bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Content development for a new item-bank for measuring multifocal contact lens performance
Authors: Albero-Ros Elsa , Lorente-Velázquez Amalia , González-Pérez Mariano
Published: February 2024

Background

Presbyopia is an age-related condition that causes a decreased ability to focus on nearby objects. Multifocal contact lenses are commonly used to address this issue. However, there seems to be a notable dissatisfaction among multifocal contact lens wearers. The absence of a reliable instrument to measure the patient’s perspective, despite the widespread use of this method, highlights the need for further research in this area.

Objective

The objective of this study is to develop an item-bank integrating all domains necessary to assess the patient’s perspective on multifocal contact lens performance, offering a comprehensive measure. The item-bank will ensure a high level of content validity, be self-administered, and will initially be available in Spanish. The aim of this tool is to serve as a valuable resource for research and optometric clinics, facilitating the follow-up of patients with presbyopia who wear multifocal contact lenses or those who are newly starting to use them.

Methodology

The MCL-PRO item bank, followed a systematic and step-wise inductive approach to gather information, following the recommendations outlined in the COSMIN guidelines and similar studies. The process involved the following steps: (1) Literature review and relevant existing items identification (2) Social media review, (3) Semi-structured focus groups, (4) performing qualitative analysis, (5) refining and revising the items, and (6) generating the content of the item bank.

Results

A total of 575 items were included in the item-bank hosted under 8 different domains that were found to be important for presbyopic population: visual symptoms (213), activity limitation (111), ocular symptoms (135), convenience (36), emotional well-being (33), general symptoms (16), cognitive issues (21) and economic issues (10).

Conclusion

The item-bank created has followed standardised methodology for its development and encloses all the aspects for MCL performance evaluation from patients perspective.
Effects of transsectoral long-term neurorehabilitation
Authors: Schrader Mareike , Sterr Annette , Strank Tobias , Bamborschke Stephan , Dohle Christian
Published: February 2024

Background

Acquired brain injuries are among the most common causes of disability in adulthood. An intensive rehabilitation phase is crucial for recovery. However, there is a lack of concepts to further expand the therapeutic success after the standard rehabilitation period. Hereafter, the characteristics of a transsectoral, multiprofessional long-term neurorehabilitation concept and its effects on outcome at different ICF levels are described.

Methods

The P.A.N. Center for Post-Acute Neurorehabilitation combines living with 24/7 support of pedagogical staff with on-site outpatient therapy and medical care. A secondary data analysis was conducted on the records of all patients with completeted P.A.N. treatment between 01.01.2015 and 09.04.2022. Outcome parameters included demographic characteristics, diagnostics, Barthel Index (BI), the German scale „Hilfebedarf von Menschen mit Behinderung für den Lebensbereich Wohnen “ (HMBW), the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and the destination after discharge. For BI and discharge destination, potential determinants of therapy success are evaluated.

Results

168 patients were enrolled in the analyses. Significant improvements were observed in the BI (p < .001), with median values increasing from 55 to 80 points. The HMBW showed a significant decrease in the need for assistance in everyday living (p < .001), individual basic care (p < .001), shaping social relationship (p = .003) and communication (p < .001). Significant improvements were reported in the COPM total score for performance (p < .001) and satisfaction (p < .001). 72% of the patients were able to move in a community living arrangement with moderate need for support. Main predictive factor for discharge destination was the initial cognitive deficit. The comparison of the third-person scales BI and HMBW with the self-reported COPM showed that individually formulated patient goals are only insufficiently reflected in these global scales.

Discussion

The data show that a highly coordinated, trans-sectoral 24/7 approach of goal-oriented practice as pursued at P.A.N. is feasible and effective. We assume that the success of the intervention is due to the high intensity of therapies delivered over a long time and its interlink with real world practice. For a comprehensive analysis of rehabilitation success, it is necessary to record and evaluate individual patient goals, as these are not always reflected in the commonly used global scales.
Superior outcomes of pullout repairs for medial meniscus posterior root tears in partial tear compared to complete radial tear
Authors: Tamura Masanori , Furumatsu Takayuki , Yokoyama Yusuke , Higashihara Naohiro , Kawada Koki , Ozaki Toshifumi
Published: February 2024

Purpose

To reveal the outcomes of partial medial meniscus posterior root tears following transtibial pullout repair compared with the outcomes of complete radial meniscus posterior root tears.

Materials and methods

We retrospectively evaluated 15 consecutive patients (male/female, 5/10; average age, 64.4 years) who underwent transtibial pullout repair for partial medial meniscus posterior root tears and compared their results with those of 86 consecutive patients who underwent the same surgery for complete medial meniscus posterior root tears. All patients underwent second-look arthroscopy on average 1 year postoperatively, and a semi-quantitative meniscal healing score (anteroposterior width, stability, and synovial coverage, total 10 points) was evaluated. Medial meniscus extrusion was evaluated preoperatively and at second-look arthroscopy.

Results

Postoperative clinical scores were not significantly different in the short term. However, second-look arthroscopy revealed a significant difference in repaired meniscal stability (partial tear; 3.3 points, complete tear; 2.3 points, p < 0.001) and total meniscal healing scores (partial tear; 8.3 points, complete tear; 7.1 points, p < 0.001). Medial meniscus extrusion progression was significantly different (partial tear; 0.4 mm, complete tear; 1.0 mm, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Partial medial meniscus posterior root tears showed better meniscal healing and less medial meniscus extrusion progression following pullout repair than complete medial meniscus posterior root tears.
Case series on phyllodes tumour of breast in young females: Unusual clinico-radiological presentations in unusual age group—Thinking beyond fibroadenomas!
Authors: Gupta Jyoti , Bhayana Aanchal , Gupta Pranav , Bagri Neha , Malik Rachna
Published: February 2024

Background

Phyllodes tumours (PT) of the breast are rare primary breast neoplasms, mostly seen in fourth to fifth decades of life. These tumours are exceptionally rare in children and young females. The clinico-radiological features often overlap with fibroadenoma. Though imaging plays a pivotal role in providing an initial diagnostic approach, the final confirmation is dispensed on histopathology, which further classifies PT into either benign, low-grade malignant (borderline), or high-grade malignant. On reviewing the literature, only 20 cases have been reported so far in young females, with majority of them being benign and very few numbers of malignant PT.

Case presentation

Herein, we report the clinical and imaging features of PT in four young females, of benign, borderline and high-grade malignant categories as confirmed on histopathology, thereby adding few more numbers to the already existing cases. Additionally, our fourth case depicts rare presentation of high-grade malignant recurrent PT in adolescent female with nodal and unilateral ovarian metastases.

Conclusions

In conclusion, a possibility of PT should be considered in differential diagnosis in a large rapidly enlarging breast mass even in young females with characteristic imaging features, as it alters the plan of management.
A comparative study between the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced digital mammography and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI in invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast
Authors: Fakhry Sherihan , Kamal Rasha Mohamed , Nada Omnia Mokhtar , Abo El Enien Mohamed Amira Emad , Hanafy Mennatallah Mohamed
Published: February 2024

Background

Invasive lobular carcinoma is the second most prevalent histological subtype of breast cancer after invasive duct carcinoma, with a reported increased incidence in the last two decades. It often presents with challenging imaging characteristics that lower the sensitivity of mammography in their detection and delineation of their extent. Moreover, an increased risk of having synchronous lesions in the same or opposite breast was reported in cases with invasive lobular carcinoma. This obviates the need for other imaging modalities, specifically contrast-enhanced imaging modalities, to improve early detection as well as allow precise determination of the extent of the disease. Our aim in this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced digital mammography and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the local staging of invasive lobular carcinoma regarding the size, extensions, multiplicity and bilaterality.

Methods

This study included 46 female patients with pathologically proven invasive lobular carcinoma. They underwent full-field digital mammography with a complementary ultrasound examination, contrast-enhanced digital mammography, and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. The findings encountered by the three imaging modalities were evaluated independently, and the results were compared with final histopathology.

Results

In the current study, dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI study was the most sensitive modality in the detection of the index lesion, synchronous ipsilateral and contralateral lesions and achieved a sensitivity of 100% in each analysis as compared to contrast-enhanced digital mammography, which achieved a sensitivity of 97.8%, 85.7% and 80%, respectively. Regarding the assessment of the lesion extent to the surroundings, there was a tendency to overestimation by MRI examination.

Conclusions

Although dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI is the most sensitive imaging modality for detecting the index lesion, multiplicity and bilaterality, contrast-enhanced digital mammography achieved comparable overall accuracy. Regarding the locoregional staging of invasive lobular carcinoma, there was a tendency for relative overestimation by MRI examination.
Decurarization After Thoracic Anesthesia using sugammadex compared to neostigmine (DATA trial): a multicenter randomized double-blinded controlled trial
Authors: Piccioni Federico , Rosboch Giulio L. , Coccia Cecilia , Donati Ilaria , Proto Paolo , Ceraolo Edoardo , Pierconti Federico , Pagano Martina , Vernocchi Daniele , Valenza Franco , Rocca Giorgio Della
Published: February 2024

Background

Thoracic surgery is a high-risk surgery especially for the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Postoperative residual paralysis has been shown to be a risk factor for pulmonary complications. Nevertheless, there are few data in the literature concerning the use of neuromuscular blocking agent antagonists in patients undergoing lung surgery.

Methods

Seventy patients were randomized in three Italian centers to receive sugammadex or neostigmine at the end of thoracic surgery according to the depth of the residual neuromuscular block. The primary outcome was the time from reversal administration to a train-of-four ratio (TOFR) of 0.9. Secondary outcomes were the time to TOFR of 1.0, to extubation, to postanesthesia unit (PACU) discharge, postoperative complications until 30 days after surgery, and length of hospital stay.

Results

Median time to recovery to a TOFR of 0.9 was significantly shorter in the sugammadex group compared to the neostigmine one (88 vs. 278 s — P < 0.001). The percentage of patients who recovered to a TOFR of 0.9 within 5 min from reversal administration was 94.4% and 58.8% in the sugammadex and neostigmine groups, respectively (P < 0.001). The time to extubation, but not the PACU stay time, was significantly shorter in the sugammadex group. No differences were found between the study groups as regards postoperative complications and length of hospital stay. The superiority of sugammadex in shortening the recovery time was confirmed for both deep/moderate and shallow/minimal neuromuscular block.

Conclusions

Among patients undergoing thoracic surgery, sugammadex ensures a faster recovery from the neuromuscular block and earlier extubation compared to neostigmine.
Survival Outcomes of Patients With Breast Cancer in a Mexican Population
Authors: Grajales-Alvarez Rocio , Gutiérrez-Mata Alicia , Pichardo-Piña Christian , Gutiérrez-De la Barrera Marcos , Dip-Borunda Karim
Published: February 2024

PURPOSE

The Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social is a tripartite contribution providing care to more than 74 million beneficiaries, representing more than 50% of the country's general population. This study aims to describe the survival outcomes and clinicopathologic characteristics of patients with breast cancer at our Center.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort of patients with breast cancer treated between January 2012 and December 2020 was conducted. Survival outcomes were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using a Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

There were 5,264 patients included with a median follow-up of 54.9 months. Forty-three percent (n = 2,274) were diagnosed in stage I-IIA, 43.1% (n = 2,269) in stage IIB-III, and 7% (n = 383) in stage IV. At 5 years, disease-free survival was 74.9% (95% CI, 73.5 to 76.3) and overall survival (OS) 90.4% (95% CI, 89.4 to 91.3). For stage IV, it was 22.7% (95% CI, 17.3 to 28.5). High histologic grade (hazard ratio, 1.51 [95% CI, 1.34 to 1.7]; P < .001) and lymphovascular invasion (LVI; hazard ratio, 1.85 [95% CI, 1.62 to 2.1]; P < .001) were associated with a higher risk of recurrence.

CONCLUSION

Histologic grade and LVI should be considered in the decision to treat with adjuvant chemotherapy in sites where genomic signatures are not available. Our OS data are comparable with other Mexican series; however, it is lower in stage IV. Much remains to be done at the national level, mainly regarding access to additional therapies for each breast cancer subtype. This work contributes to the evaluation of areas for improvement in outcomes in our population.
Outcomes of Metastatic and Unresectable Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma in Japan According to the Treatment Strategy: A Nationwide Observational Study
Authors: Nishikawa Yoshitaka , Horimatsu Takahiro , Oka Shiro , Yamada Takeshi , Mitsui Keigo , Yamamoto Hironori , Takahashi Keiichi , Shiomi Akio , Hotta Kinichi , Takeuchi Yoji , Kuwai Toshio , Ishida Fumio , Kudo Shin-Ei , Saito Shoichi , Ueno Masashi , Sunami Eiji , Yamano Tomoki , Itabashi Michio , Ohtsuka Kazuo , Kinugasa Yusuke , Matsumoto Takayuki , Sugai Tamotsu , Uraoka Toshio , Kurahara Koichi , Yamaguchi Shigeki , Kato Tomohiro , Okajima Masazumi , Kashida Hiroshi , Fujita Fumihiko , Ikematsu Hiroaki , Ito Masaaki , Esaki Motohiro , Kawai Masaya , Yao Takashi , Hamada Madoka , Koda Keiji , Fukai Yasumori , Komori Koji , Saitoh Yusuke , Kanemitsu Yukihide , Takamaru Hiroyuki , Yamada Kazutaka , Nozawa Hiroaki , Takayama Tetsuji , Togashi Kazutomo , Shinto Eiji , Torisu Takehiro , Toyoshima Akira , Ohmiya Naoki , Kato Takeshi , Otsuji Eigo , Nagata Shinji , Hashiguchi Yojiro , Sugihara Kenichi , Ajioka Yoichi , Tanaka Shinji
Published: February 2024

PURPOSE

Limited information is available regarding the characteristics and outcomes of stage IV small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) in Japan. This study examined the clinical and pathological characteristics and outcomes according to the treatment strategies in patients with stage IV SBA.

METHODS

This retrospective observational study used the data of patients with jejunal or ileal adenocarcinoma collected by the Small Bowel Malignant Tumor Project of the Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum. Descriptive statistics were expressed as the mean (standard deviation) or median (range). Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier curves and pairwise log-rank tests.

RESULTS

Data from 128 patients were analyzed. The treatment strategies were chemotherapy alone (26 of 128, 20.3%), surgery alone (including palliative surgery; 21 of 128, 16.4%), surgery + chemotherapy (74 of 128, 57.8%), and best supportive care (7 of 128, 5.5%). The median (range) overall survival was 16 (0-125) months overall, and 11 (1-38) months, 8 (0-80) months, 18 (0-125) months, and 0 (0-1) months for the chemotherapy, surgery, surgery + chemotherapy, and best supportive care groups, respectively. Three main categories of chemotherapeutic regimen were used: a combination of fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin (F + Ox), fluoropyrimidine and irinotecan (F + Iri), and single-agent fluoropyrimidine. Among patients treated with chemotherapy, the median (range) OS was 16 (1-106) months overall, and 17 (1-87) months, 29 (7-39) months, and 16 (1-106) months in patients treated with fluoropyrimidine, F + Iri, and F + Ox, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Patients treated with surgery, chemotherapy, or both had a better prognosis than those who received best supportive care. Among patients who received chemotherapy, survival did not differ according to the chemotherapeutic regimen.
Pharmacodynamic Studies of Pravastatin Sodium Nanoemulsion Loaded Transdermal Patch for Treatment of Hyperlipidemia
Authors: Elsayed Seham I , El-Dahan Marwa S , Girgis Germeen N. S
Published: February 2024

Pravastatin sodium (PVS) is a hypolipidemic drug with poor oral bioavailability due to the first-pass effect. Therefore, this study aims to formulate and evaluate transdermal patches containing PVS-loaded nanoemulsions (PVS-NEs) to increase PVS’s hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective activities. PVS-NEs were prepared using the aqueous titration method, where oleic acid was chosen as an oil phase, and span 80 and tween 80 were used as surfactant and cosurfactant respectively. Droplet size (DS), polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential (ZP), clarity, and thermodynamic stability of NEs were all characterized. Also, PVS-NEs (NE2) with 50% oil phase, 40% SC mix 2:1, and 10% water were selected as an optimum formula based on the results of DS (251 ± 16), PDI (0.4 ± 0.16), and ZP (-70 ± 10.4) to be incorporated into a transdermal patch, and PVS-NE2 loaded transdermal patches (PVS-NE2-TDPs) were prepared by solvent evaporation method. F1 patch with HPMC E15 and PVP K30 in a ratio of 3:1 represented satisfactory patch properties with good drug-excipients compatibility. Thus, it was selected as an optimum patch formula. The optimized F1 patch was characterized for thickness, moisture content, weight variation, and drug-excipients incompatibility. Therefore, it was subjected to ex vivo skin permeation and finally pharmacodynamic studies. Ex vivo permeation studies of F1 revealed that the cumulative amount of PVS permeated across rat skin was 271.66 ± 19 µg/cm2 in 72 h, and the pharmacodynamic studies demonstrated that the F1 patch was more effective in treating hyperlipidemia than PVS-TDP (control patch) based on both blood analysis and histopathological examination. 

Graphical Abstract
Metabolic and Toxic Myelopathies
Authors: Holroyd Kathryn B. , Berkowitz Aaron L.
Published: February 2024

OBJECTIVE

This article reviews the clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, and treatment of metabolic and toxic myelopathies resulting from nutritional deficiencies, environmental and dietary toxins, drugs of abuse, systemic medical illnesses, and oncologic treatments.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Increased use of bariatric surgery for obesity has led to higher incidences of deficiencies in nutrients such as vitamin B12 and copper, which can cause subacute combined degeneration. Myelopathies secondary to dietary toxins including konzo and lathyrism are likely to become more prevalent in the setting of climate change leading to drought and flooding. Although modern advances in radiation therapy techniques have reduced the incidence of radiation myelopathy, patients with cancer are living longer due to improved treatments and may require reirradiation that can increase the risk of this condition. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are increasingly used for the treatment of cancer and are associated with a wide variety of immune-mediated neurologic syndromes including myelitis.

ESSENTIAL POINTS

Metabolic and toxic causes should be considered in the diagnosis of myelopathy in patients with particular clinical syndromes, risk factors, and neuroimaging findings. Some of these conditions may be reversible if identified and treated early, requiring careful history, examination, and laboratory and radiologic evaluation for prompt diagnosis.
Endoscopic Endonasal Transsphenoidal Transcavernous Transoculomotor Triangle Approach for Resection of an Invasive Pituitary Adenoma Extending Into the Parapeduncular Space Through the Cavernous Sinus
Authors: Honavalli Murali Sanjay , Nair Prakash , Hariharan Venkat Easwer
Published: February 2024

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE:

A subset of invasive pituitary adenomas invade not only the medial wall of the cavernous sinus but can progress superiorly through the cavernous sinus roof at the oculomotor triangle and reach the subarachnoid parapeduncular space. We describe a series of 2 of 3 cases where an endoscopic endonasal approach was used to reach the parapeduncular space through the oculomotor triangle for tumor decompression. Images of the third case are presented.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION:

Case 1: We present a 2-dimensional surgical video of a recurrent corticotroph adenoma post gamma knife radiotherapy which was invading the left cavernous sinus and extending into the left parapeduncular space. Histopathological examination revealed densely granulated corticotrophin adenoma. The patient had reduction in the serum cortisol level postoperatively and was induced into remission medically. Postoperative third nerve palsy recovered partially, and sixth nerve palsy recovered completely at the 3-month follow-up. Case 2: A case of recurrent silent corticotrophin adenoma invading the right parapeduncular space through the right cavernous sinus was operated through the same approach as case 1. Only a subtotal excision of the tumor in the cisternal space was possible. The patient developed a complete right third cranial palsy in the immediate postoperative period with near total recovery at the 6-month follow-up.

CONCLUSION:

Endoscopic endonasal approach to the parapeduncular space through a transcavernous transoculomotor route is reasonably safe and effective, as long as key anatomic landmarks and structures are identified and preserved while using natural tumor corridors to achieve tumor clearance.
Sex Differences in Neuromuscular Aging: The Role of Sex Hormones
Authors: Piasecki Jessica , Škarabot Jakob , Spillane Padraig , Piasecki Mathew , Ansdell Paul
Published: February 2024

Males and females experience different trajectories of neuromuscular function across the lifespan, with females demonstrating accelerated deconditioning in later life. We hypothesize that the menopause is a critical period in the female lifespan, during which the dramatic reduction in sex hormone concentrations negatively impacts synaptic input to the motoneuron pool, as well as motor unit discharge properties.
Immigration and Crime: An International Perspective
Authors: Marie Olivier , Pinotti Paolo
Published: February 2024

The association between immigration and crime has long been a subject of debate, and only recently have we encountered systematic empirical evidence on this issue. Data shows that immigrants, often younger, male, and less educated compared to natives, are disproportionately represented among offenders in numerous host countries. However, existing research, inclusive of our analysis of new international data, consistently indicates that immigration does not significantly impact local crime rates in these countries. Furthermore, recent studies underscore that obtaining legal status diminishes immigrants’ involvement in criminal activities. Finally, we discuss potential explanations for the apparent incongruity between immigrants’ overrepresentation among offenders and the null effect of immigration on crime rates.
Case Report: A rare story of dysmenorrhea and hematuria in a young female with a case of nutcracker syndrome
Authors: Sahai Isha , Ghosh Benumadhab , Sahai Disha , Waghulkar Shubham , Banode Pankaj
Published: February 2024

Nutcracker syndrome (NCS) is a sporadic syndrome due to the compression of the left renal vein (LRV) between the abdominal aorta and the superior mesenteric artery (SMA). This condition may present with unexplainable pain, hematuria, orthostatic hypotension, proteinuria, or dysfunction of the kidneys. These symptoms would be explained by the fact that if a chronically standing venous congestion is there then there could be the development of gonadal vein and pelvic vein collateral drainage pathways. Doppler USG (ultrasound), cross-sectional and invasive imaging modalities are frequently used for the purpose of diagnosis. Here, in this report, there's a female patient in her mid- 20's. She was asymptomatic since birth and presented with a history of abdominal pain and blood in the urine. USG is not the best modality for describing the findings hence a further contrast-enhanced computed tomography was done which reported an NCS. In all cases of unexplained hematuria, after excluding all differential diagnoses, NCS must be taken into account.
The rise of gemination in Celtic
Authors: Stifter David
Published: February 2024

This study investigates systematically the emergence and establishment of geminate consonants as a phonological class in the Celtic branch of Indo-European. The approach of this study is comparative historical linguistics, drawing on diachronic structuralism combined with aspects of language contact studies and functional approaches to language usage. This study traces the development of geminates from Proto-Indo-European (fourth millennium B.C.), which did not allow geminate consonants, to the Common Celtic period (first millennium B.C.), when almost every consonant could occur as a singleton or as a geminate, and on to the earliest attested stages of the Insular Celtic languages (first millennium A.D.). Although they were prominent in the phonology of Proto- and Ancient Celtic (Gaulish, Celtiberian), ultimately geminates were gotten rid of as a phonological class in the individual Insular Celtic languages. This is probably due to the fact that the contrast between lenited and unlenited sounds took on a central role in Insular Celtic phonology, making gemination a phonetically redundant category. Most instances of geminate consonants in Celtic can be explained by regular sound change operating on inherited clusters of consonants. Each sound change will be discussed in a separate section in a rough chronological order. Effectively, gemination is largely a strategy to reduce the number of allowed consonant combinations. To a limited degree, gemination also had a morphological function, especially in the formation of personal names and in the creation of adjectival neologisms. However, there is a residue of words, especially nouns, in the Insular Celtic languages that defy any attempt at etymologising. They are prime suspects of having been borrowed from prehistoric, substratal languages.
Operation Dumbo Drop: To Airdrop or Not to Airdrop for Initial Coin Offering Success?
Authors: Li Jian , Wan Xiang (Shawn) , Cheng Hsing Kenneth , Zhao Xi
Published: February 2024

Practice Abstract

Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) have become a new and popular fundraising approach for blockchain start-ups. To motivate blockchain individuals to invest in the subsequent ICO, a growing number of blockchain-based project founders employ the airdrop campaign, through which they distribute a specific amount of free official tokens or promotional tokens to potential investors on the blockchain with or without their permission. Of paramount concern to the blockchain founders contemplating whether to launch an airdrop campaign are whether the airdrop campaign has a positive effect on the potential investors’ investment behaviors in their ICOs and how the efficacy of the airdrop may vary with investors. We find that the promotional airdrop significantly increases the potential investors’ ICO investment. We further find that the airdrop is more effective in increasing the investment for individuals with transacted projects dissimilar to the focal project than those with similar ones. By incorporating the insights from our study into their airdrop campaign strategy, blockchain start-ups can effectively target the right segment of potential investors to enhance the success of their ICOs.
Giant cell arteritis presenting as multiple ischaemic strokes: a successful case of endovascular treatment
Authors: Órfão Ana , Saca Carolina , Alexandre Inês , Oliveira Ana Maria , Fernandes Serôdio João , Barreira João , Mesquita Teresa
Published: February 2024

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) may manifest with aggressive intracranial stenosis resistant to medical therapy, and patients may develop refractory neurologic deficits and cerebral infarcts, making GCA a life-threatening condition. We report the case of a 68-year-old woman recently diagnosed with GCA, medicated with prednisolone 60 mg daily. Two weeks later, the patient was admitted to our Stroke Unit after a sudden episode of global aphasia. Magnetic resonance angiography showed two recent ischaemic lesions, besides an erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 17 mm/hour. A cerebral angiography revealed bilateral stenosis and dilation in the petrous, cavernous and supraclinoid segments of internal carotid arteries (ICA). The patient was started on intravenous methylprednisolone pulses (250 mg daily for five days). Computed tomography (CT) angiography and Doppler ultrasound showed severe vascular disease affecting multiple territories, without significant intracranial involvement. The hypothesis of GCA with extracranial vasculitic involvement was considered as the aetiology of ischaemic cerebral infarctions in multiple territories and, given the severity of the disease, it was decided to add tocilizumab. Despite this, the patient evolved with significant worsening neurological deficits and a CT scan confirmed the presence of new vascular events. Endovascular treatment (EVT) with balloon angioplasty was conducted on both ICAs, with improved calibre and downstream filling. After that, the patient presented sustained clinical improvement, without recurrence of any ischaemic events at the one-year follow-up. This clinical case stands out for the importance of EVT as an effective therapy in patients with medically refractory GCA with symptomatic intracranial stenosis, improving their prognosis.
The politics of death in Mexico: dislocating human rights and asylum law through hybrid agents.
Authors: Estévez Ariadna
Published: February 2024

In 2006 Mexico’s then-president Felipe Calderón declared war on drug trafficking. The human toll was devastating with the loss of over 95,000 lives and the forced disappearance of more than 27,000 people. In addition, two percent of the Mexican population was displaced with families forced to flee their homes in the face of criminal violence. This article offers an explanation of how death, forced disappearances, persecution and exile are in essence the specific effects of governmentalization of the Mexican state. This govern­mentalization includes the shared use, by criminals and authorities, of techniques for dominating the population and controlling the conduct of citizens through the practices of death, that is, by employing the politics of death (necropolitics). The article goes on to discuss how the objectives, rationality and governmentalization of the State serve to dislocate human rights discourse in such a way that its truth politics excludes people suffering serious human rights violations, such as Mexican asylum seekers. This is accompanied by a new mode of subjectivity produced by Mexico’s politics of death – the Endriago subject – which operates as a hybrid perpetrator of human rights violations.
Collective food purchasing networks in Italy as a case study of responsible innovation
Authors: Hankins Jonathan , Grasseni Cristina
Published: February 2024

Based upon fieldwork in Italy and the USA, the authors present work-in-progress insights into solidarity economies, and in particular alternative food networks, as a form of active citizenship that could re-orient the current debate on responsible innovation.
Problems of Water Supply and Sanitation in Kpakungu Area of Minna (Nigeria)
Authors: Adeleye Bamiji , Okelola Olumayokun , Medayese Samuel
Published: February 2024

Access to clean water and adequate sanitation has been a challenging issue in Kpakungu. Due to the unavailability of clean water sources and poor sanitation most of the inhabitants of Kpakungu are threaten with the spread of diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera and this has led to the degenerating situation of Kpakungu. Assessing the problems of water supply and sanitation in Kpakungu area of Minna, Niger State using GIS (Geographic Information System) is aimed at providing access to adequate portable water supply and a better sanitation through the use of research and advocacy. This is achieved by identifying the pattern of access to public water supply and sanitation in Kpakungu and the creation of a database of the existing water source and their yield was determined to enhance planning. This research involved the use of both primary and secondary data to achieve a thorough assessment of the problems of poor water supply and sanitation in the study area. It was discovered that the problems of poor water supply and sanitation often leave most women and children on queues for several hours and those that cannot endure are forced to travel long miles in search for alternative source of water, which may not be fit for drinking. In the light of this, mothers are prevented from domestic work and most children are kept away from school. At the end of the research water and sanitation blue print for the study area was designed and a proposal was sent to relevant government agencies and ministries for the provision of more sources of potable water in the community. In this regard, Public Private Dialogue (PPD) was initiated and adequate follow up process was made until the aim of the research was achieved.
The emergence of global administrative systems: the case of sport.
Authors: Casini Lorenzo
Published: February 2024

The “global” dimension of sport is, in the first instance, regulatory, and it embraces the whole complex of norms produced and implemented by regulatory sporting regimes at the international and domestic levels. These rules include not only private norms set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and by International Federations (IFs) but also “hybrid” public-private norms approved by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and international law (such as the UNESCO Convention Against Doping in Sport). Sports law, therefore, is highly heterogeneous, and, above all, it is not simply transnational, but actually “global”. This law represents an autonomous global legal system, which displays distinctive features such as the presence of some separation of powers (in particular quasi-judicial, with the strategic role played by the Court of Arbitration for Sport) and the development of relevant procedural principles (e.g. fairness and due process); and these principles operate both in rulemaking procedures (e.g. the adoption of the WADA Code) and in adjudicatory ones (e.g. for disciplinary measures). Finally, this global legal system is made up with several international regulatory regimes, both private – such as the Olympic movement – and hybrid public and private – such as the world anti-doping regime. The paper will deal in particular with this latter issue. The analysis will focus on the global administrative dimensions of sports regimes, together with their inter-institutional relationships and its legal implications for the public and private interaction.
Searching for a Room of One’s Own: Rethinking the Iranian Diaspora in “Persepolis”, “Shahs of Sunset” and “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night”
Authors: Edwards Emily
Published: February 2024

For diasporic communities created through violence or forcible resettlement, home transcends physical boundaries and becomes a blend of past experience and future imagination. Iranians displaced after the 1979 Revolution have imagined home through various cultural mediums, such as, television, film, and literature. Three cultural texts produced by Iranian women, (Persepolis, Shahs of Sunset, and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night), in particular, offer illuminating glimpses into the diaspora experience. I propose to engage in a close textual reading of the aforementioned works across methodological boundaries to show that despite their portrayal of varied diaspora life experiences, the diaspora paradigm reduces these experiences to a figurative return to the homeland. I argue that the diaspora paradigm, by offering a highly romanticized and homogenizing understanding of home and foreign land, flattens the diversity of identity and experience. Furthermore, the diaspora paradigm denies the role of intersection of class and gender on the lived experiences of the actual diaspora population. Through an alternative reading of these texts, I hope to challenge the prevalent paradigm through which Iranian diaspora identity is understood. I focus on autobiographical textual trends as a method of story-telling and self-formation, comparing this narrative structure to the theory of identity as ‘infinitely postponed’ in exile. I specifically highlight crucial interactions of local and global forces that shape diaspora experiences otherwise elided in the existing scholarship, complicating romantic understandings of both home and abroad.
Digital Nomads Employment in the Online Gig Economy
Authors: Thompson Beverly Yuen
Published: February 2024

In 1997, Tsugio Makimoto and David Manners published their future-looking manifesto Digital Nomad that, decades later, would present as a manifesto for a lifestyle movement. At the time, businesses and the US government were interested in looking at tele-commuting, productivity, and work-family balance. Critiques of a neoliberal economy provide insight into understanding the context of freelance and online, piecemeal employ- ment. This article examines the types of employment that digital nomads engage in, based on in-depth interviews with thirty-eight self-identified digital nomads. The participants mostly originate from wealthy, industrialized nations, and have many class privileges, but are underemployed compared to what their socio-economic status would historically suggest. As most participants are in the Millennial Generation, an overview of the shifting socio-economic status of this age-cohort is examined in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and the European Union – notably their high educational achievements and increasingly precarious employment status. Many of the nomads were working part-time with their own micro-business, with few able to maintain full-time employment. Few have bene- fits such as healthcare, retirement, unemployment insurance, or family leave. While “freedom” is touted as the benefit of gig-work, by both industry management and digital nomad enthusiasts, this lifestyle marks a shift towards precarious employment – itself not a basis for economic freedom, nor security.
The Social Construction of Water Scarcity: An Exploration Study along the “Bharathapuzha” in Kerala
Authors: Santha Sunil D. , Sasidevan Devisha
Published: February 2024

Water scarcity is a very critical issue in the context of sustainability and global environmental change. However, the notion of scarcity also has its local roots that are constructed by diverse actors with specific values, knowledge and interests. This paper explores the socially constructed nature of water scarcity among diverse social actors along the river basin of Bharathapuzha in Kerala. It also examines the diverse contextual factors that have affected the traditional land and water management practices in the river basin. This paper is based on qualitative research carried out among two villages along the river basin. The findings of this paper show that the river basin is extremely prone to drought-like situations and multiple forms of water scarcity surfaces in the discourses and discursive practices of social actors associated with the socio-ecological system. Further, these discursive practices are guided by the instrumental rationality of technological modernisation and progress, which has not only disrupted the traditional water management systems in the region, but also have completely neglected the ecosystem linkages and carrying capacities of vulnerable resource systems. The state-induced and expert-driven images of modernity such as dams, concrete check dams and major irrigation projects have replaced the traditional imagery of the river as a vibrant and ever-flowing life source. Water scarcity and other related forms of scarcity mediate these transitions. These processes have long-term implications on the sustainability of the river itself.
Civilization and Globalization in a World of Turmoil
Authors: Mozaffari Mehdi
Published: February 2024

The pivotal question concerns the compatibility or non-compatibility of the current unprecedented global system with a world made up of a plurality of civilizations. In other words, can the world become vastly globalized without this having any substantial impact on civilizations? What consequences will the speedy globalization have on the identity and dignity of various human entities; both as individuals and as a collectivity? The interplay between “globalization” and “civilization” as well as the interaction between globalization and local identity are the main issues of the present study.
Conspiracy Theories, Messianic Populism and Everyday Social Media Use in Contemporary Brazil a Glocal Semiotic Perspective
Authors: Demuru Paolo
Published: February 2024

Scholars have highlighted the bond between digital populism and conspiracy theories. They have also shown that conspiracy theories from around the globe rely on similar narrative patterns, as well as that being locally adapted. This paper adds to this body of research by exploring the glocal dimension of populist conspiracy theories in the contemporary Brazilian political context. Using a semiotic approach to glocalization, I tackle one recurrent motif of global conspiracy theories: the domination of the elites over the people, which contributed to the election of Jair Bolsonaro in 2018, as well as to the rise of his approval rating in 2019 and 2020. I argue that this particular narrative feature has taken on, in Bolsonaro’s case, shapes and tones which are directly related to the local religious semiosphere, especially the Neo-Pentecostal evangelical messianism: indeed, the image of Bolsonaro as a national messiah is characterized by a high rate of mysticism, eschatology and aesthesic load, which are three of the main distinctive traits in Brazilian evangelicalism. Moreover, I discuss the role of everyday social media use in this glocal meaning-making process. I show how on Bolsonarist public WhatsApp groups, everyday banalities, global and local populist, conspiracy and religious narratives were mixed in a way that fostered the image of Bolsonaro as a martyr and a political messiah anointed by the Lord.
Periurbanisation and Livelihood Practices Exploring Everyday Life and Social Inequities in a Changing Agrarian Economy
Authors: Eswar Meghana , Santha Sunil D.
Published: February 2024

Global phenomena such as urbanisation interact with the peripheries of cities by mediating through markets of land, labour, and agriculture, impacting livelihood practices of diverse communities. Through the lens of glocalisation, this paper examines the transitions in livelihood practices by examining how people mediate and negotiate with the forces of periurbanisation in their everyday life. It also examines how people construct and narrate these experiences across intersectional contexts of class, caste, gender, and age. The study region is located in the peripheries of the global city Bangalore. It draws from interviews conducted between September 2019 and March 2020, that capture practices, experiences, resource access, and changing context. While the study region witnessed a progressive linking of agriculture, labour, and land markets that spanned across regional and global levels, these markets interacted with each other resulting in a decline and localised agriculture system. People engaged with these changing markets based on their capacities of access to resources, while these engagements are also subject to interactions with state, non-state, and social institutions. However, since social groups across caste, gender, and age have skewed access to land and education that are critical for an engagement with a declining agrarian economy, the periurban process also has skewed implications resulting in persistent inequities.
Canoas y Remos, Velas y Bergantines Los Ausentes y los Presentes en el Archivo Colonial
Authors: Rodríguez Jimena N.
Published: February 2024

Canoes and oars are the visible element of Mesoamerican navigation in the colonial archive, but their place will always be subordinate to the idea of European navigation. The sophistication of Mesoamerican vessels is indicated in colonial texts, yet only in a key of curiosity and strangeness, and persistently enunciating their differences. What is then highlighted in the archive is the signifier of European navigation: ships and sails. If we observe these signifiers carefully, we will see that the nature of the archive is silencing and productive at the same time: the silencing enables a text that highlights Hispanic navigation, and it does so because it has to increase its own signifier to cross out the one that needs to be overshadowed in the discourse. But in the operation of enlarging the signifier of one’s own place, its excessive force is evident. This order is notorious in Hernán Cortés’ Tercera Carta, where the fall of the ancient city of Mexico-Tenochtitlan is depicted after the war in Tlatelolco between the Mexican forces and the Spanish army and its allies.