bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Explainable Machine Learning Model to Predict Overall Survival in Patients Treated With Palliative Radiotherapy for Bone Metastases
Authors: Cilla Savino , Rossi Romina , Habberstad Ragnhild , Klepstad Pal , Dall’Agata Monia , Kaasa Stein , Valenti Vanessa , Donati Costanza M. , Maltoni Marco , Morganti Alessio G.
Published: June 2024

PURPOSE

The estimation of prognosis and life expectancy is critical in the care of patients with advanced cancer. To aid clinical decision making, we build a prognostic strategy combining a machine learning (ML) model with explainable artificial intelligence to predict 1-year survival after palliative radiotherapy (RT) for bone metastasis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data collected in the multicentric PRAIS trial were extracted for 574 eligible adults diagnosed with metastatic cancer. The primary end point was the overall survival (OS) at 1 year (1-year OS) after the start of RT. Candidate covariate predictors consisted of 13 clinical and tumor-related pre-RT patient characteristics, seven dosimetric and treatment-related variables, and 45 pre-RT laboratory variables. ML models were developed and internally validated using the Python package. The effectiveness of each model was evaluated in terms of discrimination. A Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) explainability analysis to infer the global and local feature importance and to understand the reasons for correct and misclassified predictions was performed.

RESULTS

The best-performing model for the classification of 1-year OS was the extreme gradient boosting algorithm, with AUC and F1-score values equal to 0.805 and 0.802, respectively. The SHAP technique revealed that higher chance of 1-year survival is associated with low values of interleukin-8, higher values of hemoglobin and lymphocyte count, and the nonuse of steroids.

CONCLUSION

An explainable ML approach can provide a reliable prediction of 1-year survival after RT in patients with advanced cancer. The implementation of SHAP analysis provides an intelligible explanation of individualized risk prediction, enabling oncologists to identify the best strategy for patient stratification and treatment selection.
Chiari I Malformation With Concomitant Nonfunctioning Pituitary and Adrenal Tumors
Authors: Zielinski Rachel , Khan Aysha , Mirza Faryal Sardar
Published: June 2024

Chiari 1 malformation (CM1) is a rare finding that has been described with growth hormone (GH)-secreting pituitary adenomas and with an endothelial PAS domain protein 1 gain-of-function mutation syndrome. We describe the first reported case of a patient diagnosed with CM1 and nonfunctioning pituitary and adrenal incidentalomas. Our case describes a 45-year-old female who was found to have cerebellar tonsillar ectopia consistent with CM1, a pituitary tumor, and bilateral adrenal incidentalomas. She was diagnosed after presenting with 2 weeks of upper extremity weakness and paresthesia. A comprehensive endocrine workup including insulin like growth factor (IGF-1) was normal. She underwent posterior fossa decompression without complication. Pituitary adenectomy was not pursued as there was no evidence of compression of the chiasm or the surrounding structures. In previous case reports it has been proposed that GH-secreting adenomas contribute to CM1 by causing hypertrophy of soft tissue structures in the skull base, overcrowding the posterior fossa. Given that our patient had normal IGF-1 levels, there could be a different underlying mechanism that contributed to the concomitant occurrence of CM1 with the pituitary and adrenal tumors.
Donor Activism Is Part of Movement Building
Authors: Gaggero Shannon Cofrin
Published: June 2024

This Against the Day contribution argues that resourcing movements is a necessary role for sustained movement building. Donor organizers amplify their impact and sustain their work by building relationships and community toward collective liberation.
From Matter to Material Culture
Authors: Miller Maureen C.
Published: June 2024

As a contribution to the Common Knowledge symposium “Caroline Walker Bynum across the Disciplines,” this essay traces the origins and development of Bynum's interest in the material artifacts of late medieval Christian spirituality. The author narrates these evolutions through analyses of a single object, the Louvain beguine cradle from the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The essay begins by treating Bynum's research from the 1980s to the early 1990s as moving toward a “visual theology” and then charts her movement from an interest in matter to an interest in materiality over the second half of the 1990s and first decade of the twenty-first century. Finally, the author uses the Louvain cradle's appearance in Bynum's most recent book, Dissimilar Similitudes, to articulate and reflect upon her contribution to material culture studies.
Bynum across the Generations
Authors: Herzig Tamar , Elmakais Omer
Published: June 2024

In this afterword to the Common Knowledge symposium “Caroline Walker Bynum across the Disciplines,” Bynum's early work is seen to have revolutionized the fields of medieval studies and religious studies by disclosing the need to account for the embodied and gendered aspects of Christian spirituality. It reflects on the enduring influence of her book Holy Feast and Holy Fast on the study of premodern mysticism, sanctity, and witchcraft, then discusses the impact of Bynum's later works on the reception of Holy Feast and Holy Fast in the third decade of the twenty-first century.
Revocability, Exception, Disqualification
Authors: Deutscher Penelope
Published: June 2024

The Dobbs decision revoking the constitutional legality of abortion in the United States was widely characterized as a use of raw power. That gives rise to the questions: What kind of power is in question? How does the post-Dobbs moment encapsulate a number of hinges between formations of power characterized in post-Foucauldian theory? How is fluency in the combinations of power at work in the Dobbs decision and aftermath enhanced by a vocabulary of such hinges, including “revocability,” “exception,” and “disqualification”? The article opens up the relationship between rights-bearing and the differential distribution of expectations (for some) that rights be accompanied by particular kinds of good conduct from which others are exempt. Asking how and why abortion has served as a device for setting aside a broad range of rights, the article gives special attention to “exemption” and “self-exemption” in the reproductive governance of abortion.
They Make Death, and I'm the Labor of Life”
Authors: Ftouni Layal
Published: June 2024

How is life affirmed under conditions of death, destruction, and debilitation? This article addresses this question by looking at the practice of sperm smuggling in Palestine as a life-affirming practice. The practice of sperm smuggling emerges in a context where reproductive injustices against Palestinians are daily occurrences of life under Israeli settler colonialism. The legal, social, and militarized targeting of Palestinian mothers and children, the mass incarceration of Palestinian men, and the attack on infrastructures of livability are Israeli biopolitical and necropolitical strategies of incapacitating the conditions necessary for the sustenance and reproduction of life in Palestine. Against this backdrop, the author argues that the practice of sperm smuggling circumvents settler-colonial efforts to curtail the reproduction of life and inaugurates a practice of life-making and a conception of life beyond its adjudication in the language of “rights.” Critically engaging with the work of Judith Butler and Rosi Braidotti, the author argues that sperm smuggling enacts an “affirmation of life” that refuses submission to the totalizing hold of physical, social, and political death.
Poetic Schemas
Authors: Rodríguez Judith
Published: June 2024

This article reads the affective charge of ethnonationalism and antiblackness in Puerto Rican poetics and performance. Moving from the “legible” affect in Afro–Puerto Rican feminist poet Julia de Burgos's ethnonational poetry to the “illegible” affect experienced on stage by Afro–Puerto Rican queer theater and performance artist Javier Cárdona Otero, this article provides a fragmented trajectory of the antiblack and white supremacist affective violence constitutive of art-making in Puerto Rico. In doing so, it locates an aesthetic collusion between ethnonationalism and antiblackness that in turn illuminates how the aesthetics of Puerto Ricanness can be antiblack, a claim that calls into question Puerto Rican nationalism's desire or need for ethnic difference.
O prêmio da lucratividade no mercado de capitais brasileiro
Authors: Pereira Marcos Vinicius Lopes , Leles Michel Carlo Rodrigues
Published: June 2024

O presente estudo avalia o impacto de diferentes medidas de lucratividade no contexto brasileiro na previsão dos retornos médios em seções transversais e na geração de retorno em excesso ao construir portfólios. Foram conduzidas análises de regressão seguindo a metodologia proposta por Fama e MacBeth (1973) com dados trimestrais no período de 2005 a 2023, juntamente com a construção de portfólios, rebalanceados anualmente e agrupados por lucratividade ou por tamanho e lucratividade. Foi identificada a relevância do fluxo de caixa livre e do lucro operacional, mais adequados ao mercado brasileiro, e observamos a ausência do efeito tamanho e do momentum de curto prazo. Este estudo contribui para a compreensão da relação entre lucratividade e retornos futuros no mercado de capitais brasileiro, aplicável a mercados similares em porte, destacando a importância da adaptação de metodologias internacionais.
The role of alternative investments in Brazilian portfolios
Authors: Cunha Bousquet Viana Miguel , Luiz Carvalhal da Silva André , Moses Roquete Raphael
Published: June 2024

This paper assesses the impact of alternative assets on the performance of Brazilian asset portfolios. Although alternative assets are largely studied throughout the world, that is not the case for Brazil as there are just a few studies on the topic. As the Brazilian capital markets are growing at a fast pace, the high correlated aspect of the market calls for measures to ensure balanced returns for the long run, therefore, the insights of the study may support investors during the process of asset allocation. In this study the alternative assets were divided into two categories: Brazilian alternative assets and international alternative assets. Performance measures were obtained from a portfolio comparison and through a Markowitz frontier analysis. The results show that adding alternative assets (Brazilian or international) to a portfolio usually generates higher returns with lower risks, leading to better risk adjusted results and an overall more balanced portfolio.
Sustainable withdrawal strategies for Brazilian REITs portfolios
Authors: Pettene Dantas Guilherme , Pardelinhas Cardoso Juliano , Scharcanski Jacob
Published: June 2024

This work compares sustainable cash withdrawal strategies for Brazilian REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) portfolios. It is assumed that cash withdrawals must be maintained for an indefinite period of time, while the capital invested in the REITs portfolio is adjusted for inflation. For simplicity, the capital is assumed to be invested in equal proportions in the REITs of the portfolio. The REITs market is relatively new in Brazil, and this study illustrates the performance of three strategies generating sustainable and steady cash flows for the investor based on a sample of Brazilian REITs. These REITs have publicly available data and have been operating continuously over the past 10 years. The findings of the study reveal that sustainable cash withdrawal rates are feasible for Brazilian REITs portfolios, however, a significant variability of cash withdrawal rates takes place among the individual portfolio REITs. The experimental results obtained for an equal-weight Brazilian REITs portfolio suggest that the three strategies investigated potentially can provide total annual returns that vary between 3.32\% and 3.38\% above the annual inflation and are sustainable during the period analyzed. This study also suggests that sustainable withdrawal for REITs portfolios is related to the cash flow risk faced by the individual REITs in the portfolio.
Effect of different doses of Budesonide combined with Tiotropium bromide inhalation on elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Yu Jianhong , Ni Jianchao , Chen Xindong , Fang Yuanyuan , Fu Suna
Published: June 2024

Objective: To explore the clinical effect of various doses of Budesonide combined with Tiotropium bromide in the treatment of elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Methods: Clinical data of elderly patients with COPD, admitted to Affiliated Hospital of Shaoxing University from April 2021 to February 2023, were retrospectively analyzed. Based on the dosage of Budesonide combined with Tiotropium bromide, patients were divided into Low-dose group (Budesonide = 1mg), Medium-dose group (Budesonide = 2mg), and High-dose group (Budesonide = 3mg). All groups were matched for age, gender, course of disease, and BMI. Patients treated with Tiotropium bromide alone were assigned to the Control group. The clinical effect, pulmonary function index level, symptom improvement, inflammatory factor index level and adverse reactions in all groups were analyzed and compared.
Results: A total of 88 patients were included in this study with 22 patients in each group. The total efficacy of Medium-dose (90.91%) and High-dose group (90.91%) was significantly higher than that of Low-dose group (63.64%) and the Control group (59.09%) (P<0.05). After the treatment, levels of pulmonary function, symptom improvement and inflammatory factors in the High-dose and the Medium-dose groups were better than those in the Low-dose group and the Control group. Pulmonary function, symptom improvement and levels of inflammatory factors was significantly better in the Low-dose group compared to the Control group (P<0.05).
Conclusions: Budesonide combined with tiotropium bromide is better than tiotropium bromide alone in the treatment of elderly patients with COPD. Compared with low (1mg) dosage, medium (2mg) and high (3mg) dosage of budesonide are more effective in improving lung function, alleviating symptoms, reducing inflammatory response,, and are not associated with increased rate of adverse reactions.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.9209
How to cite this: Yu J, Ni J, Chen X, Fang Y, Fu S. Effect of different doses of Budesonide combined with Tiotropium bromide inhalation on elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(7):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.7.9209
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Αστική βιοαρχαιολογία
Authors: Αηδόνης Αστέριος
Published: June 2024

Η αστικοποίηση είναι μία από τις σημαντικότερες ιστορικές μεταβάσεις όσο αφορά την εγκατάσταση και τη διαβίωση των ανθρώπων. Βιοαρχαιολογικές μελέτες έχουν δείξει ότι οι επιπτώσεις της είναι άνισα κατανεμημένες στους αστικούς πληθυσμούς. Για να αξιολογήσουμε τις συνέπειες των μεταβαλλόμενων συνθηκών του αστικού περιβάλλοντος στους κατοίκους της Θεσσαλονί-κης, εξετάσαμε αν οι ιστορικοί μετασχηματισμοί ανάμεσα στον 3ο αι. π.Χ. και τον 15ο αι. μ.Χ., συνδέονται με αλλαγές στις συνθήκες διαβίωσης. Μελετήσαμε σκελετικό υλικό (Ν=695) από τις εκτός των τειχών νεκροπόλεις και τα ενάστια κοιμητήρια, το οποίο προέρχεται από τέσσερις διακριτές χρονοπολιτισμικές περιόδους (ελληνιστική, ρωμαϊκή, βυζαντινή, μεταβυζαντινή). Αναλύσαμε πολλαπλούς σκελετικούς δείκτες ανάπτυξης (ύψος, μάζα σώματος, γραμμική υποπλασία της αδαμαντίνης) και κοινωνικής συμπεριφοράς (κρανιακές κακώσεις). Για την αξιολόγηση των δημογραφικών τάσεων κατασκευάσαμε πίνακες επιβίωσης, εφαρμόσαμε την ανάλυση επιβίωσης Kaplan-Meier και τον δείκτη γεννητικότητας D5-19/D5+. Για τη διερεύνηση της πληθυσμιακής ιστορίας, εξετάσαμε την φαινοτυπική ποικιλομορφία του κροταφικού οστού με τη χρήση γεωμετρικής μορφομετρίας (3D GM). Tο προσδόκιμο ζωής κατά τη γέννηση (e0), διαχρονικά, υπολογίστηκε σε 26,6 έτη. Με την εντατικοποίηση της αστικοποίησης κατά τη ρωμαϊκή περίοδο φαίνεται ότι η πίεση στον πληθυσμό αυξάνεται. Το ανάστημα, η μάζα σώματος και οι κρανιακές κακώσεις, αν και υποστηρίζουν αυτή τη τάση δεν εμφανίζουν στατιστικά σημαντική διαφοροποίηση. Αντίθετα, η συχνότητα της υποπλασίας της αδαμαντίνης παρουσιάζει σημαντική αύξηση από την ελληνιστική (53,8%) στη ρωμαϊκή (84,4%) περίοδο και παρόμοια ποσοστά μεταξύ βυζαντινής (72,2%) και μεταβυζαντινής (70%) περιόδου. Η ανάλυση γεωμετρικής μορφομετρίας του κροταφικού αποτυπώνει την ποικιλότητα του πληθυσμού και δείχνει διαφοροποίηση μεταξύ ρωμαϊκής και βυζαντινής περιόδου. Η παρούσα έρευνα χρησιμοποιεί βιοπολιτισμικά δεδομένα τα οποία ενσωματώνονται στο σκελετό, για να προσδιορίσει το στρες που προκαλεί το αστικό περιβάλλον. Τα αποτελέσματά της συνεισφέρουν στην εμβάθυνση της ιστορικής γνώσης, παρέχοντας σημαντικές πληροφορίες για την βιοϊστορία των κατοίκων της Θεσσαλονίκης.
Ανάπτυξη πολυπαραγοντικών μοντέλων για μελέτη διαπερατότητας φαρμάκων σε σκευάσματα ενδοκολπικής χορήγησης
Authors: Τσανακτσίδου Ελένη
Published: June 2024

Ο μεγάλος αριθμός των υποψηφίων φαρμάκων που συντίθενται δεν επιτυγχάνει πάντα την επιθυμητή συμπεριφορά με αποτέλεσμα, ως εκ τούτου, η σύγχρονη φαρμακευτική έρευνα επικεντρώνεται στην ανάπτυξη αξιόπιστων in silico μεθόδων για τη μελέτη της συμπεριφοράς των φαρμακευτικώς δραστικών ουσιών. Στα πλαίσια εκπόνησης της παρούσας διδακτορικής διατριβής, έγινε μια προσπάθεια να μελετηθεί in-silico, in-vitro και ex-vivo ο μηχανισμός διαπερατότητας φαρμάκων που προορίζονται για κολπική χρήση. Έτσι, αναπτύχθηκαν 3 διαφορετικά μοντέλα πρόβλεψης της ενδοκολπικής διαπερατότητας. Το πρώτο αποτελούνταν από απλές δομικά ενώσεις, το δεύτερο από στεροειδή φάρμακα και το τρίτο από μία εκτενή ομάδα 108 ενώσεων (φάρμακα και μη φάρμακα). Στόχος ήταν η ο συσχετισμός της in vitro διαπερατότητας τους από τεχνητές μεμβράνες κυτταρίνης (συντελεστής φαινόμενης διαπερατότητας, Papp), με τις φυσικοχημικές και δομικές ιδιότητές τους. Η διαπερατότητα των ενώσεων προσδιορίστηκε πειραματικά σε κελιά διάχυσης Franz και τα αποτελέσματα (μεταβλητή Υ) συσχετίστηκαν με τις φυσικοχημικές ιδιότητες και δομικά χαρακτηριστικά τους (μεταβλητή Χ) με τη βοήθεια της μεθόδου των Μερικών Ελαχίστων Τετραγώνων (Partial Least Squares, PLS ). Τα PLS μοντέλα επικυρώθηκαν και βάσει των αποτελεσμάτων του VIP ραβδογράμματος (Variables Importance Projection) σημαντικότητας των μεταβλητών αναδείχτηκαν οι σημαντικότερες ιδιότητες που επηρεάζουν την διαπερατότητα. Για την ποσοτικοποίηση των δειγμάτων των in vitro πειράματων αναπτύχθηκαν και επικυρώθηκαν απλές και γρήγορες HPLC-PDA ή ESI-MS μέθοδοι. Τα φαρμακοκινητικά, φυσικοχημικά και δομικά χαρακτηριστικά των ενώσεων υπολογίστηκαν είτε από κατάλληλα λογισμικά προγράμματα (software) ή ελήφθησαν από ελεύθερες βάσεις δεδομένων. Στο τρίτο μοντέλο έγινε χρήση και της μεθόδου μηχανικής υποστήριξης διανυσμάτων (support vector machine-SVM) για την ανάπτυξη μοντέλου πρόβλεψης. Και οι δύο μέθοδοι επικυρώθηκαν και βάσει των στατιστικών παραμέτρων, το SVM μοντέλο παρουσιάζει υψηλότερη προβλεψιμότητα ενώ το PLS ερμηνεύει επαρκώς τη θεωρία της διαπερατότητας. Στο τελευταίο στάδιο της παρούσας μελέτης έγινε αξιολόγηση της καταλληλόλητας πέντε τεχνητών μεμβρανών για την χρήση τους σε in vitro πειράματα διαπερατότητας. Η μελέτη πραγματοποιήθηκε σε έξι ενδοκολπικώς χορηγούμενα φάρμακα (εκοναζόλη, μικοναζόλη, κλινδαμυκίνη, λιδοκαΐνη, νονοξυνόλη-9 και μετρονιδαζόλη) και τα in vitro αποτελέσματα μελετήθηκαν και συγκρίθηκαν με αντίστοιχα ex vivo πειράματα που διεξήχθησαν σε κολπικό ιστό αγελάδας. Συμπερασματικά, η διαπέραση των κολπικών φαρμάκων από έναν ιστό περιλαμβάνει τρεις διακριτές λειτουργίες τη μεταφορά, την προσέγγιση στο στόχο και τη διείσδυση. Οι ιδιότητες διαλυτότητας εξασφαλίζουν τη μεταφορά του, η λιποφιλικότητα την προσέγγισή του και το μοριακό μέγεθος τη διείσδυσή του. Τέλος, εφαρμόστηκε το PLS μοντέλο που αναπτύχθηκε στην πρόβλεψη των Papp των υπό μελέτη 6 ενώσεων και έδειξε ότι μπορεί να προβλεφθεί αξιόπιστα την σειρά των τιμών Papp.
Studying the dynamics of microtubule associated proteins (MAPs) during cell division
Authors: Διδασκάλου Στυλιανός
Published: June 2024

Η μελέτη του σχηματισμού και της λειτουργίας της μιτωτικής ατράκτου είναι ζωτικής σημασίας λόγω των άμεσων επιπτώσεών της στη χρωμοσωμική σταθερότητα και την ανάπτυξη καρκίνου. Η χρωμοσωμική αστάθεια (CIN) είναι μια κατάσταση που χαρακτηρίζεται από συχνά σφάλματα στον διαχωρισμό των χρωμοσωμάτων κατά την κυτταρική διαίρεση, που οδηγεί σε ανευπλοειδία—μια κατάσταση όπου τα κύτταρα έχουν μη φυσιολογικό αριθμό χρωμοσωμάτων. Η ανευπλοειδία είναι ένα κοινό χαρακτηριστικό στον καρκίνο, με περίπου το 68% των συμπαγών όγκων να εμφανίζουν αυτήν την κατάσταση.Αυτή η μελέτη επικεντρώνεται στη δυναμική της πρωτεΐνης HURP κατά τη διάρκεια της μίτωσης, χρησιμοποιώντας προηγμένες τεχνικές απεικόνισης φθορισμού και μοριακές προσομοιώσεις. Η HURP παίζει καθοριστικό ρόλο στη σταθεροποίηση των kt-MTs και στη σωστή ευθυγράμμιση και διαχωρισμό των χρωμοσωμάτων. Αυτή η έρευνα στοχεύει να εμβαθύνει την κατανόησή μας για τις κυτταρικές διεργασίες που κρύβονται πίσω από το CIN και την ανευπλοειδία, μελετώντας τους μηχανισμούς μέσω των οποίων η HURP και άλλες MAPs, καθώς και οι μιτωτικές κινητήριες πρωτεΐνες, συντονίζονται για να σχηματίσουν μια λειτουργική μιτωτική άτρακτο.Οι επιπτώσεις αυτής της έρευνας εκτείνονται πέρα από τη βασική κυτταρική βιολογία. Με τον εντοπισμό καθοριστικών μοριακών παραγόντων της συναρμολόγησης και της λειτουργίας της ατράκτου, αυτή η μελέτη έχει τη δυνατότητα να αποκαλύψει νέους φαρμακευτικούς στόχους για τη διόρθωση μιτωτικών σφαλμάτων. Τέτοιες παρεμβάσεις θα μπορούσαν να είναι κρίσιμες για την πρόληψη της εμφάνισης και της εξέλιξης του καρκίνου. Επιπλέον, οι γνώσεις που αποκτήθηκαν από αυτή την έρευνα θα μπορούσαν να συμβάλουν στην ανάπτυξη νέων βιοδεικτών για την έγκαιρη διάγνωση ή την εξατομικευμένη θεραπεία του καρκίνου. Ουσιαστικά, αυτή η μελέτη όχι μόνο προάγει τη θεμελιώδη κατανόησή μας για την κυτταρική διαίρεση αλλά επίσης υπόσχεται τη βελτίωση της διάγνωσης και της θεραπείας του καρκίνου.
Συσχέτιση και αξιολόγηση ιστοπαθολογικών ευρημάτων και βιολογικής συμπεριφοράς των κακοήθων νεοπλασμάτων των σιαλογόνων αδένων
Authors: Καλαϊτσίδου Ιωάννα
Published: June 2024

Τα νεοπλάσματα των σιελογόνων αδένων, αν και σπάνια, εκπροσωπούν ένα ευρύ φάσμα μορφών κακοήθων όγκων κεφαλής και τραχήλου. Η ετερογένεια στην ιστολογία και η μεγάλη ποικιλομορφία τους αποτελούν σημαντικούς παράγοντες που επηρεάζουν την κλινική συμπεριφορά και πρόγνωση τους. Η έκφραση του επιθηλιακού παράγοντα προσκόλλησης EpCAM σε αυτούς τους όγκους δεν έχει μέχρι στιγμής χαρακτηριστεί λεπτομερώς στη βιβλιογραφία, αλλά η υψηλή έκφρασή του τον καθιστά υποψήφιο ως προγνωστικό δείκτη και θεραπευτικό στόχο. Η παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή ασχολείται με την αναζήτηση πιθανών βιολογικών παραγόντων που επηρεάζουν την κλινική πορεία, την πιθανότητα υποτροπής και τη σχετιζόμενη με τη νόσο θνητότητα σε ασθενείς με καρκίνο των σιελογόνων αδένων. Για τον σκοπό αυτό, μελετήθηκε ο δείκτης EpCAM και η ανοσοϊστοχημική έκφρασή του σε κακοήθη νεοπλάσματα των σιελογόνων αδένων. Συμπεριλήφθηκαν 65 περιπτώσεις ασθενών με κακοήθη νεοπλάσματα των σιελογόνων αδένων ποικίλων ιστοπαθολογικών υποτύπων. Αναλύθηκαν δημογραφικά στοιχεία και παράγοντες όπως η περινευρική και λεμφαγγειακή διήθηση, καθώς και η έκφραση του EpCAM. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν σημαντική συσχέτιση της έντασης της χρώσης του EpCAM με τον ιστολογικό τύπο του καρκινώματος και την πιθανότητα υποτροπής, ενώ επίσης παρατηρήθηκε συσχέτιση με την περινευρική και αγγειακή διήθηση.
Toward person-centred measures of contraceptive demand: a systematic review of the relationship between intentions to use and actual use of contraception
Authors: Boydell Victoria , Wright Kelsey Quinn , Elnakib Shatha , Galavotti Christine
Published: June 2024

Background Understanding people’s interest in using modern contraception is critical to ensuring programs align with people’s preferences and needs. Current measures of demand for contraception are misinterpreted. More direct measures of intention to use (ITU) contraception do exist but remain underexplored. This systematic review examines the relationship between intention to use and actual use of contraception. Methods We searched PubMed, PsycInfo, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Collaboration to identify studies published from 1975-2020 that: (1) examined contraceptive behaviour, (2) included measures of ITU and future contraceptive use, and (3) included at least one quantitative measure of association between ITU and actual use. The inclusion criteria were: 1) examined contraceptive behaviour (excluding condom use only), (2) included disaggregated integral measures of ITU contraceptives and later contraceptive use, (3) included at least one quantitative measure of the association between ITU contraceptives and actual contraceptive use, (4) study population was women of reproductive age, (5) were peer-reviewed, and (6) written in English. Results 10 prospective cohort studies met the inclusion criteria; these provided 28,749 person-years of data (N=10,925). Although we could pool the data for unadjusted odds ratios, a metanalysis was not possible. We calculated that 6 of the 10 studies indicated significant, increased, unadjusted odds of subsequent contraceptive use after reporting ITU. Of those, 3 study analyses reported significant, positive adjusted odds ratios for the relationship between intention to use and later contraceptive use across varying covariates. The range of confounding factors, particularly around sub-populations, points to the need for more research so that a meta-analysis can be done in the future. Conclusions People’s self-reported ITU contraception has the potential to be a strong predictor of subsequent contraceptive use. Few studies directly examined the relationship between ITU and contraceptive uptake and recruitment was primarily pregnant or postpartum samples.
Nurturing a positive research culture within your laboratory
Authors: Liston Adrian , Fitzgerald Denise C.
Published: June 2024

As a Principal Investigator leading a research team, creating a positive research culture for your team members is one of the best long-term investments you can make, for your research programme, for the sector and for society. A positive research environment is one where team members are empowered, recognised, have a clear career developmental pathway, can contribute to impactful and reproducible research and, ideally, propagate these effects. While these virtues can arise organically from a team built around kindness and integrity, they are also values that should be deliberately embedded within your lab. Here we provide advice on how to create a culture of integrity and a culture of belonging for your team members. We focus on thoughtful consideration of your key lab values, and the use of structure, language and your personal actions to make these values explicit. A holistic approach to integrating positive culture throughout every facet of your research team creates a system that can be self-sustaining in scientific integrity and more resilient to negative challenges. Starting on the pathway to self-improvement as a manager, recognising that this requires often uncomfortable self-reflection, provides both personal and professional reward.
Mathematical Simulation of Plat-Pin Fin Heat Sink Installed under the Solar Panels
Authors: Nachaisit P. , Satuwong P. , Vengsungnle P. , Khantikomol P. , Krittacom B.
Published: June 2024

Mathematical simulation of plat–pin fin heat sink installed under solar panels was conducted. Based on the problem of heat accumulation inside the solar panel, the electricity generation efficiency become reduced with a higher heat. Thus, the objective was to design and simulate plate and pin cooling. Two shapes of pin consisting of plate and cylindrical pin were studied. The investigated process was divided into two stages. The design and calculation of the heat sink fin was the first stage. The process of simulating solar panels with fins attached and without fins using the SOLIDWORKS program was the second stage. Three factors were considered: the direction of the panel installation (S, SE, and SW), the inclination angle () of the solar panel, and the style of installation (Transvers and longitude fins). The appropriated condition for reducing the temperature of solar panels was discussed. The results showed that the minimal temperature of the solar panel was obtained at the southeast (SE) direction with an inclination angle () of 18°. Heat dissipation was achieved by the transvers fins in which a maximum temperature reduction gave 6.39 ℃.
Lifetime of a polarization jet during long-term magnetic storms
Authors: Stepanov Aleksandr , Danilov Spiridon , Baishev Dmitry , Khalipov Viktor , Kotova Galina
Published: June 2024

The paper examines conditions of occurrence and typical time scales of a polarization jet by measuring ionospheric parameters from DMSP satellites (h~830 km) and using data from the ground-based ionospheric station Yakutsk (YA462) during strong and long-term geomagnetic storms. The polarization jet at the ionospheric station Yakutsk was recorded in the dusk sector at the background of substorm disturbances when the geomagnetic index SME reached values from 1000 to ~3000 nT, and, according to data from the magnetic observatory Yakutsk (YAK), there was a positive bay ~50–100 nT in the geomagnetic field H component and ~100–200 nT in its Z component. We show that the lifetime of the polarization jet or narrow troughs in ionospheric plasma in the subauroral ionosphere during strong and long-term magnetic storms can be as long as 12 hrs.
Collaborative planning? Not yet seen in Poland. Identifying procedural gaps in the planning system 2003–2023
Authors: Mironowicz Izabela , Ciesielski Michał
Published: June 2024

Collaborative planning aims to increase the legitimacy of decision-making in spatial development. In this approach, planning involves debate and engagement in discourse, and participation and interaction between actors are thus at the heart of the planning process. This article examines whether the planning system in Poland as defined for the period 2003–2025 provides a level of participation and deliberation and other qualities that together allow it to be classified as a collaborative model. The legal procedures in the most commonly used planning instruments are therefore analysed in detail to determine whether they provide honest, open, equal and transparent access to the decision-making process to all stakeholders. The analysis reveals numerous deficiencies in the planning procedures that undermine the collaborative nature of spatial planning in Poland. The study summarises the experience of twenty years of spatial planning practice in Poland and provides a useful starting point for assessing the new planning system that has gradually been being implemented since 2023.
Pedagogia i pedeutologia Ćwiczeń duchownych św. Ignacego w ujęciu Hansa Ursa von Balthasara i Adrienne von Speyr
Authors: Kaźmierczak Paweł
Published: June 2024

Celem niniejszego tekstu jest rekonstrukcja koncepcji pedagogicznej i pedeutologicznej zawartej w Ćwiczeniach duchowych św. Ignacego według interpretacji Hansa Ursa von Balthasara i Adrienne von Speyr. Przedmiotem badań są wypowiedzi tych dwojga dwudziestowiecznych autorów na temat Ćwiczeń duchowych, a w szczególności ich aspektu pedagogicznego i pedeutologicznego. Zasadniczą metodą badań jest analiza literatury prymarnej i sekundarnej dotyczącej wskazanego przedmiotu badań. Wywód przeprowadzono w następujących etapach: W pierwszym punkcie zostało podjęte zagadnienie pedeutologiczne dotyczące osoby prowadzącego ćwiczenia i jego relacji z rekolektantami. Następnie nakreślona została pedagogia Ćwiczeń, w której wyróżniono trzy elementy. Pierwszym z nich jest teocentryczna wizja rzeczywistości zarysowana w Fundamencie i Zasadzie Ćwiczeń (CD 23) i wyrastający z niej postulat tzw. ignacjańskiej obojętności. Doprowadzenie do takiej postawy życiowej jest zasadniczym celem pedagogii Ćwiczeń. Dlatego jako drugi element przedstawiona została metoda prowadząca do uzyskania i ugruntowania postawy obojętności. Następnie poddano analizie trzeci, kluczowy element tej pedagogii, czyli wybór stanu życia. W konkluzji stwierdzono aktualność przedstawionych założeń pedagogicznych i pedeutologicznych, przeciwstawiających się sekularyzacji, egocentryzmowi oraz lękowi przed definitywnym zaangażowaniem, które są tak rozpowszechnione we współczesnej kulturze.
Pierwsi wykładowcy Państwowego Instytutu Pedagogiki Specjalnej
Authors: Czarnecka Iwona
Published: June 2024

Utworzenie w 1922 roku w Warszawie Państwowego Instytutu Pedagogiki Specjalnej stworzyło możliwość kształcenia nauczycieli szkół specjalnych. Marii Grzegorzewskiej, pierwszej dyrektor Instytutu, zależało na odpowiednim doborze kadry nauczającej, która dawałaby gwarancję kompleksowego przygotowania osób, które chciały pracować z dziećmi z niepełnosprawnościami. Grzegorzewska rekomendując ministerstwu kandydatów na prelegentów kierowała się zasadą, że będą to osoby, które poza wiedzą teoretyczną posiadają także przygotowanie praktyczne i są specjalistami w swej dziedzinie.
Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie sylwetek czterech wykładowców PIPS-u, którzy wykładali przedmioty związane z kształceniem dzieci z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną: Władysława Sterlinga, Michała Wawrzynowskiego, Haliny Jankowskiej oraz Witolda Łuniewskiego. Podczas pracy nad artykułem wykorzystane zostały metody właściwe dla historii wychowania i nauk społecznych. Opisano w nim dokonania wyżej wymienionych wykładowców, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem ich pracy w PIPS-ie z wykorzystaniem materiałów zachowanych w Archiwum Państwowym w Warszawie, Oddział w Milanówku. Przedstawiając ich działalność, ukazano jak ważne dla Grzegorzewskiej było posiadanie przez nauczycieli bogatego doświadczenia w pracy z dziećmi i młodzieżą.
Policy feedback and the politics of trade agreements
Authors: Cezar Rodrigo Fagundes
Published: June 2024

Why do interest groups mobilise to change the design of international institutions? The existing research on this topic expects moments when there is a peak in political action, but generally does not consider how such peaks might impact future mobilisations. To fill this gap, this article advances an analysis that draws on policy feedback theory. It shows that the greater the preference distances surrounding existing preferential trade agreements (PTA), the more likely it is for political activity to form around prospective trade deals that share certain key commonalities with those more contentious earlier agreements. The article tests the plausibility of that argument in the design of labour provisions in US and EU trade agreements. It shows that, in the US, NAFTA (ratified 1993) introduced a model of labour provisions that was seen over the years as ‘designed to fail’. As a result, it helped mobilise labour unions against prospective PTAs that bore a resemblance to NAFTA. However, the same did not happen in the EU during the 1990s and early 2000s. This article helps connect public policy research with the literature on the politics of trade agreements. It also serves as a cautionary note to policy makers regarding the long-term effects of PTA design on political activity and underscores the need for carefully projecting the political underpinnings of the enforcement of PTA provisions.
More at Risk Than Ever, More Important Than Ever: Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the Intersection of Paradox and Precarity
Authors: Boisseau Tracey Jean , Rellihan Heather , Ernstberger Adrianna L.
Published: June 2024

Abstract: For this issue's News and Views , we offer quantitative and qualitative analysis of our 2023 survey of the field of women's, gender, and sexuality studies along with our thoughts, grounded in respondents' responses, on the current health of the discipline and its future.
Misunderstanding Democratic Backsliding
Authors: Carothers Thomas , Hartnett Brendan
Published: June 2024

Abstract: One of the most common explanations of the ongoing wave of global democratic backsliding is that democracies are failing to deliver adequate socioeconomic goods to their citizens, leading voters to forsake democracy and embrace antidemocratic politicians who undermine democracy once elected. Yet a close look at twelve important cases of recent backsliding casts doubt on this thesis, finding that while it has some explanatory power in some cases, it has little in others, and even where it applies, it requires nuanced interpretation. Backsliding is less a result of democracies failing to deliver than of democracies failing to constrain the predatory political ambitions and methods of certain elected leaders. Policymakers and aid providers seeking to limit backsliding should tailor their diplomatic and aid interventions accordingly.
Why Mexico Is Not on the Brink
Authors: Ríos Viridiana
Published: June 2024

Abstract: This essay contests the narrative of democratic regression in Mexico, arguing instead that Mexico's democracy demonstrates exceptional resilience. Although there have been concerns about intolerance to criticism, centralization of power, and control of independent institutions during President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's time in office (2018–2024), Mexico's democratic foundations have remained solid. Mexico's resilience is evident in its ability to conduct mostly free and fair elections, the acceptance of electoral losses by its political actors, the country's general freedom of speech and association, and the safeguarding of liberal institutions despite polarization and misinformation. This article also explains the reasons behind the victory of Claudia Sheinbaum, the first female president of Mexico, and describes factors that may reduce the likelihood of democratic erosion (a stronger opposition, internal party fragmentation, diminished populist charisma, and institutional constraints) or increase it (organized crime, militarization, and pervasive social injustices) during her presidency (2024–2030).
Southeast Asia's Toxic Alliances
Authors: McCargo Duncan , Wadipalapa Rendy
Published: June 2024

Abstract: Political unity is a good thing—except when it is not. This essay argues that recent elections in Malaysia (2022), Thailand (2023), and Indonesia (2024) illustrate a growing trend towards toxic forms of unity. Toxic unity occurs when politicians who are supposed to be at opposite ends of the political spectrum join forces, citing the common good while in fact pursuing opportunistic goals. Features of toxic unity include improbable bedfellows, reputational whitewashing, clandestine deals, hidden brokerage, exclusionary agendas, discursive appeals, and voter alienation. Some toxic unity coalitions are proclaimed before polling day, while others are secret pacts.
Hereditary Democracy
Authors: Loxton James
Published: June 2024

Abstract: Hereditary democracy is the phenomenon whereby the children, spouses, or other close family members of powerful politicians are themselves elected to high office. It is a ubiquitous feature of democracy worldwide. What causes it? What are its consequences? To explain hereditary democracy, the article develops a framework that looks at both supply- and demand-side factors, with respect to both the voting masses and party elites, that contribute to an inherited incumbency advantage. The article argues that the practice of hereditary democracy should be condemned. While it has helped women leaders to reach high office in unlikely places, it artificially shrinks the pool of political talent, can lead to disappointed voter expectations, and is fundamentally unfair.
Parallel multi-criteria decision analysis for sub-national prioritization of zoonoses and animal diseases in Africa: The case of Cameroon
Authors: Mpouam Serge Eugene , Ikoum Dalida , Hadja Limane , Kilekoung Mingoas Jean Pierre , Saegerman Claude
Published: June 2024

The use of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) for disease prioritization at the sub-national level in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) is rare. In this research, we contextualized MCDA for parallel prioritization of endemic zoonoses and animal diseases in The Adamawa and North regions of Cameroon. MCDA was associated to categorical principal component analysis (CATPCA), and two-step cluster analysis. Six and seven domains made of 17 and 19 criteria (out of 70) respectively were selected by CATPCA for the prioritization of zoonoses and animal diseases, respectively. The most influencing domains were “public health” for zoonoses and “control and prevention” for animal diseases. Twenty-seven zoonoses and 40 animal diseases were ranked and grouped in three clusters. Sensitivity analysis resulted in high correlation between complete models and reduced models showing the robustness of the simplification processes. The tool used in this study can be applied to prioritize endemic zoonoses and transboundary animal diseases in SSA at the sub-national level and upscaled at the national and regional levels. The relevance of MCDA is high because of its contextualization process and participatory nature enabling better operationalization of disease prioritization outcomes in the context of African countries or other low and middle-income countries.
Physical activity on the mental health of children and adolescents during COVID-19 pandemic-induced school closures—A systematic review
Authors: Zhong Bingbing , Sun HaiChun , Wang Guixiang , Junwen Shu , Tang Shaohua , Gao Yuan , Chen Hanwen , Lu TianCi , Yan Jun
Published: June 2024

Propose

To review published Physical Activity (PA) on the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents aged 5 to 18 years during COVID-19 pandemic-induced school closures.

Methods

From the database creation to April 2022, 10 databases are retrieved, with 4427 records filtered, 14 included in this research. The research takes Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) evaluation standards.

Results

The thesis selects 14 studies from 6 countries, involving 400009 children and adolescents. These studies happened during the lockdown of COVID-19 (from December 2019 to April 2021). During the lockdown of COVID-19, schools were closed, which was considered part of a more extensive lockdown. Schools were closed for 1 to 4 weeks. There were 10 high quality studies (71.4%) and 4 medium quality studies (28.6%). 4 studies report that the pandemic reduces the time of PA but increases the time of watching screen and sitting. 10 studies (71.4%) identify that PA is positive for the mental health, because it helps reduce mental symptoms to a certain extent, especially anxiety, depression, and emotional disorders. 5 studies show that PA may not improve the mental health of children and adolescents under 12 during the pandemic. 4 studies indicate that the influence of PA on mental health of children and adolescents is determined by the amount of activity, including the extent, intensity, frequency, and duration, etc.

Conclusions

In this narrative synthesis of reports from the class suspension period, reports that PA has a improve on the mental health of children and adolescents to a certain extent. it is found that PA may be helpful in reducing mental health symptoms of children and adolescents who are influenced by class suspension because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, stakeholders of the mental health of children and adolescents around the world should recommend PA because it is a practicable and beneficial way for long-term mental support.
Analyzing evolutionary game theory in epidemic management: A study on social distancing and mask-wearing strategies
Authors: Nabi Khondoker Nazmoon , Ovi Murshed Ahmed , Kabir K. M. Ariful
Published: June 2024

When combating a respiratory disease outbreak, the effectiveness of protective measures hinges on spontaneous shifts in human behavior driven by risk perception and careful cost-benefit analysis. In this study, a novel concept has been introduced, integrating social distancing and mask-wearing strategies into a unified framework that combines evolutionary game theory with an extended classical epidemic model. To yield deeper insights into human decision-making during COVID-19, we integrate both the prevalent dilemma faced at the epidemic’s onset regarding mask-wearing and social distancing practices, along with a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis. We explore the often-overlooked aspect of effective mask adoption among undetected infectious individuals to evaluate the significance of source control. Both undetected and detected infectious individuals can significantly reduce the risk of infection for non-masked individuals by wearing effective facemasks. When the economical burden of mask usage becomes unsustainable in the community, promoting affordable and safe social distancing becomes vital in slowing the epidemic’s progress, allowing crucial time for public health preparedness. In contrast, as the indirect expenses associated with safe social distancing escalate, affordable and effective facemask usage could be a feasible option. In our analysis, it was observed that during periods of heightened infection risk, there is a noticeable surge in public interest and dedication to complying with social distancing measures. However, its impact diminishes beyond a certain disease transmission threshold, as this strategy cannot completely eliminate the disease burden in the community. Maximum public compliance with social distancing and mask-wearing strategies can be achieved when they are affordable for the community. While implementing both strategies together could ultimately reduce the epidemic’s effective reproduction number (R e) to below one, countries still have the flexibility to prioritize either of them, easing strictness on the other based on their socio-economic conditions.