bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rat Model of Menopausal/Andropausal Hypertension with Different Sensitivities to Non-Genomic Antihypertensive Responses of Female and Male Sex Steroids
Authors: Perusquía Mercedes , Herrera Nieves
Published: October 2024

Introduction: Hypertension is prevalent in older women and men, but the impact of sex differences is unclear. Methods: Blood pressure (BP) was evaluated weekly for 15 weeks using tail-cuff plethysmography in intact or gonadectomized female and male rats. Similarly, gonadectomized rats were subcutaneously treated daily for 15 weeks with estradiol in females or testosterone in males. Treatment with estrogen in males and androgen in females for BP was also examined. The non-genomic antihypertensive potency and efficacy of different sex steroids were determined; catheters were implanted in the carotid artery of hypertensive rats for BP recording with bolus injections in the jugular vein at cumulative doses (1 × 10−7−1 × 10−4M kg−1 min−1) of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), estradiol, testosterone, or 5β-dihydrotestosterone (5β-DHT). Results: Data showed a time-dependent increase in BP after gonadectomy in female and male rats until hypertension values were reached. Males are more sensitive to the development of hypertension than females. The increases in BP in females and males were completely prevented by estradiol or testosterone, respectively. Testosterone completely prevented hypertension in females, whereas estradiol only partially in males. Antihypertensive potencies in conscious hypertensive rats were DHEA = 5β-DHT = testosterone >> estradiol, in females and DHEA = 5β-DHT >> testosterone >> estradiol in males. The efficacy was DHEA = 5β-DHT = testosterone >> estradiol in females and 5β-DHT = DHEA >> testosterone >> estradiol in males. Conclusion: Gonadectomized males developed hypertension faster than females, suggesting that androgen deficiency plays an important role in BP reduction. Antihypertensive responses of steroids are structure-dependent; estradiol demonstrated the lowest potency, whereas 5β-DHT was a potent antihypertensive without estrogenic and androgenic actions, suggesting it is as a therapeutic candidate for controlling hypertension in both sexes.
Evaluating the Impact of Age and G8 Assessment on Definitive Treatment Strategies in Elderly Patients with Local Advanced Esophageal Carcinoma
Authors: Akkus Yildirim Berna , Gokhan Acikgoz Sedef , Akboru Mustafa Halil , Uysal Emre , Tütün Baver , Gurdal Necla , Tezcan Yilmaz
Published: October 2024

Introduction: While chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is commonly employed as a curative approach for esophageal cancer, administering standard CRT to elderly patients often presents challenges in practical settings. The objective of this study was to compare treatment tolerance and survival outcomes between younger and elderly patients (aged ≥65 years) diagnosed with locally advanced esophageal cancer receiving curative-intent treatment. Additionally, it aimed to assess the impact of the Geriatric-8 Health Status Screening Tool (G8 score) on treatment decisions in elderly patients. Methods: Ninety-seven patients treated with neoadjuvant or definitive CRT for locally advanced esophageal cancer were retrospectively evaluated at two centers from 2013 to 2023. We divided the patients by age (<65 and ≥65 years) and assessed their demographic, clinical, and treatment data, including pre- and post-treatment G8 scores. Radiotherapy (RT) was administered at a median dose of 50.4 Gy (45–66 Gy). Planned concurrent chemotherapy was completed in 73 (75.3%) of the patients. Results: In the comparative study of 97 esophageal cancer patients, 48 geriatric (aged ≥65 years) and 49 younger individuals were followed up for a median of 20 and 21 months, respectively. No significant statistical differences were noted between the groups concerning baseline and treatment characteristics. Surgical intervention rates were comparable, with 22.9% of geriatric and 36.7% of young patients undergoing surgery (p = 0.184). There were no significant differences in pathological complete response, local recurrence, distant metastasis, progression, or death rates. The median progression-free survival (PFS) for geriatric and younger patients was 31 months (95% CI, 13.6–48.4) and 19 months (95% CI, 0–39.4), respectively (p = 0.832). The median overall survival (OS) was 38 months (95% CI, 23.8–52.2) in geriatric patients, while it was not reached in younger patients (p = 0.745). There was no significant difference between the two groups. The pretreatment and post-treatment G8 values of the geriatric patients were 9.25 (6–13.5) and 9.5 (6–14), respectively. Patients with increased G8 scores were found to have significantly higher PFS (median 85 months vs. 11 months, p = 0.001) and OS (median 85 months vs. 14 months, p = 0.001) compared to those with unchanged or decreased G8 scores. Conclusion: Age alone should not be the determining factor in the treatment decision of elderly patients diagnosed with locally advanced esophageal cancer. Moreover, CRT could be safely performed even in patients with low G8 scores, and although the G8 score may not directly influence treatment decision, its enhancement during the treatment process holds significant prognostic value.
Efeito nefroprotetor do panax notoginseng
Authors: Miyata Gabriela Ayumi , Domingueti Caroline Pereira
Published: October 2024

Objective: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the nephroprotective effect of Panax notoginseng.Methods: The search for scientific articles in the literature was carried out in the Medline (PubMed), Web of Science, Embase, and Virtual Health Library (BVS) databases. Eligibility criteria consisted of preclinical in vivo or clinical studies that demonstrated the nephroprotective effect of Panax notoginseng, as assessed by one or more of the following laboratory tests: serum creatinine, serum urea, glomerular filtration rate, creatinine clearance, proteinuria, or albuminuria. Results: Fourteen articles were included, all of which consisted of preclinical trials. The nephropathy models used in the studies were diabetic kidney disease (n=8), kidney injury induced by nephrotoxic substances (n=5), or ischemia (n=1). All studies showed that Panax notoginseng has a nephroprotective effect when used in the treatment of kidney diseases. Although three studies did not observe a reduction in serum creatinine and/or urea levels, these studies found that albuminuria decreased significantly. Conclusion: Panax notoginseng has a nephroprotective effect in different animal models of nephropathy. The clinical use of Panax notoginseng tends to be promising as an adjuvant in the pharmacotherapy of renal dysfunctions and in the prevention of drug-induced nephrotoxicity.
Transient High Salt Intake Promotes T-Cell–Mediated Hypertensive Vascular Injury
Authors: Yakoub Mina , Rahman Masudur , Kleimann Patricia , Hoffe Jasmina , Feige Milena , Bouvain Pascal , Alter Christina , Kluczny Jennifer Isabel , Reidel Sophia , Nederlof Rianne , Hering Lydia , Argov Doron , Arifaj Denada , Kantauskaite Marta , Meister Jaroslawna , Kleinewietfeld Markus , Rump Lars Christian , Jantsch Jonathan , Flögel Ulrich , Müller Dominik N. , Temme Sebastian , Stegbauer Johannes
Published: October 2024

BACKGROUND:

Dietary high salt (HS) intake has a strong impact on cardiovascular diseases. Here, we investigated the link between HS-aggravated immune responses and the development of hypertensive vascular disease.

METHODS:

ApolipoproteinE-deficient mice were transiently treated with HS (1% NaCl) via drinking water for 2 weeks, followed by a washout period, and subsequent Ang II (angiotensin II) infusion (1000 ng/kg per min for 10 days) to induce abdominal aortic aneurysms/dissections and inflammation.

RESULTS:

While transient HS intake alone triggered nonpathologic infiltration of activated T cells into the aorta, subsequent Ang II infusion increased mortality and the incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysms/dissections and atherosclerosis compared with hypertensive control mice. There were no differences in blood pressure between both groups. In transient HS-treated hypertensive mice, the aortic injury was associated with increased inflammation, accumulation of neutrophils, monocytes, CD69
+
CD4
+
T cells, as well as CD4
+
and CD8
+
memory T cells. Mechanistically, transient HS intake increased expression levels of aortic
RORγt
as well as splenic CD4
+
T
H
17 and CD8
+
T
C
1 T cells in Ang II–treated mice. Isolated aortas of untreated mice were incubated with supernatants of T
H
17, T
H
1, or T
C
1 cells polarized in vitro under HS or normal conditions which revealed that secreted factors of HS-differentiated T
H
17 and T
C
1 cells, but not T
H
1 cells accelerated endothelial dysfunction.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our data suggest that transient HS intake induces a subclinical T-cell–mediated aortic immune response, which is enhanced by Ang II. We propose a 2-hit model, in which HS acts as a predisposing factor to enhance hypertension-induced T
H
17 and T
C
1 polarization and aortic disease.
A chronometric relationship between circuits underlying learning and
error monitoring in the basal ganglia and salience network
Authors: Dias Camila , Sousa Teresa , Castelo-Branco Miguel
Published: October 2024

Healthy individuals readily adjust their behavior in response to errors using learning mechanisms. This raises the question of how error-related neural mechanisms underlie the learning process and its progress. In this study, 21 healthy participants performed a challenging functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task to answer this question. We assessed the evolution of error-related neural response as a function of learning progress. We tested the hypothesis that the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and anterior insula, key regions of the error monitoring neural circuitry, reflect both the performance of an action and its improvement. Given the nature of trial-and-error learning, we also expected an involvement of the striatum, particularly the putamen. We found that error-related neural activity (in the dACC and anterior insula) was similar following correct responses and errors in an initial learning period. However, as learning progressed, the activity continuously decreased in response to correct events and increased after errors. In opposition, during the initial learning phase, the putamen activity was modulated by errors, but, as it progressed, this region became unaffected by response outcomes. In sum, our study provides neural evidence for an interaction between the mechanisms underlying error monitoring and learning, contributing to clarifying how error-related neural responses evolve with learning.
Teaching Peace Top-down, Bottom-up, or Both? Navigating Basic Dilemmas in Cross-Cultural Conflict Resolution Education
Authors: Coleman Peter T. , Phan Lan H. , Kukreja Anupriya , Lederach John Paul
Published: October 2024

Despite decades of calls by the international community for the need to pivot the primary approach to cross-cultural conflict resolution education away from privileging Western, prescriptive models and methods of outside educators toward those based on the knowledge and expertise of local stakeholders, the dominant top-down paradigm persists. This article presents a new framework for cross-cultural conflict resolution education that builds on John Paul Lederach’s original distinction between prescriptive (top-down) versus elicitive (bottom-up) approaches, and extends it through grounded-theory research with expert practitioners working across cultures in conflict zones. The result is a contingency approach to working adaptively across different types of cross-cultural situations—based on five key factors—as well as insights into enacting hybrid combinations of both approaches. The implications and next steps for research and practice are discussed.
“The Sweetness of the Persian Tongue”: the Limits of Poetry in Medieval and Early Modern Georgia
Authors: Aleksidze Nikoloz
Published: October 2024

The history of medieval Georgian poetry is long and complicated. Placed between Persian and Byzantine commonwealths, the unification of the Georgian kingdom under the Bagratids in the eleventh century brought about a dramatic cultural revival. The formation and development of what is known as secular poetry was a reaction to the simultaneous adoption and adaptation of Persian and Byzantine elements by Georgian culture. As a result, over time, a distinct literary genre was shaped, with its own linguistic, graphic, and poetic registers – emerged, which was often contrasted with ecclesiastic writing alongside a a rigid differentiation between secular and religious writing generally and poetry specifically. The present paper identifies the origins and reasons for such a differentiation in early modern and modern political and literary discourses. While it mentions many poems from the twelfth to the seventeenth century, two relatively early theories of poetry are discussed in detail: Ephrem Mc‘ire’s (twelfth-century) reference to the “form and substance” dichotomy in poetry and Shota Rust‘aveli’s (twelfth- or thirteenth-century) vision of what does and what does not constitute proper poetry. In subsequent centuries, these discussion about the limits of poetry were integrated into identity discourses, as illustrated by the numerous sequels to and emulations of Rust‘aveli, and fed into a certain anxiety over Georgian culture within the context of total Persian dominance
Gender Persecution and the Sarah O. Case: Strengthening the Rome Statute through Domestic Trials
Authors: Benschu Livia
Published: October 2024

The crime of gender persecution holds great potential for the adequate prosecution of gender-based violence in international criminal law. Codified in Article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute as a crime against humanity, it provides an opportunity to condemn gender-specific violence beyond sexual acts. However, the icc has so far only made limited use of this possibility and has yet to convict a defendant under Article 7(1)(h) on the basis of gender. In contrast, the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court recently became the first court or tribunal to explicitly convict a person for gender persecution. The Sarah O. case has the potential to set an important precedent for the prosecution of this crime. Importantly, it may help to highlight the challenges of prosecuting gender persecution and to address them at the national and international level.
Weakness and Pietas in Gianni Vattimo’s Weak Thought and Samuel Beckett’s “Dante and the Lobster”
Authors: Tondello Alberto
Published: October 2024

The following article offers an analysis of Samuel Beckett’s short story “Dante and the Lobster” through the lens of Gianni Vattimo’s weak thought. It claims that Beckett’s short story provides a more practical perspective on Vattimo’s notion of weakness and on his call for an ethics based on pietas. As it focuses on the specific vulnerability of individual entities—specifically a lobster about to be boiled alive—“Dante and the Lobster” highlights the importance of considering weakness not merely as an abstract notion but as an actual condition of beings.
Biopolitics, Conflict and Not I
Authors: Fusella Patrizia
Published: October 2024

Beckett’s Not I can be studied in the light of biopolitics. In this article its dramatic action is read as a power relationship where Auditor acts as an ‘apparatus’ in Agamben’s sense of the term, and Mouth as a person, understood in the sense of Esposito’s critique of personhood. In this conflict Mouth does not capitulate by means of a double praxis: ‘destituent’ and ‘instituting’: her refusal to use the pronoun ‘I’ is at the same time an action of self-desubjectification which destitutes language and thus attempts to evade biopolitical control, and an act of subjectification which transforms language and attempts to institute a new and different subject.
To Impinge Poetically
Authors: de Gaynesford Maximilian
Published: October 2024

Giorgio Agamben’s claim that the criterion of poetry is the possibility of enjambment helps identify characteristic and deep ways that Beckett’s poems ‘impinge poetically’, particularly the explicitly performative and self-reflective effects they achieve through enjambment-based vacillation between ends and continuities. Conversely, Beckett’s poems help amend Agamben’s overly strong interpretation of the enjambment criterion. It should imply no more than that poetry’s existence depends on the possibility of an absence of lasting accord between sound and sense, and we should acknowledge that enjambment is equally possible for a line if it is preceded by another line. Agamben’s poetry criterion also offers fresh ways to think about the relation between Beckett’s poetry and prose, with implications for his later writings.
At the End, Writing
Authors: Mukim Mantra
Published: October 2024

This article reads Beckett’s poems “Mort de A.D.” and “What is the Word” for how they voice and incorporate notions of formal and epistemic endings, or the lack of an ending. These two poems, written in different phases of Beckett’s career, are useful in mapping a shift in Beckett’s ‘problems’ with endings. Putting Beckett in conversation with the contemporary Italian philosophers Giorgio Agamben and Franco Berardi, specifically their analyses of “infancy” and “conjunctions” respectively, this article pays close attention to Beckett’s poetics of ending, or rather the impossibility of writing about the end.
Lipid-lowering and antioxidant properties of probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis MSMC83 in rats on a high-fat diet
Authors: Chantarangkul C. , Phuengmaung P. , Leelahavanichkul A. , Piewngam P. , Otto M. , Taweechotipatr M.
Published: October 2024

Hyperlipidaemia, the abnormally high concentration of lipids such as cholesterol in the body, has a series of deleterious effects on health that are least in part are due to increased inflammation and oxidative stress. Probiotics are living microorganisms that possess the efficacy to improve health. Among the many effects that have been ascribed to probiotics is the potential to lower the body lipid content. Here, we used a rat model of induced hyperlipidaemia to assess the lipid-lowering and antioxidant properties of the probiotic strain Bifidobacterium animalis MSMC83 as well as its impact on intestinal barrier immunity and the intestinal microbiota. Oral probiotic intake led to a reduction of body weight, fasting blood glucose, and lipid levels, and increased expression of cholesterol-7α-hydroxylase and antioxidant enzymes. Additionally, B. animalis MSMC83 decreased the levels of liver enzymes and pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading to reduced hepatic steatosis. Furthermore, it re-established intestinal barrier integrity as shown by restoration of the tight junction protein zonula occludens-1 amount and reduced pathogen-induced inflammation in the intestinal epithelium as shown by readjusted expression of toll-like receptors (TLRs). Moreover B. animalis MSMC83 contributed to the maintenance of a balanced, diverse microbiome. Thus, our results indicate that B. animalis MSMC83 alleviates risk factors associated with hyperlipidaemia, suggesting its use as a probiotic to counter the effects associated with unhealthy diets.
Effect of exogenous application of salicylic acid on alleviation of drought stress of immature tea (Camellia sinensis L.) plants
Authors: Damayanthi Maha Makkalage Nalika , Wijeratne Thushari Lakmini , Damunupola Jilushi Wishwamali
Published: October 2024

Application of salicylic acid (SA) leads to positive impacts in improving the physiological and growth parameters under drought in other crops. Knowledge on SA regulation on tea is scanty but important especially under drought. Therefore, potential of minimizing the drought effects on tea via exogenous application of SA was studied in a glasshouse at the Tea Research Institute, Talawakelle, Sri Lanka, using one-year-old potted tea cultivars of known drought tolerance (TRI 2025 – tolerant and TRI 2023 – susceptible). Plants were exposed to a drying cycle while they were foliar sprayed with SA in various concentrations (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 ppm) along with well-watered and no-spray treatments. Data were collected at 18 hours and 3, 7, 14 and 21 days after applying the treatments from randomly selected plants. Physiological parameters were measured along with soil moisture content. Drought stress led to declining of gas exchange parameters (rate of net photosynthesis, transpiration and stomatal conductance), leaf relative water content and increasing accumulation of osmolytes (total soluble sugar and proline) in both tea cultivars compared with well-watered plants. Exogenous application of 150 and 200 ppm SA significantly improved physiological parameters. These results revealed the role of exogenous application of 150 and 200 ppm SA in diminishing the negative effects of drought on tea plants. Exogenous application of SA 150 ppm will therefore be more effective in alleviating the drought impact on immature tea when considering the environmental impact and cost effectiveness.
Cadophora arctica (Ploettnerulaceae, Helotiales), a new species from Franz Josef Land
Authors: ILIUSHIN VADIM A. , KIRTSIDELI IRINA Y. , PANKOVA INNA G.
Published: October 2024

A novel species in genus Cadophora is described as Cadophora arctica. The new species was isolated from, Franz Josef Land, Russia and is represented by ex-type strain VKM F-5011. To characterize the species, we used a polyphasic taxonomic approach. A description based on morphological characters is given and it is shown that the new species is morphologically different from closely related species (to C. caespitosa, C. fastigiata, C. melinii and C. rotunda). Partial sequences of internal transcribed spacer rDNA region (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2), D1/D2 region of 28S rDNA (LSU), the loci encoding β-tubulin (BenA) and partial translation elongation factor 1-α gene (TEF1) were analyzed as well. Sequences data, macro- and micromorphological characteristics distinguish C. arctica from all known species in genus Cadophora. C. arctica, isolated from Arctic drift wood, is able to grow at 2°C and is considered a psychrotolerant species.
Cytospora anacardii (Cytosporaceae, Diaporthales): A new endophytic species from Anacardium occidentale of the Brazilian savanna
Authors: FERRO LAYANNE DE OLIVEIRA , SILVA APARECIDA CLÉBIA DA , NASCIMENTO SANDY DOS SANTOS , OLIVEIRA PEDRO HENRIQUE FÉLIX DE , BARBOSA GISELLE DA SILVA , PAIVA LAURA MESQUITA , FAN XINLEI , SOUZA-MOTTA CRISTINA MARIA , BEZERRA JADSON DIOGO PEREIRA
Published: October 2024

Cytospora species are mainly found as phytopathogens but are also reported as endophytes and saprophytes in several host plants. During a study of the diversity of endophytic fungi associated with Anacardium occidentale in an area of the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado), isolates of Cytospora were identified and differentiated from other species by morphological and phylogenetic analyses (ITS, act, rpb2, tef1, and tub2). Cytospora anacardii has been proposed as a new endophytic species, and it has pycnidia and conidiogenous cells smaller than those of the phylogenetically related species Cytospora phitsanulokensis. Our data highlight the importance of investigating endophytes as important economic hosts and expand our knowledge of global Cytospora diversity and distribution. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of Cytospora being an endophyte of Anacardium occidentale.
4. The Activist Potential of Postmodern Phenomenology of Technology
Authors: Rosenberger Robert
Published: October 2024

In this chapter, Robert Rosenberger suggests that one of the implicit or explicit tasks of a phenomenological philosophy of technology should be to contribute to the goals and aims of political activism. In this sense, his chapter concurs with more general developments in the phenomenology tradition towards a critical or activist phenomenology. He argues that postphenomenology provides a fruitful starting-point for an activist phenomenology because it proves three avenues that can be mode directly relevant to political debates in general and political activism in specific: (1) the notion of technological mediation enables to understand how the political context as well as the relevant political actors are co-shaped by technological developments, (2) the notion of multistability helps revealing the alternative ways in which technologies can be used other than their dominant stability, and (3) by investigating how our perception in general is mediated by the hidden political assumptions of the technologies that we use routinely.
7. Artificial Intelligence and the Need to Redefine Human Traits
Authors: Wellner Galit
Published: October 2024

Galit Wellner argues that digital and virtual technologies like AI not only change how we experience the world, but also transform human mental capacities. While industrial technologies predominantly concern embodiment relations (e.g. extending or replacing manual labor), technologies like AI bear on the mind, notably in terms of imagination and attention. Wellner argues that Ihde’s phenomenological analyses insufficiently articulate this contrast because of their emphasis on embodied perception, which appears less relevant in technologies like cryptocurrency and generative AI. Turning to the theme of attention, the chapter first presents Husserl’s classical phenomenological interpretation of attention as ‘searchlight’, as well as Merleau-Ponty’s critique of this interpretation. Wellner subsequently indicates the limits of Merleau-Ponty’s ‘field of attention’ which, like Ihde, unduly prioritizes embodiment and fails to account for the phenomenon of multitasking. Wellner accordingly calls for supplanting the phenomenological first person perspective with a layered approach focusing on plateaus, where embodiment relations make way for embrainment relations.
8. Nothing in Practice: Entanglements of Sartre’s Nothingness and Social Media Practice
Authors: Kurz Annie
Published: October 2024

Annie Kurz’s chapter draws from a combination of postphenomenology and Sartrean phenomenology to analyse how social media technologies shape our subjectivity. Her focus is on how our self-understanding changes as a result of the ways we manifest ourselves online, and specifically in the profiles we (need to) make in order to become visible on social media platforms. She uses Sartre’s notion of “nothingness” to indicate that self-understanding always implies a relationship to something that one is not. Elaborating on this notion, she indicates that one particular form of not-self, namely one’s online presence, has become key in self-development due to the ubiquity of social media. To capture this dimension of social media use, she introduces the absence relation; a human-technology relation that is explanatory for how many individuals or professions rely on social media even when not directly using it. Recognizing this aspect of social media use enables us to question the extent to which many aspect of our (professional) lives should be reliant on manifesting oneself in an online environment.
10. Three Embodied Dimensions of Communication
Authors: van Grunsven Janna , van Balen Bouke , Bollen Caroline
Published: October 2024

In the last chapter, Janna van Grunsven, Caroline Bollen and Bouke van Balen show how the phenomenology of communication can inform the field of augmented or alternative communication technology (AAC-tech). AAC-tech is a set of technologies developed for people who are unable to use some of their bodily expressive resources due to congenital or acquired disability. This inability often makes it very difficult for those people to communicate. Developers of AAC-tech often take a cognitivist starting-point, thereby missing out on the subtle ways in which embodiment shapes communication. The phenomenological description of the lived experiences of these people offers a fruitful starting-point for recognizing the often forgotten embodied dimension of communication, and enables to formulate desiderata for how AAC-tech should be developed: AAC-tech should take into account (1) embodied address, (2) embodied enrichment, and (3) embodied diversity. Focusing on the lived experience of potential users of AAC-tech has, according to van Grunsven, Bollen, and van Balen, not only direct practical applications for technology development but also can inform phenomenology methodologically: focusing on a limit case as the one discussed in this chapter makes visible that communication takes place in a wide variety of ways and that it is not the task of the phenomenologist to lay bare a general or essential structure of communication that can be taken as a standard.
Projected Effects of Climate Change on Meteorological Droughts over China: A Study Based on High-Resolution NEX-GDDP Data
Authors: Cao Fuqiang , Long Xiaoyu , Gao Tao , Li Ming , Zhan Junjie , Zhou Ming
Published: October 2024

While historical observations reveal increases in meteorological drought frequency across China during 1960–2021, future drought characteristics at the regional scale are uncertain. We evaluate historic and twenty-first-century-projected dryness changes using the NASA Earth Exchange Global Daily Downscaled Projections (NEX-GDDP) 0.25° resolution dataset for representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5. The 20-model NEX-GDDP ensemble mean precipitation and derived potential evapotranspiration, which is calculated by utilizing the Thornthwaite approach, are consistent with gridded station data over China from 1961 to 2005. Results show that the projections of occurrence frequency of moderate drought based on the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) increase remarkably under the RCP4.5 scenario, and a significant increasing frequency is seen for severe drought under the RCP8.5 scenario, while few droughts of extreme dryness occur during the twenty-first century under both emission scenarios. More moderate drought projections are found over northwestern, northern, and southeastern regions under the RCP4.5 scenario, but all of China will face severe droughts for RCP8.5. The areas affected by moderate droughts begin to extend rapidly around 2030s at both national and regional scales for the RCP4.5 scenario, and the substantial increases in drying area extension for RCP8.5 appear around the 2050s. Particularly, the severe drought areas are found to grow much more sharply after the 2070s under the RCP8.5 scenario, implying that the occurrences of severe droughts over China are more sensitive to greenhouse gas emissions.

Significance Statement

Both temperature and rainfall are closely associated with drought variability; therefore, this study examines the changes in frequency and intensity of projected droughts across China based on the standardized precipitation index (SPI) and standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI). Severe droughts are projected to increase over most of the regions according to SPEI. The substantial increases in moderate and severe droughts are seen over all of China under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, respectively. At the temporal scale, most of the areas are projected to experience more severe droughts by the end of twenty-first century, while the areas of moderate droughts are projected to exhibit fluctuating variations during the twenty-first century. These results indicate more future droughts, which may increase the vulnerability of more areas of China from exposure to the consequences of global warming.
Diagnostic and Dialogic OD Approaches in a Collaborative Inquiry for Change: How and Why are They Successfully Coapplied?
Authors: Nagaishi Makoto
Published: October 2024

Change leaders who want to invite members’ spirit of inquiry face a challenge; the conditions under which change practitioners successfully blend the strengths of diagnostic and dialogic approaches are not explicitly incorporated within the established theories. This article aims to describe how changing meaning-making systems (in other words, changing mindsets) can be crucial in facilitating successful coapplication of diagnostic and dialogic approaches. A new conditional combination (shared focus on realizing desired performance and change agents’ dialogic anchoring) for the emergence of the practitioners’ integrative mindset is examined, and its implications for research in blending diagnostic and dialogic OD approaches and related fields are discussed.
Navigating the Secular Landscape: Religious Discourse on Transgender Rights in the United Kingdom
Authors: Kettell Steven
Published: October 2024

Transgender people face high rates of discrimination and health problems yet supportive policy measures are often opposed, especially by religious organisations adhering to cis-normative theologies. Scholars exploring the links between religion and transgender issues have examined a number of themes, but the way religious actors discursively frame transgender issues remains under-researched. This article contributes to work in this area by using the concept of political opportunity structures to examine the discourse of religious groups on the 2022 Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Bill. The study shows that arguments were typically framed in secular terms, drawing on the epistemic authority of science and a language of individual rights. Supporting groups used arguments designed to highlight the difficulties that transgender people face. Oppositional groups used themes based on biological essentialism, concern for the well-being of trans people, the risks to cisgendered women and warnings about the negative impact on society and religious freedoms.
Thermal governance, urban metabolism and carbonised comfort: Air-conditioning and urbanisation in the Gulf and Doha
Authors: Chang Jiat-Hwee
Published: October 2024

This paper develops the concept of thermal governance as a way to think critically about urbanisation and the management of heat at a time of climate change. Through the urban history of Doha between the 1950s and the 1980s, this paper deploys thermal governance to rethink urbanisation and air-conditioning dependency in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) cities, especially in relation to the notion of petro-urbanism. The ‘thermal’ in the concept emphasises the spatial connections of thermal exchanges across different scales and domains. This paper uses architecture, cooling technologies and urban thermal metabolism to understand the relations between hydrocarbons and political power. It specifically explores the linkages between the circulation of hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon revenues on the one hand, and thermal privilege and violence in Doha and other GCC cities on the other hand. The notion of ‘governance’ allows the paper to move away from techno-centric and purportedly objective ways of understanding heat to comprehend how social and political power are implicated in the management of heat.
Recognizing Race: Podcasting to Promote Critical Dialogue and Self-Reflection in Multicultural Psychology
Authors: Thelamour Barbara , Chang Doris
Published: October 2024

Introduction

Courses in multicultural psychology can provide content about power, privilege, healing, and resistance, especially as they pertain to race, while presenting space for students to reflect on their own socialization experiences and the role of race in their lives.

Statement of Problem

Direct, lecture-based approaches to presenting course content on race and racial identity can impede deep reflection and application of the material to students’ lives and their ability to engage across differences.

Literature Review

Critical dialogue among classroom peers enables students to use the knowledge gained from classroom content to discuss the complexity of race and racism with nuance and depth.

Teaching Implications

In this article, we describe Recognizing Race, a podcast assignment that scaffolds students’ self-reflection about their racial identity development while facilitating critical racial dialogues between students.

Conclusion

The Recognizing Race podcast assignment is one that can be used for undergraduate and graduate-level students in multicultural psychology to apply racial identity concepts to increase cultural self-awareness and promote more compassionate and inclusive interactions with others.
Adult Simultaneous Cochlear Implantation: Local Anesthesia
Authors: Fatani Nawaf , Alahmadi Asma , Almassalmeh Yousef , Abdelrahman Ahmad M. , Alotaibi Nasser , Yousef Medhat , Alotaibi Mohammed , Aldokhayel Fares , Hagr Abdulrahman
Published: October 2024

Purpose: Cochlear implant (CI) surgery is conventionally done under general anesthesia (GA). However, many patients are unable to undergo GA due to various reasons, raising the need for an alternative safe option. CI under local anesthesia is feasible and safely done in patients who can’t tolerate GA. This approach allows for device fitting immediately after surgery. This study aims to evaluate simultaneous bilateral cochlear implant (BiCI) surgery performed under local anesthesia with sedation in adults. To our knowledge, this is the largest cohort of patients who underwent this approach. Methods: This is a retrospective chart review in a tertiary center. We included all adult patients who underwent simultaneous BiCI under local anesthesia with sedation from 2018 to 2024. The feasibility of BiCI under local anesthesia with sedation was assessed through clinical, surgical, audiological, and patient questionnaire data. Results: Six patients underwent simultaneous BiCI with local anesthetic and sedation. Mean age was 41.7 ± 16.0, comprising 66.7% male and 33.3% female. No intraoperative problems were encountered. All woke up from sedation without any agitation or difficulties. Their recovery was uneventful. No dizziness, nausea, or vomiting were reported. The device was activated immediately postoperatively. Pure tone audiometry, speech reception threshold, and word recognition score were significantly improved. Positive experiences were reported in all patients. Conclusion: Bilateral simultaneous cochlear implantation under local anesthesia in adults is achievable, through a multidisciplinary approach. This approach is a potential alternative option for some patients and could optimize their hearing rehabilitation.
Student–Faculty Interaction and Academic Self-Concept: Gender as a Moderator
Authors: Trinidad Jonathan R. , Kurisu Sheri-Lynn S. , Moore Brandon J.
Published: October 2024

This study examines the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between student–faculty interaction and academic self-concept. Using data from a large public Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) in Southern California, the analysis suggests that although student–faculty interaction positively impacts academic self-concept for all students, the effect is stronger for female students. Despite these gains, a persistent gender gap remains, with female students reporting lower academic self-concept than male students. These findings emphasize the importance of tailored initiatives to improve student–faculty interaction and academic self-concept, especially for female students.
What Type of Incentives Can be Used to Motivate Generations Z and Y to Prefer More Sustainable Delivery Options?
Authors: Ünalmış Ece , Altay Burak Can , Okumus Abdullah
Published: October 2024

Given the environmental harm caused by factors such as carbon emissions and traffic congestion from the rise of online shopping, it is increasingly important to adopt sustainable delivery methods to lessen its impact on the planet and communities. This study was conducted to explore how various incentives can influence the delivery preferences of members of Generations (Gen) Z and Y. This study involves 384 Turkish Gen Z and Gen Y e-commerce users who had bought clothes online in the past 6 months. The research data were collected using a choice experiment survey and hypotheses were tested using the McNemar test. The study results show that different types of incentive significantly affect the delivery preferences of Gen Z and Gen Y. Younger consumers are more willing to choose sustainable delivery for their clothes shopping after receiving incentives such as information on CO2 emissions, traffic congestion, the number of acquaintances, as well as coupons and discounts. Additionally, they become more willing to pay more and wait longer for more sustainable delivery. Furthermore, the study shows that offering coupons and discounts to consumers has a greater impact on encouraging participants to choose a more sustainable delivery compared with providing information about CO2 emissions, traffic congestion, and the number of acquaintances.
Complications of untreated hypogammaglobulinemia in a patient with common variable immunodeficiency – A case report
Authors: Grochowalska Kinga , Ziętkiewicz Marcin , Dulski Jarosław , Sławek Jarosław , Suchanek Hanna , Jaskólska Marta
Published: October 2024

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a primary immunodeficiency disorder characterized by decreased or undetectable serum levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG), decreased levels of IgA isotypes, and poor specific antibody production in response to vaccines and pathogens. Owing to hypogammaglobulinemia, patients have increased susceptibility to infections and a higher risk of malignancies. Here we present a case study of patient with a diagnosis of CVID, who refused immunoglobulin replacement therapy despite plenty of complications. Patient suffered from recurrent respiratory and digestive tract infections, diarrhea, malnutrition, infection of the central nervous system, and autoimmune complications. The complications of untreated hypogammaglobulinemia eventually led to the death of the patient at the age of 63 years. Patients with CVID have an increased susceptibility to chronic infections and subsequent complications; hence, proper treatment with immunoglobulin replacement therapy should be administered. Owing to the increased risk of autoimmunity and malignancy, regular surveillance should be conducted in patients with CVID. Understanding the natural history of untreated hypogammaglobulinemia emphasizes the need for early diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and vigilant follow-up in patients with CVID.
The Vine and the Branches: An Exegetical Study of John 15:1-8 and the Implications of “Abiding in Christ” (Unio Mystica) for Christian Formation Ministries
Authors: Manço Davi Miguel
Published: October 2024

This article explores the impact of Jesus’ “true vine” metaphor on discipleship and spirituality. The first part is a study of John 15:1-8, the passage where these teachings are recorded. The second part presents some theological developments, showing how Jesus’ lessons about abiding on Him have influenced the doctrine of unio mystica within the Reformed tradition. Finally, the third section features some implications from the exegetical and theological study for Christian ministries and discipleship.
La consommation et l’épreuve de réalité : comment les individus justifient-ils les limites assumées à leurs efforts de consommation face aux enjeux climatiques ?
Authors: Dubreuil Clément , Borraz Stéphane
Published: October 2024

Cette recherche vise à comprendre comment les individus conscients des enjeux environnementaux justifient le caractère limité de leurs propres efforts de consommation, à la lumière d’une épreuve de réalité, c’est-à dire la mesure de leur empreinte carbone. Elle adopte une approche interprétativiste et s’appuie sur le cadre de la théorie de la justification. Premièrement, elle contribue à mieux comprendre le green gap, en identifiant les justifications formulées par les individus dans des situations où ils assument les limites à leurs efforts constatées dans le résultat de leur empreinte carbone. Détaillant les mondes et catégories essentielles auxquels les individus se réfèrent à travers ces justifications, cette recherche met en évidence comment ils critiquent l’épreuve de réalité, et parfois le système dans lequel elle s’inscrit, censée trancher le bien-fondé des pratiques. Deuxièmement, cette recherche révèle l’épreuve de réalité comme l’élément conceptuel conciliant les compétences critiques réformistes et radicales des consommateurs. Enfin, 3 contributions managériales sont présentées, ainsi que certaines limites et voies de recherche.
“If I Stay Quiet, the Only Person That Gets Hurt Is Me”: Anti-Asian Racism and the Mental Health of Chinese-Canadian Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Ng Isabella , Hilario Carla , Salma Jordana
Published: October 2024

Background and Purpose

Despite documented accounts of racial discrimination against Chinese communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, few studies have examined experiences of racism among Canadian youth. This qualitative study explored the experiences of Chinese-Canadian youth during the COVID-19 pandemic and their mental health.

Methods

A qualitative descriptive research design, informed by Critical Race Theory (CRT), was used for this study. Data was collected using focus groups and image-based elicitation methods. Youth who self-identified as Chinese-Canadian, aged 18–24, and who experienced some account of self-defined racism were included. We analyzed the data using a coding system developed for this study and formulated key themes.

Results

Our analysis identified three themes: (I) Becoming racialized; (II) Learning the rules of racism; and (III) Effects of racism on mental health. We discuss findings in relation to the model minority stereotype, intersectionality of race and gender, and factors leading to a lack of support.

Conclusions

This study provides evidence that racism had immediate and prolonged effects on the mental health of Chinese-Canadian youth and their relationships with peers, family, and even strangers. Our research suggests the need for enhanced services for Chinese-Canadian youth and other groups experiencing racism.
The Changing Nature of Foundation Work: Advancing the Field by Understanding the Foundation Professional Experience
Authors: Fugiel Gartner Michele
Published: October 2024

The nature of foundation work is underexplored with little attention to the internal dynamics of foundations. Focus has been on the organizational level describing foundations’ societal roles, but understanding the individual experiences of those working within foundations would remove much of the mystery of these institutions. This article focuses on the experiences of the individual foundation professional, by exploring the entry-to-exit of UK family foundation CEOs. This study demonstrates inherent tensions between amateur and emerging professional influences in foundation roles. In asking about the changing nature of foundation work, this article highlights three underexplored elements: competing expertise, inconsistent field formalization, and a professionalizing context. Understanding these elements are crucial for implementing effective and equitable field-level initiatives. Focusing on foundation professional experiences challenges the “black box” narrative by providing a greater understanding of foundation work and its evolution.