bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The gateway reflex regulates tissue-specific autoimmune diseases
Authors: Tanaka Yuki , Ohki Izuru , Murakami Kaoru , Ozawa Satoshi , Wang Yaze , Murakami Masaaki
Published: March 2024

The dynamic interaction and movement of substances and cells between the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral organs are meticulously controlled by a specialized vascular structure, the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Experimental and clinical research has shown that disruptions in the BBB are characteristic of various neuroinflammatory disorders, including multiple sclerosis. We have been elucidating a mechanism termed the “gateway reflex” that details the entry of immune cells, notably autoreactive T cells, into the CNS at the onset of such diseases. This process is initiated through local neural responses to a range of environmental stimuli, such as gravity, electricity, pain, stress, light, and joint inflammation. These stimuli specifically activate neural pathways to open gateways at targeted blood vessels for blood immune cell entry. The gateway reflex is pivotal in managing tissue-specific inflammatory diseases, and its improper activation is linked to disease progression. In this review, we present a comprehensive examination of the gateway reflex mechanism.
Preoperative predictive parameters for accurate detection of stage IV endometriosis
Authors: Abohashim Mohmed Fathy , Etman Waleed M. , Wasfy Mohamed A. , Abdallah Amany M. , Hamed Enas Mahmoud , Eladl Mona Mahmoud , Mohammed Sherif Yehia , Harb Ola A. , Edris Fawaz E. , Alshaikh Ahmed Baker A. , Lashin Mohamed Elbakry
Published: March 2024

Background

Surgery is the main line of treatment of endometriosis. Patients with stage IV endometriosis have more extensive adhesions, which make the surgery difficult. There are no accurate non-invasive predictive preoperative parameters of stage IV endometriosis and no consensus has been reached.

Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate and detect preoperative non-invasive parameters for the detection of stage IV endometriosis.

Patients and methods

In the present study, we included 150 females admitted for surgical removal of endometriosis. We scored and classified endometriosis into four stages according to the revised ASRM classification. We compared between baseline characteristics of patients with different stages of endometriosis, and then we selected the best combination of diagnostic and predictive parameters of stage IV endometriosis.

Results

Predictors of stage IV endometriosis and indicators for safety surgery were as follows: VAS ≥ 4 (p < 0.001), fixed uterus (p = 0.005), fixed ovarian cysts (p < 0.001), tender uterosacral ligament nodule (p < 0.001), tender rectovaginal septum nodule (p = 0.003), bilateral endometriosis (p < 0.001), and sum of sizes of endometriotic nodules (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Fixed uterus, fixed ovarian cysts, tender uterosacral ligament nodule, tender rectovaginal septum nodule, bilateral endometriosis, and indications for surgery were significantly considered adequate predictive markers for stage IV endometriosis.
The coagulation changes associated with acute variceal bleeding in patients with HCV-induced cirrhosis as assessed by rotational thromboelastometry
Authors: El-Makarem Mona A. Abu , Mohammad Aml A. , Afifi Ola A. , Abbas Nehal I. , El-Zaher Tarek A. Abd , Halim Safaa M. Abdel , El-Fattah Aliaa S. Abd
Published: March 2024

Background and objectives

Alterations of hemostasis in patients with decompensated cirrhosis are complex. Accordingly, standard coagulation tests are not feasible to evaluate bleeding risk in these patients. The aim of this study was to assess the coagulation kinetics in cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding using rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM). ROTEM including EXTEM, INTEM, and FIBTEM which represent extrinsic, intrinsic pathways, and fibrinogen activity, respectively, was measured in 60 cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding who were compared to 60 patients with stable cirrhosis. APTEM was optionally performed to evaluate fibrinolysis.

Results

Overall, cirrhosis patients displayed features of hypofibrinolysis, whereas the state of hypocoagulability was significantly higher in cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding (61.7% versus 30%, p = 0.001). Values of clot formation time (CFT) by EXTEM and INTEM correlated positively with those of model for end-stage liver disease score (r = 0.529, p = 0.001, and r = 0.595, p < 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, in a multivariate analysis, values of CFT in both assays were significantly associated with increased risk of 1.9 (95% CI = 1.04–2.45, p = 0.02) and of 1.78 (95% CI = 1.02–2.14, p = 0.01), respectively, for occurrence of variceal bleeding.

Conclusion

Cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding frequently showed a hypocoagulable state that is triggered by thrombocytopenia and/or hypofibrinogenemia. CFT by EXTEM and INTEM seemed to be an extra marker for disease severity and prognosis in cirrhosis patients, in addition to its valuable role in prediction of variceal bleeding in these patients. However, large multicenter studies have yet been required.
Economics in America: An Immigrant Economist Explores the Land of Inequality
Authors: Ferrie Joseph P.
Published: March 2024

Joseph P. Ferrie of Northwestern University and NBER reviews “Economics in America: An Immigrant Economist Explores the Land of Inequality” by Angus Deaton. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Explores the positives and negatives of economics as both a science and a profession, presenting insights from the author's personal experiences as a naturalized US citizen and academic economist.”
A GESTÃO PÚBLICA MUNICIPAL E A DEPENDÊNCIA FINANCEIRA EM FACE DO PACTO FEDERATIVO DE 1988
Authors: Pacheco Deyse Macedo , Sousa Andrey , Costa Nelson Nery
Published: March 2024

Visando compreender os principais impactos advindos da autonomia financeira dos municípios brasileiros após o advento da Constituição de 1988, o objetivo do presente estudo foi apresentar uma revisão acerca do assunto, verificando sobre a ótica dos trabalhos estudados, os contextos da gestão pública municipal e os reflexos da heterogeneidade como fator diferenciador para cada realidade. A coleta de dados partiu da busca dos bancos de dados do Google Acadêmico (Scholar Google) e plataforma CAPES, bem como a seleção dos artigos realizadas por meio de leituras exploratórias. O estudo mostra-se relevante, pois demonstra algumas das falhas existentes no pacto federativo, inaugurado pela Constituição Federal de 1988, principalmente, no que tange às dificuldades na gestão financeira municipal, como consequência da ineficiente distribuição das competências tributárias entre diferentes localidades. Este cenário se configura como um verdadeiro paradoxo.
Πειραματική μελέτη διερεύνησης νευροτοξικότητας συνθετικών νανοϋλικών
Authors: Πούλιος Χρήστος
Published: March 2024

Ολοένα και αυξάνει ο αριθμός των καινοτόμων τεχνολογιών που προτείνονται για χρήση σε βιοϊατρικές εφαρμογές. Πέρα από την αποτελεσματικότητά τους, οι νέες τεχνολογίες ελέγχονται και για την ασφάλειά τους. Σκοπός της παρούσας διατριβής είναι η διερεύνηση κατά πόσον συνθετικά νανοϋλικά έχουν νευροτοξική δράση, με έμφαση στην χρήση τεχνικών Παθολογικής Ανατομικής στην Ιατρική. Προς μελέτη επιλέχθηκαν δύο τύποι νανοσωματιδίων: αμφότεροι τύποι είχαν ως υλικό κατασκευή το πολυμερές PLGA, ο ένας τύπος με συμπερίληψη κελύφους χιτοζάνης ενώ ο έτερος χωρίς. Η πιθανή νευροτοξικότητα ελέγχθηκε τόσο in vitro όσο και in vivo με πειραματισμό σε επίμυες. Τα αποτελέσματα του πειραματικού ελέγχου έδειξαν πως τα PLGA νανοσωματίδια με κέλυφος χιτοζάνης δεν εμφανίζουν νευροτοξικότητα και υπερέχουν σημαντικά σε σχέση με τα νανοσωματίδια χωρίς κέλυφος χιτοζάνης.
Ιπποκράτους, Περὶ Διαίτης, Βιβλίο 2
Authors: Γαλανάκη Μαρία
Published: March 2024

Το ιπποκρατικό κείμενο Περὶ Διαίτης αποτελεί ένα από τα πιο ενδιαφέροντα κείμενα της Ιπποκρατικής Συλλογής, στο οποίο η διεθνής έρευνα πρόσφατα έστρεψε το ενδιαφέρον της. Παρά το γεγονός ότι πρόκειται για ένα έργο με ποικίλο και περίπλοκο περιεχόμενο, υπάρχουν ελάχιστες μελέτες γι’ αυτό στη διεθνή βιβλιογραφία, οι οποίες εστιάζουν στο πρώτο και το τέταρτο βιβλίο του έργου. Η παρούσα εργασία αποσκοπεί στο να παράσχει ένα αναλυτικό ερμηνευτικό υπόμνημα για το δεύτερο βιβλίο του Περὶ Διαίτης, στο οποίο ο συγγραφέας δίνει έναν εκτενέστατο κατάλογο με τρόφιμα και ροφήματα, και συζητά τη διαιτητική επίδραση των σωματικών ασκήσεων καθώς και των λοιπών διαιτητικών πρακτικών στην υγεία, τη διατήρηση και την πρόληψή της. Παράλληλα, η Εισαγωγή της Διατριβής στοχεύει να κατατοπίσει τον αναγνώστη σχετικά με το θεωρητικό πλαίσιο στο οποίο τοποθετείται το κείμενο, εστιάζοντας στην πρωτότυπη σχέση που διέπει το σώμα και την ψυχή σύμφωνα με τον συγγραφέα του Περὶ Διαίτης.
Θερμοκαυτηρίαση με μικροκύματα (microwave ablation-MWA) σε όγκους ήπατος
Authors: Τσόχατζης Αθανάσιος
Published: March 2024

Σκοπός: Σκοπός της διδακτορικής διατριβής είναι η αναδρομική σύγκριση και αξιολόγηση του όγκου της ζώνης θερμοκαυτηριασμού και της μείωσής του από την αρχική εκτίμηση στον 1 μήνα παρακολούθησης μετά τον διαδερμικό θερμοκαυτηριασμό με μικροκύματα (MWA) μεταξύ υγιούς και κιρρωτικού ηπατικού παρεγχύματος. Υλικό και Μέθοδος: Μέσα από μια βάση δεδομένων εντοπίστηκαν 84 ασθενείς (118 ηπατικούς όγκους) που υποβλήθηκαν σε διαδερμική MWA με το ίδιο σύστημα. Εφαρμόστηκε ο λόγος Caudal-right lobe για τη διάκριση της ομάδας κιρρωτικών (n = 51) και υγιών (n = 67) ηπατικών παρεγχυμάτων. Το λογισμικό ITK-SNAP χρησιμοποιήθηκε για την ποσοτικοποίηση του όγκου της ζώνης θερμοκαυτηριασμού. Ο μακρύς (LAD) και ο βραχύς άξονας 1 (SAD-1) και 2 (SAD-2), η διάμετρος των αλλοιώσεων (mm) και ο όγκος (cm³) των ζωνών θερμοκαυτηρίασης αξιολογήθηκαν για κάθε βλάβη και στις δύο ομάδες κατά την αρχική φάση-baseline (αμέσως μετά την MWA) και κατά την παρακολούθηση – follow-up 1 μηνός. Αποτελέσματα: Δεν υπήρξε σημαντική διαφορά μεταξύ των όγκων των ζωνών κατάλυσης κατά το baseline (ομάδα υγιών: μέσος όγκος θερμοκαυτηριασμού 14,84 cm³ έναντι ομάδας κιρρωτικών: μέσος όγκος κατάλυσης 17,85 cm³, p = 0,31) και 1 μήνα μετά την MWA (ομάδα υγιών: μέσος όγκος κατάλυσης 9,15 cm³ έναντι ομάδας κιρρωτικών: μέσος όγκος κατάλυσης 11,58 cm³, p = 0,24). Όταν αξιολογήθηκαν ανεξάρτητα τόσο η ομάδα "υγιούς" όσο και η ομάδα "κιρρωτικού" ήπατος, υπήρξε σημαντική διαφορά στη μείωση των όγκων θερμοκαυτηριασμού (p-value < 0,001) από το baseline έως και το follow- up στον 1 μήνα. Όταν οι δύο ομάδες συγκρίθηκαν με βάση τη μείωση (35,12-38,34%) δεν υπήρξε σημαντική διαφορά στους όγκους της ζώνης θερμοκαυτηριασμού (p-value = 0,77). Συμπεράσματα: Η διαδερμική MWA οδηγεί σε ζώνες θερμοκαυτηριασμού συγκρίσιμου όγκου τόσο στο υγιές όσο και στο κιρρωτικό ηπατικό παρέγχυμα. Τόσο στο κιρρωτικό όσο και στο υγιές ηπατικό παρέγχυμα παρατηρείται παρόμοια σημαντική μείωση του όγκου της ζώνης θερμοκαυτηριασμού 1 μήνα μετά τη θεραπεία.
Working Paper 49: Dirty deals – Case studies on corruption in waste management and trade
Authors: Isarin Nancy , Baez Camargo Claudia , Cabrejo le Roux Amanda
Published: March 2024

Waste management is a huge industry at the local, national and international levels. Public services play a key role in dealing especially with waste generated by households. Getting waste management right is essential if we are to achieve a circular economy and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Complex legal frameworks and their weak implementation open up spaces for criminals to profit from illegally managing or trading in waste. The consequences on the environment and human health can be severe. The role of corruption in crimes involving waste is unexplored.

An initial analysis shows the potential for corruption to play a role in:

influencing policy decisions involving waste management;

corrupt deals involving the selection of waste management companies linked to powerful elites;

schemes to gain lucrative waste management contracts through systematic bribery;

illegal imports of hazardous substances for profit, avoiding or suppressing formal controls.

The report explores five case studies (Albania, Lebanon, North Macedonia, Canada–Philippines, US–South America) and proposes a typology of corruption patterns in crimes involving waste management and trade.
Hematological changes in descendants of animals irradiated in different doses
Authors: Stepanov G. , Vastyanov R. , Kostina A. , Mokriienko E. , Lazor N.
Published: March 2024

An urgent problem today is not only the study of changes in the stability of the genome of somatic cells, the clarification of the mechanisms of its destabilization under the influence of a complex of environmental factors, including radiation, but also the study of the possibility of hereditary transmission of these changes. In the modern experimental and clinical medicine, the most important problem is the harmful effect of ionizing radiation on the descendants of irradiated parents and the specifics of the effect of radiation on the developing organism. An important aspect of the problem of long-term post-radiation effects is the state of reproductive function and health of the descendants of the irradiated population, due to the physiological characteristics inherent to the mother and child - high sensitivity to the action of ionizing radiation, the consequences of which may manifest after a long period of imaginary well-being. The purpose of the work is to investigate the dynamics of body weight and hematological indiexes in the descendants of intact sexually mature animals and descendants born to animals irradiated at different doses, which were exposed to radiation at a dose of 1.0 Gy. The authors revealed that in descendants born to animals irradiated at different doses, which were exposed to radiation at a dose of 1.0 Gy, it was established that by the 30th day after irradiation at a dose of 1.0 Gy, the general condition of pup rats born from animals irradiated at a dose of 0.5 Gy and exposed to irradiation at a dose of 1.0 Gy is satisfactory against the background of an insignificant decrease in the body weight. This also applies to pup rats born to animals irradiated at a dose of 1.0 Gy, whose general condition slightly improves compared to the previous period of the study. The data obtained showed in the peripheral blood after 1 day in the descendants born to animals irradiated at a dose of 0.5 Gy, after irradiation at a dose of 1.0 Gy, a reduced content of hemoglobin and erythrocytes against the background of an increase in the content of platelets, leukocytes, lymphocytes and reticulocytes in comparison with non-irradiated animals, which was maintained throughout the experiment. Pronounced changes in hematological parameters were observed in the descendants born to animals irradiated at a dose of 1.0 Gy, which were exposed to total γ-irradiation at a dose of 1.0 Gy. The authors suppose their data are in favour of the pronounced adaptationof organisms’ regulatiory systems to ionizing irradiation effect that, firstly, outline the adaptative physiologcal mechanisms and, secondly, show the main launches of pathophysiologcial mechamisns in case of irradiation-induced hematological changes.
Komisje porządkowe cywilno-wojskowe województwa krakowskiego w dobie Sejmu Wielkiego (1790-1792)
Authors: Jędrzejewski Przemysław
Published: March 2024

Decentralization of the Polish-Lithuanian state and deterioration of the country’s structures of administration since mid-17th century led to decrease of the state’s international significance and limitation of the Commonwealth’s independence. The only possible way of saving the country was to follow modern West-European states and adop their renaissance methods of rule. An attempt to mend Poland was made during the reign of Stanisław August (1764-1795), and progressive reforms were introduced during the Great Sejm (1788-1792). In order to organize a modern regional administration, which required introducing new ways of obtaining recruits and financing the army, new civil-military order commissions were established. Their operations influenced the evolution of structural transitions in the regional administration of the entire voivodeship.
Вытварный талент в родинї Дубаёвых на протязї штирёх ґенерацій
Authors: Kráľová Ľuba
Published: March 2024

TALENT ARTYSTYCZNY W RODZINIE DUBAJÓW NA PRZESTRZENI CZTERECH POKOLEŃNiniejszy artykuł poświęcony jest rodzinie Dubajów, założonej przez Dezidera, greckokatolickiego duchownego z Orjabyny w powiecie Lubowla oraz Annę z domu Kalyniakowa z Wyszniego Myrosziwa w powiecie Świdnik na Słowacji. Dezider i Anna pobrali się w 1909 r. i mieli siedmioro dzieci. W 1920 r. Dezider wyjechał do USA, do Pensylwanii, gdzie pełnił posługę greckokatolickiego duchownego dla mieszkających tam Rusinów. Pieniądze, które przesyłał rodzinie, Anna inwestowała w edukację ich siedmiorga dzieci: Mychala, Dezidera, Marty, Pavla, Ladislawa, Anny oraz Oresta. W okresie międzywojennym wszystkie dzieci Dubajów ukończyły ośmioletnie gimnazjum w Mukaczewie lub Preszowie, a następnie czworo z nich ukończyły Uniwersytet Karola w Pradze, dwoje – Uniwersytet Komeńskiego w Bratysławie, a Orest – Słowacki Uniwersytet Techniczny. Dzięki wyższemu wykształceniu sześcioro dzieci Dezidera i Anny Dubajów stało się ważnymi przedstawicielami społecznymi powojennej Słowacji. W artykule opisany został talent artystyczny w rodzinach trójki z siedmiorga dzieci Anny i Dezidera. Materiał, na którym bazuje praca, pozyskano przy pomocy wywiadów z ich wnukami, obecnie mieszkającymi w Pradze, Bratysławie, Koszycach i Preszowie. Badania, które przez dwa lata prowadzone były wśród trzeciego pokolenia rodziny Dubajów, ujawniły wiele wcześniej niepublikowanych informacji na temat życia jej członków.
Hands: the tools of the carer. Are they safe?
Authors: D'Agostino Agostino
Published: March 2024

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were advised by some of our political leaders to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice to ourselves while undertaking handwashing. This was to ensure the timeframe spent washing our hands was enough to reduce the spread of infection. However, hand hygiene is not that simple, and the suggestion that such measures would be sufficient to limit any potential risks to health is misleading. The following article will establish the actualities of safe hand hygiene, and explain why it is so important and how it is best achieved. Through doing so, it will ensure healthcare workers are informed and able to make beneficent decisions for their safety, and for the safety of their patients/clients.
Healing an ischial tuberosity pressure ulcer in a patient with neurogenic heterotopic ossification: a case report
Authors: Li Shuntang , Nong Qingwen , Wu Yajun , Liu Daen
Published: March 2024

Neurogenic heterotopic ossification (NHO) is widely recognised as an aberrant bone formation in soft tissue following central nervous system injury. It is most frequently associated with pain and limited movement, especially in the hip. However, it may be neglected in patients with paraplegia with a pressure ulcer (PU). We report the case of an 18-year-old male patient who presented with a hard-to-heal ischial tuberosity PU and who had undergone three operations at other hospitals during the previous six months, which had failed to repair the PU. There was a history of paraplegia as a consequence of spinal cord injury two years previously. Computed tomography and three-dimensional reconstruction showed massive heterotopic ossification (HO) in the wound bed and around the right hip. Histological findings were consistent with a diagnosis of HO. The HO around the wound was completely excised, negative pressure wound therapy was used to promote granulation, and a gluteus maximus musculocutaneous flap was used to cover the wound. We conclude that for patients with paraplegia, with a hard-to-heal PU, it should be determined whether it is associated with NHO. Surgical resection of HO surrounding the wound and improving the microcirculation are critical for repair and reconstruction of these PUs.
Comparative evaluation of two different xenogenic acellular matrices on full-thickness skin wound healing
Authors: Kumar Vineet , Kumar Naveen , Gangwar Anil K , Singh Rajendra
Published: March 2024

Objective:

The purpose of the study was to compare the healing potential of bubaline small intestinal matrix (bSIM) and fish swim bladder matrix (FSBM) on full-thickness skin wounds in rabbits.

Method:

Four full-thickness skin wounds (each 20×20mm) were created on the dorsum of 18 rabbits that were divided into three groups based on treatment: untreated sham control (I), implanted with double layers of bSIM (II) and implanted with double layers of FSBM (III). Macroscopic, immunologic and histologic observations were made to evaluate wound healing.

Results:

Gross healing progression in the bSIM and FSBM groups showed significantly (p<0.05) less wound contraction compared with the sham group. The IgG concentration in rabbit sera was significantly (p<0.05) lower in the FSBM group compared with the bSIM group by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The stimulation index of peripheral blood lymphocytes was significantly (p<0.05) lower in the FSBM group compared with the bSIM group by the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. Implantation of FSBM resulted in improved re-epithelialisation, neovascularisation and fibroplasia.

Conclusion:

The FSBM is a more effective dermal substitute when compared with the bSIM for full-thickness skin wound repair in rabbit.
The experiences of internationally educated nurses who joined the nursing workforce in England
Authors: Lanada Jose Ariel , Culligan Kate
Published: March 2024

The number of internationally educated nurses working in the NHS has skyrocketed over the past three decades. This study examines their experiences of working and living in England

Objectives:

There is limited literature on the experiences of internationally educated nurses (IENs) who have joined NHS trusts in England in the past 20 years. The objectives of this integrative review included exploring and analysing the experiences of IENs in the NHS in England and identifying the cultural, pastoral and training needs of IENs during their first 2 years working in England and providing research-informed recommendations to better support IENs.

Design:

An integrative review of primary research studies using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods of data collection. Data source: CINAHL, British Nursing Index and Google Scholar. Results: Nine articles met the inclusion criteria for this integrative review. All articles contributed to the findings of three main analytical themes: expectations, challenges and belongingness.

Conclusion:

Limited research fully met the search criteria. This was concerning since IENs have been working in the NHS for decades, yet so few primary studies have been conducted into their experiences. The findings were in line with previous studies, which found that IENs faced challenges both in the workplace and in settling into an English way of life, and often reported feeling that they were not treated equally to their English counterparts. This integrative review raises issues and increases awareness of how the NHS in England can better support IENs transitioning into their new life and ways of working, to further aid recruitment and retention of the international nursing workforce.
The vertex connectivity and the third largest eigenvalue in regular (multi-)graphs
Authors: Ma Tingyan , Wang Ligong , Hu Yang
Published: March 2024

Let $G$ be a simple graph or a multigraph. The vertex connectivity $\kappa(G)$ of $G$ is the minimum size of a vertex set $S$ such that $G-S$ is disconnected or has only one vertex. We denote by $\lambda_{3}(G)$ the third largest eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix of $G$. In this paper, we present an upper bound for $\lambda_{3}(G)$ in a $d$-regular (multi-)graph $G$ which guarantees that $\kappa(G)\geq t+1$, which is based on the result of Abiad et al. [Spectral bounds for the connectivity of regular graphs with given order. Electron. J. Linear Algebra 34:428-443, 2018]. Furthermore, we improve the upper bound for $\lambda_{3}(G)$ in a $d$-regular multigraph which assures that $\kappa(G)\geq 2$.
Repairing Historical Trauma in Louise Erdrich's The Plague of Doves
Authors: Rodi Risberg Marinella , Vickroy Laurie
Published: March 2024

Abstract: Louise Erdrich's The Plague of Doves fictionalizes an historical account of three Native Americans who were hanged without trial by a white mob for the murder of various members of a white family. These acts become foundational traumas, part of patterns of colonial suppression that are transmitted intergenerationally and play out in repetitive dysfunctional relationships in the fictional white small town of Pluto, North Dakota, bordering a reservation. In order to unravel the complex threads of Erdich's narrative of repressed and displaced traumas that entangle different generations, races, and families, social and culturally oriented theories of trauma must be put in conversation with Native American studies' concepts of historical trauma and Native American/Ojibwe culture-specific healing strategies.
US Death Row Literature and Public Mobilization against Capital Punishment
Authors: Lockard Joe
Published: March 2024

Abstract: The paper introduces a question of how narrative studies can contribute to abolition of the death penalty in the United States. A second section maps a history of Death Row narratives from incarcerated people and witness memoirs, including early American narratives, Sacco and Vanzetti, Caryl Chessman, and contemporary writers such as Albert Woodfox. This historicization lays a foundation for treating Death Row literature as a coherent witness genre. A third theoretical section argues that the major work of narratives opposed to the death penalty lies in humanization of condemned prisoners and assertion of a human right to life, yet this is an insufficient and flawed argument. Death Row literature from incarcerated people represents an inherent claim on citizenship and protection of a right to life, not sentimentalism. The paper closes by arguing that to have credibility and effect, writing from observers outside prisons demands an encircling link between witness and activism.
Deep-Time Tourism: "The Encantadas" and Crystal Palace Park
Authors: Bishop Andrew
Published: March 2024

Abstract: This essay explores how Herman Melville's "The Encantadas" (1854) participates in the rise of deep-time tourism, or the desire and market for encounters with long-vanished prehuman beings and places. The same year Putnam's Magazine published "The Encantadas" the Crystal Palace Park in London put on display the world's first full-sized, three-dimensional dinosaurs. After using this event to conceptualize deep-time tourism and the contradictions that define it, the essay makes a two-part argument about "The Encantadas." First, it shows how the tortoises in "The Encantadas" are Melville's literary equivalent to the Park's dinosaur reconstructions. Second, the essay argues that Melville is not simply using these apparently ancient beings to capitalize upon the burgeoning market for deep-time tourism. He is also using them to critically reflect on the desire to see prehistoric—or prehistoric-looking—creatures.
Applicability of the semi-automated photo-identification software ExtractCompare for the monitoring of the harbour seals in Ireland
Authors: Steinmetz Kristina , Langley Izzy , Hague Emily , Mirimin Luca , Hernon Proinsias , Ó Cadhla Oliver , Murphy Sinéad
Published: March 2024

ABSTRACT: Photo-identification enables non-invasive identification of individuals from natural markings, with several algorithms developed to recognise individual patterns. ExtractCompare is a key software package for individual semi-automated recognition of harbour seals ( Phoca vitulina ). Its performance, however, may vary with image quality, aspect employed and subspecies. This study assessed ExtractCompare's applicability for monitoring harbour seals in Ireland where it has not been used previously, and explored the impact of aspect, pelage state and image parameters on performance. Test databases were created for the following aspects: head, neck, flank and head+neck. For each database, software performance was assessed by analysing 20 known matches and non-matches, respectively. The effect of parameters on performance was analysed using Generalised Linear Models, the Cumulative Density Function (CDF) was calculated for the first twenty ranked potential matching images, and similarity score thresholds were assessed against the relative frequency of false negatives. Results produced the first report of pelage state affecting the algorithm's accuracy, indicating that it should be considered for future studies. The CDF increased with the number of ranked images inspected (CDF1=0.35–0.60; CDF20=0.80–0.91). Our findings demonstrated the applicability of ExtractCompare for individual identification of harbour seals, indicating that this is a viable tool for monitoring this species in Irish waters.
"The Same Uniform with White Men": Military Costume, African American War Experience, and Faulkner's Flags in the Dust
Authors: Trout Steven
Published: March 2024

ABSTRACT: The US Army uniform issued to Caspey Strother, an African American World War I veteran in William Faulkner's Flags in the Dust , is freighted with contested political meaning. This article shows how the novel works to undermine the connection between military attire and citizenship (in the case of Black soldiers) and illuminates an ironic subtextual kinship between Caspey and his creator. In addition, the article places Caspey's uniform within a larger pattern of references in the text to military material culture, a pattern that ultimately points to the incompatibility of the southern warrior ideal with the realities of armed conflict in the twentieth century.
John Egerton's The Americanization of Dixie : A Fifty-Year Retrospective
Authors: Strain Christopher
Published: March 2024

ABSTRACT: 2024 marks the fifty-year anniversary of the publication of John Egerton's The Americanization of Dixie: The Southernization of America (1974), a seminal work on regional and national identity. What did this book get right? What did it get wrong? Fifty years later, it still resonates. From states' rights to gun rights, from immigration to Black voter disfranchisement, from the resurgence of white supremacy to the ongoing significance of race in American life, various issues demonstrate not only how the South has Americanized but also how the nation on the whole has southernized.
Seeing "The Death of Mann"
Authors: Manigault-Bryant James
Published: March 2024

ABSTRACT: This essay celebrates John Wilson's visual masterpiece, The Richard Wright Suite (2001), a series of six elegant etchings that reimagine Richard Wright's novella, "Down by the Riverside." Wilson's images, and the story that inspired them, remember lives lost to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. Just as Wright's novella has been associated with accounts of the flood lyricized in blues music, Wilson's etchings visualize the blues by depicting the Mississippi River as a striking blue stream. Laboriously crafted in aquatint, the river not only memorializes the power of climate disasters fomented by industrial capitalism, but honors those Black lives claimed in their devastation.
Narrow linewidth laser based on a sidewall grating active distributed Bragg reflector
Authors: Sheng Meng-Wei , Hao You-Zeng , Wang Wei , Dong Zhong , Yang Yue-De , Xiao Jin-Long , Huang Yong-Zhen
Published: March 2024

We demonstrated a narrow linewidth semiconductor laser based on a deep-etched sidewall grating active distributed Bragg reflector (SG-ADBR). The coupling coefficients and reflectance were numerically simulated for deep-etched fifth-order SG-ADBR, and a reflectance of 0.86 with a bandwidth of 1.04 nm was obtained by the finite element method for a 500-period SG-ADBR. Then the fifth-order SG-ADBR lasers were fabricated using projection i-line lithography processes. Single-mode lasing at 1537.9 nm was obtained with a high side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of 65 dB, and a continuous tuning range of 10.3 nm was verified with SMSRs greater than 53 dB. Furthermore, the frequency noise power spectral density was characterized, from which a Lorentzian linewidth of 288 kHz was obtained.
Lateral shearing interferometry method based on double-checkerboard grating by suppressing aliasing effect
Authors: Liu Huiwen , Shi Runzhou , Zhu Yicheng , Shao Yuqi , Li Yuejia , Bai Jian
Published: March 2024

Ronchi lateral shearing interferometry is a promising wavefront sensing technology with the advantages of simple structure and no reference light, which can realize a high-precision wavefront aberration measurement. To obtain shear information in both directions, the conventional double-Ronchi interferometer sequentially applies two orthogonal one-dimensional Ronchi gratings as the object-plane splitting element of the optics under test. Simultaneously, another Ronchi grating is positioned on the image plane in the same orientation to capture two sets of interferograms, thereby enabling two-dimensional wavefront reconstruction. Mechanical errors will inevitably be introduced during grating conversion, affecting reconstruction accuracy. Based on this, we propose a lateral shearing interferometry applying double-checkerboard grating. Only unidirectional phase shift is needed to obtain shear information in two directions while evading the grating conversion step, aiming to streamline operational processes and mitigate the potential for avoidable errors. We employ scalar diffraction theory to analyze the full optical path propagation process of the double-checkerboard shearing interferometry and introduce a new reconstruction algorithm to effectively extract the two-dimensional shear phase by changing the grating morphology, suppressing the aliasing effect of irrelevant diffraction orders. We reduce the fitting error through iterative optimization to realize high-precision wavefront reconstruction. Compared with conventional Ronchi lateral shearing interferometry, the proposed method exhibits better robustness and stability in noisy environments.
Separation-dependent near-field effects in Mie scattering spectra of two optically trapped aerosol droplets
Authors: Barker Connor R. , King Martin D. , Ward Andrew D.
Published: March 2024

The backscattering of ultraviolet and visible light by a model organic (squalane) aerosol droplet (1.0<r<1.4 μm) is investigated upon approach of a second isolated droplet at varying separations. Illumination and collection of light is along the interparticle axis. The conditions replicate typical broadband light spectroscopy studies of atmospheric aerosol. T-Matrix near-field modelling, which includes near-field effects, predicts separation-dependent changes in the intensity of the backscattered light on close approach of neighbouring spheres. However, the experimental results show no evidence of separation-dependent near-field effects on the scattering. The results are best replicated by modelling the droplets as individual Mie scatterers.
FAM81A is a postsynaptic protein that regulates the condensation of postsynaptic proteins via liquid–liquid phase separation
Authors: Kaizuka Takeshi , Hirouchi Taisei , Saneyoshi Takeo , Shirafuji Toshihiko , Collins Mark O. , Grant Seth G. N. , Hayashi Yasunori , Takumi Toru
Published: March 2024

Proteome analyses of the postsynaptic density (PSD), a proteinaceous specialization beneath the postsynaptic membrane of excitatory synapses, have identified several thousands of proteins. While proteins with predictable functions have been well studied, functionally uncharacterized proteins are mostly overlooked. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of 35 PSD proteome datasets, encompassing a total of 5,869 proteins. Employing a ranking methodology, we identified 97 proteins that remain inadequately characterized. From this selection, we focused our detailed analysis on the highest-ranked protein, FAM81A. FAM81A interacts with PSD proteins, including PSD-95, SynGAP, and NMDA receptors, and promotes liquid–liquid phase separation of those proteins in cultured cells or in vitro. Down-regulation of FAM81A in cultured neurons causes a decrease in the size of PSD-95 puncta and the frequency of neuronal firing. Our findings suggest that FAM81A plays a crucial role in facilitating the interaction and assembly of proteins within the PSD, and its presence is important for maintaining normal synaptic function. Additionally, our methodology underscores the necessity for further characterization of numerous synaptic proteins that still lack comprehensive understanding.
The PP2A-like phosphatase Ppg1 mediates assembly of the Far complex to balance gluconeogenic outputs and enables adaptation to glucose depletion
Authors: Niphadkar Shreyas , Karinje Lavanya , Laxman Sunil
Published: March 2024

To sustain growth in changing nutrient conditions, cells reorganize outputs of metabolic networks and appropriately reallocate resources. Signaling by reversible protein phosphorylation can control such metabolic adaptations. In contrast to kinases, the functions of phosphatases that enable metabolic adaptation as glucose depletes are poorly studied. Using a Saccharomyces cerevisiae deletion screen, we identified the PP2A-like phosphatase Ppg1 as required for appropriate carbon allocations towards gluconeogenic outputs—trehalose, glycogen, UDP-glucose, UDP-GlcNAc—after glucose depletion. This Ppg1 function is mediated via regulation of the assembly of the Far complex—a multi-subunit complex that tethers to the ER and mitochondrial outer membranes forming localized signaling hubs. The Far complex assembly is Ppg1 catalytic activity-dependent. Ppg1 regulates the phosphorylation status of multiple ser/thr residues on Far11 to enable the proper assembly of the Far complex. The assembled Far complex is required to maintain gluconeogenic outputs after glucose depletion. Glucose in turn regulates Far complex amounts. This Ppg1-mediated Far complex assembly, and Ppg1-Far complex dependent control of gluconeogenic outputs enables adaptive growth under glucose depletion. Our study illustrates how protein dephosphorylation is required for the assembly of a multi-protein scaffold present in localized cytosolic pools, to thereby alter gluconeogenic flux and enable cells to metabolically adapt to nutrient fluctuations.
Insights into non-informative results from non-invasive prenatal screening through gestational age, maternal BMI, and age analyses
Authors: Gazdarica Juraj , Forgacova Natalia , Sladecek Tomas , Kucharik Marcel , Budis Jaroslav , Hyblova Michaela , Sekelska Martina , Gnip Andrej , Minarik Gabriel , Szemes Tomas
Published: March 2024

The discovery of cell-free fetal DNA fragments in the maternal plasma initiated a novel testing method in prenatal care, called non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS). One of the limitations of NIPS is the necessity for a sufficient proportion of fetal fragments in the analyzed circulating DNA mixture (fetal fraction), otherwise, the sample is uninterpretable. We present the effect of gestational age, maternal body mass index (BMI), and maternal age on the fetal fraction (FF) of the sample. We retrospectively analyzed data from 5543 pregnant women with a single male fetus who underwent NIPS from which 189 samples received a repeat testing due to an insufficient FF. We showed the relationship between the failure rate of the samples after the repeated analysis, the FF, and the gestational age at the first sampling. Next, we found that different maternal BMI categories affect the FF and thus the chance of an informative redraw. A better understanding of the factors affecting the FF will reduce the number of non-informative calls from repeated analyzes. In this study, we provide helpful information to clinicians on how to approach non-informative analyses.
Association between children’s caregivers time preferences and childhood overweight and obesity in Mexico
Authors: Molina Mariana , Guindon Godefroy Emmanuel , Anderson Laura N. , Tarride Jean-Eric
Published: March 2024

Background

Parents or children’s primary caregivers are a key influence on child weight as both decision makers and role models for eating patterns, physical activity, and other social behaviors. It is unknown whether caregivers’ time preferences are associated with overweight or obesity in children. The primary objective was to estimate the association between parents’ or caregivers’ time preferences and children having overweight or obesity in Mexico.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted using a representative survey of the Mexican population. A multinomial logistic model was used to examine the association between parents’ or caregivers’ time preferences (patience and time consistency) and child overweight or obesity, adjusting for potential confounders.

Results

The study included 9,102 children (mean age 10, 43% female) and 5,842 caregivers (mean age 37; 95% female). Intertemporal preference was strongly associated with increased odds of overweight or obesity in children. A medium patient caregiver had higher odds of having overweight (adjusted OR: 1.73; 95% CI: 1.19, 2.52). Similarly, having a caregiver with a present (OR: 2.52; 95% CI: 1.72, 3.70) or future bias (OR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.98) was associated with higher odds of obesity.

Conclusion

Caregivers’ time preferences were associated with having overweight and obesity in children and should be considered when developing policies to reduce children’s obesity status.
Effect of egg production dynamics on the functional response of two parasitoids
Authors: Aguirre María , Logarzo Guillermo , Triapitsyn Serguei , Diaz-Soltero Hilda , Hight Stephen , Bruzzone Octavio Augusto
Published: March 2024

Functional response describes the number of hosts attacked by a parasitoid in relation to host densities and plays an important role by connecting behavioral-level processes with community-level processes. Most functional response studies were carried out using simple experimental designs where the insects were confined to a plain and small arena with different host densities during a fixed period of time. With these designs, other factors that might affect the functional response of parasitoids were not analyzed, such as fecundity, age, and experience. We proposed a series of latent-variables Markovian models that comprised an integrated approach of functional response and egg production models to estimate the realized lifetime reproductive success of parasitoids. As a case study, we used the parasitoids Anagyrus cachamai and A. lapachosus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), two candidate agents for neoclassical biocontrol of the Puerto Rican cactus pest mealybug, Hypogeococcus sp. (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). The tested species were assessed according to their physiology and prior experience. We estimated the number of mature eggs after emergence, egg production on the first day, egg production rate, the proportion of eggs resorbed, egg resorption threshold, and egg storage capacity. Anagyrus cachamai and A. lapachosus both presented a type III functional response. However, the two parasitoids behaved differently; for A. cachamai, the number of parasitized hosts decreased with female age and depended on the number of mature eggs that were available for oviposition, whereas A. lapachosus host parasitism increased with female age and was modulated by its daily egg load and previous experience. The methodology presented may have large applicability in pest control, invasive species management, and conservation biology, as it has the potential to increase our understanding of the reproductive biology of a wide variety of species, ultimately leading to improved management strategies.
Ground air pollutants explanation based on multiple visibility graph of complex network by temporal community division
Authors: Guo Chubing , Wang Jian , Zhang Yongping , Zhang Haozhe , Yang Haochun
Published: March 2024

In air pollution studies, the correlation analysis of environmental variables has usually been challenged by parametric diversity. Such variable variations are not only from the extrinsic meteorological conditions and industrial activities but also from the interactive influences between the multiple parameters. A promising solution has been motivated by the recent development of visibility graph (VG) on multi-variable data analysis, especially for the characterization of pollutants’ correlation in the temporal domain, the multiple visibility graph (MVG) for nonlinear multivariate time series analysis has been verified effectively in different realistic scenarios. To comprehensively study the correlation between pollutant data and season, in this work, we propose a multi-layer complex network with a community division strategy based on the joint analysis of the atmospheric pollutants. Compared to the single-layer-based complex networks, our proposed method can integrate multiple different atmospheric pollutants for analysis, and combine them with multivariate time series data to obtain higher temporary community division for ground air pollutants interpretation. Substantial experiments have shown that this method effectively utilizes air pollution data from multiple representative indicators. By mining community information in the data, it successfully achieves reasonable and strong interpretive analysis of air pollution data.
Influence of international industrial transfer on the structural power of global value chain -Empirical evidence from manufacturing in RCEP Countries
Authors: Zhang Yu , Joohyeong Lee , Qiao Minjian , Kou Minglong
Published: March 2024

International industrial transfer (IIT) has spawned changes in the deep-seated structural power of value-added. We creatively construct an IIT index which includes both scale and direction, and constructs the structural power (SP) of value-added based on added value. Furthermore, based on 15 RECP countries from 1995 to 2018, this study uses a two-fixed-effect regression model to investigate the IIT on the structural power of value-added of RCEP countries. The results show that: (1) IIT can significantly promote the structural power of value-added of RCEP countries, and the benchmark regression conclusion is still valid after a series of robustness tests; (2) Heterogeneity analysis shows that IIT has a more significant promoting effect on the structural power of value-added in developed countries than in developing countries and a more significant promoting effect on the structural power of value-added inward than on the structural power of value-added outward; (3) Intermediary mechanism test shows that IIT mainly affects the structural power of value-added through trade openness and foreign direct investment. The conclusions of this paper provide useful enlightenment for enhancing the structural power of manufacturing value-added in RCEP countries in the context of global value chain division.