bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Needs assessment study of rare diseases education for nurses and nursing students in Poland
Authors: Walkowiak Dariusz , Domaradzki Jan
Published: June 2020

Background

The treatment of rare diseases in contemporary health systems appears to be steadily gaining in importance, especially as the number of their occurrence is increasing. However, the education of medical staff in their correct diagnosis and therapy seems inadequate. Our study aims to analyze the knowledge and opinions concerning rare diseases among Polish nurses and nursing students.

Methods

We analyzed a group of 142 nurses and 113 nursing students, using a questionnaire comprising 28 questions about the number, examples, etiology and estimated frequency of rare diseases. Self-assessment of one’s own theoretical and practical competence in the topic, as well as the opinion of the respondents on the need for a more prominent place of rare diseases in the curricula of medical universities, were also tested. We also asked about our informants’ sources of information on rare diseases. The study was conducted between January and June 2019.

Results

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rd of respondents declared having participated in university classes in rare diseases, a markedly higher number (~ 85% of nurses and ~ 75% of students) sees the need for such courses. Neither group feels well-prepared to deal with patients with rare diseases, with 75% of nurses and as many as 85% of nursing students expressing their concern in this respect. Both groups name the Internet as their major source of information.

Conclusion

Both nurses and nursing students show insufficient knowledge of rare diseases, though the level of competence of the former is in many respects higher in a statistically significant way. Most respondents perceive serious deficiencies in their preparation to care for such patients. A change in university curricula seems much called for.
Health and healthcare in North Korea: a retrospective study among defectors
Authors: Lee Hayoung , Robinson Courtland , Kim Jaeshin , McKee Martin , Cha Jiho
Published: June 2020

Background

To gain insights into the socio-economic and political determinants of ill health and access to healthcare in North Korea.

Methods

A retrospective survey using respondent-driven sampling conducted in 2014–15 among 383 North Korean refugees newly resettling in South Korea, asking about experiences of illness and utilization of healthcare while in North Korea, analyzed according to measures of political, economic and human rights indicators.

Results

Although the Public Health Act claims that North Korea provides the comprehensive free care system, respondents reported high levels of unmet need and, among those obtaining care, widespread informal expenditure. Of the respondents, 55.1% (95%CI, 47.7–63.7%) had received healthcare for the most recent illness episode. High informal costs (53.8%, 95%CI, 45.1–60.8%) and a lack of medicines (39.5%, 95%CI, 33.3–47.1%) were reported as major healthcare barriers resulting in extensive self-medication with narcotic analgesics (53.7%, 95%CI, 45.7–61.2%). In multivariate logistic regressions, party membership was associated with better access to healthcare (Adjusted OR (AOR) = 2.34, 95%CI, 1.31–4.18), but household income (AOR = 0.40, 95%CI 0.21–0.78) and informal market activity (AOR = 0.29, 95%CIs 0.15–0.50) with reduced access. Respondents who could not enjoy political and economic rights were substantially more likely to report illness and extremely reduced access to care, even with life-threatening conditions.

Conclusions

There are large disparities in health and access to healthcare in North Korea, associated with political and economic inequalities. The scope to use these findings to bring about change is limited but they can inform international agencies and humanitarian organizations working in this unique setting.
Effect of pneumoperitoneum pressure and the depth of neuromuscular block on renal function in patients with diabetes undergoing laparoscopic pelvic surgery: study protocol for a double-blinded 2 × 2 factorial randomized controlled trial
Authors: Xu Xiaohan , Gong Yahong , Zhang Yuelun , Lang Jiaxin , Huang Yuguang
Published: June 2020

Background

Patients with diabetes mellitus are at a high risk of developing postoperative acute kidney injury. For patients receiving laparoscopic surgery, standard-pressure pneumoperitoneum (SPP) currently applied in clinical practice also undermines renal perfusion. Several studies have shown that low-pressure pneumoperitoneum (LPP) might reduce pressure-related ischemic renal injury. However, LPP may compromise the view of the surgical field. Previous studies have indicated that deep neuromuscular blockade (NMB) can ameliorate this issue. However, the conclusion is still uncertain. The hypothesis of this study is that the joint use of LPP and deep NMB can reduce perioperative renal injury in diabetic patients undergoing laparoscopic pelvic surgery without impeding the view of the surgical field.

Methods

This is a double-blinded, randomized controlled trial using a 2 × 2 factorial trial design. A total of 648 diabetes patients scheduled for major laparoscopic pelvic surgeries at Peking Union Medical College Hospital will be randomized into the following four groups: SPP (12–15 mmHg) + deep-NMB (post-tetanic count of 1–2) group, LPP (7–10 mmHg) + deep-NMB group, SPP + moderate-NMB (train-of-four of 1–2) group, and LPP + moderate-NMB group. The primary outcome is serum cystatin C level measured before insufflation, after deflation, 24 h postoperatively, and 72 h postoperatively. The secondary outcomes are serum creatinine level, intraoperative urine output, erythrocytes in urinary sediment, renal tissue oxygen saturation, Leiden’s surgical condition rating scale, surgery duration, and occurrence of bucking or body movement.

Discussion

This study will provide evidence for the effect of LPP on renal function protection in patients with diabetes undergoing laparoscopic pelvic surgery. The trial can also help us to understand whether deep NMB can improve surgical conditions.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04259112. Prospectively registered on 5 February 2020.
Folic acid supplementation in children with sickle cell disease: study protocol for a double-blind randomized cross-over trial
Authors: Williams Brock A. , McCartney Heather , Adams Erin , Devlin Angela M. , Singer Joel , Vercauteren Suzanne , Wu John K. , Karakochuk Crystal D.
Published: June 2020

Background

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder which causes dysfunctional red blood cells (RBC) and is thought to increase requirements for folate, an essential B vitamin, due to increased RBC production and turnover in the disease. High-dose supplementation with 1–5 mg/d folic acid, synthetic folate, has been the standard recommendation for children with SCD. There is concern about whether children with SCD need such high doses of folic acid, following mandatory folic acid fortification of enriched grains in Canada, and advancements in medical therapies which extend the average lifespan of RBCs. In animal and human studies, high folic acid intakes (1 mg/d) have been associated with accelerated growth of some cancers, and the biological effects of circulating unmetabolized folic acid (UMFA), which can occur with doses of folic acid ≥ 0.2 mg/d, are not fully understood. The objective of this study is to determine efficacy of, and alterations in folate metabolism from high-dose folic acid in children with SCD during periods of folic acid supplementation versus no supplementation.

Methods

In this double-blind randomized controlled cross-over trial, children with SCD (n = 36, aged 2–19 years) will be randomized to either receive 1 mg/d folic acid, the current standard of care, or a placebo for 12 weeks. After a 12-week washout period, treatments will be reversed. Total folate concentrations (serum and RBC), different folate forms (including UMFA), folate-related metabolites, and clinical outcomes will be measured at baseline and after treatment periods. The sum of the values measured in the two periods will be calculated for each subject and compared across the two sequence groups by means of a test for independent samples for the primary (RBC folate concentrations) and secondary (UMFA) outcomes. Dietary intake will be measured at the beginning of each study period.

Discussion

As the first rigorously designed clinical trial in children with SCD, this trial will inform and assess current clinical practice, with the ultimate goal of improving nutritional status of children with SCD.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.govNCT04011345. Registered on July 8, 2019
A novel bacterial β-N-acetyl glucosaminidase from Chitinolyticbacter meiyuanensis possessing transglycosylation and reverse hydrolysis activities
Authors: Zhang Alei , Mo Xiaofang , Zhou Ning , Wang Yingying , Wei Guoguang , Chen Jie , Chen Kequan , Ouyang Pingkai
Published: June 2020

Background

N-Acetyl glucosamine (GlcNAc) and N-Acetyl chitooligosaccharides (N-Acetyl COSs) exhibit many biological activities, and have been widely used in the pharmaceutical, agriculture, food, and chemical industries. Particularly, higher N-Acetyl COSs with degree of polymerization from 4 to 7 ((GlcNAc)4–(GlcNAc)7) show good antitumor and antimicrobial activity, as well as possessing strong stimulating activity toward natural killer cells. Thus, it is of great significance to discover a β-N-acetyl glucosaminidase (NAGase) that can not only produce GlcNAc, but also synthesize N-Acetyl COSs.

Results

The gene encoding the novel β-N-acetyl glucosaminidase, designated CmNAGase, was cloned from Chitinolyticbacter meiyuanensis SYBC-H1. The deduced amino acid sequence of CmNAGase contains a glycoside hydrolase family 20 catalytic module that shows low identity (12–35%) with the corresponding domain of most well-characterized NAGases. The CmNAGase gene was highly expressed with an active form in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cells. The specific activity of purified CmNAGase toward p-nitrophenyl-N-acetyl glucosaminide (pNP-GlcNAc) was 4878.6 U/mg of protein. CmNAGase had a molecular mass of 92 kDa, and its optimum activity was at pH 5.4 and 40 °C. The Vmax, Km, Kcat, and Kcat/Km of CmNAGase for pNP-GlcNAc were 16,666.67 μmol min−1 mg−1, 0.50 μmol mL−1, 25,555.56 s−1, and 51,111.12 mL μmol−1 s−1, respectively. Analysis of the hydrolysis products of N-Acetyl COSs and colloidal chitin revealed that CmNAGase is a typical exo-acting NAGase. Particularly, CmNAGase can synthesize higher N-Acetyl COSs ((GlcNAc)3–(GlcNAc)7) from (GlcNAc)2–(GlcNAc)6, respectively, showed that it possesses transglycosylation activity. In addition, CmNAGase also has reverse hydrolysis activity toward GlcNAc, synthesizing various linked GlcNAc dimers.

Conclusions

The observations recorded in this study that CmNAGase is a novel NAGase with exo-acting, transglycosylation, and reverse hydrolysis activities, suggest a possible application in the production of GlcNAc or higher N-Acetyl COSs.
Characterization of vector communities and biting behavior in South Sulawesi with host decoy traps and human landing catches
Authors: Davidson Jenna R. , Baskin Robert N. , Hasan Hajar , Burton Timothy A. , Wardiman Muhammad , Rahma Nur , Saputra Fadly R. , Aulya Muhammad Sultanul , Wahid Isra , Syafruddin Din , Hawkes Frances M. , Lobo Neil F.
Published: June 2020

Background

Indonesia has high mosquito diversity, with circulating malaria and arboviruses. Human landing catches (HLC) are ethically questionable where arboviral transmission occurs. The host decoy trap (HDT) is an exposure-free alternative outdoor sampling device. To determine HDT efficacy for local culicids, and to characterize local mosquito fauna, the trapping efficacy of the HDT was compared to that of HLCs in one peri-urban (Lakkang) and one rural (Pucak) village in Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Results

In Lakkang the outdoor HLCs collected significantly more Anopheles per night (n = 22 ± 9) than the HDT (n = 3 ± 1), while the HDT collected a significantly greater nightly average of Culex mosquitoes (n = 110 ± 42), than the outdoor HLC (n = 15.1 ± 6.0). In Pucak, there was no significant difference in Anopheles collected between trap types; however, the HDT collected significantly more Culex mosquitoes than the outdoor HLC nightly average (n = 53 ± 11 vs 14 ± 3). Significantly higher proportions of blood-fed mosquitoes were found in outdoor HLC (n = 15 ± 2%) compared to HDT (n = 2 ± 0%). More blood-fed culicines were collected with outdoor HLC compared to the HDT, while Anopheles blood-fed proportions did not differ. For the HDT, 52.6%, 36.8% and 10.5% of identified blood meals were on cow, human, and dog, respectively. Identified blood meals for outdoor HLCs were 91.9% human, 6.3% cow, and 0.9% each dog and cat. Mosquitoes from Pucak were tested for arboviruses, with one Culex pool and one Armigeres pool positive for flavivirus, and one Anopheles pool positive for alphavirus.

Conclusions

The HDT collected the highest abundance of culicine specimens. Outdoor HLCs collected the highest abundance of Anopheles specimens. Although the HDT can attract a range of different Asian mosquito genera and species, it remains to be optimized for Anopheles in Asia. The high proportion of human blood meals in mosquitoes collected by outdoor HLCs raises concerns on the potential exposure risk to collectors using this methodology and highlights the importance of continuing to optimize a host-mimic trap such as the HDT.
Newcastle disease virus induces testicular damage and disrupts steroidogenesis in specific pathogen free roosters
Authors: Rehman Zaib Ur , Ren Shanhui , Yang Bin , Yang Xiaofeng , Butt Salman Latif , Afzal Alia , Malik Muhammad Irfan , Sun Yingjie , Yu Shengqing , Meng Chunchun , Ding Chan
Published: June 2020

Newcastle disease (ND), which is caused by Newcastle disease virus (NDV), can cause heavy economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. It is characterised by extensive pathologies of the digestive, respiratory, and nervous systems and can cause severe damage to the reproductive system of egg-laying hens. However, it is unknown whether NDV replicates in the male reproductive system of chickens and induces any pathologies. In this study, we selected a representative strain (i.e. ZJ1) of the most common genotype (i.e. VII) of NDV to investigate whether NDV can induce histological, hormonal, and inflammatory responses in the testes of specific pathogen free (SPF) roosters. NDV infection increased the expression of toll like receptor TLR3, TLR7, MDA5, IFN-α, IFN-β, IFN-γ, IL-8, and CXCLi1 in the testes of NDV-infected roosters at 5 days post-infection (dpi). Severe histological changes, including decrease in the number of Sertoli cells and individualized, shrunken spermatogonia with pyknotic nuclei, were observed at 3 dpi. At 5 dpi, the spermatogenic columns were disorganized, and there were fewer cells, which were replaced by necrotic cells, lipid vacuoles, and proteinaceous homogenous material. A significant decrease in the plasma concentrations of testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH) and the mRNA expression of their receptors in the testes, steroidogenic acute regulatory protein, cytochrome P450 side-chain cleavage enzyme, and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in the NDV-infected group was observed relative to those in the control group (P < 0.05). Collectively, these results indicate that NDV infection induces a severe inflammatory response and histological changes, which decrease the steroidogenesis.
Novel biallelic loss-of-function variants in CEP290 cause Joubert syndrome in two siblings
Authors: Wang Xiang , Zhang Zhu , Zhang Xueguang , Shen Ying , Liu Hongqian
Published: June 2020

Background

Joubert syndrome (JS) is a rare genetic disorder, which can be defined by brain stem malformation, cerebellar vermis hypoplasia, and consequent “molar tooth sign” (MTS). JS always shares variety of phenotypes in development defects. With the development of next-generation sequencing, dozens of causative genes have been identified to JS so far. Here, we investigated two male siblings with JS and uncovered a novel pathogenesis through combined methods.

Results

The siblings shared similar features of nystagmus, disorders of intellectual development, typical MTS, and abnormal morphology in fourth ventricle. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) and chromosome comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) were then performed on the proband. Strikingly, a maternal inherited nonsense variant (NM_025114.3: c.5953G>T [p.E1985*]) in CEP290 gene and a paternal inherited deletion in 12q21.32 including exons 1 to 10 of CEP290 gene were identified in the two affected siblings. We further confirmed the two variants by in vitro experiments: quantitative PCR and PCR sequencing.

Conclusions

In this study, we first reported a novel causative mechanism of Joubert syndrome: a copy number variation (CNV) combined with a single-nucleotide variant in CEP290 gene, which can be helpful in the genetic diagnosis of this disease.
Epidemiologically characteristics of human brucellosis and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Brucella melitensis in Hinggan League of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
Authors: Yuan Hai-Tao , Wang Cheng-Ling , Liu Li-Na , Wang Dan , Li Dan , Li Zhen-Jun , Liu Zhi-Guo
Published: June 2020

Background

Hinggan League is located in the Northeast of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the historically endemic area of animal and human brucellosis. In this study, the epidemiological characteristics of human brucellosis were analyzed, and the genotypic profile and antimicrobial susceptibilities of Brucella melitensis strains isolated from humans in Hinggan League were investigated.

Methods

The epidemic characteristics were described using case number, constituent ratio, and rate. The 418 human blood samples were collected and tested by bacteriology, and suspect colonies were isolated and identified by conventional biotyping assays, the VITEK 2.0 microbial identification system, and AMOS (Brucella abortus, B. melitensis, B. ovis, and B. suis)-PCR. Subsequently, all strains were genotyped using multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) assays, and the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Brucella strains against the 10 most commonly used antibiotics was determined by microdilution method.

Results

A total of 22 848 cases of human brucellosis were reported from 2004 to 2019, with an annual average incidence of 87.2/100 000. The incidence rates in developed areas of animal husbandry (Horqin Youyi Qianqi [161.2/100 000] and Horqin Youyi Zhongqi [112.1/100 000]) were significantly higher than those in forest areas (Arxan [19.2/100 000]) (χ2 = 32.561, P < 0.001). In addition, peak morbidity occurred during May–August, accounting for 72.6% (16582/22 848) of cases. The highest number of cases occurred in the 40+ age group, accounting for 44.4% (10 137/22484) of cases, and morbidity in males was significantly higher than that in females in all age groups (χ2 = 299.97, P < 0.001), the most common occupation was farmers. A total of 54 B. melitensis strains were divided into 37 genotypes (GT1–37) with 80–100% genetic similarity. All 25 strains were sensitive to seven tested antibiotics, phenotypic resistance to cotrimoxazole and azithromycin was observed in 5 (20%) and 25 (100%) of the isolates, respectively.

Conclusions

Human brucellosis exhibited a significant increasing trend and B. melitensis is the main pathogen responsible for human brucellosis in this region. Improved surveillance of infected animals (sheep) and limiting their transfer and trade are optional strategies for decreasing the incidence of this disease.
Optical coherence tomography features of neovascularization in proliferative diabetic retinopathy: a systematic review
Authors: Vaz-Pereira Sara , Morais-Sarmento Tiago , Esteves Marques Raquel
Published: June 2020

Background

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of blindness due to diabetic macular edema (DME) or complications of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive imaging technique well established for DME but less used to assess neovascularization in PDR. Developments in OCT imaging and the introduction of OCT angiography (OCTA) have shown significant potential in PDR.

Objectives

To describe the tomographic features of PDR, namely of neovascularization, both of the optic disc (NVD) and elsewhere (NVE), intraretinal microvascular abnormalities (IRMA), retinal nonperfusion areas (NPA), status of the posterior vitreous, vitreoschisis and vitreous and subhyaloid/sub-ILM hemorrhages.

Data sources

Electronic database search on PubMed and EMBASE, last run on December 19th 2019.

Study eligibility criteria, participants and interventions

Publications assessing OCT and/or OCTA findings in PDR patients. All study designs were allowed except for case-reports, conference proceedings and letters.

Study appraisal

Newcastle–Ottawa Scale for observational studies was used for purposes of risk of bias assessment.

Results

From the 1300 studies identified, 283 proceeded to full-text assessment and 60 were included in this comprehensive review. OCT was useful in detecting NVD and NVE, such as in characterizing disease activity and response to laser and/or anti-VEGF therapies. The absence of posterior vitreous detachment seemed determinant for neovascular growth, with the posterior hyaloid acting as a scaffold. OCTA allowed a more detailed characterization of the neovascular complexes, associated NPA and disease activity, allowing the quantification of neovessel area and flow index. However, changes in OCTA blood flow signal following local therapies did not necessarily correlate with structural regression. Widefield and ultra-widefield OCTA were highly sensitive in the detection of PDR, adding value to disease staging and monitoring. Compared to fluorescein angiography, OCTA was more sensitive in detecting microvascular changes indicating disease progression.

Limitations

Publication languages were restricted. Most included studies were observational and non-comparative. Risk of bias regarding case representativeness.

Conclusions

OCT-based retinal imaging technologies are advancing rapidly and the trend is to be noninvasive and wide-field. OCT has proven invaluable in diagnosing, staging and management of proliferative diabetic disease with daily application in clinical and surgical practices.
Improvement of microcirculatory impairment in patients with predialysis chronic kidney disease after AST-120 administration
Authors: Ohtake Takayasu , Mochida Yasuhiro , Ishioka Kunihiro , Moriya Hidekazu , Hidaka Sumi , Hirata Masahiro , Yamada Hirokazu , Kumagai Hiromichi , Kobayashi Shuzo
Published: June 2020

Background

Endothelial dysfunction starts at an earlier stage in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and induces macro- and microcirculatory impairments. We evaluated whether uremic toxin-lowering therapy could improve endothelial function in patients with CKD.

Methods

We performed a prospective interventional trial with 30 predialysis non-diabetic CKD patients who were administered oral adsorbent AST-120 (6 g/day) for 12 months. Surrogate markers of endothelial function including flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and skin perfusion pressure (SPP) were serially evaluated along with serum indoxyl sulfate (IS) levels and renal function. Renal function was evaluated based on blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine (sCr) levels, and estimated glomerular filtration ratio (eGFR).

Results

Monthly decline in renal function (slope of reciprocal sCr) after AST-120 administration did not change compared to that during the pre-treatment period. However, serum IS levels significantly decreased at 3 months after AST-120 administration (p < 0.01), and it was sustained during the period of AST-120 administration (p < 0.01). Although FMD did not improve, SPP was constantly elevated after AST-120 administration, and was significantly higher at 12 months compared with baseline value (69.7 ± 14.6 vs. 78.8 ± 18.9 mmHg, p < 0.05). A significant correlation between the change of IS and SPP from baseline values was shown at 6 months after AST-120 administration (r = − 0.558, p = 0.02).

Conclusion

Microcirculatory impairment was improved after AST-120 administration in patients with predialysis CKD.

Trial registration

UMIN, UMIN000013577. Registered on March 31, 2014,
Influence of rotor solidity on trailing edge noise from wind turbine blades
Authors: Nukala Vasishta Bhargava , Maddula Satya Prasad
Published: June 2020

Noise prediction from streamlined bodies such as wind turbine blades can be predicted accurately using CFD computations that use spatio-temporal turbulence models at the expense of high computational power. In this work, empirical methods proposed from BPM, Grosveld and Lowson are used to compute numerically to analyse the influence of rotor solidity factor on broadband trailing edge noise from a 2 MW horizontal axis wind turbine with a blade length of 37 m. Inputs to acoustic solver are the velocity vector field and boundary layer data which are obtained using blade element momentum and X-Foil. The outputs from acoustic solver are directivity and far field sound pressure on a receiver located at distance of 120 m from tower base. The results have shown that for a wind speed of 10 m/s measured at 10 m above ground, sound power level was found to increase between mid-bands to high frequencies for all three methods. Rotor solidity effect was illustrated at constant rotational speed of 17 RPM and receiver height of 0.5 m located in downwind position. A minimum difference of 1.5dBA was found at f ~ 100 Hz for Lowson method and maximum of ~ 2.8dBA at 1 kHz between two and three blade rotor. For BPM and Grosveld methods however, the sound levels were ~ 5dBA lower for two blade rotor than three blade rotor between f ~ 100 Hz and f ~ 1 kHz. The study also demonstrated that as number of blades increase by integral multiples, the effect on noise radiation from trailing edge of blades increase by 2-5dBA due to amplitude modulation.
Application of a subordination theorem associated with certain new generalized subclasses of analytic and univalent functions
Authors: Hamzat J. O. , El-Ashwah R. M.
Published: June 2020

The prime focus of the present work is to investigate some fascinating relations of some analytic and univalent functions using a subordination theorem.
Ameliorative effect of alpha lipoic acid and royal jelly against the side effects of cyclophosphamide in liver of albino rats
Authors: Abdul-Hamid Manal , Moustafa Nadia , El-Nesr Khalid A. , Abukhadra Amal M.
Published: June 2020

Background

Cyclophosphamide (CP) is a cytotoxic anticancer drug used for the treatment of neoplastic diseases. The present study aimed to examine biochemical, histological, and ultrastructural effects of CP on rat liver and determine the hepatoprotective effects of alpha-lipoic acid (LA) or royal jelly (RJ) against CP.

Results

The present study revealed that CP-induced significant increase in hepatic marker enzymes (ALT and AST), and elevation in malonaldehyde (MDA) was concomitant with a significant decrease of superoxide dismutase (SOD). It caused histopathological changes in the liver of rat including vacuolation, infiltration, degeneration, and necrosis. Ultrastructurally, the hepatocytes appeared degenerated with multiple small- and medium-sized lipid droplets in the cytoplasm. Kupffer cell showed a shrunken nucleus. Administration of LA and RJ resulted in an obvious improvement in the altered level of ALT, AST, MDA, and SOD activities when compared with the CP-treated group in addition to marked amelioration in histopathology and ultrastructure of the liver.

Conclusions

LA is markedly effective than RJ in protecting rats against CP-induced biochemical, histopathological, and ultrastructural changes. This protection may be due to its antioxidant properties and scavenging abilities against active free radicals.
How to Make New Use of Existing Resources:
Authors: Vartiainen Turo , Höglund Mikko
Published: June 2020

This article discusses the history and regional variation of the complex preposition off of (e.g., I got off of the bus). The study is intended to uncover detailed information about the use of the form from Early Modern to Present-Day English by examining a variety of linguistic corpora and databases from different perspectives. In addition to charting the history and present-day variation of off of, the study will make a methodological contribution to historical dialectology by showing that there are extensive, severely underused resources that can reveal valuable information about the geographical variation of English even if they were not originally designed for that purpose. Most crucially, the article introduces a way to investigate Early Modern English from the perspective of regional variation, thus paving the way for future research in a field that has been extremely challenging to study in the past.
From Bidialectal to Bilingual
Authors: Bousquette Joshua
Published: June 2020

The present work examines nominal case marking in Wisconsin Heritage German, based on audio recordings of six speakers made in the late 1940s. Linguistic data provide positive evidence for a four-case nominal system characteristic of Standard German. At the same time, biographical and demographic information show that the heritage varieties acquired and spoken in the home often employed a different nominal system, one that often exhibited dative-accusative case syncretism and lacked genitive case—features that surfaced even when Standard German was spoken. These data strongly suggest that speakers were proficient in both their heritage variety of German, acquired through naturalistic means, as well as in Standard German, acquired through institutional support in educational and religious domains. Over time, these formal German-language domains shifted to externally oriented, English-language institutions. Standard German was no longer supported, while the heritage variety was retained in domestic and social domains. Subsequent case syncretism in Wisconsin Heritage German therefore reflects the retention of preimmigration, nonstandard varieties, rather than a morphological change in a unified heritage grammar. This work concludes by proposing a multistage model of domain-specific language shift, informed by both synchronic variation within the community as well as by social factors affecting language shift over time.
Revisiting Invariant am in Early African American Vernacular English
Authors: McWhorter John
Published: June 2020

Scholars of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) have generally assumed that the invariant am typical of minstrel depictions of Black speech was a fabrication, used neither by modern nor earlier Black Americans. However, the frequency with which invariant am occurs in renditions of interviews with ex-slave speech has always lent a certain uncertainty here, despite claims that these must have been distortions introduced by the interviewers. The author argues that the use of invariant am in a great many literary sources written by Black writers with sober intention, grammatical descriptions of Black speech that note invariant am as a feature, and the use of invariant am in regional British dialects imported to the New World suggest that invariant am was present in earlier AAVE and common among Black slaves and their immediate descendants, yet had largely disappeared by World War II.
Undead Texts and the Disciplines That Love to Hate Them
Authors: Daston Lorraine , Marcus Sharon
Published: June 2020

Undead Texts are books once assigned on every reading list, cited in countless books and articles, endlessly discussed and debated. Although the authors of these works wore their learning lightly, the Undead Texts were intellectually ambitious and formidably erudite, drawing on a range of references that defied boundaries among disciplines, genres, epochs, and languages. Those qualities made them vulnerable to specialist rebuttals; almost every claim they made has been queried, criticized, or refuted by subsequent scholarship. No accredited academic still believes them. Yet these texts refuse to die. They have never been out of print, continue to be translated into multiple languages, and still appear on many undergraduate syllabi—sometimes assigned by the very scholars who made their reputations by challenging these works. In the current age of disciplinary definitions of scholarship, these scholarly but anti-disciplinary books have much to teach the very disciplines that scorn them.
Bruno Snell, The Discovery of the Mind (1946; trans. 1953)
Authors: Holmes Brooke
Published: June 2020

This article nominates Bruno Snell’s Discovery of the Mind (1946; trans. 1953) as an Undead Text on the basis of three criteria. The article examines first the persistence of a Snellian story about the Greeks as the ancestors of modern Europe within the discipline of classics, before considering the broader question of how Undead Texts interact with Undead (Grand) Narratives. It then considers Discovery as an Undead Narrative in its symbiotic relationship with E. R. Dodds’s Greeks and the Irrational, which remains a standard-bearer of the narrative of the Greeks as Other to the moderns. In its final analysis, the article looks to Discovery as itself a perennially productive site for plotting the coordinates of Same and Other in relationship to the ancient Greeks, arguing that such questions are as much about enabling new attachments to the “classical” past as they are about conservative claims of heritage or, conversely, estrangement from the present.
Mary Douglas, Purity and Danger (1966)
Authors: Zaloom Caitlin
Published: June 2020

Mary Douglas’s masterpiece Purity and Danger holds a troubled place in the social sciences and humanities. Both classic and cast out, the book’s analysis cannot be ignored. In fact, Douglas’s thesis, “Dirt is matter out of place,” can help explain the fate of the very book that made it famous. Purity and Danger presents a probing cultural analysis. Douglas argued that social systems should be understood by what they expel but also that the true power of dirt lies in the acts of cleansing. Cultural upheaval, decolonization, and war together appeared to render Douglas’s interest in social stability naive, however, and Purity and Danger languished following its publication in 1966. Today’s politics of purity, from white nationalism to rule by imprisonment, makes Purity and Danger more necessary than ever. The tension between the search for human universals and the social and historical particularism at its heart continues to haunt social inquiry today.
Raymond Williams, Marxism and Literature (1977)
Authors: Levine Caroline
Published: June 2020

This article focuses on two of the most enduring terms in Raymond Williams’s Marxism and Literature: “dominant, residual, emergent” and “structures of feeling.” Williams’s theory of history as mixtures and layers of different temporal moments is not only alive and well in the field today; it also offers a way to theorize what it means to be “Undead,” that is, to produce thoughts that live after or out of one’s time. And yet, Williams’s stress on process over structure is so open and flexible that it allows one to avoid some hard questions about how history really works.
Walter J. Ong, Orality and Literacy (1982)
Authors: Best Stephen
Published: June 2020

Walter Ong published Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word in 1982, synthesizing his career-long concern with the impact of the shift from orality to literacy on various cultures. Scholars of African American literary and cultural studies were coming to redefine their field around the terms orality and literacy at around the same time that Ong published his book; but where Ong stressed historical change or the fall from orality to literacy, African Americanists tended to accent their mutual mediation. This article explores the way that African Americanists, in stressing mediation, return orality and literacy to the concerns of Ong’s ostensible field: media studies.
Stress before training alters memory retrieval of a non-declarative memory in Lymnaea
Authors: Swinton Erin , Shymansky Tamila , Swinton Cayley , Lukowiak Ken
Published: June 2020

Stress alters both memory formation and its retrieval. Here we show that a combination of stressors before an associative learning event alters memory retrieval of a non-declarative memory in an invertebrate model system. Previously, two combinations of stressors were purported to prevent long-term memory (LTM) formation in smart Lymnaea and this inability to form LTM was considered to be a cost of being smart. Here we show that is not the case. The specific combinations of stressors used here cause emotional memory formation. Previously, it was shown that propranolol, a synthetic beta-blocker, altered emotional memory in Lymnaea. We show here that when propranolol but not saline is injected into smart snails before they perceive the combination of stressors these snails form LTM. We then show that the injection of propranolol but not saline before a memory activation session allowed the memory to be recalled. That is, LTM formed but was not retrievable unless propranolol was injected pre-retrieval. Thus, the smart snails formed LTM in the face of the stressors but could not retrieve it.
One in a Million: Field Experiments on Perceived Closeness of the Election and Voter Turnout
Authors: Gerber Alan , Hoffman Mitchell , Morgan John , Raymond Collin
Published: June 2020

During the 2010 gubernatorial elections, we elicit voter beliefs about the closeness of the election before and after showing different polls, which, depending on treatment, indicate a close or not-close race. Subjects update their beliefs in response to polls, but overestimate the probability of a very close election. However, turnout is unaffected by beliefs about election closeness. A follow-up RCT, conducted during the 2014 gubernatorial elections at much larger scale, also points to little relationship between poll information about closeness and turnout. We caveat that the strength of our evidence depends on assumptions regarding our treatments’ impacts on beliefs. (JEL C93, D72)
Measuring the psychological drivers of participation in collective action to address violence against women in Mumbai, India
Authors: Gram Lu , Kanougiya Suman , Daruwalla Nayreen , Osrin David
Published: June 2020

Background: A growing number of global health interventions involve community members in activism to prevent violence against women (VAW), but the psychological drivers of participation are presently ill-understood. We developed a new scale for measuring three proposed drivers of participation in collective action to address VAW in the context of urban informal settlements in Mumbai, India: perceived legitimacy, perceived efficacy, and collective action norms.

Methods: We did a household survey of 1307 men, 1331 women, and 4 trans persons. We checked for 1) social desirability bias by comparing responses to self-administered and face-to-face interviews, 2) acquiescence bias by comparing responses to positive and negatively worded items on the same construct, 3) factor structure using confirmatory factor analysis, and 4) convergent validity by examining associations between construct scores and participation in groups to address VAW and intent to intervene in case of VAW.

Results: Of the ten items, seven showed less than five percentage point difference in agreement rates between self-administered and face-to-face conditions. Correlations between opposite worded items on the same construct were negative (p<0.05), while correlations between similarly worded items were positive (p<0.001). A hierarchical factor structure showed adequate fit (Tucker-Lewis index, 0.919; root mean square error of approximation, 0.036; weighted root mean square residual, 1.949). Comparison of multi-group models across gender, education, caste, and marital status showed little evidence against measurement invariance. Perceived legitimacy, efficacy and collective action norms all predicted participation in groups to address VAW and intent to intervene in case of VAW, even after adjusting for social capital (p<0.05).

Conclusion: This is the first study to operationalize a measure of the psychological drivers of participation in collective action to address VAW in a low- and middle-income context. Our novel scale may provide insight into modifiable beliefs and attitudes community mobilisation interventions can address to inspire activism in similar low-resource contexts.
Organization of Analytical Support for Cost Management During the Audit of Business Continuity
Authors: Vekshina A.
Published: June 2020

Th e article is devoted to the formation of analytical support for cost management in order to identify operational signs indicating a possible violation of the going concern assumption. Th e importance of the legal regulation development of the going concern audit is emphasized. An algorithm for evaluating the impact of cost on the appropriateness of applying the going concern assumption is developed and a set of analytical procedures for identifying operational characteristics is proposed. Based on the results, criteria are formulated that allow us to determine the impact of the cost amount on the company’s ability to continue operating in the near future.
Problems of Including Compensations of Some Expenses into the Customs Value of Exported Goods
Authors: Gubin A.
Published: June 2020

This article examines the evolution of the procedure and rules for determining the customs value of exported goods from the point of view of the requirement to include compensation paid by the buyer of goods to the seller. This problem is studied in retrospect, with the involvement of judicial practice.
Computation and Indispensability
Authors: Ketland Jeffrey
Published: June 2020

This article provides a computational example of a mathematical explanation within science, concerning computational equivalence of programs. In addition, it outlines the logical structure of the reasoning involved in explanations in applied mathematics. It concludes with a challenge that the nominalist provide a nominalistic explanation for the computational equivalence of certain programs.
A Simple Rule for Pricing with Limited Knowledge of Demand
Authors: Cohen Maxime C. , Perakis Georgia , Pindyck Robert S.
Published: June 2020

How should a firm price a new product for which little is known about demand? We propose a simple and practical pricing rule for new products where demand information is limited. The rule is simple: Set price as though the demand curve were linear. Our pricing rule can be used if three conditions hold: the firm can estimate the maximum price it can charge and still expect to sell some units, the firm need not plan in advance the quantity it will sell, and marginal cost is known and constant. We show that if the true demand curve is one of many commonly used demand functions, or even a more complex (randomly generated) function, the firm can expect its profit to be close to what it would earn if it knew the true demand curve. We derive analytical performance bounds for a variety of demand functions, calculate expected profit performance for randomly generated demand curves, and evaluate the welfare implications of our pricing rule. We show that with limited demand information (maximum price and marginal cost), our simple pricing rule can be used for new products while often achieving a near-optimal performance. We also discuss the limitations of our method by identifying cases where our pricing rule does not perform well.

This paper was accepted by Joshua Gans, business strategy.
UMA ANÁLISE CRÍTICA DO CAMPO DE EXPERIÊNCIA O EU, O OUTRO E O NÓS PROPOSTO PELA BNCC (2017): A AUSÊNCIA DA AFETIVIDADE COMO UMA PRÁTICA DE CUIDADO PARA A EDUCAÇÃO INFANTIL
Authors: Melo Keity Elen da Silva , Costa Bezerra Silva Vanessa Maria , Silva Ferreira Líllian Franciele , Peixoto Ana Carolina Beltrão
Published: June 2020

O presente estudo teve como objetivo realizar uma análise crítica do campo de experiência “o eu, o outro e o nós”, proposto pela BNCC (2017) para a educação infantil, buscando enfatizar se o ato da afetividade se faz presente nos objetivos propostos deste campo de experiência, levando em consideração a afetividade como uma prática de cuidado para a educação infantil, uma vez que os aspectos de cuidado e educação devem compor as propostas e currículos que permeiam os espaços infantis. Para tanto, o estudo foi realizado a partir de uma pesquisa bibliográfica e documental, de cunho qualitativo. Tendo como resultado, que apesar de toda a relevância e estudos teóricos que enfatizam e discutem a importância da afetividade para o desenvolvimento integral das crianças, a BNCC não menciona a afetividade nos objetivos propostos do campo de experiência analisado, assim, sua estimulação e desenvolvimento dependerá de acepções dos professores.
O PNAIC: POLÍTICA DE FORMAÇÃO CONTINUADA PARA A EDUCAÇÃO INFANTIL
Authors: Lima Laís Leni , Trindade Ana Paula Ferreira Trindade Ferreira
Published: June 2020

Este trabalho é parte de uma pesquisa em andamento que tem como temática “O PNAIC: formação continuada para a educação infantil”. Partimos da seguinte problematização: qual a importância de uma formação continuada proposta por um programa de governo no âmbito do Pacto aos professores de Educação Infantil  e como esse programa de formação pode contribuir para uma educação de qualidade na pré-escola? O objetivo é apresentar o Pacto Nacional pela Alfabetização na Idade Certa (PNAIC), como um programa de treinamento de professores para efetivar mudanças na qualidade educacional da pré-escola. O PNAIC constitui um conjunto articulado de ações, materiais e referências curriculares e pedagógicas, objetivando assegurar à todas as crianças o direito de serem alfabetizadas até os oito anos de idade. É uma política de alfabetização educacional que visa melhorar a aprendizagem, inclui treinamento para professores de alfabetização que trabalham na educação infantil como garantia de uma educação de qualidade. Frente a isso, existe a necessidade de assumirmos uma concepção de formação continuada numa perspectiva crítica, que busque contemplar todas as dimensões humanas e construir a indissociabilidade entre teoria e prática, permitindo que os professores possam ressignificar sua atuação docente, produzindo conhecimentos sobre seu trabalho. Os dados mostram que os documentos analisados em relação a formação continuada no âmbito do PNAIC são passíveis de uma formação técnica e não cumpre de maneira efetiva com o que propõe, uma educação de qualidade para a Educação infantil.
NEUROCIÊNCIA COGNITIVA E A APRENDIZAGEM DE MATEMÁTICA: DIÁLOGOS POSSÍVEIS
Authors: Toledo Rogéria Viol Ferreira , Lopes Celi Espasandin
Published: June 2020

A aprendizagem de matemática é um assunto que recentemente tem sido foco de pesquisas não só da área de Educação Matemática como também da área de Neurociência Cognitiva e Psicologia. Abrir espaço para entender o processamento numérico e a assimilação de conceitos matemáticos pelo comportamento cognitivo tem sido o objetivo de diversos pesquisadores. Esse artigo propõe apresentar diálogos da literatura com o tema e um panorama sobre como a Educação Matemática tem aberto espaço para as pesquisas que trazem contribuições para a aprendizagem de matemática por meio de artefatos da Neurociência Cognitiva. Para isso, inicialmente foi feito um diálogo com referências bibliográficas acerca das possíveis contribuições da Neurociência Cognitiva para a aprendizagem matemática. Em seguida traz-se evidências de pesquisas contemporâneas que foram apresentadas em “territórios legitimados” da Educação Matemática. Possibilidades são apontadas para que as pesquisas que visam envolver as duas instâncias possam ser legitimadas e consigam alcançar seus objetivos.