bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Traditional ecological knowledge on the slope of Mount Lawu, Indonesia: all about non-rice food security
Authors: Sumarwati Sumarwati
Published: March 2022

As a country with rice as the staple food, the dominant traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) on food in Indonesia is rice. However, in Tawangmangu District, Central Java Province, the TEK inherited from their ancestors is about non-rice food security. This study aimed to explore how villagers pass on and practice their knowledge and beliefs in food defense based on traditional ecological knowledge. The data were collected through FGD, interviews, and field observations of traditional ceremonial processions, agricultural activities, and natural resource management. The results showed that TEK in Tawangmangu had three themes, including (1) TEK communication and inheritance through folktales on the origin of vegetables and corn, taboo words, such as the prohibition of planting rice, and the symbolic meaning of traditional rituals and offerings; (2) the people’s philosophy is reflected in their view of God, ancestors’ spirits as folktales figures, village guards’ spirits, and other living things. The folktales protagonists’ spirits are asked to provide protection, while the antagonists' spirits are asked not to interfere; and (3) natural resources sustainability involves maintaining non-rice plant commodities, terraced agricultural land management, intercropping systems, managing water resource and crop yields, and traditional houses architecture. The locals protect the forest on Mount Lawu and Pringgodani Cave as their source of life by prohibiting cutting trees and reforestation.
Sauropus androgynus (L.) Merr.: a multipurpose plant with multiple uses in traditional ethnic culinary and ethnomedicinal preparations
Authors: Anju Thattantavide , Rai Nishmitha Kumari S. R. , Kumar Ajay
Published: March 2022

Various plants form the basis of multiple traditional ethnic cuisines and ethnomedicinal practices across the globe. The ethnic cuisines cater to the nutritional, dietary and medicinal requirements of the tribal and rural communities even today. Using literature from various scholarly databases, this study was conducted to consolidate a comprehensive review on the use of Sauropus androgynus (L.) Merr. in various traditional ethnic cuisines and ethnomedicinal preparations across the globe. The survey shows that it is used in multiple ethnic cuisines and is variously known in different countries and among the communities. Further, it possesses multiple nutritional and ethnomedicinal properties. Considering its importance in ethnic foods and ethnomedicinal preparations, it is important to investigate the nutritional composition, phytochemical constitution and pharmacological basis of ethnomedicinal uses. Therefore, we further compiled this information and found that it is a rich source of both micro- and macronutrients and packed with several bioactive compounds. Survey of pharmacological studies on its traditional medicinal uses supports its ethnomedicinal properties. Despite its importance in traditional food and ethnomedicinal systems, it remains underexplored. Limited information on the toxicity of its various extracts shows that further studies should be conducted to understand its safety aspects. Further clinical studies to prospect possible drug candidates from it should be attempted.
Black fungi and ants: a genomic comparison of species inhabiting carton nests versus domatia
Authors: Quan Yu , da Silva Nickolas Menezes , de Souza Lima Bruna Jacomel Favoreto , de Hoog Sybren , Vicente Vania Aparecida , Mayer Veronika , Kang Yingqian , Shi Dongmei
Published: March 2022

Some members of Chaetothyriales, an order containing potential agents of opportunistic infections in humans, have a natural habitat in nests of tropical arboreal ants. In these black fungi, two types of ant symbiosis are known, i.e. occurrence in domatia inside living plants, or as components of carton constructions made of ant-chewed plant tissue. In order to explain differences between strains from these types of association, we sequenced and annotated genomes of two newly described carton species,Incumbomyces lentusandIncumbomyces delicatus, and compared these with genomes of four domatia species and related Chaetothyriales. General genomic characteristics, CYP genes, carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes), secondary metabolism, and sex-related genes were included in the study.
The burden of pediatric emergency departments, constipation: a systematic review
Authors: Kaçer Emine Özdemir , Kaçer İlker
Published: March 2022

Background

Constipation constitutes an important part of emergency service applications in our country as well as all over the world. We aimed to illuminate the situation in our regional hospital regarding the increase in the emergency department density and the financial burden of applications due to constipation.

Methods

This descriptive retrospective study was conducted in a regional tertiary hospital. The medical records of all constipation-related admissions to the emergency department between 01 January 2019 and 31 December 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. The etiology of constipation, complaints, physical examination, imaging studies, treatment modalities, and health expenses costs were recorded.

Results

A total of 3271 patients aged 0–17 years (mean 4.24 ± 3.56 years) were included in the study. One thousand nine hundred and seventy-six (60.3%) of the patients were male, and 1295 (39.6%) of them were female. The majority of patients (n= 3107, 95%) were discharged without hospitalization. Health expenditure due to constipation was 834.626 Turkish liras. The health cost of the patients who were treated from the emergency room without hospitalization was 780.126 Turkish liras.

Conclusions

In order to reduce unnecessary constipation applications and costs in emergency services, more detailed information should be given to prevent constipation during outpatient services, and dietary counseling should be provided when necessary.
Dynamic on-bottom stability analysis of subsea pipelines using finite element model-based general offshore analysis software: a case study
Authors: Hafez Khaled A. , Abdelsalam Mohammed A. , Abdelhameed Ahmed N.
Published: March 2022

Background

The dynamic on-bottom stability analysis represents a fundamental task in the design process of the subsea pipelines. Such analysis ensures the stability of the as-laid pipeline on the seabed against the lateral displacements, which are induced by the surrounding hydrodynamic forces. In this paper, the dynamic on-bottom stability analysis of a subsea pipeline is performed using finite element-based advanced offshore engineering simulation software called Flexcom. The latter predicts the pipeline response in a time-domain simulation based on a given environmental condition (i.e., the sea state, the soil frictional resistance, and the nonlinear behavior of the pipeline). A case study is conducted on a 22-in.-diameter pipeline, which is placed on a sandy soil in shallow water, under different loading combinations from two-dimensional irregular waves and a steady current.

Results

The resultant maximum lateral displacements and the associated stresses decreased by increasing the concrete weight coating thickness. Pipeline response due to drag, lift, and inertia forces increased by increasing the total water particle velocity induced from the summation of wave-induced particle velocity and current velocity. Different random wave patterns generated from different random seed numbers assigned to wave components are important to verify the selection of the concrete weight coating thickness. Ignoring passive soil resistance reduced the total soil resistance significantly and resulted in conservative stability weight requirement.

Conclusions

Several factors influence the pipeline stability such as pipeline submerged weight, hydrodynamic loads induced by random sea states, and soil friction model being used. The dynamic on-bottom stability analysis can optimize the design and results in less concrete weight coating if the actual case is modeled accurately; therefore, ignoring passive soil resistance reduced the prime advantage of this analysis compared to other simplified methods.
Current update on herbal sources of antithrombotic activity—a comprehensive review
Authors: Subramani Bhavani , Sathiyarajeswaran P.
Published: March 2022

Background

Herbs are commonly used to treat cardiovascular diseases in various traditional medicine. On the other hand, herb-drug interactions are most commonly encountered with conventional antiplatelet and anticoagulant drug prescriptions. This review presents a compilation of plants investigated for antiplatelet and anticoagulation recently and enumerates their possible lead compounds responsible for its action for paving further drug discovery and knowledge update.

Main body of the abstract

Information about the herbs was withdrawn from the PubMed database of the previous 5 years. We also hand-searched the bibliography of relevant articles for the acquisition of additional information. About 72 herbal sources were identified with the effect of antiplatelet activity, antithrombotic activity, and anticoagulant activity. Bioactive compounds and various secondary metabolites responsible for it, such as alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, coumarins, polyphenols, furan derivatives, iridoid glycosides, sesquiterpenes, aporphine compounds, were reported.

Conclusion

Newer pharmacological moieties are needed to prevent or reduce the adverse effects of current anti-thrombotic agents and to improve the safety of patients and cost-effectiveness.
Loss tangent estimation from ground-penetrating radar data using Ricker wavelet centroid-frequency shift analysis
Authors: Lauro Sebastian Emanuel , Baniamerian Jamaledin , Cosciotti Barbara , Mattei Elisabetta , Pettinelli Elena
Published: March 2022

A novel method to estimate the loss tangent using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data and assuming a Ricker wavelet as the transmitted radar signal is presented. This method proposes a new relation between centroid frequency and loss tangent, which allows retrieval of the loss tangent of a material through a probabilistic inversion approach. The reliability of the results is carefully evaluated by performing an uncertainty analysis that accounts for the white Gaussian noise affecting the radar data. The method is validated in low- and high-loss scenarios, using synthetic data generated by a well-established finite-difference time-domain model (gprMax). The simulations are performed assuming a dipping sharp reflector separating two materials with different electric properties. The loss tangent values retrieved using the centroid-frequency method are compared, for different levels of noise, with those estimated using the maximum frequency method. The results find that the centroid-frequency method is, in general, more precise when the noise level is high, and it is more accurate in a high-loss environment. Finally, the new approach is applied to real GPR data collected with 500 MHz and 1 GHz antennas on a volcanic ash deposit on Mount Etna (Italy), using the signal reflected from a sloping interface separating two distinct volcanic ash layers.
Robust deep learning-based seismic inversion workflow using temporal convolutional networks
Authors: Smith Robert , Nivlet Philippe , Alfayez Hussain , AlBinHassan Nasher
Published: March 2022

Seismic inversion is the process of converting seismic reflectivity data into physical subsurface properties. The most common inversion methods use physics-based forward modeling, but these require time-consuming steps, such as initial model building and wavelet extraction. Coherent noise in the seismic volume also may lead to suboptimal results. Advances in deep learning enable the development of new geophysical workflows that may help overcome these challenges. One example is the temporal convolutional network (TCN), a deep neural network that learns from sequential data, such as seismic traces. Previous research using the TCN architecture has indicated promising inversion results on synthetic data. However, applying the method to field data has several additional challenges that need to be considered, including complex noise and limited well availability. We used a poststack field data set containing coherent noise to evaluate the TCN approach for acoustic impedance inversion under these conditions. Despite the small data set, a TCN trained using traces and logs acquired at well locations produced better results than conventional inversion when supplemented with an additional time feature. While the physics-based inversion created false artifacts related to the noise, the neural network approach learned to ignore the suspected multiple events. Supervised learning using well data also makes semi-automated inversion a possibility. However, obtaining acceptable results using the few locations with logged boreholes may only be possible in relatively simple geological scenarios. To overcome the issue of small data sets, we developed a workflow for generating realistic synthetic data to provide more samples and variation for model training. A TCN trained using synthetic data ultimately produced the best impedance estimates, but care is needed to ensure the synthetic traces contain realistic noise. Overall, we show that a TCN can successfully invert seismic data contaminated with coherent noise, producing superior results compared to model-based inversion.
Dose-Dense Methotrexate, Vinblastine, Doxorubicin, and Cisplatin or Gemcitabine and Cisplatin as Perioperative Chemotherapy for Patients With Nonmetastatic Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Results of the GETUG-AFU V05 VESPER Trial
Authors: Pfister Christian , Gravis Gwenaelle , Fléchon Aude , Chevreau Christine , Mahammedi Hakim , Laguerre Brigitte , Guillot Aline , Joly Florence , Soulié Michel , Allory Yves , Harter Valentin , Culine Stéphane ,   for the VESPER Trial Investigators
Published: March 2022

PURPOSE

The optimal perioperative chemotherapy regimen for patients with nonmetastatic muscle-invasive bladder cancer is not defined.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between February 2013 and March 2018, 500 patients were randomly assigned in 28 French centers and received either six cycles of dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (dd-MVAC) once every 2 weeks or four cycles of gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC) once every 3 weeks before surgery (neoadjuvant group) or after surgery (adjuvant group). We report the primary end point of the GETUG-AFU V05 VESPER trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01812369 ): progression-free survival (PFS) at 3 years. Secondary end points were time to progression and overall survival.

RESULTS

Four hundred thirty-seven patients (88%) received neoadjuvant chemotherapy; 60% of patients received the planned six cycles in the dd-MVAC arm, 84% received four cycles in the GC arm, and thereafter, 91% and 90% of patients underwent surgery, respectively. Organ-confined response (< ypT3N0) was observed more frequently in the dd-MVAC arm (77% v 63%, P = .001). In the adjuvant group, 40% of patients received six cycles in the dd-MVAC arm, and 81% of patients received four cycles in the GC arm. For all patients in the clinical trial, 3-year PFS was improved in the dd-MVAC arm, but the study did not meet its primary end point (3-year rate: 64% v 56%, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.77 [95% CI, 0.57 to 1.02], P = .066); nevertheless, the dd-MVAC arm was associated with a significantly longer time to progression (3-year rate: 69% v 58%, HR = 0.68 [95% CI, 0.50 to 0.93], P = .014). In the neoadjuvant group, PFS at 3 years was significantly higher in the dd-MVAC arm (66% v 56%, HR = 0.70 [95% CI, 0.51 to 0.96], P = .025).

CONCLUSION

In the VESPER trial, dd-MVAC improved 3-years PFS over GC. In the neoadjuvant group, a better bladder tumor local control and a significant improvement in 3-year PFS were observed in the dd-MVAC arm.
Anesthetic Management of an Adult With Hyperekplexia Undergoing a Laparoscopic Colectomy: A Case Report
Authors: Chang Brian A. , Bernstein Kyra R.
Published: March 2022

Hyperekplexia is a rare genetic disorder characterized by an exaggerated startle response to innocuous stimuli. There are several case reports documenting the administration of general anesthesia to infants and children with hyperekplexia and 1 case report documenting the use of a labor epidural in a parturient. These cases suggest a possible resistance to depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents and increased risk of malignant hyperthermia. There are no case reports of adults with hyperekplexia receiving general anesthesia. We report the case of a 20-year-old woman with hyperekplexia who safely received general anesthesia without neuromuscular blockade for a laparoscopic colectomy.
The Political Economy of a Modern Missionary: E. W. Kemmerer in the Philippines
Authors: Gomez Betancourt Rebeca
Published: March 2022

Edwin Walter Kemmerer traveled to many countries on economic missions during his career. This article studies the process that led him to become, in the 1920s, one of the most prominent “money doctors” in the history of economics. The goal is to explore how Kemmerer's travels helped define him as both an economist and a political economist, observing how Kemmerer acted and reflected on his actions as scientist and policymaker, especially during his first missions. The case of Kemmerer exemplifies how visiting other countries and engaging different realities, while not necessarily prompting a transformation of economists' core beliefs (in Kemmerer's case, the gold standard), may still lead to new tools and skills adjusted to the role of missionary. Kemmerer developed a rhetoric as policymaker and diplomatic envoy that allowed him to effectively interact with governors, bankers, and other trading interests. The network he built during his first trips to the Philippines, and well as his first publications, contributed to wide circulation of his ideas, which were then used as a lobbying instrument to disseminate a simple but multipurpose design for monetary reform based on the gold standard. Even if the hosts changed more than the visitor, Kemmerer's travels played an essential role in the development of his persona as a political economist.
Tinbergen in Turkey: Exporting Institutions
Authors: Dekker Erwin
Published: March 2022

This paper analyzes the political-economic context of Jan Tinbergen's work as development planning expert in Turkey between 1960 and 1966. Tinbergen was brought in against the will of the Turkish government in early 1960, at the urging of the OECD and the IMF. After the military coup later that year he played a key role in the founding of the State Planning Organization as well as its institutional design. The organization was meant to represent neutral expertise above political parties, along the lines of a similar planning organization in the Netherlands. This article argues that from the very start the organization was a contested and politicized institution within Turkish politics, as well as within the international political context. It traces Tinbergen's only partially successful effort to navigate these tensions and create some autonomy for the organization. The article concludes with some reflections on how Tinbergen learned from his experiences in Turkey.
Poverty Theory in Action: How Romesh Chunder Dutt's European Travels Affected His Poverty Theory, 1868–93
Authors: Bach Maria
Published: March 2022

The history of economics literature has few studies on how traveling impacts economists and their ideas. Much fewer still exist on the travels of lesser-known economists such as Romesh Chunder Dutt. Dutt (1848–1909) was the founder of agricultural economics in India, a civil servant in the imperial administration, a writer, and an early nationalist fighting for Indian independence. Dutt encouraged traveling because, according to him, if Indians were to see and experience progress in Europe they could better understand modernity. Indian travel writing, unlike the European counterpart, was about experiencing what Indians had learned about modernity at the imperial universities in India. And yet, when the Indian travelers went to Europe they observed modernity alongside poverty, something that modernity should have excluded. Travel and travel writing for imperial subjects like Dutt was an empowering act where the gaze of the other was reversed: Indians showed that they could now also observe and study the British subject. I argue that Dutt's travels ultimately provided him with a new method to examine the world and criticize the way it was organized.
Inhibition of GLI-Mediated Transcription by Cyclic Pyrrole-Imidazole Polyamide in Cancer Stem Cells
Authors: Sahayasheela Vinodh J , Yu Zutao , Hirose Yuki , Pandian Ganesh N , Bando Toshikazu , Sugiyama Hiroshi
Published: March 2022

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subpopulation of cells within the cancer tissue that play major roles in metastasis, drug resistance, and recurrence. Synthetic ligands capable of recognizing the specific DNA sequences are believed to be promising in targeted disruption of transcription factor-DNA interaction, which can achieve regulatory control over tumor-susceptible signaling pathways. Herein, we report a sequence-specific cyclic pyrrole-imidazole polyamide capable of targeting Gli-mediated transcription and inhibiting the hedgehog pathway which is implied to play a major role in cancer stem cell proliferation. The DNA binding affinities of cyclic polyamides were superior to corresponding hairpin polyamides. Mechanistically, the cyclic PIPs blocked the Gli function, which was confirmed by qRT-PCR and luciferase assay. Furthermore, combinatorial treatment of cyclic PIPs and temozolomide (TMZ) to glioblastoma and brain cancer stem cells showed increased cell death compared to TMZ alone. Taken together, cyclic PIPs targeting Gli-mediated transcription can be a promising strategy in suppressing the CSCs.
Hypertension in Healthy College Students: The Hypertension in Young Adults (HiYA) Study
Authors: Ferguson-Stegall Lisa , Shanley Brenden J. , Huch Alyssa D. , Puterbaugh Brandon J. , Faust Lauren , Phousirith Anoulack , Scheel Hannah , Williams Alicia , Webb Meghan , Sloop Owen , Smet Marisa
Published: March 2022

Introduction/Purpose

The 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Hypertension Guidelines lowered the threshold for hypertension, and more individuals are likely to be diagnosed with elevated blood pressure (BP; 120–129/<80 mm Hg) or hypertension (stage 1, 130–139/80–89 mm Hg; stage 2, ≥140/90 mm Hg). Prevalence of hypertension in the lower end of the young adult/college-aged group aged 18–24 yr is not well characterized and how the revised guidelines apply to this age group has not yet been studied. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to determine the potential prevalence of hypertension in a population of healthy college students using the 2017 ACC/AHA Hypertension Guidelines.

Methods

Resting BP was measured in 87 individuals (20.7 ± 1.7 yr, 49 females (F), 38 males (M)) using the auscultatory method according to American Heart Association guidelines. The average of two readings was used.

Results

Forty-seven (32 F, 15 M) participants had normal (<120/<80 mm Hg) BP. Twenty participants (10 F, 10 M) had elevated BP (systolic BP (SBP), 122.4 ± 2.9; diastolic BP (DBP), 72.8 ± 6.2 mm Hg), and 20 were classified as in either stage 1 (n = 14: 5 F, 9 M; SBP, 125.3 ± 7.1; DBP, 82.7 ± 6.8 mm Hg) or stage 2 (n = 6: 2 F, 4 M; SBP, 141.3 ± 9.8; DBP, 86.2 ± 13.4 mm Hg) hypertension categories.

Conclusions

Under the 2017 guidelines, 46% of the study population was classified in the elevated BP or hypertensive categories, revealing a much-higher-than-expected potential prevalence in this apparently healthy, physically active population of college students. More educational efforts are needed to promote hypertension awareness among college students.
Religion and Discrimination: A Review Essay of Persecution and Toleration: The Long Road to Religious Freedom
Authors: Iyer Sriya
Published: March 2022

Noel D. Johnson and Mark Koyama’s book, Persecution and Toleration: The Long Road to Religious Freedom, examines the links between religion, state action, and the development of liberalism in medieval Europe. It discusses a model of “conditional toleration”; how the interaction between religion and state influences persecution and discrimination against minorities; and how religious freedom eventually paved the way for scientific advances, liberalism, and economic growth. It tackles issues such as fiscal capacity, anti-Semitism in Europe, plagues including the Black Death, heresy in the Spanish Inquisition, witchcraft trials, the Holocaust, climate shocks, and the growth of cities with emergent religious minorities. It discusses these issues for a range of countries in medieval Europe, providing rich historical detail and interpretive depth for its main argument. This is a deeply evocative book that makes an important contribution to the new economics of religion. Carefully researched and thoughtfully crafted, the themes it discusses and the ideas it raises have relevance not only for medieval European societies, with which it is principally concerned, but also for contemporary economies everywhere. (JEL D72, N13, N33, N43, Z12)
Looking Back at 50 Years of the Clean Air Act
Authors: Aldy Joseph E. , Auffhammer Maximilian , Cropper Maureen , Fraas Arthur , Morgenstern Richard
Published: March 2022

We synthesize and review retrospective analyses of federal air quality regulations to examine the contributions of the Clean Air Act (CAA) to the vast air quality improvements seen since 1970. Geographic heterogeneity in stringency affects emissions, public health, compliance costs, and employment. Cap-and-trade has delivered greater emission reductions at lower cost than conventional mandates, yet has fallen short of textbook ideals. Market power also influenced the CAA’s benefits and costs. New benefit categories have been identified ex post, but specific technology requirements have not yet been rigorously evaluated. Comparisons of aggregate benefits and costs of the CAA are beyond present capabilities. (JEL D61, K32, Q51, Q53, Q58)
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic and Its Lessons for COVID-19
Authors: Beach Brian , Clay Karen , Saavedra Martin
Published: March 2022

This article reviews the global health and economic consequences of the 1918 influenza pandemic, with a particular focus on topics that have seen a renewed interest because of COVID-19. We begin by providing an overview of key contextual and epidemiological details as well as the data that are available to researchers. We then examine the effects on mortality, fertility, and the economy in the short and medium run. The role of non-pharmaceutical interventions in shaping those outcomes is discussed throughout. We then examine longer-lasting health consequences and their impact on human capital accumulation and socioeconomic status. Throughout the paper we highlight important areas for future work. (JEL E24, E32, I12, I15, J13, J24, N30)
Effects of standard and total two-field lymph node dissection on prognosis of patients undergoing Esophagectomy
Authors: Guo Qiang , Li Hefei , Wang Haibo , Zhang Duo , Li Yonghui
Published: March 2022

Objectives: To investigate the effects of standard two-field lymph node dissection (2FLND) and total 2FLND on the short-term and long-term clinical efficacy and complications of patients undergoing esophagectomy.

Methods: The clinical data of 268 patients undergoing radical Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy in our hospital from January 2008 to November 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. According to different methods of lymph node dissection (LND), the patients were divided into standard 2FLND group (n = 121) and total 2FLND group (n = 147). The LND status, postoperative complications, survival rate and lymph node recurrence of the two groups were analyzed.

Results: Lymph node metastasis rate showed no statistically significant difference between the standard 2FLND group and the total 2FLND group (71.1% and 63.3%, respectively, P > 0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications was 5.8% (7/121) in the standard 2FLND group, which was lower than that in the total 2FLND group [17.0% (25/147)], with a statistically significant difference (χ2 = 7.948, P < 0.01). The 5-year survival rate of the standard 2FLND group and the total 2FLND group was 29.8% and 28.6%, respectively, without statistically significant difference (χ2 = 0.005, P > 0.05). The lymph node recurrence rate in the standard 2FLND group was 41.3% (50/121), which was higher than 19.0% (28/147) of the total 2FLND group (χ2 = 15.959, P < 0.01).

Conclusion: Compared with standard 2FLND, total 2FLND does not improve the postoperative survival of patients with esophageal carcinoma, and the risk of complications is higher.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.4.4031

How to cite this:Guo Q, Li H, Wang H, Zhang D, Li Y. Effects of standard and total two-field lymph node dissection on prognosis of patients undergoing Esophagectomy. Pak J Med Sci. 2022;38(4):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.4.4031

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Precocious puberty: The clinical profile and the etiological classification of children presented at a tertiary care children’s hospital
Authors: Aftab Sommayya , Manzoor Jaida , Mahmood Qaiser , Shaheen Tahir
Published: March 2022

Objectives: To determine the clinical spectrum and underlying etiologies of children presented with precocious puberty at The Children’s Hospital &The Institute of Child health, Lahore.

Methods: It is a retrospective review of all the children presented with precocious puberty over one year, from January 2015 to December 2015; at the department of Paediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes, The Children’s Hospital & The Institute of Child Health, Lahore.

Results: Total 43 cases of precocious puberty (PP), with 26 females were reported in one year. Central precocious puberty (CPP) constituted 55.8% (24/43) and was found to be more prevalent in female (22/24). In 20/24 cases (83.3%) of central precocious puberty underlying etiology was idiopathic. Peripheral precocious puberty was found in 19/43 cases (44.1%) with male predominance (15/19). Congenital adrenal hyperplasia was the most frequent (12/19) underlying cause of peripheral precocious puberty in our cohort.

Conclusion: Precocious puberty could be a manifestation of underlying serious medical condition. It should be thoroughly evaluated with the aim to diagnose the underlying pathology and to treat them promptly.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.4.4816

How to cite this:Aftab S, Manzoor J, Mahmood Q, Shaheen T. Precocious puberty: The clinical profile and the etiological classification of children presented at a tertiary care children’s hospital. Pak J Med Sci. 2022;38(4):---------.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.4.4816

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Fundamental Theology at the Crossroads: Challenges and Alternatives After a Long Maturation
Authors: Oviedo Lluis Oviedo
Published: March 2022

Fundamental Theology (FT) has undergone a slow evolution, as many other theological disciplines, since its inception in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council. The lapsed time invites us to reflect about the current situation in this field and to what extent that theological section is pursuing its main objectives, especially for its teaching at different levels. After examining several issues that could have influenced that development, some suggestions for advancing the field and its teaching will also be given. Indeed, both the internal and external contexts have changed quite a lot in the last 60 years, and this probably will influence a treaty that should be more contextually sensitive and very bound to developments in religious education.
El naturalismo cientificista como pseudorreligión y anti-teología natural
Authors: Pérez Marcos Moisés
Published: March 2022

Tras exponer las ideas básicas de la cosmovisión naturalista (apartados 1, 2 y 3) se intenta mostrar que el naturalismo es una interpretación de la ciencia que posee una ineludible dimensión “mitológica”, en el sentido que Midgley da a esta expresión (apartado 5), lo que no lo desacredita por principio, pero hace que no podamos aceparlo acríticamente por el mero hecho de que apele a las ciencias naturales para justificar su validez. Se defiende, después, que el compromiso central de los naturalistas es la afirmación del ateísmo. De hecho, los naturalismos contemporáneos más radicales pueden ser interpretados como un intento de hacer imposible toda teología natural, es decir, buscan destruir los asideros en los que la razón se apoya clásicamente para afirmar la existencia de Dios. Se defiende que el naturalismo no tiene por qué gozar de superioridad epistemológica a priori con respecto al teísmo.
From Absolute Mind to Zombie: Is Artificial Intelligence Possible?
Authors: Bilagher Moritz Ernst Maria
Published: March 2022

The dream of achieving artificial intelligence (AI) and, in particular, artificial consciousness (‘strong AI’), is reflected in mythologies and popular culture as utopia and dystopia. This article discusses its conceptual possibility. It first relates the desire to realise strong AI to a self-perception of humanity as opposed to nature, metaphorically represented as gods or God. The realisation of strong AI is perceived as an ultimate victory on nature or God because it represents the crown of creation or evolution: conscious intelligence. The paper proceeds to summarise two debates relevant to AI: one educational and one technological. The technological debate, almost invariably presupposing a materialist framework, is related to the mind–body problem of philosophy; the educational one to understanding the concept of intelligence. By proposing a definition of intelligence linked to an idealist conception of reality, postulating mind as participation in Absolute Mind, I attempt a convergence of these debates, rejecting the possibility of strong AI.
Hacia una política de la discapacidad encarnada
Authors: Santamaría Egurrola Francisco
Published: March 2022

El tratamiento político de la discapacidad recibió un nuevo impulso en la segunda mitad del siglo XX. Dentro de este impulso, el denominado «modelo social de la discapacidad» sostiene que la discapacidad representa una construcción social fruto de la opresión que la sociedad capitalista ejerce sobre una minoría con deficiencias. De este modo, el modelo social de la discapacidad establece una absoluta dicotomía entre deficiencia y discapacidad, que relega nuestra condición corporal a las sombras del discurso. Pronto, en el seno de la comunidad de los «disability studies » surgieron voces críticas que alertaban de que el modelo social conduce a una discapacidad desencarnada. En un contexto diferente al de los «disability studies», Alasdair Macintyre ha realizado una propuesta sugerente, al llevar a sus últimas consecuencias las dimensiones animal y social del ser humano. Merece la pena explorar esta línea de investigación para llegar a una visión verdaderamente encarnada de la discapacidad.
The Evolution and Functioning Conditions of the Eastern Partnership Programme
Authors: Bajor Piotr
Published: March 2022

The key objective of the article is to discuss the evolution of the Eastern Partnership programme from the point of view of its assumptions and key aspects of operation, including formal aspects of cooperation. The article presents the most critical aspects related to the evolution of the programme, as well as key challenges and plans for priority directions of its development. The article also discusses the approach of the Visegrad Group to the Eastern Partnership and analyses the assumptions of the new Associate Trio initiative aimed at deepening the European integration of some of the countries covered by the programme. The article also presents conclusions regarding the functioning of the programme and outlines the assumptions of its further development.
Geopolitical Choice of the Republic of Moldova on the Example of Snap Parliamentary Elections (2021)
Authors: Turco Tatiana , Mosneaga Valeriu
Published: March 2022

For many years, the key topic of the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova has been the geopolitical choice between East and West, integration with either the European Union or the Russian Federation. This is reflected in the confrontation between political parties, and the split of political elites and Moldovan society according to the geopolitical feature. This study aims at analyzing the geopolitical choice of the Republic of Moldova on the example of snap parliamentary elections on 11 July, 2021. Considering the specifics of the elections, the study is focused on the problem of geopolitical choice on the pre-election platforms of Moldovan electoral competitors. Based on the results of parliamentary elections and sociological inquiries, i.e. polls, the author analyzes the attitude of the Moldovan population towards various geopolitical projects – integration with the EU or the Eurasian Economic Union.
Moral Foundations as Ethical Codes in a Brazilian Context
Authors: Wachelke Joao
Published: March 2022

We present a survey of Brazilians on their adoption of a set of ethical rules, the moral foundations. The aim of the study is to characterize the profiles of a sample of adults in terms of their reliance on moral foundations, under the assumption that each moral  foundation represents an ethical code, considering social variables such as gender, schooling level, and religion. Ethical rules consist in associations of evaluative assessments with systems of practices concerning social relationships, while ethical codes are those rules legitimated by communities’ conventions. We administered an adapted version ofthe Moral Foundations Questionnaire to 936 adults inpublic places. Results from cluster analysis revealedthe existence of two broad response patterns that weinterpreted as ethical codes, a liberal ethic that prioritizes the individual, associated with higher educational levels, and a pluralistic code that values both individual and group relations, linked to lower schooling. Brazil’s history of inequity and authoritarian relationships explains apparent contradictions in the individualizing pattern, the modernization of the pluralistic code, and their ideological conflict. The discussion focuses onpossible interpretations of the identified codes, commenting on the specificity of the study and limitations of usual survey strategies.
Service Supply Chain Fit: Consistency Between Operant Resources and Service Supply Chains
Authors: Menon Raveen R. , Niranjan Tarikere T. , Simpson Dayna
Published: March 2022

Firms are grappling with multiple challenges because of COVID-19, such as supply discontinuity, disruptions, irregular demand patterns, and service delivery issues, among others. The disruption brought by the pandemic has highlighted the relevance of responsiveness and agility in service chains in particular. The unprecedented nature of the pandemic, however, has made design of agile and responsive supply chains difficult, especially for services that draw on intangible, unique resources. In this paper, we develop relevant—and thus far largely absent—theory for the design of service supply chains through a model of service supply chain fit that will guide service firms to prepare better for COVID and future threats. Our model guides the identification of the right supply chain (responsive, efficient, or agile) for services based on their operant resources, which are the intangible resources that act on other resources. Using a qualitative study, we first draw on service-dominant logic and supply chain fit framework to develop the concept of service supply chain fit; that is, the strategic consistency between a service firm’s operant resources and its supply chain. We then validate our model using survey data. The results indicate that service supply chain acts as both moderator and mediator for the relationship between operant resources and firm performance. Our findings indicate that, unless managers view service supply chain fit strategically and invest in developing operant resources for the right supply chain, future COVID-like disruptions may continue to severely impact firm performance.
A Cost-Efficient Method to Remotely Monitor Streamflow in Small-Scale Watersheds
Authors: Lasater Abbie LaNell , O’Hare Meagan , Austin Brad J. , Scott Erin , Haggard Brian E.
Published: March 2022

Highlights

A HOBO water level logger was deployed to obtain a continuous stage record across sites.

SonTek-IQ acoustic Doppler instruments were deployed to measure discharge during high-flow events.

Rating curves were developed using linear regression, LOESS regression, and Manning’s equation.

The proposed method provides an opportunity to collect continuous flow records across multiple, small-scale watersheds.

Abstract. Discharge monitoring stations are often costly and difficult to install, operate, and maintain, especially in small streams. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a low-cost method for remotely monitoring streamflow in small-scale watersheds to provide continuous discharge measurements across multiple sites and flow conditions. Within the Upper Poteau River Watershed (UPRW) in Arkansas, 12 sites were selected at bridge crossings near the outflow of HUC-12 or HUC-14 subwatersheds. A HOBO water level logger was deployed at each site to obtain continuous stage records, and HOBO barometric pressure transducers were installed within 16 km of each sample site to account for fluctuations in atmospheric pressure. SonTek-IQ acoustic Doppler instruments were deployed to measure discharge during high-flow events, and roving discharge monitoring stations were installed at each site to allow easy rotation of the SonTek-IQ instruments among sites between flood events. Once the roving discharge monitoring stations were installed at each site, one or more SonTek-IQ instruments could be rotated among sites to capture high-flow discharge measurements; therefore, a SonTek-IQ instrument was not required for every site of interest. The high-flow data captured during SonTek-IQ deployment, and baseflow discharge measurements collected on a monthly basis, were used to develop rating curves with a combination of simple linear regression, LOESS regression, and Manning’s equation. The rating curves well represented the measured flows, with Nash-Sutcliffe efficiencies ranging between 0.87 and 0.98. This method provides an opportunity to collect continuous records of flow across multiple, remote, small-scale watersheds, and in conjunction with constituent concentrations and load estimations, can be used to calibrate and validate watershed models. Keywords: Rating curves, Small-scale watersheds, Streamflow monitoring.
Mediation of Peanut Moisture Content and System Optimization for Improved Shelling Performance of Small Peanut Sheller
Authors: Wang Jiannan , Ding Qishuo , Hu Zhichao , Xie Huanxiong , Liu Minji , Peng Baoliang , Chi Xiaoyuan
Published: March 2022

Highlights

A whole-process experiment was done to incorporate both machine and peanut properties.

Wetting and drying control for unbalanced moisture contents improved shelling performance.

A Box-Behnken design and response surface method were used for system optimization on the small sheller.

Unbalanced moisture contents resolved the controversial response between MDR and SE.

System optimization quantified the optimum combination of moisture, drying time, and speed.

Abstract. Improvement of peanut shelling performance for smallholders is challenging due to the numerous influential factors involved with both machinery and peanut properties. A Box-Behnken design (BBD) and response surface method (RSM) were used to simplify the experimental investigations. Sequential laboratory observations were made on wetting-and-drying pretreatments, single-factor tests, multiple-factor couplings, modeling and significance analysis, response surface analysis, and system optimization. Results showed that wetting-and-drying pretreatment can effectively mediate the physical properties of peanut pods for unbalanced moisture contents between the peanut shell and kernel, contributing to improved mechanical damage rate (MDR) and shelling efficiency (SE). Statistical analysis of MDR and SE models identified the rated effects as: moisture content (MC) > cylinder speed (CS) > drying time (DT) for MDR, and DT > CS > MC for SE. The coupling effects among the variables were: MC × CS > MC × DT > DT × CS for MDR, and DT × CS > MC × DT > MC × CS for SE. System optimization with RSM provided the optimal combination as MC = 11.63%, DT = 26.87 min, and CS = 234.78 rpm. This combination resulted in a minimum MDR of 3.94% and a maximum SE of 97.17%. The optimized results were evaluated in production trials, revealing the mean values of MDR and SE as 4.18% and 93.87%, respectively. It is suggested that a suitable wetting-and-drying pretreatment can be a powerful means to enhance the shelling performance of small shellers. Keywords: Mechanical damage rate, Optimization, Peanut, Response surface method, Shelling efficiency.
Zur Sprachdynamik des Konjunktivs im Bairischen in Österreich
Authors: Stöckle Philipp , Wittibschlager Anja
Published: March 2022

The paper deals with the morpho-syntactic variation of subjunctive II in Bavarian dialect regions of (former) Austria and focuses on language dynamics.

The broad empirical basis comes from two different corpora: The first corpus consists of data from the “Dictionary of Bavarian dialects in Austria” (WBÖ), reflecting the base dialects of the first half of the 20th century. These data are supplemented by recent oral data that were elicited in project part 03 “Speech repertoires and varietal spectra” of the Special Research Programme “German in Austria. Variation – Contact – Perception” (DiÖ).

Combining WBÖ and DiÖ, PP03 data, a real time comparison is carried out. For additional apparent time evidence, the internal variation within the two datasets is taken into account: While in the WBÖ data different registers are compared, variation in the DiÖ, PP03 data is analyzed with respect to different registers and different speaker groups (old vs. young).

The WBÖ and the DiÖ, PP03 data provide empirical evidence that the -ad-marker that was initially restricted to weak verbs has exceeded its domain and is universally compatible with all verb classes. In connection with this, there is a decrease of strong synthetic subjunctive II forms.

The real time as well as the apparent time findings indicate an increase of analytic subjunctive II constructions at the cost of synthetic forms. Furthermore, we find an expansion of the werden-periphrasis, while the number of tun-subjunctives declines.
A Possible Way to Unify, Coulomb and Lorenz (Electromagnetic) Interactions, using a Hydrodynamic Analogy
Authors: BERBENTE Corneliu , BERBENTE Sorin , BREBENEL Marius
Published: March 2022

In a previous paper [3] we have used the hydrodynamic analogy to give a model for gravity. A carrying particle named HD-graviton was introduced. In another paper [8], a hydrodynamic analog permitted to unify the theory to include the Coulomb force using the so-called “vortex masses” having the vortices as a hydrodynamic correspondent. This paper will give a hydrodynamic interpretation of the Lorenz (electromagnetic) interaction. We find the vortices as a hydrodynamic analog for the electrical currents which generate the magnetic field.