bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Youth Justice and COVID-19: Courts, Community and Custody
Authors: Hampson Kathy , Case Stephen
Published: January 2024

In this chapter, employing the dual lenses of children’s rights and ‘Child First’ as the guiding principle for a youth justice system which (at least in rhetoric) sees children as children (rather than ‘offenders’; cf Case and Browning, 2021), we examine how engagement (both practitioners and system engagement with children and vice versa) has been adversely affected (pains) throughout all levels of involvement from prevention work to custody and resettlement, damaging support to vulnerable children, foregrounding them as offenders, and eroding their vital rights as children (as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child), but also considering where there have been gains through rapidly developing practice and innovation. The subthemes of innovation, contact, access, safeguarding and engagement are applied to actions of the courts, community contact with children and the custodial environment. Informing this chapter are policy and legislative changes affecting youth justice in England and Wales, inspections of practice which took place at various stages of the pandemic ‘lockdowns’ and informal conversations held with youth justice practitioners and managers to gain insight into how this was being felt at the coalface with justice-involved children.
Professional Qualification in Probation and COVID-19
Authors: Fowler Andrew , Martin Laura , Watson Aileen , Brown Tom
Published: January 2024

This chapter explores the ways in which students have experienced the Professional Qualification in Probation during the coronavirus pandemic. Comments are included from focus groups with students from a range of cohorts at various stages of the qualification when the pandemic occurred. The findings lead to reflections on the implications and nature of probation education moving forward.
Achieving change through high-energy democracy and coalition-building
Authors: Murphy Mary P.
Published: January 2024

Addressing the central theme of structure and agency, this chapter explores the dilemma that decision-making entails structural power often controlled by elites, while transformative change often happens through the agency of people power and collective action. Key to enabling transformation is the relationship between mobilisation and democratic institutions; we need more democracy (more equalising structures) and more mobilised citizens (more agentic power). The dominant form of power in political parties needs to relate to and facilitate the transformative power of mobilisation. The first section of the chapter briefly contextualises the structural power of capital, corporations and elites and addresses the importance of engagement of people in ideational debate in rich forms of participatory and deliberative democracy: a form of institutional democracy described as ‘high-energy democracy’. The second section discusses strategies for collective mobilisation, arguing for coalition-building and mobilisation around environmental, gender and social reproduction and traditional distributional concerns about income equality and public services. Arguing that necessity is the mother of coalition, the combined evils of environmental destruction and inequality merit a new political mobilisation in the form of a triple movement. The chapter concludes by discussing Ireland from the perspective of movement-building, examining various constellations of actors, and clusters of mobilisations.
Piacular austerity: sacrificing the poor for the rich
Authors: Parker Jonathan
Published: January 2024

Chapter 7 explores the socio-political rationale for austerity measures and analyses this in terms of power relations and the, often, socially and politically mandated ritual sacrifice of the poor. Durkheim’s concept of ‘piacularism’, as a collective social rite of mourning, and Giraud’s concept of mimetic violence and the scapegoat are introduced as conceptual metaphors for some of the ways in which social policies are enacted and ‘sacrifice’ those considered poor, vulnerable and marginalised while loading them with social ‘sin’ that requires punishment and, in contemporary society, demands and legitimises the stigmatisation and punishment of those in poverty. Sacrificial practices reflect everyday, embedded discourse illuminating understandings of welfare, which may be positive or negative.
Government Administrators Corps in Argentina: a transformative initiative of internal consultants for public administration
Authors: Izzo Gerardo , Martínez Luz Piraino
Published: January 2024

This chapter analyzes the managerial administrative reform involved in the creation of the Corps of Government Administrators in the 1980s. In order to implement these changes within the civil service, the Corps of Government Administrators was created in 1984, inspired by the French École Nationale d’Administration and creating a hopeful and expectant atmosphere within the Argentine public administration. The development of an elite body implied the need to forge and shape a solid institutional quality. This was done by the new Government Administrators Training Program. Its initial aim consisted of recruiting and training public servants with the new values of a strong public vocation. The four public calls for applications, which were launched during the first decade of democracy, allowed the incorporation of 207 government administrators among more than 9,000 applicants. They came from many academic areas and had to work in rotation, performing their duties in multiple state agencies. Over 25 years after the last graduation of government administrators, their destiny has been subject to the continuous ups and downs of Argentine politics. At present, the Corps’ role has been reinvigorated with the renewed possibility of the training of new cadres according to present demands.
The Argentine Congress as an environment for public policy formulation: an analysis of its technical areas
Authors: Staiano Natalia , Castro Pablo Lozada
Published: January 2024

This chapter seeks to investigate the production of public policies formulated in the last ten years in the legislative branch of Argentina. To this end, we will analyze the main areas addressed and their impact at the social level. We will also investigate whether these policies were promoted by the executive branch or by the National Congress’ Chambers. In Argentina, the president has important institutional powers to propose legislation. In this regard, we will also investigate the relationship between the executive and legislative branches, and between the ruling party and the opposition to determine whether they were approved in a consensual or majority manner. On the other hand, we will explore the role of the technical areas within the ntional legislative branch in recent years. We will observe the parliamentary performance of the legislative commissions, the different technical offices that the Congress has, and we will also evaluate the impact that the creation of the Budget Office of the National Congress, and the offices of access to public information and transparency, have had so far.
Gather round: stories that expand the possibilities of Contextual Safeguarding practice
Authors: Owens Rachael
Published: January 2024

Between 2019 and 2022, the Contextual Safeguarding (CS) research team worked closely with ten local safeguarding partnerships to pilot new practice responses to risk and harm faced by young people in schools, neighbourhoods and friendship groups. This was often hard and messy work, requiring considerable courage and determination, and we still have a lot to learn about applying the CS domains and values in ‘real-life’ situations. However, this chapter is about acknowledging, celebrating and sharing the significant learning that has taken place during this latest research phase. Using a narrative approach, we present five semi-fictionalised accounts of emerging CS practice, which exemplify the innovative approaches that are being developed. Readers are invited to ‘gather round’ and listen to stories about the creative ways that practitioners have brought extra-familial contexts into more traditional individual direct work, and hear about responses that seek to engage entire communities to make them safer for a wide range of young people. This is not a ‘how to’ guide to doing CS practice: although the stories are linked by reflections that draw out wider learning and provocations, the overall aim is to inspire a sense of new possibilities and to convey the emotionality of this work. As the storytelling circle closes, readers are sent off with words of advice and encouragement, and, we hope, an expanded sense of what is made possible by taking a contextual approach to safeguarding young people in community contexts.
Introduction: The long road ahead
Authors: Lander Vini , Kay Kavyta , Holloman Tiffany R.
Published: January 2024

This book seeks to examine the complexity of the collision of the pandemics of COVID-19 and racism that become evident when examining the intersection between race, health, public policy and culture. The contributions in this edited collection are an important intervention in speaking back to dominant discourses and the 13 chapters that make up this collection cover a range of facets that have been organised according to key themes that are outlined in this chapter.
Pregnancy, pandemic and protest: critical reflections of a Black millennial mother
Authors: Anyiam Sharon
Published: January 2024

As the lockdown brought the world to a standstill, many were forced to confront the realities of institutional racism and the deadly outcomes for Black groups. In this chapter, the author takes an auto-ethnographical approach to understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests on Black millennial resistance. Reflecting over journal entries, the author’s experience of being a pregnant Black woman during a global pandemic and the parallel of the international Black Lives Matter protests are examined to shed some insight into ways in which Black millennial narratives motivate their resistance.
Out of breath: intersections of inequality in a time of global pandemic
Authors: Anon
Published: January 2024

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis exposed a racialised and classed intersection of pandemic and capitalism where people of the global majority have been disproportionately impacted by coronavirus. During the same period, the death of George Floyd, and the pain of his final words, ‘I can’t breathe’, has shown how the life-breath of some humans is more valued than that of others. The absence of the ability to breathe freely is a reality for many. This chapter draws on bell hooks’ notion of critical dialogue. For hooks, coming together as a beloved community requires us to cross borders, enriching each other’s knowledge. We (two scholar-activists) begin from a series of questions such as: Who is able to breathe? What can we learn from the necropolitics of the pandemic? We then explore the role of education and its future potential in enacting social change.
Monarchy and Thai meta-policy: the early years of Rama X’s reign
Authors: Phuaphansawat Khorapin , Unchanam Puangchon
Published: January 2024

This chapter decodes the key characteristic of policy analysis beyond the central, regional and local governments in Thailand, which is the role and power of the monarchy in the policy domain. This characteristic is unique compared to many other countries. It provides insights that have not been documented by most Thai policy-related literature, especially regarding royal interventions in national politics and public policy. The chapter details key policies initiated by the palace that has radical implications for the relationship between the monarch, the monarchy institution, the government and citizens. Some policies have turned to be the Thailand’s meta-policy, while some have become exceptional ones from existing ideal rules and principles guiding rightful policy analysis. Most of these policies have been also left unchecked and uncriticised by the public. Unlike most European models of a constitutional monarchy, the Thai monarch’s role has not been restricted to merely symbolic and ritualistic realms.
The influence of Thailand’s social movements on policy analysis
Authors: Akarapongpisak Nattakant
Published: January 2024

This chapter explores how social movements have a considerable impact on the analysis of Thailand’s public policies. The focus is on how social movements placed their programmes on the political agenda, aided the agenda’s passage into policy and supported the enforcement, and influenced the policy process from within. It explores why some social movements succeeded in pushing for new and alternative policies, but others did not. Delving into the interplay between political and social changes and movements’ strategies, this chapter reveals how employing confrontation or collaboration strategy had different impacts on government responses at the policy level. It also teases out the context of political polarisation and the processes within which collaboration became co-optation, and how co-optation derailed the policy changes that social movements pursued. Further, this chapter offers an analysis of how the colour-coded politics, the 2014 coup and the 2019 election remarkably shaped the movements’ strategies for policy engagement.
Recasting Workers' Power
Authors: Webster Edward , Dor Lynford
Published: January 2024

This theoretically innovative book, based on ground-breaking fieldwork, challenges the widespread and pessimistic ‘End of Labour Thesis’ which states that labour is no longer a counter-hegemonic force. Drawing on labour process theory and the power resources approach, the book shows how the power of labour is recast as work is restructured. As capital overcomes obstacles to accumulation through various fixes, the working class and its organisations are also restructured. By highlighting the struggles of precarious and informal workers in sub-Saharan Africa, the book clearly articulates the challenges workers face, and suggests some grounds for optimism in the new and hybrid forms of organisation emerging on the margins of the global economy. The question raised is whether these embryonic forms of worker organisation – what the authors call the ‘Southern trend’ – could become the foundations for a new cycle of worker solidarity and union growth. Taking into account the changes brought about by globalisation, digitalisation and technology, the book discusses the development of informal solidaristic groups among workers. The authors conclude that if traditional unions continue to focus on workers in stable jobs, the growing number of precarious workers will be left without a voice and will have to build their power afresh. The result will be deepening inequality and a diverging labour movement. What has been called ‘dualisation’ will shape labour’s future in the Global South.
Gender and Citizenship in Transitional Justice
Authors: Weber Sanne
Published: January 2024

It is increasingly recognized that conflicts affect men and women in different ways. Given this growing ‘gendered’ attention, why do gender inequality and gender-based violence so often persist in post-conflict countries? What does this say about how gender perspectives in laws and policies work out in practice, and especially in the daily lives of those affected by conflict? In what way is gender understood, and does this indeed address the diverse ways in which conflicts affect men and women? This book provides answers to those questions. It follows the experiences of two communities of former internally displaced persons (IDPs) in their process of reclaiming land titles and obtaining reparation through the Victims’ Law. It also describes the experiences of a group of former FARC combatants with their reincorporation process. Through ethnographic, participatory and visual research, the book analyses why these processes fail to deliver the promised gender-equal future. It identifies the ways in which stereotypical understandings of gender and unaddressed structures of gender inequality limit the effectiveness of transitional justice in transforming gender inequality. By drawing on citizenship studies to make ideas of transformative gender justice more concrete and practical, the book offers an innovative way of rethinking gender-sensitive transitional justice.
Avoiding a Central Asian Water War: Challenges and Opportunities for Cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Authors: Hessami Elizabeth B.
Published: January 2024

Abstract: Water is a precious commodity in Central Asia—perhaps the most precious—as the climate warms and severe droughts are ever-present in this part of the world. The stage for conflict seems set between Iran and Afghanistan as historical tensions and current climate realities converge in one of the driest parts of the world. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Afghanistan) is currently experiencing widespread food insecurity. Twenty million Afghans do not have sufficient food supplies (a conservative estimate) and six million are (according to the UN) thought to be at risk of famine. Poor water governance, incapacity to respond to climate events, and increasing populations in Central Asia demanding ever more water are exacerbating tensions. But natural resources can also be an impetus for peacebuilding, especially because neither Iran nor Afghanistan can afford a wide-spread conflict. This article will explore the water-based issues between the two nations, the relative successes and failures of the Afghan-Iranian Helmand River Water Treaty (Helmand Treaty), and the challenges to maintaining peace in the region. Afghanistan’s right to develop has been stymied by more than four decades of near-continuous armed conflict. But its hydropower development must be tempered by Iran’s right not to be harmed by Afghanistan’s development of water infrastructure. Tensions are high. “Water diplomacy” and other peacebuilding measures are key to avoiding further armed conflict.
Water Wars on South America’s Pacific Coast
Authors: John Ronald Bruce St
Published: January 2024

Abstract: After the War of the Pacific (1879–1883), the Silala Basin, arguably one of the most hydropolitically vulnerable basins in the world, became a shared resource of Bolivia and Chile. A related issue involved the shared resources of the Lauca River, which rises in Chile before emptying into a salty basin in Bolivia. Over the decades, Bolivia and Chile unsuccessfully explored tying the Lauca and Silala disputes to Bolivia’s quest for a sovereign Pacific port. The Mauri River dispute between Bolivia and Peru is a third unresolved issue involving shared water resources in South America. All three disputes have impacted the creation and implementation of foreign policy in Bolivia, Chile, and Peru for more than a century. Despite the International Court of Justice’s rulings on two of these disputes, they continue to impact domestic and foreign policies in the region.
Single-stage approach for estimating optical parameters in spectral quantitative photoacoustic tomography
Authors: Suhonen Miika , Pulkkinen Aki , Tarvainen Tanja
Published: January 2024

In quantitative photoacoustic tomography, the optical parameters of a target, most importantly the concentrations of chromophores such as deoxygenated and oxygenated hemoglobin, are estimated from photoacoustic data measured on the boundary of the target. In this work, a numerical approximation of a forward model for spectral quantitative photoacoustic tomography is constructed by utilizing the diffusion approximation for light propagation, the acoustic wave equation for ultrasound propagation, and spectral models of optical absorption and scattering to describe the wavelength dependence of the optical parameters. The related inverse problem is approached in the framework of Bayesian inverse problems. Concentrations of four chromophores (deoxygenated and oxygenated hemoglobin, water, and lipid), two scattering parameters (reference scattering and scattering power), and the Grüneisen parameter are estimated in a single-stage from photoacoustic data. The methodology is evaluated using numerical simulations in different full-view and limited-view imaging settings. The results show that, utilizing spectral data and models, the spectral optical parameters and the Grüneisen parameter can be simultaneously estimated. Furthermore, the approach can also be utilized in limited-view imaging situations.
Dynamics of Hermite-Gaussian Beam Propagation in a Five-Level Tripod-Type Atomic Medium with Spatially Dependent Refractive Index
Authors: Tariq Muhammad , Khan Abuzar
Published: January 2024

This research investigates the intricate interplay between a Hermite-Gaussian (HG) weak probe field and a five-level tripod atomic medium, modulated by three laser fields. The atomic medium's refractive index is made spatially dependent by a Hermite-Gaussian beam of light and influenced further by a Kerr field and a control field. The study focuses on exploring the impact of key parameters on the propagation dynamics of the HG probe field.
The primary parameters under scrutiny include the probe field detuning ($\Delta_P/\gamma$), Kerr, coherent pump, and control field characteristics such as Rabi frequencies and detunings ($\Omega_{1,2,3}/\gamma$, $\Delta_{1,2,3}/\gamma$), as well as spatial coordinates $x/\omega_0$ and $y/\omega_0$, where $\omega_0$ denotes the Gaussian beam waist. Through systematic analysis, we elucidate the intricate effects of these parameters on the modulation of the HG probe field within the atomic medium.
The study not only contributes to the fundamental understanding of light-matter interactions in complex atomic systems but also holds promise for potential applications in quantum information processing and communication. The results provide valuable insights into the control and manipulation of light beams in spatially varying media, paving the way for advancements in quantum optics and atomic physics.
Tunable polarization holographic gratings obtained by varying the ratio of intensities of the recording beams
Authors: Chen Hong , Lyu Ziyao , Wang Changshun
Published: January 2024

Polarization holography has been extensively applied in many fields, such as optical science, metrology, and biochemistry, due to its property of polarization modulation. However, the modulated polarization state of diffracted light corresponds strictly to that of incident light one by one. Here, a kind of tunable polarization holographic grating has been designed in terms of Jones matrices, and intensity-based polarization manipulation has been realized experimentally. The proposed tunable polarization holographic grating is recorded on an azobenzene liquid-crystalline film by a pair of coherent light beams with orthogonal polarization states and asymmetrically controlled intensities. It is found that the diffracted light can be actively manipulated from linearly to circularly polarized based on the light intensity of the recording holographic field when the polarization state of incident light keeps constant. Our work could enrich the field of light manipulation and holography.
Acellular Extrinsic Fiber Cementum Is Invariably Present in the Superficial Layer of Apical Cementum in Mouse Molar
Authors: Iwama Hajime , Kaku Masaru , Thant Lay , Mizukoshi Masaru , Arai Moe , Ono Yoshiki , Kitami Kohei , Saito Isao , Uoshima Katsumi
Published: January 2024

The cementum is a highly mineralized tissue that covers the tooth root. The regional differences among the types of cementum, especially in the extrinsic fibers that contribute to tooth support, remain controversial. Therefore, this study used second harmonic generation imaging in conjunction with automated collagen extraction and image analysis algorithms to facilitate the quantitative examination of the fiber characteristics and the changes occurring in these fibers over time. Acellular extrinsic fiber cementum (AEFC) was invariably observed in the superficial layer of the apical cementum in mouse molars, indicating that this region of the cementum plays a crucial role in supporting the tooth. The apical AEFC exhibited continuity and fiber characteristics comparable with the cervical AEFC, suggesting a common cellular origin for their formation. The cellular intrinsic fiber cementum present in the inner layer of the apical cementum showed consistent growth in the apical direction without layering. This study highlights the dynamic nature of the cementum in mouse molars and underscores the requirement for re-examining its structure and roles. The findings of the present study elucidate the morphophysiological features of cementum and have broader implications for the maintenance of periodontal tissue health.
Time is of the essence: The importance of considering biological rhythms in an increasingly polluted world
Authors: Thoré Eli S. J. , Aulsebrook Anne E. , Brand Jack A. , Almeida Rafaela A. , Brodin Tomas , Bertram Michael G.
Published: January 2024

Biological rhythms have a crucial role in shaping the biology and ecology of organisms. Light pollution is known to disrupt these rhythms, and evidence is emerging that chemical pollutants can cause similar disruption. Conversely, biological rhythms can influence the effects and toxicity of chemicals. Thus, by drawing insights from the extensive study of biological rhythms in biomedical and light pollution research, we can greatly improve our understanding of chemical pollution. This Essay advocates for the integration of biological rhythmicity into chemical pollution research to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how chemical pollutants affect wildlife and ecosystems. Despite historical barriers, recent experimental and technological advancements now facilitate the integration of biological rhythms into ecotoxicology, offering unprecedented, high-resolution data across spatiotemporal scales. Recognizing the importance of biological rhythms will be essential for understanding, predicting, and mitigating the complex ecological repercussions of chemical pollution.
Autophagy and cell wall integrity pathways coordinately regulate the development and pathogenicity through MoAtg4 phosphorylation in Magnaporthe oryzae
Authors: Guo Pusheng , Wang Yurong , Xu Jiayun , Yang Zhixiang , Zhang Ziqi , Qian Jinyi , Hu Jiexiong , Yin Ziyi , Yang Leiyun , Liu Muxing , Liu Xinyu , Li Gang , Zhang Haifeng , Rumsey Ryan , Wang Ping , Zhang Zhengguang
Published: January 2024

Autophagy and Cell wall integrity (CWI) signaling are critical stress-responsive processes during fungal infection of host plants. In the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, autophagy-related (ATG) proteins phosphorylate CWI kinases to regulate virulence; however, how autophagy interplays with CWI signaling to coordinate such regulation remains unknown. Here, we have identified the phosphorylation of ATG protein MoAtg4 as an important process in the coordination between autophagy and CWI in M. oryzae. The ATG kinase MoAtg1 phosphorylates MoAtg4 to inhibit the deconjugation and recycling of the key ATG protein MoAtg8. At the same time, MoMkk1, a core kinase of CWI, also phosphorylates MoAtg4 to attenuate the C-terminal cleavage of MoAtg8. Significantly, these two phosphorylation events maintain proper autophagy levels to coordinate the development and pathogenicity of the rice blast fungus.
Editorial
Authors: Austin Hailey J. , Sloan Robin J. S. , Johnson Graham I.
Published: January 2024

Games are complex systems that operate at the intersections of science and art, leisure and sport, complex and simple, academic and practice, among others. In an increasingly connected and interdependent world, games continue to transcend borders and reach international audiences everywhere, often instantly. Despite this almost unfettered access to games, the global nature of game development and distribution has also resulted in complex economic ties across and between companies, countries and continents. Large media conglomerates design, develop and produce their AAA games in multiple locations around the world. Each location brings its own significant challenges, opportunities and barriers to entering particular markets, be it from a localization or legal point of view. This Special Issue of the Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds, 'China and the World: Navigating Video Game Localization and Copyright Challenges', brings together experts from different fields providing insights into the Chinese games market from an interdisciplinary and international perspective. This Special Issue is dedicated to analysing and understanding the Chinese games market from interdisciplinary perspectives, particularly the ways in which video game localization rationale and copyright law differ globally. The five contributions to this issue demonstrate the complex internationality and intersectionality of the Chinese games market together with the challenges and opportunities associated with entering the market.
Plasma miRNA expression in patients with genetically confirmed multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 syndrome and its phenocopies
Authors: Trukhina D. A. , Mamedova E. O. , Nikitin A. G. , Koshkin P. A. , Belaya Zh. E. , Melnichenko G. A.
Published: January 2024

BACKGROUND: MEN-1 is a rare autosomal dominant disease caused by mutations in MEN1 gene encoding the menin protein. This syndrome is characterized by the occurrence of parathyroid tumors, gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, pituitary adenomas, as well as other endocrine and non-endocrine tumors. If a patient with the MEN-1 phenotype carry no mutations in the MEN1 gene, the condition considers a phenocopy of syndrome (phMEN1). The possible cause of this changes could be changes in epigenetic regulation, particularly in microRNA expression that might affect menin signaling pathways.

AIM: to identify differently expressed circulating miRNAs in plasma in patients with genetically confirmed MEN-1 syndrome, its phenocopies and healthy controls.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: single-center, case-control study was conducted. We assessed plasma microRNA expression in patients with genetically confirmed MEN-1 (gMEN1), phMEN1 and healthy controls. Morning plasma samples were collected from fasting patients and stored at –80°C. Total RNA isolation was performed using miRNeasy Mini Kit with QIAcube. The libraries were prepared by the QIAseq miRNA Library Kit following the manufacturer. Circulating miRNA sequencing was done on Illumina NextSeq 500 (Illumina). Subsequent data processing was performed using the DESeq2 bioinformatics algorithm.

RESULTS: we enrolled 21 consecutive patients with gMEN1 and 11 patients with phMEN1, along with 12 gender matched controls. Median age of gMEN1 was 38,0 [34,0; 41,0]; in phMEN1 — 59,0 [51,0; 60,0]; control — 59,5 [51,5; 62,5]. The gMEN1 group differed in age (p<0.01) but not gender (р=0.739) or BMI (р=0.116) compared to phMEN1 and controls group, the last two groups did not differ by these parameters (p>0.05). 25 microRNA were differently expressed in groups gMEN1 and phMEN1 (21 upregulated microRNAs, 4 — downregulated). Comparison of samples from the phMEN-1 group and relatively healthy controls revealed 10 differently expressed microRNAs: 5 — upregulated; 5 — downregulated. In the gMEN-1 and control groups, 26 differently expressed microRNAs were found: 24 — upregulated; 2 — downregulated. The miRNAs most differing in expression among the groups were selected for further validation by RT-qPCR (in the groups of gMEN1 vs phMEN1 — miR-3613-5p, miR-335-5p, miR-32-5p, miR-425-3p, miR-25-5p, miR-576-5p, miR-215-5p, miR-30a-3p, miR-141-3p, miR-760, miR-501-3p; gMEN1 vs control — miR-1976, miR-144-5p miR-532-3p, miR-375; as well as in phMEN1 vs control — miR-944, miR-191-5p, miR-98-5p).

CONCLUSION: In a pilot study, we detected microRNAs that may be expressed differently between patients with gMEN-1 and phMEN-1. The results need to be validated using different measurement method with larger sample size.
Endocrine and psychosomatic disorders in patients with amenorrhea
Authors: Absatarova Yu. S. , Andreeva E. N. , Evseeva Yu. S. , Zelenkova-Zakharchuk T. A. , Sheremetyeva E. V. , Grigoryan O. R. , Mikheev R. K.
Published: January 2024

The article presents data on the relationship of pathogenetic mechanisms for the development of menstrual disorders of functional and organic origin in connection with mental disturbances from the point of view of the psychosomatic concept. According to the latter, functional disorders of the menstrual cycle are considered as psychosomatic, in which gynecological pathology develops as a result of psychopathological illness. A striking example of such a disorder is functional hypothalamic amenorrhea. At the same time, endocrinopathies, such as polycystic ovary syndrome and premature ovarian insufficiency, can also be considered in the paradigm of psychosomatic illnesses of ovarian function due to the high prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders in this cohort of patients. This review highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between a gynecologist and a psychiatrist for the most effective reproductive rehabilitation of patients with amenorrhea. Literature search was carried out in national (eLibrary, CyberLeninka.ru) and international (PubMed, Cochrane Library) databases in Russian and English. The priority was free access to the full text of articles. The choice of sources was prioritized for the period from 2018 to 2023.However, taking into account the insufficient knowledge of the chosen topic, the choice of sources dates back to 1985.
Retirees return to work: How a North Carolina policy helped staff high-need schools
Authors: Rachel Jarrold-Grapes  , Mahler Patten Priestley
Published: January 2024

Teacher vacancies have been a long-standing issue in U.S. public schools, only made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Vacancies tend to be concentrated in high-poverty, high-minority schools and hard-to-staff subjects like special education and STEM. States have implemented various policies to decrease turnover, including offering teachers bonuses and salary increases. We study one of these policies, a return-to-work policy in North Carolina from 1999-2009, that allowed retired teachers to return to work full-time, earning both their full-time salary and pension benefits concurrently—often resulting in as much as 50% more income than a typical full-time teacher. We document policy take-up and characterize which teachers returned and what schools hired them. The main take-away is that retirees indeed returned under this policy and that high-need schools were disproportionately the ones that hired them.
Teaching Profession Law According to the Perspective of Union Representative Teachers
Authors: DOGAN Soner , OKTAY Yücel , GÜNAY Emine Tunçer
Published: January 2024

This study, which aims to analyze the Teaching Profession Law in terms of purpose, content and innovations, according to the opinions of teachers, was designed according to the phenomenology pattern. The study was determined by the criterion sampling method. The working group consisted of six workplace representatives of the three education unions affiliated to the Ministry of National Education and three teachers. A semi-structured interview form consisting of open-ended questions developed by the researchers was used. Content analysis method was used in the analysis of the research data. According to the results, participants find the law insufficient for reasons such as limited content, insufficient improvement of personal rights, not determining the general competencies, teachers' lack of access to professional development programs, not approaching the teaching holistically, and not meeting the needs and demands of teachers. Participants stated that the Law did not meet the expectations regarding the selection, training and on-the-job training of teachers, and that the teaching career steps did not provide teachers with the motivation to improve themselves. It has been concluded that the issues of "supervision and guidance system" and "professional ethics" are not included in the Teaching Profession Law, which is an important deficiency.
Multielemental Chemical Analysis of Elements in Mandibular Bone and Teeth in the Rat
Authors: Němec Ivo , Smrčka V. , Mahaljevič M. , Mazánek J. , Pokorný J.
Published: January 2024

The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis of different distribution spaces of elements in the rat mandibular bone and teeth. We used six adult males of Wistar laboratory rats for the study. After killing the animals, we extracted the molars and removed incisor crowns. The mandibular bone was divided into four parts (mesial-central-distal- ridge). Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to determine the presence of 41 elements in the bone and tooth. Evidence of 14 elements was found in all samples (incisors-molarsbone). Generally, significant differences between the left and right side were found for K and Rb in the bone locations. As regards statistically significant differences in incisors-molars-bone locations, the elements for which these differences were found for all comparisons are listed as incisors versus individual molars, incisors versus bone locations, and individual molars versus bone locations: a) incisors-molars: Ba, Mn, Mo, Sr, Zn, K, Mg and Rb; b) incisors-bone: Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Zn and Ba; c) molars-bone: Mn, Mo, Na and Mg. Statistically significant differences were also found between molars for Fe, Mg, Mn, and Sr and between bone locations for Ba, Ca, Mn, Sr, K, Rb, Zn, Mo, Mg, and Na. The elements Cu, Ni and Co were without pronounced differences. Twenty-seven elements were below the detection limit. Our results indicate different distributions of some elements in the rat mandibular incisors-molars-bone. We assume that the knowledge of chemical element contents in the laboratory rat bone and teeth will prove useful in experimental research of both these hard tissues.
PARP-1 Involvement in Autophagy and Their Roles in Apoptosis of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells under Oxidative Stress
Authors: Meng Y. Y. , Wu C. W. , Yu B. , Li H. , Chen M. , Qi Guoxian
Published: January 2024

Autophagy and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) are activated and involved in a series of cell processes under oxidative stress, which is associated with pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Research on their relationship under oxidative stress has been limited. In this study, we aimed to investigate the activation, relationship, and role of autophagy and PARP-1 in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) death under oxidative stress. This study explored the signal molecule PARP-1 and autophagy in VSMCs using gene silencing and the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-stimulated oxidative stress model. We observed that H2O2 could induce autophagy in VSMCs, and the inhibition of autophagy could protect VSMCs against oxidative stress-mediated cell death. Meanwhile, PARP-1 could also be activated by H2O2. Additionally, we analysed the regulatory role of PARP-1 in oxidative stress-mediated autophagy and found that PARP-1 was a novel factor involved in the H2O2-induced autophagy via the AMPK-mTOR pathway. Finally, PARP-1 inhibition protected VSMCs against caspase-dependent apoptosis. These data suggested that PARP-1 played a critical role in H2O2-mediated autophagy and both of them were involved in apoptosis of VSMCs.
Regulatory focus predicts individual differences in pragmatic versus grammatical awareness and sensitivity
Authors: Zhang Yiran , Papi Mostafa
Published: January 2024

The present study employs regulatory focus theory (Higgins, 1997) to investigate the effects of L2 speakers’ chronic regulatory focus on their L2 pragmatic versus grammatical awareness. It involved the participation of 121 Chinese students, who are English language learners, at a university in the United States. Haws et al.’s (2010) questionnaire was used to examine the participants’ regulatory dispositions, and a judgment task was adapted from Bardovi-Harlig and Dörnyei (1998) to assess participants’ awareness of grammatical and pragmatic errors, as well as the severity of each type of error. Multiple regression results largely confirmed the predictions. Prevention regulatory focus, concerned with obligations, responsibilities, and negative outcomes, predicted L2 speakers’ recognition of grammatical errors and their severity. Conversely, promotion focus, which emphasizes growth, accomplishments, and positive outcomes, positively predicted L2 speakers’ perceptions of pragmatic error severity. These findings contribute to the understanding of how differences in chronic motivational orientations can lead to different L2 use patterns and characteristics.
Modeling the interaction between teacher credibility, teacher confirmation, and English major students’ academic engagement: A sequential mixed-methods approach
Authors: Wang Yongliang , Kruk Mariusz
Published: January 2024

Adopting a sequential mixed-methods approach, the current inquiry examined English major students’ perceptions of the role of teacher confirmation and teacher credibility in enhancing their academic engagement in the Chinese context. In doing so, through WeChat messenger, three scales were provided to 1168 English major students chosen from different English as a foreign language (EFL) classes. For the sake of triangulation, 40 participants were invited to take part in interview sessions as well. The inspection of the correlations between the constructs indicated a strong association between student academic engagement and teacher confirmation as well as a close connection between student academic engagement and teacher credibility. This showed that the academic engagement of Chinese EFL students is tied to these teacher interpersonal behaviors. The contribution of teacher confirmation and credibility to Chinese EFL students’ academic engagement was also examined using path analysis, which demonstrated that Chinese EFL students’ academic engagement was predicted by teacher credibility and confirmation. Additionally, the interview outcomes proved the integral role of these two communication behaviors in increasing Chinese students’ engagement. Findings may have some noteworthy implications for teacher educators and language instructors.
Deformation theory of cohomological field theories
Authors: Dotsenko Vladimir , Shadrin Sergey , Vaintrob Arkady , Vallette Bruno
Published: January 2024

We develop the deformation theory of cohomological field theories (in short, CohFTs), which is done as a special case of a general deformation theory of morphisms of modular operads. This leads us to introduce two new natural extensions of the notion of a CohFT: homotopy
(necessary algebraic toolkit to develop chain-level Gromov–Witten invariants) and quantum (with examples found in the works of Buryak and Rossi on integrable systems).
The universal group of symmetries of morphisms of modular operads, based on Kontsevich’s graph complex, is shown to be trivial. Using the tautological rings on moduli spaces of curves, we introduce a natural enrichment of Kontsevich’s graph complex. This leads to universal groups of non-trivial symmetries of both homotopy and quantum CohFTs, which, in the latter case, is shown to contain both the prounipotent Grothendieck–Teichmüller group and the Givental group.
Degrees of generalized Kloosterman sums
Authors: Yang Liping
Published: January 2024

The modern study of the exponential sums is mainly about their analytic estimates as complex numbers, which is local. In this paper, we study one global property of the exponential sums by viewing them as algebraic integers. For a kind of generalized Kloosterman sums, we present their degrees as algebraic integers.
Influence of CNTs on the gradient phase structure formed by the layered resin structure used to model the interlaminar region of interleaved FRPs
Authors: Yao Jiawei , Sun Yuekun , Niu Yifan
Published: January 2024

The interleaved fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRPs) by carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/thermoplastic polyetherketone-cardo (PEK-C) hybrid interleaves show the potential of comprehensively improving the mechanical properties of composites and have been hotspot. However, the synergistic effect and mechanism of CNTs and TP resin have not been attained. The interlaminar region of interleaved composites is too narrow and complex to be fully analyzed. Therefore, the layered resin structure composed of an interlayer and a matrix (epoxy) layer was prepared to model the interlaminar region in this study. The evolution of gradient structure developed by the layered structure in curing and the influence of presence of CNTs in interlayer were investigated based on morphology characterization. The results showed that epoxy resin gradually diffused into the interlayer, resulting in the concentration gradient and the resultant gradient phase structure. The presence of CNTs in hybrid interlayer hindered the resin diffusion and consequently hindered the formation of dual-phase structure, which was not conducive to the toughness improvement. The inappropriate high temperature was not recommended due to the effect of facilitating diffusion, probably resulting in the formation of excrescent epoxy layer in the interlaminar region and undesired mechanical performance. This study conducted experiments on resin system to simplify the interesting subject and the results will help to develop the synergistic mechanism of TP resin and nanoparticles.
Features of Two Embodied Processes in Spatial Perspective-Taking Across the Lifespan
Authors: Watanabe Masayuki , Ozawa Himiko
Published: January 2024

Spatial perspective-taking is predicted to include two crucial processes: the detachment of representational self and the self-representation movement. This study shows the features of these processes in three age groups: 36 children aged 5–6 years (13 girls), 29 students aged 19–24 years (20 women), and 33 adults aged 60–84 years (14 women). Participants performed a video game task of spatial perspective-taking. Their response times and eye movements were measured. Reaction latency (RL) data were gathered from the stimulus presentation to the beginning of the gaze movement as the detachment. The remaining time (RT) calculated from the perspective of operation time minus RL was measured as the self-representation movement. A two-way mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted on the RTs. Significant main effects of age group in RTs revealed that the child group was significantly slower than the students’ and older adults’ groups. Older adults were significantly slower than students. In a two-way mixed design ANOVA conducted on the RLs, a significant main effect of age group in RLs revealed that the child group was significantly slower than the students’ and older adults’ groups. The results suggest that the core of spatial perspective-taking comprises the anticipated processes.
Holnapra leforgatjuk az egész világot
Authors: Konkol Máté
Published: January 2024

Az alább közölt esszé a Filmszem rovat első cikksorozatának része. A szövegek egy felhívásra születtek, melyet a kortárs magyar baloldali szcéna több, filmmel és/vagy kultúrával foglalkozó szereplőjének küldtünk körbe. A megszólítottak között helyet kaptak oktatók és hallgatók, alkotók és kutatók, közéleti személyiségek és filmes szakemberek, valamint olyanok is, akik érzésünk szerint határozottan idegenkednek a filmtől.