bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gender Typicality, Social Self-Efficacy, and Adjustment in Italian Sexual Minority Young Adults
Authors: Antoniucci Chiara , Basili Emanuele , Pistella Jessica , Baiocco Roberto
Published: June 2023

The present study focuses on the relationship between gender typicality, social self-efficacy, and adjustment in a sample of 522 lesbian women, gay men, bisexual, and other non-heterosexual sexual orientation participants. Participants (78.2% women; Mage = 23.8, SD = 3.63) reported their similarity to same- and other-gender peers as a way to assess their gender typicality, social self-efficacy, satisfaction with life, and perceived social safeness. The Path Analysis model showed that - controlling for participants’ gender and sexual orientation- higher same- and other-gender typicality was associated with higher perceived social safeness and higher satisfaction with life, both directly and indirectly through social self-efficacy. The present study contributed to the debate on gender studies by testing same and other gender typicality as independent dimensions of gender typicality in sexual minority young adults, focusing on positive adjustment. Furthermore, the results suggested the role of social self-efficacy as a critical mechanism in the association between gender typicality and sexual minority psychosocial adjustment.
Separation of productivity index zones using fractal models to identify promising areas of fractured reservoir rocks
Authors: Afzal Peyman , Abdideh Mohammad , Daneshvar Saein Lili
Published: June 2023

Identifying geological characteristics such as rock types and fractures is an important step in fractured reservoirs’ modeling and developing oil and gas fields. The productivity index (PI) is an essential parameter for this purpose. There are different methods for separating and identifying rock types and fractures, including simple statistical methods and complex fractal methods based on the spatial structure of the data. In this study, rock areas were isolated after modeling the PI parameter in a rock reservoir in southern Iran by ordinary kriging estimation. Then, the fractal concentration–area (C–A) and concentration–number (C–N) methods were used to classify the PI zones. The C–A fractal analysis revealed six different rock types and zones, and the C–N fractal method indicated four anomalies based on PI data in the studied reservoir rock. Based on the C–N and C–A models, the parts with PI ≤ 44 and PI ≤ 63, respectively, correspond to the production of wells from the reservoir rock matrix in this oil field and PI ≥ 223 include the production of wells at the fracture network of the reservoir rock. Fractal modeling indicates that the highest PI values occurred in the southeast and northwest parts of the studied oil field, suggesting better reservoir rock quality in this area. This problem is attributed to the presence of faults and the accumulation of fractures in these areas, which increases reservoir rock’s PI and permeability. The present study showed that multifractal methods are a very accurate method for separating all types of rock types in the reservoir and it separates things that are not visible in other methods such as petrophysical methods. The anomalies and communities identified for the PI parameter with these methods are well confirmed by geological evidence, especially the impact of fractures, faults and other diagenesis factors in the reservoir rock.
Transmission model of transient flow wave signal in intelligent layered water injection system
Authors: Ming Eryang , Yu Jiaqing , Zheng Lichen , Li Cong , Lan Hui-qing , Zhou Qichun , Pei Xiaohan
Published: June 2023

Fluid wave code communication is used in layered water injection intelligent monitoring system, but model of fluid transient flow wave signal transmission is still unknown. Based on the fluid energy equation of steady flow, a transmission mathematical model of fluid transient flow wave signal in intelligent layered water injection system was established. The model can accurately describe the transient flow wave transmission characteristics in the tubular string of water injection wells. The transient flow wave signals and influencing factors generated by the ground electric control valve and the downhole water distributor were studied, and the transmission mechanism of the signal in the water injection tubular string was revealed. Studies show that ground and downhole transient flow wave signals are generated by discharge changes caused by changes in the opening degree of the ground valve and the downhole water distributor. The length of the water injection tube has no effect on the downlink transmission of the wellhead signal, but has a certain influence on the uploading of the downhole signal. Numerical calculations show that the flow rate of the water injection tube has a great influence on the amplitude of the pressure signal. The larger flow rate can generate larger signal amplitude, which is beneficial to the signal transmission, signal detection and processing. It was verified by the experiments and simulations that the pressure and flow changes in the downhole and wellhead had good consistency during the transmission of transient flow waves. It is found that the greater the variation of opening degree, the greater the amplitude of transient flow wave signal, which is beneficial to the wave signal transmission. The optimal settings for the valve opening are selected as $$100\% \rightleftarrows 0\%$$

100
%
⇄
0
%

. This study has theoretical guiding significance for the design and performance improvement of fluid wave code communication systems.
Electrocoagulation process for oily wastewater treatment and optimization using response surface methodology
Authors: Moneer A. A. , Thabet W. M. , Khedawy M. , El-Sadaawy M. M. , Shaaban N. A.
Published: June 2023

Electrocoagulation technique using aluminum electrodes in a batch bi-polar system was investigated to determine the efficiency of removing oil from oily wastewater. The Box–Behnken design was utilized to optimize conditions and the effects of four independent factors, including oil volume (X1), temperature (X2), initial pH (X3), and treatment time (X4),—were examined to investigate turbidity recovery and conductivity changes. The significant independent variables and their interactions were assessed using ANOVA. The optimal operating conditions for turbidity removal were obtained at an oil volume of 10 ml L−1, a temperature of 28 °C, an initial pH of 4, and a coagulation time of 90 min. The results revealed that turbidity removal and conductivity changes are enhanced significantly with increasing treatment time and decreasing oil volume. The application of the treatment process under optimal operating conditions allows promising removal efficiencies of 97.3%, and 73.4% for turbidity and conductivity, respectively. Also, the treated wastewater showed remarkable changes in removal efficiencies of the main oily wastewater pollution loads for COD, NO2, PO4, DO, and BOD. The economic study indicated that oily wastewater treatment by electrocoagulation is a very cost-effective technique.
Serum HMGB1 levels are independently associated with glucose clamp-derived measures of insulin resistance in women with PCOS
Authors: Moghetti P. , Catellani C. , Sartori C. , Migazzi M. , Cirillo F. , Villani M. , Buia V. , Righi B. , Dauriz M. , Fiers T. , Tosi F. , Street M. E.
Published: June 2023

Purpose

PCOS is associated with low grade inflammation which could play a role in insulin resistance and ovarian dysfunction. Preliminary findings suggested that serum levels of HMGB1, a cytokine involved in inflammation, might be altered in women with PCOS. Primary aim of this study was to assess whether HMGB1 serum concentrations are associated with PCOS and with the state of insulin resistance of these women.

Methods

Sixty women with PCOS, selected to have a similar proportion of subjects with altered or normal insulin sensitivity, and 29 healthy controls were studied. Serum HMGB1 levels were compared in subgroups of PCOS women and controls. In PCOS women, insulin sensitivity was assessed by the glucose clamp technique and HMGB1 was measured at baseline and after acute hyperinsulinemia.

Results

HMGB1 levels were similar in women with PCOS and controls and no elements used for diagnosing PCOS were associated with serum HMGB1. However, HMGB1 concentrations were higher in insulin-resistant vs insulin-sensitive PCOS women (p = 0.017), and inversely associated with insulin-induced total and non-oxidative glucose metabolism. In both subgroups of PCOS women, serum HMBG1 levels significantly increased after acute hyperinsulinemia.

Conclusions

These data suggest that HMGB1 levels are not associated with PCOS per se, but with insulin resistance. Further research should establish the underlying nature of this relationship, and whether this protein might play a role in the metabolic complications of PCOS.
Using Open, Public Data for Security Provision: Ethical Perspectives on Risk-Based Border Checks in the EU
Authors: Weydner-Volkmann Sebastian
Published: June 2023

This article explores the use of open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques as part of data-driven border checks in the EU. While the idea to group travelers into risk categories in order to differentiate the intensity of border checks has been criticized for its likely impact on privacy and other fundamental rights, the exclusive use of “open,” “public” data was proposed as an alternative that mitigates these issues. However, OSINT remains a rather vague term, as it is unclear what constitutes “open” or “public” data, how the use of such techniques would contribute to the production of security, and whether its use actually mitigates most ethical issues. The goal of this article is to contribute toward a situated answer to these questions. It will provide groundwork by clarifying what OSINT practices could entail in the context of the European border checks regime and by developing an ethical perspective on these practices. I will show that the impact depends not so much on the public availability of the analyzed data, but on the specifics of the implementation of OSINT techniques. Thus, certain uses of OSINT continue to raise severe privacy and fundamental rights issues.
HCI driving alienation: autonomy and involvement as blind spots in digital ethics
Authors: Jungtäubl Marc , Zirnig Christopher , Ruiner Caroline
Published: June 2023

The ongoing development and adoption of digital technologies such as AI in business brings ethical concerns and challenges. Main topics are the design of digital technologies, their tasks, and competencies in organizational practice, and their collaboration with humans. Previous guidelines on digital ethics mainly consider technological aspects such as the nondiscriminatory design of AI, its transparency, and technically constrained (distributed) agency as priorities in AI systems, leaving the consideration of the human factor and the implementation of ethical guidelines in organizational practice unclear. We analyze the relationship between human–computer interaction (HCI), autonomy, and worker involvement with its impact on the experience of alienation at work for workers. We argue that the consideration of autonomy and worker involvement is crucial for HCI. Based on a quantitative empirical study of 1989 workers in Germany, the analysis shows that when worker involvement is high, the effect of HCI use on alienation decreases. The study results contribute to the understanding of the use of digital technologies with regard to worker involvement, reveal a blind spot in widespread ethical debates about AI, and have practical implications with regard to digital ethics in organizational practice.
Highlights the recent important findings in cancer heterogeneity
Authors: Wang Xishan
Published: June 2023

The therapeutic drugs, agents or techniques for the treatment of cancer could be misled since tumor tissues are frequently heterogeneous and hard to characterize. The changing of tumor microenvironments and epigenetics can mediate immunoescape and dampen the efficacy of adjuvant treatment. This short review highlights the recent important findings in cancer heterogeneity, including cancer immunology, epigenetics and genetic mutations, intratumoral microbiota and cancer stem cells, and contributing to the design of innovative cancer treatment strategy.
Trust Associated with South Korean Sojourners’ Chinese COVID-19 Vaccination Intent and Concerns: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Lin Yujun , Liu Xiaoli
Published: June 2023

People’s willingness to get vaccinated determines whether the campaigns against the COVID-19 pandemic can be successful in part. Considering the fact that both foreigners and its nationals are exposed to the risk of infection in China, the Chinese government has taken measures favorable to foreigners in terms of the vaccination, yet South Korean sojourners were reluctant to get China-developed COVID-19 vaccines. This study employed the trust in institutions and trust in media as a theoretical framework and seeks to analyze how these two affect South Korean sojourners’ intention to get Chinese COVID-19 vaccines. 25 South Korean sojourners living in Beijing participated in semi-structured interviews. The results showed that the mistrust South Korean sojourners have in China’s institutions and media, both traditional and social media, led to their reluctance to get Chinese COVID-19 vaccines. In addition, South Korean sojourners’ higher interpersonal trust in their peers also influenced their willingness to get vaccines. This study further interpreted such results from the perspective of cultural traits and national properties.
Colorslope: a balanced visualization of overview and details on ranks over time
Authors: Wang Hao , Jiang Xingyu , Nagarajan Apurva , Guo Xiaolei , Ding Lu , Wan Dayu , Zhao Junhan , Chen Yingjie
Published: June 2023

Users are often interested in exploring ranks over time data to compare the performance or ranking of multiple observations with respect to each other. However, predominant visualization techniques suffer from a high cognitive load due to visual clutter. We propose Colorslope, a hybrid of Tufte’s slope graph and temporal heatmap, to depict ranks over time in one graph while maintaining an overview and details with scalability. Colorslope combines both canonical visualization methods’ complementary benefits: depicting overall trends and enabling the estimation of detailed values. We evaluated the efficacy and effectiveness of Colorslope by comparing it with a standard bump chart and temporal heatmap on various data sizes. We conclude that Colorslope contributes by (1) allowing users to identify extremes of the data and rate of change effectively in a relatively large number of series; (2) allowing the visualization to have better scalability in a larger amount of data (e.g., 30 ∼ 50) than a bump chart; and (3) allowing users to gain a better estimate of data values than a heatmap. For a certain size of ranks over time data, Colorslope provides an alternative solution to visualize multiple time series simultaneously that provides both an overview and a certain level of detail.
The Last Treaty
Authors: Tusan Michelle
Published: June 2023

In The Last Treaty, Michelle Tusan profoundly reshapes the story of how the First World War ended in the Middle East. Tracing Europe's war with the Ottoman Empire through to the signing of Lausanne, which finally ended the war in 1923, she places the decisive Allied victory over Germany in 1918 in sharp relief against the unrelenting war in the East and reassesses the military operations, humanitarian activities and diplomatic dealings that continued after the signing of Versailles in 1919. She shows how, on the Middle Eastern Front, Britain and France directed Allied war strategy against a resurgent Ottoman Empire to sustain an imperial system that favored Europe's dominance within the nascent international system. The protracted nature of the conflict and ongoing humanitarian crisis proved devastating for the civilian populations caught in its wake and increasingly questioned old certainties about a European-led imperial order and humanitarian intervention. Its consequences would transform the postwar world.
Everyday Life in the Classic Maya World
Authors: Ardren Traci
Published: June 2023

Everyday Life in the Classic Maya World introduces readers to a range of people who lived during the Classic period (200–800 CE) of Maya civilization. Traci Ardren here reconstructs the individual experiences of Maya people across all social arenas and experiences, including less-studied populations, such as elders, children, and non-gender binary people. Putting people, rather than objects, at the heart of her narrative, she examines the daily activities of a small rural household of farmers and artists, hunting and bee-keeping rituals, and the bustling activities of the urban marketplace. Ardren bases her study on up-to-date and diverse sources and approaches, including archaeology, art history, epigraphy, and ethnography. Her volume reveals the stories of ancient Maya people and also shows the relevance of those stories today. Written in an engaging  style, Everyday Life in the Classic Maya World offers readers at all levels a view into the amazing accomplishments of a culture that continues to fascinate.
Mindfulness and emotion: a five-level analysis
Authors: Ashkanasy Neal M. , Kay Adam A.
Published: June 2023

Based on the five-level model of emotions in the workplace (FLMEW), we present an analysis of emotion and mindfulness at work. The five levels of emotion are: (1) temporal variations in emotion at the within-person level of analysis, which relate to state mindfulness; (2) stable individual differences in experiencing and expressing emotions at the between-persons level, which correspond with trait mindfulness; (3) perceiving and communicating emotions in dyadic relationships at the inter-personal level, reflecting interpersonal mindfulness; (4) emotional processes and leadership at the group level, which are associated with team mindfulness; and (5) and emotional culture and climate at the organizational level, which relate to organizational mindfulness. We provide a definition of mindfulness at each level. We argue that mindfulness tends to be associated with more positive and less negative affective experience at each level. We highlight practical implications and suggest future research at each level.
Sharing citizenship: economic competition, cultural threat, and immigration preferences in the rentier state
Authors: Shockley Bethany , Gengler Justin J.
Published: June 2023

This paper proposes a framework of immigrant acceptance that accounts for both group-level and individual-level characteristics and conducts a novel test of the cultural threat hypothesis. Immigrants’ individual traits are conceptualized as secondary to their identity-based claims. The empirical strategy leverages a set of survey experiments conducted in the extreme rentier state of Qatar, where naturalization poses tangible negative financial consequences for citizens by expanding the pool of government welfare beneficiaries. Findings demonstrate that citizens are willing to share citizenship with a narrow ethnic in-group while individual cultural and economic attributes are lower-order determinants influencing economically vulnerable citizens. Importantly, answers to direct survey measures are at odds with these findings, demonstrating their susceptibility to social desirability bias.
Holocaust Memory and Postcolonialism: Transatlantic Perspectives on the Debate
Authors: Biess Frank
Published: June 2023

German commemorative culture is clearly in flux. Over the last year or so, a series of seemingly never-ending controversies have made it abundantly clear that, more than seventy-five years after the end of the Second World War, the memory of National Socialism and the Holocaust is not only very much present in contemporary Germany but also remains deeply contested. The list of controversies is familiar to everybody who has followed German public debates over the last three years: first the debate over the planned appearance of the Cameroonian philosopher Achille Mbembe at the 2020 Ruhr-Trienale in the spring of 2020; then the publication of the German translation of Michael Rothberg's book Multidirectional Memory in March 2021 and the heated controversy around A. Dirk Moses's “catechism” blog article a few months later; and finally, the recent debate about antisemitism at the documenta art exhibition curated by an Indonesian artist collective.
Montaigne and the Virtue of Moderation
Authors: Zuckert Catherine H.
Published: June 2023

I begin by congratulating the Storeys on their splendid achievement. They have managed to write an eminently readable account of a “conversation” among four complex French thinkers. As a reader learns from the footnotes, their presentation of the unfolding argument is based on an enormous amount of scholarly research, but they never let the scholarship interfere with the smooth flow of their prose.
Shifting perspectives: outlooks on ageing in place in the COVID-19 era
Authors: Greer Valerie , Canham Sarah L. , Hong Andy , Caylor Natalie , Van Natter Jessica
Published: June 2023

Given the significant impact the pandemic has had on the lives of older adults, research is needed to understand how conceptions of ageing in place and attitudes about living independently may have shifted during a time marked by significant environmental change. There is a gap in knowledge about how older adults characterise positive support for ageing in place in response to rapid changes in physical and social environments, including home confinement, reduced social interaction and greater barriers to resources. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted a photovoice study with community-dwelling older adults (N = 17) to understand how their experiences of adapting to pandemic conditions influenced their attitudes and behaviours towards ageing in place. We organised data into five themes: (1) the importance of proximity to family and loved ones; (2) the ability to balance safety and social connectivity; (3) an increased appreciation for the outdoors; (4) new platforms for learning; and (5) the role of inner belief systems. Adapting attitudes, expectations and behaviours through physical, social and personal domains highlights the role of change within an ecological framework of ageing. Findings contribute to the ongoing discourse about ageing in place within an ecological framework by identifying changes that older adults make at individual, interpersonal and system levels. This paper adds to the literature by identifying characteristics of ageing in place that community-dwelling older adults prioritise in the pandemic era. The paper also contributes to a growing body of research that elicits participation and offers the co-creation of knowledge with older adults. Lessons learned from the pandemic will continue to shape and inform future policies on ageing in place.
Natural frequency prediction of the 3-RPS parallel manipulator using the substructure synthesis technology
Authors: Gong Yaping , Lou Junbin
Published: June 2023

This paper proposed an elastodynamic modeling method combined with independent displacement coordinates and substructure synthesis technology. Firstly, the connecting rod was discretized, and the elastodynamic control equation for each element was established. The multipoint constraint element theory, linear algebra, and singularity analysis were used to identify the globally independent displacement coordinates of the manipulator. On this basis, the elastodynamic model using the substructure synthesis for the 3-PRS parallel manipulator (PM) was developed, with its natural frequencies distribution in the regular workspace discussed. The comparison with the finite-element results showed that the maximum error of the first three-order natural frequencies was within 1.03%, which verified the correctness of the analytical model. The proposed elastodynamic model included all the kinematic constraints of the manipulator without increasing the Lagrangian multiplier. The method is computationally efficient and assesses the dynamic behaviors of the mechanism at the predesign phase.
Seed dormancy break and germination by a rare relict of the Würmian glaciation in the Iberian Peninsula: Euonymus latifolius (Celastraceae)
Authors: Santiago A. , Herranz J. M. , Ferrandis P.
Published: June 2023

Southern European peninsulas have repeatedly played notable roles as refuges in the natural history of flora during periods of glaciation. Euonymus latifolius (Celastraceae) is a relict species from the last Würmian glaciation in the Iberian Peninsula. It still lives with isolated populations in favourable, cool mountainous microhabitats, being an extremely rare, critically endangered species. These Iberian populations are often high-priority targets for conservation due to their long-term persistence and unique evolutionary trajectory. Previously, it has not been feasible to promote significant programmes for reintroduction and/or population reinforcement of this singular plant species due to the great difficulties of conventional propagation. In this study, we analysed the effects of temperature, light and gibberellic acid (GA3) on the germination responses of E. latifolius to develop an effective protocol for seed germination as a main outcome. The results are coherent with the climatic temperature conditions recorded broadly in the Iberian Peninsula in the past and in the current refuge locations for the taxon. The germination responses of E. latifolius are compatible with those of seeds with intermediate physiological dormancy. In particular, the seeds required a 10-week warm period (20/7°C + 15/4°C) followed by 20 weeks of cold period (5 + 1.5°C) to break dormancy and achieve germination values over 90%. GA3 also promoted germination (80%). Therefore, we developed the first effective protocol for promoting E. latifolius seed germination and, thus, sexual propagation, to facilitate urgent ex situ actions in the current climate change context.
Postfictional Theatre, Institutional Aesthetics, and the German Theatrical Public Sphere
Authors: Balme Christopher
Published: June 2023

The traditional institutional split between theatrical organizations devoted to the “fictional” and mass media devoted to the “factual” is being challenged in German theatre. The move to the “postfictional” involves an institutional shift that affects theatre as a medium, and has provoked political and public resistance.
Roma Armee and the Paradox of Representation
Authors: Litvan Maria
Published: June 2023

Like most of Yael Ronen’s theatre, Roma Armee complicates notions of identity. It presents a world in which representation simultaneously blinds and illuminates. Ronen’s use of stereotypes deconstructs prevalent images of Roma and Romani Travellers to start a process of healing and reconciliation that recognizes actual experience.
Big Bang Theory
Authors: Clarke Kevin
Published: June 2023

By presenting the supposedly “nostalgic” and “traditional” genre operetta as a genderfuck spectacle, without opera singers and with queer icons and dancers instead, “gay Jewish kangaroo” Barrie Kosky has revolutionized popular musical theatre in Berlin and brought operetta back to its pre-1933 roots.
Cluster-based ensemble learning model for improving sentiment classification of Arabic documents
Authors: Al Mahmoud Rana Husni , Hammo Bassam H. , Faris Hossam
Published: June 2023

This article reports on designing and implementing a multiclass sentiment classification approach to handle the imbalanced class distribution of Arabic documents. The proposed approach, sentiment classification of Arabic documents (SCArD), combines the advantages of a clustering-based undersampling (CBUS) method and an ensemble learning model to aid machine learning (ML) classifiers in building accurate models against highly imbalanced datasets. The CBUS method applies two standard clustering algorithms: K-means and expectation–maximization, to balance the ratio between the major and the minor classes by decreasing the number of the major class instances and maintaining the number of the minor class instances at the cluster level. The merits of the proposed approach are that it does not remove the majority class instances from the dataset nor injects the dataset with artificial minority class instances. The resulting balanced datasets are used to train two ML classifiers, random forest and updateable Naïve Bayes, to develop prediction data models. The best prediction data models are selected based on F1-score rates. We applied two techniques to test SCArD and generate new predictions from the imbalanced test dataset. The first technique uses the best prediction data models. The second technique uses the majority voting ensemble learning model, which combines the best prediction data models to generate the final predictions. The experimental results showed that SCArD is promising and outperformed the other comparative classification models based on the F1-score rates.
The future of intelligence in the Universe: a call for humility
Authors: Friederich Simon , Wenmackers Sylvia
Published: June 2023

Recent astrophysical findings suggest that the era during which the Universe is habitable has just begun. This raises the question whether the entire Universe may at some point in the future be filled with intelligent life. Hanson et al. (2021, The Astrophysical Journal922, 182) argued that we can be confident that the Universe will, by cosmic standards, soon be dominated by imperialist civilizations which expand rapidly, persist long and make drastic changes to the volumes they control. The main motivation for this ‘grabby civilizations’ hypothesis is that it supposedly provides a good explanation of why we are so early in cosmic history. In this paper, we criticize this motivation and suggest that it fails, for reasons analogous to why the notorious Doomsday argument fails. In the last part of the paper we broaden our discussion and argue that it may be rational to assign a rather low prior probability to the grabby civilizations hypothesis. For instance, if there are any civilizations that expand rapidly and indefinitely, they may well not make any drastic changes to the volumes they inhabit, potentially for strategic reasons. Hence, we call for epistemic caution and humility regarding the question of the long-term evolution of intelligence in the Universe.
Praxisnahe Curriculumentwicklung
Authors: Brühe Roland , Haas Christopher , Heußen Heinrich , Kurilla Diana , Lehrian Bertram , Rupp Joachim
Published: June 2023

Zusammenfassung: Mit dem vollständigen Inkrafttreten des Pflegeberufegesetzes im Januar 2020 veränderten sich die Strukturen der Pflegeausbildung deutlich. Wie alle Pflegeschulen standen auch die bislang auf die Altenpflegeausbildung ausgerichteten maxQ.-Pflegeschulen vor der Herausforderung, ein schuleigenes Curriculum für die neue generalistische Pflegeausbildung zu entwickeln und den Behörden vorzulegen.
Comparison of the effects of empagliflozin and sotagliflozin on a zebrafish model of diabetic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
Authors: Kim Inho , Cho Hyun-Jai , Lim Soo , Seok Seung Hyeok , Lee Hae-Young
Published: June 2023

The sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor empagliflozin (EMPA) and dual SGLT1/2 inhibitor sotagliflozin (SOTA) are emerging as heart failure (HF) medications in addition to having glucose-lowering effects in diabetes mellitus (DM). However, the precise mechanism underlying this cardioprotective effect has not yet been elucidated. Here, we evaluated the effects of EMPA and SOTA in a zebrafish model of DM combined with HF with reduced ejection fraction (DM-HFrEF). To compare the effects of the two drugs, survival, locomotion, and myocardial contractile function were evaluated. The structural binding and modulating effects of the two medications on sodium-hydrogen exchanger 1 (NHE1) were evaluated in silico and in vitro. DM-HFrEF zebrafish showed impaired cardiac contractility and decreased locomotion and survival, all of which were improved by 0.2–5 μM EMPA or SOTA treatment. However, the 25 μM SOTA treatment group had worse survival rates and less locomotion preservation than the EMPA treatment group at the same concentration, and pericardial edema and an uninflated swim bladder were observed. SOTA, EMPA and cariporide (CARI) showed similar structural binding affinities to NHE1 in a molecular docking analysis and drug response affinity target stability assay. In addition, EMPA, SOTA, and CARI effectively reduced intracellular Na+ and Ca2+ changes through the inhibition of NHE1 activity. These findings suggest that both EMPA and SOTA exert cardioprotective effects in the DM-HFrEF zebrafish model by inhibiting NHE1 activity. In addition, despite the similar cardioprotective effects of the two drugs, SOTA may be less effective than EMPA at high concentrations.
Human induced neural stem cells support functional recovery in spinal cord injury models
Authors: Son Daryeon , Zheng Jie , Kim In Yong , Kang Phil Jun , Park Kyoungmin , Priscilla Lia , Hong Wonjun , Yoon Byung Sun , Park Gyuman , Yoo Jeong-Eun , Song Gwonhwa , Lee Jang-Bo , You Seungkwon
Published: June 2023

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a clinical condition that leads to permanent and/or progressive disabilities of sensory, motor, and autonomic functions. Unfortunately, no medical standard of care for SCI exists to reverse the damage. Here, we assessed the effects of induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) directly converted from human urine cells (UCs) in SCI rat models. We successfully generated iNSCs from human UCs, commercial fibroblasts, and patient-derived fibroblasts. These iNSCs expressed various neural stem cell markers and differentiated into diverse neuronal and glial cell types. When transplanted into injured spinal cords, UC-derived iNSCs survived, engrafted, and expressed neuronal and glial markers. Large numbers of axons extended from grafts over long distances, leading to connections between host and graft neurons at 8 weeks post-transplantation with significant improvement of locomotor function. This study suggests that iNSCs have biomedical applications for disease modeling and constitute an alternative transplantation strategy as a personalized cell source for neural regeneration in several spinal cord diseases.
Orchestration of synaptic functions by WAVE regulatory complex-mediated actin reorganization
Authors: Han Kyung Ah , Ko Jaewon
Published: June 2023

The WAVE regulatory complex (WRC), composed of five components—Cyfip1/Sra1, WAVE/Scar, Abi, Nap1/Nckap1, and Brk1/HSPC300—is essential for proper actin cytoskeletal dynamics and remodeling in eukaryotic cells, likely by matching various patterned signals to Arp2/3-mediated actin nucleation. Accumulating evidence from recent studies has revealed diverse functions of the WRC in neurons, demonstrating its crucial role in dictating the assembly of molecular complexes for the patterning of varioustrans-synaptic signals. In this review, we discuss recent exciting findings on the physiological role of the WRC in regulating synaptic properties and highlight the involvement of WRC dysfunction in various brain disorders.
Nutrient sensors and their crosstalk
Authors: Sung Yulseung , Yu Ya Chun , Han Jung Min
Published: June 2023

The macronutrients glucose, lipids, and amino acids are the major components that maintain life. The ability of cells to sense and respond to fluctuations in these nutrients is a crucial feature for survival. Nutrient-sensing pathways are thus developed to govern cellular energy and metabolic homeostasis and regulate diverse biological processes. Accordingly, perturbations in these sensing pathways are associated with a wide variety of pathologies, especially metabolic diseases. Molecular sensors are the core within these sensing pathways and have a certain degree of specificity and affinity to sense the intracellular fluctuation of each nutrient either by directly binding to that nutrient or indirectly binding to its surrogate molecules. Once the changes in nutrient levels are detected, sensors trigger signaling cascades to fine-tune cellular processes for energy and metabolic homeostasis, for example, by controlling uptake, de novo synthesis or catabolism of that nutrient. In this review, we summarize the major discoveries on nutrient-sensing pathways and explain how those sensors associated with each pathway respond to intracellular nutrient availability and how these mechanisms control metabolic processes. Later, we further discuss the crosstalk between these sensing pathways for each nutrient, which are intertwined to regulate overall intracellular nutrient/metabolic homeostasis.
TRIM22 promotes the proliferation of glioblastoma cells by activating MAPK signaling and accelerating the degradation of Raf-1
Authors: Fei Xiaowei , Dou Ya-nan , Sun Kai , Wei Jialiang , Guo Qingdong , Wang Li , Wu Xiuquan , Lv Weihao , Jiang Xiaofan , Fei Zhou
Published: June 2023

The tripartite motif (TRIM) 22 and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways play critical roles in the growth of glioblastoma (GBM). However, the molecular mechanism underlying the relationship between TRIM22 and MAPK signaling remains unclear. Here, we found that TRIM22 binds to exon 2 of the sphingosine kinase 2 (SPHK2) gene. An ERK1/2-driven luciferase reporter construct identified TRIM22 as a potential activator of MAPK signaling. Knockout and overexpression of TRIM22 regulate the inhibition and activation of MAPK signaling through the RING-finger domain. TRIM22 binds to Raf-1, a negative regulator of MAPK signaling, and accelerates its degradation by inducing K48-linked ubiquitination, which is related to the CC and SPRY domains of TRIM22 and the C1D domain of Raf-1. In vitro and in vivo, an SPHK2 inhibitor (K145), an ERK1/2 inhibitor (selumetinib), and the nonphosphorylated mutant Raf-1S338Ainhibited GBM growth. In addition, deletion of the RING domain and the nuclear localization sequence of TRIM22 significantly inhibited TRIM22-induced proliferation of GBM cells in vivo and in vitro. In conclusion, our study showed that TRIM22 regulatesSPHK2transcription and activates MAPK signaling through posttranslational modification of two critical regulators of MAPK signaling in GBM cells.
Markers and makers of NKT17 cells
Authors: Liman Nurcin , Park Jung-Hyun
Published: June 2023

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are thymus-generated innate-like αβ T cells that undergo terminal differentiation in the thymus. Such a developmental pathway differs from that of conventional αβ T cells, which are generated in the thymus but complete their functional maturation in peripheral tissues. Multiple subsets of iNKT cells have been described, among which IL-17-producing iNKT cells are commonly referred to as NKT17 cells. IL-17 is considered a proinflammatory cytokine that can play both protective and pathogenic roles and has been implicated as a key regulatory factor in many disease settings. Akin to other iNKT subsets, NKT17 cells acquire their effector function during thymic development. However, the cellular mechanisms that drive NKT17 subset specification, and how iNKT cells in general acquire their effector function prior to antigen encounter, remain largely unknown. Considering that all iNKT cells express the canonical Vα14-Jα18 TCRα chain and all iNKT subsets display the same ligand specificity, i.e., glycolipid antigens in the context of the nonclassical MHC-I molecule CD1d, the conundrum is explaining how thymic NKT17 cell specification is determined. Mapping of the molecular circuitry of NKT17 cell differentiation, combined with the discovery of markers that identify NKT17 cells, has provided new insights into the developmental pathway of NKT17 cells. The current review aims to highlight recent advances in our understanding of thymic NKT17 cell development and to place these findings in the larger context of iNKT subset specification and differentiation.
Ultrafast terahertz emission from emerging symmetry-broken materials
Authors: Pettine Jacob , Padmanabhan Prashant , Sirica Nicholas , Prasankumar Rohit P. , Taylor Antoinette J. , Chen Hou-Tong
Published: June 2023

Nonlinear optical spectroscopies are powerful tools for investigating both static material properties and light-induced dynamics. Terahertz (THz) emission spectroscopy has emerged in the past several decades as a versatile method for directly tracking the ultrafast evolution of physical properties, quasiparticle distributions, and order parameters within bulk materials and nanoscale interfaces. Ultrafast optically-induced THz radiation is often analyzed mechanistically in terms of relative contributions from nonlinear polarization, magnetization, and various transient free charge currents. While this offers material-specific insights, more fundamental symmetry considerations enable the generalization of measured nonlinear tensors to much broader classes of systems. We thus frame the present discussion in terms of underlying broken symmetries, which enable THz emission by defining a system directionality in space and/or time, as well as more detailed point group symmetries that determine the nonlinear response tensors. Within this framework, we survey a selection of recent studies that utilize THz emission spectroscopy to uncover basic properties and complex behaviors of emerging materials, including strongly correlated, magnetic, multiferroic, and topological systems. We then turn to low-dimensional systems to explore the role of designer nanoscale structuring and corresponding symmetries that enable or enhance THz emission. This serves as a promising route for probing nanoscale physics and ultrafast light-matter interactions, as well as facilitating advances in integrated THz systems. Furthermore, the interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic material symmetries, in addition to hybrid structuring, may stimulate the discovery of exotic properties and phenomena beyond existing material paradigms.
Sex differences in children’s cognitive functions and phthalates exposure: a meta-analysis
Authors: Liao Yu-Chi , Xu Yi-Jia , Chen Jing-Kai , Boonhat Hathaichon , Su Bei-Yi , Lin Yi-Chun , Lin Ro-Ting
Published: June 2023

Background

Phthalates exposure might affect children’s intelligence development. This study aimed to determine (1) whether sex and age affect cognitive function and (2) whether sex differences in cognitive performance are wider with higher phthalate concentrations.

Methods

Data were collected from PubMed (1998–2022), PROQUEST (1997–2022), and SpringerLink (1995–2022). The study followed the PRISMA process. The included articles were followed by PECO framework. The GRADE applied to assess the certainty of evidence. Of 2422 articles obtained, nine were selected using inclusion criteria. The random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled effects.

Results

Our meta-regression indicated a significant difference between sex differences with age at phthalate concentration assessment (β = −0.25; 95% CI = −0.47, −0.03) and MEHP concentration (β = −0.20; 95% CI = −0.37, −0.03).

Conclusions

The limitation of the current article is it only provides information on intelligence level rather than other aspects of cognitive function. Thus, the sequelae of phthalate exposure on attention and executive function are still unclear. Our analysis shows significant difference between sex differences in cognitive function scores associated with age at phthalate concentration assessment. Girls might be more resilient in cognitive function at a younger age or during lower concentrations of phthalates metabolites.

Impact

This is the first meta-analysis to evaluate the pooled estimates of sex differences in objective cognitive functions among children with phthalate exposure.

The female might be a protective factor when exposed to toxic plasticizers while the concentration is low.

This study captures the possible role of sex in cognitive functioning and plasticizer exposure through a meta-analysis of children’s sex, cognitive scores, and plasticizer exposure.
A novel protein encoded by circUBE4B promotes progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by augmenting MAPK/ERK signaling
Authors: Lyu Yingcheng , Tan Binghua , Li Lin , Liang Ruihao , Lei Kai , Wang Kefeng , Wu Duoguang , Lin Huayue , Wang Minghui
Published: June 2023

Esophageal squamous carcinoma (ESCC) is a common malignant cancer. Although the non-coding roles of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of human tumors have been well studied, whether circRNAs participate in the progression of ESCC by encoding novel proteins remains unclear. In this study, we identified an overexpression circRNA with protein-coding ability in ESCC tissues, called circUBE4B, whose expression level is correlated with tumor size and tumor differentiation level of ESCC patients. Moreover, a higher level of circUBE4B in ESCC patients is correlated with a worse prognosis. Functionally, we found that circUBE4B promoted the proliferation of ESCC cells by encoding a novel cancer-promoting protein, circUBE4B-173aa. Mechanistically, the circUBE4B-173aa protein interacts with MAPK1 and promotes the phosphorylation level of MAPK1 to eventually activate MAPK/ERK signaling pathway. The xenograft model revealed that overexpression of circUBE4B-173aa in ESCC cells significantly promoted the growth of grafts. Our study provides new insights into the mechanism of circRNA in the development of ESCC and circUBE4B-173aa has the potential to serve as a biomarker and a novel therapeutic target for ESCC therapy.
No evidence of sustained nonzoonotic Plasmodium knowlesi transmission in Malaysia from modelling malaria case data
Authors: Fornace Kimberly M. , Topazian Hillary M. , Routledge Isobel , Asyraf Syafie , Jelip Jenarun , Lindblade Kim A. , Jeffree Mohammad Saffree , Ruiz Cuenca Pablo , Bhatt Samir , Ahmed Kamruddin , Ghani Azra C. , Drakeley Chris
Published: June 2023

Reported incidence of the zoonotic malaria Plasmodium knowlesi has markedly increased across Southeast Asia and threatens malaria elimination. Nonzoonotic transmission of P. knowlesi has been experimentally demonstrated, but it remains unknown whether nonzoonotic transmission is contributing to increases in P. knowlesi cases. Here, we adapt model-based inference methods to estimate RC, individual case reproductive numbers, for P. knowlesi, P. falciparum and P. vivax human cases in Malaysia from 2012–2020 (n = 32,635). Best fitting models for P. knowlesi showed subcritical transmission (RC < 1) consistent with a large reservoir of unobserved infection sources, indicating P. knowlesi remains a primarily zoonotic infection. In contrast, sustained transmission (RC > 1) was estimated historically for P. falciparum and P. vivax, with declines in RC estimates observed over time consistent with local elimination. Together, this suggests sustained nonzoonotic P. knowlesi transmission is highly unlikely and that new approaches are urgently needed to control spillover risks.
Inefficient prioritization of task-relevant attributes during instrumental information demand
Authors: Rischall Isabella , Hunter Laura , Jensen Greg , Gottlieb Jacqueline
Published: June 2023

In natural settings, people evaluate complex multi-attribute situations and decide which attribute to request information about. Little is known about how people make this selection and specifically, how they identify individual observations that best predict the value of a multi-attribute situation. Here show that, in a simple task of information demand, participants inefficiently query attributes that have high individual value but are relatively uninformative about a total payoff. This inefficiency is robust in two instrumental conditions in which gathering less informative observations leads to significantly lower rewards. Across individuals, variations in the sensitivity to informativeness is associated with personality metrics, showing negative associations with extraversion and thrill seeking and positive associations with stress tolerance and need for cognition. Thus, people select informative queries using sub-optimal strategies that are associated with personality traits and influence consequential choices.