bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Abstract A17: In utero DDT exposure and breast density in early menopause by maternal history of breast cancer
Authors: McDonald Jasmine A. , Cirillo Piera M. , Tehranifar Parisa , Krigbaum Nickilou Y. , Engman Natalie , Cohn Barbara A. , Terry Mary Beth
Published: June 2022

Studies examining intrauterine environmental exposures and breast cancer risk are challenged by the long induction period between exposure and breast cancer development. One strategy to address this challenge is to examine the relationship between exposures and intermediate markers of breast cancer risk. Mammographic breast density (MBD) is considered an intermediate marker for breast cancer—having mostly dense breasts is associated with nearly a 4-fold increase in breast cancer as compared with having mostly fatty breasts. Here we examined the relation between intrauterine dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) exposure (o,p’-DDT, p,p’-DDT, and p,p’-DDE) to MBD in midlife. We focused our analyses on o,p’-DDT exposure when mutually adjusted for p,p’-DDE given our previous report of a positive association between intrauterine o,p’-DDT exposure and daughters’ breast cancer (BC) risk. We estimated associations of early postpartum serum DDTs with MBD in 224 daughters of women in the Child Health and Development Studies pregnancy cohort whose mothers did not develop BC (MBCa-negative) and 156 daughters whose mothers did develop BC (MBCa-positive). In MBCa-positive daughters, highest relative to lowest quartile of o,p’-DDT exposure was associated with a 17-unit higher dense area (95% CI= 2.6-31.2; Ptrend=0.01); associations persisted after adjusting for p,p’-DDT. MBD, an important intermediate marker of BC risk, may be affected by intrauterine DDT exposures; MBCa status may modify the association.

Citation Format: Jasmine A. McDonald, Piera M. Cirillo, Parisa Tehranifar, Nickilou Y. Krigbaum, Natalie Engman, Barbara A. Cohn, Mary Beth Terry. In utero DDT exposure and breast density in early menopause by maternal history of breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Environmental Carcinogenesis: Potential Pathway to Cancer Prevention; 2019 Jun 22-24; Charlotte, NC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2020;13(7 Suppl): Abstract nr A17.
Abstract A52: Targeted expression profiling identifies mechanisms of potential breast carcinogens
Authors: De La Rosa Vanessa Y. , Lehnert Erik , Milanovic Marko , Vulpe Chris , Rudel Ruthann A.
Published: June 2022

Over 200 chemicals have been associated with altered mammary gland development and cancer in rodent studies, yet the molecular mechanisms by which this diverse set of chemicals affect the breast remain poorly understood. We examined gene expression profiles of eight known and suspected mammary toxicants using the TempO-Seq platform and a targeted gene expression panel, Breast Carcinogen Screen (BCScreen). The BCScreen panel has 500 genes with at least 30 genes strongly associated with each of the 14 biologic processes relevant to breast cancer and mammary gland development. We compared gene expression profiles in MCF-7 cells treated for 24hrs with four concentrations (1 nM to 10 uM) of the following chemicals: three estrogenic chemicals (genistein, bisphenol A, butyl benzyl phthalate); the selective estrogen receptor modulator, tamoxifen (TAM); 1,4 benzoquinone (BQ), a genotoxic metabolite of the rodent mammary carcinogen benzene; perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a persistent pollutant that alters mammary gland development; and two closely related perfluorinated chemicals that have not been evaluated for mammary toxicity/effects (PFHXA, PFNA). We identified expression patterns activated by mammary toxicants with known ER agonist activity (genistein, BPA, BBP). Some of these genes were suppressed by PFOA and BQ and TAM, mammary toxicants with antagonist or no known direct ER activity. The known weak estrogens genistein, BPA, and BBP had similar gene expression profiles and were enriched for genes associated with cell cycle and DNA repair, particularly at higher doses. Notably, PFOA, Tam, and BQ had greater gene expression changes at lowest (1nM) vs. higher doses and were enriched for genes associated with cell cycle. For context, serum PFOA levels in the general US population are generally five to ten times higher than the 1 nM dose where we observed these changes (i.e., > 0.4 micrograms/L). PFOA profiles were enriched for several transcription factors including E2F1 and E2F4, which regulate cell cycle genes and important processes in mammary development and tumor progression. Utilizing the BCScreen gene panel, we have identified mechanistic targets relevant to breast cancer that are perturbed by mammary toxicants.

Citation Format: Vanessa Y. De La Rosa, Erik Lehnert, Marko Milanovic, Chris Vulpe, Ruthann A. Rudel. Targeted expression profiling identifies mechanisms of potential breast carcinogens [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Environmental Carcinogenesis: Potential Pathway to Cancer Prevention; 2019 Jun 22-24; Charlotte, NC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2020;13(7 Suppl): Abstract nr A52.
Abstract PR02: Glyphosate as a potential carcinogen for multiple myeloma
Authors: Li Yong
Published: June 2022

Glyphosate is the most commercially successful and the most widely used herbicide in the United States and worldwide. It represents about 50% of United States herbicide usage at approximately 250 million pounds annually; the annual use of glyphosate worldwide is about 1.8 billion pounds. There has been considerable debate around the carcinogenicity of glyphosate. IARC labeled glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” However, other agencies like the EPA have maintained that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk. In epidemiologic studies on the association of cancer and glyphosate, only multiple myeloma (MM) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) have a positive and statistically significant association with glyphosate. MM is a plasma cell neoplasm and the second most common hematologic malignancy in the United States. Virtually all MM cases are preceded by a precursor condition, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). MM is regarded as a disease with environmental causes, yet its etiology and what prompts progression remain largely unclear. We employed the Vk*Myc mouse model of MM to assess the impact of glyphosate exposure on MM pathogenesis. In both wild-type and Vk*Myc mice, glyphosate induced splenomegaly and multiple peripheral blood abnormalities, including anemia and high serum IgG levels, hallmarks of MGUS and MM in humans. In Vk*Myc mice, glyphosate triggered bone lytic lesions, as well as renal damage, a phenomenon associated with human MM kidney disease. Most importantly, glyphosate upregulated Aicda, which encodes the activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) in the spleen and bone marrow of both wild-type and Vk*MYC mice. AID mediates somatic hypermutation and class-switch recombination of immunoglobulin genes in B cells to produce diverse immunoglobins in secretive forms. Our data indicate that glyphosate accelerates MGUS development and promotes progression to MM in genetically predisposed mice. Given that AID dysregulation is a key pathogenic driver in both MM and NHL, this work offers the first direct experimental evidence establishing glyphosate as an environmental risk factor for MM and NHL.

This abstract is also being presented as Poster A50.

Citation Format: Yong Li. Glyphosate as a potential carcinogen for multiple myeloma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Environmental Carcinogenesis: Potential Pathway to Cancer Prevention; 2019 Jun 22-24; Charlotte, NC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2020;13(7 Suppl): Abstract nr PR02.
Um panorama atual sobre a filogenia de Metazoa: conflitos e concordâncias
Authors: Andrade Michaella Pereira , Ferreira Flávio da Silva , Pinto Tainá Constância de França , Sampronha Stephanie , Santos Daubian , Silva Paula Keshia Rosa , Carrijo Tiago Fernandes , Nunes Fabiana Rodrigues Costa , Oliveira Otto Muller Patrão de
Published: June 2022

As relações evolutivas dentro de Metazoa são alvos de debates há décadas. As raízes da compreensão de seus relacionamentos filogenéticos surgiram através da análise de características morfológicas, seguidas de técnicas moleculares cada vez mais sofisticadas, como a filogenômica. Estudos provenientes de dados moleculares trouxeram grandes contribuições propondo novas hipóteses, mas neste momento ainda existem incertezas advindas de problemas de amostragem e técnicas moleculares, resultando em lacunas de conhecimento. No presente trabalho discutimos hipóteses da literatura sobre o posicionamento de alguns táxons chave na evolução dos animais, como Porifera, Ctenophora, Placozoa e Chaetognatha, além de discutir relações internas de grupos mais diversos, como Ecdysozoa, Spiralia e Deuterostomia. Por fim, discutimos suas implicações e consequências para o entendimento das relações entre os metazoários e suas trajetórias evolutivas.
Taxonomic update of the flax family in Mexico
Authors: GONZÁLEZ-VELASCO JUAN , BURGOS-HERNÁNDEZ MIREYA , GALVÁN-ESCOBEDO IRIS G. , CASTILLO-CAMPOS GONZALO
Published: June 2022

The taxonomy of the family Linaceae has not been updated for over two decades and, particularly in Mexico, there is no work evaluating the taxonomic status of all its species. This study provides an update and integrates each of the taxa in the family Linaceae distributed in Mexico. Specimens of plants of this family collected from across the distribution range in Mexico and deposited in herbaria and digital databases, as well as specialized literature, were reviewed. Twenty-four native and one introduced species belonging to two genera, in addition to two varieties, were recognized for the family; the rate of endemism is more than 50% and all native species are under some threat. Reflecting the previously limited knowledge of the group, many of the specimens that we studied had been misidentified. We provide morphological descriptions, supplemented with photographs, illustrations, morphological descriptions, synonymy, ecological data, assessment of conservation status, and a key to differentiate these species. Results presented here reduce the number of native Linum species present in Mexico, modify the distribution range of others, provide data about conservation, as well as new records, and support the presence of the genus Hesperolinon in Mexican territory.
The unexpected gecko: A new cryptic species within Urocotyledon inexpectata (Stejneger, 1893) from the northern granitic Seychelles
Authors: LOBÓN-ROVIRA JAVIER , ROCHA SARA , GOWER DAVID J. , PERERA ANA , HARRIS D. JAMES
Published: June 2022

Urocotyledon inexpectata, a small gecko endemic to the granitic islands of the Seychelles, has previously been demonstrated to comprise two highly distinct clades based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences, with one lineage exclusive to a northern group of islands, and the second lineage exclusive to the more southerly islands. Here we complement the genetic data with additional analyses to determine if the clades should be considered distinct species. We present and analyse new morphological data, including skull and jaw osteology, and supplement the available genetic data with DNA sequences for individuals from the previously unsampled island of Felicité, which cluster with the other northern island samples. Despite the high morphological similarity between Urocotyledon populations from northern and southern islands, diagnostic characters were identified, with the northern lineage having a more completely ossified skull, more tooth loci on maxilla and dentary, shorter hindlimbs, relatively smaller eye diameter and relatively wider head. We therefore describe the northern lineage as a distinct species, Urocotyledon norzilensis sp. nov., and discuss the biological and conservation management implications of this taxonomic action.
Smart traffic lights for people with visual impairments: A literature overview and a proposed implementation
Authors: Theodorou Paraskevi , Meliones Apostolos , Filios Costas
Published: June 2022

Attempting to establish aids for individuals who are visually impaired has urged many cities to seek solutions for improving their quality of life. Namely, cities have installed sound-emitting devices into traffic lights as well as sidewalks that assist their navigation. Moreover, as cities are always striving to move forward and achieve innovations concerning navigation for disabled individuals, smart traffic lights, capable of synchronizing in real-time according to traffic and individual mobility conditions, are already being installed around the world. This is in line with the adoption of the smart city concept, which involves a set of methodologies and indicators that regulate how cities perform regarding the promotion of citizens’ quality of life. Another important principle is the techno-economic aspect indicating the need for low-cost careful planning to produce cost-efficient solutions, while additional important issues are maintenance, power efficiency, and the means to coordinate numerous devices to facilitate operation in a timely and reliable manner. In this article, we present an overview of the existing solutions for the navigation of people who are blind and visually impaired along with a requirement analysis performed on the feedback received from interviews with members of the Lighthouse for the Blind of Greece both of which lead to the proposal of a new implementation that pushes the state of the art.
Get up, stand up: Alongside adolescents and young adults with cancer for their right to be forgotten
Authors: Quarello Paola , Toss Angela , Mascarin Maurizio , Banna Giuseppe Luigi , Canesi Marta , Milano Giuseppe Maria , Incorvaia Lorena , Lambertini Matteo , Terenziani Monica , Clerici Carlo Alfredo , Vigevani Giulio Enea , Beretta Giordano Domenico , Prete Arcangelo , Cinieri Saverio , Peccatori Fedro Alessandro , Ferrari Andrea
Published: June 2022

Adolescent and young adult cancer survivors may experience various forms of social difficulties years or even decades after completing their cancer treatments. This article will hopefully help the Italian national project dedicated to adolescents and young adults with cancer promoting political and legal solutions to stop discrimination and supporting the right to be forgotten.
Accessibility-Based Location of International Multimodal Logistics Hubs: A Case in China
Authors: Zhang Xinfang , Liu Chengliang , Peng Yan
Published: June 2022

This paper presents an approach to address the problem of location of international multimodal logistics hubs (IMLHs) in the international multimodal network from the perspective of accessibility. The approach has three phases: constructing multiple accessibility indices, identifying the candidate IMLHs, and determining the optimal IMLHs. First, seven accessibility indices are constructed considering multiple transport segments and modes in the international transportation chain. Second, several candidate IMLHs are identified according to the integrated accessibility calculated by a modified GRA-TOPSIS (grey relational analysis technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution). Third, an accessibility-based gravity p-median model is established to determine optimal IMLHs. Finally, the approach is applied to IMLHs in China. The results show that the distribution of the identified 28 candidate IMLHs is reasonable, and the 15 optimal IMLHs can serve most of the cargo origins in China. The study provides support for decision-makers in the location of multimodal transportation hubs.
Loneliness and Anxiety Among Chinese Medical Students: The Mediating Role of Mobile Phone Addiction and the Moderating Role of Gender
Authors: Diao Yucong , Feng Ziyi , Ma Hongfei , Liu Minghui , Zhao Shuang , Long Meijun , Wu Hui , Wang Yang
Published: June 2022

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between loneliness and anxiety, and the mediating role of mobile phone addiction in this relationship, and whether this mediating role was moderated by gender among Chinese medical students. A cross-sectional study was conducted on March and April 2021 in Shenyang city of China. In total, 595 medical students were surveyed to complete an online questionnaire including demographic variables, mobile phone usage information, loneliness, mobile phone addiction, and anxiety, and 553 samples were effective for the final analyses. SPSS macro PROCESS was performed to test the mediating effect of mobile phone addiction and the moderating effect of gender. Our findings showed that loneliness was positively associated with anxiety, and mobile phone addiction was a partial mediator in this relationship. In addition, gender was found to moderate the indirect effect of loneliness on anxiety through mobile phone addiction. The effect of mobile phone addiction on anxiety was greater for boys than girls. This study illustrated that students with a higher level of loneliness would be more likely to develop anxiety directly and indirectly. Educational professionals should pay special attention to medical students who felt lonely or addicted to mobile phones, particularly boys.
Exploring the Impacts of COVID-19 Public Health Measures on Community-Dwelling People Living With Dementia and Their Family Caregivers: A Longitudinal, Qualitative Study
Authors: Baumbusch Jennifer , Cooke Heather A. , Seetharaman Kishore , Khan Aneesa , Khan Koushambhi Basu
Published: June 2022

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, community-dwelling people living with dementia and their family caregivers have experienced many challenges. The unanticipated consequences of public health measures have impacted these families in a myriad of ways. In this interpretive policy analysis, which used a longitudinal, qualitative methodology, we purposively recruited 12 families in British Columbia, Canada, to explore the impacts of pandemic public health measures over time. Semi-structured interviews were conducted every 3 months and participants completed diary entries. Twenty-eight interviews and 34 diary entries were thematically analyzed. The findings explore ways that families adopted and adapted to public health measures, loss of supports, both formal and informal, and the subsequent consequences for their mental and physical well-being. Within the ongoing context of the pandemic, as well as potential future wide-spread emergencies, it is imperative that programs and supports are restarted and maintained to avoid further harm to these families.
Vibrational analysis of harmonic oscillator chains with random topological constraints
Authors: Mühlich Uwe Michael
Published: June 2022

The effect of topological disorder on the dynamic behaviour of topologically constrained oscillator chains is investigated through a normal mode analysis. A measure for mode localization based on the skewness of the density of energy states of normal modes is proposed, which correlates well with main configuration characteristics. Appropriate configuration sampling is achieved by employing the Ising model together with the Metropolis algorithm.
Organisational Drivers and Challenges in Circular Economy Implementation: An Issue Life Cycle Approach
Authors: Piila Noora , Sarja Milla , Onkila Tiina , Mäkelä Marileena
Published: June 2022

Business is a significant cause of various global sustainability challenges addressed by the Circular Economy (CE), making companies instrumental in the transition from a linear economic model to a circular one. While drivers and challenges in corporate CE implementation have been researched on an organisational level, a more detailed understanding is needed regarding their contextual nature and interplay with the evolution of CE implementation in a company. Utilising issue life cycle theory, this study contributes to the literature on CE implementation in business by displaying differences in corporate CE implementation drivers and challenges, relating to the time since starting, and the degree of corporate CE implementation. Moreover, it makes a significant contribution to issue life cycle theory by demonstrating how drivers and challenges can shape the progression of a corporate response to an issue. This understanding is crucial in identifying the right support mechanisms for companies in different phases of CE implementation.
Development of a New Procedure for Assessing Road Signs Maintenance Priorities for the Tuscan Road Network
Authors: Meocci Monica , Branzi Valentina , Paliotto Andrea , Domenichini Lorenzo , La Torre Francesca
Published: June 2022

Road network safety management is a challenging process for Road Administrations (RAs) in Italy. It requires planning their activities, identifying operational actions, and implementing maintenance activities. For an effective road management system, all these activities should be based on a replicable monitoring procedure which relies on technical criteria to identify critical sites requiring attention. To develop and implement a reliable and effective maintenance strategy, Road Administrations need inexpensive and user-friendly procedures that can be applied to the entire road network. Road signs and road markings plays an important role in providing visual guidance for road users, which in turn influences road safety. This paper proposes and discusses a standardized and systematic monitoring procedure for the condition assessment of road signs and markings. The procedure will be applied to identify damaged, old, or unreadable signs and markings and a section of a two-way two-lane rural road has been used to test and calibrate the proposed procedure.
Putting the ‘teachable moment’ in context: A view from critical health psychology
Authors: Locke Abigail
Published: June 2022

The concept of ‘Teachable Moment’ (TM) is an increasingly used term within mainstream health psychology in relation to interventions and health behaviour change. It refers to a naturally occurring health event where individuals may be motivated to change their behaviours from unhealthy ones to healthier choices. Pregnancy is seen as a key time for behaviour change interventions, partly due to the idea that the mother has increased motivations to protect her unborn child. This paper proposes a Critical Health Psychological (CHP) re-examination of the concept and explores the ‘teachable moment’ within a wider framing of contemporary parenting ideologies in order to offer a more critical, nuanced and contextual consideration of pregnancy and the transition to motherhood. The paper locates these discussions using an example of alcohol usage in pregnancy. In doing so, this paper is the first of its kind to consider the ‘teachable moment’ from a critical health psychological perspective.
A data-driven pipeline to extract potential adverse drug reactions through prescription, procedures and medical diagnoses analysis: application to a cohort study of 2,010 patients taking hydroxychloroquine with an 11-year follow-up
Authors: Sabatier P. , Wack M. , Pouchot J. , Danchin N. , Jannot AS.
Published: June 2022

Context

Real-life data consist of exhaustive data which are not subject to selection bias. These data enable to study drug-safety profiles but are underused because of their temporality, necessitating complex models (i.e., safety depends on the dose, timing, and duration of treatment). We aimed to create a data-driven pipeline strategy that manages the complex temporality of real-life data to highlight the safety profile of a given drug.

Methods

We proposed to apply the weighted cumulative exposure (WCE) statistical model to all health events occurring after a drug introduction (in this paper HCQ) and performed bootstrap to select relevant diagnoses, drugs and interventions which could reflect an adverse drug reactions (ADRs). We applied this data-driven pipeline on a French national medico-administrative database to extract the safety profile of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) from a cohort of 2,010 patients.

Results

The proposed method selected eight drugs (metopimazine, anethole trithione, tropicamide, alendronic acid & colecalciferol, hydrocortisone, chlormadinone, valsartan and tixocortol), twelve procedures (six ophthalmic procedures, two dental procedures, two skin lesions procedures and osteodensitometry procedure) and two medical diagnoses (systemic lupus erythematous, unspecified and discoid lupus erythematous) to be significantly associated with HCQ exposure.

Conclusion

We provide a method extracting the broad spectrum of diagnoses, drugs and interventions associated to any given drug, potentially highlighting ADRs. Applied to hydroxychloroquine, this method extracted among others already known ADRs.
Experience with pharmacy academic programmes and career aspirations of pharmacy students and young pharmacists-an international cross-sectional study
Authors: Alnahar Saja A. , Mamiya Kayoko Takeda , John Christopher , Bader Lina , Bates Ian
Published: June 2022

Objectives

This study aims to assess pharmacy students and young pharmacists’ motives to pursue pharmacy degrees, their overall experiences and satisfaction with their pharmacy academic programmes, and their career aspirations and future plans.

Methods

Between May-2019 and March-2020, a self-administered online questionnaire was distributed via the International Pharmaceutical Students Federation and the Young Pharmacists Group at the International Pharmaceutical Federation. The questionnaire targeted pharmacy students and young pharmacists worldwide. Data were analysed descriptively and inferentially.

Results

In total, 1,423 pharmacy students and young pharmacists participated in the study. Almost 70% (993) of respondents reported that pharmacy was their first choice subject for study. Intentions for studying pharmacy were driven by an interest in healthcare, wanting to help people as well as an interest in science. In general, more than 60% of the participants had a satisfactory education experience. However, dissatisfaction was more prevalent among current pharmacy students in comparison to young pharmacists. Out of 1,423 participants, 1,110 (78%) showed a continuing desire to practice pharmacy. Being female and resident of a middle-income country increased the likelihood of being more satisfied with the academic programme. Having pharmacy as the subject first-choice and being generally satisfied with the academic programmes were positively associated with participants’ willingness to practice pharmacy.

Conclusions

Our study revealed that the majority of this extensive sample had pharmacy as their profession of choice and wanted to continue to practice in the future. In addition most of the targeted population indicated satisfaction with their pharmacy academic programmes.
Exclusion of women from COVID-19 studies harms women's health and slows our response to pandemics
Authors: Stillwell R. Craig
Published: June 2022

Sex and gender inclusion are crucial in bringing COVID-19 to an end and preventing the next pandemic. Despite this, almost all research studies on COVID-19 and clinical trials of vaccines do not include data on women. How can we combat the pandemic if half of the human population is left out of COVID-19 research? The life-long consequences of this neglect could be severe for women all over the world, particularly with the emergence of new variants that could exaggerate sex differences even further. Here I review recent studies and argue that taking a gender/sex approach to the study of this pandemic would expedite its end and improve the general health of women in substantial ways.
Harnessing endophytic fungi for biosynthesis of selenium nanoparticles and exploring their bioactivities
Authors: Hussein Heba G. , El-Sayed El-Sayed R. , Younis Nahed A. , Hamdy Abd El Hamid A. , Easa Saadia M.
Published: June 2022

In the light of the fast growing several applications of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) in different industrial and agricultural sectors, this paper was conducted to explore the suitability of endophytic fungi as nano-factories for SeNPs. Thus, 75 fungal isolates were recovered from plant tissues and tested for their efficacy to biosynthesize SeNPs. Four promising strains were found able to synthesis SeNPs with different characteristics and identified. These strains were Aspergillus quadrilineatus isolated from the twigs of Ricinus communis, Aspergillus ochraceus isolated from the leaves of Ricinus communis, Aspergillus terreus isolated from the twigs of Azadirachta indica, and Fusarium equiseti isolated from the twigs of Hibiscus rose-sinensis. The synthesized SeNPs were characterized by several techniques viz., UV–Vis, X-ray diffraction, Dynamic light scattering analyses, High resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, to study their crystalline structure, particle sized distribution, and morphology. Furthermore, the in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities were evaluated. SeNPs synthesized by the four strains showed potent antifungal and antibacterial potentials against different human and phyto- pathogens. Moreover, SeNPs synthesized by the respective strains showed promising antioxidant power with IC50 values of 198.32, 151.23, 100.31, and 91.52 µg mL− 1. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the use of endophytic fungi for SeNPs’ biosynthesis. The presented research recommends the use of endophytic fungi as facile one-pot production bio-factories of SeNPs with promising characteristics.
Book review of Self-governance and Sami communities: Transitions in early modern natural resource management by Jesper Larsson and Eva-Lotta Päiviö Sjaunja
Authors: Istomin Kirill V.
Published: June 2022

Book details

Larsson, Jesper and Eva-Lotta Päiviö Sjaunja

Self-governance and Sami communities: Transitions in early modern natural resource management

Palgrave Macmillan, 2022

251 pages, ISBN 978-3-030-87497-1, ISBN 978-3-030-87498-8 (eBook)
High adaptability of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica to drought-induced soil nutrient deficiency
Authors: Zhang Jingling , Lin Guigang , Zhao Qiong , Zeng De-Hui
Published: June 2022

Background

Drought can exert a profound influence on soil nutrient availability, and understanding whether and how tree species adapt to this change is a critical priority for predicting the consequence of climate change on forest structure and function. The objective of this study was to examine the adaptability of Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) to drought-induced changes in soil nutrient availability from the perspective of root functions.

Methods

We conducted a 7-year precipitation manipulation experiment with three levels of throughfall reduction (0%, 30%, and 50%) to simulate different drought intensities. We measured soil physicochemical properties and fine-root nutrient concentrations and biomass, and calculated the stoichiometric homeostatic regulation coefficient (1/H) of fine roots.

Results

Drought reduced soil organic carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and inorganic N concentrations, as well as ratios of total N to total P, and available N to available P in the 0–20 cm soil layer. In contrast, drought had no significant effect on fine-root N and P concentrations, and fine-root biomass in the 0–40 cm soil layer. Fine roots displayed high homeostatic regulation coefficients of N (with 1/H values of 0.19 and 0) and P (with 1/H values of 0.33 and 0) concentrations in 0–20 and 20–40 cm soil layers, respectively.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that drought leads to soil nutrient deficiency and the decoupling between N and P cycling, and provide evidence that Mongolian pine has high adaptability to drought-induced decrease in soil nutrient availability by maintaining great fine-root biomass to ensure sufficient nutrient uptake.
Trends in species distribution modelling in context of rare and endemic plants: a systematic review
Authors: Qazi Ammad Waheed , Saqib Zafeer , Zaman-ul-Haq Muhammad
Published: June 2022

Background

Many research papers have utilized Species Distribution Models to estimate a species’ current and future geographic distribution and environmental niche. This study aims to (a) understand critical features of SDMs used to model endemic and rare species and (b) to identify possible constraints with the collected data. The present systematic review examined how SDMs are used on endemic and rare plant species to identify optimal practices for future research.

Results

The evaluated literature (79 articles) was published between January 2010 and December 2020. The number of papers grew considerably over time. The studies were primarily conducted in Asia (41%), Europe (24%), and Africa (2%). The bulk of the research evaluated (38%) focused on theoretical ecology, climate change impacts (19%), and conservation policy and planning (22%). Most of the papers were published in publications devoted to biodiversity conservation, ecological or multidisciplinary fields. The degree of uncertainty was not disclosed in most studies (81%).

Conclusion

This systematic review provides a broad overview of the emerging trends and gaps in the SDMs research. The majority of studies failed to present uncertainties and error estimates. However, when model performance estimates are given, the model results will be highly effective, allowing for more assurance in the predictions they make. Furthermore, based on our systematic review, we recommend that in the future rare and endemic SDMs should represent uncertainty levels and estimates of errors in the modelling process.
Fine-tuned continuous renal replacement therapy with calcium-free dialysate to manage severe hypercalcemia refractory to medical and intermittent hemodialysis
Authors: Scheen Marc , Nowak Grzegorz , Sanchez Bienvenido , Teta Daniel
Published: June 2022

Malignancy-related hypercalcemia is a leading cause of hypercalcemia among hospitalized patients that carries poor prognosis. Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare form of primary hyperparathyroidism that may be associated with PTH dependent hypercalcemia. Severe hypercalcemia is life-threatening and may require management in an intensive care unit by means of medical therapy consisting of volume expansion, loop diuretics, cinacalcet, calcitonin and bisphosphonates. Renal replacement therapy such as intermittent hemodialysis has been successfully used among patients with severe hypercalcemia who become refractory to medical treatment. However, little data are available for cases of severe refractory hypercalcemia that fail to respond to both optimal medical therapy and hemodialysis. Our present case illustrates the successful use of continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) with calcium-free dialysate calcium and markedly increased dialysate flow rate, to restore normal calcemia in a patient with metastatic parathyroid carcinoma with severe refractory hypercalcemia.
Understanding the mechanism behind preoperative exercise therapy in patients with gastrointestinal cancers: A prospective, randomized clinical trial.
Authors: Hamad Ahmad , Zhang Hongji , Huang Hai , Ejaz Aslam , Tsung Allan
Published: June 2022

LBA4087

Background: Upwards of 50% of patients who undergo gastrointestinal (GI) cancer surgery will not receive any chemotherapy due to the failure to heal from the surgery or its associated complications. Pre-operative exercise therapy (PEx) aims to optimize the medical and physical state of high-risk patients prior to undergoing surgery. Our group has shown PEx to be protective against the inflammatory injury caused by surgical stress in mice through a metabolic reprogramming towards an anti-inflammatory profile. However, there is a gap in knowledge regarding the utility of PEx among GI cancer patients undergoing surgery and how PEx impacts surgical outcomes. This study seeks to evaluate the mechanism behind PEx among patients undergoing major abdominal surgery for GI cancer through a randomized controlled trial. Methods: Eligible patients diagnosed with GI cancers with planned abdominal surgery were randomized to receive PEx or no PEx between September 2020 and March 2022. PEx patients were evaluated by a physical therapist (PT) and prescribed a personalized training regimen based on objective assessments. Patient blood was drawn on the day of enrollment, day of surgery, then at 2 weeks and at 3 months following surgery. The primary endpoint is to investigate the mechanism behind the modulation of the inflammatory response of PEx among patients undergoing GI cancer surgery. Results: During an 18-month period, 30 patients were randomized to PEx and 35 randomized to non-PEx. Both cohorts were similar in age, gender, and comorbidity burden. Using patient serum samples, the secretome revealed a transcriptomic shift towards an anti-inflammatory and anti-tumorigenic phenotype in post-PEx patient blood samples when compared to pre-PEx and non-PEX patients. The secretome heatmap demonstrates significant changes post-PEX when compared to pre-PEx and non-PEX. Specifically, there was an upregulation of Esterase D protein (ESTD), Secreted Ly-6/uPAR-related protein 1 (SLUR1), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP), and Phosphoinositide-3-kinase interacting protein 1 (P3IP1) which are associated with an anti-inflammatory and anti-tumorigenic phenotype. Moreover, there was a downregulation of pro-tumorigenic protein pathways including ankyrin 1 protein (ANK1), KIT protein, and Prolyl isomerase protein (PIN1). Additionally, gene ontology analysis used to evaluate differentially expressed proteins, revealed that proteins associated with lymphocyte mediated immunity were downregulated after PEx. Conclusion: Preoperative exercise may mitigate the pro-inflammatory and pro-tumorigenic state of cancer by the upregulation and downregulation of specific cellular pathways. Data obtained from this study can be used to create a new class of therapeutics, exercise mimetics. Clinical trial information: NCT04602026.
Decolonizing International Law?
Authors: Terretta Meredith
Published: June 2022

This article analyzes the way that political actors, advocate lawyers, and European administrators leveraged the designations political prisoner, political refugee, and prohibited immigrant to claim rights for inhabitants of the UN trust territories of French Cameroon and British Cameroons in the 1950s. Incarcerated activists identified themselves as political prisoners as they claimed that their human rights were upheld by international legal norms outlined in UN documents such as the Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Trusteeship Agreements, which bound administering authorities to uphold these principles. Having imposed politics onto the prison, Cameroonian nationalists who escaped repression in French Cameroon by fleeing to British territory politicized their exile as they claimed refugee status in British Cameroons, a territory they viewed as belonging to the nation they envisioned. In so doing, Cameroonian nationalists revealed embryonic refugee law to be more aspirational than universally applicable—but nonetheless laid claim to its protections in ways that did, in some cases, sway the courts. The focus on the legal cases of political prisoners and refugees shows how Cameroonian nationalists viewed the rights that international law established or promised as legitimizing their anti-colonial revolutionary state-building project. With the advocate lawyers who represented them, legally minded Cameroonian nationalists acted, defended, and claimed as though the trusteeship system had universalized a decolonized international law. Contributing to emerging scholarship on the relation of international law to global inequality in the decolonizing age, this article gives an account of a decolonizing worldmaking at the grassroots, where, through discrete legal cases, actors practiced articulating anti-colonial revolution with international law, contesting it and shaping it to their aspirations.
Capitalism at Sea
Authors: Kosmatopoulos Nikolas
Published: June 2022

In its will to tame the sea, its routes, and people, capitalism unleashed three intertwined forces: novel networks of circulation, refurbished regimes of violence, and new epistemic disciplines and lexicons, all twirled together into an embrace of forceful conquest and authoritative claim making on a global scale. One of the most salient features of this special section of Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, “Capitalism at Sea,” is to reveal and reflect on these often submerged if not mystified violent currents of seaborne capitalism. Circling the seas from Alexandria to Bengal via the Gulf of Aden and the imaginary island of Robinson Crusoe, the special section takes a local-historical approach to the development of maritime capitalism that also charts instances of violence that include the enclosure of pastoral commons, the laying siege of ports, and enforced treaties of circulation and trade.
The Alkazi Foundation for the Arts, New Delhi
Authors: Robinson Abby
Published: June 2022

Focal Point’s brief is to locate non-profit photo institutions with unique programs and vision. For our second installment, our curiosity led us to the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts in New Delhi and to an interview with its curator for the past five years, Rahaab Allana. The accomplished Allana, a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society in London, member of the governing board of the Alliance Francaise in Delhi, author of Inherited Spaces, Inhabited Places (a volume on World Heritage Sites/2005), a guest editor of the Indian art magazine Marg (Volume 61: Aperture and Identity—Early Photography in India) and editor of India’s first Photography Quarterly, PIX (its second issue, Outsider, to be released in May 2011) is also a photographer in his own right.
Archival Collections of Asia Photographs: Asia Photographs at Harvard
Authors: Lum Raymond
Published: June 2022

This is the first in a series of introductions to archives in libraries, museums, and other institutions that collect, preserve, and make available for research photographs of Asia.

Within some of its seventy-five libraries and several museums, Harvard holds scattered collections of photographs of Asia. Some of those collections are static while others continue to expand through donations or purchases. Some are subject-focused, such as those of Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum and the Harvard Business School. Except at the Harvard-Yenching Library, the collections are not centered solely on Asia. All of the collections support the university’s educational mission. Making the many thousands of photographs available for researchers is a heady undertaking that involves issues of cataloging, conservation, restoration, access, copyright, digitization, and publication permissions. This essay will focus on the larger and most accessible collections Harvard collections.
Leviathan: Kang Yong Suk’s Maehyang-ri Photographs [translated by Young Min Moon]
Authors: Park Chan-Kyong
Published: June 2022

Abridged and translated from the Korean by Young Min Moon

Note: Maehyang-ri is a small farming village located 80km southwest of Seoul, on two islets. Since the Status of Forces Agreement between South Korea and the U.S. in 1954, the U. S. military has used it as a bombing and firing range and a free test site for weapons. Military aircraft from all over Asia also came to Maehyang-ri to test high-powered weapons. The Kooni range finally closed in 2005, leaving behind profound damages to the residents and the ecosystem.
Walking through Ephemeral Archives and Creating Settings for New Memories
Authors: Mukherjee Madhuja
Published: June 2022

Editor’s note: Madhuja Mukherjee has been working with publicity images from the Indian film industry since 2004. Her “working notes” on the project have been published in the journal South Asian Popular Culture (October 2011), and her art installations have been presented in Santiniketan, India; at Studio 21, in Kolkata, India; and in Rotterdam, the Netherlands (at the 41st International Film Festival), 2011-2012. The selection of images below gives a sense of her long-term, multifaceted project and her first installation piece.
Η χρήση της βοτουλινικής τοξίνης στην κοσμητική δερματολογία και η επίδραση της στην ποιότητα ζωής των ασθενών
Authors: Συκιανάκης Δημήτριος
Published: June 2022

Στη συγκεκριμένη εργασία θα εστιάσουμε κυρίως στην δράση της αλλαντικής τοξίνης τύπου Α στην Κοσμητική Δερματολογία και ποια μπορεί να είναι η επίδραση της στην ποιότητα ζωής των ασθενών. Η ιστορία της βοτουλινικής τοξίνης ξεκινά από τις αρχές του 19ου αιώνα όπου έγινε η πρώτη περιγραφή της Αλλαντίασης από ένα φυσιοδίφη της εποχής, τον Justinus Kerner, στην Γερμανία. Ο μηχανισμός δράσης της περιγράφεται ως μία χημική απονεύρωση, η οποία αποκλείει την περιφερειακή απελευθέρωση ακετυλοχολίνης στις προσυναπτικές χολινεργίκες απολήξεις μέσω της αποδόμησης της SNAP-25, μίας πρωτεΐνης η οποία είναι απαραίτητη για την επιτυχημένη προσκόλληση και απελευθέρωση της ακετυλοχολίνης από τα κυστίδια που ανευρίσκονται εντός των νευρικών απολήξεων.Η παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή πραγματεύεται τη χρήση της βοτουλινικής τοξίνης και την επιρροή μετά την χρήση της στην ποιότητα ζωής του ανθρώπου. Αποτελείται από δύο μέρη, το θεωρητικό κομμάτι, όπου γίνεται ανάλυση της υγείας, εμβάθυνση στη ποιότητα ζωής του ανθρώπου γενικότερα και υπό το πρίσμα των άλλων επιστημών, ανάλυση της μέτρησης της ποιότητας ζωής, της αισθητικής και της ομορφιάς, της βοτουλινικής τοξίνης και των μη χειρουργικών επεμβάσεων. Το δεύτερο μέρος πραγματεύεται το ερευνητικό μέρος, στο οποίο παρουσιάζονται τα ερωτηματολόγια που διανεμήθηκαν στους ασθενείς, η μονάδα μέτρησης που χρησιμοποιήθηκε για την αξιολόγηση των ερωτημάτων, τα αποτελέσματα που δόθηκαν από τους ερωτηθέντες και τα συμπεράσματα που προέκυψαν μέσω των ερωτηματολογίων.
All neurons can perform linearly non-separable computations
Authors: Cazé Romain D.
Published: June 2022

Multiple studies have shown how dendrites enable some neurons to perform linearly non-separable computations. These works focus on cells with an extended dendritic arbor where voltage can vary independently, turning dendritic branches into local non-linear subunits. However, these studies leave a large fraction of the nervous system unexplored. Many neurons, e.g. granule cells, have modest dendritic trees and are electrically compact. It is impossible to decompose them into multiple independent subunits. Here, we upgraded the integrate and fire neuron to account for saturation due to interacting synapses. This artificial neuron has a unique membrane voltage and can be seen as a single layer. We present a class of linearly non-separable computations and how our neuron can perform them. We thus demonstrate that even a single layer neuron with interacting synapses has more computational capacity than without. Because all neurons have one or more layer, we show that all neurons can potentially implement linearly non-separable computations.
Complementary methods for the prevention and treatment of stress-induced mastopathy
Authors: Chukhraev N. , Zukow W. , Vladimirova N. , Chukhraeva E. , Tereshchenko O.
Published: June 2022

The article considers the relationship between stress and diseases of the female reproductive system. A method for the rehabilitation of patients with mastopathy resulting from psycho-emotional stress (stress) based on the use of complementary methods of prevention and medical rehabilitation is proposed.
O Esquema Conteúdo-Apreensão no Pensamento de Husserl: Origem, Consequências, Superação
Authors: De Palma Vittorio
Published: June 2022

No presente trabalho são perseguidas a gênese e as implicações do esquema conteúdo-apreensão, esquema este que é uma componente central do idealismo fenomenológico. Aqui é feita a tentativa de mostrar que a aplicação do esquema à percepção contradiz tanto a crítica da teoria da imagem, quanto a concepção da constituição sensível como um processo fundamentado na peculiaridade dos conteúdos. Além disso, será mostrado que Husserl realizou numerosas tentativas em direção a uma completa superação do esquema. Será apontado, por fim, que, de acordo com Husserl, a constituição do mundo tem uma pressuposição material, o que é frequentemente ignorado na literatura secundária. Essa pressuposição é a de que os conteúdos dados na sensibilidade possuem uma estrutura legal anterior e independente da apreensão subjetiva.