bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Axonal degeneration in the anterior insular cortex is associated with Alzheimer’s co-pathology in Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies
Authors: Fathy Yasmine Y. , Jonkman Laura E. , Bol John J. , Timmermans Evelien , Jonker Allert J. , Rozemuller Annemieke J. M. , van de Berg Wilma D. J.
Published: December 2022

Background

Axons, crucial for impulse transmission and cellular trafficking, are thought to be primary targets of neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Axonal degeneration occurs early, preceeding and exceeding neuronal loss, and contributes to the spread of pathology, yet is poorly described outside the nigrostriatal circuitry. The insula, a cortical brain hub, was recently discovered to be highly vulnerable to pathology and plays a role in cognitive deficits in PD and DLB. The aim of this study was to evaluate morphological features as well as burden of proteinopathy and axonal degeneration in the anterior insular sub-regions in PD, PD with dementia (PDD), and DLB.

Methods

α-Synuclein, phosphorylated (p-)tau, and amyloid-β pathology load were evaluated in the anterior insular (agranular and dysgranular) subregions of post-mortem human brains (n = 27). Axonal loss was evaluated using modified Bielschowsky silver staining and quantified using stereology. Cytoskeletal damage was comprehensively studied using immunofluorescent multi-labelling and 3D confocal laser-scanning microscopy.

Results

Compared to PD and PDD, DLB showed significantly higher α-synuclein and p-tau pathology load, argyrophilic grains, and  more severe axonal loss, particularly in the anterior agranular insula. Alternatively, the dysgranular insula showed a significantly higher load of amyloid-β pathology and its axonal density correlated with cognitive performance. p-Tau contributed most to axonal loss in the DLB group, was highest in the anterior agranular insula and significantly correlated with CDR global scores for dementia. Neurofilament and myelin showed degenerative changes including swellings, demyelination, and detachment of the axon-myelin unit.

Conclusions

Our results highlight the selective vulnerability of the anterior insular sub-regions to various converging pathologies, leading to impaired axonal integrity in PD, PDD and DLB, disrupting their functional properties and potentially contributing to cognitive, emotional, and autonomic deficits.
Weight restoration in adolescent anorexia: parents’ goal-directed processes
Authors: Socholotiuk Krista D. , Young Richard A.
Published: December 2022

Background

Parent-led weight restoration is a key intervention of family-based treatment, an empirically supported treatment for adolescent anorexia. Successful outcomes in family-based treatment depend almost entirely on parental action, yet current understandings of this intervention are primarily informed by professional theory and expert perspectives. Comparatively little is known about parents’ goals and actions while implementing the treatment, despite goal-directed action being an explicit framework of family-based treatment. This study seeks to investigate parents’ involvement in weight restoration from the perspective of the goal-directed actions they construct and engage in themselves and with others. This study focuses on the phenomenon of parent-led weight restoration as a project and addresses the following research question: “How do parents participate in the weight restoration of their adolescent as the adolescent recovers from anorexia nervosa?”.

Method

This multicase study used the action project method and conceptual framework of contextual action theory to examine four cases of five parents engaged in actions to help their adolescent regain weight and recover from anorexia. Data were collected using multi-part interviews and analyzed according to the action project method and the multicase approach.

Results

Parents’ weight restoration projects were identified and grouped based on three common a themes. The primary theme, progressing toward health and well-being, was supported by three key processes: maintaining a holistic focus, trusting, and monitoring progress. Two secondary themes captured actions that were integral to the parents’ projects, but with less prominence. Secondary themes were creating capacity, which was supported by three processes (managing emotions to maintain a helpful focus, personal work, and resourcing time and finances), and coordinating and negotiating partnerships. The socio-cultural valuing of the thin ideal emerged as a unique process salient in one case. This study presents a goal-directed and contextual perspective on how parents translated the principles of family-based treatment into their daily lives. It joins a small but growing body of work concerned with generating new understandings and frameworks for practitioners and researchers to enhance the effectiveness of family-based treatment in community settings.
Morphine suppresses the immune function of lung cancer by up-regulating MAEL expression
Authors: Wang Qichao , Liu Zhenfu , Tang Shuhong , Wu Zhen
Published: December 2022

Background

Patients with cancer rely on morphine for analgesia, while studies have indicated morphine can induce immunosuppression in cancer. Therefore, investigating the immunosuppressive roles and molecular mechanism of morphine on lung cancer progression is imperative.

Methods

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay was used to determine the cytotoxicity of morphine to lung cancer cells. The percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was detected by flow cytometry. In addition, Maelstrom (MAEL), Nrf2, and PTEN were determined by western blot and RT-qPCR. Immune factors programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), transforming growth factor (TGF-β), interleukin (IL)-10, and IL-2 were determined by western blot and ELISA assay.

Results

Morphine increased the levels of PD-L1, TGF-β, and IL-10, while decreased IL-2 level. Morphine enhanced MAEL expression in A549 cells and H460 cells. Morphine up-regulated Nrf2 and down-regulated PTEN, and morphine-induced MAEL up-regulation was reversed by PTEN. However, MAEL silencing inhibited the enhanced effects of morphine on cell viability and proliferation of A549 cells. Furthermore, morphine treatment reduced the LDH release and the percentage of CD8+ T cells, and increased the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ T cells and tumor weight. Meanwhile, MAEL silencing reversed the effects of morphine on immune factors (PD-L1, TGF-β, IL-10, and IL-2), the percentage of CD8+ T cells, and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ T cells.

Conclusion

Morphine activated MAEL in lung cancer cells by Nrf2/PTEN pathway and regulated the immune factors, thereby promoting tumor immune escape.
The effect of academic emotion regulation on EFL learners’ core of self-assessment and academic buoyancy: a structural equation modeling
Authors: Heydarnejad Tahereh , Ibrahim Khaled Ahmed Abdel-Al , Abdelrasheed Nasser Said Gomaa , Rezvani Ehsan
Published: December 2022

Students are essential parts of society, and their mental health and emotional safety as well as a sense of purpose, achievement, and success are the major objectives of successful education. They need to be armed with self-aid constructs to overcome academic setbacks and challenges. Despite the attributions of academic emotion regulation (AER), the core of self-assessment (CSA) to academic buoyancy (AB), no study has ever uncovered their relationships. To this end, the current research intended to test a structural model of English as a foreign language (EFL) university learners’ AER, CSA, and AB. The academic emotion regulation questionnaire (AERQ), the core of self-assessment questionnaire (CSAQ), and the academic buoyancy scale (ABS) were administered to 395 Iranian EFL university learners. Based on the results of structural equation modeling (SEM), AER and CSA predict learners’ AB. Additionally, the contribution of CSA to AB was confirmed. The implications of the findings are to raise learners’ awareness of their personality traits and self-assessment that can foster practical learning and assessment. This study opens new doors for future academic research. The implications of the study may help learners, teachers, administrators, policymakers, and curriculum designers.
Intranuclear inclusions in muscle biopsy can differentiate oculopharyngodistal myopathy and oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy
Authors: Ogasawara Masashi , Eura Nobuyuki , Iida Aritoshi , Kumutpongpanich Theerawat , Minami Narihiro , Nonaka Ikuya , Hayashi Shinichiro , Noguchi Satoru , Nishino Ichizo
Published: December 2022

Oculopharyngodistal myopathy (OPDM) and oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) are similar and even believed to be indistinguishable in terms of their myopathological features. To address the diagnostic gap, we evaluated the muscle biopsy samples for p62 expression by immunohistochemistry and compared the occurrence and the frequency of intranuclear inclusions among the individuals with OPDM (harboring CGG repeat expansion in LRP12 (n = 19), GIPC1 (n = 6), or NOTCH2NLC (n = 7)), OPMD (n = 15), and other rimmed vacuolar myopathies. We found that myonuclei with p62-positive intra-nuclear inclusions (myo-INIs) were significantly more frequent in OPMD (11.9 ± 1.1%, range 5.9–18.6%) than in OPDM and other rimmed vacuolar myopathies (RVMs) (0.9–1.5% on average, range 0.0–2.8%, p < 0.0001). In contrast, INIs in non-muscle cells such as blood vessels, peripheral nerve bundles, and muscle spindles (non-muscle-INIs) were present in OPDM, but absent in OPMD. These results indicate that OPMD can be differentiated from OPDM and other RVMs by the frequent presence of myo-INIs; and in OPDM, the presence of non-muscle-INIs in muscle pathology should be a diagnostic hallmark.
Steeper lateral posterior tibial slope and greater lateral-medial slope asymmetry correlate with greater preoperative pivot-shift in anterior cruciate ligament injury
Authors: Kataoka Kiminari , Nagai Kanto , Hoshino Yuichi , Shimabukuro Masashi , Nishida Kyohei , Kanzaki Noriyuki , Matsushita Takehiko , Kuroda Ryosuke
Published: December 2022

Purpose

To investigate the association between posterior tibial slope (PTS) and preoperative pivot-shift phenomenon in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-injured knees.

Methods

Fifty unilateral ACL-injured patients (mean age: 28.0 ± 11.4 years, 29 males) who underwent ACL reconstruction were retrospectively included. Patients with a history of injury to the ipsilateral knee joint, concomitant ligament injuries with ACL injury, and/or more than one year from injury to surgery, were excluded. Pivot-shift tests were performed preoperatively under general anaesthesia using an electromagnetic measurement system, and tibial acceleration (m/s2) during the posterior reduction of the tibia was measured. Medial and lateral PTS (°) were measured respectively using high-resolution CT images taken two weeks after surgery. Lateral-medial slope asymmetry was calculated by subtracting medial PTS from lateral PTS (lateral-medial PTS) and we evaluated the correlation between each PTS parameter (medial PTS, lateral PTS, and lateral-medial slope asymmetry) and tibial acceleration during the pivot-shift test. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results

Medial PTS was 4.9 ± 2.0°, and lateral PTS was 5.2 ± 1.9°. The lateral-medial slope asymmetry was 0.3 ± 1.6° (range: -2.9 to 3.8). Tibial acceleration during the pivot-shift test in the ACL-injured knee was 1.6 ± 0.1 m/s2. Preoperative tibial acceleration was positively correlated with lateral PTS (r = 0.436, p < 0.01), and lateral-medial slope asymmetry (r = 0.443, p < 0.01), while no significant correlation was found between preoperative tibial acceleration and medial PTS (r = 0.06, p = 0.70).

Conclusion

Preoperative greater tibial acceleration during the pivot-shift test was associated with steeper lateral PTS and greater lateral-medial slope asymmetry in ACL-injured knees. These findings improve our understanding of anterolateral rotatory knee laxity by linking tibial bony morphology to quantitative measurement of pivot-shift phenomenon. Surgeons should be aware that not only lateral PTS but also lateral-medial slope asymmetry are the factors associated with preoperative pivot-shift.

Level of Evidence

Level IV.
Tectonic tremors immediately after the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake detected by near-trench seafloor seismic observations
Authors: Takahashi Hidenobu , Hino Ryota , Uchida Naoki , Matsuzawa Takanori , Ohta Yusaku , Suzuki Syuichi , Shinohara Masanao
Published: December 2022

Temporal seismic observations from pop-up type ocean-bottom seismometers were used to detect tectonic tremors immediately following the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake in the northern periphery of the aftershock area. Near-field observations clearly distinguished tremors from regular earthquakes based on their spectral shape in the frequency band of 1–4 Hz. In addition to tremors accompanied by very low-frequency earthquakes (VLFEs), we detected 130 tremors without known VLFE activity during April–October 2011. The newly detected tremors were in the vicinity of a sequence of small repeating earthquakes, indicating a mixed distribution of tremors and regular interplate earthquakes in the region. Tremor activity was high immediately after the deployment of seismometers and gradually decreased. In addition, the tremor activity fluctuated with two activations with an interval of approximately 90 days, similar to the intervals between tremor bursts after 2016. The results of the study suggest that the observed tremors occurred under the influence of aseismic slip caused by the decaying afterslip of the preceding Tohoku-Oki and Mw 7.4 interplate earthquakes and episodic accelerations with a quasi-periodicity unique to the area.
Utilizing questionnaires for medication counselling of patients taking antipsychotics during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single site, community pharmacy-based survey study
Authors: Maehara Masaki , Sugiyama Masayasu
Published: December 2022

Background

During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, general strategies for preventing infectious diseases, such as social distancing and the use of protective equipment have resulted in communication barriers between pharmacists and patients in community pharmacies.

Methods

To resolve these communication challenges to medication counselling during the COVID-19 pandemic, during their waiting time at our community pharmacy, we administered two questionnaires to patients receiving at least one antipsychotic drug. The first questionnaire, Questionnaire (A), included questions about any problems with wearing a mask and face shield, forgetting to take medication and adverse effects of their medication. The second questionnaire, Questionnaire (B), included questions regarding the evaluation of medication counselling and the ease of using the first questionnaire.

Results

Questionnaire (A) showed that 26.8% of participants had communication problems due to the mask and face shield and 33.8% sometimes forgot to take their medication. The most common adverse effects of the medications were weight gain (43.7%), dry mouth (39.4%) and sexual dysfunction (31%). In the case of Questionnaire (B), more than 80% responded that it was either very easy or easy to fill out Questionnaire (A). Additionally, 93% participants responded that they felt either very good or good about the pharmacist’s medication counselling using Questionnaire (A).

Conclusions

These results strongly suggest that the utilization of questionnaires in medication counselling may be a useful strategy for preventing communication problems between pharmacists and patients receiving antipsychotics in community pharmacies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Antagonistic potential of an Egyptian entomopathogenic nematode, compost and two native endophytic bacteria isolates against the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) infecting potato under field conditions
Authors: Osman Hamida A. I. , Ameen Hoda H. , Hammam Mostafa M. A. , El-Sayed Ghada M. , Elkelany Usama Samy , Abd-Elgawad Mahfouz M. M.
Published: December 2022

Background

The root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne spp., are one of the most dominant and dangerous group of pests. The deformations and discolorations make tubers unmarketable and/or of less quality. Therefore, management of Meloidogyne spp. becomes an obligatory challenge that warrants intervention. Biological control agents are the best alternative tools for controlling plant-parasitic nematodes that comply with the requirements of the development of the green agriculture and that reduce the reliance on these harmful chemicals. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of compost singly, and in combinations with the bio-agents Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, and two bacterial isolates Nem 212 and Nem 213 against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita infecting potato plants under field conditions.

Results

Among 15 bacterial isolates (Nem205-Nem219) obtained from the rhizosphere of tomato and eggplant from Giza, Egypt, the two isolates (Nem 212 and Nem 213) were molecularly characterized based on the partial 16S rDNA sequencing analysis. These two bacterial isolates were deposited in the GenBank as Bacillus cereus Nem 212 and B. cereus Nem 213 and were tested against M. incognita J2s in vitro. Results showed that the cell filtrates of B. cereus Nem 212 and B. cereus Nem 213 gave the highest percentage of M. incognita J2s mortality (100%), after 48 h of the in vitro application. Moreover, all the applied treatments significantly suppressed the reproductive of M. incognita on potato plants and enhanced the potato crop yield under the field conditions. Compost enriched with B. cereus Nem 212 cell suspension was the most effective treatment. The combination between the bacterial cell suspension and the compost offered an increase in the disease curing and the potato plant growth and yield production, compared to the treatment with compost alone. The entomopathogenic nematode, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, was relatively less effective in controlling M. incognita on potato, compared to B. cereus Nem 212 and/or B. cereus Nem 213 treatments. However, when compost was enriched with H. bacteriophora, it increased its capability to control the nematodes.

Conclusions

This study provides insights into the practical usage of EPNs H. bacteriophora, and the endophytic bacteria (B. cereus Nem 212 or B. cereus Nem 213) as biocontrol agents against M. incognita on potato plants. The application of compost enriched with the bacterial cell suspensions of either B. cereus Nem 212 or B. cereus Nem 213 and H. bacteriophora within Galleria mellonella cadaver proved efficient control of M. incognita infecting potato plants and improved the growth and yield of potato plants under field conditions.
Prostatic artery embolization using reflux-control microcatheter: prospective experience addressing feasibility
Authors: de Assis André Moreira , Kawakami Willian Yoshinori , Moreira Airton Mota , Carnevale Francisco Cesar
Published: December 2022

Purpose

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Prostatic Artery Embolization (PAE) using a reflux control microcatheter.

Materials and methods

This is a prospective, single-center investigation that included 10 patients undergoing PAE for treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) attributed to benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). Baseline, 3-month, and 12-month efficacy endpoints were obtained for all patients and included prostate-specific antigen (PSA), uroflowmetry, pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and clinical assessment using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaire and the IPSS-Quality of life (QoL) item. Complications were assessed using the Cirse classification system.

Results

Ten patients entered statistical analysis and presented with significant LUTS improvement 12 months after PAE, as follows: mean IPSS reduction of 86.6% (2.8 vs. 20.7, − 17.9, P < 0.001), mean QoL reduction of 79.4% (1.1 vs. 5.4, − 4.3, P < 0.001), mean prostatic volume reduction of 38.4% (69.3 cm3 vs. 112.5 cm3, − 43.2 cm3, P < 0.001), mean peak urinary flow (Qmax) increase of 199.4% (19.9 mL/s vs. 6.6 mL/s, + 13.3 mL/s, P = 0.006) and mean PSA reduction of 50.1% (3.0 ng/mL vs. 6.1 ng/mL, − 3.0 ng/mL, P < 0.001). One patient (10%) needed transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) after PAE due to a ball-valve effect. One microcatheter (10%) needed to be replaced during PAE due to occlusion. Non-target embolization was not observed in the cohort.

Conclusion

This initial experience suggests that PAE using a reflux control microcatheter is effective and safe for the treatment of LUTS attributed to BPH.
Long-term evaluation of patient satisfaction and quality of life in pectus excavatum repair
Authors: Di Salvo Neil , Ruggeri Giovanni , Thomas Eduje , Parente Giovanni , Di Mitri Marco , Lima Mario
Published: December 2022

Background

The aim of our study was to evaluate long-term patient satisfaction and quality-of-life improvement in grown-up patients treated for pectus excavatum with the Nuss procedure in the pediatric age, searching for correlation between preoperative characteristics and long-term outcomes.

Methods

At first, we performed a retrospective analysis of pediatric patients undergoing the Nuss procedure in a 5-year period. We administered, at least 5 years after bar removal, a single-step questionnaire to focus on the assessment of patient satisfaction with operative results.

Results

Most patients stated general health and exercise tolerance were improved after the operation. High levels of overall satisfaction were reported after Nuss repair, with 95.6% of patients being either satisfied or very satisfied. Overall, 87.0% of patients stated they would have the operation again. The high overall satisfaction after surgery was not correlated with the deformity severity and the presence of physical symptoms before correction.

Conclusions

Patients expressed high levels of satisfaction in terms of self-image and quality of life. Improvement in cosmetic appearance and health in general translated in most patients in an improvement of social life. The degree of postoperative pain after the Nuss procedure is the overriding factor in the patient’s perception of the quality of the postoperative course.
The application of deep learning in bridge health monitoring: a literature review
Authors: Zhang Guo-Qing , Wang Bin , Li Jun , Xu You-Lin
Published: December 2022

Along with the advancement in sensing and communication technologies, the explosion in the measurement data collected by structural health monitoring (SHM) systems installed in bridges brings both opportunities and challenges to the engineering community for the SHM of bridges. Deep learning (DL), based on deep neural networks and equipped with high-end computer resources, provides a promising way of using big measurement data to address the problem and has made remarkable successes in recent years. This paper focuses on the review of the recent application of DL in SHM, particularly damage detection, and provides readers with an overall understanding of the missions faced by the SHM of the bridges. The general studies of DL in vibration-based SHM and vision-based SHM are respectively reviewed first. The applications of DL to some real bridges are then commented. A summary of limitations and prospects in the DL application for bridge health monitoring is finally given.
Comparison of Oncologist and Model Estimates of Risk for Hospitalization During Systemic Therapy for Advanced Cancer
Authors: Emery Lukas P. , Muralikrishnan Sivraj , Schrag Deb , Tosteson Anna N.A. , Brooks Gabriel A.
Published: December 2022

PURPOSE:

A validated risk model with inputs of pretreatment sodium and albumin can identify patients at risk for hospitalization during cancer treatment. We evaluated how the model compares with risk estimates from treating oncologists.

METHODS:

We evaluated the 30-day risk of hospitalization or death in patients starting palliative-intent systemic therapy for solid tumor malignancy. For each patient, we prospectively recorded categorical estimates of 30-day hospitalization risk (bottom third, middle third, top third) generated by a treating oncologist and by the two-variable model; a third hybrid risk estimate represented a composite of the oncologist and model risk assessments. We analyzed the agreement of oncologist and model-based risk estimates and compared discrimination, sensitivity, and specificity of each risk assessment method.

RESULTS:

We collected oncologist, model, and hybrid estimates of hospitalization risk for 120 patients. The 30-day rate of hospitalization or death was 20%. There was minimal agreement between oncologist and model risk estimates (weighted kappa = 0.27). The c-statistic (a measure of discrimination) was 0.69 (95% CI, 0.57 to 0.81) for the clinician assessment, 0.77 for the model assessment (CI, 0.67 to 0.86; P = .24 compared with the oncologist assessment), and 0.79 for the hybrid assessment (CI, 0.69 to 0.90; P = .007 compared with the oncologist assessment). Sensitivity and specificity of the high-risk categorization did not differ significantly between the oncologist and model assessments; the hybrid assessment was significantly more sensitive ( P = .02) and less specific ( P = .03) than the oncologist assessment.

CONCLUSION:

A model with inputs of pretreatment sodium and albumin improves oncologists' predictions of hospitalization risk during cancer treatment.
Longitudinal Stability of Vitamin D Status and Its Association With Bone Mineral Density in Middle-aged Australians
Authors: Zhu Kun , Hunter Michael , Hui Jennie , Murray Kevin , James Alan , Lim Ee Mun , Cooke Brian R , Walsh John P
Published: December 2022

Context

The skeletal effects of vitamin D remain controversial and it is uncertain whether variation in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels over time influences bone mineral density (BMD).

Objective

We evaluated longitudinal stability of serum 25OHD and associations with changes in BMD in participants aged 46-70 years at baseline.

Methods

We studied 3698 Busselton Healthy Ageing Study participants (2040 female) with serum 25OHD and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) BMD assessments at baseline and at ∼6 years follow-up. Restricted cubic splines were used to evaluate associations between changes in 25OHD and BMD.

Results

Mean season-corrected serum 25OHD was 81.3 ± 22.7 and 78.8 ± 23.1 nmol/L at baseline and 6 years, respectively, and showed moderate correlation (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.724). Significant predictors of change in 25OHD concentration (Δ25OHD) included baseline 25OHD, change in body mass index and vitamin D supplementation at follow-up. Greater decline in serum 25OHD over time was associated with significantly greater reduction in BMD at total hip and femoral neck, but the magnitude of the differences was small (estimated differences 0.004 g/cm2 and 0.005-0.007 g/cm2, respectively, for lowest quartile of Δ25OHD compared with higher quartiles, adjusted for sex, baseline BMD, 25OHD, and demographics). No significant associations between Δ25OHD and lumbar spine BMD were observed. Increase in 25OHD levels was not associated with change in BMD.

Conclusions

In this predominantly vitamin D–replete middle-aged cohort, serum 25OHD showed moderate longitudinal stability. Declining serum 25OHD over time was associated with greater reduction in BMD at the total hip and femoral neck.
An Unreality Effect: Simile in Flaubert's Madame Bovary
Authors: Lee-Lenfield Spencer
Published: December 2022

Reexamining Flaubert's use of simile in Madame Bovary yields fresh insights into old, deep questions in the study of realism: depiction of thought, free indirect speech, the relationship between representation and reality. Barthes thought the content of a simile was ultimately merely a gesture toward the realness that it thereby signified, and Proust assumed a simile ought to be precise, singular, and novel—but Flaubert's similes actually interact with his famously ironic narration to depict a particular kind of thought and feeling on the part of his characters. They are negative similes, hollow, meant to refract the comparison backward: as much as X is like Y, X is not Y. These similes intensify and dignify what they describe, but only within the penumbra of Flaubert's characteristically ironic detachment. By setting what is the case side by side with what is not, they continually aerate the prose with a sense of the grandeur that reality fails to attain. They challenge the reader to look at simile as an ironic figure rather than as needless ornament or (pace Barthes) straightforward denotation. The ambiguous relationship of simile to reality in Madame Bovary makes it a fitting rhetorical figure through which to consider the novel itself.
The Detached Self
Authors: Page Jeremy
Published: December 2022

Daniel C. Dennett has argued that the self is a “theorists’ fiction,” a narrative self that is spun from the brain and functions like a center of gravity; an abstraction that is “supremely useful,” even if an ontological fiction. Various theorists, including Priscilla Brandon, Richard Menary, and Lynne Rudder Baker have retorted that embodiment and a first-person ownership—a “mineness” in Brandon's terms—are both necessary for and prior to such a narrative self. The article proposes that the self that is evident in autobiographical art problematizes both of these accounts, illuminating the possibility for self-detachment: the point at which the self loses its center of gravity, its embodiment and its “mineness,” yet remains. Through a consideration of the autobiographical poetry of Charles Bukowski, the article argues that autobiographical art is able not only to construct biography, but to construct identity as well.
Agri-food Value Chain Revolutions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Authors: Barrett Christopher B. , Reardon Thomas , Swinnen Johan , Zilberman David
Published: December 2022

Agri-food value chains (AVCs) intermediate the flow of products between largely rural farmers, fisherfolk, or herders and increasingly urban consumers. The theoretical models that historically structured research on the economic development process assumed away AVC functions, however, and AVC firms and workers were necessarily omitted from the household data that generated most empirical findings in the agricultural and development economics literatures. As a result, the discipline has somewhat overlooked the rapid growth and structural change in AVCs over the past few decades that turned AVCs into major employers and sources of value addition, as well as key loci for technology transfer and foreign investment. This paper offers an integrated, structured, empirical narrative of how and why AVC revolutions occur in developing countries, the impacts of those changes, and the abundant economic research opportunities these structural changes afford economists. (JEL L14, L81, O13, O33, Q12, Q13, Q17)
Radiomic-based machine learning model for the accurate prediction of prostate cancer risk stratification
Authors: Shu Xin , Liu Yunfan , Qiao Xiaofeng , Ai Guangyong , Liu Li , Liao Jun , Deng Zhengqiao , He Xiaojing
Published: December 2022

Objectives:

To precisely predict prostate cancer (PCa) risk stratification, we constructed a machine learning (ML) model based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomic features.

Methods:

Between August 2016 and May 2021, patients with histologically proven PCa who underwent pre-operative MRI and prostate-specific antigen screening were included. The patients were grouped into different risk categories as defined by the European Association of Urology-European Association of Nuclear Medicine-European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology-European Society of Urogenital Radiology-International Society of Geriatric Oncology guidelines. Using Artificial Intelligence Kit software, PCa regions of interest were delineated and radiomic features were extracted. Subsequently, predictable models were built by utilising five traditional ML approaches: support vector machine, logistic regression, gradient boosting decision tree, k-nearest neighbour and random forest (RF) classifiers. The classification capacity of the developed models was assessed by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) analysis.

Results:

A total of 213 patients were enrolled, including 16 low-risk, 65 intermediate-risk, and 132 high-risk PCa patients. The risk stratification of PCa could be revealed by MRI radiomic features, and second-order features accounted for most of the selected features. Among the five established ML models, the RF model showed the best overall predictive performance (AUC = 0.87). After further analysis of the subgroups based on the RF model, the prediction of the high-risk group was the best (AUC = 0.89).

Conclusion:

This study demonstrated that the MR radiomics-based ML method could be a promising tool for predicting PCa risk stratification precisely.

Advances in knowledge:

The ML models have valuable prospect for accurate PCa risk assessment, which might contribute to customize treatment and surveillance strategies.
Optimised conformal total body irradiation: a heterogeneous practice, so where next?
Authors: Misson-Yates Sarah , Cunningham Rissa , Gonzalez Regina , Diez Patricia , Clark Catharine H
Published: December 2022

The use of volumetric arc therapy and inverse planning has been in routine use in radiotherapy for two decades. However, use in total body irradiation (TBI) has been more recent and few guidelines exist as to how to plan or verify. This has led to heterogeneous approaches. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of current advanced planning and dosimetry verification protocols used in optimised conformal TBI as a basis for investigating the need for greater standardisation in TBI.
Enhanced effect of X-rays in the presence of a static magnetic field within a 3D pancreatic cancer model
Authors: Wishart Gabrielle , Gupta Priyanka , Nisbet Andrew , Velliou Eirini , Schettino Giuseppe
Published: December 2022

Objective:

To evaluate the impact of static magnetic field (SMF) presence on the radiation response of pancreatic cancer cells in polyurethane-based highly macro-porous scaffolds in hypoxic (1% O2) and normoxic (21% O2) conditions, towards understanding MR-guided radiotherapy, shedding light on the potential interaction phenomenon between SMF and radiation in a three-dimensional (3D) microenvironment.

Methods:

Pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1, ASPC-1) were seeded into fibronectin-coated highly porous polyethene scaffolds for biomimicry and cultured for 4 weeks in in vitro normoxia (21% O2) followed by a 2-day exposure to either in vitro hypoxia (1% O2) or maintenance in in vitro normoxia (21% O2). The samples were then irradiated with 6 MV photons in the presence or absence of a 1.5 T field. Thereafter, in situ post-radiation monitoring (1 and 7 days post-irradiation treatment) took place via quantification of (i) live dead and (ii) apoptotic profiles.

Results:

We report: (i) pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma hypoxia-associated radioprotection, in line with our previous findings, (ii) an enhanced effect of radiation in the presence of SMFin in vitro hypoxia (1% O2) for both short- (1 day) and long-term (7 days) post -radiation analysis and (iii) an enhanced effect of radiation in the presence of SMF in in vitro normoxia (21% O2) for long-term (7 days) post-radiation analysis within a 3D pancreatic cancer model

Conclusion:

With limited understanding of the potential interaction phenomenon between SMF and radiation, this 3D system allows combination evaluation for a cancer in which the role of radiotherapy is still evolving.

Advances in knowledge:

This study examined the use of a 3D model to investigate MR-guided radiotherapy in a hypoxic microenvironment, indicating that this could be a useful platform to further understanding of SMF influence on radiation.
Evaluation of cytosine conversion methods for whole-genome DNA methylation profiling
Authors: Poudel Shyaron , Hale Brett , Wijeratne Asela J.
Published: December 2022

Background: DNA methylation, the most common epigenetic modification, is defined as the removal or addition of methyl groups to cytosine bases. Studying DNA methylation provides insight into the regulation of gene expression, transposon mobility, genomic stability, and genomic imprinting. Whole-genome DNA methylation profiling (WGDM) is a powerful tool to find DNA methylation. This technique combines standard whole-genome sequencing methodology (e.g., Illumina high-throughput sequencing) with additional steps where unmethylated cytosine is converted to uracil. However, factors such as low cytosine conversion efficiency and inadequate DNA recovery during sample preparation oftentimes render poor-quality data. It is therefore imperative to benchmark sample preparation protocols to increase sequencing data quality and reduce false positives in methylation detection.

Methods: A survey analysis was performed to investigate the efficiency of the following commercially available cytosine conversion kits when coupled with the NEBNext® Ultra™ DNA Library Prep Kit for Illumina (NEB): Zymo Research EZ DNA Methylation™ kit (hereafter known as Zymo Conversion kit), QIAGEN EpiTect Bisulfite kit (hereafter known as QIAGEN Conversion kit), and NEBNext® Enzymatic Methyl-seq Conversion Module (hereafter known as NEB EM-seq kit). Input DNA was derived from soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merrill) leaf tissue.

Results: Of those tested, the QIAGEN Conversion kit provided the best sample recovery and the highest number of sequencing reads, whereas the Zymo Conversion kit had the best cytosine conversion efficiency and the least duplication. The sequence library obtained with the NEB EM-seq kit had the highest mapping efficiency (percentage of reads mapped to the genome). The data quality (defined by Phred score) and methylated cytosine call were similar between kits.

Conclusions: This study offers the groundwork for selecting an effective DNA methylation detection kit for crop genome research.
Impact of variable electricity price on heat pump operated buildings
Authors: Mascherbauer Philipp , Schöniger Franziska , Kranzl Lukas , Yu Songmin
Published: December 2022

Background: Residential buildings with heat pumps show promising possibilities for demand-side management. The operation optimization of such heating systems can lead to cost reduction and, at the same time, change electricity consumption patterns, which is especially prevalent in the case of a variable price signal. In this work, we deal with the following question: How does the volatility of a variable retail electricity price change the energy consumption of buildings with a smart energy management system? 

Methods: In this context, we take Austria as an example and aggregate the findings of individual households to the national stock of single-family houses. This is done by simulating and optimzing heating operation in single representative buildings. The aggregation is done based on national building information statistics. 

Results: This part of the Austrian building stock could shift 19.7 GWh of electricity per year through thermal inertia using a real-time electricity price from 2021. We show the future potential under the assumption of three electricity price trends for 2030, representing different decarbonisation ambition levels. The trends show that higher decarbonisation levels which lead to higher electricity prices increase the incentive to shift electric loads.

Conclusions: Real time pricing turns out to be  an effective incentive for buildings to shift electric loads by pre-heating the building mass. However, cost savings for individuals are relatively low which is why additional monetary incentives are needed to tap into that potential. Increased daily peak-to-peak demand from these buildings has to put into perspective to the overall grid load.
Characterising and Addressing the Psychosocial Impact of Tuberculosis in Indonesia (CAPITA): A study protocol
Authors: Fuady Ahmad , Fitriangga Agus , Sugiharto Agus , Arifin Bustanul , Yunita Ferdiana , Yani Finny Fitry , Nasution Helmi Suryani , Putra I Wayan Gede Artawan Eka , Rauf Saidah , Mansyur Muchtaruddin , Wingfield Tom
Published: December 2022

Background: Tuberculosis (TB)-related stigma remains a key barrier for people with TB to access and engage with TB services and can contribute to the development of mental illnesses. This study aims to characterise stigmatisation towards people with TB and its psychosocial impact in Indonesia.

Methods: This study will apply a sequential mixed method in two main settings: TB services-based population (setting 1) and workplace-based population (setting 2). In setting 1, we will interview 770 adults with TB who undergo sensitive-drug TB treatment in seven provinces of Indonesia. The interview will use the validated TB Stigma Scale questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and EQ-5D-5L to assess stigma, mental illness, and quality of life. In Setting 2, we will deploy an online questionnaire to 640 adult employees in 12 public and private companies. The quantitative data will be followed by in-depth interview to TB-related stakeholders.

Results: CAPITA will not only characterise the enacted stigma which are directly experienced by people with TB, but also self-stigma felt by people with TB, secondary stigma faced by their family members, and structural stigma related to the law and policy. The qualitative analyses will strengthen the quantitative findings to formulate the potential policy direction for zero TB stigma in health service facilities and workplaces. Involving all stakeholders, i.e., people with TB, healthcare workers, National Tuberculosis Program officers, The Ministry of Health Workforce, company managers, and employees, will enhance the policy formulation. The validated tool to measure TB-related stigma will also be promoted for scaling up to be implemented at the national level.

Conclusions: To improve patient-centered TB control strategy policy, it is essential to characterise and address TB-related stigma and mental illness and explore the needs for psychosocial support for an effective intervention to mitigate the psychosocial impact of TB.
The genome sequence of the European crab apple, Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill., 1768
Authors: Ruhsam Markus , Bell David , Hart Michelle , Hollingsworth Peter ,   Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: December 2022

We present a genome assembly from an individual Malus sylvestris (the European or 'wild' crab apple; Streptophyta; Magnoliopsida; Rosales; Rosaceae). The genome sequence is 642 megabases in span. Most of the assembly (99.98%) is scaffolded into 17 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes were also assembled, with respective lengths of 396.9 kilobases and 160.0 kilobases.
Humility, Courage, Magnanimity: a Thomistic Account
Authors: Stump Eleonore
Published: December 2022

In these brief remarks, I sketch Aquinas’s account of humility, courage, and magnanimity. The nature of humility for Aquinas emerges nicely from his account of pride, and it also illuminates Aquinas’s view of magnanimity. For Aquinas, pride is the worst of the vices, and it comes in four kinds. The opposite of all these kinds of pride in a person is his disposition to accept that the excellences he has are all gifts from a good God and are all meant to be given back by being shared with others. Aquinas believes that all the virtues come together as a set. Consequently, a person who has humility also has courage. Aquinas takes the deepest kind of courage as a gift of the Holy Spirit. On his view, taken as a gift, courage manifests itself in a disposition to act on the settled conviction that one will be united to God in heaven when one dies. It is not easy to see how magnanimity could be a virtue if humility is. The solution is to see that for Aquinas the honor for the Christian virtue of magnanimity is not honor from human beings but honor from God. A person can have the virtue of humility and still strive for the greatest honors, as Aquinas sees it. The conclusion of Aquinas’s account of humility, courage, and magnanimity is this: it is morally obligatory to go for glory, because glory is a matter of being honored by God as faithful.
Limitations-Owning and the Interpersonal Dimensions of Intellectual Humility
Authors: Baehr Jason
Published: December 2022

According to one prominent account of intellectual humility, it consists primarily of a disposition to “own” one’s intellectual limitations. This account has been criticized for neglecting the interpersonal dimensions of intellectual humility. We expect intellectually humble persons to be respectful and generous with their interlocutors and to avoid being haughty or domineering. I defend the limitations-owning account against this objection. I do so in two ways: first, by arguing that some of the interpersonal qualities associated with intellectual humility are qualities expressive of virtues other than intellectual humility; and second, by arguing that, when properly described, the kind of limitations-owning characteristic of intellectual humility in fact is robustly interpersonal. The result is a considerably broader and richer notion of the limitations the owning of which is characteristic of intellectual humility.
EL CAMBIO DE CÓDIGO SEGÚN LA TEORÍA DE LA COMUNICACIÓN: PROBLEMATIZACIÓN TEÓRICO-PRÁCTICA A TRAVÉS DE UN CASO DEL CORPUS ESLORA
Authors: Atanes Barciela Lois Xacobe
Published: December 2022

En el presente artículo se analiza el alcance metodológico y epistemológico del concepto de cambio de código (CC) según la teoría de la comunicación, prestándole especial atención a la noción de CC desarrollada por Álvarez Cáccamo. En primer lugar, se explica cómo se ha desarrollado la noción de CC a lo largo de la historia, centrándonos en el rol que ha jugado la pragmática en dicho proceso. En segundo lugar, se analiza críticamente la definición de CC propuesta por Álvarez Cáccamo. En último lugar, se analiza un caso extraído del corpus ESLORA para comprobar la pertinencia metodológica y epistemológica de dicha noción. En las conclusiones se muestra cómo esta noción es problemática debido a su carácter especulativo y arbitrario, incidiendo en la necesidad de recodificar tanto sus fundamentos como su aplicación práctica.
Andrés Arauz y Guillermo Lasso en TikTok, durante sus candidaturas a la presidencia de Ecuador en el año 2021
Authors: Herrera-Morejón Génesis Carolina , Muso-Ullauri Anahí Julieth , Segura-Mariño Adriana Graciela
Published: December 2022

Las redes sociales se han convertido en uno de los principales canales de comunicación política. Por lo tanto, el objetivo principal de esta investigación es analizar las estrategias de comunicación que emplearon en TikTok, los finalistas a la presidencia de Ecuador en el año 2021, Andrés Arauz y Guillermo Lasso. Se aplicó la técnica de análisis de contenido en el total de videos que los dos presidenciales publicaron durante la segunda vuelta electoral. Se diseñó un libro de códigos que ofrece un nivel alto de fiabilidad intercodificadores (αk = 0.88) y se realizaron pruebas estadísticas para analizar la asociación que hay entre las variables de estudio. En este sentido, se comprobó que existen diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre las estrategias de comunicación y el nivel de interacción que los candidatos tuvieron con la audiencia. En consecuencia, se hace evidente la importancia de elegir correctamente los contenidos y los códigos lingü.sticos, así como los códigos visuales, para conseguir una comunicación participativa y multidireccional.