bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
NAD+ Metabolic Enzyme Inhibitor as Radiosensitizer for Malignant Meningioma and its Modulation of P53 Expression
Authors: Lv Yifan , Deng Yuxuan , Feng Jie , Liu Jinqiu , Yang Mingxu , Pu Zhuonan , Zhang Shaodong , Wu Zhen , Ji Nan , Park Deric M. , Hao Shuyu
Published: July 2024

Surgical resection followed by radiotherapy (RT) is recommended for malignant meningioma, but poor outcome is unavoidable. To improve the efficacy of RT in malignant meningioma, a targeted radiosensitizer can be added. Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), highly expressed in high-grade meningiomas, may play a role in determining the radioresponse. Herein, we evaluated the impact of NAMPT inhibition on radiosensitivity in malignant meningioma in vivo and in vitro. IOMM-Lee and TTMM705 cells were treated with NAMPT inhibition (FK866 or shRNA NAMPT) before irradiation. The subsequent clonogenic assay demonstrated significantly increased radiosensitivity. Combination treatment with FK866 and irradiation significantly increased the number of G2/M-phase cells, percentage of apoptotic cells, and γ-H2A.X level compared with FK866 or RT alone. We examined the effect of NAMPT inhibition on NMI and p53 expression in IOMM-Lee and TTMM705 cells. NAMPT inhibition by FK866 and shRNA treatment increased NMI, p53, CDKN1A and BAX expression. Additionally, we assessed the efficacy of FK866/RT combination treatment in vivo. The combination treatment exhibited increased antitumor efficacy compared with either treatment alone. The Ki67 level was significantly lower, and the p53 and γ-H2A.X levels were significantly higher in the combination treatment group than in the other three groups. In conclusion, these results indicate that FK866 improves radiosensitivity in malignant meningioma, an effect that may be attributed to the increase in p53 expression.
Figure 2 from A Phase II Trial of the WEE1 Inhibitor Adavosertib in SETD2-Altered Advanced Solid Tumor Malignancies (NCI 10170)
Authors: Maldonado Edward , Rathmell W. Kimryn , Shapiro Geoffrey I. , Takebe Naoko , Rodon Jordi , Mahalingam Devalingam , Trikalinos Nikolaos A. , Kalebasty Arash R. , Parikh Mamta , Boerner Scott A. , Balido Celene , Krings Gregor , Burns Timothy F. , Bergsland Emily K. , Munster Pamela N. , Ashworth Alan , LoRusso Patricia , Aggarwal Rahul R.
Published: July 2024

Duration of treatment by SETD2 mutation type.
Acetalax (Oxyphenisatin Acetate, NSC 59687) and Bisacodyl Cause Oncosis in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Lines by Poisoning the Ion Exchange Membrane Protein TRPM4
Authors: Mizunuma Makito , Redon Christophe E. , Saha Liton Kumar , Tran Andy D. , Dhall Anjali , Sebastian Robin , Taniyama Daiki , Kruhlak Michael J. , Reinhold William C. , Takebe Naoko , Pommier Yves
Published: July 2024

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is clinically aggressive and relatively unresponsive to current therapies. Therefore, the development of new anticancer agents is needed to satisfy clinical needs. Oxyphenisatin acetate (Acetalax), which had been used as a laxative, has recently been reported to have anticancer activity in murine models. In this study, we demonstrate that Acetalax and its diphenolic laxative structural analogue bisacodyl (Dulcolax) exhibit potent antiproliferative activity in TNBC cell lines and cause oncosis, a nonapoptotic cell death characterized by cellular and nuclear swelling and cell membrane blebbing, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction, ATP depletion, and enhanced immune and inflammatory responses. Mechanistically, we provide evidence that transient receptor potential melastatin member 4 (TRPM4) is poisoned by Acetalax and bisacodyl in MDA-MB468, BT549, and HS578T TNBC cells. MDA-MB231 and MDA-MB436 TNBC cells without endogenous TRPM4 expression as well as TRPM4-knockout TNBC cells were found to be Acetalax- and bisacodyl-resistant. Conversely, ectopic expression of TRPM4 sensitized MDA-MB231 and MDA-MB436 cells to Acetalax. TRPM4 was also lost in cells with acquired Acetalax resistance. Moreover, TRPM4 is rapidly degraded by the ubiquitin–proteasome system upon acute exposure to Acetalax and bisacodyl. Together, these results demonstrate that TRPM4 is a previously unknown target of Acetalax and bisacodyl and that TRPM4 expression in cancer cells is a predictor of Acetalax and bisacodyl efficacy and could be used for the clinical development of these drugs as anticancer agents.

Significance:

Acetalax and bisacodyl kill cancer cells by causing oncosis following poisoning of the plasma membrane sodium transporter TRPM4 and represent a new therapeutic approach for TNBC.
Relationship between International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative Flow Test and Consistometric Measures for Consistency Classification: An Examination of Thickened Liquids Prepared Using Starch-Based and Xanthan Gum-Based Thickening Agents
Authors: Xiong Mingyue , Ng Nelson , Siu Brian , Ng Manwa L.
Published: July 2024

Introduction: Consistency of liquid food plays an important role in managing patients with dysphagia, which can be objectively evaluated by using International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) Flow Test and consistometry. The present study established the relationship between IDDSI Flow Test and consistometric measures and examined the measurement limitations of each test associated with thickened liquids prepared using starch-based and xanthan gum-based thickening agents. Methods: Thirteen thickened liquid samples of consistency ranging from IDDSI level 1 (mildly thick) to level 3 (moderately thick) were prepared using starch-based and xanthan gum-based thickeners. IDDSI Flow Test and consistometric measures were obtained and analyzed using correlation and regression. Results: A strong correlation was observed between both tests. Regression analyses revealed a linear and a quadratic relationship between IDDSI Flow Test and consistometric measurements, respectively. Conclusion: Starch-based and xanthan gum-based thickeners exhibited different relationships between IDDSI Flow Test and consistometric measurements. Findings allow easy conversion and adaptation of consistometric measures to the IDDSI framework, which renders the use of consistometry in the clinical settings as a complementary quantitative measurement of liquid consistency to IDDSI Flow Test.
Effectiveness and Safety of Spironolactone in the Treatment of IgA Nephropathy: A Retrospective Self-Controlled Study
Authors: Shang Da , Guan Yi , Liu Shaojun , Hao ChuanMing , Lai Lingyun
Published: July 2024

Introduction: It′s crucial to utilize combination therapy for IgAN patients to reduce proteinuria and maintain stable kidney function. We demonstrate the safety and efficacy of low-dose spironolactone in management of IgAN patients.
Methods: Adult IgAN patients treated with spironolactone were evaluated. Patients were separated into two categories according to whether 24h-proteinuria was reduced by more than 20% after two-months of spironolactone treatment compared to baseline levels.
Results: 88 patients were analyzed and 24h-proteinuria decreased from 0.93g to 0.70 g (p＜0.001) after two-months of treatment with spironolactone, accompanied by a slight decrease in EPI-eGFR from 75.7 to 73.9 mL/min/1.73 m2 (p = 0.033). Intriguingly, 47 patients in effective MRA group showed less endocapillary hypercellularity (p = 0.040). In ineffective group, 18 patients discontinued MRA treatment because of 24h-proteinuria increased from 0.83 g to 1.04 g, while the other 23 patients were continued with spironolactone and proteinuria decreased to 0.57 g in the sixth month (p = 0.001). Furthermore, 12 patients with persistent high proteinuria during prednisone therapy, were added with spironolactone. 24-proteinuria were dropped from 0.95 g to 0.73 g at the second month, and to 0.50 g at the sixth month.
Conclusions: In our study, we confirmed spironolactone's efficacy in reducing urine protein excretion in IgA nephropathy patients within two months of treatment. However, response varied among patients, with those showing endocapillary proliferation (E1) in renal biopsies having poor spironolactone responsiveness. Administering mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) to patients with eGFR over 30 ml/min did not result in hyperkalemia, indicating the treatment's safety.
Key Words：IgA Nephrology, Proteinuria, Spironolactone, Renal function
Palmitic Acid Modulation of the Insulin-Like Growth Factor System in Hypothalamic Astrocytes and Neurons
Authors: Guerra-Cantera Santiago , Frago Laura M. , Espinoza-Chavarria Yesenia , Collado-Pérez Roberto , Jiménez-Hernaiz María , Torrecilla-Parra Marta , Barrios Vicente , Belsham Denise D. , Laursen Lisbeth S. , Oxvig Claus , Argente Jesús , Chowen Julie A.
Published: July 2024

Introduction: Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)1 and IGF2 have neuroprotective effects, but less is known regarding how other members of the IGF system, including IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) and the regulatory proteinase pappalysin-1 (PAPP-A) and its endogenous inhibitor stanniocalcin-2 (STC2) participate in this process. Here, we analyzed whether these members of the IGF system are modified in neurons and astrocytes in response to palmitic acid (PA), a fatty acid that induces cell stress when increased centrally. Methods: Primary hypothalamic astrocyte cultures from male and female PND2 rats and the pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neuronal cell line, mHypoA-POMC/GFP-2, were treated with PA, IGF1 or both. To analyze the role of STC2 in astrocytes, siRNA assays were employed. Results: In astrocytes of both sexes, PA rapidly increased cell stress factors followed by increased Pappa and Stc2 mRNA levels and then a decrease in Igf1, Igf2, and Igfbp2 expression and cell number. Exogenous IGF1 did not revert these effects. In mHypoA-POMC/GFP-2 neurons, PA reduced cell number and Pomc and Igf1 mRNA levels, and increased Igfbp2 and Stc2, again with no effect of exogenous IGF1. PA increased STC2 expression, but no effects of decreasing its levels by interference assays or exogenous STC2 treatment in astrocytes were found. Conclusions: The response of the IGF system to PA was cell and sex specific, but no protective effects of the IGFs were found. However, the modifications in hypothalamic PAPP-A and STC2 indicate that further studies are required to determine their role in the response to fatty acids and possibly in metabolic control.
Inflammation‐Derived and Clinical Indicator‐Based Predictive Model for Ischemic Stroke Recovery
Authors: Luo Jiao , Cai You , Xiao Peng , Cao Changchun , Huang Meiling , Zhang Xiaohua , Guo Jie , Huo Yongyang , Tang Qiaoyan , Zhao Liuyang , Liu Jiabang , Ma Yaqi , Yang Anqun , Zhou Mingchao , Wang Yulong
Published: July 2024

Background

Neuroinflammatory responses are closely associated with poststroke prognosis severity. This study aimed to develop a predictive model, combining inflammation‐derived markers and clinical indicators, for distinguishing functional outcomes in patients with subacute ischemic stroke.

Methods and Results

Based on activities of daily living assessments, ischemic stroke participants were categorized into groups with little effective (LE) recovery and obvious effective (OE) recovery. Initial biocandidates were identified by overlapping differentially expressed proteins from proteomics of clinical serum samples (5 LE, 5 OE, and 6 healthy controls) and differentially expressed genes from an RNA sequence of the ischemic cortex in middle cerebral artery occlusion mice (n=3). Multidimensional validations were conducted in ischemia–reperfusion models and a clinical cohort (15 LE, 11 OE, and 18 healthy controls). Models of robust biocandidates combined with clinical indicators were developed with machine learning in the training data set and prediction in another test data set (15 LE and 11 OE). We identified 194 differentially expressed proteins (LE versus healthy controls) and 174 differentially expressed proteins (OE versus healthy controls) in human serum, and 5121 differentially expressed genes (day 3) and 5906 differentially expressed genes (day 7) in middle cerebral artery occlusion mice cortex. Inflammation‐derived biomarkers TIMP1 (tissue inhibitor metalloproteinase‐1) and galactosidase‐binding protein LGLAS3 (galectin‐3) exhibited robust increases under ischemic injury in mice and humans. TIMP1 and LGALS3 coupled with clinical indicators (hemoglobin, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and uric acid) were developed into a combined model for differentiating functional outcome with high accuracy (area under the curve, 0.8).

Conclusions

The combined model is a valuable tool for evaluating prognostic outcomes, and the predictive factors can facilitate development of better treatment strategies.
Reduced expression of fMRI subsequent memory effects with increasing severity across the Alzheimer’s disease risk spectrum
Authors: Soch Joram , Richter Anni , Kizilirmak Jasmin M. , Schütze Hartmut , Altenstein Slawek , Dechent Peter , Fliessbach Klaus , Glanz Wenzel , Herrera Ana Lucia , Hetzer Stefan , Incesoy Enise I. , Kilimann Ingo , Kimmich Okka , Lammerding Dominik , Laske Christoph , Lohse Andrea , Lüsebrink Falk , Munk Matthias H. , Peters Oliver , Preis Lukas , Priller Josef , Rostamzadeh Ayda , Roy-Kluth Nina , Scheffler Klaus , Schneider Anja , Spottke Annika , Spruth Eike Jakob , Teipel Stefan , Wiltfang Jens , Jessen Frank , Düzel Emrah , Schott Björn H.
Published: July 2024

In functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, episodic memory is commonly investigated with the subsequent memory paradigm in which brain activity is recorded during encoding and analyzed as a function of subsequent remembering and forgetting. Impaired episodic memory is common in individuals with or at risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but only few studies have reported subsequent memory effects in AD or its risk states like mild cognitive impairment (MCI). One reason for this might be that subsequent memory responses may be blunted in AD or MCI and thus less likely to manifest in fMRI signal differences. Here, we used Bayesian model selection of single-subject fMRI general linear models (GLMs) for a visual novelty and memory encoding experiment to compare the model performance of categorical and parametric subsequent memory models as well as memory-invariant models in a clinical cohort (N = 468) comprising healthy controls (HC) as well as individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), MCI, and AD, plus healthy relatives of AD patients (AD-rel). We could replicate the previously reported superiority of parametric subsequent memory models over categorical models (Soch, Richter, Schütze, Kizilirmak, Assmann, Knopf, et al., 2021) in the HC and also in the SCD and AD-rel groups. However, memory-invariant models outperformed any model assuming subsequent memory effects in the MCI and AD groups. In the AD group, we additionally found substantially lower model preference for models assuming novelty compared to models not differentiating between novel and familiar stimuli. Our results suggest that voxel-wise memory-related fMRI activity patterns in AD and also MCI should be interpreted with caution and point to the need for additional or alternative approaches to investigate memory function.
Annotated catalogue of Pakistani Acrididae (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Acridoidea)
Authors: SULTANA RIFFAT , SONG HOJUN
Published: July 2024

An annotated catalogue of Acrididae (Orthoptera: Caelifera) of Pakistan and its two adjacent territories is presented. A total of 169 species (including subspecies) belonged to 66 genera and 29 tribes with 14 subfamilies are reported from this region. Oedipodinae (56) was the most species-rich subfamily, followed by Gomphocerinae (30), Acridinae (15), Calliptaminae with (12), Eyprepocnemidinae (12) Oxyinae (9), Hemiacridinae (10), Cyrtacanthacridinae (8), Catantopinae (7), Tropidopolinae and Teratodinae each with (3), Spathosterninae (2) and Coptacrinae, and Melanoplinae are represented by a single species. Pakistan harbors about 51.76% of the Acridomorpha species recorded for subtropical Asia, including 13.61% of the Caelifera, are endemic. Since the first checklist was published in 1990, which listed 39 species, hundreds of additional specimens from the region have been collected and databased, new species have been described, and the taxonomic status of some species has changed. Due to a lack of long-term studies for most localities, several species that were new at the time of collection are meanwhile described from other areas of Southeastern Asia. Specimen data from insect collections, databases, scientific literature, and unpublished records were compared to the original checklist. Our list includes three endemic species, 11 rare species, seven first-time reports, including five expected and 18 dubious records. Additionally, there are a few species from protected areas, although no consistent analysis has yet been done on species restricted to protected areas in Pakistan. A detailed account of subfamilies, endemic and rare species, and those anticipated to occur in Pakistan is also presented. This checklist provides baseline data for researchers and the public, strengthening the pest framework for management.
Beyond the Secular, the Sacred, and the State: Alternative Vocabularies of the Disagreement in Secular and Pious Feminist Narratives in Turkey
Authors: Dokumacı Pınar
Published: July 2024

This paper rethinks the different ways in which civil society activism might be able to transform radical political disagreements about feminism, secularism, and religiosity under authoritarian pro-conservative state policies. I pursue this task by bringing in my previous work on the interpersonal feminist relationship between secular/Kemalist feminists and pious/Islamic feminists in Turkey. In the intersection of ethnography and theory, I argue that locating alternative feminist vocabularies of disagreement in women’s own their own narratives can help us challenge the broader dichotomies dictated by the secular, sacred, and the state. From a relational theoretical framework that stresses the iterative importance of unexpected interpersonal everyday life interactions, this paper contributes to the broader debates on pious women’s agency and the limits of feminist friendship.
Sports Mega-Events as Foreign Policy: Sport Diplomacy, “Soft Power,” and “Sportswashing”
Authors: Grix Jonathan , Brannagan Paul Michael
Published: July 2024

Sports mega-events (SMEs), such as the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup, have become a key part of state strategies to achieve a multitude of foreign policy goals. The literature attempting to explain this—often under the broad umbrella term of “sport diplomacy”—has recently been bolstered by the arrival of two very popular concepts in this area of research, “soft power” and “sportswashing,” leading to confusion and a general lack of consensus around the use of sport for non-sporting aims. This article makes two key contributions to the literature: first, it serves to clarify the conceptual relationship between sport diplomacy, soft power, and sportswashing. It does so by arguing that the latter two concepts are strategies at different stages of a similar process, that is, using sport to achieve specific foreign policy goals by states, state actors, and non-state actors. Our second contribution lies in the application of this conceptualization to two relevant, empirical cases of an advanced capitalist country (the United Kingdom) and an autocratic country (Qatar), both of which have hosted an SME. The results show that while a variety of states, state actors, politicians, and non-state actors use the same means (SMEs) to achieve different foreign policy goals, their geopolitics, different histories, regime types, economic systems, and levels of development influence their rationale for doing so and the strategies they choose.
How Users Assess Privacy Risks in the Internet of Things: The Role of Framing, Comparing, and Educating
Authors: Korneeva Ekaterina , Salge Torsten Oliver , Cichy Patrick , Antons David
Published: July 2024

With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), it has become increasingly challenging for users to assess the privacy risks associated with consumer products and the continuous stream of user data needed to operate them. In this study, we propose and test three mechanisms with the potential to help users make more accurate assessments of privacy risks. We refer to these mechanisms as framing (i.e., presenting information on the collection and use of user data with or without direct reference to privacy risks), comparing (i.e., presenting a product and the associated information on data collection and use with or without reference to an alternative product), and educating (i.e., augmenting users’ general privacy literacy). To assess these mechanisms in different IoT contexts, we conducted two scenario-based online experiments with reference to a telematics device ( n = 317) and a fitness tracker ( n = 356). In both studies, we find that actual privacy risks as manipulated in the experiment are only moderately related to the privacy risks perceived by users. However, comparing and educating each helped users make more accurate privacy risk assessments. In Study 2, framing and comparing jointly enabled especially users with low privacy literacy to assess privacy risks more accurately. These findings have meaningful implications for key actors in the IoT ecosystem and those regulating it.
Petitioning and Ghana's National Reconciliation Commission: Good Citizens, Bad Citizens, and Performing the Moral Economy
Authors: Colton Ryan
Published: July 2024

The 2002–4 National Reconciliation Commission in Ghana sought to reflect upon the country's tumultuous post-independence history. The truth commission received thousands of statements and documents about the lived experiences of Ghanaians during periods of authoritarian rule. This rich and largely unutilized archive is particularly valuable because the holdings of the national archives for these periods are fragmentary. This article will demonstrate that the petitions contained within the National Reconciliation Commission archive represented an active attempt by Ghanaians themselves to reconstitute and reassert a specific moral economy. When read as a genre, these petitions constructed and reconstructed two types of Ghanaians – good citizens and bad citizens – each associated with specific actions, behaviours, and attitudes. When viewed in their totality these petitions represent an articulation of a moral economy which criticized authoritarian rule and attempted to build the foundations of a fair and democratic society.
Authoritarian innovation in the United States: the role of dual subnational systems of labor governance
Authors: Rhomberg Chris
Published: July 2024

I apply Curato and Fossati's (2020) concept of “authoritarian innovation” to analyze historic changes in labor governance in the United States that have undermined democratic participation in the workplace and in the polity. Drawing from comparative political economy and welfare state theories, I argue that since the 1930s the U.S. has had not one unified, national labor regime but two competing, subnational regimes: the New Deal and its legacy in the industrialized North and West Coast, and a counter-regime based initially in the former Confederate Southern states. The more anti-union, anti-welfare, and anti-democratic Southern regime survived the Civil Rights era of the 1960s and 1970s, gained ascendance nationally with the rise of neoliberalism in the 1980s and 1990s, and expanded its boundaries in the 2010s into the deindustrialized Midwest. The “dual regime” analysis highlights critical transitions and divergent paths in the reshaping of American democracy.
Evaluating the Effect of Participation in Bereavement Support Groups on Perceived Mental Well-Being and Grief Reactions
Authors: Petursdottir Asta B. , Thorsteinsson Hrund S.
Published: July 2024

The study aimed to evaluate the effect of participating in bereavement support groups on mental well-being and levels of grief and to gather information about participants´ experiences of participation. The programme consisted of six sessions over six weeks. Data were collected with the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) and the Adult Attitude to Grief scale (AAG) as well as demographic and open-ended questions. 64 bereaved spouses returned at least parts of the study´s questionnaires before participating in the programme while 39 returned the complete WEMWBS and 36 the complete AAG both before and after participation. Most participants were women >60 years old. Participation in the programme resulted in a significant increase in perceived mental well-being and significantly lower levels of vulnerability in grief. Responses to open-ended questions revealed both positive and negative experiences. A lowered WEMWBS score and a relatively high AAG underscore the importance of providing services to the recently bereaved. Routine screening for complicated grief before participating in the bereavement support group sessions is recommended.
Theology of migration: From division to reconciliation
Authors: Kang Hanna
Published: July 2024

As the next US presidential election approaches, immigration once again emerges as one of the most heated issues in US political debates. While ideological differences over immigration are not new, the existence of such differing positions between and within parties highlights the deep-seated divisions within US society. Even more problematic is the current predominant narrative of immigration, which tends to foster further division while ignoring the diversity of immigration patterns and immigrants’ experiences that require holistic approaches. The dominance of a monolithic interpretation of immigration, focusing on a specific pattern and accompanied by the reproduction of provocative images and rhetoric in the media, exacerbates societal divisions and reinforces a single narrative of immigration characterized by hate and fear. In the face of societal division over immigration, this article argues that immigration can be a source of reconciliation rather than division when its inherent diversity is recognized, and its humanness is reclaimed through the concept of imago Dei, the primary definition of all human identity.
Dominion, Stewardship, and Perceptions of the Problem of Climate Change
Authors: Smidt Corwin E.
Published: July 2024

This study assesses the importance of dominion beliefs in relationship to stewardship beliefs in shaping attitudes related to climate change among the American people. Though typically viewed as alternative viewpoints, this study examines two separate measures—one capturing dominion and another capturing stewardship beliefs—allowing for an analysis of how these two viewpoints relate to each other and whether they have differential relationships on attitudes toward climate change. Using a large national sample conducted in 2022, this study reveals that one’s dominion position can only be fully understood in relationship to one’s stewardship position, with the resultant combined measure retaining statistical significance in multivariate analysis, suggesting that theological beliefs related to dominion and stewardship significantly shape climate attitudes beyond what can be accounted for by political variables or other important variables related to climate change.
Electrodiagnosis of polyneuropathy, organmegaly, endocrinopathy, M-protein, skin changes syndrome patients with peripheral neuropathy and potential-related risk factors
Authors: Niu Guanru , Liu Yuchen , Zhang Zhen , Song Siyuan , Li Tian , Shen Yijun , Dong Jihong
Published: July 2024

Objectives:

To explore the correlation between classification and electrophysiology of polyneuropathy, organmegaly, endocrinopathy, M-protein, skin changes syndrome (POEMS)-related peripheral neuropathy (PN).

Methods:

We analyzed the data of 30 POEMS patients admitted to Zhongshan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University between February 2017 and February 2023. The degree of PN was determined according to its classification. All three groups of patients underwent neuroelectromyography, and the nerve conduction velocity and amplitude of the three groups were analyzed.

Results:

The compound motor active potentials (CMAP) of the peroneal, tibial, and ulnar nerves decreased significantly with increasing disease grade, and the motor conduction velocity of the peroneal, median, and tibial nerves decreased significantly in grade 3 compared with grade 1 and 2. The action potential of sensory nerves (sensory nerve action potential) and the conduction speed of sensory impulses (sensory conduction velocity (SCV) in the sural nerve in grade 3 were significantly lower than those in grades 1 and 2. Linear regression analysis showed that there was a linear correlation between CMAP of peroneal nerve and vascular endothelial growth factor. The SCV of the ulnar nerve significantly correlated with the course of the disease.

Discussion:

Neuroelectromyography can effectively evaluate the degree of PN in patients with POEMS, providing a reliable reference for further clinical treatment.
The Innovative Implications of Smart Working in a Post-pandemic Era: A Model of Smart Working Satisfaction in Public Sector Organizations
Authors: Bonacci Isabella , Scarozza Danila , Greco Emilio
Published: July 2024

New technological imperatives have changed the configuration of work, shifting it toward flexible and high-performance logics. Added to this was the global health emergency that paralyzed most work activities, with dramatic impacts on employment. During and after the emergency, organizations have realized that digital transformation has the potential to increase productivity, and Smart Working (SW) is part of this transformation process. The variable this analysis focuses on is Smart Working Satisfaction (SWS) in Italian public organizations, with the aim of identifying trends and solutions to improve human well-being and labor productivity. Accordingly, the research aims to answer the following questions: (a) What factors influence SWS? (b) What effects on satisfaction does a flexible form of work generate? (c) How does SWS manifest itself? A survey of 1,252 civil servants tapped the level of satisfaction of agile workers. The study aims to shift the focus of the scientific literature on SWS toward a new organizational approach to work. This research seeks not only to fill a theoretical gap related to SWS but also to demonstrate how the diffusion of new flexible working logics enhances workers’ sense of affiliation.
Factory Humanisms: Technical Aesthetics, Sino-Soviet Encounters, and the Fashioning of the Postsocialist Factory in Reform-Era China
Authors: Kindler Benjamin
Published: July 2024

The reemergence of aesthetics in China’s early reform period witnessed a wide-ranging embrace of the early Marxist vocabulary of species-being, alienation, and unalienated labor, in tandem with a wave of interest in developments in Soviet aesthetics that had arisen over the 1960s and 1970s. Above all, Chinese aestheticians were enthused by the Soviet field of “technical aesthetics,” which marked those currents in Soviet aesthetic thought that extended the possibilities of beauty beyond the delimited space of the artwork or literary creation to envision how factory labor might become an aesthetic process, simultaneously productive and artistic. By tracing the trajectory of these currents of aesthetic thought against the background of Marxist humanism, I show the ways in which Soviet–Chinese aesthetic encounters conditioned the fashioning of the post-Maoist factory as creative space and the postsocialist figure of the human as creative laborer.
Rockland State Hospital: A Case Approach to Teaching the History of Psychology
Authors: Keefe-Cooperman Kathleen , Ulupinar Dogukan , Brady-Amoon Peggy
Published: July 2024

Background: Teaching and learning about the history of the profession is consistent with APA's 2023 guidelines for the undergraduate major, a profession-wide competency for graduate students in health service psychology, and important for all students. Objective: The purpose of this article is to present a historical case study with materials for teaching and learning about the historical context, including mental health treatments and patient demographics, during the interwar period at Rockland State Hospital (RSH) in New York. Method: We thematically reviewed and analyzed primary source archival documents, treatment reports, period peer-reviewed journals, related newspaper articles, and publicly available U.S. census data. Results: The theories, diagnostic terminology, and treatments in use at RSH during the interwar period are showcased. This was a pivotal time in the history of psychology. Conclusion: The method and results offer opportunities for teaching and learning about the history of psychology including treatment of marginalized and vulnerable populations. Teaching Implications: Institutionalization in the interwar period offers multiple opportunities for teaching and learning in psychology. The findings can be used in conjunction with discussion questions in the classroom setting. Teaching about the past provides a feedback loop to inform current and future practice.
The realities of return migration: Reintegrating women migrant domestic workers in Sri Lanka
Authors: Henderson Sophie
Published: July 2024

This paper critically analyzes the Sri Lankan government’s management of return migration. Adopting an intersectional lens, it examines how exclusionary policies and programs fail to protect the rights and welfare of returnee women migrant domestic workers, resulting in poor reintegration outcomes. The paper focuses on three interconnecting issues that disproportionately impact upon their rights, as revealed by empirical fieldwork carried out in Colombo in 2018. Research findings from interviews and focus group discussions with civil society organizations (9), government agencies (3) and international organizations (3) highlight the need for an inclusive policy approach. Such an approach would involve a holistic response guided by inter-agency coordination and comprehensive data that would better tailor services to the specific skillsets and diverse circumstances of returnee women domestic workers.
Fire detection and suppression in gas-plants using automatic sensors among electrical/electronic technology education graduates in Nigeria
Authors: Ohanu Ifeanyi Benedict , Egesimba Uzoma Stephen
Published: July 2024

Software systems such as Proteus, Matlab, and an Arduino Uno programming software system, comprising an Infra-red flame sensor, a 5v Motor and other components like Buzzer, relay, light emitting diode, transistor, resistor and capacitors, were used in order to detect smoke, flame or fire and suppress it in a laboratory. The methodology of the system's design, as well as the operation of the system, were schematically highlighted. The control measures and maintenance strategies to be deployed for the smooth functioning of the system design were also discussed, wherever they are used. Solutions to checkmate fire disasters were proffered. The workings of the system are that when the sensor registers or turns zero (0), it means that there is no fire, flame or smoke to suppress, while when it turns to one (1), it indicates that there is smoke or fire to suppress. The process recorded 95% success.
Exploring User-Centered Evaluation in a Tertiary-Level, Audio-Describer Training Program
Authors: Yan Jackie Xiu , Luo Kangte
Published: July 2024

Introduction: Audio description (AD) should satisfy the needs of people who are visually impaired; however, quality assessment in university training programs has rarely been based on feedback provided by AD users. Aiming to help students truly understand the needs of people who are visually impaired and their criteria for AD, this study adopted user-centered evaluation in an AD training program offered by a university in Hong Kong. Method: Three evaluators with visual impairment, representing the views of AD users, were invited to evaluate 29 students’ film clips that included AD and discuss their evaluation criteria. Eleven students participated in focus-group interviews and were asked to comment on AD products and discuss their own evaluation criteria. The evaluation criteria of the two groups were compared qualitatively and quantitatively with the aid of the software NVivo. Results: The results showed discrepancies between the users’ and the trainees’ criteria as well as differences in their focuses when evaluating the AD products. The users’ criteria were more numerous; however, certain criteria were perceived exclusively by the trainees. Discussion: Without sufficient knowledge of users’ needs, AD trainees are inclined to provide redundant information (e.g., easily identifiable film sounds and speaker information) while neglecting some aspects of AD (e.g., the prudent use of pronouns and literary expressions), which are deemed important by the users. Implications for Practitioners: The results prompted AD instructors to integrate user feedback into AD training to improve students’ understanding of how to produce AD that better meets its users’ needs.
Paddling Against the Tide: The Micro-Level Strategies Entrepreneurs Employ to Resist Endemic Corruption in Tanzania
Authors: Komba Neema M. , Shepherd Dean A. , Wincent Joakim
Published: July 2024

This paper explores when and how entrepreneurs who operate new organizations in environments where corruption is endemic can resist it. Despite the continued scholarly interest in corruption, anticorruption efforts by micro, small, and medium enterprises have been largely overlooked. Instead, studies have focused on the intraorganizational actions of larger established organizations (local and multinational) without sufficiently considering their interdependence with other actors in their external environments. Given the social exchange nature of corruption, we collected and analyzed data from interviews with Tanzanian entrepreneurs, and theorized about when and how they circumvent or resist corruption. Our findings illuminate the complex relationship between entrepreneurs’ motivations and capability, and highlight the strategies entrepreneurs use when they seek to resist corruption without compromising their resource needs. Subject to their leverage (i.e., resource endowments and available alternatives), entrepreneurs resist corruption by avoiding powerful focal firms, restructuring their resource dependence in a firm-focused manner, and managing risks. Considering social-relational dynamics, entrepreneurs also find ways to avoid interactions with corrupt agents and to use power strategically (through political tactics, such as co-opting and challenging) that influence agents to act in the entrepreneurs’ best interests and against corruption.
How Does Regional Science Address Environmental Issues? A Bibliometric Analysis of Two Decades of Publications
Authors: Truchet-Aznar Stéphanie , Aubert Francis , Aznar Olivier , Davi Béatrice
Published: July 2024

Using bibliometric methods, this paper is aimed at providing an overview of Regional Science publications that address environmental issues. The analysis covers a corpus of 1145 articles that refer to the environment in their title, abstract or keywords and published in 18 journals between 1999 and 2020. Although these publications account for only 6 percent of the articles published in these journals over that period, their number gradually increased. To gain a clearer picture of the environmental issues addressed, we characterise them according to whether an integrative or topical approach is adopted and by their spatial dimensions. This analytical framework is first applied by searching for specific terms in their title, keywords and abstract. The results show that both approaches are equally effective; further, these articles address intraregional or interregional environmental issues more than global environmental issues. Second, we conduct a keyword co-occurrence analysis revealing four coherent thematic article groups treating environmental issues from the perspectives of amenities and migration, governance and policy, innovation and clusters, and land use and urban sprawl. More detailed analyses of each group allowed us to refine our understanding of how environmental issues were addressed. Finally, a cross-cutting view of the four thematic groups suggests that Regional Science approaches environmental issues through spatial disparities and inequalities, spatial interactions and interdependencies, and the spatial dimension of public action. The research perspectives in each of these areas are highlighted.
Patient preferences for teleradiology services and remote image interpretation: An empirical study
Authors: Alanzi Turki M , Alanzi Nouf , Arif Wejdan M. , Alkhunaifer Alhanoof , Al Ghaseb Lamia , Albadrani Yara Hamad , Hasoosah Norah , Abdullah Ruya Adel , Al Shullah Batool
Published: July 2024

Study purpose

This study aims to examine patient preferences for teleradiology services and remote image interpretation. In this context, this study aims to address the following research questions: (i) How do patients perceive teleradiology services, focusing specifically on comfort, quality of care and satisfaction, communication and information, and accessibility and ease of use; (ii) How do patient demographics (age, gender, urban vs. rural residence) influence the perceptions on teleradiology services?

Methods

A cross-sectional survey design is adopted in this study. The survey comprises five sections targeting demographic information, comfort, and preferences regarding remote image interpretation, perceived quality of care and satisfaction, communication and information clarity, and accessibility and technology aspects using five-point Likert scale ratings. A total of 406 patients (209 males and 197 females; 170 urban residents; 174 semi-urban residents, and 62 rural residents) using teleradiology services participated in the study.

Results

Participants reported high satisfaction with remote image interpretation (3.78 ± 1.19), quality of care (3.31 ± 1.19), understanding (3.84 ± 1.43), and user-friendliness (3.67 ± 1.29). Key issues were technical problems (3.81 ± 1.35), feedback difficulties (3.19 ± 1.58), privacy concerns (2.43 ± 1.46), and low awareness (2.37 ± 1.12). Urban participants scored significantly better in comfort, preferences, and communication than those from semi-urban and rural areas.

Conclusion

Teleradiology design and implementation should be optimized to align with patient preferences and enhance overall satisfaction.
Beneficial effects of saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) fruit extract on the urinary symptoms of healthy Japanese adults with possible lower urinary tract symptoms: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
Authors: Kimura Mai , Ishii Ikuya , Baba Asami , Takara Tsuyoshi
Published: July 2024

Saw palmetto extract (SPE) is the most commonly used supplement for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), but most evidence is for those with LUTS, and little data is verifying its effectiveness for those who do not have the disease but are troubled by symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of SPE on the improvement of urinary frequency problems that present stress due to urinary urgency in daily life, among healthy Japanese adults aged ≥50 years who are not diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia or overactive bladder. They were randomly assigned to the SPE group or placebo group (34 participants per group) using a computerized random number generator. Each participant was instructed to take one capsule containing SPE (320 mg) or placebo every day for 12 weeks. Subjective symptoms were assessed using the overactive bladder questionnaire, and the score of symptom bother by frequent urination during the daytime hours was set as the primary outcome. The other outcomes were subjective urinary symptoms and urinary frequencies. The final efficacy analysis dataset was per protocol set, and 33 participants in each group were analyzed. After SPE intervention for 12 weeks, the score of symptom bother by frequent urination during the daytime hours was significantly improved and the daytime frequency of urination assessed using the urinary log was significantly decreased. The consumption of SPE improved urinary frequency-related quality of life such as bother of urinary symptoms in healthy Japanese adults (UMIN000045334).
Preparation of expandable polystyrene/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene by multi-stage initiator dosing with the application of artificial neural networks
Authors: Derakhshanfard Fahimeh
Published: July 2024

By increasing usage of polymers, environmental problems for them increase. The polymers that after usage, contribute to these issues, their preparation process may generate wastage, that affects production. In the production of expandable polystyrene (EPS), several batches on batch were discharged due to disruption in suspension, and the presence of these wastages in the production place can cause problems. This study tries to introduce a new polymer with special features by mixing different percentages of this polymer (10, 20, 30) with ABS polymer. According to the fact that disarray can occur in 60, 63, 66, and 69% of the polymerization, the polymerization continued until those percentages and then mixed with ABS. Different tests (like: Elongation at break, yellow index, Modular melt flow, Impact test, and Vicat softening temperature) was performed for mixed polymer. The results show that in some materials the quality of the mixed polymer may decrease but it is still in an acceptable range. The Multi-Layer Perceptron method of Artificial Neural Networks has been used in order to simulate data that has not been tested.
The Oxford Centre for Mission Studies: A Tradition of Inquiry in Holistic Transformative Mission Scholarship
Authors: Harvey Thomas
Published: July 2024

This article will consider the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies as ‘a tradition of inquiry and a coherent ‘movement of thought’. The article follows OCMS's development of mission studies over the past 40 years. It is based upon personal experience as well as on interviews with founders, academic officers, faculty, alumni, and current students: primarily in the OCMS PhD programme, but not exclusively. In sum, it is a living tale of OCMS of the ongoing embodiment of mission study as Wholistic Transformation.
The role of data governance in a high-level approach of data migration to open data
Authors: Yulfitri Alivia , Sensuse Dana Indra , Sumirat Hidayat Deden , Suryono Ryan Randy , Kautsarina  , Purwaningsih Erisva Hakiki , Prabuwono Anton Satria
Published: July 2024

Data quality issues are still a challenge in data migration. Existing methods mainly focus on technical issues. However, the problem of data quality is not only a technical problem, but the main one is the non-technical aspect. This paper aims to identify the role of data governance in the data migration process. The qualitative research method uses two primary references, namely the high-level data migration approach from Kazimir et al. and the DAMA-DMBOK framework. Both are highly compatible with data migration processes focusing on data quality and referencing governance roles. The case study was conducted in a central government working on data migration to the new One Data application. The results show that eight data governance roles are involved in 20 migration processes (65%). Non-technical activities related to data quality involve more than half of the data migration process. This paper proposes the role of data governance for non-technical aspects of the migration process. This paper presents a case study of the high-level data migration process and how data governance comes into play. This research can help the government and practitioners overcome problems that often occur in data migration, especially related to data quality.