bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bioenergetic profiles of peripheral mononuclear cells and systemic inflammation in women with Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS)
Authors: Kumar Parveen , Oster Robert A. , Assimos Dean G. , Ness Timothy J. , Mitchell Tanecia
Published: February 2024

Inflammation is thought to contribute to the etiology of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). It is well-known that disruption in metabolism in immune cells contributes to inflammation in several inflammatory diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether cellular bioenergetics is altered in monocytes and lymphocytes from women with IC/BPS, and if these alterations correlate with systemic inflammatory markers. Age and BMI matched adult healthy women (HS; n = 18) and women with IC/BPS (n = 18) were included in the study. Blood was collected to assess cellular bioenergetics in monocytes and lymphocytes using a Seahorse XF96 Analyzer and plasma cytokine levels were measured using Meso Scale Discovery immunoassays. The correlation between bioenergetic parameters, cytokines, and demographics was determined using Pearson correlation coefficients. Means of the two groups were compared using the two-group t-test. Patients with IC/BPS had reduced monocyte oxygen consumption rates and glycolytic rates compared to healthy subjects. In contrast, lymphocytes from these patients had increased oxygen consumption rates and glycolytic rates. Several cytokines and chemokines including Interferon-gamma (IFN-ɣ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-ɑ), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin-8 (IL-8) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were significantly elevated in the plasma of patients with IC/BPS. However, Transforming growth factor (TGF-β) and Interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels were significantly decreased in IC/BPS patients compared to HS. In addition, Interferon gamma (IFN-ɣ), TNF-ɑ, IL-8, and TGF-β levels correlated with several bioenergetic parameters in monocytes or lymphocytes from healthy subjects. In contrast, TNF-ɑ and IL-8 correlated with bioenergetic parameters in monocytes from IC/BPS patients. Monocyte and lymphocyte cellular bioenergetics and plasma cytokine levels are different in patients with IC/PBS compared to HS. It appears that systemic inflammation is greater in this cohort which may negatively impact immune cell function. The relationship between cellular bioenergetics and inflammation in monocytes and lymphocytes could be important in understanding the pathogenesis of IC/PBS and warrants further investigation.
Testing the intrinsic mechanisms driving the dynamics of Ross River Virus across Australia
Authors: Koolhof Iain S. , Beeton Nicholas , Bettiol Silvana , Charleston Michael , Firestone Simon M. , Gibney Katherine , Neville Peter , Jardine Andrew , Markey Peter , Kurucz Nina , Warchot Allan , Krause Vicki , Onn Michael , Rowe Stacey , Franklin Lucinda , Fricker Stephen , Williams Craig , Carver Scott
Published: February 2024

The mechanisms driving dynamics of many epidemiologically important mosquito-borne pathogens are complex, involving combinations of vector and host factors (e.g., species composition and life-history traits), and factors associated with transmission and reporting. Understanding which intrinsic mechanisms contribute most to observed disease dynamics is important, yet often poorly understood. Ross River virus (RRV) is Australia’s most important mosquito-borne disease, with variable transmission dynamics across geographic regions. We used deterministic ordinary differential equation models to test mechanisms driving RRV dynamics across major epidemic centers in Brisbane, Darwin, Mandurah, Mildura, Gippsland, Renmark, Murray Bridge, and Coorong. We considered models with up to two vector species (Aedes vigilax, Culex annulirostris, Aedes camptorhynchus, Culex globocoxitus), two reservoir hosts (macropods, possums), seasonal transmission effects, and transmission parameters. We fit models against long-term RRV surveillance data (1991–2017) and used Akaike Information Criterion to select important mechanisms. The combination of two vector species, two reservoir hosts, and seasonal transmission effects explained RRV dynamics best across sites. Estimated vector-human transmission rate (average β = 8.04x10-4per vector per day) was similar despite different dynamics. Models estimate 43% underreporting of RRV infections. Findings enhance understanding of RRV transmission mechanisms, provide disease parameter estimates which can be used to guide future research into public health improvements and offer a basis to evaluate mitigation practices.
Prevalence of Giardia duodenalis in dogs and cats: Age-related predisposition, symptomatic, and asymptomatic cyst shedding
Authors: Kurnosova Olga P. , Panova Olga A. , Arisov Mikhail V.
Published: February 2024

Background and Aim: Giardiasis is a protozoal disease that is globally prevalent in dogs and cats. The clinical manifestations vary, but asymptomatic cases have also been reported. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of Giardia duodenalis in domestic dogs and cats, characterize the age susceptibility to this disease, and determine the frequency of cases in which cysts are combined with stool changes.

Materials and Methods: After centrifugation in a zinc sulfate solution (specific gravity = 1.32 g/cm3), feces of dogs (2761) and cats (1579) were examined microscopically. The age of the animals and the presence of coprological stool characteristics such as fecal odor, consistency, presence of mucus, and other pathological impurities were taken into account.

Results: G. duodenalis infection rates were 18.2% (215/1182) in dogs aged 1–12 months and 3.8% (60/1579) in dogs older than 12 months. The infection rate was 7.8% (48/615) in cats aged 1–12 months and 3.35% (33/994) in cats aged >12 months. The most frequently observed coprological abnormalities in cyst-positive animals were soft and/or mushy stool and pungent odor. In dogs, the frequency of these symptoms was 24.4% (67/275), 27.6% (76/275), and 36.4% (100/275) for soft stools, mushy stools, and pungent fecal odor, and 37.8% (31/82), 25.6% (21/82), and 19.5% (16/82), respectively. No stool changes were found when G. duodenalis cysts were detected in dogs in 24.7% (68/275) of cases and in cats in 24.4% (20/82).

Conclusion: G. duodenalis cysts are reported more frequently in domestic cats and dogs under 12 months of age than in dogs under 12 months of age. The presence of Giardia cysts is usually accompanied by a strong odor of feces and changes in their consistency. It can be concluded that it is necessary to conduct periodic surveillance for apparently healthy dogs and cats to rule out G. duodenalis infection.

Keywords: age of animals, cat feces, consistency of dog feces, coprological parameters, cysts, feces, Giardia duodenalis.
Embedded-SIM (E-SIM) an Overview in Latin America: Implementation, Availability, Advantages and Disadvantages
Authors:   SIDIA Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia, da Silva Medeiros Hyggor , de Souza Bezerra Leandro , Trinidad España Fernando , Santos de Oliveira Jefferson Tiago
Published: February 2024

Search new forms for data management and security is a continuous tendency for mobile operators. Proof of this is the trend of the latest technology related to the Embedded Subscriber Identity Module or Embedded-SIM (E-SIM). Recently there was an increase in the number of devices that offer this technology as a security element for the access to the network, however, it is clear the lack of consistent information for the implementation of this technology within Latin America. This research presents a current overview about the evolution of the embedded subscriber identity module, aiming to present the general characteristics that are part of the network, evaluate the current status of implementation and adoption with Latin America carriers, showing the obstacles in the process of acceptance of new technology by users as well as the advantages, disadvantages of E-SIM in relation to the traditional SIM Card. The investigation was carried out through documentary surveys and field research, the data was collected to demonstrate the current perspective of the implementation of E-SIM and adoption by customers and network operators in Latin America. The observed results showed that the adoption of E-SIM in Latin America has been increasing, it was observed that most countries have at least one carrier that makes available and offers this service. Regarding the advantages and disadvantages, evidence has been observed place E-SIM like a better technology than a SIM Card.
Learning Styles and Teaching Strategies in Gastronomy: Kolb theory applied to students and teachers of the University Center Senac Campus Águas de São Pedro
Authors: Prezoto Ana Paula Tunussi , Teixeira Nicholas Fernandes , Amaral Karoline Bertucci do , Isaac Victor Ragazzi , Coletti Gabriel Furlan
Published: February 2024

Learning can be defined as a process of creation and incorporation of knowledge through the transformation of experience. It is through the combination of apprehension experience that learning occurs, i.e., through transformative experience and by understanding information. This study is based on Kolb's theory, which defines four cyclic stages that exemplify learning modes. This article investigates the learning styles of undergraduate students of the higher education course in Gastronomy Technology of the SENAC University Center of the Águas de São Pedro campus, aiming to verify the preferences for the methodologies applied in the unit, and the relationship between the learning styles of the students and those of their teachers. This is an exploratory and descriptive study, based on bibliographic research. It is also quantitative, as it uses a standardized test/structured questionnaire for the data collection. Results were obtained from a sample of 115 students, mostly demonstrating convergence in terms of learning styles and preferred methodologies, preferring, in the latter case, technical visit, experimentation and dialogued exposure. Among the sample of teachers, comprising 22 respondents, the accommodating learning style was prevalent. Based on these results, it was concluded that the students’ predominant learning style differed from that of the teachers, presenting teachers with a challenge to apply the best teaching methodologies and bring quality teaching.
Modernist Mapping and Post-postmodern Feeling: The Rhizomatic Framework of Zadie Smith’s White Teeth
Authors: Kowalik George
Published: February 2024

Zadie Smith’s White Teeth (2000) self-consciously foregrounds its structure, shape, and organisation, doing so to channel modernist legacies of the encyclopaedic novel. But Smith also reacts against postmodernism’s extension of this experimental framework – an extension which in the second half of the twentieth century was bolstered by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari’s concept of the ‘rhizome’. Resisting the threats of stasis and unfeeling that come with this development, Smith’s work can be seen as engaging with post-postmodern affect and sincerity, which in the case of White Teeth facilitates a vital discussion of the subject of race.
"Here we go into the grey": Moses Sumney's Song Writing of opacity in grae (2020).
Authors: De Vivo Anna
Published: February 2024

As a decidedly indeterminate confessional, græ is simultaneously a plea and evasion to be understood, one which finds Sumney articulating his own opacity. As theorised by the Martiniquan philosopher Edouard Glissant, opacity is to be understood as an unmeasured difference, a diversity that exceeds categorisation. While Western liberal society has moved to understand and acknowledge difference, this recognition often comes with ‘a requirement for transparency’: ultimately an negation of that very difference, under the sign of a false universality.
‘Sentimental Cultures, Political Fantasy, and Unfeeling’
Authors: Barba Guerrero Paula
Published: February 2024

Amidst a growing scholarly interest in cultural representations of emotion, Xine Yao’s Disaffected: The Cultural Politics of Unfeeling in Nineteenth-Century America offers a fresh perspective on the role of affect and its historical use. Disaffected persuasively investigates the implicit violence of white sentimentalism, insisting on its inextricable connection to dominant power structures. Yao posits affect as crisscrossed by ideology, delineating a distinct coloniality of emotion and exchange that results in proper feelings or expectable emotional reactions marked by one’s gender, sexuality, and race. Yao’s monograph critiques these impositions, turning instead to reappraise the concept of ‘unfeeling’ in nineteenth-century America.
Siblings in America
Authors: Mintzes Jessica
Published: February 2024

Siblings in America
A Pixel Imperfect World
Authors: Gilman Jennie
Published: February 2024

This piece, entitled "A Pixel Imperfect World", approaches the theme of 'unfeeling' through a character most feared for their unfeeling disposition, the cyborg. In this piece, the cyborg can be seen walking through a world of pixelated flowers and foliage. I like to think of the cyborg here as the creator of this natural world, an image of nature viewed from the perspective of a non-human machine. Though made up of pixels, the bricks of digital world-building and a definitively unnatural material, this artificial nature is undeniably beautiful. This challenges anthropocentric ideas of what constitutes "nature", "beauty" and "human", by blurring the boundary between nature and technology, just as the cyborg blurs the boundary between human and machine. This piece was inspired by my attempts to draw 3D images of "nature" in Tilt Brush, a 3D-painting Virtual Reality app. Despite my efforts, the results of my drawings of flowers, trees and natural landscapes in the VR world are absurdly unnatural. And yet in spite of this, they are beautiful. Taking this experience as its focus, I have used hand cut squares of different coloured paper and stuck these on individually to form mosaic shapes as flowers and foliage.
This piece could have easily been produced as a digital illustration, with far more accurate results. But by taking an analogue approach to the digital material of the pixel, there is an imperfection to the pixels in the image, they are creased and wonky and at times disjointed. This gives a fallibility and "humanness" (though I tend to avoid terms like this which fall into humanist ideologies) to the digital world depicted here, further blurring the digital/natural binary transcended by the "unfeeling" cyborg.
An Alien Perspective
Authors: Nambiar Naveen
Published: February 2024

During the pandemic, a lot of people who I spoke to, were struggling with challenging mental health issues.
One person recounted her experience of how she felt like an alien – her vision inspired me and prompted me
to paint this piece. The point of view adopted is that of an alien – unfamiliar with the ways of the world and
feeling uncomfortable and distant. The new-borns signify a state of naivety and innocence that is short-lived
– a state where one is ‘un’feeling and oblivious to human judgement, rat-race and toxicity. The circle reflects
the wholistic impression of life; the plants symbolize life and modes of intoxicated existence, like a trance –
before reality jolts one back to forcibly ‘feel’. The serpent is the eye, akin to the Biblical allusion of tempting
Eve to bite the apple from the forbidden tree of knowledge; here, the serpent signifies the temptation to ‘feel’
and acts as a resistance to human tendency to ‘un’feel. The shape is consciously a circle, like a circular eye -
symbolic of ‘nirvana’ – a state of enlightenment in Buddhist philosophy – where souls ‘feel’ through
‘un’feeling.
‘But within are secrets’: Space in Thomas Middleton and William Rowley’s The Changeling
Authors: Thorn Laura
Published: February 2024

"Serious-minded people may then say with the poet, ‘It’s a marquetry casket, and that’s all.’ Echoing this reasonable opinion, the reader who is averse to playing with inversions of large and small, exterior and intimacy, may also say: ‘It’s a poem and that’s all.’ ‘And nothing more.’ In reality, however, the poet has given concrete form to a very general psychological theme, namely, that there will always be more things in a closed, than in an open, box. To verify images kills them, and it is always more enriching to imagine than to experience."

In his analysis of spatial imagery in poetry, Gaston Bachelard calls attention to the suggestiveness of an enclosed space that has not been opened yet. Using what he calls ‘topoanalysis’, he uses spaces and especially ‘the house as a tool for analysis of the human soul’. The Changeling is a play full of enclosed spaces, many of which are strongly guarded. The reasons for this secrecy, however, are often complicated.
Deep Learning: Institutions of Beauty in the Age of Algorithmic Reproduction
Authors: Kennedy-Finnerty Liam
Published: February 2024

Why does one begin an academic paper with a rhetorical question? It is a technique I have noticed in the papers of first-year students, often used in an attempt to denote authority. The technique performs confidence, yet its lack of commitment renders its tone uncertain and amateurish. The piece can feel more like a brainstorm than a finished product, and instead of reading like a question the writer is asking us, it reads like they are questioning themselves. The thought process is something to be hidden in the humanities; rarely in an English essay prompt does the phrase ‘show your working’ appear. Instead, we perform the illusion that the work appeared out of thin air, that the thought process and the finished product are one and the same. While we know that this is not the reality of writing, we perform it nonetheless because in literary criticism the grade of an essay reflects the end product regardless of the process.
The question that opens this essay, of course, has an answer: we demand that amateurs perform the end result of professional training, but students then imitate what they believe academic professionalism should sound like. But if and when students realise that they will be rewarded for merely generating a finished product, then how does the university dissuade them from simply doing so—bypassing the process for the product—when it results in academic, and economic, validation? When AI can reliably produce professional sounding papers better than an amateur writer can, then the currency of knowledge, if knowledge is in fact a currency, will become completely decentralised.
Haunted Transpositions in Violet Kupersmith’s Build Your House Around My Body (2021)
Authors: Carabine Alex
Published: February 2024

Twisting and uncanny, Build Your House Around My Body is a kaleidoscopic hallucination of a novel. Its story fits uneasily in multiple genres, from the Gothic to the bildungsroman, and it is told via the seemingly contradictory—yet ultimately sympathetic—techniques of magical realism and historical fiction. The primary protagonist of the book is Winnie, an American-Vietnamese woman whose biracial identity has alienated her from her dual cultures but also, crucially, from her self. Through her narrative we learn not only the histories of the characters around her, but also the recent history of Vietnam. The novel charts a sinuous and haunting movement across time, space and identity, creating a complex yet fascinating book of shifting narratives and meanings.
Cost of Living
Authors: Gorham Mark
Published: February 2024

like how a trolley rams into another trolley in the line of trolleys outside, its cagey nose – no it’s a headbutt through the other trolley’s backside and all the trolleys look like this when they’re lined up covered from rain awaiting the next customer trolley smacked into the queue. Nick says he once saw an angry guy still carrying his satsumas do a run up and dive through the rear trolley flap and make it through perhaps like three clanking trolleys’ arses before his momentum died. And trolleys take breaths when they’re not bunched together like that, when they’re being pushed around the supermarket, wonky-wheeled, sticky handlebar the kid in the seat based on the mousetrap design unwrapped that before mum’d paid for it. Nick and the boys once put cheese on one of those seats (don’t tell their manager, he’s called Tim, been here since 2005, it was shop cheese, unexpired) they left it overnight to see if there’d be a nibbler in the morning and if there was I guess their laughter and jostling would dampen as the lads considered while communicating without communicating, if you know what I mean, if they really were gonna slam the seat against the frame. But when they got in the people who restock overnight had put it all away even though they said on the group chat (Tim isn’t in it) not to.
Author Biographies and End Matter
Authors: Moveable Type Editors at
Published: February 2024

Author Biographies and End Matter
Una mirada crítica a la integralidad de las funciones sustantivas. Interrogantes y desafíos en torno a una perspectiva en construcción
Authors: Menéndez Gustavo
Published: February 2024

La llamada integralidad de las funciones sustantivas representa hoy una perspectiva en construcción vinculada con posicionamientos, corrientes de opiniones y consensos originados en las universidades públicas latinoamericanas y caribeñas, centrada en distintas estrategias de articulación de la enseñanza, extensión e investigación. Este planteo toma fuerza en la región en los últimos 30 años, en el mismo momento en el que comienzan el proceso de institucionalización y el reconocimiento académico de la extensión en las universidades. En este devenir histórico, la integración de las funciones sustantivas se presenta de manera disímil y heterogénea, fundada desde diferentes posicionamientos académicos y políticos y con diversos estadios de desarrollo institucional. En el presente artículo centraremos la mirada crítica en sus fundamentos y objetivos, complejidad y condicionantes, y en los desafíos para una institucionalidad plena.
Mediación del uso de la tecnología: Una propuesta conceptual para la gestión tecnológica en organizaciones
Authors: Tabares Quiroz Juliana , Arango-Vásquez Leonel
Published: February 2024

La Mediación del Uso de la Tecnología se concibe como un proceso de intervención que facilita la gestión y uso de las tecnologías de información en organizaciones; este proceso provee a los usuarios sentidos, símbolos, modelos mentales y otros recursos interpretativos para que se apropien y usen las tecnologías. Este artículo busca analizar la Mediación del Uso de la Tecnología a través de una revisión narrativa de estudios empíricos que han desarrollado el concepto en distintos contextos organizacionales. Como resultado se plantean cuatro enfoques distintos para el abordaje del concepto: Estructuracional, Sociocognitivo, Relacional y Simbólico. Se proponen futuras rutas de interpretación, como la mirada a los distintos actores organizacionales y entender la mediación como un sistema que configura y reconfigura la organización.
Editorial
Authors: Asche Matthias , Hesse Christian , Holý Martin
Published: February 2024

Editorial
Süddeutsche Reichsstädter an der Universität Basel (1460–1802)
Authors: Mährle Wolfgang
Published: February 2024

This article examines the attendance at the Basel University by students from 42 imperial cities from the Upper Rhine, Swabian, Franconian and Bavarian imperial circles in the period 1460 to 1802. The analysis focuses on the chronology of these students’ university attendance and their educational goals. The author also tries to identify particular urban and regional educational patterns. In the concluding part, results of this research on attendance at the Basel University in the 17th and 18th centuries are compared with the results of this author’s earlier research on attendance at the University of Strasbourg by students from the same imperial cities.
Gelehrtennetzwerke an der Universität Basel und ihre Verbindungen nach Ostmitteleuropa 1460–1550. Perspektiven zu Forschungsdaten aus dem Repertorium Academicum Germanicum (RAG)
Authors: Gubler Kaspar
Published: February 2024

This study uses the example of data from the Repertorium Academicum Germanicum (RAG) to highlight various aspects of dealing with research data in historical research. The RAG is a project focused on scholars from the Old German Empire (1250–1550), whose lives and studies are collected and evaluated in a prosopographical database. The database combines quantitative and qualitative methods for the collection, analysis, and interpretation of research data. Using the example of scholars included in the RAG who stayed at the Basel University in 1460–1550, the author presents the basic approaches to network analysis used in the project. The example of Basel scholars in the RAG shows how students and scholars from Eastern and Central Europe can be identified in this network. Although their numbers by mid-sixteenth century were not high, a qualitative examination of their biographies shows that they had a variety of contacts in Basel prior to their arrival and that they played an important role in early relations with Eastern and Central Europe. In addition to personal encounters linked to studies and related activities, correspondence and general references in written works are also taken into account.
Sean A. Otto, John Wyclif, New Perspectives on an Old Controversy
Authors: Dekarli Martin , DeWeese Luke
Published: February 2024

Book review on Sean A. Otto, John Wyclif, New Perspectives on an Old Controversy Eugene (Oregon): Wipf & Stock 2021, 73 pp. (Wycliffe Studies in History, Church, and Society), ISBN 978-17252-5105-2
Heike Hawicks – Harald Berger, Marsilius von Inghen und die Niederrheinlande. Zum 625. Todestag des Gründungsrektors der Heidelberger Universität
Authors: Zilynská Blanka
Published: February 2024

Book review on Heike Hawicks – Harald Berger, Marsilius von Inghen und die Niederrheinlande. Zum 625. Todestag des Gründungsrektors der Heidelberger Universität (Beiträge zur Geschichte der Kurpfalz und der Universität Heidelberg, Bd. 1), Universitätsverlag Winter, Heidelberg 2021, 169 S., ISBN 978-3-8253-4897-7
Extremal subsets in geodesically complete spaces with curvature bounded above
Authors: Fujioka Tadashi
Published: February 2024

We introduce the notion of an extremal subset in a geodesically complete space with curvature bounded above, i.e., a GCBA space. This is an analog of an extremal subset in an Alexandrov space with curvature bounded below introduced by Perelman and Petrunin. We prove that under an additional assumption, the set of topological singularities in a GCBA space forms an extremal subset. We also exhibit some structural properties of extremal subsets in GCBA spaces.
A study of qualitative correlations between crucial bio-markers and the optimal drug regimen of Type I lepra reaction: A deterministic approach
Authors: Nayak Dinesh , Sangeetha Anamalamudi Vilvanathan , Vamsi Dasu Krishna Kiran
Published: February 2024

Mycobacterium leprae is a bacterium that causes the disease leprosy (Hansen’s disease), which is a neglected tropical disease. More than 2,00,000 cases are being reported per year worldwide. This disease leads to a chronic stage known as lepra reaction that majorly causes nerve damage of the peripheral nervous system leading to loss of organs. The early detection of this lepra reaction through the level of bio-markers can prevent this reaction occurring and the further disabilities. Motivated by this, we frame a mathematical model considering the pathogenesis of leprosy and the chemical pathways involved in lepra reactions. The model incorporates the dynamics of the susceptible Schwann cells, infected Schwann cells, and the bacterial load and the concentration levels of the bio-markers

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. We consider a nine-compartment optimal control problem considering the drugs used in multi drug therapy (MDT) as controls. We validate the model using 2D heat plots. We study the correlation between the bio-markers levels and drugs in MDT and propose an optimal drug regimen through these optimal control studies. We use the Newton’s gradient method for the optimal control studies.
Integration of Artificial Intelligence into Metallography: Area-wide Analysis of Microstructural Components of a Jominy Sample
Authors: Schneider J. , Rostami R. , Corcoran M. , Korpala G.
Published: February 2024

Analysing the microstructure is an essential part of quality control in many steel manufacturing and processing operations. In this work, a promising method for autonomous analysis of microstructures in low-alloy steels based on artificial intelligence image analysis is presented. This study focuses on the classification of different microstructure components in metallographic images of steel microstructures using a Deep Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN) model. Since the accuracy of the model strongly depends on the size of the data set, a data set consisting of two million optical microscopy images was created to ensure the presence of different microstructure components and their combinations for training the system. The Jominy test was performed to verify the accuracy and capability of the microstructure analysis software. The AI makes it possible to analyse large amounts of image data with high precision and at the same time with less effort than conventional methods of microstructure components analysis.
From diagnosis to therapy: the acute traumatic hemothorax – an orientation for young surgeons
Authors: Rösch Romina M.
Published: February 2024

Introduction

This review aims to provide an overview of diagnosing and managing traumatic haemothorax for young surgeons.

Content

Of 27,333 polytrauma patients in Germany in 2021, 35 % were admitted with thoracic trauma. In polytrauma patients, chest injuries are an independent negative predictor of 30-day mortality. These patients should be treated in an evidence-based and standardized manner to reduce mortality and morbidity. There are several methods of immediate diagnosis that should be used depending on hemodynamic stability. In addition to physical examination and chest X-ray, more specific techniques such as the eFAST protocol and Computed tomography (CT) of the chest  are available. Once the source of bleeding has been identified, acute treatment is given depending on hemodynamic stability. Thoracic drainage remains the gold standard in the initial management of hemothorax. If surgery is required because of an active source of bleeding, a hemothorax that has not been completely relieved, or associated injuries, either a minimally invasive or open approach can be used. The main focus is to stabilize the patient and avoid early and late complications.

Summary and Outlook

Rapid and prompt diagnosis and management of traumatic hemothorax is essential for patient outcome and should be taught to all young surgeons who are in direct contact with these patients.
Design a hybrid meta-heuristic algorithm for optimal multicell-MMSE to maximize the spectral efficiency in massive MIMO systems
Authors: Kondaiah Mogiligundla , Padmaja Mididoddi
Published: February 2024

Due to many capabilities, “massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems” are regarded as a crucial enabling innovation. High energy economy, great spectral efficiency (SE), and simultaneous communication to many user equipments (UEs) are some of the sophisticated characteristics of massive MIMO systems. Huge MIMO, which involves installing arrays of antennas with a high amount of active components at the base station (BS) and utilizing coherent baseband processing, is a viable method for boosting the SE of cell phone networks. Massive MIMO’s spatial multiplexing and unparalleled array gain can increase the processing power of cellular networks. Since its origin, it has been assumed that when the number of radios increases infinitely, the coherent interference brought on by pilot emissions leads to a limited capacity limit. To achieve this objective, an optimal multicell MMSE is proposed for SE maximization. It is processed as the precoding or combining technique that is considered the small amount of spatial channel correlation, more capacity and more number of antennas, large-scale fading variations, and pilot contamination. It is noted that several cases for increasing the SE, thus it contain multiple antenna information. The prime novelty of this paper is introducing the hybrid heuristic algorithm, named as Fitness-condition of red deer and rat swarm algorithm (FRDRSA) for providing the best solution. Finally, the work performance that produced the extensive findings is examined. On the other hand, the suggested method produces an impressive result when measuring the system’s overall SE.
Engineering the plasmon modes of a confined electron gas
Authors: Haky Andrew , Vasanelli Angela , Pantzas Konstantinos , Todorov Yanko , Beaudoin Grégoire , Patriarche Gilles , Sagnes Isabelle , Sirtori Carlo
Published: February 2024

The volume plasmon modes of a confined electron gas are engineered in a step-like semiconductor potential, which induces the formation of adjacent regions of different charge density. Each region supports spatially localized collective modes. Adjacent modes are theoretically demonstrated to couple, forming delocalized modes, which are well-described with a hybridization picture. Exploiting the thin-film Berreman effect, the engineered plasmon modes are directly observed in optical measurements. Using a quantum microscopic theory, the asymmetry of the single-particle electronic states is shown to be directly imprinted on the nonuniform polarization of the collective modes.
Antidiabetic activity of methanolic extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. fruit in alloxan-induced Swiss albino diabetic mice
Authors: Akter Shahida , Ali Hanif , Shati Ali A. , Alfaifi Mohammad Y. , Elbehairi Serag Eldin I. , Sayyed R. Z. , Yeasmin Tanzima
Published: February 2024

The majority of natural diabetic medications come from fruits and vegetables. These natural medications help protect humans from negative impacts of chemical antidiabetics by scavenging free radicals. The present study aimed to explore the antioxidant and antidiabetic properties of methanolic extract of fruits of Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. (MEHSF) in alloxan-induced Swiss albino diabetic mice. The dried coarse powder of Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. fruits was subjected to methanol extraction. The antidiabetic activity was determined by using alloxan-induced (80 mg/kg body weight) diabetic mice. Following a 15-day treatment period, serum biochemical parameters including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TAG), LDL-cholesterol (LDL), HDL-cholesterol (HDL), serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), and serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) enzymes were estimated. The antioxidant activity was evaluated through a DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging assay. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were assessed using established methods. MESHF, containing polyphenolic and flavonoid compounds, exhibited antioxidant properties. A 100 and 200 mg/kg significantly (p < 0.05) lowered the blood glucose levels and improved biochemical parameters such as TC, TAG, LDL, and HDL in diabetic mice. Further, MESHF significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the activity of the SGPT and SGOT in diabetic mice compared to untreated diabetic mice. These results suggest that MEHSF with promising antioxidant and antidiabetic potentials can be considered to be a probable new resource of the antidiabetic agent.
Synthesis, characterization, and bioactivity test of dibutyltin(IV) dihydroxyibenzoate as disinfectant agent
Authors: Hadi Sutopo , Mustafidah Hidayatul , Yandri Yandri , Simanjuntak Wasinton , Suhartati Tati
Published: February 2024

In this work, three organotin (IV) derivatives namely dibutyltin(IV) di-2-hydroxybenzoate (DBT2-HBz) (2), dibutyltin(IV) di-3-hydroxybenzoate (DBT3-HBz) (3) and dibutyltin(IV) di-4-hydroxybenzoate (DBT4-HBz)) (4) were synthesized and tested as disinfectant against pathogenic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus. Compounds 2–4 were prepared by reacting dibutyltin(IV) oxide (DBTO) (1) with 2-hydroxybenzoic acid (2-HHBz), 3-hydroxybenzoic acid (3-HHBz) and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HHBz). The synthesized compounds were characterized by spectroscopic techniques including UV–Vis, FT-IR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR, and micro-elemental analyzer. The optical density (OD) of compounds was measured by UV–Vis at 600 nm, which showed good bioactivity against the S. aureus. The data obtained indicated that compound 4 has higher bioactivity than compound 2 and 3, and the positive control using a commercial disinfectant containing 5 % benzalkonium chloride. The optimum bioactivity of compound 4 was observed at a concentration of 5 × 10−4 M with a contact time of 10 min, as shown by the decrease in absorbance from 0.6092 to 0.4005. Compound 2 was optimal at a concentration of 5 × 10−4 M with a contact time of 10 min, and the absorbance decreased from 0.6092 to 0.4416. Compound 3 and positive control showed a smaller decrease in absorbance compared to compound 4 and 2. Overall, the results obtained indicated that the compounds synthesized have promising potential as disinfectant against pathogenic bacteria.
Graphene-based nanocomposites for gas sensors: challenges and opportunities
Authors: Banglani Talib Hussain , Chandio Imamdin , Khilji Meher-Un-Nisa , Ibrar Aliya , Memon Ayaz Ali , Ali Ayaz , Al-Anzi Bader S. , Thebo Khalid Hussain
Published: February 2024

Exposure to toxic gases resulting from rapid industrialization poses significant health risks living organisms including human. Consequently, researchers in this modern scientific era have shown keen interest in the selective detection of these toxic gases. The development of fast, economical, selective, and highly sensitive gas sensors has become a crucial pursuit to accurately detect toxic gases and mitigate their adverse effects on the natural environment. Graphene-based nanocomposites have emerged as promising candidates for selectively detecting toxic gases due to their extensive surface area. This review paper provides a comprehensive summary of recent advancements in graphene-based gas sensors. The paper also offers an overview of various synthetic strategies for graphene and its hybrid architectures. Additionally, it delves into the detailed sensing applications of these materials. Challenges and limitations in this field have been critically evaluated and highlighted, along with potential future solutions.
Grenzsituationen im Gesundheitsbereich
Authors: Gutschmidt Rico
Published: February 2024

Patientinnen und Patienten, die schweres körperliches oder seelisches Leid ertragen müssen oder aufgrund einer unheilbaren Erkrankung mit dem eigenen Tod konfrontiert sind, können ihre Situation als eine Grenzsituation im Sinne von Karl Jaspers erfahren. In diesem Forschungsvorhaben soll untersucht werden, wie Patientinnen und Patienten Grenzsituationen erleben und wie betreuende Personen in Medizin, Psychotherapie, Pflege und Sozialarbeit die Grenzsituationen derselben wahrnehmen.

Das Projekt hat zwei Ziele. Zunächst geht es darum, das Erleben von Grenzsituationen besser zu verstehen. Wie fühlt es sich für Menschen an, eine Grenzsituation zu erfahren, und wie verändert sich durch diese Erfahrung die Sicht auf sich selbst und auf die Welt? Darauf aufbauend soll untersucht werden, was die Einsichten über das Erleben von Grenzsituationen für den Umgang mit betroffenen Patientinnen und Patienten bedeuten. Wie lassen sich betreuende Personen für den Umgang mit Menschen in Grenzsituationen sensibilisieren?

Diese Forschungsfragen sollen mit Hilfe eines qualitativen phänomenologischen Interviewansatzes untersucht werden. Die Interviews folgen einem halbstrukturierten Vorgehen mit offenen Fragen darüber, wie Patientinnen und Patienten ihre Situation erleben und wie diese Situation von Personen wahrgenommen wird, die diesen Personenkreis betreuen.

Die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse sollen verantwortlichen Akteuren im Gesundheitsbereich zur Verfügung gestellt werden und damit zu einer besseren Unterstützung von Patientinnen und Patienten in Grenzsituationen beitragen.
Adaptation of Magnified Analysis of the Proteome for Excitatory Synaptic Proteins in Varied Samples and Evaluation of Cell Type-Specific Distributions
Authors: Delhaye Mathias , LeDue Jeffrey , Robinson Kaylie , Xu Qin , Zhang Qian , Oku Shinichiro , Zhang Peng , Craig Ann Marie
Published: February 2024

Growing evidence suggests a remarkable diversity and complexity in the molecular composition of synapses, forming the basis for the brain to execute complex behaviors. Hence, there is considerable interest in visualizing the spatial distribution of such molecular diversity at individual synapses within intact brain circuits. Yet this task presents significant technical challenges. Expansion microscopy approaches have revolutionized our view of molecular anatomy. However, their use to study synapse-related questions outside of the labs developing them has been limited. Here we independently adapted a version of Magnified Analysis of the Proteome (MAP) and present a step-by-step protocol for visualizing over 40 synaptic proteins in brain circuits. Surprisingly, our findings show that the advantage of MAP over conventional immunolabeling was primarily due to improved antigen recognition and secondarily physical expansion. Furthermore, we demonstrated the versatile use of MAP in brains perfused with paraformaldehyde or fresh-fixed with formalin and in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue. These tests expand the potential applications of MAP to combinations with slice electrophysiology or clinical pathology specimens. Using male and female mice expressing YFP-ChR2 exclusively in interneurons, we revealed a distinct composition of AMPA and NMDA receptors and Shank family members at synapses on hippocampal interneurons versus on pyramidal neurons. Quantitative single synapse analyses yielded comprehensive cell type distributions of synaptic proteins and their relationships. These findings exemplify the value of the versatile adapted MAP procedure presented here as an accessible tool for the broad neuroscience community to unravel the complexity of the “synaptome” across brain circuits and disease states.
Planning and implementation of public investment projects in the face of unstable macroeconomic conditions
Authors:   Warsaw School of Economics, Jarosiński Krzysztof
Published: February 2024

Purpose – The aim of the article is to draw attention to possible limitations and potential difficulties related to the implementation of public investment projects in the face of crisis phenomena and in particular the possible impact of macroeconomic factors on public investments. Research method – During the research, the method of critical analysis of the literature as well as analytical and descriptive methods were used in relation to the source data obtained during the empirical research, which allowed determining the impact of changes in macroeconomic factors on the planning and implementation of public investments. Results – Theoretical and empirical studies prove that macroeconomic instability has a significant impact on the course of investment processes in the public sector. The increase in inflation and interest rates of central banks has become a major threat to development processes; it may limit investment activity and reduce the effectiveness of public spending. Originality / value / implications / recommendations – The article discusses the current issues of planning and implementing investments in the face of changes in macroeconomic factors in crisis conditions. The recognized instability of investment processes in the public sector requires a detailed analysis of the current conditions and the impact of potential threats on long‑term economic development. The research shows that there is a need for a thorough and extensive analysis of macroeconomic conditions and their potential influence on the conditions of implementation, including the financing of public investment projects in the future.
Factors affecting the use of tax preferences for research and development in Poland
Authors:   Wroclaw University of Economics and Business, Piotrowska Katarzyna , Wanicki Piotr ,   Wroclaw University of Economics and Business
Published: February 2024

Purpose – The objective of the article is to identify the factors affecting the use of R&D tax preferences in Poland. Research method – Qualitative and quantitative analysis, synthesis, deduction, induction, and inference by analogy. The study involved a group of 350 enterprises from the Lower Silesia Province in the high and medium-high technology sector and used the CATI survey methodology. The collected data was subjected to statistical analysis, including correlation and significance analysis. Results – The study investigates the reasons for not using tax preferences, the barriers to their use, and proposals of respondents (companies surveyed) regarding changes to the tax preferences. The main factors identified include appropriate organisation of R&D in the enterprise, cooperation with research entities, and knowledge of fiscal instruments supporting the development of R&D. Originality / value / implications / recommendations – Tax preferences (R&D tax relief and IP Box) are not used on a large scale and entrepreneurs say they have difficulty with using them. This study confirms that there are certain factors affecting the implementation of R&D and the use of tax preferences. So far, no attempt has been made to link the reasons for not using tax preferences, the barriers to their use, and the entrepreneurs’ proposals for changes so as to clearly identify the key factors affecting the use of effective legal solutions.
Manager’s attitudes towards the city digitalisation strategy – case of Polish small and county cities
Authors:   Warsaw School of Economics, Łobejko Stanisław
Published: February 2024

Purpose – The aim of the study was to find out whether and how the current digital transformation is taken into account in the city’s sustainable development strategies, what actions are taken and what are the attitudes of city board managers related to the city’s digitalisation plans. Research method – An in-depth review of the literature on the issues of digital transformation in city development strategies was performed. The quantitative empirical study was based on a questionnaire interview with city board managers of randomly selected small and county cities, realized by telephone interview method (CATI) supported by the Internet interview method (CAWI). Results – The results obtained in the study made it possible to assess the degree of inclusion of city digitisation plans in the sustainable development strategy, as well as to gain knowledge about the attitudes of city management managers towards the need to include digitization plans in the city’s digital transformation strategy. Originality / value / implications / recommendations – Indicating the existence of a relationship between the size of the city measured by the number of inhabitants and income per capita and the presence of digitalisation plans in their sustainable development strategies. Demonstrating that the presence of digitalisation plans in the sustainable development strategies of the studied cities depends on the attitudes of city managers towards digitalisation.