bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterizing TIA and stroke symptomatology in a population-based study: implications for and diagnostic value of FAST-based public education
Authors: Claus Jacqueline J. , Berghout Bernhard B. P. , Box Camiel V. J. , Licher Silvan , Roozenbeek Bob , Ikram M. Kamran , Wolters Frank J.
Published: December 2024

Background

Urgent medical treatment is crucial after stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA), but hindered by extensive prehospital delays. Public education campaigns based on FAST (Face-Arm-Speech-Time) have improved response after major stroke, but not minor stroke and TIA. We aimed to provide strategies to improve public education on a national level, by characterizing TIA and stroke symptoms in a population-based cohort, and extrapolating findings to the general Dutch population.

Methods

We included all patients with first-ever stroke or TIA from 2002–2016 in the population-based Rotterdam Study (N = 17,931). We determined the prevalence of focal neurological symptoms and their combinations by event severity (i.e., TIA, minor stroke [National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) 0–3], and major stroke [NIHSS > 3]). We assessed sensitivity of the FAST test for TIA and stroke, and estimated specificity using survey data on the incidence of focal neurological symptoms of non-vascular origin from the same source population. Finally, we determined the diagnostic value of adding visual symptoms and vertigo to the FAST test.

Results

Of all 900 patients (mean age: 77.6 years, 57.2% women), 409 (45.4%) had a TIA, 254 (28.2%) had minor stroke, and 237 (26.3%) had major stroke. At least one FAST symptom was present in 233/237 (98.3%) of patients with major stroke, compared to 186/254 (73.2%) patients with minor stroke, and 250/402 (62.2%) with TIA. Minor strokes and TIA not captured by the FAST test most commonly involved visual symptoms (52.7%), dizziness/vertigo (19.5%), disturbed coordination (19.1%), and sensory disturbance (18.2%). Sensitivity of FAST for TIA/minor stroke increased from 66.4 to 80.8% with the addition of visual symptoms, and to 86.1% with further incorporation of dizziness/vertigo, albeit with a > 40% increase in the number of false positive events. Nearly all patients with major stroke (97.5%) experienced a combination of multiple symptoms, whereas 58.9% of patients with TIA and 26.4% of those with minor stroke reported only a single symptom.

Conclusions

In contrast to major stroke, sensitivity of the FAST test is limited to around 65% for TIA and minor stroke in a population-based setting. Sensitivity increases by incorporating visual symptoms and vertigo, but this comes with a large number of false positives. Findings of this study may favor a focus on the importance of isolated or transient symptoms, rather than additional symptoms, in future stroke public education campaigns.
Two highly selected mutations in the tandemly duplicated CYP6P4a and CYP6P4b genes drive pyrethroid resistance in Anopheles funestus in West Africa
Authors: Tatchou-Nebangwa Nelly M. T. , Mugenzi Leon M. J. , Muhammad Abdullahi , Nebangwa Derrick N. , Kouamo Mersimine F. M. , Tagne Carlos S. Djoko , Tekoh Theofelix A. , Tchouakui Magellan , Ghogomu Stephen M. , Ibrahim Sulaiman S. , Wondji Charles S.
Published: December 2024

Background

Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying insecticide resistance in malaria vectors is crucial for optimising the effectiveness of insecticide-based vector control methods and developing diagnostic tools for resistance management. Considering the heterogeneity of metabolic resistance in major malaria vectors, the implementation of tailored resistance management strategies is essential for successful vector control. Here, we provide evidence demonstrating that two highly selected mutations in CYP6P4a and CYP6P4b are driving pyrethroid insecticide resistance in the major malaria vector Anopheles funestus, in West Africa.

Results

Continent-wide polymorphism survey revealed escalated signatures of directional selection of both genes between 2014 and 2021. In vitro insecticide metabolism assays with recombinant enzymes from both genes showed that mutant alleles under selection exhibit higher metabolic efficiency than their wild-type counterparts. Using the GAL4-UAS expression system, transgenic Drosophila flies overexpressing mutant alleles exhibited increased resistance to pyrethroids. These findings were consistent with in silico predictions which highlighted changes in enzyme active site architecture that enhance the affinity of mutant alleles for type I and II pyrethroids. Furthermore, we designed two DNA-based assays for the detection of CYP6P4a-M220I and CYP6P4b-D284E mutations, showing their current confinement to West Africa. Genotype/phenotype correlation analyses revealed that these markers are strongly associated with resistance to types I and II pyrethroids and combine to drastically reduce killing effects of pyrethroid bed nets.

Conclusions

Overall, this study demonstrated that CYP6P4a and CYP6P4b contribute to pyrethroid resistance in An. funestus and provided two additional insecticide resistance molecular diagnostic tools that would contribute to monitoring and better management of resistance.
Healthy eating patterns associated with reduced risk of inflammatory bowel disease by lowering low-grade inflammation: evidence from a large prospective cohort study
Authors: Xia Bin , Li Yan , Hu Linmin , Xie Peng , Mi Ningning , Lv Liyuan , Liang Zixin , Sun Yuxuan , Li Ying , Jiang Xiaodong , Liu Guinan , Feng Yuanyuan , Zhu Yingxin , Zhan Bo , He Qiangsheng , Lei Pingguang , Qi Jian , Wang Pengpeng , Yuan Jinqiu
Published: December 2024

Background

Limited epidemiological evidence exists regarding the role of healthy eating patterns in reducing the risk of Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). This study aimed to investigate the association between adherence to four established healthy eating patterns and subsequent CD or UC risk, and further examined whether these associations are linked to anti-inflammatory mechanisms.

Methods

We conducted a prospective cohort study of 197,391 participants from the UK Biobank who completed at least one dietary questionnaire and were free from inflammatory bowel disease or cancer at baseline. Four dietary patterns were assessed, including Alternate Mediterranean Diet (AMED), Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015), Healthful Plant-based Diet Index (HPDI), and EAT-Lancet. Cox proportional models with restricted cubic splines were applied to explore the associations. The potential role of low-grade inflammation in these associations was examined through mediation analysis.

Results

During 2,193,436 person-years follow-up, 260 CD and 601 UC cases were identified. Higher AMED and HEI-2015 scores were associated with a reduced risk of CD but no UC, with no evidence against nonlinearity. These associations remained consistent across multiple sensitive and subgroup analyses. For dietary components, the fruits and monounsaturated fatty acids: saturated fatty acids ratio in AMED, and total fruits, total protein foods and fatty acid in HEI-2015 were linked to a decreased CD risk. Both diets were also associated with lower plasma inflammation biomarkers. Mediation analysis indicated that 7.66% and 13.40% of the reductions in CD risk attributed to AMED and HEI-2015 diets, respectively, were mediated by low-grade inflammation scores.

Conclusions

Higher adherence to AMED and HEI-2015 might significantly reduce CD risk, partly due to their anti-inflammatory properties.
Preoperative assessment of tertiary lymphoid structures in stage I lung adenocarcinoma using CT radiomics: a multicenter retrospective cohort study
Authors: Zhao Xiaojiang , Wang Yuhang , Xue Mengli , Ding Yun , Zhang Han , Wang Kai , Ren Jie , Li Xin , Xu Meilin , Lv Jun , Wang Zixiao , Sun Daqiang
Published: December 2024

Objective

To develop a multimodal predictive model, Radiomics Integrated TLSs System (RAITS), based on preoperative CT radiomic features for the identification of TLSs in stage I lung adenocarcinoma patients and to evaluate its potential in prognosis stratification and guiding personalized treatment.

Methods

The most recent preoperative chest CT thin-slice scans and postoperative hematoxylin and eosin-stained pathology sections of patients diagnosed with stage I LUAD were retrospectively collected. Tumor segmentation was achieved using an automatic virtual adversarial training segmentation algorithm based on a three-dimensional U-shape convolutional neural network (3D U-Net). Radiomic features were extracted from the tumor and peritumoral areas, with extensions of 2 mm, 4 mm, 6 mm, and 8 mm, respectively, and deep learning image features were extracted through a convolutional neural network. Subsequently, the RAITS was constructed. The performance of RAITS was then evaluated in both the train and validation cohorts.

Results

RAITS demonstrated superior AUC, sensitivity, and specificity in both the training and external validation cohorts, outperforming traditional unimodal models. In the validation cohort, RAITS achieved an AUC of 0.78 (95% CI, 0.69–0.88) and showed higher net benefits across most threshold ranges. RAITS exhibited strong discriminative ability in risk stratification, with p < 0.01 in the training cohort and p = 0.02 in the validation cohort, consistent with the actual predictive performance of TLSs, where TLS-positive patients had significantly higher recurrence-free survival (RFS) compared to TLS-negative patients (p = 0.04 in the training cohort, p = 0.02 in the validation cohort).

Conclusion

As a multimodal predictive model based on preoperative CT radiomic features, RAITS demonstrated excellent performance in identifying TLSs in stage I LUAD and holds potential value in clinical decision-making.
Effect of panretinal photocoagulation versus intravitreal bevacizumab injection on optic disc microcirculation in patients with diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Khojasteh Hassan , Ahadi Fard Moghadam Mohammad , Rahimi Masoud , Mirzaei Arash , Ghassemi Fariba , Takzare Alireza , Faghihi Hooshang , Khalili Pour Elias , Riazi-Esfahani Hamid
Published: December 2024

Background

This retrospective study aimed to compare optic disc vasculature changes in 1 and 3 months after treatment with either panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) or Intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) in patients with diabetic retinopathy.

Methods

A total of 50 eyes of 29 diabetic patients without severe complications were included in this comparative case series. Of these, twenty-eight eyes (15 patients) were assigned to the PRP group, while twenty-two eyes (14 patients) were treated with the biosimilar (IVB) (Stivant® CinnaGen Co., Iran). Optical tomography angiography (OCTA) was performed to measure optic disc vascular density (VD) as well as retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness.

Results

The mean age of the enrolled patients was 62.1 ± 8.3 years (40 to 78 years). During follow-up, whole disc VD, inside disc VD and peripapillary VD decreased significantly in the PRP group at month 1 (p = 0.032, p = 0.32, and p = 0.016, respectively) and month 3 (p = 0.004, p = 0.001 and p = 0.011, respectively). There was an insignificant and slight increase for these parameters in the IVB group. (p > 0.05 for all) A comparison of two treatment arms based on mean whole disc VD, inside disc VD, and peripapillary VD changes revealed a significant difference at month 1 (p = 0.009, p = 0.019, and p = 0.002, respectively) and month 3 (p = 0.002, p = 0.015, and p = 0.009, respectively). Peripapillary RNFL thickness increased in the PRP group at month 1 (p = 0.002) and then decreased at month 3 (p = 0.001). During three months of follow-up, the peripapillary RNFL thickness decreased significantly in the IVB group (p = 0.001). Peripapillary RNFL thickness changes were significantly different between treatment groups at month 1 and month 3. (p = 0.001 for both) The RNFL changes during the study did not significantly correlate with peripapillary VD changes in each group (p = 0.231 and p = 372, for PRP and IVB group, respectively).

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that IVB and PRP treatments produced distinct short-term microvascular changes in the optic nerve of diabetic retinopathy patients. PRP treatment significantly reduced vascular density in the optic disc and peripapillary region over 3 months, with an initial increase in RNFL thickness followed by a decrease by month 3. In contrast, IVB treatment led to a slight increase in optic disc vascular density while significantly reducing RNFL thickness. No significant correlation was found between changes in RNFL thickness and peripapillary vascular density within either treatment group.
Prediction of Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Hepatitis C Virus Sustained Virologic Response Using a Random Survival Forest Model
Authors: Nakahara Hikaru , Ono Atsushi , Hayes C. Nelson , Shirane Yuki , Miura Ryoichi , Fujii Yasutoshi , Murakami Serami , Yamaoka Kenji , Bao Hauri , Uchikawa Shinsuke , Fujino Hatsue , Murakami Eisuke , Kawaoka Tomokazu , Miki Daiki , Tsuge Masataka , Oka Shiro ,   The Hiroshima Liver Study Group, Kinami Takahiro , Moriya Takashi , Morio Kei , Amioka Kei , Nabeshima Yoshitaka , Yano Shigeki , Masaki Keiichi , Suehiro Yosuke , Aisaka Yasuyuki , Nonaka Michihiro , Aimitsu Shiomi , Yamashina Keitaro , Hiramatsu Akira , Aikata Hiroshi , Nakahara Takashi , Kosaka Yumi , Tsuji Keiji , Mori Nami , Takaki Shintaro , Ohya Kazuki , Katamura Yoshio , Amano Hajime , Kawakami Hiroiku , Kawakami Yoshiiku , Azakami Takahiro , Kohno Hirotaka , Teraoka Yuji , Masuda Kazunari , Tamura Toru , Nagaoki Yuko , Kira Shinsuke , Ueda Keiko , Ito Hiroyuki , Kikugawa Chihiro , Kamada Koji , Naruto Kensuke , Arataki Keiko
Published: December 2024

PURPOSE

Postsustained virologic response (SVR) screening following clinical guidelines does not address individual risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our aim is to provide tailored screening for patients using machine learning to predict HCC incidence after SVR.

METHODS

Using clinical data from 1,028 SVR patients, we developed an HCC prediction model using a random survival forest (RSF). Model performance was assessed using Harrel's c-index and validated in an independent cohort of 737 SVR patients. Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) facilitated feature quantification, whereas optimal cutoffs were determined using maximally selected rank statistics. We used Kaplan-Meier analysis to compare cumulative HCC incidence between risk groups.

RESULTS

We achieved c-index scores and 95% CIs of 0.90 (0.85 to 0.94) and 0.80 (0.74 to 0.85) in the derivation and validation cohorts, respectively, in a model using platelet count, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, sex, age, and ALT. Stratification resulted in four risk groups: low, intermediate, high, and very high. The 5-year cumulative HCC incidence rates and 95% CIs for these groups were as follows: derivation: 0% (0 to 0), 3.8% (0.6 to 6.8), 26.2% (17.2 to 34.3), and 54.2% (20.2 to 73.7), respectively, and validation: 0.7% (0 to 1.6), 7.1% (2.7 to 11.3), 5.2% (0 to 10.8), and 28.6% (0 to 55.3), respectively.

CONCLUSION

The integration of RSF and SHAP enabled accurate HCC risk classification after SVR, which may facilitate individualized HCC screening strategies and more cost-effective care.
Dog Has No Buddha Nature
Authors: Chang Chia-Ju
Published: December 2024

The article considers what role “meaning” plays in shaping the unintended suffering caused by human aspirations. The thing we call meaning in “the secular age” has replaced the transcendent to become the new religion we espouse. We fight for abstract ideas, principles, or ideology, predicated on the meanings we construct, and we are even willing to be martyred for them. Humans’ meaning production has catalyzed not only the massive extinction of nonhuman species but also our own civilizational demise. This article begins with the conviction that humanity has not become more nihilistic contrary to what Nietzsche predicted and most modern scholars of nihilism profess. To the contrary, it has become more antinihilistic and nihilphobic. From an ecological standpoint, nihilism is not and should not be a curse word. In fact, learning how to die requires nihility and nihilism. Only by going deeper into nothingness/nihility and nihilism can we deconstruct human-centered views and meaning construction. Only then can we come to terms with other ecolives and with our impermanence, which has been excluded from our meaning production. In this sense, the gong'an or kōan practice of Zen Buddhism is the therapeutic technology we need in the Anthropocene eschatology.
Mu Dan's Encounter with Nature
Authors: Ye Qiongqiong , Gong Haomin
Published: December 2024

This article takes as its point of departure an analysis of “The Phantom of the Jungle” and investigates how the poet Mu Dan's 穆旦 (1918–1977) view of nature and the world was destabilized and remodeled during the Second Sino-Japanese War by his encounter with the special kind of nature embodied in the primitive forests. This investigation is followed by an exploration of Mu Dan's writing about nature from the late 1930s to the 1940s, during which there appeared a noticeable transformation in his treatment of nature, from an element of ideological construction to an object of metaphysical meditation, that paralleled his change of poetic style, from being more romantic to being more modernist. Finally, we examine the role nature played in forming Mu Dan's most representative poetic thought, new lyricism (xin de shuqing 新的抒情), in the early 1940s, which, with his experience of a different kind of nature and the influence of English modernist poetry, led him to a style of poetic expression of a different nature.
Lithium-ion cells operating at very low temperatures
Authors: Σελίνης Πέτρος
Published: December 2024

Οι μπαταρίες ιόντων λιθίου χρησιμοποιούνται ευρέως σε μια ποικιλία εφαρμογών, όπως τα ηλεκτρικά οχήματα, όμως παρά την υψηλή ενέργεια και ισχύ τους σε κανονικές συνθήκες λειτουργίας, η απόδοση τους επηρεάζεται σημαντικά από τις χαμηλές θερμοκρασίες. Οι κατασκευαστές ηλεκτρικών οχημάτων χρησιμοποιούν διάφορες μεθόδους, όπως η θέρμανση μέσω αέρα και μέσω υγρού, για να διατηρήσουν τις μπαταρίες σε θερμοκρασίες κανονικής λειτουργίας. Ωστόσο, οι μέθοδοι αυτοί απαιτούν εκτεταμένους χρόνους θέρμανσης και υψηλή ενεργειακή κατανάλωση, παρουσιάζοντας χαμηλή ομοιομορφία θερμοκρασίας κατά μήκος των κελιών μέσα σε ένα πακέτο μπαταριών. Σε αυτήν την διατριβή, προτείνεται μια καινοτόμα μέθοδος, η οποία ονομάζεται θέρμανση ΑΙΜ, και βασίζεται στην εσωτερική θέρμανση κελιού, και παρουσιάζεται ένα λειτουργικό πρωτότυπο (proof-of-concept). Δοκιμές θέρμανσης που πραγματοποιήθηκαν σε κελιά τύπου pouch έδειξαν πως η θερμοκρασία κελιού μπορεί να φτάσει σε θερμοκρασίες κανονικής λειτουγίας μέσα σε δευτερόλεπτα, ξεκινώντας από χαμηλές θερμοκρασίες έως και -40 οC. Επιπλέον, κατά την πραγματοποίηση κύκλων σε τόσο χαμηλές θερμοκρασίες, τα θερμαινόμενα κελιά παρουσιάζουν σταθερές χωρητικότητες, με μικρή εξασθένιση χωρητικότητας και υψηλή διατήρηση της αρχικής χωρητικότητας, σε αντίθεση με τα στάνταρ κελιά, τα οποία υποφέρουν από ιδιαίτερα χαμηλή διαθέσιμη χωρητικότητα, ικανότητα φόρτισης με ανεπαρκή απόδοση, και σημαντική μη αντιστρεπτή απώλεια χωρητικότητας μετά από μόλις μερικούς κύκλους.
Ερμηνευτικό υπόμνημα στους λόγους του Δημοσθένη
Authors: Σταθάς Σπυρίδων
Published: December 2024

Οι λόγοι Πρὸς Ὀνήτορα ἐξούλης Α’ (30) και Πρὸς Ὀνήτορα ἐξούλης Β’ (31) υπάγονται στο νομικό πλαίσιο της ἐξούλης. Μία δίκη ἐξούλης ερχόταν ως συνέπεια μίας προγενέστερης δίκης, αν ο διάδικος που κέρδιζε στην αρχική δίκη εμποδιζόταν από το να λάβει την αποζημίωση που του οφειλόταν. Ο ηττημένος σε μία δίκην ἐξούλης υποχρεωνόταν να αποχωρήσει από την επίδικη περιουσία και να πληρώσει ένα επιπλέον πρόστιμο στην πολιτεία, ίσης αξίας με την επίδικη περιουσία. Η παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή αποτελεί ένα λεπτομερές ερμηνευτικό λημματικό υπόμνημα των δύο ανωτέρω λόγων. Η έρευνα αυτή πραγματοποιήθηκε διότι οι συγκεκριμένοι λόγοι είναι οι μοναδικοί ακέραια σωζόμενοι που υπάγονται στο νομικό πλαίσιο της ἐξούλης και δεύτερον, επειδή ένα εκτεταμένο υπόμνημα για αυτούς τους λόγους έλλειπε από την έως τώρα βιβλιογραφία των επιτροπικών λόγων του Δημοσθένη. Οι λόγοι Πρὸς Ὀνήτορα ἐξούλης Α’ (30) και Πρὸς Ὀνήτορα ἐξούλης Β’ (31) εκφωνήθηκαν από τον Δημοσθένη και αποτελούν τον λόγο κατηγορίας και τη δευτερολογία του για την υπόθεση εναντίον του Ονήτορα, επειδή εκείνος τον εμπόδισε από το να λάβει την κυριότητα ενός τεμαχίου γης, που διεκδικούσε ως αποζημίωση από τον επίτροπό του, τον Άφοβο. Στην εισαγωγή της παρούσας μελέτης παρουσιάστηκαν θέματα σχετικά με το περιεχόμενο της υπόθεσης των δύο λόγων, το νομικό πλαίσιο στο οποίο υπάγονται, τη δομή και το ύφος τους, καθώς και το συναφές ζήτημα της γνησιότητάς τους. Στο κύριο μέρος της εργασίας πραγματοποιήθηκε ο υπομνηματισμός του αρχαίου κειμένου, μέσω της απομόνωσης φράσεων και λέξεων και της ανάλυσής τους ως προς τη χρήση των ρητορικών τεχνικών, των μέσων πειθούς και των τεχνικών όρων που εμφανίζονται στη δικανική πρακτική της κλασικής Αθήνας. Εν κατακλείδι, το αποτέλεσμα της παρούσας εργασίας είναι ένας εμπεριστατωμένος υπομνηματισμός των λόγων Πρὸς Ὀνήτορα ἐξούλης Α’ (30) και Πρὸς Ὀνήτορα ἐξούλης Β’ (31), με έμφαση στη ρητορική τους ανάλυση. Παράλληλα, η εργασία αυτή αποτελεί ερέθισμα για την εντατικότερη συστηματική μελέτη και των υπόλοιπων επιτροπικών λόγων του Δημοσθένη.
Lesbians, Drag Kings, and Pregnant Queens: The Digby Mary Magdalene’s Queer Relationships
Authors: Black Daisy
Published: December 2024

This article argues that the Digby Mary Magdalene’s biblical, hagiographical, and allegorical characters support performance registers that provide a fertile space for queer relationships to emerge. It begins with Mary’s seducer, the lesbian-like Lady Luxuria, whose amiable tongue follows patterns more common to heterosexual seduction scenes. It then examines the Gallant’s parodic man-about-town, who wears courtly love as insincerely as his tight clothing and anticipates the flamboyant gender performances of modern drag kings. The article examines the lingering implications of these interactions on Mary’s post repentance plot with the Queen of Marseilles and on the play’s medieval and modern audiences.
Through the Looking Glass: Reflections of the Prodigal Daughter
Authors: Suthren Carla
Published: December 2024

This contribution examines the submerged prodigal daughter plot within the dominant ‘prodigal son’ drama of Gascoigne’s Glass of Government (1575). Jerry Aline Flieger has suggested that we might reimagine the prodigal daughter not as merely ‘going beyond the fold of restrictive paternal law, only to return’, but as ‘lush, exceptional, extravagant, and affirmative … to be prodigal in this sense is to alter the law, to enlarge its parameters and recast its meaning’. Instead of marginalizing and banishing the prodigal daughter, this article suggests that it may be worth passing through Gascoigne’s looking glass to imagine an alternative space for her to occupy.
Aplicación de un ciclo de mejora del aprendizaje en la asignatura de Dibujo II (Grado en Fundamentos de Arquitectura)
Authors: Núñez-González María
Published: December 2024

En el ámbito de la educación superior en arquitectura, la asignatura de Dibujo II Expresión y Comunicación es fundamental para el desarrollo de competencias en dibujo arquitectónico. El aula se concibe como un entorno dinámico que
fomenta el aprendizaje interactivo. Se propone un modelo metodológico que incluye sesión crítica, intervención del alumnado, actividades de contraste y puesta
en común, dando protagonismo al estudiante. El Ciclo de Mejora en el Aula (CIMA)
se implementó en dos sesiones sobre luz y sombra en la forma arquitectónica y
perspectiva cónica oblicua, mostrando una evolución positiva en el aprendizaje.
La evaluación destaca la necesidad de flexibilidad, expectativas realistas y comunicación clara, sugiriendo una mayor integración de herramientas tecnológicas y
metodologías adaptativas centradas en el estudiante. Estos principios son esenciales para una enseñanza efectiva y significativa en el futuro.
Ciclo de mejora docente en las prácticas de Genética: análisis de correlación genotipo-fenotipo
Authors: Castellano-Pozo Maikel
Published: December 2024

En la educación universitaria es fundamental incorporar métodos que impulsen habilidades cruciales para el desarrollo académico y profesional de los
estudiantes. A menudo, las prácticas convencionales en laboratorios siguen un
enfoque estándar, donde se presenta un concepto teórico y a continuación se sigue un protocolo preestablecido sin estimular el pensamiento crítico del estudiante. Con la intención de solventar esta carencia, en este capítulo se describe
el diseño y la aplicación de un ciclo de mejora docente en las prácticas de la asignatura Genética I, del Grado en Biología. Este ciclo de mejora se basa, principalmente, en la aplicación de la metodología del aula invertida, con el objetivo de
fomentar una mayor adquisición de conocimientos y habilidades prácticas a través del razonamiento crítico durante todo el proceso de enseñanza. La aplicación
de esta nueva metodología en las prácticas de laboratorio ha generado un mayor
interés y motivación entre los estudiantes, evidenciándose en una mayor participación, mejor asimilación y comprensión de los contenidos. La satisfacción de los
alumnos con este enfoque refleja el éxito de su implementación.
Estrategias didácticas en la enseñanza de la asignatura de Proyectos. Los presupuestos en Ingeniería Agrícola
Authors: González Ortega Manuel Jesús
Published: December 2024

El Ciclo de Mejora en el Aula (CIMA) se ha integrado en la asignatura de Proyectos de Ingeniería Agrícola para 172 estudiantes, centrándose en la gestión de
proyectos agrícolas y el manejo del software de presupuestos Presto. Este enfoque pedagógico, centrado en el estudiante, fomenta la participación activa y el
desarrollo de competencias claves como el trabajo en equipo, la toma de decisiones y el pensamiento crítico. El contenido del programa abarca 8 horas y se centra
en problemas esenciales como la elaboración de presupuestos y el uso de Presto.
Apoyado en el aprendizaje activo y la participación mediante tecnologías emergentes, el CIMA incluye actividades como cuestionarios y debates. Se emplea una
metodología definida para cada sesión, con actividades y objetivos claros. La evaluación se efectúa mediante cuestionarios antes y después del curso, usando escaleras de aprendizaje para evaluar el avance en la comprensión de presupuestos
y Presto. Cuestionarios de 20 alumnos elegidos al azar permiten medir el entendimiento desde lo básico hasta lo avanzado, garantizando un seguimiento preciso
del aprendizaje práctico.
Ciclo de Mejora en el Aula en la asignatura de «Céspedes» en el Grado de Ingeniería Agrícola
Authors: Castro-Valdecantos Pedro María
Published: December 2024

Este Ciclo de Mejora en el Aula (CIMA) se ha aplicado tanto en la parte teórica
como práctica de la asignatura optativa de Céspedes de cuarto curso del Grado
de Ingeniería Agrícola. Se describen de manera detallada el mapa de contenidos
y problemas, el modelo metodológico, la secuencia de actividades, el cuestionario inicial/final para el alumnado, la descripción de las sesiones, el análisis y valoración del mismo CIMA y por último el informe de observación ente pares. Todo
esto está basado en el hilo conductor de las actividades de contraste y los problemas-casos, que afianzan los conceptos teóricos y, a su vez, dan lugar a que
los alumnos se planteen nuevas ideas o caminos a seguir para resolver el problema propuesto. Además, el contexto en el que se desarrollan estas sesiones
está basado en la motivación de los estudiantes, creando un clima apto para que
se expresen sus ideas y no dejar a ningún alumno fuera de lugar, permitiendo la
participación de todos. Así, la evolución, tanto del discente como del docente, se
han visto envueltas en una única vía de aprendizaje basada en la proactividad del
alumnado y en el máximo conocimiento del tema por parte del profesor.
Termodinámica de las disoluciones: Aplicación de un Ciclo de Mejora en el Aula en la asignatura de Química Física I del Grado en Químic
Authors: Alvarez-Malmagro Julia
Published: December 2024

En este capítulo se presenta un Ciclo de Mejora en el Aula (CIMA) que se ha
implementado durante el curso 2023-24 en la asignatura de Química Física I, en
el grado en Química de la Universidad de Sevilla. Se han empleado metodologías basadas en Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (TICs), así como
el desarrollo de Clases Invertidas (CI) que integran el Aprendizaje Basado en resolución de Problemas (ABP), lo cual ha facilitado la intercomunicación entre
profesor-alumno y entre el propio alumnado. Concretamente, el CIMA se ha aplicado al tema de disoluciones, tanto en las clases de teoría como en los grupos
reducidos de seminarios, para mejorar la atención, aprendizaje y rendimiento de
los estudiantes. Este trabajo recoge el diseño del CIMA, que incluye la metodología empleada, los contenidos trabajados y las actividades realizadas para alcanzar los objetivos, así como una evaluación de su eficacia a nivel de aprendizaje y
mejora de los alumnos y de la labor docente del profesor.
Innovación docente aplicada a las prácticas de Laboratorio de Química Inorgánica II
Authors: Rivada-Whelaghan Orestes
Published: December 2024

En este trabajo se incluyen los resultados de la aplicación de un Ciclo de Mejora en el Aula (CIMA) que se ha realizado en la asignatura Prácticas de Laboratorio de Química Inorgánica II. La temática principal ha girado en torno a la síntesis
de complejos de coordinación basados en oxocompuestos de molibdeno, y su
caracterización. Se ha aplicado un modelo metodológico teniendo en cuenta la
metodología de trabajo en un laboratorio real de investigación y centrado en el
alumno, quien tiene un papel activo y protagonista en el proceso de aprendizaje, siguiendo un mapa de contenidos y una secuencia de actividades elaboradas acorde a los objetivos de las prácticas. Finalmente, se ha llevado a cabo el
análisis y evaluación de la aplicación del ciclo de mejora con el fin de sacar conclusiones e información de utilidad para redefinir y perfeccionar nuestra práctica
docente.
Identity Work in Interdependent Professional Groups: The Role of a Target Identity in Enterprise Systems Implementation
Authors: Dietz Johann , Spohrer Kai , Hoehle Hartmut
Published: December 2024

Powerful new technologies in the workplace are significantly changing what employees do and how they depend on others. Key tasks that professionals regard as core to their job are automated, forcing entire professional groups to reconsider their identity within their organization. In doing so, professional groups can either feel threatened and resist new technology or develop enhanced role identities that they pursue using the technology. Our study of financial accountants and management accountants shows how managers can help employees develop enhanced role identities and become more satisfied with their jobs. Managers should ensure that each professional group has early and concrete experiences with how new technology helps them perform new, value-added tasks that are consistent with their sense of who they are as professionals in the organization. However, management must also consider how different organizational functions and professional groups will work together in light of new technology. During the technology implementation process, managers and consultants should foster intensive exchange and critical discussion among interdependent professional groups to facilitate an open renegotiation of which professional group takes on which of the existing and new organizational tasks.
Consumer Search and Product Line Length: The Role of the Consumer-Product Fit Distribution
Authors: Zia Mohammad , Kuksov Dmitri
Published: December 2024

We examine the impact of consumer search on firms’ product line strategy and show how it critically depends on consumer-product fit distribution.
Cuba: Three decades of innovation and development
Authors: Hiep Tran Xuan , Hung Nguyen Anh
Published: December 2024

The past three decades have been a period of great change in Cuba’s history. Cuba has remained steadfast in its socialist construction and renovation process, and thanks to the influence of favourable factors has overcome many difficulties and challenges on its own. This article studies the period of its development. It consists of three parts, after the Introduction and before the Conclusion. The first part provides an overview of Cuba’s renovation process over the past 30 years (1993–2023). The second part affirms, analyzes, and demonstrates typical factors that have directly impacted Cuba’s development and cooperation. The third part examines and evaluates Cuba’s development orientation and its prospects.
Out of Time: Malfunctioning and Neglected Clocks and Watches in Dickens's Fiction
Authors: Edmondson John
Published: December 2024

Abstract: Clocks and watches abound in Dickens's fiction and, oddly, a substantial number either malfunction or are abandoned. What is the significance of these ailing or discarded timepieces? Against a background of the increasing importance of objectively measured time in Victorian lives and business, this paper considers their symbolic roles in relation to the characters with which they are connected. Dickens's malfunctioning or disregarded clocks and watches are usually indicative of mental, physical or financial breakdown and often reveal the psychological state of their owners. Overwhelmingly, they are associated with impending ill fate and frequently with death. Invariably, they represent a challenge to or a disruption of the regular progress of life, whatever that might be. The paper explores in detail how Dickens uses the symbolic potential of these objects through textual analysis of a wide range of instances from the novels.
Charles Dickens's Historical Hauntings: Miss Havisham as the Ghost of History
Authors: Nikravesh Negeen N.
Published: December 2024

Abstract: This article unveils the ghost of history displayed through the grotesque body of Miss Havisham. By depicting her as a living wax effigy, Dickens invites a connection with Madame Tussaud's wax museum. The popularity of the museum's Chamber of Horrors, which brought the French Revolution to life for viewers, demonstrates a Victorian interest in the darker aspects of history. I read Great Expectations as a novel fueled by this popular interest in revolution. Mirroring themes and plots central to A Tale of Two Cities , the later novel creates an echo of history displaced onto a contemporary setting. Miss Havisham becomes a conduit through which to access the horrors of history and her female rebellion is infused with revolutionary power. By situating both Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities within a framework of Dickens's beliefs about wholesome entertainment, I explore his perspectives on historical violence and cultural progress.
Didache 16.5: Κατάθɛμα, a Saving Grace?
Authors: Paloheimo Martti
Published: December 2024

Abstract: This article discusses various interpretations of the well-known crux interpretum , κατάθɛμα, in Didache 16.5, which allows that the faithful will be saved by an agent, ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ τοῦ καταθέματος. The scholarly consensus is κατάθɛμα is a saving “curse” or an “accursed,” although consensus breaks down on the question of what the exact referent is for the soteriological curse. I suggest, in the alternative, that κατάθɛμα in the phrase refers to an endowment, a metaphorical “deposit,” as a morphologically motivated transparent derivation from the verb κατατίθημι. It is not a saving curse but a soteriological endowment embodied in the Didache follower. After examining the interpretations advanced to date, the only secular use of the word is investigated, and literature contemporary to the Didache is reviewed to determine if the concept of a salvational endowment is available in the cultural heritage. Salvation elsewhere in the Didache text is scrutinized to determine whether a soteriologically effective endowment would be in keeping with the overall rhetorical thrust of the text. The entire chapter is canvassed, and the proposed alternative interpretations are tested to see if they are plausible and compelling in the context of the chapter and the verse and to examine which interpretation of the crux is satisfying overall.
Crossing the Sahara to Paradise: Imagining African Utopia in Riadh Hadir's Pupille
Authors: Twohig Erin
Published: December 2024

Abstract: Riadh Hadir's work of dystopian fiction, Pupille , tells of a post-apocalyptic future, in which Africa below the Sahara has purportedly been irradiated and rendered inhospitable to life. Yet the novel's protagonists discover an entirely alternate reality, as they undertake a trans-Saharan migration towards an African utopia. While Pupille critiques Africa's absence from Maghrebi futuristic literature and reverses the geographic direction of migration narratives to point them south beyond the Sahara, it also continues to grapple with the divorcing of "the Maghreb" from "Africa". In so doing, the novel raises broader questions about how speculative fiction reimagines the relationship between different regions of the African continent. A close reading of Pupille's linguistic choices reveals that reimagining the complex Maghreb-Africa relationship requires a break from entrenched taxonomic terminology: new words, and not just new worlds. Hadir's work poses a vital question: what new geopolitical and cultural configurations can be imagined by novels that are not bound to the language, politics, or conceptual categories of literary realism? Résumé: L'ouvrage de fiction dystopique Pupille de Riadh Hadir raconte un avenir post-apocalyptique, dans lequel l'Afrique sub-saharienne aurait été irradiée et rendue totalement inhabitable. Mais les protagonistes du roman découvrent que la réalité est tout autre, lors de leur traversée migratoire du Sahara vers une utopie africaine. Alors que Pupille critique l'absence de l'Afrique dans la littérature maghrébine de l'anticipation, et inverse la direction des récits migratoires pour les orienter vers le sud, au-delà du Sahara, il continue d'aborder la question difficile de la rupture conceptuelle entre « le Maghreb » et « l'Afrique ». Ce faisant, le roman nous pousse à nous interroger sur la façon dont la fiction futuriste peut réimaginer la relation entre différentes régions du continent africain. Une lecture approfondie des choix linguistiques dans Pupille révèle que, pour réimaginer la relation complexe entre le Maghreb et l'Afrique, il faut une rupture avec les termes taxonomiques habituels : de nouveaux mots, pas seulement de nouveaux mondes. L'ouvrage de Hadir soulève une question essentielle : quelles nouvelles configurations géopolitiques et culturelles peut-on imaginer à travers des romans qui ont été libérés des contraintes – linguistiques, politiques, conceptuelles – du réalisme littéraire ?
"One More Little Instant": Faulkner's A Fable and the Political-Theological Crisis in Interwar Europe
Authors: Kuhn Joseph
Published: December 2024

abstract: Readers of William Faulkner's A Fable , his late novel about World War I, have long been puzzled by its amalgam of the political and theological. This article addresses this anomaly by situating A Fable within the intellectual context of Weimar political theology, a discourse of modernity not often brought into discussions of literary modernism. For Weimar political theologians, the recent war and its political aftermath had to be interpreted through foundational categories of theology rather than of secular history. Faulkner, inheriting the leftist variant of this Weimar thought, creates a messianic corporal and his Pauline apostle. They seek to create a new earth in profane times.
Progress, Technology, Nature: Life and Death in the Valley of Mexico
Authors: Zúñiga Didier
Published: December 2024

Abstract: In the “history of the Aztecs” scholarship, recent debates reveal how work seemingly aligned with anti-colonial and anti-imperialist objectives can nevertheless reproduce the view that western science and technology are the primary means of improving human life. This corresponds to a type of performative postcolonial analysis that remains caught up in the power dynamics it seeks to dismantle. The essay’s goal is to show that in order to understand, compare, and contrast the technological differences between Mesoamericans and early modern Spaniards, it is necessary to attend to the different ontological configurations that undergird their respective sociocultural renderings of “nature.”
Entropy Measures in Fractals for Sensing through Turbulent Environments
Authors: Wijerathna E. , Crumpton T. , Weng X. , Perry A.J. , Vuong L.T.
Published: December 2024

Fractal-structured beams offer non-line-of-sight sensing, self-similar statistics that redundantly encode information, and robustness to turbulence. We will summarize our knowledge of entropy measures and fractal beam statistics for characterizing wave propagation in turbulent environments.
Engagement and access to support for oral health, substance use, smoking and diet by people with severe and multiple disadvantage: A qualitative study
Authors: Jain Neha , Adams Emma A. , Joyes Emma C. , McLellan Gillian , Burrows Martin , Paisi Martha , McGowan Laura J. , Iafrate Lorenzo , Landes David , Watt Richard , Sniehotta Falko F. , Kaner Eileen , Ramsay Sheena E.
Published: December 2024

Background

Severe and multiple disadvantage (SMD) is the combined effect of experiencing homelessness, substance use and repeat offending. People experiencing SMD have high burden of physical and mental health issues. Oral health is one of the most common health problems in people experiencing SMD which interacts with substance use, smoking, and unhealthy diet to create a cycle of harm and disadvantage. However, burden of these conditions is worsened by poor access to health services. This study aimed to identify pathways to improve engagement and access to health interventions, for oral health, substance and alcohol use, smoking and diet.

Methods

Using a qualitative methodology, interviews/focus groups were conducted with: (a) people experiencing SMD in Newcastle Upon Tyne/Gateshead; and (b) frontline staff, volunteer workers, policy makers and commissioners from London, Plymouth and Newcastle Upon Tyne/Gateshead. Data was analysed iteratively using thematic analysis.

Results

Twenty-eight people experiencing SMD (age range: 27–65 years; 21% females) and 78 service providers (age range: 28–72 years, 63% females) were interviewed or included in focus groups. Data were organized into two overarching factors: barriers to accessing health interventions and improving access to health interventions. Barriers included: wider disadvantages of people experiencing SMD leading to low priority for support for oral health and associated health behaviours, psychosocial factors, waiting period and physical space. Factors that improved access to interventions included: positive relationships between service provider and person experiencing SMD, including a support worker, location of services and outreach services.

Conclusions

The findings suggest the need for flexibility in offering services for oral health and related health behaviours for people experiencing SMD. Training health care providers and co-developing services with people with lived experience of SMD can help prevent (re)stigmatization. Systems-based approach to address factors on an environmental, organizational, inter-personal and individual level is needed. The results from this study could be extrapolated to other health intervention such as vaccinations and sexual and reproductive health.
Auditory Verbal Learning Test
Authors: Cavaco Sara , Pinto Cláudia , Gonçalves Alexandra , Gomes Filomena , Pereira Alexandra , Malaquias Cristina
Published: December 2024

O Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) é uma das provas neuropsicológicas mais usadas em todo o mundo, na prática clínica e de investigação. Após a adaptação da prova à população Portuguesa, foram recolhidos dados normativos numa amostra de 287 sujeitos (entre os 21 e os 65 anos) sem evidência ou história de alterações neurológicas ou psiquiátricas. Com o aumento da idade verificou-se uma pioria na evocação livre e no reconhecimento diferido. O índice de aprendizagem não variou com a idade. A influência das variáveis escolaridade e sexo foi menos consistente.
Adaptação à Gravidez e ao Nascimento de um Filho de Mulheres Infectadas pelo VIH/SIDA
Authors: Pereira Marco , Canavarro Maria Cristina
Published: December 2024

O presente estudo empírico insere-se no âmbito do projecto de investigação Gravidez e Maternidade: Um Estudo Longitudinal sobre Mulheres Infectadas pelo VIH, financiado pela Coordenação Nacional para a Infecção VIH/SIDA - Proc. 11-7.3/2004.
A gravidez e a maternidade têm sido, ao longo do tempo, consideradas um vector fundamental de identidade na mulher. Os valores e normas culturais da larga maioria das sociedades ocidentais encorajam a reprodução e enfatizam a maternidade como valor instituído para as mulheres. As diferenças culturais, por sua vez, determinam diferentes níveis de importância no que respeita à reprodução. Em certas comunidades, a gravidez eleva o estatuto das mulheres e é ffequentemente sentida como um momento de realização pessoal.
Os bebés representam o amor, a aceitação e um legado para o futuro, mesmo para as mulheres cujo futuro pode estar dramaticamente comprometido.
Este estudo tem como principal objectivo avaliar a adaptação das mulheres infectadas pelo Vírus da Imunodefíciência Humana (VIH) à gravidez e ao nascimento de um filho.
Como indicadores de ajustamento avaliámos, numa amostra constituída por 31 grávidas infectadas: a percepção de stress, a sintomatologia psicopatológica e a reactividade emocional.
Embora as gravidezes que ocorrem em contextos de risco ou nos casos em que o diagnóstico da doença (e.g., infecção pelo VIH/SIDA) ocorre após a ocorrência de gravidez, possam implicar maiores exigências de adaptação, os resultados encontrados apontam para a gravidez como contexto protector face à expressão de psicopatologia ou de emocionalidade mais negativa.
Avaliação da Dor - Utilização do Questionário de Auto-Resposta
Authors: Costa Joana , Pinto Gouveia José
Published: December 2024

Este estudo apresenta as características psicométricas da versão portuguesa da The Survey of Pain Attitudes (SOPA: Jensen & Karoly, 2000) e da Chronic Pain Coping Inventory-42 (CPCI-42: Romano, Jensen & Turner, 2003), numa amostra de 651 adultos portugueses, utentes de um Centro de Saúde. No Estudol, são efectuadas Análises Factorial em Componentes Principais, para cada uma das medidas. Para a SOPA, uma estrutura de 9 factores (Controlo- Estratégias de Auto-Controlo, Incapacidade, Emoção, Solicitação, Medicação, Cuidados Médicos, Controlo- Estratégias de Aprendizagem, Cura Médica, Dano), que explicou 61.319%; para a CPCI-42, foram obtidos 6 factores (Relaxamento, Prevenção, Busca de Suporte, Auto-Declarações, Persistência na Tarefa, Exercício), que explicaram 60.835%. Os factores das medidas apresentaram adequação ao modelo original, com valores de consistência interna superiores aos obtidos pelos autores das versões originais (a< 0,60, para as sub-escalas SOPA, com excepção do Controlo- Estratégias de Aprendizagem; a< 0,78, para as sub-escalas CPCI-42, com excepção da sub-escala Exercícios).
Um segundo estudo utilizou uma amostra adicional de 151 adultos, com o objectivo de analisar a validade convergente e divergente, das versões obtidas da SOPA e CPCI-42. Foram abordados os contributos destas medidas na explicação dos sintomas de ansiedade, depressão e de stresse, através de análises de regressão múltipla.
Os resultados obtidos são discutidos tendo em consideração a literatura existente.