bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genome-wide identification, characterization, and expression analysis of the small auxin-up RNA gene family during zygotic and somatic embryo maturation of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao)
Authors: Chu Ngoc Thi Bich , Le Man Thi , La Hong Viet , Le Quynh Thi Ngoc , Le Thao Duc , Tran Huyen Thi Thanh , Tran Lan Thi Mai , Le Chi Toan , Nguyen Dung Viet , Cao Phi Bang , Chu Ha Duc
Published: May 2024

Small auxin-up RNA (SAUR) proteins were known as a large family that supposedly participated in various biological processes in higher plant species. However, the SAUR family has been still not explored in cacao (Theobroma cacao L.), one of the most important industrial trees. The present work, as an in silico study, revealed comprehensive aspects of the structure, phylogeny, and expression of TcSAUR gene family in cacao. A total of 90 members of the TcSAUR gene family have been identified and annotated in the cacao genome. According to the physic-chemical features analysis, all TcSAUR proteins exhibited slightly similar characteristics. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these TcSAUR proteins could be categorized into seven distinct groups, with 10 sub-groups. Our results suggested that tandemly duplication events, segmental duplication events, and whole genome duplication events might be important in the growth of the TcSAUR gene family in cacao. By re-analyzing the available transcriptome databases, we found that a number of TcSAUR genes were exclusively expressed during the zygotic embryogenesis and somatic embryogenesis. Taken together, our study will be valuable to further functional characterizations of candidate TcSAUR genes for the genetic engineering of cacao.
Utility of Large Language Models to Produce a Patient-Friendly Summary From Oncology Consultations
Authors: Holstead Ryan G.
Published: May 2024

LLMs can rewrite oncologic notes as plain-language summaries, which may aid communication and comprehension.
Analysing the intrinsic multifractal nature of seismic sequences distributed along the Pacific Ring of Fire
Authors: de Freitas D. B. , França G. S.
Published: May 2024

A multifractal methodology was utilized to analyze a set of seismic sequences distributed along the Pacific Ring of Fire, sourced from the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) catalog. The analysis employed the Multifractal Detrended Moving Average (MFDMA) analysis method to characterize the presence of intrinsic multifractality using different multifractal indicators. The findings of this study can be summarized as follows: our statistical tests confidently assert that only the Kuriles, Peru, and Solomon Islands zones demonstrate an absence of intrinsic multifractality; tests were also applied using the exponent

, but they were inconclusive. We believe these results contribute to an enhanced understanding of the multifractal characteristics of seismic activity and their implications for earthquake dynamics.
Dev-ResNet: automated developmental event detection using deep learning
Authors: Ibbini Ziad , Truebano Manuela , Spicer John I. , McCoy Jamie C. S. , Tills Oliver
Published: May 2024

Delineating developmental events is central to experimental research using early life stages, permitting widespread identification of changes in event timing between species and environments. Yet, identifying developmental events is incredibly challenging, limiting the scale, reproducibility and throughput of using early life stages in experimental biology. We introduce Dev-ResNet, a small and efficient 3D convolutional neural network capable of detecting developmental events characterised by both spatial and temporal features, such as the onset of cardiac function and radula activity. We demonstrate the efficacy of Dev-ResNet using 10 diverse functional events throughout the embryonic development of the great pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis. Dev-ResNet was highly effective in detecting the onset of all events, including the identification of thermally induced decoupling of event timings. Dev-ResNet has broad applicability given the ubiquity of bioimaging in developmental biology, and the transferability of deep learning, and so we provide comprehensive scripts and documentation for applying Dev-ResNet to different biological systems.
De novo σύνθεση πρωτεϊνών ιξού (Viscum album) από σωμακλωνικούς κάλους και έλεγχος αντινεοπλασματικής δράσης σε καρκινικές σειρές
Authors: Τσεκούρας Βασίλειος
Published: May 2024

O Eυρωπαϊκός ιξός, Viscum album subsp abietis, είναι ένα ημιπαρασιτικό φυτό που περιέχει βιοδραστικές πρωτεΐνες με φαρμακευτικές εφαρμογές στη θεραπεία του καρκίνου. Στον τομέα της βιοτεχνολογίας, η in vitro παραγωγή κάλων χρησιμεύει ως μια κρίσιμη εναλλακτική λύση για την παραγωγή βιομάζας και τη βιοσύνθεση φαρμακευτικών ενώσεων. Προηγούμενες μελέτες έχουν δείξει ότι η σωματοκλωνική διαφοροποίηση στις καλλιέργειες κάλλου ιξού μπορεί να οδηγήσει στην παραγωγή νέων πρωτεϊνών. Σε αυτό το πλαίσιο, αναλύθηκε το πρωτεινικό προφίλ από ιστούς και κάλους του Viscum album subsp. abietis με σκοπό την ταυτοποίηση πρωτεϊνών με αντικαρκινικές ιδιότητες. Οι κάλοι προήλθαν από έκφυτα βλαστών και τα φάσματα μάζας των πρωτεϊνικών εκχυλισμάτων υποβλήθηκαν σε πρωτεομική ανάλυση χρησιμοποιώντας ως αναφορά την αναθεωρημένη βάση δεδομένων Uniprot V. Εντοπίστηκαν σημαντικές διαφορές στην στο πρωτεϊνικό περιεχόμενο των κάλων και των μητρικών φυτών. Ταυτοποιήθηκαν, τέσσερις λεκτίνες ιξού, έξι βισκοτοξίνες και η λεκτίνη πρόσδεσης χιτίνης -cbML. Η διαδικασία της καλογένεσης προκάλεσε αλλαγές στη βιοσύνθεση πρωτεϊνών και στην έκφραση νέων πρωτεϊνικών ισομορφών. Οι κάλοι του γκι βρέθηκαν να έχουν ένα ξεχωριστό βιοσυνθετικό προφίλ πρωτεΐνης σε σύγκριση με τους ιστούς από τα φυτά δότες. Επιπλέον, αυτή η μελέτη διερεύνησε την παραγωγή σωματοκλωνικών πρωτεϊνών κατά την διαδικασία καλογένεσης του ιξού και αξιολόγησε πιθανές κυτταροτοξικές ιδιότητες έναντι των κυτταρικών σειρών καρκίνου του μαστού και του τραχήλου της μήτρας. Μελετήθηκαν επίσης πιθανά συνεργιστικά αποτελέσματα των πρωτεινικών εκχυλισμάτων σε συνδυασμό με τον χημειοθεραπευτικό παράγοντα 5-FU. Η επίδραση των πρωτεϊνικών παρασκευασμάτων στα κύτταρα HeLa αξιολογήθηκε χρησιμοποιώντας τη δοκιμασία ΜΤΤ, ενώ η οξειδωτική βλάβη και η επαγωγή απόπτωσης μετρήθηκαν χρησιμοποιώντας τις μεθόδους carboxy--H2-DCFDA, MitoSOX™ Red και Caspase-3. Αναπτύχθηκς ένας κυτταρικός βιοαισθητήρας με βάση τα κύτταρα και εφαρμόστηκε για τον προσδιορισμό των επιπέδων ανιόντος του σουπεροξειδίου. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι τα εκχυλίσματα πρωτεϊνών από τα φύλλα και τους μίσχους του γκι είχαν σημαντική επίδραση στα κύτταρα HeLa, προάγοντας οξειδωτική βλάβη και προκαλώντας απόπτωση, ειδικά όταν συνδυάζονταν με την 5-φθοροουρακίλη (5-FU). Αντίθετα, τα εκχυλίσματα ιξού εμφάνισαν τρόπο δράσης παρόμοιο με την καθαρή λεκτίνη Ι γκι (ML-I) και επέδειξαν διαφορετικά αποτελέσματα στο ρυθμό πολλαπλασιασμού των κυττάρων. Επιπλέον, πιθανά κυτταροτοξικά αποτελέσματα των πρωτεϊνικών εκχυλισμάτων ερευνήθηκαν σε δύο κυτταρικές σειρές καρκίνου του μαστού, την MCF-7 και την τριπλά αρνητική MDA-MB-231, αποκαλύπτοντας σημαντική επίδραση στον κυτταρικό πολλαπλασιασμό, ιδιαίτερα όταν χρησιμοποιούνται σε συνδυασμό με την 5-FU. Αυτά τα ευρήματα παρέχουν την δυνατότητα ανακάλυψης νέων βιοδραστικών προιόντων με φαρμακευτικό ενδιαφέρον και να ενισχύσουν την κατανόησή για τις βιοχημικές οδούς στις οποίες επιδρούν οι πρωτεΐνες γκι για τη θεραπεία του καρκίνου.
Multiple institutions’ research findings using the National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank
Authors: Barapatre Seemran , Gao Yuhe , Becich Michael John , Chandran Uma R. , Amin Waqas , Li Yaming , Ye Ye
Published: May 2024

Mesothelioma remains an under-researched cancerous disease due to the lack of high-quality patient samples and clinical information especially outcomes and asbestos exposure data. The National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank (NMVB) is a biobank in which mesothelioma annotated biospecimens can be made widely available to the research community. Here, we summarized the significant research findings from 20 publications that utilized the NMVB samples for novel biomarker and therapeutic discoveries. The results showed that the use of the NMVB resource was dispersed among a variety of basic science topics including, but not limited to, biomarkers, abnormal gene expression, and potential therapeutic targets. Positive biomarkers included several miRNAs and antibodies, HMGB1, ATG5, PIAS3, pancytokeratin and GATA3. Genes that had mutations or high/low levels of expression were BAP1, a human control gene of importance in this disease, as well as various cytokines, and checkpoint inhibitors TM4SF1, PKM2, ARHGDIA, COBLL1, WT1, FOXM1, and CD30. Treatments investigated include thiostrepton, interferon-β gene, and Brentuximab. Publications reviewed indicated a significant impact of the NMVB resource utilized in significant studies focusing on biomarker and therapeutic discoveries, which can act as a model for rare diseases, especially in oncology.
Breast cancer related physical, psychological, social and spiritual domains of quality of life among women in Bahrain
Authors: Narayanan Gayathripriya , Awadallah Muyssar Sabri , Krishnasamy Rajeswari
Published: May 2024

Background The objectives of the study were to assess the quality of life (QOL) among women with breast cancer and associate the QOL with selected background variables. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was adopted for the study. Data collection was done in oncology units of tertiary care centers. The sample type includes woman with breast cancer at stage I or II or IIIa as per TNM classification. A purposive sampling technique was followed with a total sample size of 60. The tool used was the Quality of Life (QOL) questionnaire - Breast Cancer Version by National Medical Center & Beckman Research institute. Results The QOL among study participants revealed that 42 (70%) had average QOL and 18 (30%) had poor QOL. The QOL was examined in various domains such as physical wellbeing, where the mean score was 38.47, the psychological wellbeing mean score was 60.58, social wellbeing mean was 38.10 and spiritual wellbeing mean was 38.58. There was an association between residence and occupation with QOL at p<0.05. Further there was an association between the clinical variable such as period and stages of cancer at p<0.05 and type of treatment at p<0.01. Conclusions Breast cancer diagnosis has an undeniable effect on women at work, home and can have rapid consequences for other members in the family. Evaluation of QOL and associated factors would help the health care professionals especially nurses to organize health promotion activities and counselling sessions in varied health care settings to overcome challenges and improve Quality of Life.
“Gilead is within you”: A Theocratic Narrative Setting of Cultural memory in Atwood’s The Testaments
Authors: Yadav Manshi , Arora Palak , Singh Mandvi
Published: May 2024

This article attempts to explore the synthetic relationship between group identities and their effects on cultural memory in Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments. It will investigate how Atwood’s dystopian fiction conspicuously weaves threads of cultural identity in the totalitarian society. While examining the work, the researchers found three forms of Memory Figures channelizing society: Architecture and time, Identical groupings, and Language. With significant attention to the prequel, The Handmaid’s Tale, this article will consider The Testaments for the dissection of hard-wired cultural memory formation. This article focuses on how a politically unsettled society of Gilead, through its Memory Figures, inscribes a cultural narrative while instructing individual memories. Atwood’s usage of these Memory Figures to achieve a theocratic regime has been scrutinized in this article. The Architecture of Gilead was given an intrusive wall of glass, where the symbol of eyes prevails, to externalize the surveillance of God on each one of its citizens, thereby forming a cultural memory of subjectivity. To make the citizens identify with groups, this theocratic regime specifies roles to citizens according to their rank for men and according to reproductive efficiency for women. Keeping in view the relevance of language in forming cultural memory, Atwood prescribed a set of greetings such as ‘under his eyes,’ and ‘praise be’ to make profound imprints on the individual memory of citizens, which has been discussed in the study. These three Memory Figures simultaneously form collective memory imprints on the citizens of Gilead, which in time became inherent cultural memories. This article explores how, by politicizing the issue of cultural memory in The Testaments, Atwood taps into the agency of people and establishes language control (communicative) to form the cultural memory narrative.
The potential of Sonneratia caseolaris mangrove leaves extract as a bioactive food ingredient using various water extract
Authors: Kartikaningsih Hartati , Fitriana Nur , Anggraeni Ike Listya , Semedi Bambang , Pertiwi Koentjoro Maharani
Published: May 2024

Background Sonneratia caseolaris, known as the red pidada, has been widely utilized by the Indonesian. S. caseolaris leaves contain various active compounds, contributing to their popularity in the treatment of various diseases. Mangrove leaves are also known to exhibit very high antioxidant activity. This study aims to assess the antioxidant activity of S . caseolaris leaves extracted using different solvents. The resulting extract was evaluated for antioxidant activity by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (DPPH) techniques. Methods Analysis of total flavonoids, total phenols, identification of active compounds with Liquid Chromatography High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (LC-HRMS), and bioinformatics were also carried out to obtain temporary conclusions about the antioxidant activity of S. caseolaris leaf extract. Results The results indicated that S. caseolaris leaves extracted with methanol and distilled water exhibited the highest antioxidant activity compared to other extracts. The analysis of total flavonoids and total phenols yielded results consistent with the antioxidant activity tests. LC-HRMS results identified three compounds in all S. caseolaris leaf extracts with antioxidant activity, namely Tempo, Choline, and Betaine. Tempo demonstrated a higher antioxidant activity than Choline and Betaine, as indicated by the binding affinity values in the bioinformatics analysis. Conclusions It is evident that S. caseolaris leaf extract has the potential to serve as an effective an antioxidant agent. Further research is needed to elucidate confirm the potential compounds in Sonneratia caseolaris leaves water extract interact with the target protein Keap1. S. caseolaris, in order to utilize them as active components in food and enhance antioxidant consumption among consumers.
Effectiveness of Mannitol Use on Clinical Outcomes of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Patients
Authors: Syahrul Syahrul , Musadir Nasrul , Hidayaturrahmi Hidayaturrahmi , Suryadi Taufik , Syahrul Aqil Naufal
Published: May 2024

Background Head injuries are considered as a silent epidemic due to the high incidence rate throughout the world. The main cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with head injury is cerebral edema which is defined as abnormal fluid accumulation in the brain parenchyma. Mannitol is a hyperosmolar solution given to reduce fluid volume in the brain. Increased high intracranial pressure can affect prognosis and can be evaluated by assessing clinical outcomes in patients with severe traumatic brain injury using the Glasgow Outcome Discharge Scale (GODS) instrument. Methods Observational analytical study with a cross sectional design on 50 patients with severe traumatic brain injury at dr. Zainoel Abidin General Hospital Banda Aceh to determine the effect of mannitol use on the clinical outcomes of severe traumatic brain injury patients which used t test analysis. Results The mean value of the group that received mannitol had a higher GODS score than the group that did not receive mannitol. The results of the T test between groups obtained a p value of 0.000 which is smaller than 0.05, so it can be concluded that the use of mannitol has an effect on the GODS score in Severe traumatic brain injury patients. The results showed that the mean GODS value in patients who received mannitol was higher than those who did not receive mannitol. Conclusion This concludes that the administration of mannitol is effective in improving the clinical outcomes of patients with severe traumatic brain injury at dr. Zainoel Abidin General Hospital Banda Aceh.
Inter-array cabling optimization in offshore wind power plants, a new reliability indicator for radial grids
Authors: Abritta Ramon , Pavlov Alexey , Varagnolo Damiano , Tore Børresen Børre
Published: May 2024

The inter-array grid relates to a significant share of the investments into an offshore wind power plant (OWPP). Optimizing the cable connections regarding costs and reliability is a mathematically complex task due to the high variety of possible wind and component (wind turbine or cable) failure scenarios. This paper presents a novel mixed integer linear programming approach to support investment decisions into OWPPs by trading off cabling purchase and installation costs with power capacity risk (PCR), which is defined as a length-weighed cumulative power flow summation that reflects the consequences of cable failures. Then, quasi-random Monte Carlo simulations assess the optimized collection grids (CGs) to quantify their levelized cost of energy (LCOE). To construct relevant case studies, this work investigates the real OWPPs Ormonde, Horns Rev 1, Thanet, and London Array, which contain 30, 80, 100, and 175 wind turbines. The results reveal Pearson correlation coefficients around 0.99 between the proposed PCR and the expected energy not supplied. Furthermore, this paper’s findings indicate that minimum-cost CGs do not necessarily present the lowest LCOE.
Helicobacter pylori: High dose amoxicillin does not improve primary or secondary eradication rates in an Irish cohort
Authors: Costigan Conor , O'Sullivan Aoife M , O'Connell Jim , Sengupta Shreyashee , Butler Thomas , Molloy Stephen , O'Hara Fintan John , Ryan Barbara , Breslin Niall , O'Donnell Sarah , O'Connor Anthony , Smith Sinead , McNamara Deirdre
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori ) eradication rates have fallen globally, likely in large part due to increasing antibiotic resistance to traditional therapy. In areas of high clarithromycin and metronidazole resistance such as ours, Maastricht VI guidelines suggest high dose amoxicillin dual therapy (HDADT) can be considered, subject to evidence for local efficacy. In this study we assess efficacy of HDADT therapy for H. pylori eradication in an Irish cohort.

AIM

To assess the efficacy of HDADT therapy for H. pylori eradication in an Irish cohort as both first line, and subsequent therapy for patients diagnosed with H. pylori .

METHODS

All patients testing positive for H. pylori in a tertiary centre were treated prospectively with HDADT (amoxicillin 1 g tid and esomeprazole 40 mg bid × 14 d) over a period of 8 months. Eradication was confirmed with Urea Breath Test at least 4 wk after cessation of therapy. A delta-over-baseline > 4% was considered positive. Patient demographics and treatment outcomes were recorded, analysed and controlled for basic demographics and prior H. pylori treatment.

RESULTS

One hundred and ninety-eight patients were identified with H. pylori infection, 10 patients were excluded due to penicillin allergy and 38 patients refused follow up testing. In all 139 were included in the analysis, 55% (n = 76) were female, mean age was 46.6 years. Overall, 93 (67%) of patients were treatment-naïve and 46 (33%) had received at least one previous course of treatment. The groups were statistically similar. Self-reported compliance with HDADT was 97%, mild side-effects occurred in 7%. There were no serious adverse drug reactions. Overall the eradication rate for our cohort was 56% (78/139). Eradication rates were worse for those with previous treatment [43% (20/46) vs 62% (58/93), P = 0.0458, odds ratio = 2.15]. Age and Gender had no effect on eradication status.

CONCLUSION

Overall eradication rates with HDADT were disappointing. Despite being a simple and possibly better tolerated regime, these results do not support its routine use in a high dual resistance country. Further investigation of other regimens to achieve the > 90% eradication target is needed.
Managing adult-onset Still's disease in pregnancy: A case report
Authors: Kang Ji-Hyoun
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND

Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a rare systemic inflammatory disorder characterized by fever, arthritis, skin rash, and systemic symptoms. The etiology of AOSD is unknown; however, it is thought to be related to immune dysregulation. Although a rare disease, AOSD can significantly impact reproductive health, particularly during pregnancy. This case study assesses the implications of pregnancy in a patient with AOSD, as well as the potential for heredity of the disease. Neonatal hemophagocytic lympho-histiocytosis (HLH) is a rare and life-threatening disorder characterized by hyperinflammation and uncontrolled activation of immune cells, leading to multiple organ dysfunction. This case report aimed to introduce neonatal HLH from a mother with AOSD.

CASE SUMMARY

This case study presents a 29-year-old female with AOSD who became pregnant and gave birth to a premature infant who was diagnosed with neonatal HLH. AOSD can significantly impact pregnancy and childbirth, as it may become more severe during pregnancy, with an increased risk of fetal loss and preterm birth. The management of AOSD during pregnancy involves the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and glucocorticoids, as well as immunosuppressive agents in severe cases. However, the use of immunosuppressive agents during pregnancy may be associated with potential risks to the fetus. The hereditary implications of AOSD are unclear; however, available evidence suggests that genetic factors may play a role in the disease development.

CONCLUSION

AOSD can have significant implications for pregnancy and childbirth, including an increased risk of fetal loss and preterm birth. Neonatal HLH, a complication of AOSD in pregnancy, requires prompt diagnosis and management. Women with AOSD who are considering pregnancy should discuss their options with their healthcare provider and develop a management plan that addresses the potential risks to both mother and fetus.
Dynamically changing antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies in granulomatosis with polyangiitis: A case report
Authors: Zhang Yan , Dai Qiao-Ding , Wang Ji-An , Xu Li-Ping , Chen Qiang , Jin Yang-Zi
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is one of the most prevalent forms of the antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis. GPA is characterized histologically by necrotizing granulomatous inflammation in addition to vasculitis. The diagnosis of GPA depends on clinical presentation, serological evidence of a positive ANCA, and/or histological evidence of necrotizing vasculitis or granulomatous destructive parenchymal inflammation. Cytoplasmic ANCA (c-ANCA) is positive in 65%-75% of GPA patients, accompanied by proteinase 3 (PR3), the main target antigen of c-ANCA, another 5% of GPA patients had negative ANCA.

CASE SUMMARY

The patient, a 52-year-old male, presented with unexplained nasal congestion, tinnitus, and hearing loss. After a duration of 4 months experiencing these symptoms, the patient subsequently developed fever and headache. The imaging examination revealed the presence of bilateral auricular mastoiditis and partial paranasal sinusitis, and the ANCA results were negative. The anti-infective therapy proved to be ineffective, but the patient's symptoms and fever were quickly relieved after 1 wk of treatment with methylprednisolone 40 mg once a day. However, after continuous use of methylprednisolone tablets for 3 months, the patient experienced a recurrence of fever accompanied by right-sided migraine, positive c-ANCA and PR3, and increased total protein in cerebrospinal fluid. The patient was diagnosed with GPA. After receiving a treatment regimen of intravenous methylprednisolone 40 mg/d and cyclophosphamide 0.8 g monthly, the patient experienced alleviation of fever and headache. Additionally, the ANCA levels became negative and there has been no recurrence.

CONCLUSION

For GPA patients with negative ANCA, there is a potential for early missed diagnosis. The integration of histopathological results and multidisciplinary communication plays a crucial role in facilitating ANCA-negative GPA.
Health and care funding at 75
Authors: Charlesworth Anita , Shembavnekar Nihar , Stevenson George
Published: May 2024

As the NHS marks its 50th anniversary, questions about the financial sustainability of a tax-funded, free at the point of use service are being raised once more. The pressures on the health service are intense. Spending increased to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, following a decade of historically low funding growth. The decade of austerity left the NHS with limited capacity to manage the health shock. COVID-19 exposed and magnified the risks associated with prioritising short-term efficiency and cost control over resilience. Over the next decade building a resilient health service which is able to both reduce the care backlog and respond to a rapidly ageing population with rising health need will require funding to increase by more than inflation and GDP. But the NHS can’t go it alone, it needs to be part of a health eco-system that includes better funded public health and social care services. This raises profound questions about the size of the state and levels of taxation.
Improving health and tackling health inequalities: what role for the NHS?
Authors: Powell Martin , Exworthy Mark
Published: May 2024

The NHS has often been seen as a ‘sickness’ service, not least because most determinants of health lie outside healthcare. Yet, the NHS has sought, over its 75 years, to address health inequalities, often through resource allocation and access to services. The analytical axes and evaluative perspectives (from Chapter 1) are then applied to the ways in which the NHS has address health inequalities.
The NHS at 75 in comparative perspective
Authors: Greener Ian
Published: May 2024

This chapter explores OECD data to comparatively locate the NHS in relation to a range of key measures in terms of its position today, its position before the COVID-19 pandemic, and then at two other time points. It concludes that the NHS rates comparatively strongly on equity, but that its services are under severe pressure both because of the pandemic, but also because of the wider societal context of social inequality within which it has to function – a context which has grown worse over the last decade. In order to understand and address the difficulties facing the NHS, we have to look wider than health services, and begin to address these wider societal challenges.
Childhoods of the Global South
Authors: Liebel Manfred , Budde Rebecca , Markowska-Manista Urszula , Meade Philip
Published: May 2024

Children in the Global South continue to be affected by social disadvantage in our unequal postcolonial world order. With a special focus on working-class children in Latin America, this book explores the challenges of promoting children’s rights in a decolonizing context. It gives insights into the political lives of children and demonstrate ways in which the concept of children’s rights can be made meaningful at the grassroots level. The overall perspective of the book is emancipatory for children of the Global South, providing a much-needed refocus for children’s rights through the lens of the decolonization of childhoods. The book recognizes children as actors for a free and just society without violence and discrimination. It informs and interprets the history and present of children’s rights as a medium of resistance, emancipation and liberation. Looking to the future, the book considers how collaborative and participatory research with children, guided by ethical principles, can counteract their marginalization and oppression in society. The book continues and concretizes reflections outlined by the author in his book Decolonizing Childhoods (Policy Press, 2020).
Introduction
Authors: Iliadou Evgenia
Published: May 2024

From 2015 onwards, the debates and dominant narratives about the 2015 ‘refugee crisis’ put forward by multiple intervening actors and policymakers (at EU, national and local levels) and in the media have been ahistorical misconceptions, as they have routinely represented the refugee situation and the human suffering and border violence in the Greek region as new, unforeseen, isolated events or tragic accidents – that is, as ‘crises’ – which were not consistent with existing patterns (Freek and Lindblad, 2002). These misconceptions have tended to obscure deep historical roots – the genealogy of border violence in Greece and its continuum in the present – as they see the refugee issue, border violence, suffering and border deaths in Greece and Lesvos as starting explicitly in 2015. This chapter sets out the aims and the structure of the book. It also includes a discussion on concepts, methods, positionality, power and ethics.
Introduction
Authors: Leccardi Carmen , Jedlowski Paolo , Cavalli Alessandro
Published: May 2024

The key idea behind this book can be summarized as follows: the study of temporal perspectives and the changes brought about by historical processes can help the social sciences recompose what other disciplines have gradually separated and fragmented, and oftentimes contrasted. In a global society full of conflicts that have only been partially analysed, we need a global approach. A temporal analysis can both sustain this approach and concretely express it. Using time as an analytic tool, the defence of life in the Anthropocene and the fight against unacceptable levels of economic and social inequality – not only between the Global North and South but also within individual societies – can become part of the same global justice project. In this framework, we first need to identify the signals coming from free civil society and amplify its call for a radical change of direction. Depending on the possibilities available to us today, we must redefine our horizons with regard to both the climate crisis and the ‘reasonable utopias’ that promote respect for the moral ideal of equality. We can therefore affirm that while focusing on a redefinition of the concepts of memory and project in the first decades of the new century, and exploring how the very concept of generation has been transformed in this context, this book advances a distinctly political perspective.
North Korean Women and Defection
Authors: Lim Hyun-Joo
Published: May 2024

Since the economic crisis of the mid-1990s, there has been a surge of people fleeing North Korea in search of food and better lives, the majority of whom are women. While some limited publications have examined human rights activism among North Korean defectors, no research to date has focused on women’s activism. This book explores this under-researched field by examining the narratives of North Korean women refugees and activists in the UK. Taking a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, it uses notions of imagination and altruism in exploring the life stories of the participants. Their narratives reveal serious human rights violations endured by women during their lives in North Korea and in China. Such experiences have become an impetus for their activism, driven by their vision to improve the lives of other North Korean women and children. This book argues that such a battle is critical for addressing North Korean women’s human rights, and that tackling women’s rights issues will have a ripple effect on children and men due to overlapping characteristics that affect all North Koreans, together with their interconnected lives. This book additionally proposes the concept of Altruistic Political Imagination (API), building on notions around imagination and altruism. The book argues that North Korean women’s utopian dream of a better future for their compatriots is vital in their activism if they are to overcome the challenges they face.
The Relationship between Science and Politics
Authors: Soneryd Linda , Sundqvist Göran
Published: May 2024

This chapter continues the presentation of ideas about science and politics as separate. While the previous chapter focused on separation as part of wider societal changes and discussed thinkers who demonstrate a clear separation, some of whom also support the idea of strictly separated domains, this chapter focuses on approaches that discuss how science and politics can and should be related to each other, while simultaneously acknowledging that separation exists. Many of the scholars discussed in the chapter study what happens when science and politics meet. First, the chapter presents the view that the increased importance of scientific knowledge for political decision-making has led to stronger demands for scientific consensus. For scientific experts to effectively impact on and influence political decisions, their knowledge base must be generally accepted among other scientists. It then describes the linear model, which is based on the idea that knowledge precedes action. The deficit model follows from the linear model and implies that the public is characterized by knowledge deficits, which can be remedied with education and reliable information. It then presents Jürgen Habermas’ seminal pragmatic model as a way to manage the gap between science and politics, and also the technocratic tendencies in modern society based on the increasing dominance of expert knowledge. In the two final sections of this chapter, classical STS research on what happens when scientific experts become involved in political decision-making processes is presented. Dorothy Nelkin’s studies serve as an important example. Nelkin’s conclusion is that politics frames the work of experts and how expert knowledge is used, and thereby expertise is reduced to a tool in managing political conflicts.
What Can Science and Technological Studies Say about Science and Democracy?
Authors: Soneryd Linda , Sundqvist Göran
Published: May 2024

Throughout this book, a range of challenges and possibilities that arise in relation to science and expertise have been discussed. These include the boundaries between science and democracy or, more generally, between science and politics, and how concerned groups or the general public can be involved in technoscientific issues. It is almost impossible to find areas in life that have not been influenced by technoscientific developments. When the results of science have an impact on people’s lives and when political decisions and public discussions are framed by scientific expertise, fundamental and classical issues concerning democracy emerge: Who is concerned? Who governs? Who benefits? What negative impacts and uncertainties are to be found? The focus in this book on scientific knowledge and expertise could be assessed as a limitation of the book’s approach to democracy; however, it is argued that science and technology developments inevitably shape social order and, therefore, also impinge on how we can imagine and practice democracy. This final chapter presents the authors’ view on how STS can contribute to an improved understanding of the interplay between science and democracy. The introduction to this book referred to the shadow theory of democracy, which points to the hidden assumptions and unexplored premises of democratic theory. These hidden premises can also be thought of as vulnerabilities of today’s liberal democracies, concerning questions such as: Who is the public? Who governs? How can we guarantee that democracy leads to equal outcomes? (Gustavsson 2018). These are termed ‘vulnerabilities’ because they are often assumed to be connected to clear answers, but they seldom are and they can, therefore, lead to mistrust in the democratic system altogether.
PureHealth: Feminist New Materialism, Posthuman Auto-Ethnography and Hegemonic Health Assemblages
Authors: Sikka Tina
Published: May 2024

Studies of technology using feminist STS (feminist science and technology studies) have proliferated over the past few years, with feminist new materialism (FNM) taking on a particular kind of saliency vis-à-vis the study of technologies that directly implicate the body. My own research in this area has become interpellated with and through an expansive definition of technology that includes the study of wellness technologies and the ongoing (re)deconstruction of contemporary understandings of what it means to be ‘in good health’. In conducting this research, I produced a framework through which to think about health technologies including health monitors, fitness trackers, health-oriented superfoods and, for the purposes of this chapter, immunity-boosting supplements whose sales have skyrocketed during the pandemic. I call this framework the auto-ethnographic and rhizomatic socio-material feminist approach to science and technology. I use this generative framework to excavate and interrogate COVID-19 related ‘immunity-boosting supplements’ as technoscientific artefacts whose prior enactments reflect a theory of health that is normative, Eurocentric, neoliberal and entangled with hegemonic understandings of race, class, gender, disability, sexuality, capitalism, colonialism and fatness.
Health Praxis in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Diagnostics, Caregiving and Reimagining the Role(s) of Healthcare Practitioners
Authors: Cummings Kevin , Rief John
Published: May 2024

Scholars and practitioners from across the allied health disciplines have commented on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as an adjunct for clinical diagnosis and prognosis. Few have attempted to make sense of AI as a communicating and deliberating agent in health praxis. To fill this gap, this chapter builds on the works of Atul Gawande, Eric Topol, Ruha Benjamin, Safiya Noble, Athena du Pré, Barbara Overton and others to offer a rhetorical-deliberative framework for reconceptualizing AI as a fully realized member of the healthcare team. Taking this view of AI provides a pathway for humanizing the machinic attributes of 21st century technological medicine while simultaneously (re)humanizing practitioners, patients and the overall medical ecology they inhabit and depend upon for cultivating health and well-being. Humanizing health praxis in this way may augment the quality of healthcare delivery and outcomes as we continue our journey with the artificial beings that do and will inhabit our world
Prefiguring Utopia
Authors: Aswini Clarence-Smith Suryamayi
Published: May 2024

Intentional communities around the world are experimenting with new paradigms for human society, including participatory political practices, cooperative economic arrangements and holistic educational modalities. As such, they are perhaps the most compelling contemporary exercise of utopianism and certainly have something to teach us about attempting to foster positive societal change. This book examines Auroville, the largest, most diverse and long-standing intentional community in the world, internationally recognized for its holistic, progressive and inclusive ideals and practices. Located in Tamil Nadu, South India, Auroville uniquely draws on spiritual ideals to enact a prefigurative utopian practice applicable to all aspects of human society; the author, a scholar native to Auroville, offers an in-depth autoethnographic analysis of how its ideals have been, and continue to be, articulated, embodied and developed in realms as wide-ranging as the community’s political and economic organization, as well as various cultural practices. Responding to critiques that spirituality discourages activism, this work is revelatory of the strategic role and influence of spirituality in inspiring, informing and sustaining prefigurative political practice, while providing an honest analysis of the challenges of direct democracy, as well as prefiguring an alternative form of economic organization within a mainstream capitalist context. It raises important considerations pertaining to the perpetuation of prefigurative experiments, drawn from Auroville’s singular longevity and development trajectory, providing both theoretical and pragmatic insights into how communal utopian practice is enabled, challenged and sustained that are relevant for scholars and activists of prefigurative and utopian experiments alike.
Multi-protocol updating for seamless key negotiation in quantum metropolitan networks
Authors: Zhu Jiali , Cao Yuan , Guo Mingxuan , Zhou Xingyu , Zhang Chunhui , Li Jian , Yu Xiaosong , Zhao Yongli , Zhang Jie , Wang Qin
Published: May 2024

Quantum key distribution (QKD) can provide long-term security for numerous users. Currently, quantum networks are still in the early stages of small-scale deployment, most of which can only support a single QKD protocol (QKDP). However, with the advancement of various QKDPs, a single-protocol quantum network is no longer sufficient to meet the demands of multiple users, prompting the emergence of multi-protocol quantum networks. Nevertheless, the transition from a single-protocol to a multi-protocol quantum network still faces many challenging issues, such as key negotiation interruptions due to device initialization and channel calibration during protocol updating. To address the quantum key negotiation interruption problem, we propose a seamless key negotiation oriented multi-protocol updating algorithm in this work, which can fulfill the protocol updating requests of different users in quantum metropolitan networks. Furthermore, to better improve network performance while meeting diverse user demands, we propose four heuristic algorithms for optimal QKDP recommendation, focusing on their applications for multi-protocol updating in different types of typical networks. We perform the simulations with different QKDP recommendation algorithms to analyze the impact of the cache time of the key cache area on the key negotiation interruption probability and the time resource utilization. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can reduce the key negotiation interruption probability by 77.7% while increasing the time resource utilization by 15.3% compared to no key cache area.
Full-angle single-shot quantitative phase imaging based on Kramers–Kronig relations
Authors: Chen Xiang , Yao Sihong , Song Junan , Ding Tianwei , Li Guoqing , Song Jiawei , Nie Shouping , Ma Jun , Yuan Caojin
Published: May 2024

As a non-interference and non-iterative method, annular-illumination quantitative phase imaging based on Kramers–Kronig relations (AIKK) can realize phase measurement with full-angle resolution enhancement under multiple exposures. In order to completely record the object spectrum with a single shot, we proposed a colorful complementary illumination method in the recording process. The angle of this illumination mode is not symmetrical with each other, so the spectrum between the three channels can complement each other to avoid spectrum loss caused by spectrum conjugation. Meanwhile, the three spectral segments of full-angle information spectrum respectively carried by three wavelengths can be recorded. Additionally, the numerical filter is applied to correct the overlapped spectrum in the reconstruction process. Simulation and experimental results show that this method can achieve high spatiotemporal resolution quantitative phase measurement.
UV-enhanced photorefractive response rate in a thin-film lithium niobate microdisk
Authors: Hou Jiankun , Xue Boyi , Ma Ruixin , Yu Simin , Zhu Yicheng , Chen Xianfeng , Lu Juanjuan , Wan Wenjie
Published: May 2024

The photorefractive (PR) effect plays a critical role in emerging photonic technologies, including dynamic volume holography and on-chip all-optical functionalities. Nevertheless, its slow response rate has posed a significant obstacle to its practical application. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the enhancement of the PR response rate in a high-Q thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) microdisk under UV light irradiation. At an irradiation intensity of 30 mW/cm2, the PR effect achieves a high response bandwidth of approximately 256 kHz. By employing this UV-assisted PR effect, we have achieved rapid laser-cavity locking and self-stabilization, where perturbations are automatically compensated. This technique paves the way toward real-time dynamic holography, editable photonic devices on a lithium niobate platform, and high-speed all-optical information processing.
Low-latency optical switching technology for next-generation edge-cloud computing platforms
Authors: Aida Hayato , Uenohara Hiroyuki
Published: May 2024

We investigated the application of compact and densely integrated silicon photonics (SiP) switches and controlled them using layer 2 labels to achieve low-latency and low-power-consumption data transfer for resource disaggregation and convergence in edge/cloud computing platforms. We utilize virtual LAN identifiers of the standardized Ethernet frame as labels of the packet, which were read by the look-up table (LUT) formed in a field-programmable gate array to control the output destination of the switch. During the label control operation, a delay of 140 ns in the LUT is observed using the software and considering delay in label addition/identification and the off-logic processing delay in transmission/reception, the delay in label addition/identification can be expected to be on the order of microseconds. Three SiP Mach-Zehnder-Interferometer-type switches were monolithically integrated with three inputs and four outputs. The bit error rate (BER) of each switch path was measured, and it was found that the BER was less than 10−8 at all paths.
FOXA3 regulates cholesterol metabolism to compensate for low uptake during the progression of lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Wang Dongmei , Cao Yuxiang , Meng Meiyao , Qiu Jin , Ni Chao , Guo Xiaozhen , Li Yu , Liu Shuang , Yu Jian , Guo Mingwei , Wang Jiawen , Du Bing , Qiu Wenwei , Xie Cen , Zhao Bing , Ma Xinran , Cheng Xinghua , Xu Lingyan
Published: May 2024

Cholesterol metabolism is vital for multiple cancer progression, while how cholesterol affects lung, a low-cholesterol tissue, for cancer metastasis and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. In this study, we found that metastatic lung adenocarcinoma cells acquire cellular dehydrocholesterol and cholesterol by endogenous cholesterol biosynthesis, instead of uptake upon cholesterol treatment. Besides, we demonstrated that exogenous cholesterol functions as signaling molecule to induce FOXA3, a key transcription factor for lipid metabolism via GLI2. Subsequently, ChIP-seq analysis and molecular studies revealed that FOXA3 transcriptionally activated Hmgcs1, an essential enzyme of cholesterol biosynthesis, to induce endogenous dehydrocholesterol and cholesterol level for membrane composition change and cell migration. Conversely, FOXA3 knockdown or knockout blocked cholesterol biosynthesis and lung adenocarcinoma metastasis in mice. In addition, the potent FOXA3 inhibitor magnolol suppressed metastatic gene programs in lung adenocarcinoma patient-derived organoids (PDOs). Altogether, our findings shed light onto unique cholesterol metabolism and FOXA3 contribution to lung adenocarcinoma metastasis.