bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Radio detection of ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray air showers
Authors: Schröder Frank G.
Published: February 2025

Radio antennas have become a standard tool for the detection of cosmic-ray air showers in the energy range above

$$10^{16}\,$$

10
16

eV. The radio signal of these air showers is generated mostly due to the deflection of electrons and positrons in the geomagnetic field, and contains information about the energy and the depth of the maximum of the air showers. Unlike the traditional air-Cherenkov and air-fluorescence techniques for the electromagnetic shower component, radio detection is not restricted to clear nights, and recent experiments have demonstrated that the measurement accuracy can compete with these traditional techniques. Numerous particle detector arrays for air showers have thus been or will be complemented by radio antennas. In particular when combined with muon detectors, the complementary information provided by the radio antennas can enhance the total accuracy for the arrival direction, energy and mass of the primary cosmic rays. Digitization and computational techniques have been crucial for this recent progress, and radio detection will play an important role in next-generation experiments for ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays. Moreover, stand-alone radio experiments are under development and will search for ultrahigh-energy photons and neutrinos in addition to cosmic rays. This article provides a brief introduction to the physics of the radio emission of air showers, an overview of air-shower observatories using radio antennas, and highlights some of their recent results.
Repercussions of the Peccei–Quinn axion on QCD
Authors: Schierholz G.
Published: February 2025

The axion, originally postulated by Peccei and Quinn to solve the strong CP problem, has become of great interest in particle and astroparticle phenomenology. Yet it has a problem. It is widely assumed that the axion leaves the nonperturbative features of QCD unscathed. This is, however, not the case. On the contrary, the axion extension is found to be in conflict with seminal results on the low-energy properties of QCD. The key is that the anomalous coupling of the axion to the gauge bosons can be integrated out, leaving behind a path integral over topologically trivial gauge potentials.
Revisiting the Higgs boson decay into a photon and a neutrino pair
Authors: Kachanovich Aliaksei , Nišandžić Ivan
Published: February 2025

In this paper, we present new calculations of the leading-order one-loop amplitude and the decay rate for [Formula: see text] within the standard model, employing reduction to a set of basic Passarino–Veltman functions resulting in more concise expressions compared to prior works. Our result for the total decay rate is [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]keV, in close agreement with the narrow width approximation (NWA) for the intermediate Z boson. A comparison with previous results available in the literature is also provided. We evaluate the differential decay rate with respect to the energy of the photon and find that the non-resonant contributions from box diagrams beyond the NWA notably affect the kinematic region associated with high-energy photons, where the intermediate Z boson is offshell. This suggests potential implications for searches of dark sector mediators, particularly in future lepton collider experiments.
Ultrathin transparent conductive oxides tunable over visible and near-infrared by orbital overlap engineering
Authors: Zhou Tao , Yan Bixing , Wu Hao , Lu Junpeng , Ni Zhenhua , Wan Dongyang
Published: February 2025

Elemental substitution is a traditional step to fabricate transparent conductive oxides (TCO). In the case of the most popular TCO, InxSn[Formula: see text]O (ITO), further improvement of the material is limited by the segregation of Sn, and from the viewpoint of economy, the limited reserve of rare elements like indium makes these TCOs expensive and unsustainable. Here we demonstrate an excellent alternative, ultrathin tunable visible and near-infrared transparent conductive films fabricated with correlated metal oxides, strontium niobate and vanadate. The optical and electronic transport properties of these correlated metal oxide epitaxial thin films can be tuned by engineering the d-orbital overlap with the 2p electrons of the oxygen by changing the ratio of niobium (4d) and vanadium (3d) atoms. The transparent edges at both ultraviolet and near infrared sides have a blueshift with increasing concentration of niobium, which can be attributed to increased band overlap and a resultant decrease in correlation. The resistivity increases in the alloy reaching a maximum near where niobium and vanadium are at 50% concentration due to the decrease of translational symmetry of the lattice. The optimum thickness for the best figure of merit as a TCO of this correlated system is one tenth (10[Formula: see text]nm) that of ITO (100[Formula: see text]nm).
Multiple Item Support Constraints Based Frequent Pattern Mining Using Dynamic Prefix Tree
Authors: Biswas Sudarsan , Saha Diganta , Pandit Rajat
Published: February 2025

The structural complexity of the pattern mining algorithm depends on the types of datasets. Even though they are highly connected, it can be intriguing to identify patterns in some application areas where they do not usually occur. FP tree construction practice with traversal of conditional pattern base with conditional FP Tree, with path traversing, to address the issue of massive memory and time usage. The creation of a non-recursive single-label dynamic prefix tree with a rule generation method utilizing multiple-item support restrictions is the paper’s significant contribution. The effectiveness of our proposed method is also compared to the FP tree and state-of-the-art TIS tree on various datasets in terms of time and memory complexity.
What patient-specific factors can potentially affect physiotherapy attendance of patients with knee OA at a local hospital in Singapore?
Authors: Min Ryan Cheok Chi , Joo Lim Chien , Yijia Tan Bryan , Hao Pua Yong , Jessica Pereira Michelle
Published: February 2025

Background: Improvements for knee osteoarthritis (OA) care models are carried out widely. Yet, patient attendance behaviours in present care models are not fully understood, without the readily available localised evidence.

Objective: Hence, we examined the relationships of patient-specific factors with the physiotherapy attendance for patients with knee OA.

Methods: A retrospective, cohort study was conducted. Primary data from a randomised controlled trial of a community-based, individualised, multidisciplinary programme for patients with knee OA was analysed. Patient-specific factors like demographics, medical factors, self-reported knee function, physical function testing, activity levels and psychological factors were considered. We ran multiple ordered logistic models to examine the relationships between these factors and patients’ physiotherapy attendance.

Results: We found that factors like gender, BMI, pain during physical function, previous knee injections and psychological symptoms were associated with the physiotherapy attendances of patients with knee OA.

Conclusion: There’s evidence to suggest that patient-specific factors are associated with different levels of physiotherapy attendance among the patients with knee OA. Our results further the understanding of physiotherapy attendance patterns of patients with knee OA, and reinforces the need to consider these factors when developing informed treatment strategies that optimises the physiotherapy attendance of these patients.
A Survey on Sensor-Based Techniques for Continuous Stress Monitoring in Knowledge Work Environments
Authors: Kallio Johanna , Vildjiounaite Elena , Tervonen Jaakko , Bordallo López Miguel
Published: February 2025

Prolonged work stress has an extensive negative impact across modern society. Recently, it has become an increasing issue, specifically in cognitively demanding knowledge-intensive professions. To address the global necessity of timely detection and reduction of work stress, sensor-based automated methods for measuring stress are emerging. Physiological and behavioral sensor data enable the potential for continuous stress detection, but challenges still exist concerning the effort required from the user and the sufficiency of available information, especially for models that want to adapt to personal traits and stress perceptions. This survey paper focuses on sensor-based stress recognition enabling continuous unobtrusive stress monitoring in the knowledge work environment, with a user acceptance and load suitable for sustainable long-term adoption. We provide an overview of the theoretical background of work stress and review the recent developments of sensor-based stress assessment, emphasizing real-world studies using physiological, behavioral, and environmental data. In addition, we discuss the applicability and challenges of different monitoring methods, including user acceptance. The presented survey provides insights into automating the assessment of work stress and related factors to advance the development of personalized well-being solutions based on pervasive data.
Not All Exceptions Are Created Equal: Triaging Error Logs in Real World Enterprises
Authors: Liu Junlin , Yao Mengyu , Li Shaofei , Yang Dingyu , Wu Zheshun , Qu Xiaojun , Zhang Ziqi , Li Ding , Guo Yao , Chen Xiangqun
Published: February 2025

Error logs like Java exceptions play a crucial role in diagnosing and resolving errors within the industry. Nonetheless, the extensive logging of Java exceptions may result in
exception fatigue
in large-scale Java systems at an industrial level, where the frequency of Java exceptions being generated surpasses developers’ ability to manage them effectively. Regrettably, there is a lack of research on the seriousness, prevalence, and solutions to this problem. To close this gap, we first make a comprehensive investigation into the exception fatigue problem within a prominent Internet corporation in China, namely Alibaba, confirming its importance in the industry. Consequently, we introduce a novel solution called ABEL, designed to automatically pinpoint the most relevant exceptions associated with software failures. The key challenge lies in the randomness of exceptions, which prevents existing sequence-based techniques from being effective. To address this challenge, ABEL establishes correlations between Java exceptions and the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of applications, enabling the identification of exceptions leading to irregularities in KPI. Our evaluation of ABEL across four Java applications and five business KPIs within Alibaba illustrates its capability to pinpoint the primary cause of exception logs with a AC@5 (top-5 accuracy) exceeding 90%, effectively mitigating the exception fatigue problem within Alibaba. Furthermore, it can identify the root-cause exceptions in a real software failure within just four minutes, outperforming the manual investigation process by over an hour.
Improving Deep Assertion Generation via Fine-Tuning Retrieval-Augmented Pre-trained Language Models
Authors: Zhang Quanjun , Fang Chunrong , Zheng Yi , Zhang Yaxin , Zhao Yuan , Huang Rubing , Zhou Jianyi , Yang Yun , Zheng Tao , Chen Zhenyu
Published: February 2025

Unit testing validates the correctness of the units of the software system under test and serves as the cornerstone in improving software quality and reliability. To reduce manual efforts in writing unit tests, some techniques have been proposed to generate test assertions automatically, including deep learning (DL)-based, retrieval-based, and integration-based ones. Among them, recent integration-based approaches inherit from both DL-based and retrieval-based approaches and are considered state-of-the-art. Despite being promising, such integration-based approaches suffer from inherent limitations, such as retrieving assertions with lexical matching while ignoring meaningful code semantics, and generating assertions with a limited training corpus.

In this paper, we propose a novel
Retri
eval-Augmented Deep Assertion
Gen
eration approach, namely RetriGen, based on a hybrid assertion retriever and a pre-trained language model (PLM)-based assertion generator. Given a focal-test, RetriGen first builds a hybrid assertion retriever to search for the most relevant test-assert pair from external codebases. The retrieval process takes both lexical similarity and semantical similarity into account via a token-based and an embedding-based retriever, respectively. RetriGen then treats assertion generation as a sequence-to-sequence task and designs a PLM-based assertion generator to predict a correct assertion with historical test-assert pairs and the retrieved external assertion. Although our concept is general and can be adapted to various off-the-shelf encoder-decoder PLMs, we implement RetriGen to facilitate assertion generation based on the recent CodeT5 model. We conduct extensive experiments to evaluate RetriGen against six state-of-the-art approaches across two large-scale datasets and two metrics. The experimental results demonstrate that RetriGen achieves 57.66% and 73.24% in terms of accuracy and CodeBLEU, outperforming all baselines with an average improvement of 50.66% and 14.14%, respectively. Furthermore, RetriGen generates 1598 and 1818 unique correct assertions that all baselines fail to produce, 3.71X and 4.58X more than the most recent approach
EditAS
. We also demonstrate that adopting other PLMs can provide substantial advancement,
e.g.,
four additionally-utilized PLMs outperform
EditAS
by 7.91%

\(\sim\)

12.70% accuracy improvement, indicating the generalizability of RetriGen. Overall, our study highlights the promising future of fine-tuning off-the-shelf PLMs to generate accurate assertions by incorporating external knowledge sources.
Prolonged post-weaning protein restriction induces gut dysbiosis and colonic dysfunction in male mice
Authors: Oliveira Kênia Moreno de , Soares Gabriela Moreira , Silva Junior Joel Alves da , Alves Bruna Lourençoni , Freitas Israelle Netto , Bem Kelly Cristina Pereira , Mousovich-Neto Felippe , Ribeiro Rosane Aparecida , Carneiro Everardo Magalhães
Published: February 2025

Insufficient or imbalanced protein can disrupt gut microbiota, potentially compromising gut barrier function and increasing health risks. Herein, we investigated the effects of protein restriction on cecal microbiota and colon morphofunction in male mice. From 30 to 120 days of age, C57Bl/6 mice were fed a control protein diet [14% protein, control (C) group] or a low-protein diet [6% protein, protein-restricted (R) group]. At the end of the experimental period, R mice exhibited typical features of undernutrition, such as reduced body weight, hypoalbuminemia, and hypoproteinemia. Additionally, despite the hyperphagia displayed in the R group, these mice presented a decreased amount of excreted feces and less energy content in feces. Cecal microbiota analysis demonstrated that protein restriction led to reductions in Shannon and Simpson indices and, therefore, dysbiosis. This effect was accompanied by morphological modifications in the proximal colon of R mice, such as 1) reduction in the total area of neurons of myenteric plexus; 2) increased number of goblet cells, with mucin droplets less developed; 3) reductions in crypt depth and diameter; 4) decreases in gene expressions for mucins and in the tight junction proteins expression; 5) enhanced paracellular permeability and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor α, toll-like receptor 4, interferon γ, interleukin 1β, and interleukin 6), decreased anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukins 4 and 10) in the colon, and increased plasma LPS binding protein concentrations. Therefore, protein restriction induced gut dysbiosis and resulted in structural and functional negative impacts on the proximal colon barrier against luminal bacteria.
Aortic Aneurysm and Dissection: Complement and Precision Medicine in Aortic Disease
Authors: Dreher Leonie , Kuehl Malte B. , Wenzel Ulrich O. , Kylies Dominik
Published: February 2025

Aortic disease encompasses life-threatening conditions such as aortic aneurysm and dissection, which are associated with high prevalence, morbidity, and mortality. The complement system, a key component of innate immunity, not only defends against pathogens but also maintains tissue homeostasis. Recent discoveries have expanded its role beyond immunity, linking complement dysregulation to numerous diseases and positioning it as a target for pharmacotherapy. Complement-based treatments for precision medicine are emerging, with several pharmaceuticals either already approved or under investigation.

In aortic disease, complement activation and dysregulation have unveiled novel mechanisms and clinical implications. Human and experimental studies suggest that all three complement pathways contribute to disease pathophysiology. The complement system induces direct cellular damage via the membrane attack complex, as well as matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-associated tissue damage by promoting MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression. The anaphylatoxins C3a and C5a exacerbate disease by recruiting immune cells and triggering pro-inflammatory responses. Examples include neutrophil extracellular trap formation and cytokine release by polymorphonuclear neutrophils.

These findings highlight the complement system as a promising novel diagnostic and therapeutic target in aortic disease with potential for individualized treatment. However, gaps remain, emphasizing the need for standardized multisite preclinical studies to improve reproducibility and translation. Biomarker studies must also be validated across diverse patient cohorts for clinical applicability.

This review examines current knowledge regarding complement in aortic disease, aiming to evaluate its potential for innovative diagnostic and personalized treatment strategies.
Influence of age and feedback modality on the proprioceptive sense of force: insights from motor unit recordings
Authors: Henry Mélanie , Darendeli Abdulkerim , Tvrdy Taylor , Daneshgar Sajjad , Enoka Roger M.
Published: February 2025

The primary purpose of our study was to compare the influence of feedback modality (visual vs auditory) on force-reproduction accuracy in middle-aged and older adults. As a secondary objective, we investigated whether expected differences would be reflected in the neural drive sent to a hand muscle during the task. Participants (n = 42; 40-84 yrs) performed a force-reproduction task with the first dorsal interosseus muscle at two target forces (5% and 20% of maximal voluntary contraction; MVC). Each trial involved a target phase that was guided by visual or auditory feedback and then a reproduction phase without feedback. The neural drive was characterized by measures of force steadiness and motor unit discharge characteristics during the target phase. Force-reproduction accuracy at the lower target force declined with increasing age and with visual feedback compared with auditory feedback. In contrast, there was no evidence of an effect of age or condition on force-reproduction accuracy at the moderate target force (20% MVC). Force steadiness was worse and motor unit coherence in the delta and beta bands was greater when the task was guided by auditory feedback at both target forces. These findings indicate that greater accuracy during the low-force task in the auditory-feedback condition was accompanied by a noisier control signal and differences in motor unit coherence in the delta and beta bands during the target phase.
Effects of Meditation and Yoga on Anxiety, Depression and Chronic Inflammation in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Kwok Jojo Yan Yan , Chan Lily Man Lee , Lai Charis Ann , Ho Philip Wing Lok , Choi Zoe Yuen-kiu , Auyeung Man , Pang Shirley Yin Yu , Choi Edmond Pui Hang , Fong Daniel Yee Tak , Yu Doris Sau Fung , Lin Chia-chin , Walker Richard , Wong Samuel Yeung Shan , Ho Rainbow Tin Hung
Published: February 2025

Introduction: Clinical guidelines recommend a holistic approach to Parkinson’s disease (PD) care, yet randomized trials examining mindfulness-based interventions in this context are scarce. This study investigated the effects of two mindfulness practices – meditation and yoga – on biopsychosocial outcomes in PD patients, including anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, motor/nonmotor symptoms, health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL), mindfulness, and stress and inflammation biomarkers, compared to usual care. Methods: 159 participants with a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic PD and a Hoehn and Yahr stage of 1, 2, and 3, were randomized into meditation (n = 53), yoga (n = 52), and control (n = 54). Meditation and yoga were delivered in 90-min groups for 8 weeks. Primary outcomes included anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms. Secondary outcomes included motor and nonmotor symptoms, HRQOL, mindfulness, and serum levels of interleukin-6, cortisol and TNF-alpha. Assessments were done at baseline (T0), 2 months (T1), and 6 months (T2). Linear mixed models were conducted following intention-to-treat principle. Results: Compared to control, both meditation, and yoga groups had significant improvements in anxiety symptoms (meditation: mean difference [MD] = −1.36, 95% CI: −2.46 to−0.26; yoga: MD = −1.61, CI: −2.70 to −0.52), motor symptoms (meditation: MD = −5.35, CI: −8.61 to−2.09; yoga: MD = −6.59, CI: −9.82 to−3.36), HRQOL (meditation: MD = −2.01, CI: −3.41 to−0.62; yoga: MD = −1.45, CI: −2.83 to−0.08), and describing skills (meditation: MD = 0.97, CI: 0.04–1.89; yoga: MD = 0.92, CI: 0.01–1.84) at T1, and significant reductions in serum interleukin-6 levels (meditation: MD = −1.14, CI: −2.18 to−0.10; yoga: MD = −1.11, CI: −2.09 to−0.13) at T2. Only meditation significantly reduced depression (MD = −1.44, CI: −2.57 to−0.30) at T1 and sustained the motor and HRQOL improvements at T2. Conclusion: Meditation and yoga significantly improved anxiety symptoms, chronic inflammation, motor symptoms, mindfulness-describing facet, and HRQOL in PD patients. Meditation provided additional benefits in reducing depressive symptoms and sustaining motor and HRQOL improvements.
ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ ВМІСТУ ПОЛІФЕНОЛІВ У ФІТОСУБСТАНЦІЯХ ІЗ ТРАВИ АЙСТРИ НОВОАНГЛІЙСЬКОЇ, ОДЕРЖАНИХ МЕТОДОМ МАЦЕРАЦІЇ З ПЕРЕМІШУВАННЯМ
Authors: Будняк Л. І. , Ожелевська В. В. , Крамар Г. І. , Чернецька С. Б.
Published: February 2025

Вступ. Aster novae-angliae L. – це багаторічна трав’яниста рослина, що походить із Північної Америки. Даний вид традиційно застосовують для лікування респіраторних захворювань, серед яких кашель, астма та застуда. Айстра новоанглійська містить комплекс біологічно активних речовин з антиоксидантними, протизапальними й антимікробними властивостями. Мета дослідження – визначити кількісний вміст суми поліфенолів у фітосубстанціях із трави айстри новоанглійської сорту Andenken an Alma Pötschke, одержаних методом мацерації з перемішуванням. Методи дослідження. Об’єктами досліджень були фітосубстанції із трави айстри новоанглійської, які одержували методом мацерації з перемішуванням, у співвідношенні сировини й екстрагента 1:10, за використання як екстрагента 10% етанолу (серія 1) та 20% етанолу (серія 2). Спектрофотометричним методом визначали кількісний вміст суми поліфенолів у перерахунку на пірогалол. Результати й обговорення. Результати досліджень показали, що кількісний вміст суми поліфенолів у фітосубстанції, одержаній із трави айстри новоанглійської сорту Andenken an Alma Pötschke, у разі використання 10% етанолу становив 5,62±0,22%. Вміст суми у фітосубстанції, одержаній із використанням 20% етанолу з досліджуваної сировини, становив 6,29±0,10%. У результаті проведених досліджень установлено, що у фітосубстанції, яку одержували з використанням 20% етанолу із трави айстри новоанглійської, кількісний вміст суми поліфенолів був в 1,12 раза більшим, ніж у витяжці, одержаній із використанням 10% етанолу. Висновки. Визначено кількісний вміст суми поліфенолів у фітосубстанціях із трави айстри новоанглійської сорту Andenken an Alma Pötschke, одержаних методом мацерації з перемішуванням, у співвідношенні сировини й екстрагента 1:10, з використанням як екстрагента 10 та 20% етанолу. Установлено, що в разі використання 20% етанолу вилучається дещо більше суми поліфенолів, їх кількісний вміст становить 6,29±0,10%. У фітосубстанції, одержаній із використанням 10% етанолу, вміст суми поліфенолів становив 5,62±0,22%. Одержані результати можуть бути основою для проведення мікробіологічних, фармакологічних досліджень і використовуватися з метою розроблення дієтичних добавок чи лікарських засобів на основі айстри новоанглійської.
СТРУКТУРНО-БІОХІМІЧНЕ ВИВЧЕННЯ КАМЕР СЕРЦЯ ПРИ ІНТОКСИКАЦІЇ ЕКСПЕРИМЕНТАЛЬНИХ ТВАРИН ХЛОРИДОМ КОБАЛЬТУ
Authors: Чолач С. Ю. , Гнатюк М. С. , Татарчук Л. В. , Стець Н. Я. , Ясіновський О. Б.
Published: February 2025

Вступ. Кобальтова інтоксикація ушкоджує майже всі органи та системи організму. Структурно- функціональні зміни камер серця водночас цілковито не вивчені. Мета дослідження – експериментально дослідити зміни показників антиоксидантної системи, пероксидного окиснення ліпідів, активності NO-синтаз і структур ендотеліоцитів артерій камер серця в разі кобальтової інтоксикації. Методи дослідження. Досліди проведено на 62 статевозрілих щурах-самцях, яких поділили на дві групи. 1-ша група (30 тварин) слугувала контролем, тваринам 2-ї групи (32 щури) внутрішньошлунково вводили хлорид кобальту в дозі 4 мг/кг протягом 30 діб один раз на добу. Через місяць від початку експерименту здійснювали евтаназію дослідних тварин кровопусканням в умовах тіопенталового наркозу. У крові експериментальних тварин визначали показники антиоксидантного захисту організму: активність суперокси- дисмутази, каталази та церулоплазміну. У гомогенатах камер серця визначали вміст дієнових кон’югатів, активних продуктів тіобарбітурової кислоти, нітрит-аніону, активність ендотеліальної NO-синтази. На мікропрепаратах камер серця виконували морфометрію артеріальних ендотеліоцитів. Проводили кореляційний аналіз між досліджуваними кількісними морфологічними параметрами та біохімічними показниками з визначенням коефіцієнта парної кореляції. Кількісні показники обробляли статистично. Результати й обговорення. Тривала кобальтова інтоксикація експериментальних тварин призводить до вираженого погіршання антиосидантного захисту організму, посилення процесів ліпопероксидації, зниження активності еNOS, рівня нітрит-аніону, структурної перебудови ендотеліоцитів і ураження їхніх структурних компонентів. Кореляційним аналізом виявлено сильні та значні позитивні взаємозв’язки переважно між морфометричними параметрами ендотеліоцитів і показниками перекисного окиснення ліпідів, негативні взаємозв’язки між активністю еNOS і рівнями нітрит-аніонів. Висновки. 1. Інтоксикація білих щурів хлоридом кобальту призводить до вираженого зниження антиоксидантного захисту організму, зростання вмісту дієнових кон’югатів, активних продуктів тіобарбітурової кислоти, зменшення активності ендотеліальної NO-синтази, рівнів нітрит-аніону та пошкодження ендотеліоцитів артерій камер серця. 2. Ремоделювання ендотеліальних клітин артерій камер серця під впливом хлориду кобальту характеризується нерівномірною, диспропорційною зміною площ ендотеліоцитів, їхніх ядер, порушеннями відношень між ними, зростанням відносних об’ємів пошкоджених ендотеліоцитів, що домінувало в лівому шлуночку. 3. Вираженість порушень антиоксидантного захисту, ступеня ліпероксидації, активність NO-синтаз досліджуваного органа корелює зі ступенем структурних пошкоджень ендотеліоцитів.
Decolonising the History of Kenya’s Political Governance
Authors: Odhiambo Edwin Chris
Published: February 2025

This paper critiques the discursive history of political governance in Kenya, focusing on the precolonial, colonial and postcolonial epochs. Drawing on decolonial scholarship to examine these periods, the paper contends that whereas Kenya’s precolonial societies used Indigenous languages for governance and to achieve consensus, the advent of colonialism completely obliterated and restructured this system. Instead, Eurocentric (highly centralised) models of governance were imposed, using English, a language that was an indexical of colonial exploitation, control and domination. The net effect was to rationalise an imposed and alien political governance architecture, which invisibilised Indigenous people’s voices and ethnotribalised and stratified the society to advance the interests of the colonialists and elites in Kenya. This paper suggests that to push back the frontiers of this colonially inherited system of governance, the “languages of the people” need to be centred to produce devolved models that consider Kenya’s diverse cultural and ethnolinguistic polities.
Charismata and The Book of Margery Kempe
Authors: Schrambach Bendi Benson
Published: February 2025

Margery Kempe is an intriguing figure in medieval England. Following a dramatic conversion experience, Kempe feels called to conform her life to that of Christ. This illiterate wife and mother of fourteen senses God’s desire for her to (pay scribes to) put her extraordinary religious encounters on paper. The Book of Margery Kempe becomes the first autobiography written in the English language. While Kempe’s Book has received scholarly interest for its record of a middle-class woman’s lived experience, it has been largely neglected from theological investigation—due, in part, to Kempe’s unseemly devotional style. Known for her copious tears and bouts of loud sobbing, Kempe did not conform to the devotio moderna of her day. The present article will introduce The Book and address the heightened emotion so particular to this author. It will, finally, point to anointed aspects of Kempe’s experience meriting a pentecostal designation.
Effectiveness of UNESCO biosphere reserves in achieving management objectives in Ethiopia: the case of Lake Tana
Authors: Alemayehu Yismaw , Molla Gashaw
Published: February 2025

Biosphere reserves are established to conserve biodiversity, ensure sustainable use of natural resources, and promote the development of local communities. Over the past decade, Ethiopia has designated five distinct biosphere reserves across its national territory. The Lake Tana Biosphere Reserve, established in 2015, is located in northwestern Ethiopia and aims to conserve biodiversity and promote sustainable development. However, the effectiveness of biosphere reserves in achieving their stated objectives has not been adequately addressed. Therefore, this article aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Lake Tana Biosphere Reserve in achieving its established management objectives. Specifically, it aimed to assess and evaluate the biodiversity status and analyse the land use and land cover changes within the biosphere reserve. This was achieved by reviewing relevant published literature and analyzing land use and land cover changes in the biosphere using satellite data. Lake Tana biosphere reserve harbors 27 mammal species, 437 bird species, 28 fish species, 19 amphibian species, and 35 reptile species. However, the results of satellite image classification showed that the biosphere reserve has experienced notable changes in its land use and land cover. The most significant changes observed were an expansion of agricultural and build-up area, as well as the infestation of exotic aquatic plants (i.e. water hyacinth) covering the surface of the lake. The area of cultivated land and built-up land increased from 339,782.32 ha and 2,025.15 ha in 2014 to 343,134.32 ha and 8,124.39 ha in 2024, respectively. Similarly, 2,330.17 ha of the Lake Tana surface area was covered by water hyacinth in 2024. In contrast, there has been a significant decline in the extent of forests, water bodies, wetlands, and grazing lands within the biosphere reserve over the past decade. The integration of research findings has highlighted the importance of sustainable land management practices and effective community engagement for the conservation and preservation of the biosphere reserve. In light of this, improved management of these resources is recommended, necessitating a deeper understanding of the cause-effect relationships between anthropogenic impacts and environmental components.
2. The molecules of bacteria and of life
Authors: Seshasayee Aswin Sai Narain
Published: February 2025

The high levels of metabolic plasticity of bacteria, and the discovery of viruses that prey on bacteria leading to a fascinating predator-prey interplay, led them to serve as tools resulting in the founding of molecular biology. In particular, they helped show that DNA is the genetic material for cellular life and eventually establish what is known as the central dogma of molecular biology. These discoveries also helped build the field of phylogenetics, which brought bacteria into the tree of life in a systematic manner.
The Political Economy of Japan’s Development Assistance to Africa: An Empirical Test of the Origin of TICAD
Authors: Otchia Christian S. , Sie Kouakou Jean Fidele , Karata Rehema Mussa
Published: February 2025

A long-standing and influential view in foreign aid policy is that donor countries often utilize aid allocation strategically to advance their diplomatic interests and geopolitical agendas. We revisit this hypothesis by examining Japan’s development assistance to Africa and its strategic implications for diplomatic influence. Leveraging historical data on development assistance and an interrupted time series framework, the analysis investigates whether Japan strategically aligns its aid allocation with the voting preferences of African recipient nations, particularly in its pursuit of a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The findings reveal a significant increase in Japan’s bilateral assistance to African countries during precise alignments of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development events with its non-permanent membership terms on the UNSC. This strategic correlation underscores the intertwined nature of economic and political interests in Japan’s foreign policy agenda, highlighting the role of development assistance in advancing diplomatic objectives. We offer valuable insights into the motivations behind the establishment of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, illuminating Japan’s approach to development assistance and its diplomatic objectives.
Moving From the Periphery to Practitioner: Investigating the Development of a Community of Practice Within a Year-Long Clinical Experience
Authors: Putman Michael S. , Polly Drew , Fitzgerald Miranda S.
Published: February 2025

This research reports on a 3-year project involving the implementation of an intentionally designed year-long clinical experience delivered within a school–university partnership. Research questions focused on the extent the organizational facets of the experience contributed to the development of a community of practice (CoP) and how candidates’ perceptions of their preparation were associated with components of the CoP. Findings demonstrated the importance of candidates building foundational relationships with school personnel and peers and the impact of supported, authentic practice. Implications are discussed as related considerations to deepen partnerships and provide clinical experiences with structured opportunities for relationship building and examinations of practice.
Building a Trust Machine: Fidelity Mechanisms in Organizations
Authors: Friedrich Jan , Kunkel Tessa , Seabrooke Leonard , Young Kevin
Published: February 2025

This article investigates how intra-organizational mechanisms support the production of institutional trust in complex social systems. We focus on how trustees organize the reproduction of trust objects with regularity and reliability, regardless of the organizational member responsible; in short—fidelity. We theorize the importance of fidelity mechanisms, specifying practices of recognition around trust objects, the selection of who is included in the organization, and ongoing socialization within the organization. All three affirm the regular and impersonal reproduction of trust objects. To substantiate these theoretical claims, we draw on both a mixed-methods research design and a unique hand-coded dataset from archival materials on judges at the German Federal Fiscal Court (BFH) from 1929 onwards, including verdicts from 1970 to 2018. We show that the BFH, as a trustee, has developed fidelity mechanisms to mediate external challenges to its legal principles, such as financial innovations that demand the development or alteration of concepts. We link BFH verdicts (the trust object) on such a new legal concept (i.e. economic ownership) to precedents, as well as tracing the career backgrounds and in situ practices of those making these opinions for the legal profession (the trustor). We add to the literature on institution-based trust by theorizing intra-organizational mechanisms that foster a trustee’s ability to enhance its trustworthiness through the issuance of reciprocally confirming trust objects, thereby supporting the institutional reproduction of complex social systems.
Establishing the liminal-liminoid distinction in organization studies: How individuals pursue a liminoid transition in a social venture incubator
Authors: Popova Irina , Hirst Alison , Down Simon , Ybema Sierk
Published: February 2025

While the notion of liminality has improved our understanding of individuals going through transition, its widespread use in a variety of organizational contexts has led to a dilution of the concept’s analytical precision. By analysing ‘liminoid’ transitions we simultaneously widen our field of vision and narrow down the precise meaning of the twin terms liminal and liminoid. Following Turner’s original understanding, ‘liminality’ focuses on a pre-planned change of an individual within a conventional organizational structure, whereas liminoid addresses individuals seeking to make changes to the structure itself from ‘outside’. Through an ethnographic study of individuals in a UK-based social venture incubator, we address the question: what practices do individuals engaged in a liminoid transition adopt? Our analysis suggests venturers deploy five practices: detaching and reorienting, exploring, structuring, compromising, and self-evaluating. We make three contributions. First, our empirical account of individuals’ practices provides a deeper insight into the specific social dynamics that unfold in a liminoid transition. Second, we contribute greater analytical precision and conceptual grounding for theorising liminoid transition processes and practices by detailing their distinguishing features from liminal transitions in terms of motivation, context, and conditions. Third, we contribute by discussing how different degrees of detachment from conventional organizational structures may impact the possibilities for social change and the personal lives of the transitioning individual.
LESS CARIES (D3VCMFT) IN 12-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN’S WITH DOMESTIC WATER FLUORIDATION IN THE REPUBLIC-OF-IRELAND
Authors: Harding M.A. , James P. , Beecher T. , Guiney H. , Whelton H.
Published: February 2025

Aim: To determine the association between dentinal caries (D3vcMFT) and water fluoridation (0.6ppmat least) in 12-year-old children in the FACCT (Fluoride And Caring for Children’s Teeth) study, in countiesCork and Kerry, Republic-of-Ireland. The Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the Cork UniversityTeaching Hospitals gave ethics approval.

Methods: A stratified cluster random sample of 12-year-old children individually categorised as having lifetime exposure to water fluoridation(‘Full-Fl’) or no exposure to water fluoridation(‘Non-Fl’) were clinically examined and D3vcMFT recorded. Parents/guardians provided demographic, socioeconomic, oral hygiene and dietary information including whether breastfed. Multivariate regression analyses (Poisson model, negative binomial model (NBRM)), and the Hurdle model (logit and zero-truncated negative binomial models) were used to analyse the relationship between D3vcMFT and water fluoridation, while controlling for age, gender, socio-economic status, behaviour variables including whether breastfed. Variables were considered significant at p≤0.05.

Results: In total 47% (n=469) of the 998, 12-year-old children examined and individually categorised as ‘Full-Fl’ or ‘Non-Fl’ had a D3vcMFT>0. In the NBRM, which was a better fit for the data than the Poisson model, categorised as ‘Full-Fl’ rather than ‘Non-Fl’ decreased the expected number of D3vcMFT by 32.0%, holding all other variables constant; brushing twice/day or more at 12-years-old and having been breastfed also decreased the expected number of D3vcMFT. Being economically disadvantaged increased the expected number of D3vcMFT by 43.5%, holding all other variables constant. In the first part of the Hurdle model, being in the Full-Fl group decreased the odds of D3vcMFT>0 by 45.1%; having been breastfed decreased the odds of D3vcMFT>0 by 29.2%; being categorised as disadvantaged increased the odds of having decayed teeth by 49.2%, holding all other variables constant.

Conclusion: For 12-year- olds, exposure to domestic water fluoridation at a concentration of at least 0.6 ppm is associated with a lower number of teeth with dentinal caries and lower odds of having any dentinal caries compared with no exposure to domestic water fluoridation.
CLINICAL CONSEQUENCES OF UNTREATED DENTAL CARIES IN CHILDREN
Authors: Sen B. , Kanberoglu E. , Muratoglu B. , Kargul B.
Published: February 2025

Aim: Most dental caries in developing countries remains untreated especially in children. Only limited data are available on the clinical consequences of untreated dental caries because there is no measure to quantify the prevalence and severity of oral conditions resulting from untreated dental caries. Recently, the PUFA index has been used to display the severity of oral health neglect. Therefore, the aim of this crosssectional study was to assess the odontogenic infections in primary teeth of 4- and 12-year-old children.

Methods: Data from oral examinations provided from the Marmara University, Dental School during the months of December 2015 - January 2016. A total of 124 children aged 4-12 were included in this cross-sectional epidemiological study. This study was performed with ethical approval by the ethics committee of the Marmara University (registration number 22.02.2016-24).The clinical consequences of untreated primary molar were recorded by using the PUFA index The PUFA index per child represents the number of teeth meeting the following diagnostic criteria: Decayed teeth with visible pulpal involvement (P/p) was recorded when the open pulp chamber was visible or the clinical crown was destroyed and only root fragments were left. Ulceration (U/u) of the soft tissue surrounding the tooth was scored when caused by dislocated tooth fragments. Fistula (F/f) was diagnosed when a pus-releasing sinus tract was related to the tooth with pulpal involvement. Abscess (A/a) was scored when a pus-containing swelling was related to the tooth. The diagnosis of the PUFA index was performed visually, without the use of a dental probe.

Results: 122 (58 boys and 66 girls) children 4-12 year-olds were examined, a 98% response rate. Mean age was 7.6 ± 3.2. The mean PUFA was 1.10 ± 1.49. The prevalence of PUFA was 19 (15%) and exclusively concentrated on pulpal involvement (p) with a mean PUFA of 0.1±0.5. Pulpal involvement (p) was scored most frequently 118 (95%). Virtually all PUFA scores were concentrated on primary molars with pulp involvement. Boys had a higher PUFA (1.26 ± 1.69) than girls (0.97± 1.29) and mean PUFA score was higher in the population under 6-year- olds.

Conclusion: The PUFA index highlights relevant information by assessing the severity of untreated dental caries. This data might be used by dentists and decision makers to promote oral health care programs for children at high caries risk.
ORAL HEALTH KNOWLEDGE AMONG PARENTS OF CHILDREN ATTENDING THE DENTAL SCHOOL, ISTANBUL
Authors: Sari H.D. , Duygu E. , Sen B. , Kargul B.
Published: February 2025

The aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge about oral hygiene of childrens parents attending the department of pediatric dentistry in the Dental School, Marmara University.

Method: A descriptive study was conducted from November 2015 to February 2016 among fifty parents of children visiting the department of pediatrics dentistry. Fifty parents of children aged 4-14 years, were invited to participate in the study. A 34-item questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics, dietary practices, oral hygiene practices, about deciduous teeth, was distributed to parents, during their visit. Data were presented in terms of numbers and percentages. This Project was approved by the Ethical Committee of Marmara University Institute of Health Science. Each participant signed informed consent.

Results: Parents mean age was 36.5 (5.3) years; the mean age children was 9.3 (2.7) years. The majority of the study population belonged to the 25-42 year old age group (90%). Of the participating individuals 34 (68%) were females and 19 (38%) of the parents were educated to elementary school level. Selfperceptions of their own dental health showed 31 (62%) felt teeth were very important to them. However 12 (24%) of the subjects visited a dentist only when in pain. Only one parent had taken her child for just a check-up. In the present study 42 (84%) agreed the deciduous caries should be treated. Participants were aware of the risk posed by snacking to the dental health of children. A total of 36 (72%) gave no emphasis to toothbrushing for preventing cavities.

Conclusion: There was no association of parental age, or education, with preventive dental knowledge. There is a need to improve parental knowledge regarding childrens dental health. Promoting oral health care as part of general health is an important goal for education.
QUESTIONNAIRE DEVELOPMENT OF ATTITUDES TOWARDS ORAL SELF-CARE IN IRANIAN ADOLESCENTS
Authors: Asgari I.
Published: February 2025

This study aimed to develop a new questionnaire on “attitudes toward oral self-care” in Iranian adolescents.

Method: A primary version of the questionnaire was reviewed by an expert panel (8 specialists) in order to determine the content validity index. The face validity was then evaluated in a sample of 20 schoolchildren. According to sample size calculation with 95% α and power 80%, the final version was tested on 200 subjects aged from13-18 years, by non-randomised purposeful sampling based on the region of residency (social status). Ethical approval from the ethics committee of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and informed consent were achieved prior to study. The reliability coefficients and the attitude score were calculated. The construct validity was evaluated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.

Results: The final version of the questionnaire contained 40 questions and had a corrected Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.7. There was a 98% response rate, the cases (mean age 15.9) had a mean attitude score of 104±15. The correlation between attitude score and social status was statistically significant (p=0.03). Using exploratory factor analysis the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy was 0.7 and the Bartletts test was significant. Five factors accounted for about 38% of the total variance. The suggested model consisted of subdomains like values (appearance, function), affects (positive, negative, neutral, threatening life), parent’s effect, social impact and knowledge of caries, and was acceptable after applying confirmatory factor analysis, with a moderate goodness of fit.

Conclusions: The “attitudes toward oral self-care” questionnaire used with Iranian adolescents in this study is reliable and valid in content and construct.