bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Higher Activity of Glutathione Peroxidase in Mature Mice Following a Single Bout of Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage
Authors:   Master program of Sport Health Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia, Mauluddin Muhammad Ilham , Purwanto Bambang ,   Department of Medical Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia, Irwadi Irfiansyah ,   Department of Medical Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia, Wiyasihati Sundari Indah ,   Department of Medical Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
Published: September 2024

Oxidative stress is the underlying mechanism of muscle damage following a single bout of exercise. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) is an endogenous antioxidant that reduces oxidative stress and prevents cell damage in many cases. Following maturation, the GPx protein in the muscle is present at higher levels. The effect of increased GPx protein on oxidative stress and muscle damage is still unknown. Serum skeletal muscle troponin I (sTnI) levels are widely used as a marker for acute muscle damage. In this study, we compared GPx activity and sTnI levels in mature and impremature mice following a single bout of exercise-induced muscle damage. Forty healthy Bbalb/c mice were randomly divided into two groups. Twenty mice were at a mature age of 8 weeks, whereas the other 20 were at an impremature age of 4 weeks. All of the animals performed a single bout of maximum running exercise. Blood serum and calf muscles were collected 24 hours following the end of exercise. GPx activity in the muscle was higher in mature mice compared with that in impremature mice. Serum sTnI levels were lower in mature mice compared with those in impremature mice. Maturation prepares muscles more for defense against oxidative stress and muscle damage.
Refractory ulcerative colitis: Upadacitinib versus other biologics
Authors: Farhat Said G , Fadel Jessy G
Published: September 2024

In this editorial we comment on an article published in World Journal of Clinical Cases in 2024, in which a case of refractory ulcerative colitis (UC) was discussed based on the response to different lines of biologics. Different studies showed that different classes of biologics have their advantages and disadvantages in the treatment of refractory UC. Certain classes are superior to others and if tried earlier on would lead to a possible change in the outcome.
Free vibrations analysis of the aircraft IAR-99 HAWK based on a new and modern finite element model
Authors: VLADIMIRESCU Tudor , FUIOREA Ion , VLADIMIRESCU-jr Tudor
Published: September 2024

For the doctoral study on the influence of the aircraft external stores over the aeroelasticity behavior of the IAR-99 HAWK, we have developed a new Finite Elements Model (FEM) with new state-of-the-art methods and technologies available at the end of 2020.
After creating a new Finite Elements Model (FEM) of the aircraft IAR-99 HAWK using special elements, the team decided to validate the results by performing a free-free vibrations analysis on this model. In this presentation we have described the finite elements used and their peculiarities, the finite elements model obtained for the aircraft IAR-99 HAWK and the results of the free-free vibrations analysis obtained in the empty equipped configuration.
The results of the theoretical free-free vibrations obtained for the IAR-99 HAWK in the empty equipped configuration are presented and compared to those obtained from ground tests, thus confirming the accuracy of the new Finite Element Model (FEM).
The new Finite Element Model (FEM) of the IAR-99 HAWK will be versatile enough to provide insight into the structural behavior of the aircraft, regardless of the phenomenon for which it is analyzed: static stress, aerodynamic simulations, flutter, etc.
Analysis of urban thermal environments using satellite data and urban microclimate modeling
Authors: GRIGORAS Georgiana , URITESCU Bogdan
Published: September 2024

The aim of this paper is to analyze the influence of two types of urban morphology existing in the area of Bucharest on the local microclimate, using Landsat satellite data, GIS techniques and numerical modelling. The two types of urban design analyzed are differentiated by the period in which they were constructed, one being built in the communist era and the other in the current period. The phases of the study are: i) geospatial analysis of urban morphology focusing on the urban design features of each period; ii) spatial analysis of the land surface temperature in relation with urban geometry, using Landsat 9 satellite images; iii) simulation of microclimate using ENVI-met software to highlight the local thermal environment. Satellite data analysis highlighted higher values for the land surface temperature in neighborhoods built in the current period compared to the areas built in the communist era. The results of the simulation highlight the distinctions in the thermal environment between the two categories examined, lower values of air and surface temperatures for the neighborhoods built in the communist era.
Ethos of Yajña Ritual: Mapping Girish Karnad’s The Fire and the Rain
Authors: Patil Sangita
Published: September 2024

Abstract: This article maps the ethos of the yajña ritual, sacrificial worship intended to enhance both the person and the community, in Girish Karnad’s The Fire and the Rain (2011). It explores the yajña ritual on both physical and mental levels through the mythological tales. Using the Yavakri story from the Mahabharata, the play portrays the physical yajña as a seven-year ritual, in which one prays to Lord Indra to grant rain to a dry land for ten years. Following the tale of Indra and Vritra, the yajña rite is also carried out in the mythological narration Garbha Nataka, which serves as a kind of mental yajña, giving people a place to reflect on their transgressions and attempt to make penance by sacrificing their interests in the service of the greater good. The crux of both myths is a yajña. The myths are incomplete without a yajña, and so is their professed path from the external yajña process to the internal yajña.
Как формировались нации? Мифы, манипуляции и украденные идеалы
Authors: Коренивский Виктор , Сычев Михаил , Чедолума Илья , Чекмарев Александр , Штейнбок Михайло
Published: September 2024

SUMMARY: This is a transcript of the online conversation of a popular Ukrainian You-Tube group, the "Honey Badgers." Named after the mammal, recognized by Guiness World Records as the most fearless in the world, the group promotes sustained debate about the future of Ukraine. Interested in developing a new conceptual language to describe and analyze social reality, the participants discuss the politically deadly and intellectually futile nature of nationalism.
Карлаг: и переселение местного населения Центрального Казахстана в 1930-е годы
Authors: Мусагалиева Арайлым
Published: September 2024

SUMMARY: The article discusses the rise of forced labor camps in the USSR on the example of mostly agricultural Karlag in Central Kazakhstan and the displacement of the local population it brought about, revealing a fundamental gap between Soviet dreams of social engineering and the actual inability to implement it productively. Stalinist policies completely ruined the region's pastoral economy and replaced it with less productive collective farms. The largest of these were Karlag's sovkhozes, which, despite their low-cost labor, incurred enormous overhead expenses in long-distance transportation and especially in compensation payments to the displaced local kolkhozes that lost good pastures and arable land. This was the cost of development of the Karaganda coal basin and, most importantly, of turning the uncoordinated "population" into an organized, highly mobile "labor force."
Sid Caesar's Comedy of Excess and the Jewish American 1950s
Authors: Weber Donald
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACT: In this article, I want to situate Caesar's famously unhinged comedic art within and against the Jewish American 1950s – a response to the culture of abundance we associate with the era's embrace of commodification. I'm interested in Caesar's hilarious, biting social satires that focus on the obsessions and absurdities of the new middle class on display in his domestic sketches, first with Imogene Coca on Your Show of Shows (called "The Hickenloopers") and later, with Nanette Fabray, on Caesar's Hour (called "The Commuters"). In his most original comedy Caesar saw through the pretensions, yet also recognized the underlying anxieties afflicting the new suburbanizing culture, a material world to which he was also attached. There is something profoundly unrestrained about Sid Caesar's audacious comedy. At some level, Caesar's comedic art was, I argue, a response to Jewish American audiences feeling ambivalent, anxious, perhaps even ashamed of their new suburban worlds. Ultimately, the figure of Caesar in these domestic sketches conjures a version of the self whose "Jewish" audacity can only be enacted through masking. In Sid Caesar we encounter what Philip Roth—who wrote about Caesar at the beginning of his own career—would later term "the unimpeded and excessive Jew."
Il pubblico della deliberatio tra teoria retorica e pratica oratoria in Cicerone
Authors: Oliva Matilde
Published: September 2024

Abstract: Il presente contributo indaga il rapporto tra la teoria retorica e la pratica oratoria di Cicerone in riferimento al genere deliberativo e in particolare ai discorsi tenuti dinnanzi all’assemblea popolare ( contiones ). Sviluppando il caso di studio dell’orazione De imperio Cn. Pompei e prendendo le mosse da Part . 90–92, dove Cicerone propone una distinzione molto netta delle due categorie di uomini a cui un discorso deliberativo poteva essere rivolto, questo studio intende dimostrare come la complessa realtà politica della contio , ricostruita anche grazie a un excursus sui discorsi ciceroniani del periodo del post-esilio, richiedesse un’applicazione dei precetti meno rigida rispetto a quanto effettivamente prescritto a livello teorico.
Pliny’s Empty Ekphrasis: The Tuscan Tour as Memory Palace in Epistulae 5.6
Authors: Wagner Nicholas R.
Published: September 2024

Abstract: The Epistles of Pliny the Younger confound his readers: some read like genuine correspondence, written to transmit information, others like careful literary pieces. Pliny’s description of his Tuscan villa, in Epistulae 5.6, seems to fall into the latter category. This letter, the longest of the corpus, has Pliny taking his addressee, Domitius Apollinaris, on a virtual walking tour, and describing what he sees. But Pliny’s villa, as described, seems mostly empty and lacks expected features if it were inhabited. The villa’s emptiness, however, provides nooks and crannies for practicing the rhetorical Memory Palace technique. By using this space for rhetorical exercise, Pliny, like his uncle, spent his otium wisely.
Leandro de Sagastizábal: memorias multifacéticas de un editor profesional argentino
Authors: Mihal Ivana , Belén Riveiro María
Published: September 2024

Abstract: Which experiences, practices, and memories of a contemporary Argentinian publisher become part of their memoirs? How do publishers define their own trajectories? This article analyzes a relatively recent phenomenon in the field of publishing: the multiplication of books by publishers based on their own work, which is a key source for researchers of the publishing world. The present study focuses on the case of Un camino con los libros by Leandro de Sagastizábal (2023), memoirs with stories from 45 years of a career. This analysis defines two main dimensions: the ways in which the narrative is structured, and the aspects of the trajectory and of publishing that are highlighted. This article describes the style of the text; next, after identifying the periodization of the career, defines structuring facets of the publishing work: a) publisher-book promoter; b) publisher-professor/researcher; c) publisher-author; d) publisher-publisher; and e) publisher-adviser-public official. This analysis leads to theoretical reflections that remain to be explored on the ways memories become biographic devices of self-reflection.
Development of a single-ended mid-infrared fiber-coupled laser absorption sensor for measurements of temperature, CO, and CO2 in harsh environments
Authors: Stiborek Joshua W. , Ramirez Roy S. , Goldenstein Christopher S.
Published: September 2024

The design and application of a single-ended mid-infrared fiber-coupled laser absorption spectroscopy sensor for acquiring measurements of temperature, CO, and CO2 via time-multiplexed wavelength-modulation spectroscopy (TM-WMS) are presented. This sensor utilizes an indium trifluoride (InF3) fiber bundle with six large multi-mode (MM) catch fibers surrounding one smaller single-mode pitch fiber and a custom optics housing to collect laser light that is back-scattered off native surfaces. The fraction of light collected by the sensor was evaluated for targets made of common materials used in combustion applications (i.e., aluminum, steel, and copper). The sensor was demonstrated with 1 kHz measurements of temperature, CO, and CO2 in steady and unsteady propane-air flames with a target standoff distance of 3 cm.
Correlating stroke risk with non-invasive cerebrovascular perfusion dynamics using a portable speckle contrast optical spectroscopy laser device
Authors: Huang Yu Xi , Mahler Simon , Abedi Aidin , Tyszka Julian Michael , Lo Yu Tung , Lyden Patrick D. , Russin Jonathan , Liu Charles , Yang Changhuei
Published: September 2024

Stroke poses a significant global health threat, with millions affected annually, leading to substantial morbidity and mortality. Current stroke risk assessment for the general population relies on markers such as demographics, blood tests, and comorbidities. A minimally invasive, clinically scalable, and cost-effective way to directly measure cerebral blood flow presents an opportunity. This opportunity has the potential to positively impact effective stroke risk assessment prevention and intervention. Physiological changes in the cerebrovascular system, particularly in response to hypercapnia and hypoxia during voluntary breath-holding can offer insights into stroke risk assessment. However, existing methods for measuring cerebral perfusion reserves, such as blood flow and blood volume changes, are limited by either invasiveness or impracticality. Herein we propose a non-invasive transcranial approach using speckle contrast optical spectroscopy (SCOS) to non-invasively monitor regional changes in brain blood flow and volume during breath-holding. Our study, conducted on 50 individuals classified into two groups (low-risk and higher-risk for stroke), shows significant differences in blood dynamic changes during breath-holding between the two groups, providing physiological insights for stroke risk assessment using a non-invasive quantification paradigm. Given its cost-effectiveness, scalability, portability, and simplicity, this laser-centric tool has significant potential for early diagnosis and treatment of stroke in the general population.
Software-defined networking agent for integrating voice, data, and video services into XGS-PON architectures
Authors: Merayo Noemí , de Pintos David , Aguado Juan Carlos , de Miguel Ignacio , Durán Barroso Ramón J. , Lorenzo Rubén M.
Published: September 2024

Software-defined networking (SDN) provides an efficient framework for managing passive optical networks (PONs) with equipment from different manufacturers, technologies, and standards. Thus, we recently proposed a robust and flexible SDN-OpenFlow agent to configure and manage 10 gigabit symmetric passive optical networks (XGS-PONs) to support Internet (data) services. That SDN agent communicates with the SDN controller via the OpenFlow protocol and with the optical line terminal (OLT) of the PON via the manufacturer’s chipset-specific API (application programming interface). In this paper, we significantly extend that SDN agent by incorporating the capability to support two essential services for network operators and Internet service providers, specifically voice over IP (VoIP) and video services. The required extensions and configuration procedures on the different layers that compose the SDN agent are described, and an experimental validation of the extended SDN agent in an XGS-PON is conducted, demonstrating its effectiveness in the integration of those two services. The source code of the SDN agent has been made open and available on GitHub.
Multi-span optical power spectrum prediction using cascaded learning with one-shot end-to-end measurement
Authors: Wang Zehao , Huang Yue-Kai , Han Shaobo , Kilper Daniel , Chen Tingjun
Published: September 2024

Scalable methods for optical transmission performance prediction using machine learning (ML) are studied in metro reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM) networks. A cascaded learning framework is introduced to encompass the use of cascaded component models for end-to-end (E2E) optical path prediction augmented with different combinations of E2E performance data and models. Additional E2E optical path data and models are used to reduce the prediction error accumulation in the cascade. Off-line training (pre-trained prior to deployment) and transfer learning are used for component-level erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) gain models to ensure scalability. Considering channel power prediction, we show that the data collection process of the pre-trained EDFA model can be reduced to only 5% of the original training set using transfer learning. We evaluate the proposed method under three different topologies with field deployed fibers and achieve a mean absolute error of 0.16 dB with a single (one-shot) E2E measurement on the deployed 6-span system with 12 EDFAs.
Influence of flexible multibeam intensity distributions on selective laser-induced etching process regimes
Authors: Kratz Martin , Kniffler Marcel , Häfner Constantin L.
Published: September 2024

The precision and versatility of selective laser-induced etching in fused silica render it indispensable for many applications in medical engineering, the semiconductor industry, and quantum technology. However, its process-limited productivity renders it unsuitable for a wider set of applications, particularly those that require cost-effective solutions. As the process is largely concerned with microprocessing applications, a promising method to enhance process efficiency is through parallelization using multiple beams with high packing density. This study examines the dynamics of flexible multibeam intensity distributions relative to the number of beamlets and spacing. The study identifies stable process regimes, examines the increased absorption from interactions among parallel modified tracks, and develops a strategy for optimized processing using flexible multibeams. The final demonstration illustrates the generation of multibeam fabricated through glass vias with varying degrees of complexity.
Comparative analysis of quantum two-way time transfer and quantum round-trip time transfer in consistent spatiotemporal settings
Authors: Xia Zhiguang , Xiang Xiao , Hong Huibo , Quan Runai , Cao Mingtao , Dong Ruifang , Liu Tao , Zhang Shougang
Published: September 2024

In this study, we conducted experiments using a single energy-time entangled biphoton source to compare the performance of quantum two-way time transfer (Q-TWTT) and quantum round-trip time transfer (Q-RTTT) under consistent spatiotemporal conditions. By conducting experiments with different fiber links of 11.3 km, 22.4 km, and 55.6 km, while ensuring uniform photon counts received by the single-photon detectors, we measured standard deviations (SDs) and stabilities of the time offsets. The measured SDs for Q-TWTT and Q-RTTT were 0.46 ps and 0.65 ps over the 11.3 km fiber, 1.14 ps and 1.3 ps over the 22.4 km fiber, 3.98 ps and 4.39 ps over the 55.6 km fiber, respectively. These results show good agreement with theoretical predictions, and the smaller SDs for Q-TWTT can be directly attributed to protocol-specific factors related to system symmetry. The long-term time stabilities of Q-TWTT and Q-RTTT were evaluated in terms of time deviation (TDEV). At an average time of 12680 s, the measured TDEVs were 0.49 ps and 0.63 ps for the 11.3 km fiber, 0.59 ps and 0.7 ps for the 22.4 km fiber, 1.01 ps and 1.36 ps for the 55.6 km fiber, respectively. The results validate that Q-TWTT exhibits superior time transfer performance compared to Q-RTTT, highlighting the advantages of Q-TWTT in practical applications.
High-precision integral imaging 3D salient object detection and reconstruction with texture features based on E2E-TransGAN
Authors: Li Qiang , Li Wanyun , Zhao Di , Dong Bingzhi , Kou Yu , Li Xiaowei , Wang Xiaorui
Published: September 2024

Under the framework of integral imaging, a high-precision 3D salient object detection and high-quality texture features reconstruction method is proposed by using the element to element-transformer and generative adversarial network (E2E-TransGAN). The proposed method fully exploits the global salient clues of the element image array to establish cross-regional element image dependency, thereby the accuracy of the salient prediction improved. Meanwhile, our proposed E2E-TransGAN algorithm stratifies the binary salient object area and the grayscale salient object edge, effectively addressing salient region prediction errors, obvious background noise, and color loss. The experimental results show that the detection accuracy of the proposed method improves to an average of 90% across various evaluation metrics. Compared with other methods, the proposed method can reconstruct 3D images with texture features, which have high values of PSNR and SSIM, at 30 and 0.95 on average, respectively. We have experimentally verified that the proposed method achieves precise 3D object salient detection and restores the detailed textures and depth information of 3D salient objects. The proposed method provides strong support for efficient and accurate medical image analysis and simplifies subsequent computer vision tasks.
Broadband chaotic signal generation with a solitary microcavity laser
Authors: Lei Bin-Juan , Li Jian-Cheng , Chen You-Ling , Xiao Jin-Long , Huang Yong-Zhen , Yang Yue-De
Published: September 2024

We have proposed and experimentally demonstrated a novel chaotic signal generator using a solitary deformed square microcavity laser. The carrier density in the microcavity laser exhibits periodic or chaotic oscillation due to the interaction between the cavity modes, as long as the frequency difference between the modes is comparable to the relaxation oscillation frequency of the laser. The oscillation of carrier density leads to the variation of the Fermi level and, consequently, the applied voltage. The electrical signal can then be extracted directly from the electrode of the microcavity laser without the need for optical-electrical conversion. The obtained chaotic signal has a standard bandwidth of 9.6 GHz, and physical random numbers can be generated from the temporal waveform with simple post-processing methods. The scheme demonstrated here requires simple hardware, making it a promising solution for chaotic signal generators in various applications.
Experimental study on the application of a Fresnel zone plate in a scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscope
Authors: Liu Qiang , Deng Yuanhao , Wang Longda , Wu Yunpeng , Wang Junli , Liu Wenshuai , Yao Xiaomin
Published: September 2024

With the advancement of nano-photonics, near-field optical microscopy technology has gradually attracted widespread attention from researchers in different fields in recent years. In order to address the practicality and integration issues of near-field optical microscopy technology, this paper studies the basic principle and construction scheme of a scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscope (s-SNOM). We designed and built an s-SNOM system that realizes the measurement of impurity particles with a diameter of about 100 nm. The practicality of the system has been experimentally verified. Furthermore, a large ring width amplitude-type Fresnel zone plate (FZP) with a processing error of 100 nm is prepared using UV lithography. Finally, by replacing the focusing lens in the s-SNOM system with the prepared FZP, the recognition of impurity particles with a diameter of about 100 nm can also be achieved. The experimental results indicate that it is possible to achieve the integration of the s-SNOM system without reducing resolution. This study provides a preliminary exploration for the practicality and integration of the SNOM systems.
Beta-band neural variability reveals age-related dissociations in human working memory maintenance and deletion
Authors: Wen Wen , Grover Shrey , Hazel Douglas , Berning Peyton , Baumgardt Frederik , Viswanathan Vighnesh , Tween Olivia , Reinhart Robert M. G.
Published: September 2024

Maintaining and removing information in mind are 2 fundamental cognitive processes that decline sharply with age. Using a combination of beta-band neural oscillations, which have been implicated in the regulation of working memory contents, and cross-trial neural variability, an undervalued property of brain dynamics theorized to govern adaptive cognitive processes, we demonstrate an age-related dissociation between distinct working memory functions—information maintenance and post-response deletion. Load-dependent decreases in beta variability during maintenance predicted memory performance of younger, but not older adults. Surprisingly, the post-response phase emerged as the predictive locus of working memory performance for older adults, with post-response beta variability correlated with memory performance of older, but not younger adults. Single-trial analysis identified post-response beta power elevation as a frequency-specific signature indexing memory deletion. Our findings demonstrate the nuanced interplay between age, beta dynamics, and working memory, offering valuable insights into the neural mechanisms of cognitive decline in agreement with the inhibition deficit theory of aging.
SEMbap: Bow-free covariance search and data de-correlation
Authors: Grassi Mario , Tarantino Barbara
Published: September 2024

Large-scale studies of gene expression are commonly influenced by biological and technical sources of expression variation, including batch effects, sample characteristics, and environmental impacts. Learning the causal relationships between observable variables may be challenging in the presence of unobserved confounders. Furthermore, many high-dimensional regression techniques may perform worse. In fact, controlling for unobserved confounding variables is essential, and many deconfounding methods have been suggested for application in a variety of situations. The main contribution of this article is the development of a two-stage deconfounding procedure based on Bow-free Acyclic Paths (BAP) search developed into the framework of Structural Equation Models (SEM), called SEMbap(). In the first stage, an exhaustive search of missing edges with significant covariance is performed via Shipley d-separation tests; then, in the second stage, a Constrained Gaussian Graphical Model (CGGM) is fitted or a low dimensional representation of bow-free edges structure is obtained via Graph Laplacian Principal Component Analysis (gLPCA). We compare four popular deconfounding methods to BAP search approach with applications on simulated and observed expression data. In the former, different structures of the hidden covariance matrix have been replicated. Compared to existing methods, BAP search algorithm is able to correctly identify hidden confounding whilst controlling false positive rate and achieving good fitting and perturbation metrics.
Economic impact of a vision-based patient monitoring system across five NHS mental health trusts
Authors: Buckley Ciara , Malcolm Robert , Hanlon Jo
Published: September 2024

A vision-based patient monitoring system (VBPMS), Oxevision, has been introduced in approximately half of National Health Service (NHS) mental health trusts in England. A VBPMS is an assistive tool that supports patient safety by enabling non-contact physiological and physical monitoring. The system aims to help staff deliver safer, higher-quality and more efficient care. This paper summarises the potential health economic impact of using a VBPMS to support clinical practice in two inpatient settings: acute mental health and older adult mental health services. The economic model used a cost calculator approach to evaluate the potential impact of introducing a VBPMS into clinical practice, compared with clinical practice without a VBPMS. The analysis captured the cost differences in night-time observations, one-to-one continuous observations, self-harm incidents, and bedroom falls at night, including those resulting in A&E visits and emergency service callouts. The analysis is based on before and after studies conducted at five mental health NHS trusts, including acute mental health and older adult mental health services. Our findings indicate that the use of a VBPMS results in more efficient night-time observations and reductions in one-to-one observations, self-harm incidents, bedroom falls at night, and A&E visits and emergency service callouts from night-time falls. Substantial staff time in acute mental health and older adult mental health services is spent performing night-time observations, one-to-one observations, and managing incidents. The use of a VBPMS could lead to cost savings and a positive return on investment for NHS mental health trusts. The results do not incorporate all of the potential benefits associated with the use of a VBPMS, such as reductions in medication and length of hospital stay, plus the potential to avoid adverse events which would otherwise have a detrimental impact on a patient’s quality of life.
Effects of birth weight on body composition, physical fitness, and sarcopenia assessments in young Japanese women
Authors: Yasuda Tomohiro
Published: September 2024

This study examined the effects of birth weight on body composition, physical fitness, and sarcopenia in adulthood among young Japanese women. Seventy young adult women (birth weight <2500 g classified as low-birth-weight group [L-BW, n = 13] and ≥2500 g classified as not low-birth-weight group [NL-BW, n = 57]) were evaluated for body composition, physical fitness, and sarcopenia. Skeletal muscle mass was significantly greater (p<0.05) in the NL-BW group than in the L-BW group for all body sites. Effect sizes for the differences in skeletal muscle mass between the two groups were all larger in the NL-BW group than in the L-BW group (0.86–1.44). Knee extension muscle strength was higher in the NL-BW group than in the L-BW group (p = 0.04), but there were no differences between groups with respect to other physical fitness indicators (p>0.05). Except for SMI (p<0.05), other sarcopenia diagnostic evaluations did not differ between the two groups (p>0.05). In conclusion, L-BW female infants were shorter in standing height and smaller in skeletal muscle mass in terms of morphology at the time of young adulthood compared to NL-BW female infants. In addition, in terms of physical fitness, those with L-BW also had a lower-limb power score and a higher proportion of low skeletal muscle mass. Thus, it was suggested that low birth weight infants may be at risk of needing nursing care in old age (i.e., a high predicted incidence of sarcopenia) as well as thinness problems in the fertile generation.
The chemokine receptor CCR8 is not a high-affinity receptor for the human chemokine CCL18
Authors: Hussain Khansa , Lim Herman D. , Devkota Shankar Raj , Kemp-Harper Barbara K. , Lane J. Robert , Canals Meritxell , Pease James E. , Stone Martin J.
Published: September 2024

The primate-specific chemokine CCL18 is a potent chemoattractant for T cells and is expressed at elevated levels in several inflammatory diseases. However, the cognate receptor for CCL18 remains unconfirmed. Here, we describe attempts to validate a previous report that the chemokine receptor CCR8 is the human CCL18 receptor (Islam et al. J Exp Med. 2013, 210:1889–98). Two mouse pre-B cell lines (4DE4 and L1.2) exogenously expressing CCR8 exhibited robust migration in response to the known CCR8 ligand CCL1 but not to CCL18. Similarly, CCL1 but not CCL18 induced internalization of CCR8 on 4DE4 cells. CCR8 expressed on Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cells mediated robust G protein activation, inhibition of cAMP synthesis and β-arrestin2 recruitment in response to CCL1 but not CCL18. Several N- and C-terminal variants of CCL18 also failed to stimulate CCR8 activation. On the other hand, and as previously reported, CCL18 inhibited CCL11-stimulated migration of 4DE4 cells expressing the receptor CCR3. These data suggest that CCR8, at least in the absence of unidentified cofactors, does not function as a high affinity receptor for CCL18.
Radiomics analysis of baseline computed tomography to predict oncological outcomes in patients treated for resectable colorectal cancer liver metastasis
Authors: Montagnon Emmanuel , Cerny Milena , Hamilton Vincent , Derennes Thomas , Ilinca André , Elforaici Mohamed El Amine , Jabbour Gilbert , Rafie Edmond , Wu Anni , Perdigon Romero Francisco , Cadrin-Chênevert Alexandre , Kadoury Samuel , Turcotte Simon , Tang An
Published: September 2024

Objective

The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the performance of pre-treatment clinical risk score (CRS), radiomics models based on computed (CT), and their combination for predicting time to recurrence (TTR) and disease-specific survival (DSS) in patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed a prospectively maintained registry of 241 patients treated with systemic chemotherapy and surgery for colorectal cancer liver metastases. Radiomics features were extracted from baseline, pre-treatment, contrast-enhanced CT images. Multiple aggregation strategies were investigated for cases with multiple metastases. Radiomics signatures were derived using feature selection methods. Random survival forests (RSF) and neural network survival models (DeepSurv) based on radiomics features, alone or combined with CRS, were developed to predict TTR and DSS. Leveraging survival models predictions, classification models were trained to predict TTR within 18 months and DSS within 3 years. Classification performance was assessed with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) on the test set.

Results

For TTR prediction, the concordance index (95% confidence interval) was 0.57 (0.57–0.57) for CRS, 0.61 (0.60–0.61) for RSF in combination with CRS, and 0.70 (0.68–0.73) for DeepSurv in combination with CRS. For DSS prediction, the concordance index was 0.59 (0.59–0.59) for CRS, 0.57 (0.56–0.57) for RSF in combination with CRS, and 0.60 (0.58–0.61) for DeepSurv in combination with CRS. For TTR classification, the AUC was 0.33 (0.33–0.33) for CRS, 0.77 (0.75–0.78) for radiomics signature alone, and 0.58 (0.57–0.59) for DeepSurv score alone. For DSS classification, the AUC was 0.61 (0.61–0.61) for CRS, 0.57 (0.56–0.57) for radiomics signature, and 0.75 (0.74–0.76) for DeepSurv score alone.

Conclusion

Radiomics-based survival models outperformed CRS for TTR prediction. More accurate, noninvasive, and early prediction of patient outcome may help reduce exposure to ineffective yet toxic chemotherapy or high-risk major hepatectomies.
Internet use and adolescent development in rural China: A scoping review protocol of research landscape and gaps
Authors: Zhang Linxiao
Published: September 2024

Introduction

In the digital era, the Internet has become a necessity in adolescents’ daily lives. Many studies globally are exploring the influences of Internet use on adolescent development, but they focus on the negative impacts of simplistic “screen time” on adolescents’ physical and mental health, rather than both positive and negative influences of multifaceted Internet use on multidimensional adolescent development. Specifically in rural China, adolescents live in disadvantageous and marginalizing contexts, and Internet use is widespread among this population. However, knowledge on Internet use and adolescent development in rural China is fragmented. It is still unclear in what ways Internet use would bring benefits or risks for Chinese rural adolescents’ healthy growth. Therefore, the objective of this scoping review is to identify the current research landscape, gaps, and future directions in rural China contexts. It aims to provide a comprehensive overview of elements, findings, and limitations in existing empirical studies on the influences of Internet use on adolescent development in rural China.

Materials and methods

The standard for conducting this scoping review is the five-stage model proposed by Arksey and O’Malley, and the reporting standard is the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). The overall research question is: What are the influences of Internet use on adolescent development in rural China? In consultation with librarians, to locate articles, subject headings (controlled vocabularies) and textwords (keywords) in article titles, abstracts, and author-assigned keywords will be searched in APA PsycInfo (psychology), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (interdisciplinary), Communication Abstracts (media and communication), Education Source (education), MEDLINE (public health), Social Services Abstracts (social work), Social Work Abstracts (social work), and Sociological Abstracts (sociology). The review process via Covidence will consist of two sequential steps based on inclusion/exclusion criteria: the title and abstract review and the full-text review. Then study characteristics and research findings will be charted, and the results will be analyzed and synthesized quantitatively and qualitatively via visualizations and narratives, guided by the typological frameworks of Internet use and adolescent development.

Discussion

The scoping review will be a pioneering review to inform the current research landscape and gaps in the Internet use influences on adolescent development in rural China. It will advance the research agenda on this issue conceptually, theoretically, and empirically. In addition, it can provide contextual implications for designing prevention and intervention programs.
Quality of life of elementary school students with sleep-disordered breathing and allergic rhinitis: A population-based study in Thailand
Authors: Sritipsukho Paskorn , Chaiyakulsil Chanapai , Junsawat Pimchanok
Published: September 2024

Background

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and allergic rhinitis (AR) are common problems that can lead to worsening quality of life (QOL) in children with these conditions. There is scarce evidence on the QOL of children with SDB outside of the hospital setting with inconsistent evidence on the association of AR and QOL concerning the SDB in children. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to determine the QOL concerning the SDB of elementary school students by using OSA-18. We also aim to provide the relationship of allergic rhinitis to the QOL.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted on all elementary school students, aged 6–12 years, from 10 elementary schools. The QOL of all participants was evaluated by the Thai version of the caregiver-administered OSA-18 questionnaire. The simple and multiple linear regression models were used to determine the effect of allergic rhinitis on the OSA-18 total scores.

Results

A total of 3,053 children were included in the final analysis, 50.1% male. At least a moderate impact on QOL from SDB was observed in 9.4% of the population. Children with AR had significantly higher mean total OSA– 18 scores than the children without AR (47.5 ± 15.0 VS 38.5 ± 13.1, p < 0.001). After the adjustment for age, gender, body mass index, household income, and history of asthma, the point estimate of the adjusted beta regression coefficient on the OSA-18 total score in children with AR was 7.82 (95% CI: 6.00–9.65, p < 0.001). Significant associations were observed between AR and all domains except for emotional distress.

Conclusions

A substantial number of elementary school children had at least a moderate impact on the QOL from SDB, especially those with AR. Thus, effective screening of SDB in children with AR should be done to improve the QOL of these children.
Fashion-ology: Fashion Studies in the Postmodern Digital Era, Yuniya Kawamura (2023)
Authors: Weiss Catharine
Published: September 2024

Review of: Fashion-ology: Fashion Studies in the Postmodern Digital Era, Yuniya Kawamura (2023)

London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 182 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-35033-186-0, p/bk, $29.95
Forms of pressure: SMART cables, catastrophe and the deep sea
Authors: Silcox Nicholas R.
Published: September 2024

Recent scholarship in elemental media studies has sought to develop frameworks of interpretation rooted in elemental substrates and qualities. ‘Forms of pressure’ traces pressure as one such framework through the ways pressure contributes to or is associated with various social and culture forms. The article makes this case through evaluating the emergence of Science Monitoring and Reliable Telecommunications (SMART) subsea sensing cables, the discourse surrounding them, and their imagined purposes. Then, it considers the historical events that motivated their emergence, including the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake, as well as the history of the subsea cable industry. Pressure is understood through its emergence in the deep sea as massively intense and producing significant forms of movement and environmental change. In particular, the article highlights this capacity of deep sea pressure to the social and temporal condition of catastrophe. SMART cables and the histories explored are responsive or reactive to the force of pressure. As a counterpoint, the article considers what it would mean to think through or with pressure and turns to an art piece, Inframundo (Underworld) as a demonstration of a phenomenology informed by deep sea pressure. In either case, pressure produces various forms, technological and historical forms or forms of being and experience, based on its capacity to transform environments and elemental arrangements as a force that facilitates movement, change and elemental mixing.
Sensing Churchill
Authors: Barney Darin
Published: September 2024

This article presents a photo essay reflecting on the past, present and potential futures of infrastructural mediation in the northern Canadian town of Churchill, Manitoba. Focusing on an array of sensing media and practices, it considers the complexity of emerging environmental relations in Churchill in light of its colonial and industrial pasts, and current plans for Indigenous-led economic development.
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, Kate Beaton (2022)
Authors: Unrau Melanie Dennis
Published: September 2024

Review of: Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, Kate Beaton (2022)

Montreal: Drawn & Quarterly, 436 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-77046-289-2, h/bk, $39.95

 

Crude: A Memoir, Pablo Fajardo, Sophie Tardy-Joubert and Damien Roudeau (2021)

University Park, PA: Graphic Mundi, 127 pp.,

ISBN 978-0-27108-806-8, h/bk, USD 19.95
A EXCLUSÃO DE EMPRESAS DO SIMPLES NACIONAL POR COMERCIALIZAÇÃO DE MERCADORIAS OBJETO DE CONTRABANDO OU DESCAMINHO
Authors: Bernart Luciano
Published: September 2024

Contextualização do tema: A aplicação do art. 29, VII da Lei Complementar nº 123/06, que prevê a exclusão de ofício das empresas optantes pelo Simples Nacional por comercializarem mercadorias objeto de contrabando ou descaminho, tem sido feito de forma ampla. Em regra, a exclusão tem sido procedida com base em qualquer ato relacionado com a comercialização, tais como transporte, armazenamento ou outros.
Objetivos: Identificar e precisar os termos constantes no texto legal, de forma a compreender sua abrangência e delimitação imposta à atuação do Fisco ao excluir de ofício os optantes pelo Simples Nacional.
Metodologia: A partir do aprofundamento na análise interpretativa, utiliza-se hipótese e dedução de forma a concluir qual seria a norma imposta. Utiliza-se também a comparação com outro dispositivo normativo.
Resultados: Apenas o efetivo comércio da mercadoria, no sentido de realização de negócio jurídico entre partes, caracteriza-se como a infração prevista no art. 29, VII da LC 123/06, não devendo ser punidos por esta previsão a posse ou outro ato relacionado ao de comercializar.
Apresentação
Authors: Santos de Andrade Fábio
Published: September 2024

Comumente pensamos a educação como um ideal no qual deveprevalecer a promoção da convivência e do desenvolvimentohumano, caracterizados pelo respeito à diversidade e àmulticulturalidade, promovendo uma educação humanizada ehumanizadora. Nessa trilha, destacamos o processo de inclusãopositiva como ação necessária para a garantia da justiça social e,dentro de uma epistemologia situada na vida cotidiana, propus àRevista Veras o Dossiê “Educação Inclusiva”.
Práticas pedagógicas e educação antirracista de professores(as) de Arte nos anos finais do Ensino Fundamental
Authors: De Santana José Valdir Jesus , De Amorim Araújo Fabiana , Santos Pereira Reginaldo
Published: September 2024

Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar de que formaas práticas pedagógicas de professores(as) de Arte têmcontribuído para a implementação da Lei n. 10.639/03no espaço escolar. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de naturezaqualitativa, que se utilizou da entrevista semiestruturadapara a produção dos dados. A pesquisa foi realizada com dezprofessores(as), licenciados(as) em Arte, que atuam na redemunicipal de ensino de Vitória da Conquista (BA), nos anosfinais do Ensino Fundamental. Identificou-se, entre outrasquestões, que há uma carência de material didático voltadoao ensino de Arte com as temáticas demandadas pela Leinº 10.639/03 e que alguns(as) professores(as) de Artetêm produzido material didático, recorrendo a literaturasafrocentradas e a pesquisas em sites da internet como formade superar essas limitações.
A busca da História Indígena no livro didático de História: uma disputa de poder
Authors: De Carvalho Alves Braga Adriana , Guidio Godinho Luci Aparecida , Zacarias Huo Anfíbio , Clemente De Souza Neto João
Published: September 2024

Este trabalho tem o objetivo de analisar o modo comoas culturas e os sujeitos indígenas são representadosno livro didático de História. Para atingir esse propósito,nos apoiamos na proposta metodológica de Bittencourt(2005), que sugere proceder a análise de livros didáticosconsiderando aspectos formais, conteúdos históricosescolares e pedagógicos. Os dados foram coletados no livroAraribá Conecta-História, destinado ao 7º ano do EnsinoFundamental (PNLD 2024-2027) e tratamos de aprofundaro Capítulo 10, que versa sobre os primeiros contatos entreos invasores e os indígenas. Os resultados mostram quepermanece uma visão historiográfica eurocêntrica, na quala narrativa do colonizador é privilegiada em detrimento danarrativa indígena, que corresponde a 2,5% do conteúdoapresentado.
Carrossel: a linguagem que gira da Eeducação iInfantil até a universidade: relato de experiência
Authors: Monteiro Pedruzzi Cristiane
Published: September 2024

Este relato de experiência tem como objetivo descreveruma atividade de ensino-aprendizagem que englobaformação profissional, assistência e pesquisa na perspectivada extensão. A educação infantil, assim como algumasáreas da saúde, e a fonoaudiologia é uma delas, procura“compreender” dificuldades de aprendizagem ainda naprimeira infância. Por meio de ações do projeto de extensãoCarrossel, universitários do curso de Fonoaudiologia foramaos CMEIs no ano de 2023, com o intuito de promover eestimular a linguagem. Essas ações englobam atividades comas crianças, familiares e respectivas equipes pedagógicas dosCMEIs. Os participantes, direta ou indiretamente, puderamvivenciar benefícios na sua aprendizagem, a qual é aprotagonista da experiência.