bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How can Blood Flow Restriction Exercise be Utilised for the Management of Persistent Pain Following Complex Injuries in Military Personnel? A Narrative Review
Authors: Gray Luke , Ladlow Peter , Coppack Russell J , Cassidy Robyn P , Kelly Lynn , Lewis Sarah , Caplan Nick , Barker-Davies Robert , Bennett Alexander N , Hughes Luke
Published: February 2025

Background

Persistent pain is a complicated phenomenon associated with a wide array of complex pathologies and conditions (e.g., complex regional pain syndrome, non-freezing cold injury), leading to extensive disability and reduced physical function. Conventional resistance training is commonly contraindicated in load compromised and/or persistent pain populations, compromising rehabilitation progression and potentially leading to extensive pharmacological intervention, invasive procedures, and reduced occupational status. The management of persistent pain and utility of adjunct therapies has become a clinical and research priority within numerous healthcare settings, including defence medical services.

Main Body

Blood flow restriction (BFR) exercise has demonstrated beneficial morphological and physiological adaptions in load-compromised populations, as well as being able to elicit acute hypoalgesia. The aims of this narrative review are to: (1) explore the use of BFR exercise to elicit hypoalgesia; (2) briefly review the mechanisms of BFR-induced hypoalgesia; (3) discuss potential implications and applications of BFR during the rehabilitation of complex conditions where persistent pain is the primary limiting factor to progress, within defence rehabilitation healthcare settings. The review found BFR application is a feasible intervention across numerous load-compromised clinical populations (e.g., post-surgical, post-traumatic osteoarthritis), and there is mechanistic rationale for use in persistent pain pathologies. Utilisation may also be pleiotropic in nature by ameliorating pathological changes while also modulating pain response. Numerous application methods (e.g., with aerobic exercise, passive application, or resistance training) allow practitioners to cater for specific limitations (e.g., passive, or contralateral application with kinesiophobia) in clinical populations. Additionally, the low-mechanical load nature of BFR exercise may allow for high-frequency use within residential military rehabilitation, providing a platform for conventional resistance training thereafter.

Conclusion

Future research needs to examine the differences in pain modulation between persistent pain and pain-free populations with BFR application, supporting the investigation of mechanisms for BFR-induced hypoalgesia, the dose-response relationship between BFR-exercise and pain modulation, and the efficacy and effectiveness of BFR application in complex musculoskeletal and persistent pain populations.
Diversity and abundance of butterflies in urban areas of Bankura district, Bankura, West Bengal, India
Authors: Patra Avisek , Patra Anirban , Mandal Biplab , Ghosh Anupam
Published: February 2025

Objective

During the present study, the biodiversity profile of butterflies was assessed on the Bankura Christian College campus, a large area with a huge amount of trees, bushes, rain forest, and undisturbed areas within the urban areas of Bankura district of West Bengal, India.

Methodology

Present study was carried out in Bankura Christian College campus, a relatively undisturbed area in Bankura town, of West Bengal, India. The findings presented here were based on seasonal diversity of Butterflies in the college campus. The species dominance of Butterflies was numerically measured on the basis of density, relative density, abundance, relative abundance, frequency, and relative frequency. To analyze the result, single factor ANOVA was performed in between five different seasons. Seasonal variation was analysed using individual rarefaction analysis. The Jaccard similarity index was also used to conduct hierarchical classical clustering.

Result

A total of 47 genera and 59 species of butterflies that belongs to five families were recorded. The findings of the present study indicated a high abundance of the butterflies that belongs to Nymphalidae family comprising 13 Genera and 22 species.

Conclusion

In the Monsoon season, the highest number of butterflies were recorded in comparison to other seasons. Different types of ecological indices were also calculated from observed species diversity of butterflies. Individual rarefaction analysis revealed that the probability of finding the greatest specimen was in monsoon season. Hierarchical cluster analysis among seasons based on the Jaccard Similarity index using Paired group (UPGMA) shows higher similarity of butterflies in between monsoon and Fall season.
Combined Analyses of Circulating Tumor DNA and Immunoscore in Patients With Stage III Colon Cancer: A Post Hoc Analysis of the PRODIGE-GERCOR IDEA-France/HORG-IDEA-Greece Trials
Authors: Taieb Julien , Souglakos John , Boukovinas Ioannis , Falcoz Antoine , Pages Franck , Messaritakis Ippokratis , Bennouna Jaafar , Artru Pascal , Louvet Christophe , Lepere Celine , Emile Jean Francois , Bouche Olivier , Mazard Thibault , Vernerey Dewi , Vogiatzoglou Konstantinos , Tzardi Maria , Sharma Shruti , Liu Minetta C. , Sethi Himanshu , André Thierry , Galon Jérome , Laurent-Puig Pierre
Published: February 2025

PURPOSE

Immunoscore (IS) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) are two emerging technologies in improving prognostication and tailoring adjuvant treatments in patients resected from a stage III colon cancer (CC). Here, we analyzed the prognostic value of the two biomarkers in patients who participated in the randomized phase III IDEA-France and HORG trials.

METHODS

Plasma samples were collected after surgery and before adjuvant chemotherapy. ctDNA analysis was performed using a clinically validated, personalized, tumor-informed 16-plex protein chain reaction assay. Multivariable analyses for time to recurrence (TTR; patients without recurrence or death due to CC) and overall survival (OS) were performed using ctDNA and IS results, along with other parameters including treatment duration and disease risk group.

RESULTS

Of the 554 patients with available ctDNA results, 445 were ctDNA-negative (80.3%) and 109 were ctDNA-positive (19.7%); baseline characteristics showed more T4/N2 and venous embolism/lymphatic invasion/perineural invasion+ in ctDNA-positive patients. With a median follow-up of 6.7 years, the 2-year TTR rate was 43.5% (95% CI, 34.1 to 52.6) for ctDNA-positive patients and 88.1% (95% CI, 84.7 to 90.8) for ctDNA-negative patients (
P
< .0001). ctDNA was confirmed as an independent prognostic marker for both TTR (adjusted hazard ratio [adjHR], 5.21 [95% CI, 3.59 to 7.58];
P
< .001) and OS (adjHR, 4.84 [95% CI, 3.40 to 6.89];
P
< .001). ctDNA remained the most significant prognostic factor irrespective of disease stage, treatment duration, and IS results. IS was not prognostic in ctDNA-positive patients but remained a significant prognostic tool for ctDNA-negative patients.

CONCLUSION

In this combined analysis of two adjuvant trials dedicated to patients with stage III CC after surgery, ctDNA was detectable in 19.7% of the patients and was confirmed as a major independent prognostic biomarker. IS seems to bring additional prognostic information in the 80.3% of patients who are ctDNA-negative.
Role of Hepatic Glycogen on Nocturnal Gluconeogenesis in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Unni Uma S , Bril Fernando , Mugler John P , Carter Rickey E , Basu Ananda , Basu Rita
Published: February 2025

Context

Higher gluconeogenesis (GNG) contributes to higher nocturnal endogenous glucose production (EGP) in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Studies using 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) have confirmed lower hepatic glycogen content in subjects with T2D than in subjects with no diabetes (ND).

Objective

We determined the role of glycogen loading (GL) vs nonglycogen loading (NGL) on the contribution of GNG to nocturnal EGP in T2D.

Methods

In total, 14 subjects with T2D and 15 matched subjects with ND were studied on 2 occasions, with GL (60% carbohydrate) vs NGL (40% carbohydrate) isocaloric meals for 3 days, in random order in the overnight state. [6,6-2H2] glucose was infused to measure EGP, deuterium labelled water was used to measure GNG, and 13C MRS scans were performed in fed and fasted states to measure hepatic glycogen content.

Results

Hepatic glycogen content and nocturnal EGP were higher (P < .05) in GL vs NGL in both cohorts. The % GNG to EGP averaged ∼50% in subjects with ND throughout the night after both meals. In contrast, % GNG to nocturnal EGP in T2D was lower with GL vs NGL and matched the pattern observed in subjects with ND with GL lowering overnight rates of GNG in subjects with T2D.

Conclusion

Selective targeting of GNG at night with appropriate medications could reduce nocturnal and early morning fasting hyperglycemia and hepatic insulin resistance in people with T2D.
Diagnostic Challenges in a Case of Refractory Severe Hypercalcemia Due to Splenic Sarcoidosis
Authors: Knott Jeremy A , Horvath Andrea R , Htet Thaw D
Published: February 2025

Hypercalcemia is frequently encountered in clinical practice; however, sarcoidosis-induced hypercalcemia is relatively uncommon and requires careful evaluation, particularly when initial investigations are inconclusive or the hypercalcemia is refractory to standard treatment. We present a complex case of a 60-year-old female with chronic stage IV diabetic nephropathy who presented with acute severe asymptomatic hypercalcemia resulting from splenic sarcoidosis confirmed on splenic biopsy. Despite commencement of prednisone therapy, her hypercalcemia persisted. IV fluid therapy was complicated by fluid overload from chronic renal disease. Ketoconazole was trialed as second-line therapy with no initial improvement. Our case illustrates the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges associated with asymptomatic hypercalcemia attributed to systemic sarcoidosis on a background of chronic renal impairment. It underscores the importance of considering systemic sarcoidosis as a potential etiology in cases of acute PTH-independent hypercalcemia resistant to initial therapy.
Smoke's Enduring Legacy: Bridging Early-Life Smoking Exposures and Later-Life Epigenetic Age Acceleration
Authors: Ramirez Daniel , Povedano Elena , García Aitor , Lund Michael
Published: February 2025

Current literature states that early-life exposure to smoking produces adverse health outcomes in later life, primarily as a result of subsequent engagements with firsthand smoking. The implications of prior research are that smoking cessation can reduce health risk in later life to levels comparable to the risk of those who have never smoked. However, recent evidence suggests that smoking exposure during childhood can have independent and permanent negative effects on health—in particular, on epigenetic aging. This investigation examines whether the effect of early-life firsthand smoking on epigenetic aging is more consistent with (1) a sensitive periods model, which is characterized by independent effects due to early firsthand exposures; or (2) a cumulative risks model, which is typified by persistent smoking. The findings support both models. Smoking during childhood can have long-lasting effects on epigenetic aging, regardless of subsequent engagements. Our evidence suggests that adult cessation can be effective but that the epigenetic age acceleration in later life is largely due to early firsthand smoking itself.
Government Restrictions During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Depressive Symptoms Following Widowhood
Authors: Van Winkle Zachary , Konechni Bartholomew
Published: February 2025

Spousal loss is associated with an immediate increase in depressive symptoms. However, the consequences of widowhood for symptoms of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic have remained largely unexplored. In this study, we use data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and fixed-effects regression modeling to address three research questions. First, how have depressive symptoms changed over time in 10 European countries for older adults by marital status and spousal death timing? Second, do the surviving spouses of persons who died during the pandemic face greater increases in depressive symptoms compared with adults widowed before the pandemic? Third, to what extent did the strictness of government restrictions moderate the pandemic widowhood penalty for symptoms of depression? We find that depressive symptoms increased dramatically for those widowed during the pandemic compared with widowed adults before the pandemic. In addition, the pandemic widowhood penalty does not apply to all those who lost their partners during the pandemic; it applies only to those who lost their partner when governments were enforcing stay-at-home orders. Our findings support the notion that the COVID-19 pandemic and stringent government restrictions exacerbated risk factors and hindered protective factors that affect older adults’ resilience to spousal death.
Αντιλήψεις παιδιών προσχολικής ηλικίας για τη μάθηση στο πλαίσιο του παιχνιδιού
Authors: Κανάκη Μαρία , Παπανδρέου Μαρία
Published: February 2025

Η σημασία του παιχνιδιού για τη μάθηση στην προσχολική ηλικία αποτελεί αντικείμενο συζήτησης διεθνώς. Η παρούσα εργασία ερευνά τις αντιλήψεις των ίδιων των παιδιών για τη σχέση μεταξύ παιχνιδιού και μάθησης. Η ιδέα αυτή στηρίζεται στις αρχές της συμμετοχικής παιδαγωγικής και έρευνας, όπου τα μικρά παιδιά αναγνωρίζονται ως ικανοί κατασκευαστές νοήματος και πληροφοριοδότες για θέματα που τα αφορούν, αναγνωρίζοντας τη σημασία των αντιλήψεων τους για τη μαθησιακή και παιδαγωγική διαδικασία. Για το σκοπό αυτό, αξιοποιούνται δεδομένα από μια μεγαλύτερου εύρους ερευνητική διαδικασία στο πλαίσιο της οποίας μελετήθηκαν οι αντιλήψεις παιδιών, γονέων και εκπαιδευτικών για διαφορετικές διαστάσεις της έννοιας μάθηση. Για τη συλλογή των δεδομένων από τα παιδιά, σχεδιάστηκε μια συμμετοχικού τύπου έρευνα, όπου αξιοποιήθηκε ένας συνδυασμός ευέλικτων ερευνητικών εργαλείων. Στην παρούσα εργασία, αναλύονται και παρουσιάζονται τα ευρήματα από τη διαδικασία της φωτο-αφήγησης, στην οποία συμμετείχαν 35 παιδιά. Η ανάλυση των δεδομένων έδειξε ότι τα παιδιά συνδέουν το παιχνίδι με τη μάθηση, αναγνωρίζοντας ότι συντελείται μάθηση στο πλαίσιο του παιχνιδιού. Το ελεύθερο παιχνίδι στο νηπιαγωγείο φάνηκε να αποτελεί για τα παιδιά αντικείμενο, αλλά και μέσο μάθησης. Επίσης, τα παιδιά φάνηκε να αναγνωρίζουν τους εαυτούς τους ως ενεργούς συμμετέχοντες στη διαδικασία της μάθησης και να συνειδητοποιούν τις διαφορετικές στρατηγικές που αξιοποιούν για να μάθουν στο πλαίσιο του παιχνιδιού. Παράλληλα, διαπιστώθηκε ότι οι συνομήλικοι αποτελούν για τα παιδιά βασικούς συντελεστές για τη μάθηση τους στο παιχνίδι, ενώ σημαντικό ρόλο, σε κάποιες περιπτώσεις, φάνηκε να έχουν οι εκπαιδευτικοί και οι γονείς.
Ανιχνεύοντας τις αλλαγές που συμβαίνουν στο σύγχρονο παιχνίδι. Εισαγωγικό Σημείωμα
Authors: Παπανδρέου Μαρία
Published: February 2025

Η παγκόσμια και πολυδιάστατη έκρηξη ενασχόλησης με το παιδικό παιχνίδι που παρατηρείται σήμερα σε ερευνητικό, θεσμικό και πρακτικό επίπεδο είναι πολύ ενθαρρυντική και καθοδηγείται σε μεγάλο βαθμό από την προσπάθεια υπεράσπισης του δικαιώματος των παιδιών στο παιχνίδι. Ωστόσο, σήμερα πληθαίνουν οι φωνές ανησυχίας που μας προειδοποιούν για τις σοβαρές απειλές που δέχεται το παιδικό παιχνίδι. Σε αυτό το άρθρο, που αποτελεί το εισαγωγικό σημείωμα του θεματικού τεύχους «Το σύγχρονο παιδικό παιχνίδι» του περιοδικού «Ερευνώντας τον Κόσμο του Παιδιού», συζητούνται σημεία αιχμής που φαίνεται να δρουν καταλυτικά στην μείωση των ευκαιριών για παιχνίδι, όπως η αστικοποίηση της σύγχρονης ζωής και οι αφιλόξενες σύγχρονες πόλεις, οι επαναλαμβανόμενες κρίσεις, η ανταγωνιστική κοινωνία και η αντίστοιχη επιτάχυνση της παιδικής ηλικίας, η μη ορατότητα των παιδιών και των αναγκών τους, η έλλειψη πολιτικών για την προάσπιση του παιχνιδιού και η ανεπαρκής κατανόηση του παιχνιδιού των παιδιών μέσα από τα δικά τους μάτια. Παράλληλα ωστόσο, διακρίνονται και νέα παραδείγματα μέσα από σύγχρονες μελέτες ερευνητών που παίρνουν σοβαρά το παιδικό παιχνίδι. Έτσι, διαπιστώνεται ότι τα παιδιά βρίσκουν τρόπους να αντιδρούν στους περιορισμούς και να επαναπροσδιορίζουν το παιχνίδι τους, παρακολουθώντας τις αλλαγές του κόσμου και τα μέσα που τους προσφέρονται σε συνεχή αλληλεπίδραση με τους άλλους. Η συζήτηση που αναπτύσσεται καταλήγει ότι το παιχνίδι των παιδιών καθώς μετασχηματίζεται συνεχώς παραμένει άπιαστο και σίγουρα δεν ερμηνεύεται με μονοδιάστατες οπτικές ή παραδοσιακές πεποιθήσεις ούτε με απλοϊκές παραδοχές και εύκολους αφορισμούς [...]
La Cumbre de Johannesburgo y los BRICS +: Derechos Humanos y derivadas geopolíticas
Authors: López Jiménez José Ángel
Published: February 2025

La reciente ampliación de los BRICS al formato BRICS+ ha incorporado al
club cinco nuevos estados: Irán, Arabia Saudí, Egipto, Emiratos Árabes Unidos
y Etiopía. Si los cinco estados originales ya planteaban un desafío relevante al
orden mundial de carácter liberal –particularmente las tres potencias regionales
de Europa y Asia (Rusia, China e India)– existen importantes incertidumbres en
torno al carácter potencialmente contra-normativo que este bloque de diez estados
puede representar para el actual ordenamiento jurídico internacional. Los riesgos
de fragmentación del sistema internacional en diversos subsistemas regionales y
funcionales amenazan al multilateralismo –con una reivindicación de las demandas
del llamado Sur Global–, y pueden derivar en un desorden geopolítico que propicie
alianzas de intereses comunes entre sistemas políticos autoritarios, nulamente
interesados en la aplicación interna del marco normativo de los derechos humanos.
Gandhian Conception of Swaraj and its Post-Independence Re/Interpretations by Jayaprakash Narayan and Rammanohar Lohia
Authors: Kumar Jha Mithilesh
Published: February 2025

Swaraj has a prominent place in modern India's socio-political imagination.
Its multiple interpretations by the leaders and organisations, often on the opposite
spectrum of political ideologies, have shaped the nation's socio-cultural,
political, and economic thinking and intellectual life. This paper examines the
Gandhian conception of swaraj by comparing it with other equally important
concepts in Gandhian lexicons of politics, such as truth, nonviolence, satyagraha,
and sarvodaya. It underlines the significance of the socio-economic conception
of swaraj, which Gandhi expressed through constructive programmes. The
second part of this paper examines its re/interpretations by the two prominent
socialist leaders – Jayaprakash Narayan (1902-1979), popularly known as JP,
and Rammanohar Lohia (1910-1967). They were founding members of the
Congress Socialist Party (CSP), formed in 1934. Although inspired by Mahatma
Gandhi's (1869-1948) leadership and programme, JP and Lohia were, at one
point, ideologically opposed to Gandhian ideals and methods. However, in their
distinct ways, both re/interpreted the Gandhian conception of swaraj in postindependence India for the 'reconstruction' of its polity and society.
The Intensification of the Caste Divide: Increasing Violence on the Dalits in Neoliberal India
Authors: D. Bhosale Jyoti
Published: February 2025

This paper is a study of the increasing instances of violence on the
Dalits in contemporary India. It contextualises such violence in the new
economic reforms of the 1990s which inaugurated the neo-liberal policies of
privatisation and signified a withdrawal from a certain kind of state welfare.
Apart from the extended role for the market, such a transition is also worked
out by manoeuvring with the constitutional mandated form of social justice. By
examining the physical, structural, and the symbolic infliction of violence on
the Dalits, this paper argues that the caste divide has not only evolved in form,
but also intensified.
Team Makes You Better: Evidence from Online Medical Consultation Platforms
Authors: Zhang Xiaofei , Pu Jingchuan , Lu Yixin , Guo Feng
Published: February 2025

Practice- and Policy-Oriented Abstract

Our study of online medical consultation platforms shows that, when physicians work in virtual teams, they perform better even in their individual patient consultations. This improvement occurs primarily through peer effects: physicians are motivated to work harder when they can observe their teammates’ performance. The findings from our study offer valuable insights for the design and operation of online medical consultation (OMC) platforms. Specifically, whereas the rise of OMC platforms has significantly improved the connectivity among patients and physicians by reducing or even eliminating certain frictions in patient–physician encounters, there remain major challenges as to how to effectively match patients and physicians and facilitate value creation for both sides given the overall supply shortage of physicians. Our analysis indicates that team consultation may complement rather than cannibalize individual consultation. Whereas our research focuses on the healthcare sector, these insights apply broadly to other contexts (e.g., open-source software development and massive open online course platforms) in which professionals can form voluntary teams. The key is to carefully balance individual work with teamwork, providing the right tools and incentives for collaboration.
Would you rather treat? A rare case of Mycobacterium scrofulaceum
Authors: Sheikh Junaid Zafar , Lunjani Nonhlanhla , Gul Hira , Kila Louay , Casserly Brian
Published: February 2025

Mycobacterium scrofulaceum is a rare cause of non-tuberculous mycobacterial infection in adults, primarily affecting the immunocompromised. Pulmonary involvement has been seen in individuals with pre-existing lung pathology. We report a case of a 63-year-old female who presented with abdominal pain, cough and sputum samples yielding M. scrofulaceum, with a normal clinical examination. Initial investigations were unremarkable, prompting abdomen and pelvis computed tomography (CT), revealing minimal pericardial and ascitic fluid. Thoracic CT exhibited calcified tree-in-bud nodules and a trivial left pleural effusion. Given subdued symptoms and limited disease, discerning colonisation versus clinically relevant infection was uncertain. Due to lack of empirical data for guidance, treatment approaches at this juncture remain unclear. The patient was monitored closely for a period of one year with a plan to treat should there be evidence of active disease.
Autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) after silicone breast implants
Authors: Yousfi Jaouad , Oumlil Soukaina , Essaadouni Lamiaa
Published: February 2025

Autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome is a complex condition characterized by various autoimmune and inflammatory symptoms following the exposure to an adjuvant such as silicone. Autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) is challenging to diagnose because it can mimic other autoimmune diseases and requires specific criteria for identification. We report a case of a 35-year-old woman who developed inflammatory joint pain, fatigue and myalgia after receiving silicone breast implants. Symptoms improved significantly after administration of steroids. Based on the fulfilment of the ASIA diagnostic criteria, the diagnosis was made. This case emphasizes the importance of understanding this condition in patients with unexplained systemic symptoms after exposure to adjuvants.
Pus in the pericardium: a pericardial-oesophageal fistula with cardiac tamponade after ablation for atrial fibrillation
Authors: Mansoor Taha , Massoudi Nahal , Bath Anandbir , Kelly Matthew , Koshy Santhosh , Tanase Armand
Published: February 2025

Background: Pericardial/atrial oesophageal fistula (PEF/AEF) is the most feared complication of cardiac atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. Without urgent surgical treatment, most cases of this infrequent complication rapidly prove fatal. Case report: We present an uncommon case of a 60-year-old male who had undergone an AF ablation 2 weeks prior and presented with chest pain. Following diagnosis and treatment of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), a small pericardial effusion was noticed on computed tomography (CT) scan. Despite an initially reassuring hospital course, rapid decompensation and expansion of his purulent pericardial effusion led to his death within 24 hours of presentation. A post-mortem review of his CT imaging revealed an inconspicuous PEF. Conclusions: It is essential to maintain a high suspicion of PEF/AEF in patients presenting after AF ablation with suggestive symptoms, such as fever, chest pain/odynophagia, and neurological deficits. CT chest is the most common diagnostic modality and surgical correction is the treatment of choice.
Optimization Protection Coordination by Optimizing Time Dial Settings at PT. Pupuk Sriwidjaja Palembang Using Grey Wolf Method
Authors: Januarestu Achmad Jawahir
Published: February 2025

Overcurrent Rele (OCR) is an important component in the electric power protection system. One of the parameters that must be set on the OCR is the Pickup Current (Ip) and Time Dial Setting (TDS). To achieve optimum relay coordination by setting the time dial, several optimisation methods have been used such as Genetic Algorithm (GA), Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO), Fire Fly Algorithm (FA) and Grasshopper Optimisation Algorithm (GOA).In this study, the TDS setting was determined through Using the Grey Wolf Optimisation (GWO) method. The GWO algorithm was able to determine the optimum value of the TDS setting for each OCR process. This is validated by the results of tests conducted using the ETAP application. The primary and secondary relays are able to coordinate effectively to secure three-phase faults that occur on each bus.Furthermore, GWO demonstrated a superior convergence rate in compared to GOA, therefore enhancing its capacity to identify a more optimal TDS setting value. Furthermore, the objective function of GWO is more effective than that of GOA, thereby enhancing its ability to function in a more optimal manner. The results of this test demonstrate that the GWO algorithm is a reliable method for directly identifying the optimal TDS setting value for determining relay coordination settings.Keywords—Protection Coordination Overcurrent Rele ( OCR ), Short Circuit Maximum ( IscMax ), Time Dial Setting ( TDS ), Grey Wolf Optimization ( GWO ).
Reducing Operational Costs in Sulselbar’s 150 kV System with Electromagnetic Field and Sine-Cosine Optimization
Authors: Ikhsan Rifki Rahman Nur , Marsuki Aminah Indahsari , Wijaya I Gede Putu Oka Indra
Published: February 2025

Dynamic economic dispatch (DED) is a crucial task in modern power systems, requiring efficient optimization to minimize generation costs while satisfying operational constraints. This study introduces a Hybrid Electromagnetic Field Optimization with Sine-Cosine Algorithm (EMFO-SCA) tailored to address the unique challenges of the Sulselbar 150 kV power system. Specifically, the algorithm is designed to handle non-linear cost functions, complex constraints, and dynamic load variations across a 24-hour scheduling period. EMFO-SCA achieves a balanced integration of global exploration (via Electromagnetic Field Optimization) and local exploitation (via the Sine-Cosine Algorithm), resulting in robust optimization performance. Applied to a system with seven active generator buses, EMFO-SCA demonstrates an average operational cost reduction of 0.27% compared to the Kho-Kho Algorithm (KKA). This improvement translates to measurable cost savings while maintaining strict adherence to generation limits, ramp rate constraints, and power balance at all intervals. For instance, during peak demand at 521.52 MW (hour 12), the method effectively minimizes costs without compromising operational reliability. The dual-phase design of EMFO-SCA enables faster convergence and higher accuracy than conventional methods, making it a scalable solution for real-world DED challenges. By optimizing power generation schedules dynamically and reliably, this study establishes EMFO-SCA as a significant advancement in energy system optimization, with clear potential for practical deployment in similar power systems.
Validation and reliability of the Persian version of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Patellofemoral questionnaire for Iranian patients with patellofemoral pain
Authors: Ghaffari Salman , Razavipour Mehran , Taheri Sadegh , Nazari Fateme , Gharib Masoud
Published: February 2025

Background/Aims

Patellofemoral pain and osteoarthritis are common among the general population in Iran and have a significant impact on daily activities and quality of life. The aim of this study was to translate and validate the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Patellofemoral questionnaire for Iranian patients with patellofemoral pain.

Methods

This study employed a methodological approach and took place at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sari, Iran, and clinics affiliated with the hospital. Content and face validity were measured by 10 orthopaedic and rehabilitation specialists using the Delphi method. For the reliability process (internal consistency), the questionnaire was administered to 90 patients with patellofemoral pain. For the reliability process (test–retest), the questionnaire was repeated on 30 patients after 48 hours. Descriptive statistical methods, such as mean and frequency, as well as analytical statistical methods, including Cronbach's alpha and intra-class correlation coefficient, were used to determine validity.

Results

The study included 90 participants, with a mean age of 58.72 ± 11.95 years, ranging from 30 to 82 years. The highest chosen response for all questions was either 3 or 4. The observed Cronbach's alpha was greater than 0.7, indicating the questionnaire's reliability. The average inter-item correlations ranged between 0.15 and 0.50, signifying good homogeneity among the items. Except for items 3 and 11, the correlation exceeded 0.4, indicating their excellent discriminatory power. The correlation for items 3 and 11 was between 0.2 and 0.39, which is considered good.

Conclusions

The Iranian version of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Patellofemoral questionnaire demonstrated excellent measurement properties, including reliability, homogeneity among items and responsiveness.

Implications for practice

The Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Patellofemoral questionnaire can be used when engaging with Iranian-speaking patients for clinical and research purposes related to patellofemoral pain and osteoarthritis.
Drying Performance and Quality Preservation of Calrose Rice Paddy (Oryza Sativa) Using Convective Zeolite-Based Desiccant Drying
Authors: Ying Tianyu , Dien Alice , Kornbluth Kurt , Spang Edward S. , Simmons Christopher , Donis-Gonzalez Irwin R.
Published: February 2025

Highlights

Performance evaluation of a convective Drying Beads® (DB) zeolite-based system.

Compared rice paddy drying with DB to 50°C conventional heated-air (HA) drying.

Four distinct drying experiments were applied under two ambient conditions.

DB significantly enhances the moisture removal rate by 84.3% in humid ambient conditions.

DB and HA have a similar total milling yield, but DB has a 10% higher head rice yield in temperate ambient conditions.

DB's exothermic reaction increases the drying rate by reducing humidity and rising temperature.

Abstract. Desiccant-based drying has the potential to enhance rice quality and reduce energy consumption compared to conventional heated-air drying. This laboratory-scale study evaluated the performance and resultant quality of a convective Drying Beads® (DB) zeolite-based desiccant drying system to dry Calrose rice paddy (Oryza sativa). A rice paddy to DB ratio of 1:2 was compared to conventional 50°C heated-air drying (HA). Four distinct drying experiments, HA and DB, were performed under two controlled ambient temperature and relative humidity (RH) conditions. Conditions were representative of typical paddy drying environments: 22°C at 45% RH (HA1 and DB1) and 27°C at 80% RH (HA2 and DB2) conditions. All drying experiments aimed to achieve a wet basis moisture content (MCwb) below 14%. Compared to their respective HA counterparts, the moisture removal rate (MRR) for DB1 was 9.3% lower, and DB2 was 84.3% higher. The head rice yield (HRY) and total milling yield (TMY), critical determinants of paddy grade and price, showed a 10% increase for DB1 and a 27.5% decrease for DB2. Despite these differences, TMY exceeded 71% for all drying experiments, and rice kernel color remained consistent throughout. This study showed that rice paddy DB drying is promising under temperate drying conditions. However, under humid drying conditions (DB2), improvements are necessary to enhance HRY, and the scalability to larger-scale operations warrants more investigation. Keywords: Dehydration, Food safety, Milling yield, Moisture removal, Paddy drying.
Droplet Size Distributions from PWM-Controlled Hollow-Cone Nozzles Operated at High Modulation Frequencies and Pressures
Authors: Campos Javier , Zhu Heping , Salcedo Ramón , Jeon Hongyoung , Ozkan Erdal , Gil Emilio
Published: February 2025

Highlights

PWM valves were investigated to control nozzles at modulation frequencies up to 40 Hz with pressures up to 2068 kPa.

Modulation frequency did not affect droplet size distributions and uniformity of hollow cone nozzles.

Duty cycles between 30% and 100% produced stable droplet size distributions from variable flowrate nozzles.

Matching PWM valve speeds to detection sensor speeds could further increase precision application efficiency.

Abstract.Sprayers equipped with pulse width modulated (PWM) solenoid valves and the most accurate laser-scanning sensors allow real-time variable rate applications of pesticides based on canopy volumes. However, the accuracy of variable-rate applications could be increased by accommodating the flow modulation speed of the PWM valves to match the high speeds of the sensor detecting crop architectures. Based on previous investigations of 12 commercially available high-frequency PWM valves, two PWM valves with the highest modulation capability were selected for further evaluations. These investigations included the influence of modulation frequencies and duty cycles on the droplet size distribution and uniformity of two disc-core hollow-cone nozzles manipulated with the two PWM valves operated at pressures of 1034, 1380, and 2068 kPa. The modulation frequencies ranged from 10 to 40 Hz and duty cycles (DUCs) were between 10% and 100%. Test results showed that droplet size distribution and uniformity remained consistent with varied modulation frequencies. However, DUCs slightly affected droplet size distribution and uniformity, especially when DUCs were 30% and below. Therefore, there would be a potential to integrate these high-frequency PWM valves, properly operated at DUCs in the range between 30% and 100%, into orchard sprayers to further increase the variable-rate application accuracy while maintaining stable droplet size distributions. Keywords: Orchard sprayer, Pesticide, Precision farming, Pulse width modulation, Specialty crops, Variable rate application.
‘A noble knyght and a myghty man’: Gareth as Disruptive Presence and Absence in Malory’s Morte Darthur
Authors: Finlay Margaret A.
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Gareth’s existence is integral to understanding Thomas Malory’s work; his presence is the foundation upon which Malory builds the Round Table fellowship and his subsequent absence dismantles it. An important and disruptive character, Gareth changes the way readers consider familiar Arthurian characters, relationships, and even the genre of the Morte .
Knights in Bronze: The Ciceronian Upbringings of Perceval and Achilles
Authors: Giordano Vincent
Published: February 2025

Abstract: This article examines the connections between twelfth-century school-texts and contemporaneous vernacular literature. It argues for an unmistakable influence in the rhetorical structure of Chrétien de Troyes’ Perceval that comes from Statius’ Achilleid and subsequently originates in both authors’ use of the ‘attributes of character’ as delineated in Cicero’s De Inventione .
Locating Labor in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Authors: Kolenda-Mason Margo
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight strategically includes and excludes labor and laborers in a way that maps onto the two courts of Hautdesert and Camelot. Tracking the presence, absence, and treatments of this labor reveals the ways in which the poem uses labor to distinguish disparate courtly cultures. (MK-M)
The Weavers’ Lament: Gender, Labor, Collective, and Custom in Chrétien and Malory
Authors: Omirova Dana
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Chivalric romance has an underrated capacity to interrogate gendered labor. Similar episodes in Chrétien’s Yvain and Malory’s Morte depict groups of female weavers who act as worker-collectives rather than as individual marriageable women. These instances of non-sexual exploitation act as signifiers of societal collapse in the medieval literary imagination. (DO)
Lessons Learned from AMEN: African American Faith-Based Mental Health and Wellness Program
Authors: Hecht Jacklyn , Kim Miyong T. , Horton Shalonda E. B. , Todd Ana , Williams Kiounis , Yaklin Sandra , Ewere Tiffany , Cauvin Stacey , Horton Daryl
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored existing health disparities and inequities faced by African Americans (AAs). Objectives: This paper highlights the process of establishing collaborative relationships between community and academic partners to enhance mental health through a holistic wellness program implemented with AA churches. Methods: African American MENtal Health and Wellness Program (AMEN), an ongoing health equity program, uses a mixed-methods approach for process evaluation. The program engages a community-based participatory research team comprising academics, local AA pastors, lay health workers, and community organizations. Results: The use of a multilevel community-based participa-tory research approach effectively engaged community members in wellness activities and empowered faith leaders to address mental health within diverse church activities. Conclusions: Nurturing collaborative partnerships between faith leaders, academics, and community organizations is vital for building capacity and ensuring the sustainability of mental health promotion and wellness initiatives within AA communities.
How Indigenous Knowledges and Knowledge Systems Are Centered in Research: An Indigenous-informed Realist Review Protocol
Authors: Porter Nikki Hunter , Bulger Nicole , Benoit Anita , Auger Josie , Maddox Raglan , Jull Janet , Linton Janice , Nemeth Joanna , Brascoupé Simon , Préfontaine Noé , Simon Diane , Lanceleve Tina , Herkimer Jaiden , Weber-Pillwax Cora , George Ningwakwe , Friesen Marcia , Bearskin Lisa Bourque , Ninomiya Melody Morton
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Background: In Euro-Western forms of research, Indigenous Knowledges (IK) and Knowledge systems have been misused, devalued, and stolen. Elders and Knowledge Guardians have expressed the need for IK to be protected for future generations and be included in research in a good way. Objectives: We aim to disrupt the ongoing dominance of Eurocentric research methodologies focused on Indigenous Peoples by promoting and nurturing rights-based and distinctions-based approaches that center Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing within the entirety of this research project. Methods: This protocol paper describes how we developed an Indigenous-informed realist review process and what the process entails. When conducting our realist review, we will examine papers indicating that IK were centered in research. Our iterative process is shaped and guided by IK within our team. To be included in the analysis, papers must (1) identify how Indigenous Peoples were leading, guiding, and/or governing the research; (2) describe how IK were a critical component of research; and (3) report on how the research benefitted Indigenous Peoples. All papers that meet our inclusion criteria will be scored using a relevance assessment tool we developed to assess how much information was provided on the local context for the Indigenous research, the outcomes from the IK in research, and the processes that facilitated the research outcomes. Conclusions: Our intention is to synthesize and amplify how IK have been centered in research, across multiple disciplines and geographies, to benefit Indigenous Peoples. We focus on nurturing and fostering ways of doing Indigenous research and including IK in a way that supports the well-being of Indigenous Peoples.
Fungorum More: The Concept of Interdependence from Hobbes to Butler
Authors: Zappino Federico , Casalini Brunella
Published: February 2025

Abstract: The Hobbesian state of nature revolves around the metaphor of men having grown mushroom-like, fungorum more . This metaphor obscures the generative power of the mother and thus the human condition of dependence. Confronting this phantasmatic imaginary and identifying an alternative to it is one central goal in contemporary feminist thought, as exemplified in particular by Judith Butler’s political philosophy. Contemporary myco-logical studies of the real life of fungi and their ability to construct a true “wood-wide web” help facilitate a different imaginary, one which is centered on the question of interdependency among humans, and between humans and non-humans. This essay further questions the possibilities and limits of a political thought that turns the biological fact of interdependency into a value.
Synecdoche, Articulation, and Abortion
Authors: Florin-Sefton Mia Cecily
Published: February 2025

Abstract: “Can the very essence of a political issue, an issue like say, abortion, hinge on the structure of a figure?” This essay reposes the question—first articulated by Barbara Johnson in 1986—and examines the function of synecdoche within contemporary abortion discourse in the U.S. Reading across a diverse archive, including signs, billboards, placards, and novels, I show that across anti-abortion and pro-abortion rhetoric, the reproductive body, the womb, and the figure of the “the unborn” function as synecdoches that repeatedly articulate the fantasy of “the nation” as a discrete and homogenous whole. I identify these moments to ask two interrelated questions. First, does this diagnosis ever successfully shift the terms of the debate? Second, is there any political utility in refusing to explain how the rhetoric works? I then propose an alternative method of critique that, rather than repeatedly identifying and exposing the racist and nationalistic attachments that undergird and animate anti-abortion rhetoric, instead simply refuses to make the parts cohere.
Futurity and Finitude in the Canso de la crozada
Authors: Young Geneviève
Published: February 2025

Abstract: This essay reads the thirteenth-century Old Occitan epic Canso de la crozada through Jean-Luc Nancy’s theories of community and communal mythologies. Through its analysis of the Canso ’s unfinished manuscript decorations and the presence of two politically opposed poets, the essay shows that the creation of myth in the chansons de geste is the result of historical desires. In so doing, this essay also expands the theoretical world of Nancy’s readings of the “communal,” and provides a frame for theorizing his engagements with time as ideological by revealing how the past and the possible speak to one another in his work.
Images >> Yevgen Samborsky and the Art of Possibility
Authors: Aas Oliver
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Yevgen Samborsky is a multihyphenate, whose work spans not only painting but also video work, installation, and community-based creative projects. His visual language is entirely intermedial: he draws on photography, graffiti, hyperrealism, and internet machine aesthetics. His indebtedness to the digital image has been particularly strong in the last two years, which he has spent watching the news from back home on his com­puter. He has taken pictures of destroyed cultural institutions like the Kharkiv Art Museum or the Odessa Museum and incorporated them into his more abstract painterly meditations on war and displacement. As part of his process of digital reworking, he combines his memo­ries of a place, the current events in Ukraine, and his own affective charge.
Patrick Chamoiseau's L'empreinte à Crusoé : A Variation of the Robinsonnade for a Globalized Late-Liberal Capitalist World
Authors: Boucher James
Published: February 2025

Abstract: This study highlights how discourses on slavery and imperialism in Robinson Crusoe and in Patrick Chamoiseau's reboot provide insights into the formation of the modern world and encapsulate questions of inequality and exploitation. By rethinking the past and resituating it in a context of mondialisation , Chamoiseau offers a penetrating analysis of the contemporaneous human condition and avenues for transcendence. By engaging with the Self, the Other, and the non-human world relationally through a poetics that aims to fully embrace the plénitude d'individuation , fresh spaces are open for ground-breaking, radical change to shake the foundations of our economics and politics.
The Hydropolitics of Rivers in the Caribbean: J.-B. Labat, Édouard Glissant, James Noël
Authors: Kullberg Christina
Published: February 2025

Abstract: This article explores fresh waters in the French Caribbean literary imagination from the early modern to the present by cross-reading Édouard Glissant's La Lézarde (1958) and James Noël's Belle merveille (2016) with Jean-Baptiste Labat's Nouveaux voyages (1722). It examines articulations of hydrocontrol as linked to the formation of plantation society and shows that fresh waters can be read in terms of a tension between global modernity and the construction of local life. Drawing from theories within Ocean Studies, the analysis shows that rivers and springs prompt a reading that critically follows the interconnectedness and transformability of waters while disclosing how waterways are represented as relational sites where hydropolitical power is both produced and questioned.
CODA : Ra-corps-der
Authors: Curtius Anny-Dominique
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Cette coda puise dans l'imaginaire cinématographique, performatif, poétique et réflexif de Fabienne Kanor pour observer les lignes de synergie et de création qui se déploient dans ce numéro spécial. Le terme « ra-corps-der » synthétise la manière dont Kanor exhume les corps et les silences de la première modernité et les fait rejaillir dans des grammaires mémorielles qui interrogent la complexité du présent. « Ra-corps-der » synthétise aussi la polysémie de perspectives temporelles et historiques que chaque autrice et auteur explore ainsi que les symbioses et bouleversements créateurs entre francophonies, fractures coloniales et première modernité.
The Contingency of the Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles in Leibniz
Authors: Lin Martin S.
Published: February 2025

abstract: Leibniz holds that there are no two perfectly similar things, a doctrine he calls the Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles (the PII). What is his attitude toward its modal status? Most commentators hold that the principle is best understood as a necessary truth because it is allegedly entailed by doctrines such as the conceptual containment theory of truth, the Principle of Sufficient Reason (the PSR), and the denial of purely extrinsic denominations, which are arguably regarded by Leibniz as necessary truths. In this paper, I argue against this consensus and show that (1) neither the conceptual containment theory of truth, nor the PSR, nor the denial of purely extrinsic denominations give Leibniz a good reason to hold that the PII is necessary; (2) Leibniz says that the PII is contingent in the correspondence with Clarke and not for dialectical reasons; and (3) the argument that Leibniz gives for the PII in §21 of his Fifth Letter to Clarke has been misunderstood; properly interpreted, it gives Leibniz a cogent argument rooted in some of his most important doctrines for the conclusion that the PII is a contingent truth.