sustainable development goals (UN SDGs). The research methodology is a nature‐oriented housing policy to promote renewable energy consumption in homes for cleaner environments. This study analyzes the structural elements of traditional homes in the eastern south of Iran. This study examines the UN SDGs in planning and designing the model to find the advantages of nature‐oriented constructions compared to the current harmful development projects damaging nature, environments, ecosystems, and the earth. The building model presented in this paper is in harmony with the UN SDGs. The model provides an architectural and planning procedure to prevent the earth from damaging fossil consumption‐built environments in the world. Calculations show that the housing pilot model saves USD 3600 in energy consumption per household on average. The outcomes of this study prove the hypothesis that the use of renewable energy in homes is beneficial economically and environmentally. This study implicates housing policies in shifting planning and design methods toward UN SDGs. Policies are applicable globally in the housing programs.
Inadequate pregnancy‐specific knowledge among patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A multicenter survey in China
Authors: Li Rui Xia , Wu Tong , Li Xiao Fei , Zhou He , Shi Yan Ting , Wang Fang , Liang Jie
Published: April 2024

Objectives

The perceptions and attitudes of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients towards pregnancy may affect their fertility plan and disease progression. We performed a nationwide multicenter survey of pregnancy‐related knowledge among gastroenterologists and IBD patients in China to investigate whether specific educational interventions could improve their understanding and broadly influence fertility plan.

Methods

A cross‐sectional questionnaire regarding pregnancy‐specific knowledge was carried out among 63 IBD centers in China. Questionnaires were collected from 185 physicians and 609 patients. The patients then received education regarding pregnancy during IBD and filled in the same questionnaire again. Their knowledge regarding pregnancy during IBD was compared before and after education.

Results

Compared to physicians, patients' knowledge regarding fertility (39.1% vs 70.8%), imaging examinations (22.8% vs 72.4%), endoscopy performed during pregnancy (19.9% vs 71.4%), and vaccination for infants (16.6% vs 46.5%) was significantly more limited (all P < 0.001). There was a lack of knowledge among gastroenterologists regarding the delivery mode (36.8%), medications (36.8%), and emergency surgery (26.5%) during pregnancy in patients with IBD. After education, the patients showed significant improvement in knowledge regarding medications (26.7% vs 51.7%), fertility (45.0% vs 63.3%), heritability (40.0% vs 58.3%), indications for emergency surgery (15.0% vs 53.3%), imaging examinations during pregnancy (20.0% vs 40.0%), and vaccinations for infants (26.7% vs 45.0%) (all P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Pregnancy‐specific IBD knowledge needs to be improved among certain gastroenterologists and patients in China. Educational interventions can partially improve the knowledge levels of the patients.
Utilization of lasso peptides for biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Authors: Simpson Waltena , Brigmon Robin L. , Howard Daniel , Jackson Makaela , Kugler Alex , Brown Victoria
Published: April 2024

Many microbial genes involved in degrading recalcitrant environmental contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been identified and characterized. However, all molecular mechanisms required for PAH utilization have not yet been elucidated. In this work, we demonstrate the proposed involvement of lasso peptides in the utilization of the PAH phenanthrene in Sphingomonas BPH. Transpositional mutagenesis of Sphingomonas BPH with the miniTn5 transposon yielded 3 phenanthrene utilization deficient mutants, #257, #1778, and #1782. In mutant #1782, Tn5 had inserted into the large subunit of the naph/bph dioxygenase gene. In mutant #1778, Tn5 had inserted into the B2 protease gene of a lasso peptide cluster. This finding is the first report on the role of lasso peptides in PAH utilization. Our studies also demonstrate that interruption of the lasso peptide cluster resulted in a significant increase in the amount of biosurfactant produced in the presence of glucose when compared to the wild‐type strain. Collectively, these results suggest that the mechanisms Sphingomonas BPH utilizes to degrade phenanthrene are far more complex than previously understood and that the #1778 mutant may be a good candidate for bioremediation when glucose is applied as an amendment due to its higher biosurfactant production.
Negotiating faith in exile: Learning from displacements from and into Arua, North West Uganda
Authors: Storer Elizabeth
Published: April 2024

Humanitarians have recently championed faith actors as valuable resources in delivering humanitarian aid. Partnerships are increasingly promoted through international declarations and bespoke toolkits. Such approaches are abstracted from the historical and contemporary contexts through which faith is negotiated, and through which faith actors have become legitimate. This paper explores how faith has been entangled within the dynamics of two spatially connected crises: Ugandans fleeing post‐Amin reprisals in the mid‐1980s, and South Sudanese fleeing civil war from 2013. Drawing attention to the local‐structural engagements which have shaped forms of protection and the legitimacy of faith actors, this paper urges for a consideration of complexity in humanitarians' localisation calculations.
Heat water and reptiles – do the hydro‐thermal properties of animals at the source location persist at the translocation site?
Authors: Trewartha D. M. , Clayton J. L. , Godfrey S. S. , Gardner M. G.
Published: April 2024

Assisted colonization to locations predicted to remain climatically suitable in the future is increasingly necessary to mitigate climate change effects in ectotherms such as reptiles. However, these future‐suitable locations are often currently cooler than those from which individuals are sourced. While species‐wide paradigms prevail, responses to thermal regimes may vary across a species range, affecting daily activity, colonization and survival in a new environment. Additionally, hydro‐regulatory behaviours are severely understudied, despite the need for understanding trade‐offs between thermoregulation and hydro‐regulation for successful assisted colonization strategies. We investigated behavioural responses to temperature and relative humidity in two latitudinally distinct lineages of pygmy bluetongue (Tiliqua adelaidensis), a cryptic, burrow‐dwelling endangered lizard, in the Mid‐North of South Australia. From spring 2020 to autumn 2021 we took monthly field‐based approach distance and behavioural footage at the source locations and at a southerly translocation site. Behaviours were matched to site‐specific microclimate data prior to principal component and generalized linear mixed model analysis. We found lineage differences in behaviour that persisted after translocation; southern lineage lizards showed significantly less daily activity and were active at lower temperatures and higher humidity than northern lineage lizards. Southern lineage lizards allowed a human observer to approach closer as base‐of‐burrow humidity increased, while northern lineage lizards were quicker to retreat into burrows, at both source and translocation sites. Novel, non‐invasive field‐based activity curves successfully identified lineage differences in humidity and temperature ranges for surface activity, implying environmental preferences of target populations that were reinforced by the models. Specifically, we found evidence for thermoregulation and adaptation/acclimation to higher temperatures in northern lizards and hydroregulation and adaptation/acclimation to cooler, more humid conditions in southern lizards. The limited behavioural plasticity shown by translocated individuals over the season demonstrates the importance of understanding lineage‐level behaviours, hydro‐regulation, and micro‐climate when selecting individuals for assisted colonization.
Exploring clozapine pharmacokinetics in Tunisian schizophrenic patients: A population‐based modelling approach investigating the impact of genetic and non‐genetic variables
Authors: Mansour Khadija , Fredj Nadia Ben , Ammar Helmi , Romdhane Haifa Ben , Mhalla Ahmed , Chaabane Amel , Chadli Zohra , Aouam Karim
Published: April 2024

Clozapine is characterized by a large within‐ and between‐patient variability in its pharmacokinetics, attributed to non‐genetic and genetic factors. A cross‐sectional analysis of clozapine trough concentration (Clz C0) issued from Tunisian schizophrenic patients was collected and analysed using a nonparametric modelling approach. We assessed the impact of demographic covariates (age, weight and sex), patient's habits (smoking status, alcohol and caffeine intake) and the genetic factors (CYP1A2*1C, CYP1A2*1F and CYP2C19*2 polymorphisms) on each pharmacokinetic parameter. An external validation of this pharmacokinetic model using an independent data set was performed. Fit goodness between observed‐ and individual‐predicted data was evaluated using the mean prediction error (% MPE), the mean absolute prediction error (% MAPE) as a measure of bias, and the root mean squared error (% RMSE) as a measure of precision. Sixty‐three CLz C0 values issued from 51 schizophrenic patients were assessed in this study and divided into building and validation groups. CYP1A2*1F polymorphism and smoking status were the only covariates significantly associated with clozapine clearance. Precision parameters were as follows: 1.02%, 0.95% and 22.4%, respectively, for % MPE, % MAPE and % RMSE. We developed and validated an accurate pharmacokinetic model able to predict Clz C0 in Tunisian schizophrenic patients using the two parameters CYP1A2*1F polymorphism and smoking.
Systematic review and network meta‐analysis of re‐intervention rates of new surgical interventions for benign prostatic hyperplasia
Authors: Shin Brian Ng Hung , Qu Liang , Rhee Handoo , Chung Eric
Published: April 2024

Objective

To assess the re‐intervention rates of new surgical benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) interventions, as the clinical durability of new surgical interventions for BPH is not widely known.

Methods

A critical review of new surgical BPH therapies namely ‘UroLift®’, ‘Aquablation’, ‘Rezum’, ‘prostatic artery embolisation (PAE)’ and ‘temporary implantable nitinol device (iTIND)’ was performed on PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase databases between May 2010 and December 2022 according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta‐analyses (PRISMA) statement. All relevant articles were reviewed, and the risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane risk assessment tool and Newcastle–Ottawa Scale.

Results

Of the 32 studies included, there were 10 randomised controlled trials and 22 prospective observational cohorts. A total of 2400 participants were studied with a median patient age of 66 years, a median prostate volume of 51.9 mL, and a median International Prostate Symptom Score of 22. The lowest re‐intervention rate at 12 months was for Aquablation at 0.01%, followed by Rezum at 0.02%, iTIND at 0.03%, and PAE at 0.05%. Network meta‐analysis (NMA) showed that the best‐ranked treatment at 12 months was transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), followed by Aquablation, iTIND, Rezum, and UroLift. Re‐intervention rates with these new BPH interventions are comparable, although some interventions reported better outcomes than TURP in the shorter term.

Conclusions

While this systematic review and NMA showed that the re‐intervention rate with these new surgical BPH interventions appears to be comparable to TURP in the short term, further studies are required to directly compare these various BPH procedures.
Experiences From Treatment for Anxiety and Depression Among Youth in Foster Care: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Moussavi Yasmin , Haugland Bente Storm Mowatt , Wergeland Gro Janne , Lehmann Stine , Mæland Silje
Published: April 2024

Youth in foster care are at high risk of internalizing problems. However, research is scarce regarding their experiences of mental health treatment. This knowledge is important if mental health services are to meet their needs. Through qualitative interviews, we explored the experiences of youth in foster care (N = 9, aged 16–18 years) having been treated for anxiety and depression. Systematic text condensation was used to analyse the transcribed interviews. The youth reported different paths to accessing treatment. They conveyed the need for therapists to build trust and demonstrate genuine care by advocating for them. They valued learning strategies to manage their symptoms and reported that to adopt these strategies, introspection and psychoeducation were necessary. Finally, they emphasized the importance of the treatment setting (e.g., outdoors versus in a traditional office setting). Findings indicate that it was arbitrary as to who helped the youth access treatment. Moreover, for youth to feel they benefitted from the treatment, certain features of the youth–therapist relationship and treatment content proved central. The findings are relevant for clinicians and policymakers within child welfare and youth's mental health services.
Computed Tomography and Dual‐Energy X‐Ray Asorptiometry body composition parameter harmonisation to universalise adipose tissue measurements in a population‐based cross‐sectional study
Authors: Varney Elliot T. , Lirette Seth , Katzmarzyk Peter T. , Greenway Frank , Howard Candace M.
Published: April 2024

To harmonise computed tomography (CT) and dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) body composition measurements allowing easy conversion in longitudinal assessments and across cohorts to assess cardiometabolic risk and disease. Retrospective cross‐sectional observational study from 1996 to 2008 included participants in the Pennington Center Longitudinal Study (PCLS) (N = 1967; 571 African American/1396 White). Anthropometrics, whole‐body DXA and abdominal CT images were obtained. Multi‐layer segmentation techniques (Analyze; Rochester, MN) quantified visceral adipose tissue (VAT). Clinical biomarkers were obtained from routine blood samples. Linear models were used to predict CT‐VAT from DXA‐VAT and examine the effects of traditional biomarkers on cross‐sectional‐VAT. Predicted CT‐VAT was highly associated with measured CT‐VAT using ordinary least square linear regression analysis and random forest models (R2 = 0.84; 0.94, respectively, p < .0001). Model stratification effects showed low variability between races and sexes. Overall, associations between measured CT‐VAT and DXA‐predicted CT‐VAT were good (R2 > 0.7) or excellent (R2 > 0.8) and improved for all stratification groups except African American men using random forest models. The clinical effects on measured CT‐VAT and DXA‐VAT showed no significant clinical difference in the measured adipose tissue areas (mean difference = 0.22 cm2). Random forest modelling seamlessly predicts CT‐VAT from measured DXA‐VAT to a degree of accuracy that falls within the bounds of universally accepted standard error.
Corporate social responsibility and labor tax avoidance: Evidence from Spain
Authors: Ilboudo Tabitha Aude Sidyida , Argilés‐Bosch Josep‐Maria , Costa Josepa Alemany
Published: April 2024

This study expands on the scope of firms' social responsibility and analyzes the relationship between Environmental Social Governance (ESG) and a commonly neglected aspect of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which is tax payment – specifically, the payment of labor taxes. To test the research hypothesis, this study utilizes ESG data from Refinitiv Eikon and consolidated accounting data collected from Sistemas de Análisis de Balances Ibéricos (SABI) and applies panel data estimation. The regression results indicate that CSR has a negative and significant relationship with Labor Tax Avoidance (LTAV). This negative relationship remains robust and significant across different estimation methods and measures of CSR and LTAV. Our research suggests that managerial and practical concerns regarding social responsibility awareness are related to firms' decisions, impacting both society and employees, particularly concerning the avoidance of labor taxes.
Structural alterations and pain perception at the ankle joint in patients with haemophilia
Authors: Schmidt Alexander , Sigl‐Kraetzig Michael , Richter Heinrich , Vogler Tim , Tomschi Fabian , Hilberg Thomas
Published: April 2024

Background

Patients with haemophilia (PwH) suffer from chronic pain due to joint alterations induced by recurring haemorrhage.

Objectives

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between structural alterations and pain perception at the ankle joint in PwH.

Patients/Methods

Ankle joints of 79 PwH and 57 healthy controls (Con) underwent ultrasound examination (US) and assessment of pain sensitivity via pressure pain thresholds (PPT). US discriminated between joint activity (synovitis) and joint damage (cartilage and/or bone degeneration) applying the HEAD‐US protocol. Based on US‐findings, five subgroups were built: PwH with activity/damage, PwH with activity/no damage, PwH with no activity/no damage, controls with activity/no damage and controls with no activity/no damage.

Results

Joint activity and joint damage were significantly increased in ankles of PwH compared to Con (p ≤.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that structural alterations negatively impact pain perception. This is particularly evident when comparing PwH with both activity/damage to PwH with no activity/no damage at the tibiotalar joint (p = .001). At the fibulotalar joint, no significant differences were observed between PwH subgroups. Further analysis showed that both joint activity and joint damage result in an increase in pain sensitivity (p ≤.001).

Conclusion

The data suggest a relation between joint activity, joint damage and pain perception in PwH. Even minor changes due to synovitis appear to affect pain perception, with the effect not intensifying at higher levels of inflammation. In terms of joint damage, severe degeneration leads to a sensitised pain state most robustly, whereas initial changes do not seem to significantly affect pain perception.
Current status of inclusion of older groups in evaluations of new medications: Gaps and implementation needs to fill them
Authors: Schwartz Janice B.
Published: April 2024

Under‐representation of subgroups of the population in clinical trials has been and continues to be a problem despite goals of academia, industry, and government. Older adults are among the groups that are under‐represented in trials of medications that they are likely to receive once marketing approval has been received. Recent legislation that mandates that clinical trial participants be representative of patient population has been passed and creates hope that greater numbers of older adults will be enrolled in clinical trials and that they will be representative of “typical” geriatric patients. However, there is the need for collection of current data on disease prevalences with granularity as to age, gender, and race as well as geriatric co‐morbidities to assess the representativeness of clinical trial participants relative to patient populations. Consensus on definitions and collection of data relevant to geriatric patient populations are needed to evaluate effects of comorbidities, frailty, cognitive and physical function. There will also be a need for expansion of the geriatric research workforce, facilities for research both in academic centers but also in the community and long‐term care facilities, and for engagement with and involvement of communities that have been traditionally under‐represented to conduct clinical trials that enroll truly representative patient populations.
When I say … social justice
Authors: E.L. Brown Megan , Atta Komal , Church Helen R. , George Riya
Published: April 2024

Explore the term "Social Justice" in this new "When I Say" article. The authors consider its origin, advocate for a broader definition, and encourage renewed focus in the field.
It takes (at least) two to tango: Investigating interactional dynamics between clients and caseworkers in public encounters
Authors: Döring Matthias , Drathschmidt Nicolas , Nielsen Stine Piilgaard Porner
Published: April 2024

Public encounters are an essential element in citizen–state interactions. Yet, we know very little about the interactional dynamics between clients and street‐level bureaucrats. By analyzing data from interviews and participatory observations of public encounters in a social security administration context, we propose a typology of public encounters based on clients' and employees' preparedness that affects the dynamics and outcomes of services. Encounters can either be characterized by “Conflict and Obstruction,” “Advocacy,” “Case Processing,” or “Agreement and Collaboration.” We conceptualize the relation between these types and how both clients and caseworkers transition between them. Additionally, the article's findings suggest that public encounters should not be observed as singular events. Rather, spillover effects between encounters and long‐term multi‐episode interactions with clients prove to be essential in understanding behavior on both sides through mutual learning.
The impact of policy legacies on the implementation of Citizen Income in Italy: A policy feedback perspective
Authors: Nesti Giorgia , Graziano Paolo
Published: April 2024

The Citizen Income (Reddito di cittadinanza—RdC) is the most extensive program to fight poverty ever adopted in Italy. RdC is a Minimum Income Scheme that grants a cash amount to beneficiaries but obliges some specific groups to participate in active measures and in social inclusion programs. After 4 years of implementation, RdC seems not to have fully achieved its goals and scholars blame policy legacies as one of the main causes of its failures. Drawing on the literature on policy feedback, the paper proposes an analytical framework that identifies the mechanisms related to resources, incentives, and meanings affecting policy actors (public administration, organized civil society, and citizens). The framework is then applied to the case of RdC to detect through what specific mechanisms deriving from past anti‐poverty, active, and social policies impacted on the implementation of the RdC. The paper is moreover aimed at advancing the debate about policy legacies and their effects on current policies through the elaboration of a framework specifying the mechanisms through which policy feedback produces change or stability.
Comparing structural soil properties of boreal clay fields under contrasting soil management
Authors: Hyväluoma Jari , Niemi Petri , Kinnunen Sami , Brobbey Kofi , Miettinen Arttu , Keskinen Riikka , Soinne Helena
Published: April 2024

Soil management significantly affects soil structure. Tillage and grassland renovation may have destructive influences, while conversion of arable land to grassland can improve pore structure and related soil functions. In crop rotations including perennial grasses, soil structure is affected by these counteracting processes. This work aimed to quantify the impacts of different soil management practices on the structure of boreal clay soils. We studied intact topsoil samples taken from two locations by X‐ray computed microtomography, image‐based flow simulations and water retention measurements. At both locations, adjacent field areas with two contrasting soil management histories were compared. Both locations had at least a 30‐year‐old grassland site, which was compared to arable soils either under no‐till management with annual crop rotation or conventional tillage with crop rotation including perennial grasses. Both imaging and water retention measurements showed significant differences in the soil macropore structure between the long‐term grassland and arable no‐till soil such that macroporosity and hydraulic conductivity of the long‐term grassland were higher than those of soil under agricultural production. On the contrary, at the second study location, differences between long‐term grassland and cultivated fields were minor and the long‐term grassland exhibited lower macroporosity. Our results confirm that soil management affects the macropore structure of boreal clay soil and that no‐till annual cropping and periodically tilled crop rotation including perennial phases exert different effects on the soil structure as compared with long‐term grassland.
Exploring the use of ChatGPT in learning and instructing statistics and data analytics
Authors: Xing Yixun
Published: April 2024

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has shown the potential to reshape the world and redefine daily workflows. One specific instance of generative AI, ChatGPT, specializes in understanding natural language and generating human‐like conversational text. Its free access, user‐friendly interface, and instant feedback have propelled its popularity within and beyond education. Given its extensive knowledge of traditional statistics and contemporary data science, it can be considered for integration into modern statistics education. However, there have been ongoing questions and serious concerns regarding the accuracy and accountability of the responses generated by ChatGPT. This study explores ChatGPT's capabilities in addressing conceptual problems, implementing analytical techniques, and facilitating teaching while considering its disadvantages and ongoing development. With continued practice and deeper insights into this novel technology, its benefits can be cautiously leveraged in teaching and learning activities.
Violencia de género en una comunidad indígena ngöbe de Costa Rica: Reflexiones sobre las respuestas de mujeres indígenas ngöbes
Authors: Quesada Cordero Carolina
Published: April 2024

Este artículo analiza las respuestas de mujeres indígenas ngöbe ante situaciones de violencia de género, con el apoyo de conceptos provenientes de la cosmología mesoamericana y el concepto de agencia, entendido como una práctica de pertenencia (Weir, 2013). Se enfatizan las respuestas que recurren a la conexión identitaria y a la renegociación de las relaciones dentro de la comunidad y con instituciones externas. Asimismo, se resalta la aspiración de las mujeres de asegurar una vivencia plena de su cultura y sus creencias para sí mismas y para las futuras generaciones. Para este análisis se utilizan datos obtenidos mediante el trabajo de campo etnográfico en una comunidad ngöbe del Sur de Costa Rica durante 2015 y 2016. Este artículo concluye que la conexión sustantiva que establecen las mujeres con su identidad puede cimentar su estatus en la comunidad, dándoles un mayor margen para sus acciones y, con ello, la posibilidad de generar espacios internos seguros para sí mismas y para otras mujeres. Asimismo, las mujeres han logrado construir y mantener redes de apoyo para fortalecer los espacios de protección. En el contexto de estas redes de apoyo se empiezan a renegociar y reconfigurar algunas formas de relación prevalentes en la comunidad e incluso las relaciones con instituciones externas a esta. Al echar estos procesos a andar, las mujeres fomentan el respeto a la dignidad propia y mejoran el bienestar comunitario.
La magia de las palabras. Marketing y performance entre los gitanos americanos de Ciudad de México
Authors: Lagunas Arias David
Published: April 2024

Este artículo analiza las prácticas económicas de los gitanos americanos de Ciudad de México como performance cultural y acción simbólica, la cual configura su mundo de experiencias. Por medio de una investigación cualitativa por «inmersión» examino cómo los vendedores gitanos utilizan técnicas eficaces de marketing que se basan en extraordinarias habilidades retóricas y oratorias que utilizan en los intercambios comerciales. El artículo concluye que la agencia y la performance de los vendedores gitanos que trabajan en México es un modelo de creatividad cultural. En el imaginario cultural los gitanos se consideran más competentes que los payos por el poder que asignan a las palabras en los intercambios comerciales. Y este poder ejercido condensa un sentimiento profundo de identidad que los distingue de los payos: como vendedores y como gitanos.
Migración, trabajo precario y políticas reivindicativas de españoles en Edimburgo (2010-2019)
Authors: Betrisey Débora
Published: April 2024

En los últimos años son múltiples los estudios académicos que dieron cuenta de las características sociodemográficas de la emigración española contemporánea hacia diversas capitales europeas y latinoamericanas. Este artículo analiza desde una perspectiva etnográfica a un grupo específico que participa activamente en dicho fenómeno, hombres y mujeres entre 20 y 40 años nacidos en España con formación universitaria, que migraron a la ciudad de Edimburgo en el periodo 2010-2019. A partir del entramado, tanto de factores subjetivos como de reflexiones teóricas antropológicas sobre el tema, nos proponemos analizar las circunstancias sociohistóricas que motivaron el traslado de este sector social a la ciudad de Edimburgo, así como las diversas formas de «ganarse la vida». Para ello, durante el año 2018 y 2019 hemos utilizado varios itinerarios de investigación —observación participante, entrevistas en profundidad— con el fin de adquirir cierta profundidad diacrónica sobre sus prácticas, disposiciones, valoraciones, trayectorias migratorias y laborales. Este análisis nos permite indagar en las experiencias de trabajo de dicho sector en la ciudad de Edimburgo y en las redes de solidaridad y las tramas colectivas que generan en un determinado tiempo y espacio, para realizar reivindicaciones en torno a las condiciones restrictivas en las que sostienen su vida cotidiana en dicha ciudad. A su vez, esto nos abre la posibilidad de explorar dos procesos organizativos —como trabajadores y migrantes— atendiendo a las dificultades y contingencias particulares —transformaciones, reconfiguraciones— que atraviesan en su conformación política y cultural como grupo de lucha.
«No murieron, los dejaron morir»: Reclamos de familiares frente a la crisis de residencias en España durante la pandemia de la Covid-19
Authors: Bofill Poch Silvia , Marquez Porras Raul
Published: April 2024

La pandemia de la Covid-19 tuvo un impacto profundo en el sistema de atención a la dependencia en España, y afectó de forma particularmente dura a las residencias para personas mayores. Las residencias fueron ignoradas política y epidemiológicamente al inicio de la pandemia, lo cual tuvo efecto en la vulneración de derechos humanos de las personas residentes. En este contexto, los familiares de residentes se movilizan e interponen demandas judiciales contra las gestoras de las residencias y la Administración. Este artículo analiza la crisis de las residencias en España desde la perspectiva de los familiares. Se centra en sus demandas de justicia, las cuales condujeron a procesos emergentes de subjetivación política. En línea con el debate teórico feminista sobre la falta de politicidad del cuidado, y desde una perspectiva etnográfica, analiza la emergencia de los familiares como nuevos agentes de politización del cuidado, por cuanto sus demandas interpelan las políticas públicas, evidencian los efectos excluyentes y discriminatorios de la gestión de la crisis y claman por la urgente y necesaria transformación del sistema de atención a la dependencia en España.
Tragedia en tres actos. Los juicios sumarísimos del franquismo, de Alfonso M. Villalta Luna
Authors: Freire Paz Elena
Published: April 2024

Alfonso Villalta Luna ha elegido una sentencia de José Saramago para presentar el exhaustivo trabajo etnográfico sobre el que se asienta su último libro y que reza tal que «El pasado es el reino del fragmento». Esa enunciación le sirve al autor para girarse hacia la arqueología, una disciplina que —como todas— resulta concomitante con la antropología —ciencia a la que nada de lo humano le resulta ajeno— y desde la que surge, por analogía, una propuesta más de aproximación a una temática ampliamente estudiada por la historia: el franquismo. La convergencia de caminos no es casual, porque si la arqueología nos transporta hacia la metáfora de la exhumación, la historia invita a una aproximación hacia los terrenos de la memoria y es, entre ambas, donde emerge el fragmento antropológico. Es en esa confluencia donde la antropología, y su particular escala micro, se evidencia como una herramienta tremendamente útil para buscar las otras ópticas, las otras miradas, las otras representaciones. Es en ese marco donde Villalta Luna ha encontrado una parcela muy fértil no solo para el estudio del pasado, sino también para la dignificación de las víctimas del franquismo y para la habilitación de sendas que la sociedad, en su conjunto, debe transitar para procurar cuidado a unas heridas con las que, a una sociedad sana, en términos democráticos, no le es posible seguir adelante. Porque posiblemente lo más importante del trabajo de Alfonso Villalta es que con los fragmentos del pasado ha sido capaz de colocar unas balizas —más que útiles, necesarias— para construir el futuro justo que se les debe, desde hace ya demasiados años, a las víctimas del golpe de Estado del 36 y de la dictadura. A todas ellas, a quienes les fue arrebatada la vida y a quienes tuvieron que vivir con la muerte, pero también —aunque de forma subsidiaria— a quienes han construido su genealogía emocional e ideológica en el bando de los perdedores. En este sentido, conviene aclarar que el presente libro forma parte de un trabajo de mayor calado que se asienta en los proyectos memorialísticos magistralmente dirigidos, desde la antropología, por Julián López García y que han dado lugar a otras publicaciones derivadas de tesis doctorales inscritas en esa línea de investigación. Nos estamos refiriendo, respectivamente, a los trabajos de Jorge Moreno Andrés y del propio Alfonso Villalta Luna: El duelo revelado. La vida social de las fotografías familiares de las víctimas del franquismo (CSIC, 2018) y Demonios de papel. Diarios desde un archivo de la represión franquista (Comares, 2022).
What is the Far-Right in Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors: Soar Max
Published: April 2024

Matthew Cunningham, Paul Spoonley, and Marinus La Rooij (eds.)Histories of Hate: The Radical Right in Aotearoa New ZealandDunedin: Otago University Press, 2023, 444pp

In 1988, Stuart Hall published The Hard Road to Renewal, a collection of essays written over the previous decade that attempted to grapple with the nature and significance of ‘Thatcherism’ in Britain. The Thatcherist neoliberal project, Hall argued, attempted to reconfigure the common sense of the people. The aim of the neoliberal project was to dismantle social democracy and the post-war welfare state and construct a new modernity characterised by free-market enterprise, imbued with conservative values of tradition,family, and nation.
Striking History
Authors: Bradford Sue
Published: April 2024

Cybèle LockeComrade: Bill Andersen—A Communist, Working-Class LifeWellington: Bridget Williams Books, 2022, 412pp

It was with a mix of excitement and trepidation that I started reading Cybèle Locke’s Comrade soon after its publicationin late 2022. Excitement because Locke’s reputation as a rigorous historical researcher precedes her and this had been a long, heartfelt project on her part; trepidation because Bill Andersen had been a difficult character to deal with through much of my earlier political life. From my earliest activist days in the Progressive Youth Movement and Resistance Bookshop, through to the Springbok Tour, and then the fraught divisions within the unemployed workers’ movement of the 1980s, Andersen had been on the opposite side ofmany of the debates and struggles in which I was involved. As well as ideological factors, his position as a dominant and dominating male union leader was alienating in the extreme to those of us on the feminist and socialist Left looking for new ways to organise, ones which didn’t tug the forelock at all times to older white men.
Political Theology of Covid Governance
Authors: Fountain Philip
Published: April 2024

A popular view of contemporary New Zealand politics is that it is devoid of ‘religious’ dynamics, but the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic showed that religious ideals, cosmological paradigms, doctrinal discourses, and ritual practices continue to shape political processes. This article analyses themes of transcendence and the sacred in the government’s handling of the Covid pandemic, themes that became fundamental to the daily management of the pandemic and its various effects. Drawing on scholarship on political theology, this article explores ideas of solidarity, sacrifice, sovereignty, and the iconic to facilitate a better understanding of the contestations over governance during a time of crisis.
Constitutional Transformation in Chile: Mapping the Horizon of Struggle
Authors: Vallelly Neil
Published: April 2024

Camila Vergara, interviewed by Neil Vallelly.
Fictitious University
Authors: Vallelly Neil
Published: April 2024

Issue 14 (2023) editorial by Neil Vallelly.
Lipid-related ion suppression on the herbicide atrazine in earthworm samples in ToF-SIMS and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging and the role of gas-phase basicity
Authors: Weintraut Timo , Heiles Sven , Gerbig Dennis , Henss Anja , Junck Johannes , Düring Rolf-Alexander , Rohnke Marcus
Published: April 2024

In mass spectrometry imaging (MSI), ion suppression can lead to a misinterpretation of results. Particularly phospholipids, most of which exhibit high gas-phase basicity (GB), are known to suppress the detection of metabolites and drugs. This study was initiated by the observation that the signal of an herbicide, i.e., atrazine, was suppressed in MSI investigations of earthworm tissue sections. Herbicide accumulation in earthworms was investigated by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI). Additionally, earthworm tissue sections without accumulation of atrazine but with a homogeneous spray deposition of the herbicide were analyzed to highlight region-specific ion suppression. Furthermore, the relationship of signal intensity and GB in binary mixtures of lipids, amino acids, and atrazine was investigated in both MSI techniques. The GB of atrazine was determined experimentally through a linear plot of the obtained intensity ratios of the binary amino acid mixtures, as well as theoretically. The GBs values for atrazine of 896 and 906 kJ/mol in ToF-SIMS and 933 and 987 kJ/mol in MALDI-MSI were determined experimentally and that of 913 kJ/mol by quantum mechanical calculations. Compared with the GB of a major lipid component, phosphatidylcholine (GBPC = 1044.7 kJ/mol), atrazine’s experimentally and computationally determined GBs in this work are significantly lower, making it prone to ion suppression in biological samples containing polar lipids.
Strengthening Whole-of-School Physical Activity Models to Promote Physical Literacy: Moving Beyond a Component Approach
Authors: Rukavina Paul , Gremillion-Burdge Patricia
Published: April 2024

Whole-of-school approaches to physical activity and health promotion have the potential to promote physical literacy. However, for a variety of reasons there has not been widespread adoption of component whole-of-school frameworks to guide schools, such as the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program. We argue that component frameworks have shortcomings and do not necessarily assist or support schools to take an approach that is consistent with how successful whole-of-school models or programs are created and built over time. In this paper, we argue that we need to apply guidance that resonates with stakeholders and stimulates schools to design their own unique whole-of-school physical activity model to provide equitable programming opportunities. We also present an argument on the need to incorporate improvement science and the use of social–ecological models to investigate the efficacy of this guidance model.
The quantification of everything
The Ordinal Society
Marion Fourcade and Kieran Healy
Harvard University Press, 2024. 384 pp.
Authors: Wai Jonathan
Published: April 2024

Digital data traces about our lives and preferences are pervasive and increasingly commodified
Probing our rich entanglements
We Loved It All: A Memory of Life
Lydia Millet
Norton, 2024. 272 pp.
Authors: Jamieson Dale
Published: April 2024

A novelist’s venture into nonfiction is filled with deep insights about life on Earth but may leave some wanting more
The nitroplast: A nitrogen-fixing organelle
Authors: Massana Ramon
Published: April 2024

A bacterial endosymbiont of marine algae evolved to an organelle
In Other Journals
Authors: Jiang Di , Maroso Mattia , Nusinovich Yevgeniya , Hurtley Stella M. , Smith Keith T. , Lavine Marc S. , Yeston Jake S.
Published: April 2024

Editors’ selections from the current scientific literature
A university cut tenured faculty’s pay. They’re suing
Authors: Langin Katie
Published: April 2024

Tufts University case could set national precedent
Clearer skies may be accelerating global warming
Authors: Voosen Paul
Published: April 2024

Study suggests declining pollution is one cause of worldwide rise in absorbed solar energy
Comparison of targeted next-generation sequencing and the Xpert MTB/RIF assay for detection of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
in clinical isolates and sputum specimens
Authors: Zhang Hongtai , Dai Xiaowei , Hu Peilei , Tian Lili , Li Chuanyou , Ding Beichuan , Yang Xinyu , He Xiaoxin
Published: April 2024

Targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) can be used to perform
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
(MTB) complex-specific amplification or target capture directly from sputum samples, yielding simultaneous coverage of many genes and DNA regions associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Performance comparisons of tNGS and another molecular testing tool, Xpert MTB/rifampicin (RIF), have been empirical. Here, using a dilution series of a RIF-resistant clinical isolate of MTB, we found that tNGS had a slightly lower limit of bacterial detection (10
2
CFU/mL) compared with Xpert MTB/RIF (10
3
CFU/mL) in culture medium. However, the minimum detection limit of the
rpoB
S450L mutation in this isolate was significantly lower with tNGS (10
2
CFU/mL) than with Xpert MTB/RIF (10
6
CFU/mL). Sputum samples collected from 129 suspected pulmonary tuberculosis patients were also prospectively studied with the clinical diagnosis as a reference, revealing that the sensitivity of tNGS (48.6%) was higher than those of culture (46.8%), Xpert MTB/RIF (39.4%), and smear microscopy (34.9%) testing. Notably, AMR analysis of 56 MTB-positive samples as determined by tNGS revealed high mutation frequencies of 96.4%, 35.7%, 26.8%, and 19.6% in the following AMR-associated genes:
rrs
,
rpoB
,
katG
, and
pncA
, respectively. The findings of this study provide theoretical support for the differential clinical application of tNGS and Xpert MTB/RIF and suggest that tNGS has greater application value in tuberculosis drug resistance monitoring and prevention.

IMPORTANCE

Targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) can be used to perform
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
(MTB) complex-specific amplification or target capture directly from sputum samples, yielding simultaneous coverage of genes and DNA regions associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Performance comparisons of tNGS and Xpert MTB/rifampicin (RIF) have been empirical. The Xpert MTB/RIF assay is a commercial system that uses the nucleic acid amplification detection method for rapid (2 hours) diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). The cost of the tNGS and Xpert MTB/RIF assays in this study was similar, at USD 98 and USD 70–104 per sample, respectively, but the time required for tNGS (3 days) was much longer than that required for the Xpert MTB/RIF assay. However, tNGS yielded more accurate results and a larger number of AMR-associated gene mutations, which compensated for the extra time and highlighted the greater application value of tNGS in TB drug resistance monitoring and prevention.