bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Overexpression of P4HA1 Is Correlated with Poor Survival and Immune Infiltrates in Lung Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Zhou Haiting , He Yi , Li Lingling , Wu Cheng , Hu Guoqing
Published: November 2020

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a major pathological type of lung cancer. Understanding the mechanism of LUAD at the molecular level is important for a clinical decision. In this study, we use bioinformatic analysis to explore the prognostic value of P4HA1 in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and the relationship with prognosis and tumor‐infiltrating immune cells (TIICs). The results showed that the expression of P4HA1 was significantly higher in tumor tissues than in normal tissues for LUAD patients. Upregulated P4HA1 was related to stage and T classification. Kaplan‐Meier analysis indicated that upregulation of P4HA1 was significantly related to worse overall survival (OS). Univariate and multivariate Cox analysis indicated P4HA1 remained to be an independent prognostic factor. GSEA showed that several cancer‐related and immune‐related signaling pathways exhibited prominently differential enrichment in P4HA1‐high expression phenotype. In addition, the expression of P4HA1 was significantly correlated with proportion of several TIICs, particularly B cells and CD4+ T cells. In conclusion, our study confirmed that P4HA1 is a promising biomarker of poor prognosis and relates to immune infiltrates in LUAD.
A Combined Effect of Expression Levels of Obesity‐Related Genes and Clinical Factors on Cancer Survival Rate
Authors: Huang Ting , Huang Xuan , Nie Yumin , Shi Xiangkui , Shu Chuanjun
Published: November 2020

Obesity is directly associated with the risk of cancer in different organs, including breast, colon, and kidney. However, adipocytes could be utilized to control progression for some types of cancer, such as leukemia and breast cancer. To explore the potential correlation between adipocytes and cancer, the combined effect of expression levels of obesity‐related genes and clinical factors (i.e., gender, race, menopausal status, history of smoking, tumor grade, body mass index (BMI), and history of drinking) on cancer survival rate was systemically studied. The expression levels of obesity‐related genes in cancer tissues and normal tissues were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Kaplan–Meier curves were plotted using R programming language. The log‐rank test was applied to explore the correlation between different clinical subgroups. The overexpression of the nine obesity‐related genes (MC4R, TMEM18, KCTD15, GNPDA2, SH2B1, MTCH2, FTO, PCSK1, and GPR120) may associate with tumor‐promoting factors in some organs (head and neck, gastrointestinal tract, liver, and gallbladder). Underexpressed LEPR, NEGR1, TMEM18, and SH2B1 genes prevented the progression and metastasis of kidney cancer. The combined effect of clinical factors and the expression levels of obesity‐related genes on patients’ survival was found to be significant. Our outcomes suggested that the alternations of DNA methylation patterns could result in the changes of expression levels of obesity‐related genes, playing a critical role in tumor progression. The results of the current study may be utilized to supplement precision and personalized medicine, as well as provide novel insights for the development of treatment approaches for cancer.
Binocular Diplopia: A Possible Adverse Effect of Fluoroquinolone Therapy
Authors: Touray Mariama , Ando Victoria , Samutelela Erwin , Zuber Jean-Philippe
Published: November 2020

The adverse effects of fluoroquinolones are yet to be fully elucidated. We present an interesting case of a 41-year-old male with binocular diplopia most likely induced by the use of a fluoroquinolone antibiotic.
Cangfudaotan Decoction Alleviates Insulin Resistance and Improves Follicular Development in Rats with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome via IGF-1-PI3K/Akt-Bax/Bcl-2 Pathway
Authors: Wang Chenye , Ding Caifei , Hua Zhoujia , Chen Chunyue , Yu Jia
Published: November 2020

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine and metabolic disorder prevalent in females of reproductive age; insulin resistance (IR) is the major pathogenic driver. Pharmacology is a basic option for PCOS therapy; traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as a significant part of complementary and alternative medicine, has a long history in the clinical management of PCOS. Cangfudaotan decoction (CFD) has been used clinically for gynaecological diseases especially PCOS. In this study, first, chemical components in CFD were clarified using UPLC-Q/TOF-MS analysis. Then, an animal model of PCOS was established, granular cells were also isolated from the rats with PCOS, and CFD was administrated at different dosages in PCOS rats and granular cells, to investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanisms of CFD for PCOS treatment. The result showed that CFD treatment is effective in PCOS rats and granulosa cells. CFD was able to improve IR, restore the serum hormone levels, inhibit the inflammatory cytokines in PCOS rat, and alleviate ovary morphological injury and apoptosis in PCOS rats. In granulosa cells of PCOS, the result showed that the cell viability was improved, and cell apoptosis was inhibited after CFD administration. Further experiments suggested that CDF improves IR, follicular development, cell apoptosis, and inflammatory microenvironment, and this was associated to the regulation of IGF-1-PI3K/Akt-Bax/Bcl-2 pathway-mediated gene expression. Given that CFD sufficiently suppresses insulin resistance and improves follicular development in this study, exploring these mechanisms might help to optimize the therapeutic treatment of CFD in PCOS patients.
Effects of Different Conditions of Water Cooling at High Temperature on the Tensile Strength and Split Surface Roughness Characteristics of Hot Dry Rock
Authors: Cui Hanbo , Tang Jupeng , Jiang Xintong
Published: November 2020

To investigate the effects of the different conditions of water cooling at high temperature on the tensile strength and split surface roughness characteristics of hot dry rock in the Songliao Basin, the physical characteristics, tensile strength, and split surface roughness of granite under different conditions of water cooling at high temperature were studied. In addition, the relationship between tensile strength and split surface roughness under different conditions of water cooling at high temperature was established. The results showed the following: (1) as the rock temperature increased, the number of water injection cycles increased or the water injection temperature decreased, the mechanical properties of the specimen weakened, and the roughness of the split surface increased. The threshold for the effect of the rock temperature on the split surface roughness of granite was 300°C. At 400°C, the tensile strength greatly decreased. At 600°C, the tensile strength, height mean square error (MSE), fluctuation difference, roughness coefficient, and roughness profile index of the specimen were 0.21, 2.51, 2.57, 8.92, and 1.06 times those at 100°C, respectively. After five heating‐cooling cycles, the tensile strength, height MSE, fluctuation difference, roughness coefficient, and roughness profile index of the specimen were 0.57, 1.33, 1.49, 1.29, and 1.01 times those after one cycle, respectively. (2) The roughness angle calculated using the root mean square of the first derivative of the profile was always greater than that derived using the roughness profile index. In addition, the higher the temperature, the lower the water temperature, the more high‐temperature‐water cooling cycles, the greater the difference between the above two calculations. (3) When the tensile strength varies, the factors affecting the variation in the height MSE and surface roughness were in the following descending order: rock temperature, number of heating‐cooling cycles, and water temperature. In addition, the higher the tensile strength, the lower the roughness coefficient. This study is expected to provide a reference for the selection of different conditions of water cooling at high temperature for thermal recovery in the Songliao Basin.
Basolateral Amygdala but Not Medial Prefrontal Cortex Contributes to Chronic Fluoxetine Treatments for PTSD Symptoms in Mice
Authors: Yu Ying Hao , Ou Chen Yin , Shyu Bai Chuang , Huang Andrew Chih Wei
Published: November 2020

Do chronic fluoxetine treatments reduced footshock-induced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, including fear and comorbid depression, in the situational reminder phase? Moreover, are the subareas of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), including the cingulate cortex 1 (Cg1), prelimbic cortex (PrL), infralimbic cortex (IL), and basolateral amygdala (BLA), involved in the fluoxetine amelioration of PTSD symptoms? These two crucial issues were addressed in the present study. All mice were injected with chronic fluoxetine or normal saline treatments for the adaptation (14 days), footshock fear conditioning (1 day), and situational reminder (3 days) phases. After adaptation, the mice were subjected to footshock (2 mA, 10 seconds) or nonfootshock and stayed 2 min in a footshock box for 2 min for fear conditioning. Later, they were placed in the footshock box for 2 min in the situational reminder phase. In the final session of the situational reminder phase, a forced swimming test (FST) and immunohistochemical staining were conducted. The results indicated that footshock induced fear and comorbid depression. Meanwhile, chronic fluoxetine treatments reduced fear and depression behaviors. The Cg1, PrL, IL, and BLA were seemingly to increase c-Fos expression after footshock-induced PTSD symptoms in the situational reminder phase. The fluoxetine treatments reduced only the BLA’s c-Fos expression. The findings suggest that BLA contributes to the fluoxetine amelioration of PTSD symptoms; however, the mPFC, including the Cg1, PrL, and IL, did not mediate PTSD symptoms’ amelioration stemming from fluoxetine. The present data might help us to further understand the neural mechanism of fluoxetine treatments in PTSD symptoms.
A Case of Successful Treatment with Unilateral Oophorectomy in a Patient with Resistant Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Authors: Pathmanathan S. , Ranathunga I. , Somasundaram N. P.
Published: November 2020

Background. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder with heterogeneous etiology. Typical features consist of oligo/anovulation, polycystic ovaries, and features of hyperandrogenism. Pathogenesis is multifactorial, and positive family history may have a predisposition for disease development. The syndrome is associated with multiple metabolic and nonmetabolic entities. As the disease is involved with multiple adverse outcomes, the successful treatment is pivotal. Among the more advanced options, the unilateral oophorectomy is considered as a last resort to alleviate the symptoms. Case Presentation. A 29-year-old female presented to us with oligomenorrhea, severe hirsutism, androgenic pattern hair loss, acne, increased skin pigmentation, and secondary subfertility. On examination, she was obese with a body mass index (BMI) of 29.6 kg/m2. She had evidence of acanthosis nigricans, androgenic pattern balding, acne, dorsal, supraclavicular fat deposition, and moderate-severe hirsutism. Investigations confirmed excess right ovarian testosterone secretion which led to the ultimate management with right oophorectomy with successful alleviation of clinical features. Conclusions. The multifaceted medical treatment comprises the first-line therapy in PCOS. Surgery is considered as a second-line option in resistant PCOS following failure of initial therapeutic options. We report a case of resistant polycystic ovary syndrome with secondary subfertility and moderate-to-severe hirsutism who was successfully treated with unilateral oophorectomy with favorable results.
Proteomic Profiling Change and Its Implies in the Early Mycosis Fungoides (MF) Using Isobaric Tags for Relative and Absolute Quantification (iTRAQ)
Authors: Zhu Mengyan , Li Yong , Ding Cheng , Wang Jiaqi , Ma Yangyang , Li Zhao , Zhang Xiaoyan , Wang Ping
Published: November 2020

Purpose. Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common T‐cell lymphoma, with indolent biologic behavior in the early stage and features of invasive in the tumor stage. The diagnosis of MF is still ambiguous and difficult. We focused on the proteomic profiling change in the pathogenesis of early MF and identified candidate biomarkers for early diagnosis. Methods. We collected peripheral blood samples of MF patients and healthy individuals (HI) performed proteomic profiling analysis using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) platform. Differently expressed proteins (DEPs) were filtered, and involved biological functions were analyzed through Gene Ontology (GO) and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software. Results. We identified 78 DEPs including fifty proteins were upregulated and 28 proteins were downregulated in the MF group with HI as a control. Total DEPs were analyzed according to the biological regulation and metabolic process through GO analysis. The pathways of LXR/RXR activation and FXR/RXR activation were significantly activated, in which APOH, CLU, and ITIH4 were involved. The top annotated disease and function network was (Cancer, Organismal Injury and Abnormalities, Reproductive System Disease), with a key node CLU. These DEPs were involved in cancer, including thyroid carcinoma, head and neck carcinoma, and cancer of secretory structure, in which CLU, GNAS, and PKM played an indirect role in the occurrence and development of cancer. Relevant causal network was IL12 (family), which is related to GNAS, PKM, and other DEPs. Conclusion. Proteomic profiling of early‐stage MF provided candidate protein biomarkers such as CLU, GNAS, and PKM, which benefit the early diagnosis and understanding of the mechanism of MF development. Besides, lipid metabolism may be one of the pathogenesis of MF, and IL12 was a potential marker for the diagnosis and treatment of early MF.
Possible Involvement of the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 Pathway in the Hypothalamus in Depressive-Like Behavior of Rats Exposed to Chronic Mild Stress
Authors: Guan Xiaofeng , Wang Qi , Liu Mengxi , Sun Anji , Li Xiaobai
Published: November 2020

Introduction: The interleukin-6/janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (IL-6/JAK2/STAT3) pathway plays an important role in immune function, but little research has focused on this pathway in depression. We sought to examine the relationship between the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 pathway and depressive-like behavior. Methods: Using a chronic mild stress (CMS) paradigm, a total of 36 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four matched groups: (1) control + vehicle, (2) CMS + vehicle, (3) control + paroxetine, and (4) CMS + paroxetine. We investigated the effects of CMS on depressive-like behavior by using the forced swimming test (FST). Subsequently, the mRNA levels of members of the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 pathway were assessed by qRT-PCR. Results: We found that rats exposed to CMS displayed a significant increase in immobility time and a decrease in climbing time in the FST. Moreover, mRNA levels of IL-6, JAK2, and STAT3 in the hypothalamus were increased following CMS. We also found that mRNA levels of IL-6, JAK2, and STAT3 were normalized by paroxetine administration, which coincided with normalization of the depressive-like behavior. Conclusions: The IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 pathway may be activated in depression, and targeting this pathway may provide a novel effective therapeutic approach for the treatment of depression.
Absolute Immature Platelet Counts Suggest Platelet Production Suppression during Complicated Relapsing Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura
Authors: Kundrapu Sirisha , Reeves Hollie M. , Maitta Robert W.
Published: November 2020

Absolute immature platelet counts (A-IPC) aid in diagnosis and treatment follow-up in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). A-IPC was used to follow a patient on mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) maintenance therapy treated with a prolonged therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) regimen for relapsing TTP. On admission, the platelet (PLT) count was 95 × 109/L declining to 14 × 109/L in 5 days. Daily TPE was initiated for suspected TTP, and MMF was discontinued. A-IPC and PLT count were 1 × 109/L and 14 × 109/L, respectively, prior to first TPE. A-IPC improved to 3.2 × 109/L with 1 TPE, and on day 5, A-IPC and PLT count were 7.5 × 109/L and 218 × 109/L, respectively. On day 6, A-IPC and PLT count decreased to 4.8 × 109/L and 132 × 109/L further worsening to 0.4 × 109/L and 13 × 109/L, respectively. ADAMTS13 activity remained <5% with an inhibitor; counts did not recover. Initial improvement followed by rapidly declining A-IPC despite therapy suggested production suppression. In TTP, A-IPC may aid in establishing early therapy effects over PLT production.
Secondary Immune Thrombocytopenia in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report and Discussion of the Literature
Authors: Cockrell Dillon C. , Kasthuri Raj S. , Altun Ersan , Rose Tracy L. , Milowsky Matthew I.
Published: November 2020

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome of solid tumor malignancies. In previously described cases of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) associated with secondary ITP, treatment has consisted of nephrectomy, splenectomy, and corticosteroids. Here, we describe a case of metastatic RCC presenting with a right ventricular mass and subsequent development of secondary ITP. The clinical course was complicated by recurrent severe thrombocytopenia despite treatment with corticosteroids, rituximab, and thrombopoietin receptor agonists, precluding cancer-directed therapy and anticoagulation. Further study is needed to determine the optimal management strategy for malignancy-associated ITP.
Usefulness of Stress-Derived E/e’ Ratio in Asymptomatic Hypertensive Patients
Authors: Mahfouz Ragab A. , Abdelhamed Mohammed , Galal Islam , Elsanan Moataz
Published: November 2020

Purpose: We sought to investigate the usefulness of stress echocardiography-derived E/e’ in predicting subclinical atherosclerosis in asymptomatic hypertensive patients. Materials and Methods: 71 newly diagnosed untreated hypertensive patients (48 ± 13 years, 65% males) and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited. Resting and exercise echocardiography was performed to assess resting diastolic blood pressure and the diastolic stress parameters. Coronary flow reserve (CFR) was evaluated as well. Results: Based on CFR values, newly diagnosed, untreated hypertensives were stratified into hypertensives with microvascular dysfunction (MVD; 34 patients had CFR <2.0) and those without MVD (37 patients had CFR ≥2.0). Patients with MVD had a significantly higher C-reactive protein level (p < 0.05) and lower metabolic equivalent values (p < 0.05). With resting echocardiography, only the left atrial volume index (LAVI) was significantly increased in those with MVD compared with those without MVD and controls (p < 0.05). With exercise echo, the E/e’ was significantly increased in MVD patients compared with those without MVD and controls (p < 0.001). Importantly, the percentage of subjects with exercise E/e’ ≥15 was 76.5% (26 patients in the group with MVD), 4.1% (3 patients in the group without MVD), and 0% in controls. At univariate analysis, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (p < 0.05), LAVI (p < 0.05), and exercise E/e’ (p < 0.001) were independently associated with reduced CFR. On the other hand, at multivariate analysis, only exercise E/e’ was the independent predictor of reduced CFR in newly diagnosed hypertensives. Conclusion: We have demonstrated significant associations between exercise-derived raised left ventricular pressure and coronary MVD in newly diagnosed untreated hypertensive patients. Herein, we supposed that exercise-derived E/e’ could predict subclinical atherosclerosis and might be a risk parameter for newly diagnosed untreated hypertensive patients.
conceito de grande tempo e interpretação de discursos
Authors: Delanoy Cláudio Primo
Published: November 2020

Este trabalho tem como tema interpretações de discursos ao longo do tempo. Elegemos o Círculo de Bakhtin como base teórica porque sua concepção de linguagem envolve a natureza ideológica do signo linguístico a partir da interação entre interlocutores situados social e historicamente. Bakhtin assume que as obras vivem no grande tempo e rompem as fronteiras de sua época. Temos como objetivos: (i) refletir sobre o conceito de grande tempo aplicado à interpretação de discursos; (ii) discutir a importância do conhecimento cultural de produção do discurso para a sua interpretação; (iii) analisar como o distanciamento ideológico sócio-histórico e cultural colabora para a construção de novos sentidos. Analisaremos uma postagem em rede social relacionada ao conto Branca de Neve e um poema de Álvares de Azevedo. O método consiste na aplicação de conceitos bakhtinianos aos enunciados. Como resultado, a interpretação envolve o posicionamento ideológico do leitor.
destinatário-visitante presumido nas exposições de divulgação científica do Catavento Cultural
Authors: Higashi Arlete Machado Fernandes
Published: November 2020

A teoria dialógica desenvolvida nos trabalhos do Círculo de Bakhtin preconiza que um traço constitutivo do enunciado é seu direcionamento a alguém, ou seja, o fato de estar voltado para seu destinatário, do qual considera pontos de vistas, avaliações, visões de mundo, correntes e teorias presumidamente partilhados. Nesse sentido, a orientação do discurso verbal em função de um interlocutor/leitor tem uma imensa importância no processo de sua construção. Essa orientação se materializa nas escolhas estilísticas, composicionais e temáticas e nas entonações valorativas de todo e qualquer enunciado. Desse modo, considerando as reflexões do Círculo bakhtiniano, este trabalho objetiva analisar os enunciados verbo-visuais que compõem as exposições de divulgação científica veiculadas pela instituição Catavento Cultural e Educacional, situada em São Paulo, buscando ressaltar a quem são endereçados os enunciados das exposições e como esse direcionamento se reflete nos elementos essenciais do enunciado expositivo. A análise empreendida revelou que o visitante-destinatário é inscrito de modo distinto a partir da percepção do seu fundo aperceptível de conhecimento pelo autor e da relação desse com o objeto.
Peleja histórica de Inácio da Catingueira e Romano Caluête
Authors: Pinto Mayra , Coelho Sandino Patriota de Almeida
Published: November 2020

O presente artigo analisa o registro de um episódio da poesia oral de repente brasileira conhecido como ‘peleja histórica’, ocorrido na cidade de Patos, na Paraíba, no ano de 1874, entre os cantadores Inácio da Catingueira e Romano Caluête. Com base em alguns conceitos de Mikhail Bakhtin e Valentin Volochínov, a análise busca compreender de que modo os valores dominantes contribuem para constituir no discurso poético um contraponto à cosmovisão carnavalesca fortemente presente no gênero repente, próprio da cultura popular. Além disso, a observação procurou investigar de que modo certa orientação social pode reafirmar o discurso racista como fonte de conflito axiológico na obra analisada. Foram encontrados, na pesquisa, elementos discursivos que demonstram o valor da poesia de repente como gênero literário e o embate entre valorações sociais conflitantes marcadas na cultura popular do nordeste brasileiro, durante o período de produção da obra analisada.
Arquitetônica, relações dialógicas e metalinguística
Authors: Queiroz Inti Anny
Published: November 2020

Este estudo é parte da reflexão teórica realizada na tese de doutorado desenvolvida até 2019 em que utilizamos como base a arquitetônica bakhtiniana, que pode ser entendida de duas formas: como sistematizador da teoria, que engloba as categorias filosóficas de compreensão de mundo e como um todo englobante, organizador de sentido num enunciado concreto e realizado num ato responsável. Durante a pesquisa, percebemos a importância da conexão entre a arquitetônica e o conceito de relações dialógicas, criado tardiamente em conjunto com a disciplina Metalinguística no livro sobre Dostoiévski de 1963. Aqui, buscamos compreender a construção do pensamento bakhtiniano através do desenvolvimento destes conceitos nas obras do Círculo de Bakhtin. Analisaremos os textos teóricos de Mikhail Bakhtin e também de outros pensadores do Círculo como Pável Medviédev e Valentin Volóchinov. Nesta análise, buscamos demonstrar a conexão entre arquitetônica, relações dialógicas e a disciplina Metalinguística enquanto base do pensamento bakhtiniano.
Simple Diagnostic Tools May Guide Transcatheter Closure of Superior Sinus Venosus Defects Without Advanced Imaging Techniques
Authors: Sivakumar Kothandam , Qureshi Shakeel , Pavithran Sreeja , Vaidyanathan Sunitha , Rajendran Monica
Published: November 2020

Background:

There is a recent interest in nonsurgical correction of superior sinus venosus defects. Patient selection is currently based on advanced imaging and printing technologies. Simple clinical tools to select patients will expand its applicability in developing countries.

Methods:

Defects caudally extending toward the oval fossa and right upper pulmonary veins draining beyond the cavoatrial junction on transesophageal echocardiography were excluded. Balloon interrogation of cavoatrial junction confirmed complete occlusion of the defect with unobstructed pulmonary venous drainage to left atrium. Single long covered stents or overlapping covered stents were used to exclude sinus venosus defects. Closure of left-to-right interatrial shunt without causing pulmonary vein occlusion was confirmed on follow-up imaging.

Results:

Forty-four patients selected after transesophageal echocardiography underwent balloon interrogation with monitoring of right upper pulmonary vein. Eighteen out of 44 patients were ineligible. Twenty-four eligible patients with closure of left-to-right interatrial shunt without pulmonary vein occlusion underwent covered stent exclusion using single long stents in 15 and overlapping stents in the rest, while 2 patients are awaiting the procedure. Four patients aged 6 to 16 years received stents that were 18 mm or larger. Three patients had stent embolization that required surgical correction in 2 but in the last patient was managed nonsurgically with an overlapping covered stent with good final outcomes. Procedure was successful in 22 patients. At a median follow-up of 20 months (range, 3–54 months), there were no adverse events. Follow-up imaging showed trivial left-to-right shunt in 4 and unobstructed pulmonary veins in all patients.

Conclusions:

Transesophageal echocardiography and balloon interrogation identified 60% of the patients with sinus venosus defects to be eligible for catheter closure. Overlapping stents are an alternative to custom-made long stents. Transesophageal echocardiography confirms procedural success on follow-up. Advanced imaging and printing technologies are not essential for successful outcomes and thus simple tests increase the feasibility in developing countries.
Impacts of Lockdown Policies on International Trade*
Authors: Hayakawa Kazunobu , Mukunoki Hiroshi
Published: November 2020

The aim of this study is to quantify how lockdown policies implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic affected international trade in the first half of 2020. We examine monthly world trade data between January and June in both 2019 and 2020. Our findings can be summarized as follows. Stay-at-home orders did not have significant and robust effects on trade. Negative effects were found in only some industries, including those producing durable products and essential products. However, workplace closures had significant negative effects on trade, except for intra-Asian trade. These effects of workplace closures can be found in most industries.
International Relations’ Critical Turn in the Humanitarian Space: Opportunities for Christian Engagement
Authors: Moore Alana
Published: November 2020

International Relations scholars routinely credit Christian actors with helping to create the modern international humanitarian order by institutionalizing principles of care and assistance within global governance. As this humanitarian order has become more secularized, however, faith-based reflections have been sidelined in secular academic work on humanitarian issues. This article reflects on the opportunities for dialogue and mutual engagement following the critical turn in International Relations scholarship over recent years. It highlights the development of International Relations thinking on the normative dimensions of the international humanitarian order and shows how their critiques of a secular order have created a window for engagement with the intellectual resources of the Christian traditions. Developing meeting places for engaging on deeper questions of ontologies of practice provides an opportunity to pursue a richer vision of global humanitarian endeavours, to the benefit of all.
Climate Change and Reversed Intergenerational Equity: the Problem of Costs Now, for Benefits Later
Authors: Davies Gareth
Published: November 2020

Climate change is often seen as an issue of intergenerational equity—consumption now creates costs for future generations. However, radical mitigation now would reverse the problem, creating immediate costs for current generations, while the benefits would be primarily for future ones. This is a policy problem, as persuading those living now to bear the cost of changes whose benefits will mostly accrue after their deaths is politically difficult. The policy challenge is then how to temporally match costs to benefits, either by deferring mitigation costs, or by speeding up climatic benefits. Geoengineering may provide some help here, as it might enable climate change to be slowed more immediately, at a lower upfront cost, and allow a greater share of the mitigation and adaptation burden to be passed on to those in the future who will benefit most.
Isabelle de Charrière and Skepticism in the Literary Life
Authors: Laursen John Christian
Published: November 2020

This article explores some senses in which Isabelle de Charrière (1740–1805) may be understood as a skeptic in her personal life and in her literary life, although the two cannot really be separated since she lived the literary life. She called herself a skeptic a number of times, and also showed some knowledge of the Academic or Socratic and especially of the Pyrrhonian traditions of skepticism in her novels and extensive correspondence. This Dutch-Swiss writer provides an example of what it might be to live as a skeptic, serving as a case study for the debates about the feasibility and moral status of living with skepticism.
Is It Rational to Reject Expert Consensus?
Authors: Frances Bryan
Published: November 2020

Philosophers defend, and often believe, controversial philosophical claims. Since they aren’t clueless, they are usually aware that their views are controversial—on some occasions, the views are definitely in the minority amongst the relevant specialist-experts. In addition, most philosophers are aware that they are not God’s gift to philosophy, since they admit their ability to track truth in philosophy is not extraordinary compared to that of other philosophers. In this paper I argue that in many real-life cases, such beliefs in controversial claims are irrational. This means that most philosophers have irrational philosophical beliefs.
“The Cause Is a Worthy One, So Come Along with Your Sixpence and Enjoy Yourselves with One Hour of Lusty Sport”
Authors: Gennaro Michael
Published: November 2020

This article argues that the fissures and fun times within colonial society during the war become visible when looking through the lens of wartime sport. Specifically, the commentary that sport generated about social, political, and economic conditions in the colony reveals the various ways Nigerians used sport to challenge the colonial system, while for the British, sport was used to cement the bonds of empire and to gauge Nigerians’ patriotism for the war. Sport as a lens, then, has a lot to contribute to our understandings of the war, the experiences of Nigerians, and the transformations to the social economy, through which sport was an integral aspect of leisure, labor, politics, and wartime fundraising. As sport continued throughout the war in Nigeria, as elsewhere across the continent, sport was used by Britain to tie the colonies into a wider cultural bond. In addition, sport allowed Nigerians to contest colonialism’s unequal social state.
“We Cannot Suffer in Burma and Return to Face Trials in Our Own Country”
Authors: Mordi Emmanuel Nwafor
Published: November 2020

Second World War demobilization and reintegration of Nigerian veterans into civilian life, neglected previously by scholars, is examined within the broad literature on African post-war demobilization. Scholars’ focus on the anxieties that heralded demobilization, dashed hopes, grievances and political roles of ex-servicemen exposed lacunae about how the soldiers that survived the war were reintegrated into civilian life. This historical study interrogates archival sources to examine Nigerian demobilization and reintegration policies, programmes, challenges and solutions. It posits that the government ignored the lessons of hindsight, dashed ex-servicemen’s hopes, and generated grievances that nationalists failed to capitalize upon to hasten Nigeria’s independence.
Ding Fubao and the Morals of Medical Modernization
Authors: Andrews Bridie
Published: November 2020

This paper surveys the life and medical activities of Chinese scholar, physician, and translator Ding Fubao 丁福保 (1874-1952). Ding’s career as an early adopter and translator of scientific medicine, and as a broker between western-trained physicians and reform-minded practitioners of Chinese medicine, affords rare insight into both the promise and the shortcomings of western-style medical modernization. In particular, Ding’s experiences illustrate the ways in which illness and healing remained closely associated with moral virtue, even in the mind of this most committed modernizer. Through Ding, we can examine the growth of modern professions in China and the struggle to achieve any kind of professional monopoly on practice; the huge influence of Japan on China’s modernization, and aspects of the relationship between culture and scientific change.
Yi Chema and the Psychosocial Body in Late Nineteenth Century Korea
Authors: Yi Kiebok
Published: November 2020

Conventional understandings of Chinese medicine, and by extension East Asian medicine, are that historical and contemporary discourses on the medical body have essentially revolved around a unitary body perception—the cosmological body as demonstrated by the use of concepts such as qi, yinyang, and the Five Phases. Notably, in this body conception, the material, spiritual and emotional dimensions are not separable from each other but are rather interconnected by means of allpervasive qi that resonates in the universe.

However, East Asian medicine has in fact provided a far more diverse and dynamic landscape of conceptualizations of the body than has previously been assumed. Addressing this relatively ignored topography, this paper investigates medical thought about body structure that was proposed and practiced by Yi Chema 李濟馬 (1837-1900), a physician and Confucian in late nineteenth century Chosŏn 朝鮮 Korea. Rather than considering cosmological factors, he brought into play human affairs and agency in his discussion of the medical body. In the framework of his medical system, later referred to as Sasang 四象 (fourfold imaging) medicine, psychosocial characteristics—such as affective temperaments, cognitive traits, and behavioral dispositions—are inherently interwoven with the configuration of the viscera and body parts. Importantly, the physiological processes of this psychosocial body are not so much maintained by cosmologically resonating qi flowing throughout the body, but rather, they are activated by the human agent’s psychosocial drive to engage with the world.

Yi Chema, through his conceptualization of the psychosocial body, envisaged an ideal world in which the qualities and differences of people should be acknowledged to the fullest extent. Thus he rejected hierarchical socio-cultural orderings of human beings in favor of a respect of heterogeneity. Yi Chema’s effort to promote the psychosocial body can be understood against the backdrop of late nineteenth century East Asia, where the mechanistic body of what was then seen as modern medicine was encroaching upon the cosmological body.
Daoing Medicine: Practice Theory for Considering Religion and Medicine in Early Imperial China
Authors: Stanley-Baker Michael
Published: November 2020

This article is a critique of the neologism “Daoist medicine” (daojiao yixue 道教醫學) that has recently entered scholarly discourse in China. It provides evidence that this expression is an anachronism which found its way into scholarly discourse in 1995 and has now become so widely used that it is seen as representing an undisputed “historical fact.” It demonstrates that the term has no precursor in the pre-modern record, and critiques two substantive attempts to set up “Daoist medicine” as an analytical term. It reviews earlier scholarship on Daoism and medicine, or healing, within the larger context of religion and medicine, and shows how attention has shifted, particularly in relation to the notion of overlap or intersection of these historical fields of study. It proposes that earlier frameworks grounded in epistemology or simple social identity do not effectively represent the complexity of these therapies. Practice theory, on the other hand, provides a useful analytic for unpacking the organisation and transmission of curing knowledge. Such an approach foregrounds the processes and dynamics of assemblage, rather than theoretical abstractions. The article concludes by proposing a focus on the Daoing of medicine, that is, the variety of processes by which therapies come to be known as Daoist, rather than imposing an anachronistic concept like Daoist medicine.
Tao Hongjing and the Reading of Daoist Geography
Authors: Pettit J. E. E.
Published: November 2020

This article studies ways in which Daoist writers in early medieval China represented sacred lands. It goes beyond the descriptions of Daoist sacred geography to analyze ways in which these texts were tools to disseminate new revelations about the ancient history and ownership of temple lands. It begins by looking at Han dynasty conceptions of mountains, in particular the role of individuals who were privy to the hidden, esoteric knowledge of land formations. The second part of the article focuses on the writings of the fifth century polymath Tao Hongjing. These commentaries provide valuable insight into the kinds of social exchanges that underpin the writing of Daoist geography. These writings about religious geography reflect the interests of a new clerical class of individuals who developed and recreated sacred sites on behalf of royal benefactors.
Frenopyxis stierlitzi gen. nov., sp. nov.—new testate amoeba (Amoebozoa: Arcellinida) from the urban parks with notes on the systematics of the family Centropyxidae Jung, 1942
Authors: BOBROV ANATOLY , MAZEI YURI
Published: November 2020

New species, Frenopyxis stierlitzi, is described from tree hollows in the urban parks in Moscow (Russia) and Potsdam (Germany). The species belongs to the new genus of the family Centropyxidae and characterized by unique character, i.e. an internal thick organic lip surrounding an aperture and continuing in a bridle, which connects an aperture with the internal side of a shell wall and broaden in the place of connection of a bridle and a shell wall. The systematics of the family Centropyxidae is discussed and the importance of the structures, which divide inner shell volume into compartments, is underlined.
Exploring Inland Tropical Cyclone Rainfall and Tornadoes under Future Climate Conditions through a Case Study of Hurricane Ivan
Authors: Carroll-Smith Dereka , Trapp Robert J. , Done James M.
Published: November 2020

The overarching purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of anthropogenic climate change both on the rainfall and tornadoes associated with tropical cyclones (TCs) making landfall in the U.S. Atlantic basin. The “pseudo–global warming” (PGW) approach is applied to Hurricane Ivan (2004), a historically prolific tropical cyclone tornado (TCT)-producing storm. Hurricane Ivan is simulated under its current climate forcings using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model. This control simulation (CTRL) is then compared with PGW simulations in which the current forcings are modified by climate-change differences obtained from the Community Climate System Model, version 4 (NCAR); Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate, version 5 (MIROC); and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Climate Model, version 3 (GFDL). Changes in TC intensity, TC rainfall, and TCT production, identified for the PGW-modified Ivan, are documented and analyzed. Relative to CTRL, all three PGW simulations show an increase in TC intensity and generate substantially more accumulated rainfall over the course of Ivan’s progression over land. However, only one of the TCs under PGW (MIROC) produced more TCTs than CTRL. Evidence is provided that, in addition to favorable environmental conditions, TCT production is related to the TC track length and to the strength of the interaction between the TC and an environmental midlevel trough. Enhanced TCT generation at landfall for MIROC and GFDL is attributed to increased values of convective available potential energy, low-level shear, and storm-relative environmental helicity.
Toward Cloud Tomography from Space Using MISR and MODIS: Locating the “Veiled Core” in Opaque Convective Clouds
Authors: Forster Linda , Davis Anthony B. , Diner David J. , Mayer Bernhard
Published: November 2020

For passive satellite imagers, current retrievals of cloud optical thickness and effective particle size fail for convective clouds with 3D morphology. Indeed, being based on 1D radiative transfer (RT) theory, they work well only for horizontally homogeneous clouds. A promising approach for treating clouds as fully 3D objects is cloud tomography, which has been demonstrated for airborne observations. However, more efficient forward 3D RT solvers are required for cloud tomography from space. Here, we present a path forward by acknowledging that optically thick clouds have “veiled cores” (VCs). Sunlight scattered into and out of this deep region does not contribute significant information about the inner structure of the cloud to the spatially detailed imagery. We investigate the VC location for the MISR and MODIS imagers. While MISR provides multiangle imagery in the visible and near-infrared (IR), MODIS includes channels in the shortwave IR, albeit at a single view angle. This combination will enable future 3D retrievals to disentangle the cloud’s effective particle size and extinction fields. We find that, in practice, the VC is located at an optical distance of ~5, starting from the cloud boundary along the line of sight. For MODIS’s absorbing wavelengths the VC covers a larger volume, starting at smaller optical distances. This concept will not only lead to a reduction in the number of unknowns for the tomographic reconstruction but also significantly increase the speed and efficiency of the 3D RT solver at the heart of the algorithm by applying, say, the photon diffusion approximation inside the VC.
Predictable Mode of Tropical Intraseasonal Variability in Boreal Summer
Authors: Li Xiaojing , Tang Youmin
Published: November 2020

This work uses a 19-yr ensemble hindcast of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the average predictable time (APT) method to detect the most predictable tropical intraseasonal variability (ISV) mode. The first and most predictable mode (APT1) of tropical ISV is similar to a joint merger of the two Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) modes with more weight on the second mode and is characterized by a tripole pattern with two positive centers in the equatorial western Indian Ocean and central Pacific Ocean and a negative center over the Maritime Continent. The APT1 doubles the skillful prediction period made by the MJO defined by a correlation skill of 0.5 (approximately 25 days in the ECMWF model), demonstrating its potential to become a skillful prediction target and to offer powerful subseasonal prediction sources. The underlying physical process and predictability source of the APT1 are further analyzed. The APT1 is very similar to the pattern triggered by the most predictable tropical intraseasonal sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies mode, suggesting its oceanic origin. Tropical ocean–atmosphere interaction plays a critical role in the APT1 by enhancing the evolution of tropical convection cells under WES (wind–evaporation–SST) and Bjerknes feedbacks. The internal atmospheric processes also have an important impact on the formation and maintenance of the APT1.
On the Value of River Network Information in Regional Frequency Analysis
Authors: Jung Kichul , Ouarda Taha B. M. J. , Marpu Prashanth R.
Published: November 2020

Regional frequency analysis (RFA) is widely used in the design of hydraulic structures at locations where streamflow records are not available. RFA estimates depend on the precise delineation of homogenous regions for accurate information transfer. This study proposes new physiographical variables based on river network features and tests their potential to improve the accuracy of hydrological feature estimates. Information about river network types is used both in the definition of homogenous regions and in the estimation process. Data from 105 river basins in arid and semiarid regions of the United States were used in our analysis. Artificial neural network ensemble models and canonical correlation analysis were used to produce flood quantile estimates, which were validated through tenfold cross and jackknife validations. We conducted analysis for model performance based on statistical indices, such as the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency, root-mean-square error, relative root-mean-square error, mean absolute error, and relative mean bias. Among various combinations of variables, a model with 10 variables produced the best performance. Further, 49, 36, and 20 river networks in the 105 basins were classified as dendritic, pinnate, and trellis networks, respectively. The model with river network classification for the homogenous regions appeared to provide a superior performance compared with a model without such classification. The results indicated that including our proposed combination of variables could improve the accuracy of RFA flood estimates with the classification of the network types. This finding has considerable implications for hydraulic structure design.