bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Stalin Cult on Screen
Authors: Knight Claire
Published: October 2024

This chapter evaluates the Stalin cult on screen, outlining the specifically postwar permutations of Stalin's image in film. Postwar depictions of Stalin proved bolder in their claims to authority and more pervasive in their distribution than those of the prewar cult. Cinema attested as never before to the leader's paternal care for his people and indeed all progressive peoples, his strategic brilliance and military genius, and, most consequentially, his right to rule alone, based on his own merits and no longer reliant for legitimacy on his identity as Lenin's heir. Though barely half as many films featured Stalin as a character after the war as before, it was nevertheless during the postwar period that Stalin's cinematic presence apotheosized into omnipresence, reaching beyond the films in which he appeared as a character. With Mikhail Chiaureli's films and the war epics, and the pervasive presence of the leader rendered through physical and “spiritual” mediation in comedies and dramas about contemporary Soviet life, cinema became the “master medium” of the Stalin cult. Yet its mastery lay not in pioneering any facet of Stalin's representation or even establishing iconic images of the leader, but in its sweeping scope, in terms of both its capacity to incorporate and consolidate every image of Stalin, and its unmatched distribution across the Soviet Union.
Looking at Cossacks of the Kuban
Authors: Knight Claire
Published: October 2024

This chapter addresses Ivan Pyr'ev's musical comedy Cossacks of the Kuban (1950), which serves as the illustration pointed to repeatedly as the embodiment of Soviet cinema's distortion of historical reality. Cossacks of the Kuban was the first film targeted for de-Stalinization and was banned by Nikita Khrushchev in 1957 on the grounds of its egregious varnishing of reality. As such, The Fall of Berlin may have been the “Ultimate Stalin Film,” but Cossacks of the Kuban was the most notorious Stalin film, credited with typifying Stalinist excess and all that was rejected in the de-Stalinizing impetus of the Thaw. The problem with this characterization, however, is that Cossacks of the Kuban is not in fact typical of postwar rural cinema but is instead unique in terms of its plot, setting, and presentation of material abundance. The chapter explores each of these three areas of exceptionality in Pyr'ev's controversial film by contrasting Cossacks of the Kuban with the remaining collective farm comedies and dramas that topped the box office alongside it. The result is a more accurate picture of the relationship between cinematic and Soviet rural reality in Stalin's final years.
Experimental Histories
Authors: Weaver Hannah
Published: October 2024

This book examines the medieval practice of interpolation—inserting material from one text into another—which is often categorized as being a problematic, inauthentic phenomenon akin to forgery and pseudepigraphy. Instead, the book promotes interpolation as the signature form of medieval British historiography and a vehicle of historical theory, arguing that some of the most novel concepts of time in medieval historiography can be found in these altered narratives of the past. For the book, historiographical interpolation constitutes the traces of active experimentation with how best to write history, particularly the history of Britain. Historians in twelfth- and thirteenth-century Britain recognized the difficulty of enfolding complex events into a linear chronology and embraced innovative textual methods of creating history. Focusing on the Brut tradition but also analyzing the long history of interpolated historiography, including the Bayeux Embroidery, the book offers a new interpretation of generic remixing in medieval writing about the past. Drawing on both manuscript studies and the new formalism, it shows that the practice of inserting materials from romance and hagiography allowed creative revisers to explore how lived events relate to passing time. By embracing interpolation, the book provides lively insights into the ways that time becomes history and human actors experience time.
Limited Victories and Harmful Concessions
Authors: Barrett Marsha E.
Published: October 2024

This chapter evaluates how the summer of 1960 was a critical moment for Nelson Rockefeller that established him as perhaps the most prominent advocate for civil rights among elected Republican officials. Rockefeller took on the national party and ensured that it offered rhetorical support for the civil rights movement. His confrontation with his party at the 1960 Republican National Convention was only part of the story. Rockefeller found himself at odds with the New York Republican Party when he sought to enhance fair housing legislation in New York. The period between 1960 and 1962 revealed to Rockefeller and his fellow moderates that not only should they not assume that Republicans would support civil rights legislation, but there were signs of a growing opposition to such laws as the civil rights movement fought for additional protections. Even Rockefeller encountered conflicts with civil rights activists in New York who challenged his incremental approach to reform. Ultimately, Rockefeller's first term in office not only challenged his understanding of the Grand Old Party's commitment to African American causes, but it weakened his argument that the Republican Party could be the vehicle for his moderate politics and racial liberalism.
The Denunciation of Rockefeller Republicanism
Authors: Barrett Marsha E.
Published: October 2024

This chapter focuses on the 1964 Republican National Convention, which was interpreted as the Goldwater wing of the Republican Party's undeniable capture of the party. This was due to the senator's passionate supporters and his deft campaign manager who were determined to translate the Goldwater draft movement into a nomination that would usher in a new era for the party. Moderate Republicans' failure to counter Goldwater and party professionals' acquiescence to his ascendancy in the month leading up to and then during the convention showed that their actions made the convention equally as momentous. The party's civil rights record had been inconsistent and often contradictory, but rejecting the party's identity as the Party of Lincoln two weeks after Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was remarkable. Nelson Rockefeller gave a memorable convention speech encouraging the party to reject extremism, but he had little influence. Ultimately, the 1964 Republican National Convention confirmed for the nation that the Party of Lincoln had cut ties with its traditional commitment to the protection of African American rights in favor of appealing to white voters, who sought to maintain the nation's unequal racial status quo.
Of Licit Monsters and Men
Authors: Norako Leila K.
Published: October 2024

This chapter discusses the sociopolitical implications of Richard Coer de Lyon, which is among the most popular of late Middle English vernacular romances. It argues that Richard Coer de Lyon should be considered as a “multi-text,” whose nostalgic and anticipatory vision of crusading is in many ways threatened by the implicit complications of history that it seeks to avoid. While Richard Coer de Lyon resembles the romances of the previous chapter in its establishment of cultural binaries and in its elevation of crusading over other martial ambitions, it differs in its focus on a figure rooted deeply in the actual history of the crusades. Where this text attempts to project a fantasy of Christian triumphalism and English superiority, it also seeks to recover and repurpose Richard and his crusade through a careful series of erasures and reiterations. The narrative tradition of Richard Coer de Lyon thus reveals both the difficulties inherent in co-opting historical events for the sake of creating fantasies of conquest and cultural supremacy as well as the consistent desire for such narratives in late medieval England.
The Romance of Recovery in the Canterbury Tales
Authors: Norako Leila K.
Published: October 2024

This chapter evaluates Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Chaucer's investment in matters of crusading courses its way through several of the tales, and the chapter offers a comparative study of the Squire's Tale, the Man of Law's Tale, and the Prioress's Tale that works to reveal the depth of that investment. While critics have treated all three tales individually as works that rely on fantasies of religious or cultural superiority, and while scholars have long noted how each consistently traffics in fantasies of cultural erasure and assimilation, they have very rarely been studied comparatively. The chapter contends that doing so reveals not only Chaucer's incorporation of a conversion spectrum akin to that seen in the Travels, but also his simultaneous investment in and skepticism of the aspirational worlds that recovery romance proffers. By way of the Tale of Sir Thopas—a work that reveals Chaucer's deep knowledge of the mechanics of vernacular romance and a resulting ability to poniard its limitations—it reads each of these tales as works that simultaneously revel in fantasies similar to those seen in recovery romances while revealing both the limits and powers of those fantasies.
Cosmopolitanism and “Faux-Populism”
Authors: Shevelenko Irina
Published: October 2024

This chapter offers a detailed analysis of the debates on nationalism in art among the members of the first Russian modernist group, the World of Art, in the early period of its existence (1898–1904). The significant role played by this group in forming the aesthetic platform of Russian modernist culture is well known. However, no systematic study has hitherto been done on the connection between competing aesthetic agendas within this group and debates on the choice of tradition, imperial (westernized) versus pre-Petrine (indigenous). The chapter then shows that the clash between aesthetic “cosmopolitanism” and “faux-populism” in the debates within the World of Art reflected the moment of equilibrium between the two tendencies in early Russian modernism, which would soon give way to the dominance of the latter. It also looks at the strategies of emancipating the modernist archaistic aesthetic in a nationalist vein from associations with “state leanings” and “retrograde political pigheadedness,” which turn out to be particularly instrumental in the aftermath of the first Russian Revolution and during the subsequent decade.
Introduction
Authors: Chen Yixin
Published: October 2024

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the Great Leap famine, which proved to be different from traditional famines in Chinese history. The Maoist collectivization of agriculture made the issue of life and death during the famine a collective matter in rural areas because collectivized agriculture eliminated various kinds of property rights and curtailed the peasants' autonomous power while congregating them into new organizations. Beginning in August 1958 and under the direction of central party officials, rural China built a communal or public dining system that Mao Zedong praised as embodying a Communist lifestyle. The communal dining system in rural China transformed the issue of life and death during the famine into a matter of power dynamics within village life. The chapter then looks at the role of lineage in the survival of Chinese peasants.
Famine in Jiangxi Villages
Authors: Chen Yixin
Published: October 2024

This chapter assesses two villages: Flat Land (Tianduan), situated at the junction of central and southern Jiangxi; and Lowland Fang (Fangkengduan), located in the northeastern extremity of the province near the border with Anhui. The experiences of Flat Land and Lowland Fang demonstrate that Jiangxi peasants did not do anything markedly different than Anhui peasants did. Much like in Anhui, lineage emerged as the most important grassroots mechanism for coping with the Great Leap famine. Whether it was clandestine grain distribution in Flat Land or clandestine communal dining in Lowland Fang, the peasants navigated the commune's cadres by rallying around their lineage or kinship ties, which mirrored the food hoarding tactics of the Anhui peasants. In contrast, the absence of a robust lineage structure contributed to the inability of the Great Slope peasants to act collectively for self-preservation, leading to widespread edema and famine fatalities.
Gambling
Authors: Hammering Klaus K. Y.
Published: October 2024

This chapter discusses how the temporality of gambling supplemented that of the working day, doubling the death-inducing form of the subsistence wage with the dream of singular winnings. By building on the distinction between labor and play as expenditure without production, it shows how gambling sought to rejuvenate the body's nerves and, thereby, to reclaim the time lost to manual labor by transforming it into a “narcotic.” Compounded by the illegal character of gambling dens in San'ya, the chapter demonstrates how it was the near misses and intoxicating risks that propelled the gambler. Finally, it shows how group members held each other accountable for debts incurred through gambling, as creditors in San'ya considered the reliability of the group before lending to individuals. Ultimately, the chapter considers gambling as a solicitation for recognition—a solicitation that sought to master the abjection of San'ya by countering the death-inducing form of the subsistence wage and transmuting the modern passage of empty time into an experience of contingency that created debt and sociality.
Disintegration
Authors: Hammering Klaus K. Y.
Published: October 2024

This chapter traces the individualizing effects of the labor market and, in so doing, considers San'ya as a space of accelerated obsolescence and death. It revisits the group one year after the author concluded fieldwork, in 2013, when construction work had gone scarce and when there were lingering resentments over debts and money. Slowly but ineluctably, the market violence of “every man for himself” crippled the social fabric of the group. Moreover, individuals eventually had to submit themselves to state welfare and, therefore, to give themselves to be recognized as docile recipients, in accordance with the demands of welfare officers, or state recognition. The chapter unpacks how fear of death forced active workers to accept their condition of dependence as welfare recipients, and it demonstrates how state recognition handed individuals into its power. When welfare recipients grew older, it was common for the municipality to move them from bunkhouses into isolated apartments, sometimes far from San'ya. The chapter then recounts how one member of the group died in such an apartment.
Modernism's Inhuman Worlds
Authors: Tazudeen Rasheed
Published: October 2024

This book explores the centrality of ecological precarity, species indeterminacy, planetary change, and the specter of extinction to modernist and contemporary metamodernist literatures. Modernist ecologies, the book argues, emerge in response to the enigma of how to imagine inhuman being—including soils, forests, oceans, and the earth itself—through languages and epistemologies that have only ever been humanist. How might (meta)modernist aesthetics help us to imagine (with) inhuman worlds, including the worlds still to be made on the other side of mass extinction? The book theorizes inhuman modernism as a call toward further receptivity to the worlds, beings, and relations that tend to go unthought within Western humanist epistemologies. Modernist engagements with the figures of enigma, riddle, and metaphor, according to the book's central argument, offer a means toward what Franz Kafka calls an “otherwise” speaking, based on language's obliqueness to inhuman and planetary being. Drawing on ecocriticism, decolonial and feminist science studies, postcolonial theory, inhuman geography, and sound studies, the book analyzes an inhuman modernist lineage as both part of a collaborative rethinking of modernism's planetary and inhuman aesthetics, as well as occasions for imagining new modes of livingness for the extinctions to come.
Introduction
Authors: Wallace Geoffrey P. R.
Published: October 2024

This chapter reviews the striking similarities and profound differences between two foundational legal documents: the US Constitution and the United Nations (UN) Charter. While the US Constitution is celebrated as the “supreme Law of the Land,” the UN Charter faces criticism for its perceived ineffectiveness and limited authority in the international arena. The chapter outlines the notable commonalities the legal documents share despite their contrasting receptions and impacts, such as borrowing elements from each other and lacking a supreme authority to enforce their rules. The chapter looks at the recent challenges to the binding power of constitutional law in various countries that echo the longstanding skepticism towards the efficacy of international law. The effectiveness of the US Constitution and the UN Charter may hinge on the active engagement of ordinary people, who embody the principles outlined in these preambles and play a crucial role in upholding legal norms.
What Is International Law and What Does It (Supposedly) Do?
Authors: Wallace Geoffrey P. R.
Published: October 2024

This chapter begins with a reflection on President Abraham Lincoln's controversial decision to impose a naval blockade during the American Civil War. This decision, fraught with international legal complications, underscores enduring questions about the nature and efficacy of international law. The chapter clarifies what international law is and does by defining it as legalized rules that regulate the behavior of internationalized actors with specific rights and responsibilities. It highlights the diverse understandings and roles attributed to international law. It goes on to explore two core functions of international law and examines them through various schools of thought to assess their effectiveness: enforcement against violators and the ability to change policy preferences.
The Benefits of Interdisciplinary Understanding
Authors: Castillo Debra A.
Published: October 2024

This chapter explores the benefits of interdisciplinary understanding as per the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program at Cornell University. It discusses the founding of Cornell's Latin American Studies Program (LASP), highlighting that Cornell was in conversation with Latin America from its first years. Student activism has spurred conversations about inclusivity in the name of the program. Thus, in 2021, the Latin American Studies Program officially changed its name to Latin American and Caribbean Studies to more formally indicate its openness to research in that region. The chapter considers the historic role that the Caribbean has always played in Cornell.
Over Fifty Years of Teaching Agriculture in the Developing Nations
Authors: Coffman Ronnie
Published: October 2024

This chapter discusses the experience of being associated with IARD 602: Agriculture in the Developing Nations (now IARD 6020). It then presents five years of teaching Agriculture in Developing Nations, including the PhD research with Norman Borlaug in Mexico and then a job breeding rice at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines. The IARD 6020 course was essentially exposure to production agriculture in the tropics at every scale. Then, the course became modular, organized around several relevant themes that included several key topics like agricultural systems and value addition. The chapter notes that the program helped students in their academic endeavors and also in understanding different cultures.
The Cornell Humphrey Program
Authors: Gregory Peter , Hayes Matt , Holmberg Polly Endreny
Published: October 2024

This chapter focuses on the Cornell Humphrey Program as a catalyst for cooperation and understanding. It highlights that Cornell's Humphrey Program focuses on agriculture, rural development, and natural resource management. Humphrey Fellows prepare individual program plans for their professional development, detailing their goals and objectives for the year. The chapter discusses how the Cornell experience has empowered Humphrey Fellows to become leaders and agents of change. It explains that the Cornell Humphrey Program will place even more emphasis on raising fellows' awareness of issues on food, agriculture, and fisheries and on the constantly evolving technological innovations and policy measures depending on future funding.
Flora Rose and Martha Van Rensselaer
Authors: Keating Eileen
Published: October 2024

This chapter focuses on the relief efforts conducted by Martha Van Rensselaer and Flora Rose in Belgium after World War I. Both women travelled to research the aftereffects of the war on women and children and also shared their skills as home economists. While traveling in Europe, both Rose and Van Rensselaer kept in touch with their staff back home in Ithaca. By 1924, the Belgian Oeuvre National de l'Enfance awarded Van Rensselaer and Rose six medals for their efforts in aiding the war-stricken nation. The archival collections of their research provided researchers with vital information on life in postwar Belgium and the impact the war had on its children.
Cornell Engages Emerging Markets around the World
Authors: Casanova Lourdes , Colle Royal D.
Published: October 2024

This chapter details the significance of the Emerging Markets Institute (EMI). The EMI serves as a vehicle to bring together preeminent practitioners and academics to develop the next generation of global business leaders. Launching EMI was the culmination of the school's decision to enhance global programming, curriculum, and presence as a key priority in its 2008 strategic plan. EMI's global activities include a major annual conference that attracts a host of stakeholders, such as international business leaders and government officials. Moreover, the institute leads the Emerging Multinationals Research Network with universities from all over the world and takes over leadership of the Emerging Markets Global Players from Columbia University.
“Don’t Forget the Horse-Doctor”
Authors: Colle Royal D.
Published: October 2024

This chapter covers the international legacy of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). It provides an overview of the work and achievements of CVM's faculty members and international projects. Moreover, Cornell's major international program for students is Expanding Horizons wherein many Cornell veterinary students have gained overseas experience working with FARVets (Field, Abroad, Reaching-Out Veterinarians) International. The chapter highlights the importance of the internationalization of the college, referencing how global events can affect homes. It also considers how CVM highlighted the extent of its reach abroad in 'Scopes: Making a World of Difference, the college's 2018 annual report.
Providing a Home for a Global Community
Authors: Wilcox Jerry
Published: October 2024

This chapter explains that Cornell opened the Holland International Living Center (HILC) in 1970 as a student living arrangement in response to increased international enrollment. It looks into the HILC's concerns of operating year-round and offering food as part of the internationalization process. Over the history of HILC, the energy and creativity of its residents have been instrumental in its success. The International Living Center was named in honor of Jerome H. “Brud” Holland, who was an All-American football honoree and a university trustee. The unique North Campus living arrangement and the consistent support provided by the university allow HILC to remain a popular residential option.
Network anomaly detection using Deep Autoencoder and parallel Artificial Bee Colony algorithm-trained neural network
Authors: Hacılar Hilal , Dedeturk Bilge Kagan , Bakir-Gungor Burcu , Gungor Vehbi Cagri
Published: October 2024

Cyberattacks are increasingly becoming more complex, which makes intrusion detection extremely difficult. Several intrusion detection approaches have been developed in the literature and utilized to tackle computer security intrusions. Implementing machine learning and deep learning models for network intrusion detection has been a topic of active research in cybersecurity. In this study, artificial neural networks (ANNs), a type of machine learning algorithm, are employed to determine optimal network weight sets during the training phase. Conventional training algorithms, such as back-propagation, may encounter challenges in optimization due to being entrapped within local minima during the iterative optimization process; global search strategies can be slow at locating global minima, and they may suffer from a low detection rate. In the ANN training, the Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm enables the avoidance of local minimum solutions by conducting a high-performance search in the solution space but it needs some modifications. To address these challenges, this work suggests a Deep Autoencoder (DAE)-based, vectorized, and parallelized ABC algorithm for training feed-forward artificial neural networks, which is tested on the UNSW-NB15 and NF-UNSW-NB15-v2 datasets. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed DAE-based parallel ABC-ANN outperforms existing metaheuristics, showing notable improvements in network intrusion detection. The experimental results reveal a notable improvement in network intrusion detection through this proposed approach, exhibiting an increase in detection rate (DR) by 0.76 to 0.81 and a reduction in false alarm rate (FAR) by 0.016 to 0.005 compared to the ANN-BP algorithm on the UNSW-NB15 dataset. Furthermore, there is a reduction in FAR by 0.006 to 0.0003 compared to the ANN-BP algorithm on the NF-UNSW-NB15-v2 dataset. These findings underscore the effectiveness of our proposed approach in enhancing network security against network intrusions.
Joint intent detection and slot filling with syntactic and semantic features using multichannel CNN-BiLSTM
Authors: Muhammad Yusuf Idris , Salim Naomie , Zainal Anazida
Published: October 2024

Understanding spoken language is crucial for conversational agents, with intent detection and slot filling being the primary tasks in natural language understanding (NLU). Enhancing the NLU tasks can lead to an accurate and efficient virtual assistant thereby reducing the need for human intervention and expanding their applicability in other domains. Traditionally, these tasks have been addressed individually, but recent studies have highlighted their interconnection, suggesting better results when solved together. Recent advances in natural language processing have shown that pretrained word embeddings can enhance text representation and improve the generalization capabilities of models. However, the challenge of poor generalization in joint learning models for intent detection and slot filling remains due to limited annotated datasets. Additionally, traditional models face difficulties in capturing both the semantic and syntactic nuances of language, which are vital for accurate intent detection and slot filling. This study proposes a hybridized text representation method using a multichannel convolutional neural network with three embedding channels: non-contextual embeddings for semantic information, part-of-speech (POS) tag embeddings for syntactic features, and contextual embeddings for deeper contextual understanding. Specifically, we utilized word2vec for non-contextual embeddings, one-hot vectors for POS tags, and bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT) for contextual embeddings. These embeddings are processed through a convolutional layer and a shared bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) network, followed by two softmax functions for intent detection and slot filling. Experiments on the air travel information system (ATIS) and SNIPS datasets demonstrated that our model significantly outperformed the baseline models, achieving an intent accuracy of 97.90% and slot filling F1-score of 98.86% on the ATIS dataset, and an intent accuracy of 98.88% and slot filling F1-score of 97.07% on the SNIPS dataset. These results highlight the effectiveness of our proposed approach in advancing dialogue systems, and paving the way for more accurate and efficient natural language understanding in real-world applications.
Estimation of simultaneous equation models by backpropagation method using stochastic gradient descent
Authors: Pérez-Sánchez Belén , Perea Carmen , Duran Ballester Guillem , López-Espín Jose J.
Published: October 2024

Simultaneous equation model (SEM) is an econometric technique traditionally used in economics but with many applications in other sciences. This model allows the bidirectional relationship between variables and a simultaneous relationship between the equation set. There are many estimators used for solving an SEM. Two-steps least squares (2SLS), three-steps least squares (3SLS), indirect least squares (ILS), etc. are some of the most used of them. These estimators let us obtain a value of the coefficient of an SEM showing the relationship between the variables. There are different works to study and compare the estimators of an SEM comparing the error in the prediction of the data, the computational cost, etc. Some of these works study the estimators from different paradigms such as classical statistics, Bayesian statistics, non-linear regression models, etc. This work proposes to assume an SEM as a particular case of an artificial neural networks (ANN), considering the neurons of the ANN as the variables of the SEM and the weight of the connections of the neurons the coefficients of the SEM. Thus, backpropagation method using stochastic gradient descent (SGD) is proposed and studied as a new method to obtain the coefficient of an SEM.
Dynamic frequent subgraph mining algorithms over evolving graphs: a survey
Authors: Ergenç Bostanoğlu Belgin , Abuzayed Nourhan
Published: October 2024

Frequent subgraph mining (FSM) is an essential and challenging graph mining task used in several applications of the modern data science. Some of the FSM algorithms have the objective of finding all frequent subgraphs whereas some of the algorithms focus on discovering frequent subgraphs approximately. On the other hand, modern applications employ evolving graphs where the increments are small graphs or stream of nodes and edges. In such cases, FSM task becomes more challenging due to growing data size and complexity of the base algorithms. Recently we see frequent subgraph mining algorithms designed for dynamic graph data. However, there is no comparative review of the dynamic subgraph mining algorithms focusing on the discovery of frequent subgraphs over evolving graph data. This article focuses on the characteristics of dynamic frequent subgraph mining algorithms over evolving graphs. We first introduce and compare dynamic frequent subgraph mining algorithms; trying to highlight their attributes as increment type, graph type, graph representation, internal data structure, algorithmic approach, programming approach, base algorithm and output type. Secondly, we introduce and compare the approximate frequent subgraph mining algorithms for dynamic graphs with additional attributes as their sampling strategy, data in the sample, statistical guarantees on the sample and their main objective. Finally, we highlight research opportunities in this specific domain from our perspective. Overall, we aim to introduce the research area of frequent subgraph mining over evolving graphs with the hope that this can serve as a reference and inspiration for the researchers of the field.
Enhancement of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) with guanidine hydrochloride for the detection of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (Strangles)
Authors: Knox Alexandra , Beddoe Travis
Published: October 2024

Streptococcus equi subspecies equi, commonly referred to as “strangles”, poses a significant biosecurity challenge across equine farms worldwide. The continuous prevalence and highly transmissibility of strangles necessitates a rapid and accurate diagnostic procedure. However, current “gold-standard” techniques, such as cultures and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), are unreliable or inaccessible, and require lengthy periods between sample collection and results. Moreover, the lack of a standardized detection protocol can lead to variations in results. This study aimed to develop a reproducible and field-deployable diagnostic assay to detect strangles in real-time. Utilising the rapid technique loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), we developed an assay targeting a conserved region of the S. equi-specific M gene (SeM). Additionally, we optimised our assay with guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) to enhance the assay’s performance and detection capabilities. The Str-LAMP was able to detect S. equi within 13 minutes and 20 seconds for both synthetic DNA and clinical isolates, with a limit of detection (LOD) of  53 copies/µl. Our assay demonstrated high repeatability with the inter-coefficient of variation ranging from 0.17% to 3.93%. Furthermore, the clinical sensitivity and specificity was calculated at 91.3% and 93.3%, respectively, with a correct classification rate of 91.8%. The implementation of this newly developed strangles assay can be employed as an efficient aid for in-field surveillance programs. The assay’s reproducibility can allow for equine managers to undertake routine self-surveillance on their properties, without the requirement of specialised training. The Str-LAMP assay has the potential to be a valuable tool to help mitigate potential strangles outbreaks.
The departure of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in response to the declining jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas) population in the central portion of the Gulf of California
Authors: Pérez-Puig Héctor , Arias Del Razo Alejandro , Ahuatzin Gallardo Daniela , Bolaños Jaime
Published: October 2024

As sperm whales are important predators that control energy flux in the oceans, changes in their population can be used as a sentinel to measure of ecosystem health. The present study conducted a sperm whale survey of the eastern Midriff Islands Region in the Gulf of California over the course of nine years, recording sightings and collecting photographs of the fluke of sperm whale individuals. A photo-identification catalog was compiled, while individual recapture data were used to estimate the population size in the central portion of the Gulf of California, using a Jolly-Seber POPAN open population model. The results obtained show a yearly population of between 20 and 167 sperm whales, with a super population of 354 sperm whales observed between 2009 and 2015. However, from 2016 to 2018, no sightings of the species were recorded, which coincides with the decline observed in landings of their main prey, the jumbo squid, in the region. General additive model conducted on sperm whale sightings per unit of effort vs jumbo squid landings obtained an adjusted R2 of 0.644 and a deviance explained of 60.3%, indicating a good non-linear relationship between sightings of this odontocete and its prey availability. This evidence suggests that sperm whales departed the region between 2016 and 2018, due to a documented fishery collapse alongside changes of their main prey into its small phenotype, possibly as the result of increase warming conditions in surface and subsurface waters in the Gulf of California in the last three decades.
Assessment of combined serum sST2 and AFP levels in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Tang Xiuxin , Wang Dong , Ding Tangdan , Lin Rongqi , He Meifang , Wang Ruizhi , Li Liubing
Published: October 2024

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is the most widely used diagnostic serum biomarker, but it still has limited accuracy in detecting HCC, suggesting the necessity of seeking more ideal biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity. Soluble growth stimulation gene 2 (sST2) form of growth stimulating expression gene 2 (ST2), is expressed in various organs and can bind competitively to interleukin 33 (IL-33). Whether sST2 can serve as a serum biomarker for HCC is largely unknown.

Objective

To investigate the value of sST2 as a serum diagnostic marker for HCC.

Methods

This study included 93 newly diagnosed HCC patients (HCC group), 90 chronic hepatitis B patients (CHB group), and 90 healthy individuals (HCs group). Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the relationships between sST2 and the experimental indicators in HCC group. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve evaluated the efficacy of sST2 alone or in combination with AFP in the diagnosis of HCC.

Result

The median level of sST2 was significantly higher in HCC group (24.00 [15.20-49.90] ng/mL) compared to CHB group (19.55 [15.23-24.95] ng/mL) and HCs group (7.65 [5.20-10.53] ng/mL). No significant correlations were found between sST2 and other clinical indicators in HCC group. The Area Under Curve (AUC) of ROC curve to distinguish HCC patients from healthy controls and CHB group was 0.861 (sensitivity 82.80%, specificity 72.10%) and 0.709 (sensitivity 80.60%, specificity 52.50%), respectively. When combined with AFP, the AUC increased to 0.963 (sensitivity 82.90%, specificity 94.20%), and 0.895 (sensitivity 72.0%, specificity 100%), respectively.

Conclusions

The serum level of sST2 increased in HCC and its diagnostic performance is comparable to that of AFP, supporting its potential as a promising biomarker for detection of HCC. The combined use of sST2 and AFP enhances diagnostic efficacy for HCC.
Increased CD14+HLA-DR-/low myeloid-derived suppressor cells can be regarded as a biomarker on disease severity and response to therapy in acute coronary syndrome
Authors: Tan Yinsheng , Ren Mingde , Hou Jie , Hou Tao , Lin Xianhe
Published: October 2024

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the dynamic changes in monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (M-MDSCs) and their implications in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), shedding light on potential therapeutic targets.

Experimental Design

Peripheral blood samples were collected from 68 ACS patients, 35 stable angina pectoris (SAP) patients, and 30 healthy controls (HC). Multi-parameter flow cytometry was employed for analysis of M-MDSCs, explored with disease characteristics and progression.

Results

ACS patients exhibited an increased frequency of circulating M-MDSCs compared to SAP patients and HC. M-MDSCs levels demonstrated associations with ACS type, coronary artery lesions, multi-vessel disease, and cardiac dysfunction severity. Higher M-MDSCs levels were found in obese patients. Notably, therapy led to a significant decrease in M-MDSCs frequency. Furthermore, ACS patients exhibited elevated levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the cytokine profile associated with M-MDSCs. Increased expression of arginase-1(Arg-1) was observed in ACS patients, with positive correlations between M-MDSCs levels and IL-6, GM-CSF, and Arg-1 expression. The diagnostic performance of triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and M-MDSCs levels varied in predicting the severity of coronary artery stenosis, with TG showing higher specificity, HDL-C displaying higher sensitivity, and M-MDSCs levels demonstrating balanced sensitivity and specificity.

Conclusions

Assessment of M-MDSCs frequency holds promise as a predictive marker for disease progression and therapy response of coronary artery stenosis. The elevated presence of M-MDSCs suggests their potential role in modulating ACS-related inflammation.
Contribution of socio-demographic factors in prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections among newly arrived laborers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Wakid Majed H. , Al-Refai Mohammad F.
Published: October 2024

Background

Soil-transmitted diseases are caused by intestinal worms transmitted via various routes into the human body resulting in various clinical manifestations. This study aimed to investigate the socio-demographic factors contributing mainly to the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) among newly arrived laborers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Methods

A total of 188 stool specimens were collected and examined macroscopically and microscopically using different techniques. In addition, real-time PCR was used as a molecular tool to detect several STHs. The descriptive analysis was used to evaluate demographic data and categorical variables in association with STHs infection.

Results

Of all participants, the mean age was 26.08 ± 2.67 years, including 103 females and 85 males. A total of 86 (45.70%) were illiterate, followed by 60 (31.90%) of participants belonging to elementary level. STHs and other intestinal parasites were detected among 35 newly arrived laborers (18.61%). Nineteen cases (10.11%) were infected with STHs, including 15 cases with one STHs (four A. lumbricoides, four N. americanus, four T. trichiura, two S. stercoralis, one A. duodenale) and four cases with two STHs (two T. trichiura and N. americanus; one S. stercoralis and A. duodenale; one T. trichiura and S. stercoralis). High rates of STHs infection were detected among drivers (11.70%) followed by housemaids (11.20%), but with no significant association to occupation. Higher rates of STHs infection were detected among those used to walk on soil barefoot in their home countries before arriving in Jeddah.

Conclusion

This study found that none of the newly arrived expatriate laborers in Jeddah was aware of STHs. About 10% of them had infection with one or two STHs, mainly among newly arrived laborers from Asian countries. There is a need for awareness programs and regular screening for STHs and other intestinal parasites among newly arrived expatriate laborers.
Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Central Sensitization Inventory in people with chronic musculoskeletal pain
Authors: Tamboosi Sarah E. , Alzahrani Hosam , Alshehri Fahad H. , Alzhrani Msaad , S. Alshehri Yasir
Published: October 2024

Background

The Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) is a patient-reported screening instrument that can be used to identify and assess central sensitization (CS)/Central Sensitization Syndrome (CSS)-related symptoms.

Objective

The aim was to translate the CSI into Arabic (CSI-Ar) and to subsequently validate its psychometric properties.

Design

Cross-sectional.

Methods

The CSI was translated and cross-culturally adapted into Arabic, and validated following international standardized guidelines. This study included patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain (n = 264) and healthy control participants (n = 56). Patients completed the CSI-Ar, Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale (DASS-21), Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), and 5-level EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D). Patients completed the CSI-Ar twice to assess test–retest reliability. To evaluate discriminative validity, healthy controls participants completed the CSI-Ar. Statistical analyses were conducted to test the internal consistency, reliability, and structural, construct and discriminant validity of CSI-Ar.

Results

The CSI-Ar showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.919) and excellent test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.874). The CSI-Ar scale had significant correlations (P < 0.001) with all PCS subscales and total score (Spearman’s rho = 0.459–0.563, P < 0.001), all DASS-21 subscales and total score (Spearman’s rho = 0.599–0.685, P < 0.001), the TSK (Spearman’s rho = 0.395, P < 0.001), and the EQ-5D (Spearman’s rho = −0.396, P < 0.001). The Mann-Whitney U-test showed a statistically significant difference between the patient group and the healthy control group (P < 0.001), with the healthy controls displaying a lower average CSI-Ar score (12.27 ± 11.50) when compared to the patient group (27.97 ± 16.08). Factor analysis indicated that the CSI-Ar is a unidimensional tool.

Conclusion

The CSI-Ar is a reliable and valid screening tool that can be used to assess CS/CSS-related symptoms in Arabic-speaking people with chronic musculoskeletal pain.
A MEMÓRIA AFETIVA NA TELEVISÃO BRASILEIRA NO REVIVAL DO REALITY SHOW“NO LIMITE” (2021)
Authors: Santos Neto Valdemir Soares dos , Bressan Júnior Mário Abel
Published: October 2024

Tem-se como objetivo geral deste trabalho verificar como o apelo à memória do telespectador se organiza através do revival de produtos/formatos televisivos. O estudo se delineia a partir do argumento central onde o passado tem se tornado atrativo às indústrias culturais (Huyssen, 2000). Com o fascínio dos reality shows na televisão brasileira, o apelo à memória nestes produtos parece se caracterizar como uma estratégia midiática possível. Inspirado no formato Survivor, o reality show No Limite, produzido pela Rede Globo de Televisão, sucesso nos anos 2000, retorna às telinhas em 2021, com uma edição inédita. Como recorte para análise, o estudo verificou 285 comentários extraídos do anúncio feito pela Rede Globo sobre o retorno do formato televisivo, No Limite. Como considerações da pesquisa, conclui-se que a instrumentalização do passado, operacionalizado sob os diversos formatos televisivos, demonstra ser uma estratégia interessantes às indústrias. Porém, ressaltam-se riscos e desafios inseridos dentro dessa prática de instrumentalização da nostalgia e apelo à memória do telespectador.
Big Data in cognitive sciences, didactics, education management, and evidence-based education policy
Authors: Agatova Olga
Published: October 2024

The book reveals the methodology of big data analysis in the field of education - a new direction in science and practice. The book is addressed to education researchers who are interested in the application of data science in education and who are developing a data-driven approach in education and human development research. The book is also addressed to heads of educational organizations and heads of regional education systems, teachers and methodologists of various educational institutions.

The book characterizes methods for analyzing educational data and data on education at the levels of educational analytics, institutional analytics, regional, regional (territorial) analytics.

The content of the book reveals the development of information anthropology and cybersemiotics in expanding the arsenal of methods for analyzing human-generated educational data. Characterizes the development of the cognitive-didactic concept of digital educational environments in the interdisciplinary field of social cognitive science and data science.

The book presents the results of research and development on changing the structure of competencies of pedagogical and managerial activities in the field of education, predicts changes in the system of qualifications in the context of the digital transformation of education.