bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Metode Pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Kristen untuk Orang Dewasa di Gereja Pada Era Digital dan Pandemi Covid-19
Authors: Darmawan Daniel , Daud Windy , Aliyono  , Sianipar Desi
Published: May 2023

Era digital dan Pandemi Covid-19 merupakan masalah yang harus dihadapi bagi orang dewasa yang jika salah menyesuaikan diri, maka akan berpengaruh terhadap seluruh aspek kehidupannya. Orang dewasa membutuhkan pendampingan dari gereja dalam bentuk Pendidikan Agama Kristen. Akan tetapi pendidikan agama Kristen harus disampaikan dengan metode pembelajaran yang tepat. Hal inilah yang menjadi tugas penting dari para pendidik di gereja untuk berupaya menerapkan metode pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Kristen dalam menjawab apa yang menjadi tantangan dan kebutuhan orang dewasa. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menghasilkan pemikiran tentang metode pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Kristen bagi orang dewasa dengan mempertimbangkan kebutuhan mereka. Jenis penelitian yang digunakan adalah penelitian kualitatif yang menggunakan pendekatan studi pustaka (library research). Hasil penelitian adalah para pengajar orang dewasa di gereja dapat menggunakan metode Forum Discussion Group (FGD) atau diskusi kelompok terarah, Problem Solving atau pemecahan masalah, Collaborative Learning atau pembelajaran kolaboratif, dan pelatihan keterampilan untuk menopang orang dewasa di era digital dan Pandemi Covid-19.
Problem-solving ability in solving linear program story problems based on Polya procedures
Authors: Royani Muhammad , Jabar Abdul , Trisna Benny Nawa , Agustina Winda , Lupiana Noviana Nina
Published: May 2023

This study aims to describe problem solving skills in solving linear programming story problems based on the Polya procedure at level II cadets of SMKN 1 Kapuas Kuala majoring in multimedia. This research is descriptive qualitative research. Data collection techniques using tests, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis techniques used are data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The results of this study indicate that: (1) The problem-solving ability of cadets with high abilities can carry out the four Polya problem solving steps very well, namely understanding the problem, planning the solution, implementing the solution plan, and re-examining the solution. (2) Troubleshooting abilities of cadets with moderate abilities have started to solve problems based on Polya's procedures by taking steps to understand the problem, plan problem solving, carry out problem solving plans, and re-examine solutions. (3) The problem-solving ability of cadets who have low abilities have been able to carry out the stage of understanding the problem and planning problem solving, but the subject is still lacking in implementing the solution plan and has not been able to re-examine the solution.
Governing from the Country House: Landscape and the Aesthetics of Colonial Rule in India, 1780–1830
Authors: Dias Rosie
Published: May 2023

Through the East India Company, an early prototype of the multinational corporation, mere employees could govern whole peoples and territories. The subject of this essay is the British expatriate to India in the advent of the Bengal famine of 1770, which resulted in the loss of millions of lives. Analysing the representations of the colonial country house in watercolour drawings and landscape paintings, it communicates how these colonial administrators repurposed a stewardship IDeal of landlordship to portray themselves as responsible managers living in harmony with the local people and local environment. In other words, the so-called ‘nabob’ might have originated the corporate discourse of sustainability as well as the practice of greenwashing.
William Cowper and Suburban Environmental Aesthetics
Authors: Oishi Kaz
Published: May 2023

This chapter focuses specifically on William Cowper’s poetical representation of Clapham, a suburban, picturesque village about three miles south of London, where Evangelicals formed an intimate community. The ‘picturesqueness’, ‘healthiness’, and ‘holiness’ of their suburban life was articulated not only in The Task and ‘Retirement’, but also echoed across a range of other contemporary discourses from topographical sketches to real-estate advertisements. The aim here is to locate and define the middle-class IDea of suburban environment as an acceptable medium between city-centre degeneration and aristocratic country life. This is ultimately reflective of an environmental aesthetics that was shared and disseminated in the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth centuries.
The Qur’an on Muslim Women’s Marriage to Non-Muslims: Premodern Exegetical Strategies, Contradictions, and Assumptions
Authors: Haqqani Shehnaz
Published: May 2023

This article interrogates the claim that Islam prohibits Muslim women’s marriage to kitābīs (a derivative of the Qur’anic term ahl al-kitāb that is commonly used to refer to Christians and Jews), an argument that has practical and theological implications for Muslims today. By analysing the three Qur’anic verses on interreligious marriage (Q. 2:221, Q. 60:10, and Q: 5:5) and the ways they have been interpreted by several premodern and modern scholars, I show that two of the three verses invoked commonly to explain the prohibition can be read as applying equally to women and men, and the third does not prohibit such marriages. Premodern exegetes justified the prohibition using traditional hermeneutical tools such as qiyās (‘analogical reasoning’), ijmāʿ (‘scholarly consensus’), and takhṣīṣ (‘particularising a general statement’) to collectively interpret the verses as prohibiting women’s marriage to kitābīs. The application of these tools in the context of their specific milieux resulted in interpretations and conclusions that emerged from entrenched social systems which privileged a Muslim religio-patriarchal elite while normalising endogamy and slavery. Each exegete surveyed here has highlighted different elements of the relevant verses that reinforced their own personal assumptions, biases, and priorities, all of which confirm their interpretive power and authority. However, by applying the very same methods, contemporary readers of the Qur’an can arrive at different conclusions, given their own, different, priorities, biases, and contexts. I argue that applying the very same hermeneutical tools that exegetes have historically used can also lead to the conclusion that the Qur’an permits women’s marriage to kitābīs.
‘A Precious Treatise’: How Modern Arab Editors Helped Create Ibn Taymiyya’s Muqaddima fī uṣūl al-tafsīr
Authors: Mirza Younus Y.
Published: May 2023

Ibn Taymiyya’s Muqaddima fī uṣūl al-tafsīr (‘Introduction to the Principles of Qur’anic Hermeneutics’) is frequently used as a guide to the classical tafsīr tradition, and its hermeneutic is viewed as the normative way to understand the Qur’an. It is even presented as one of the ‘classics’ of the medieval Islamic tradition and one of Islam’s ‘great books’. This small treatise has inspired other works on the Qur’an, especially those which are more tradition based, such as those that seek to interpret the Qur’an through the Qur’an and the Prophetic tradition. However, this article demonstrates that the treatise was not historically one of Ibn Taymiyya’s major works, did not have a stable name, and was not copied or disseminated profusely. The various parts of the treatise operated independently of one another, with medieval scholars referencing different parts of it. It was only in the modern period when Arab editors ‘rediscovered’ the work and went through the process of editing, naming, commenting on, and publishing the treatise that it became such an essential factor in our contemporary understanding of the Qur’an. By tracing the endeavours of these editors, we better appreciate the nature of the treatise and how it has influenced modern Qur’anic interpretation.
Madre and I: A Memoir of Our Immigrant Lives
Authors: Reyes Guillermo
Published: May 2023

In this moving and funny memoir, award-winning playwright Guillermo Reyes untangles his life as the secretly illegitimate son of a Chilean immigrant to the United States and as a young man struggling with sexual repression, body image, and gay identity. But this is a double-decker memoir that also tells the poignant, bittersweet, and adventurous story of Guillermo’s mother, María, who supports herself and her son cleaning houses and then working as a nanny in Washington, D.C., and eventually in Hollywood.
Autobiography of My Hungers
Authors: González Rigoberto
Published: May 2023

In the second of his trio of acclaimed memoirs, Rigoberto González looks at his past through a startling lens: hunger. A childhood of neglect, adolescent yearnings, and adult desire for a larger world, another lover, a different body—all are explored by González in a series of heartbreaking and poetic vignettes.
Model-based assessment of biomass incorporation to mitigate nitrogen losses from arable fields in Central Europe
Authors: Rothardt Steffen , Kage Henning
Published: May 2023

Nitrogen (N) loss by leaching is a major concern in common crop rotations in Central Europe due to high post-harvest soil mineral N, low N uptake in autumn/winter, and percolation. This can lead to eutrophication of water bodies and indirect greenhouse gas emissions. One potential solution is to control microbial immobilization through the incorporation of organic matter. To examine the effectiveness of this approach, we compared the incorporation of crop residues from winter oilseed rape, faba beans, and winter wheat with the application of sawdust in a field-scale experiment. Field observations of the impact on autumn/winter N-dynamics were supplemented with model-derived parameters. Our results showed that the incorporation of crop residues significantly reduced autumn net mineralization in topsoil, with the largest reduction seen with cereal straw. However, the temporal dynamics of the effect did not meet the desired time frame, and the impact on N leaching was low. Field data, modeling processes, and a theoretical amendment assessment suggested that resistant organic matter accumulated under the given environmental conditions, probably resulting in a long-term effect on nutrient dynamics. In conclusion, incorporating crop residues from the preceding crop is the best option to date for mitigating post-harvest N losses and improving soil health with minimal crop management effort. However, controlling microbial immobilization through organic matter incorporation can be a useful measure whose effectiveness depends on the amendment used and field conditions.
Raman imaging for the analysis of silicone microplastics and nanoplastics released from a kitchen sealant
Authors: Fang Cheng , Luo Yunlong , Naidu Ravi
Published: May 2023

Plastic products are used ubiquitously and can potentially release microplastics and nanoplastics into the environment, for example, products such as the silicone sealant used in kitchens. It is important to develop an effective method to monitor these emerging contaminants, as reported herein. By using advanced Raman imaging to characterize microplastics and nanoplastics from hundreds of spectra in a scanning spectrum matrix and not from a single spectrum or peak, the signal-to-noise ratio can be significantly increased, from a statistical point of view. The diffraction of the laser spot usually constrains the imaging resolution (such as at ∼300 nm), which is also pushed to the limit in this report by shrinking the scanning pixel size down to ∼50 nm to capture and image small nanoplastics effectively. To this end, image reconstruction is developed to successfully pick up the meaningful Raman signal and intentionally avoid the noise. The results indicate that the silicone sealant in a kitchen can release a significant amount of microplastics and nanoplastics. Overall, advanced Raman imaging can be employed to characterize the microplastics and even nanoplastics that are smaller than the diffraction limit of the laser via Raman imaging and image reconstruction toward deconvolution.
Improving osteoinduction and osteogenesis of Ti6Al4V alloy porous scaffold by regulating the pore structure
Authors: Wang Chao , Wu Jie , Liu Leyi , Xu Duoling , Liu Yuanbo , Li Shujun , Hou Wentao , Wang Jian , Chen Xun , Sheng Liyuan , Lin Huancai , Yu Dongsheng
Published: May 2023

Titanium alloy scaffolds with a porous structure have attracted much attention in bone defect repair. However, which pore structure is more beneficial to bone defect repair is controversial. In the present research, the Ti6Al4V alloy porous scaffolds with gradient pore sizes were designed and fabricated. The microstructure characterization, tests of mechanical properties, and in vitro and in vivo experiments have been performed to systematically evaluate the effect of pore size on osteoinduction and osteogenesis. The results revealed that the contact angle with water, compressive strength, and elastic modulus of the Ti6Al4V alloy porous scaffolds decreased gradually with the increase of pore size. However, there were obvious drops when the pore size of the porous scaffold was around 600 μm. As the pore size increased, the proliferation and integrin β1 of RAW 264.7 macrophages seeded on Ti6Al4V alloy porous scaffolds increased at first, reaching a maximum value at a pore size of around 600 μm, and then decreased subsequently. The proliferation, integrin β1, and osteogenic gene-related expressions of Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) seeded on Ti6Al4V alloy porous scaffolds with different pore sizes all exhibited similar variations which rose with increased pore size firstly, obtaining the maximum value at pore size about 600 μm, and then declined. The in vivo experiments confirmed the in vitro results, and the Ti6Al4V alloy porous scaffold with a pore size of 600 μm possessed the better capability to induce new bone formation. Therefore, for the design of Ti6Al4V alloy with a regular porous scaffold, the surface morphology, porosity, strength, and elastic modulus should be considered systematically, which would determine the capability of osteoinduction and osteogenesis.
Building a nomogram plot based on the nanopore targeted sequencing for predicting urinary tract pathogens and differentiating from colonizing bacteria
Authors: Jiang Shengming , Wei Yangyan , Ke Hu , Song Chao , Liao Wenbiao , Meng Lingchao , Sun Chang , Zhou Jiawei , Wang Chuan , Su Xiaozhe , Dong Caitao , Xiong Yunhe , Yang Sixing
Published: May 2023

Background

The identification of uropathogens (UPBs) and urinary tract colonizing bacteria (UCB) conduces to guide the antimicrobial therapy to reduce resistant bacterial strains and study urinary microbiota. This study established a nomogram based on the nanopore-targeted sequencing (NTS) and other infectious risk factors to distinguish UPB from UCB.

Methods

Basic information, medical history, and multiple urine test results were continuously collected and analyzed by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, and multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the independent predictors and construct nomogram. Receiver operating characteristics, area under the curve, decision curve analysis, and calibration curves were used to evaluate the performance of the nomogram.

Results

In this study, the UPB detected by NTS accounted for 74.1% (401/541) of all urinary tract microorganisms. The distribution of ln(reads) between UPB and UCB groups showed significant difference (OR = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.246–1.551, p < 0.001); the reads number in NTS reports could be used for the preliminary determination of UPB (AUC=0.668) with corresponding cutoff values being 7.042. Regression analysis was performed to determine independent predictors and construct a nomogram, with variables ranked by importance as ln(reads) and the number of microbial species in the urinary tract of NTS, urine culture, age, urological neoplasms, nitrite, and glycosuria. The calibration curve showed an agreement between the predicted and observed probabilities of the nomogram. The decision curve analysis represented that the nomogram would benefit clinical interventions. The performance of nomogram with ln(reads) (AUC = 0.767; 95% CI, 0.726–0.807) was significantly better (Z = 2.304, p-value = 0.021) than that without ln(reads) (AUC = 0.727; 95% CI, 0.681–0.772). The rate of UPB identification of nomogram was significantly higher than that of ln(reads) only (χ2 = 7.36, p-value = 0.009).

Conclusions

NTS is conducive to distinguish uropathogens from colonizing bacteria, and the nomogram based on NTS and multiple independent predictors has better prediction performance of uropathogens.
Evaluating farm household resilience and perceptions of the role of small-scale irrigation in improving adaptability to climate change stress: evidence from eastern Ethiopia
Authors: Dawid Ibsa , Haji Jema , Aman Mohammed
Published: May 2023

This study surveys farmers in the Kersa district, East Hararghe zone, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia, to assess their adaptability and their perceptions of the role of small-scale irrigation in improving resilience to climate change. Data were collected from a sample of 288 randomly selected households (130 adopters and 158 non-adopters of small-scale irrigation). A household survey was used to gather quantitative data, and qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Data were analyzed using principal component analysis to generate the resilience capacity index of the households. Analysis revealed that adopters were better off on all indicators of resilience, including access to food and income, assets, agricultural production, stability, and adaptive capacity. The findings also suggest that households with high resilience are more resilient to climate change. These results suggest that small-scale irrigation increases responsiveness to irregular weather patterns, significantly contributing to increasing farmers' resilience by minimizing the impacts of climate change. Therefore, policymakers should pay due attention to mitigating the impacts of climate change and improving the adaptive capacity of small-scale farmers.
Rhythm pattern discovery in Niger-Congo story-telling
Authors: Gibbon Dafydd
Published: May 2023

Description of interactive oral story-telling in West African Niger-Congo languages, “orature” in contrast to “literature”, has traditionally been firmly in the domain of anthropological linguistics. The discourse structures of narrator-responder interaction and call-response chanted interludes and their prosody are an open challenge to discourse analysts, linguists and phoneticians. Two orature examples from related Niger-Congo languages, recorded during fieldwork in Côte d'Ivoire, are analyzed from a macrostructural acoustic phonetic perspective in terms of realtime rhythms, and then compared with other related orature examples and examples of reading aloud. In this transdisciplinary methodology, long time domains of up to 5 min in duration and beyond are studied using long-term spectra and spectrograms of the amplitude modulation of speech. Long-distance timing regularities and their variation during story-telling exchanges are analyzed in detail and explained in terms of Rhythm Formant Theory (RFT), a further development of Speech Modulation Theory, and its associated methodology Rhythm Formant Analysis (RFA).
Stable operation process of earthquake early warning system based on machine learning: trial test and management perspective
Authors: Ahn Jae-Kwang , Park Euna , Kim Byeonghak , Hwang Eui-Hong , Hong Seongwon
Published: May 2023

Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) is an alert system, based on seismic wave propagation theory, to reduce human casualties. EEW systems mainly utilize technologies through both network-based and on-site methods. The network-based method estimates the hypocenter and magnitude of an earthquake using data from multiple seismic stations, while the on-site method predicts the intensity measures from a single seismic station. Therefore, the on-site method reduces the lead time compared to the network-based method but is less accurate. To increase the accuracy of on-site EEW, our system was designed with a hybrid method, which included machine learning algorithms. At this time, machine learning was used to increase the accuracy of the initial P-wave identification rate. Additionally, a new approach using a nearby seismic station, called the 1+ α method, was proposed to reduce false alarms. In this study, an on-site EEW trial operation was performed to evaluate its performance. The warning cases for small and large events were reviewed and the possibility of stable alert decisions was confirmed.
Digital Pakistan in COVID-19: rethinking language use at social media platforms
Authors: Ahmad Muhammad Sohail , Nawaz Shazmeen , Khan Sundas , Bukhari Zainab
Published: May 2023

This study aims at exploring the multilingual practices of users in digital communication. The study utilizes “translanguaging’ as a framework to analyze and unravel these multilingual practices based on four stances of translanguaging. The data for the study are gathered through an open-ended questionnaire that seeks detailed views of respondents who are active users of Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, and other social platforms. The study includes participants from diverse sociocultural backgrounds with the ability to have knowledge of more than one language with proficiency. The results correlate with the first two points of model, i.e., translanguaging blurs the boundaries between languages to convey meanings and introduce new concepts but deviates from the last two points. It also throws light on the impact of digital communication on local languages and presents suggestions for the preservation and promotion of local languages in the digital landscape, such as the provision of accurate translations of native languages, digital dictionaries, keyboards, and software.
Refractory hypercalcemia of malignancy: a problem with many potential roots
Authors: Farooki Azeez
Published: May 2023

Hypercalcemia of malignancy (HCM) is a common clinical problem that is associated with considerable morbidity and negative effects on quality of life. Despite the availability of effective medical treatments for HCM, options are needed for cases that are refractory to conventional therapies. In this context, “refractory” refers to reasonable control of calcium in the setting of inpatient hospitalization (after receipt of standard of care therapies, such as continuous intravenous fluids, calcitonin, and intravenous bisphosphonates) with relapse into severe hypercalcemia within days or weeks of discharge from the hospital. Here we discuss drivers of hypercalcemia of malignancy and the physiologic mechanisms whereby they operate to increase serum calcium. Additionally, we discuss multiple available treatments targeted to a given contributory mechanism and also briefly discuss potential future treatments in need of further study.
Estrogen receptor subtype mediated anti-inflammation and vasorelaxation via genomic and nongenomic actions in septic mice
Authors: Zhang Luyun , Wan Hanxing , Zhang Mengting , Lu Wei , Xu Feng , Dong Hui
Published: May 2023

Aim

Sepsis is a life-threatening disease with high mortality worldwide. Septic females have lower severity and mortality than the males, suggesting estrogen exerts a protective action, but nothing is known about the role of vascular endothelial estrogen receptor subtypes in this process. In the present study, we aimed to study the estrogen receptors on mesenteric arterioles in normal and sepsis mice and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Methods

Sepsis was induced in mice by intraperitoneal injection of LPS. The changes in the expression and release of the serum and cell supernatant proinflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, were measured by qPCR and ELISA, and the functions of multiple organs were analyzed. The functional activities of mouse mesenteric arterioles were determined by a Mulvany-style wire myograph. The expression of phospholipase C (PLC) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) in endothelial cells were examined by Western blot and their functions were characterized by cell Ca2+ imaging.

Results

Septic female mice had higher survival rate than the male mice, and pretreatment with E2 for 5 days significantly improved the survival rate and inhibited proinflammatory cytokines in septic male mice. E2 ameliorated pulmonary, intestinal, hepatic and renal multiple organ injuries in septic male mice; and ER subtypes inhibited proinflammatory cytokines in endothelial cells via PLC/IP3R/Ca2+ pathway. E2/ER subtypes immediately induced endothelial-derived hyperpolarization (EDH)-mediated vasorelaxation via PLC/IP3R/Ca2+ pathway, which was more impaired in septic male mice. E2/ER subtypes could rescue the impaired acetylcholine (ACh)-induced EDH-mediated vasorelaxation in septic male mice.

Conclusions

E2 through ER subtypes mediates anti-inflammation and vasorelaxation via genomic and nongenomic actions in sepsis. Mechanistically, activation of endothelial ER subtypes reduces proinflammatory cytokines and induces EDH-mediated vasorelaxation via PLC/IP3R/Ca2+ pathway, leading to amelioration of sepsis-induced organ injury and survival rate.
Bioinformatic analysis reveals potential relationship between chondrocyte senescence and protein glycosylation in osteoarthritis pathogenesis
Authors: Yoshimoto Makoto , Sadamori Koki , Tokumura Kazuya , Tanaka Yuki , Fukasawa Kazuya , Hinoi Eiichi
Published: May 2023

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative and progressive joint disease. Cellular senescence is an irreversible cell cycle arrest progressive with age, while protein glycosylation is the most abundant post-translational modification, regulating various cellular and biological pathways. The implication of either chondrocyte senescence or protein glycosylation in the OA pathogenesis has been extensively and individually studied. In this study, we aimed to investigate the possible relationship between chondrocyte senescence and protein glycosylation on the pathogenesis of OA using single-cell RNA sequencing datasets of clinical OA specimens deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus database with a different cohort. We demonstrated that both cellular senescence signal and protein glycosylation pathways in chondrocytes are validly associated with OA pathogenesis. In addition, the cellular senescence signal is well-connected to the O-linked glycosylation pathway in OA chondrocyte and vice-versa. The expression levels of the polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase (GALNT) family, which is essential for the biosynthesis of O-Glycans at the early stage, are highly upregulated in OA chondrocytes. Moreover, the expression levels of the GALNT family are prominently associated with chondrocyte senescence as well as pathological features of OA. Collectively, these findings uncover a crucial relationship between chondrocyte senescence and O-linked glycosylation on the OA pathophysiology, thereby revealing a potential target for OA.
Alveolar ridge preservation in post-extraction sockets using concentrated growth factors: a split-mouth, randomized, controlled clinical trial
Authors: Elayah Sadam Ahmed , Younis Hamza , Cui Hao , Liang Xiang , Sakran Karim Ahmed , Alkadasi Baleegh , Al-Moraissi Essam Ahmed , Albadani Mohammed , Al-Okad Wafa , Tu Junbo , Na Sijia
Published: May 2023

Aim

The aim of this clinical trial was to assess the impact of autologous concentrated growth factor (CGF) as a socket-filling material and its ridge preservation properties following the lower third molar extraction.

Materials and methods

A total of 60 sides of 30 participants who had completely symmetrical bilateral impacted lower third molars were enrolled. The primary outcome variables of the study were bone height and width, bone density, and socket surface area in the coronal section. Cone beam computed tomography images were obtained immediately after surgery and three months after surgery as a temporal measure. Follow-up data were compared to the baseline using paired and unpaired t-tests.

Results

CGF sites had higher values in height and width when compared to control sites (Buccal wall 32.9 ± 3.5 vs 29.4 ± 4.3 mm, Lingual wall 25.4 ± 3.5 vs 23.1 ± 4 mm, and Alveolar bone width 21.07 ± 1.55vs19.53 ± 1.90 mm, respectively). Bone density showed significantly higher values in CGF sites than in control sites (Coronal half 200 ± 127.3 vs -84.1 ± 121.3 and Apical half 406.5 ± 103 vs 64.2 ± 158.6, respectively). There was a significant difference between both sites in the reduction of the periodontal pockets.

Conclusion

CGF application following surgical extraction provides an easy, low-cost, and efficient option for alveolar ridge preservation. Thus, the use of CGF by dentists during dental extractions may be encouraged, particularly when alveolar ridge preservation is required.

Clinical trial registration

TCTR identification, TCTR20221028003.
Intercellular communication involving macrophages at the maternal-fetal interface may be a pivotal mechanism of URSA: a novel discovery from transcriptomic data
Authors: Zhao Xiaoxuan , Jiang Yuepeng , Luo Shiling , Zhao Yang , Zhao Hongli
Published: May 2023

Unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) is a severe challenge to reproductive females worldwide, and its etiology and pathogenesis have not yet been fully clarified. Abnormal intercellular communication between macrophages (Mφ) and decidual stromal cells (DSCs) or trophoblasts has been supposed to be the key to URSA. However, the exact molecular mechanisms in the crosstalk are not yet well understood. This study aimed to explore the potential molecule mechanism that may be involved in the communication between Mφ and DSC or trophoblast cells and determine their diagnostic characteristics by using the integrated research strategy of bioinformatics analysis, machine learning and experiments. First, microarrays of decidual tissue (GSE26787, GSE165004) and placenta tissue (GSE22490) in patients with URSA, as well as microarrays involving induced decidualization (GSE94644) and macrophage polarization in vitro (GSE30595) were derived from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database. And 721 decidua-differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 613 placenta-DEGs, 510 Mφ polarization DEGs were obtained in URSA by differential expression analysis. Then, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed, and the hub genes were identified by CytoHubba in Cytoscape software and validated by real-time PCR assay. Subsequently, immune enrichment analysis on decidua-DEGs and placenta-DEGs by ClueGO verified their regulation effects on Mφ. Besides, functional enrichment analysis was performed on Mφ polarization DEGs and the essential module genes derived from the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to uncover the biological function that were related to abnormal polarization of Mφ. Furthermore, we screened out 29, 43 and 22 secreted protein-encoding genes from DSC-DEGs, placenta-DEGs and Mφ polarization DEGs, respectively. Besides, the hub secreted-protein-encoding genes were screened by CytoHubba. Moreover, we conducted functional enrichment analysis on these genes. And spearman correlation analysis between hub secreted-protein-encoding genes from donor cells and hub genes in recipient cells was performed to further understand the molecular mechanism of intercellular communication further. Moreover, signature genes with diagnostic value were screened from secreted protein-encoding genes by machine learning and validated by immunofluorescence co-localization analysis with clinical samples. Finally, three biomarkers of DSCs (FGF9, IL1R2, NID2) and three biomarkers of Mφ (CFB, NID2, CXCL11) were obtained. In conclusion, this project provides new ideas for understanding the mechanism regulatory network of intercellular communication involving macrophages at the maternal-fetal interface of URSA. Also, it provides innovative insights for the diagnosis and treatment of URSA.
Public participation and climate change governance: Between political approach and local actors’ perspective in two Macaronesian territories
Authors: Mendonça Ana , Leal Filho Walter , Alves Fátima
Published: May 2023

Climate change (CC) is the major current environmental challenge influencing the balance of ecosystems, livelihoods, social organization, public health, and well-being. The Autonomous Region of Madeira and the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, considered outermost regions (ORs), form part of continental countries (Portugal and Spain, respectively) and integrate Macaronesia. Due to their location and idiosyncratic characteristics, they are also particularly vulnerable to CC. Regional and local mitigation and adaptation plans and strategies are in force, but policies still do not respond to CC challenges or fully recognize or integrate public participation in their definition and implementation. This article investigates the relevance of public participation in CC policies and how it has been carried out by decision-makers. Thereby, it intends to understand the evolution of CC policies in the archipelagos of Madeira and the Canary Islands, as they have met the interests of relevant scientific, administrative, and economic actors, often underestimating the contributions of other actors, and how public involvement and participation is key to resolve socio-environmental issues in the territories. With this aim in mind, we have conducted a document analysis of the legislation, programs, and strategies on CC, complemented by 20 in-depth interviews, 10 in Madeira and 10 in Las Palmas of Gran Canaria, to a group of local actors, including scientists, technicians, and politicians. Our study shows that despite the efforts leveraged by European and national guidelines, the status quo prevails, with political and institutional arenas systematically keeping their distance from concrete realities of quotidian life. The results show evidence that at international, supranational, and national levels, and at regional/local levels, CC policies often perpetuate domain ties, sectoral and private interests, and are outlined according to narratives not accessible to all actors. Therefore, discourses—political, academic, and corporate—prolong power relations and knowledge that express an institutionalised truth. Thus, we argue that proximity governance is crucial to raise awareness of socio-environmental problems, complement existing knowledge, incite action, and empower local communities. This means that without a collaborative endeavor to boost the required changes, individually and collectively, CC policies might be difficult to implement.
Character evolution of modern eupolypods supports the assignment of the fossil fern Cretacifilix fungiformis to Dryopteridaceae
Authors: Regalado Ledis , Schneider Harald , Müller Patrick , Schmidt Alexander R.
Published: May 2023

The fossil fern species Cretacifilix fungiformis from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber from Myanmar was previously assigned to eupolypod ferns for having sporangia with a vertical annulus and sporangial stalks 2–3 cells thick, along with monolete spores with a distinct perine. However, due to the insufficient documentation of character states and the unavailability of the holotype, the proposed affiliation of this fossil to derived families of eupolypods required further study. The recent discovery of additional leaf fragments of C. fungiformis from the same amber deposit enabled us to re-evaluate the relationships of this fossil taxon. Newly documented morphological evidence corroborated its placement within the eupolypod ferns. This was achieved by evaluating identifiable features present in the fossil species through an ancestral character state reconstruction utilizing a comprehensive, time-calibrated phylogeny of eupolypod ferns. Our character state reconstruction of extant eupolypod families and genera recovered morphological similarity of Cretacifilix to the closely related genera Arachniodes and Dryopteris, supporting an assignment of this fossil genus to the species-rich family Dryopteridaceae within the Polypodiineae.
Bura ura, kendu waiyo (rain falls, water rises): the tyranny of water insecurity and an agenda for abolition in Kodi (Sumba Island, Indonesia)
Authors: Fowler Cynthia T.
Published: May 2023

This article explores the dynamic links between transformations in freshwater ecosystems and social changes in the Kodi region of Sumba (Indonesia). Insights into the politics surrounding changing hydrosocial systems are generated by using a feminist anthropology approach together with critical development studies and intersectionality theory. In aligning with fellow feminists whose advocacy sometimes takes the form of scholarship, I lay out a five-prong strategy for collecting empirical evidence from persons who are vulnerable when hydrological systems change and offer eight principles for future development interventions. The argument related to the five-prong toolkit is that by conducting intensive, extensive, opportunistic, and longitudinal research and by allying with grassroots interlocutors, interventions into water systems can be based on better evidence and can be socially just. Three stories about Kodinese interactions with water and experiences with change are at the heart of this article and lead to the formulation of consequential conclusions. In the first story, birth, death, and relocation intersect with changes in the type of reservoir and the tools and vehicles used to manage water. In the second story—the origin for “tyranny” in the subtitle—vulnerability to food and water scarcity emerges and is politicized when a river's flow is altered. In the third story—the basis for “abolition” in the subtitle—hydrological interventions perpetrated by extrinsic governments correlate to surveillance and incarceration by the military and paramilitary. One research finding is that interventions by extrinsic agencies into the hydrology of four connected watersheds have altered hydrosocial relationships. Another finding is that as water's routes shift, people adjust to new conditions with mixed outcomes. A third conclusion is water utilities have differential benefits within the Kodi community. Fourth, benefits from water development have dispersed along already existing lines within the social structure. Finally, intracultural differences related to intersectional identities coincide with variations in access to natural and developed sources of water.
The potential role of T-cell metabolism-related molecules in chronic neuropathic pain after nerve injury: a narrative review
Authors: Dou Xiaoke , Chen Rui , Yang Juexi , Dai Maosha , Long Junhao , Sun Shujun , Lin Yun
Published: May 2023

Neuropathic pain is a common type of chronic pain, primarily caused by peripheral nerve injury. Different T-cell subtypes play various roles in neuropathic pain caused by peripheral nerve damage. Peripheral nerve damage can lead to co-infiltration of neurons and other inflammatory cells, thereby altering the cellular microenvironment and affecting cellular metabolism. By elaborating on the above, we first relate chronic pain to T-cell energy metabolism. Then we summarize the molecules that have affected T-cell energy metabolism in the past five years and divide them into two categories. The first category could play a role in neuropathic pain, and we explain their roles in T-cell function and chronic pain, respectively. The second category has not yet been involved in neuropathic pain, and we focus on how they affect T-cell function by influencing T-cell metabolism. By discussing the above content, this review provides a reference for studying the direct relationship between chronic pain and T-cell metabolism and searching for potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of chronic pain on the level of T-cell energy metabolism.
Efficacy of ICI-based treatment in advanced NSCLC patients with PD-L1≥50% who developed EGFR-TKI resistance
Authors: Li Yujing , Jiang Haohua , Qian Fangfei , Chen Ya , Zhou Wensheng , Zhang Yanwei , Lu Jun , Lou Yuqing , Han Baohui , Zhang Wei
Published: May 2023

Introduction

Platinum-based chemotherapy is still the standard of care for Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients after developing EGFR-TKI resistance. However, no study focusing on the role of immuno checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) based treatments for EGFR mutated NSCLC patients who carried programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) tumor proportion score (TPS) greater than 50% progressed after EGFR-TKI therapy. In this study, we retrospectively investigated the outcomes of ICI-based treatments for EGFR mutated NSCLC patients carried PD-L1 TPS≥50% after developing EGFR-TKI resistance and to explore the population that may benefited from ICI-based treatment.

Methods

We retrospectively collected data of advanced NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations and PD-L1 TPS≥50% who have failed prior EGFR-TKI therapies without T790M mutation at Shanghai Chest Hospital between January 2018 and June 2021. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were utilized to evaluate the outcomes of this study.

Results

A total of 146 patients were included. Up to June 20th, 2022, median follow-up was 36.7 months (IQR, 12.5-44.2 months). Among the population, 66 patients (45.2%) received chemotherapy, the remaning (54.8%) received ICI-based treatment, including 56 patients(70.0%) received ICI combined with chemotherapy (IC) and 24 patients (30.0%) received ICI monotherapy (IM). In IC group,31 patients received ICI combined with chemotherapy,19 patients received ICI combined with antiangiogenic therapy and remaing received ICI combined with chemotherapy and antiangiogenic therapy. Survival analysis shown that patients who received ICI-based treatment had better progress-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared with those treated with other therapy (median PFS, 10.0 vs. 4.0 months, P<0.001; median OS, 39.5 vs. 24.2 months, P<0.001). What’s more, patients who treated with IC treatment had a superior survival time than those received IM treatment (median PFS, 10.3 vs. 7.0 months, P<0.001; median OS, 41.6 vs. 32.4 months, P<0.001). Subgroup analysis found that the PFS and OS benefit of IC was evident in all subgroups.

Conclusions

For advanced NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations and PD-L1 TPS≥50% who have failed prior EGFR-TKI therapies without T790M mutation, ICI-based treatment could provide a more favorable survival than classical chemotherapy. What’ s more, compared with ICI monotherapy, ICI combined with chemotherapy seems to be the preferred treatment.
Identification and immunological characterization of cuproptosis-related molecular clusters in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis disease
Authors: Shi Xuefeng , Pan Zhilei , Cai Weixiu , Zhang Yuhao , Duo Jie , Liu Ruitian , Cai Ting
Published: May 2023

Background

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has attracted considerable attention worldwide and is challenging to diagnose. Cuproptosis is a new form of cell death that seems to be associated with various diseases. However, whether cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) play a role in regulating IPF disease is unknown. This study aims to analyze the effect of CRGs on the progression of IPF and identify possible biomarkers.

Methods

Based on the GSE38958 dataset, we systematically evaluated the differentially expressed CRGs and immune characteristics of IPF disease. We then explored the cuproptosis-related molecular clusters, the related immune cell infiltration, and the biological characteristics analysis. Subsequently, a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to identify cluster-specific differentially expressed genes. Lastly, the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) machine-learning model was chosen for the analysis of prediction and external datasets validated the predictive efficiency.

Results

Nine differentially expressed CRGs were identified between healthy and IPF patients. IPF patients showed higher monocytes and monophages M0 infiltration and lower naive B cells and memory resting T CD4 cells infiltration than healthy individuals. A positive relationship was found between activated dendritic cells and CRGs of LIPT1, LIAS, GLS, and DBT. We also identified cuproptosis subtypes in IPF patients. Go and KEGG pathways analysis demonstrated that cluster-specific differentially expressed genes in Cluster 2 were closely related to monocyte aggregation, ubiquitin ligase complex, and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, among others. We also constructed an XGB machine model to diagnose IPF, presenting the best performance with a relatively lower residual and higher area under the curve (AUC= 0.700) and validated by external validation datasets (GSE33566, AUC = 0.700). The analysis of the nomogram model demonstrated that XKR6, MLLT3, CD40LG, and HK3 might be used to diagnose IPF disease. Further analysis revealed that CD40LG was significantly associated with IPF.

Conclusion

Our study systematically illustrated the complicated relationship between cuproptosis and IPF disease, and constructed an effective model for the diagnosis of IPF disease patients.
Selection on female reproductive schedules in the marula fly, Ceratitis cosyra (Diptera: Tephritidae) affects dietary optima for female reproductive traits but not lifespan
Authors: Malod Kevin , Archer C. Ruth , Hunt John , Nicolson Susan W. , Weldon Christopher W.
Published: May 2023

Introduction

A changing environment can select on life-history traits and trade-offs in a myriad of ways. For example, global warming may shift phenology and thus the availability of host-plants. This may alter selection on survival and fertility schedules in herbivorous insects. If selection on life-histories changes, this may in turn select for altered nutrient intake, because the blend of nutrients organisms consume helps determine the expression of life-history traits. However, we lack empirical work testing whether shifts in the timing of oviposition alter nutrient intake and life-history strategies.

Methods

We tested in the marula fruit fly, Ceratitis cosyra, how upward-selection on the age of female oviposition, in comparison with laboratory adapted control flies, affects the sex-specific relationship between protein and carbohydrate intake and life-history traits including lifespan, female lifetime egg production and daily egg production. We then determined the macronutrient ratio consumed when flies from each selection line and sex were allowed to self-regulate their intake.

Results

Lifespan, lifetime egg production and daily egg production were optimised at similar protein to carbohydrate (P:C) ratios in flies from both selection lines. Likewise, females and males of both lines actively defended similar nutrient intake ratios (control =1:3.6 P:C; upward-selected = 1:3.2 P:C).

Discussion

Our results are comparable to those in non-selected C. cosyra, where the optima for each trait and the self-selected protein to carbohydrate ratio observed were nearly identical. The nutrient blend that needs to be ingested for optimal expression of a given trait appeared to be well conserved across laboratory adapted and experimentally selected populations. These results suggest that in C. cosyra, nutritional requirements do not respond to a temporal change in oviposition substrate availability.