bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Systematic review of ethnomedicinal knowledge: Documentation, evaluation, and conservation of medicinal plants and their therapeutic applications
Authors: Duche-Pérez Aleixandre , Gutiérrez Aguilar Olger Albino , Valero Quispe Javier Lucho , Serruto Castillo Alison , Mamani Daza Lolo Juan
Published: November 2024

This study shows that ethnomedicine and ethnobotany have gained great relevance for their role in preserving ancestral knowledge about the use of medicinal plants. Despite the benefits, such as cultural preservation and biodiversity, new challenges arise, such as the lack of standardization and scientific validation, which limits their integration into modern medicine. Therefore, this systematic review aims to assess the documentation, evaluation, and conservation of medicinal plants and their therapeutic applications across different cultures, using the systematic literature review (SLR) methodology. The searches were conducted in electronic databases, such as Scopus, EBSCO, and Web of Science, following PRISMA protocol guidelines and focusing on studies published between 2007 and 2024. Research gaps were identified, and questions were developed to better understand ethnomedicinal practices, their validation, and conservation. A total of seventy studies were selected, documenting a wide diversity of medicinal plants, with a significant focus on the conservation of traditional knowledge. However, critical gaps were identified in the scientific validation and integration of this knowledge into conservation policies. The results of the thematic analysis highlight the need for standardized protocols and a multidisciplinary approach to validate and preserve ethnomedicinal knowledge, ensuring its relevance in modern medicine and its transmission to future generations.
Case Report: Front surface eccentricity of scleral lens: Its impact on visual quality in eyes with higher-order aberrations induced by refractive surgery
Authors: Ghimire Deepak , Bhagat Manish , Chappidi Kiranmayi , Chaudhary Simmy
Published: November 2024

Purpose To report the impact of front surface eccentricity (FSE) of scleral lenses (SCLs) on the visual performance of eyes exhibiting refractive surgery-induced higher-order aberrations (HOAs) Method A female teenager presented to the clinic with blurring of vision and dependency on spectacles even after undergoing Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE) in both eyes (BE). Her presenting uncorrected high contrast distance visual acuity (HCDVA) was 20/60 in the right eye (RE) and 20/40 in the left eye (LE). On examination, the cornea showed a ring-shaped area of ablation with faint scarring and a well-apposed lenticule-extraction site. Subjective refraction improved the HCDVA to 20/20p in RE and 20/25 in LE but the patient was not happy with the quality of vision. Ocular aberrometry revealed an increase in total HOAs as the underlying cause of unsatisfactory vision. Result A contact lens trial was recommended for BE to enhance visual quality. Rigid corneal lenses (RCLs) were tried, but the patient was intolerant to them. Large diameter SCLs of different FSEs (0, 0.6, and 0.8) were tried to reduce these aberrations. SCL with FSE 0 yielded the most favourable visual outcome, which was confirmed subjectively on ocular aberrometry. Conclusion With this case report, we hypothesize that the eccentricity of SCL can be selected according to the asphericity (at 6 mm) of the posterior corneal surface. This case also re-emphasizes the impact of SCL with varying FSEs on reducing HOAs and enhancing visual quality in eyes where conventional RCLs yield suboptimal results.
Hazard, risk, reliability assessment and improvement of Darlington Tritium Removal Facility (DTRF) cryogenic refrigeration system
Authors: Ghaforian Allan , Lu Lixuan , Baytekin Miral
Published: November 2024

Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, produced in heavy water, during CANDU reactor operations by neutron absorption. The tritium removal facility at Darlington (DTRF) is used to extract tritium from the heavy water on a continuous basis and concentrates it in preparation for immobilization and storage. There are several internal and external hazards associated with the operation of DTRF, such as fires, onsite transportation accidents, exposure to radioactive materials, explosion due to Hydrogen (H2) and the release of radioactive substances from the Tritium Immobilization System. This paper conducts a risk analysis for the DTRF Cryogenic Refrigeration System, associated with both Low and High Tritium Distillation columns. This study includes hazard identification, consequence analysis and risk estimation. Fault Tree and Event Tree Analysis conducted, system reliability, availability and human reliability was considered. Consequently, methods for risk reduction and integration with improvement to CRS design is discussed.
Communicative Aspects of Pedagogical Interaction of Scientific Supervisors with Post-Graduate Students and Adjuncts
Authors: Ol'kov A. , Fedotova Oksana , Kostikova L.
Published: November 2024

Introduction. Communicative strategies of pedagogical interaction of scientific supervisors with graduate students and adjuncts are important for the successful training of scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel. The identification of the most difficult points of scientific leadership will contribute to improving the quality of training for applicants for scientific degrees. The purpose of the study is to identify the opinions of scientific supervisors on the organization of pedagogical interaction in the conditions of postgraduate and adjunct studies.

Methods and materials. A study was conducted to identify the opinion of scientific supervisors on the organization of pedagogical interaction with students. In the survey took part 52 doctors and candidates of (military, technical, pedagogical, medical, economic, legal, chemical, biological, etc.) sciences of four universities in Ryazan, who train highly qualified personnel in postgraduate and adjunct programs.

The results of the study. The novelty of the conducted research lies in the identification and analysis of the opinions and assessments of scientific supervisors characterizing the communicative strategies of pedagogical interaction. The theoretical significance lies in enriching the methodology and technology of vocational education in terms of improving the work of scientific supervisors in graduate and adjunct studies. The practical significance lies in the possibility of using the research results to improve the quality of training of scientific supervisors at a modern university.

The prospects for further research lie in the scientific justification of ways to improve the effectiveness of scientific leadership in civil and military universities.
Scientific Academic Discourse in the Educational Space of a Non-Linguistic University
Authors: Ivanova L. , Lukomskaya E.
Published: November 2024

The article deals with the phenomenon of scientific academic discourse. A nomenclature of discourse typological characteristics is analysed. The concept of scientific academic discourse is defined as a specialized type of institutional discourse. In our research we consider the scientific academic discourse as an integrative concept combining the features of scientific and academic types of discourse due to the interpenetration and intersection of their components. Cognitive and communicative aspects of scientific discourse are examined specific attributes of scientific texts such as harmony, consistency, objectivity and others are determined.

The article focuses on the analysis of scientific discourse genre varieties. The authors describe the specifics of functioning of a research paper and a scientific report as main genres of scientific academic discourse, reveal their peculiarities in realizing English language oral and written discourse. From the theoretical and practical points of view both a research aper and a scientific report represent oral/ written communication aimed at scientific informing.

The scientific polylexemic templates suggested in the article prove to be useful in academic writing.
Academic Adaptation of Chinese Graduate Students: Problems of Communicative Competence
Authors: Kitanina E.
Published: November 2024

The relevance of the study is determined by new challenges in the field of organizing an effective multidimensional communicative process in which graduate students coming from the PRC to obtain a PhD diploma are immersed — this is the main result aimed at by foreign graduate students studying at a Russian university. To achieve the goal, a comprehensive study is conducted, including descriptive, associative methods, methods of synthesis and generalization, semantic and conceptual analysis. The conducted research shows that in the process of acquiring high-level communicative competence Chinese graduate students face a number of problems that cannot be solved without a special methodology adapted to the goals and objectives of graduate students. It seems promising to apply the solutions proposed by the author in educational practice to streamline the system of training and stages of academic adaptation of Chinese graduate students in Russian universities.
Features of soft skills formation in the study of the discipline "Market of tourist services"
Authors: Binytska Olena
Published: November 2024

The article highlights the peculiarities of the formation of soft skills in students majoring in "Tourism" while studying the discipline "Market of tourist services". The article focuses on the key soft skills, including empathy, emotional intelligence, teamwork skills, customer service, networking and leadership, which are extremely important for the competitiveness of future tourism professionals. It is emphasized that the development of these soft skills contributes to a better adaptation of graduates to the needs of the labour market, where quality communication and customer service skills determine success in the tourism sector.
The article describes that the formation of soft skills in the course of studying the discipline "Market of tourist services" involves the use of interactive methods, in particular: role-playing games and practical tasks that help students develop the necessary soft skills in real situations.
Methodological approaches for researching the development of sports tourism in Ukraine
Authors: Mozolev O.
Published: November 2024

The article describes the concept of sports tourism. It was found that sports tourism is a type of active recreation, which is carried out by traveling along a route, testing one's own physical strength, moving on foot or on skis, bicycles or watercraft. To reveal methodological approaches to the study of the problems of the development of sports tourism in Ukraine. The importance of sports tourism for human development has been established. Its main features that distinguish sports tourism from other types of tourism are characterized. It was established that the most popular types of sports tourism in Ukraine are: hiking, water, cycling, speleological and ski tourism. Each type of sports tourism is characterized. The current state of sports tourism in Ukraine is analyzed. The prospects of its development in Ukraine are determined, the most popular regions for the development of certain types of sports tourism are given. The priority directions for the development of sports tourism in Ukraine have been identified. It has been established that by realizing their own physical capabilities, overcoming obstacles, adapting to new conditions and surroundings, tourists get physical and moral satisfaction from this type of recreation.
The human rights act and the community nurse
Authors: Dowie Iwan
Published: November 2024

Iwan Dowie talks about the Human Rights Act, a controversial piece of statutory legislation. The article emphasises the critical role of community nurses in upholding human rights within their practice and outlines the historical context of human rights protections in the UK. The article also addresses the legal implications of resource constraints in healthcare decisions.
Redeeming Grandfather: Aging Masculinity in Colombian Films
Authors: Carosi Marcelo
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT: This article explores aging masculinity in two Colombian films: Rubén Mendoza’s Tierra en la lengua ( Dust on the Tongue , 2014) and Henry Rincón’s La ciudad de las fieras ( The City of Wild Beasts , 2021). It analyzes the common threads of aging, illness, masculinity, and the difficulty of passing on traditions to argue that the films depict grandfatherhood in a way that reexamines and ultimately reinforces certain patriarchal attributes, such as strength and resilience, albeit in new guises. I examine how the landscape, which plays a prominent role in both films, is represented in a way that complicates the idea of masculinity in the context of social violence. This study contributes to the understanding of how Colombian cinema navigates and portrays male roles amid the enduring impact of social and political violence.
Too English? Voice, Gender, and Race from Murder! to Mary
Authors: Landry Olivia
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT: This article offers a comparative reading of the two films that constitute Alfred Hitchcock’s first and only dual-language film project. He released Murder! (1930) in English and Mary (1931) in German. Hitchcock scholars and the director himself have maintained that Mary was a flop because it was “too English” for the German screen. With a focus on the thematization of the voice, gender, and race, I examine the significant discrepancies between the two versions and their possible meanings. Mary was not only abridged, but the motive for murder was significantly altered—from concealing racialized identity to concealing a criminal past.
Late Slasher: Remediation to Premediation in Urban Legend , Gossip , and Final Destination
Authors: Stevenson William
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT: This article reframes the slasher as the harbinger of our contemporary network society, with a focus on three films of the late twentieth century— Urban Legend (Jamie Blanks, 1998), Gossip (Davis Guggenheim, 2000), and Final Destination (James Wong, 2000). As they chart the cusp between slasher horror and networked horror, these three films provide a particularly animated vision of the slasher as a networked figure capable of registering the shift between remediatory and premediatory worldviews on the cusp of the millennium. In doing so, they reframe the slasher genre as a history of the networked future.
“The House in That Film Was Very Real”: Aging and Verisimilitude in Hindi Film Set Construction
Authors: Wilkinson Clare M.
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT: The process of aging sets is essential to verisimilitude in contemporary Hindi film. Aging artists do not merely execute a design when they work. Aging is not a straightforwardly mimetic practice but is improvisatory and generative, provoking the recognitions that are triggered by worn places encountered in daily life. The license for this practice comes from the conundrum that the signs of aging point to a life in time but cannot be definitively read. The skilled ager elicits these same emotional and inferential responses through an essentially evocative practice whose quality is manifest in how it disappears (along with labor) in the finished set.
L’Avortement chez les autrices d’expression française
Authors: Versini Dominique Carlini , Verdier Caroline
Published: November 2024

Abstract: Ce numéro spécial explore la représentation de l’avortement dans la littérature contemporaine d’expression française. Le débat est contextualisé par les récentes évolutions politiques et sociales, marquées par une résurgence de l’activisme et un réengagement féministe autour de l’autonomie corporelle. Ce numéro examine comment la littérature peut transcender les discours politiques et médiatiques dominants en explorant la diversité des expériences d’avortement dans les œuvres d’autrices contemporaines. Les contributions mettent en lumière la capacité de ces récits à dévoiler et reformuler les discours sociétaux, tout en illustrant la complexité des émotions et des expériences liées à l’avortement.
Avortées de l’amour : Une réflexion sur l’avortement chez Violette Leduc et Nelly Arcan
Authors: Collette Frédérique
Published: November 2024

Abstract: Cette étude se penche sur l’articulation de l’avortement, de l’amour et de l’écriture dans deux œuvres autofictionnelles de Violette Leduc ( Ravages , 1955) et Nelly Arcan ( Folle , 2004). Il s’agira d’abord d’analyser comment l’avortement, acmé des ruptures amoureuses dans les textes, constitue un acte empreint de mélancolie, tout en étant chez les narratrices source d’agentivité. L’article observe ensuite comment cette ambivalence se répertorie dans le rapport au geste scripturaire, qui apparaît suivre la voie de l’avortement. Les autrices mettent en œuvre des écritures abortives en ce qu’elles se voient différemment modulées par l’expérience décrite.
L’IVG dans les romans-miroirs pour jeunes adultes : Hétérogénéité d’une position « pro-choix »
Authors: Thevenet Charlotte
Published: November 2024

Abstract: Cet article s’intéresse à la façon dont les romans contemporains fran-cophones pour adolescent.es traitent la question de l’IVG. Le corpus, composé de neuf romans, tous écrits par des autrices, publiés entre 2006 et 2022, paraît d’abord uniformément favorable à l’IVG. Cependant une lecture attentive révèle la reprise de tropes conservateurs, appartenant à la rhétorique anti-IVG. L’article examine à la fois ce qui fait l’uniformité du corpus, au niveau énonciatif et idéologique, et ce qui fait son hétérogénéité, par exemple dans le degré d’agentivité accordée au personnage principal.
Political Functions of Slovene National Mythological Heroes with Regard to the Changing Socio-Political Circumstances and Needs
Authors: Tratnik Polona
Published: November 2024

Abstract: This article explores how the motif of an ordinary man who confronts a powerful antagonist endangering the community has been used to help achieve national political goals. In 1858, Slovenian writer Fran Levstik wrote the tale of Martin Krpan, a mighty hero who saves the Empire. The character was inspired by the folktale hero Peter Klepec, as well as the medieval knight Gašper Lambergar who saved the Holy Roman Emperor. In the twentieth century, writers retold the tale of Peter Klepec at significant historical moments—on the eve of the breakup of the Habsburg Empire and before and after World War II.
“Inviting people into our experience in a powerful way”: Indigenous Representation in the Television Series Burden of Truth and Midnattssol
Authors: Kosonen Heidi , Greenhill Pauline
Published: November 2024

Abstract: Introducing diversity into the white-dominated media business is part of mainstreaming social justice movements. This article addresses Indigenous themes’ and talents’ inclusion in two television series by mainstream production companies from the perspectives of organic representation, inclusivity, and justice. The analysis focuses on Canadian legal drama Burden of Truth (2018–2021) and French-Swedish Nordic Noir Midnattssol ( Midnight Sun , 2016). It considers the participation of Indigenous talents and their realistic address of social concerns and argues that both series work within the constraints of their political economies while offering modes for representation that demonstrate possibilities for creating inclusive and socially impactful, yet entertaining, productions.
Talking about UFOs, Talking about Hope: Understanding Temporality and Narrative Hope in Chinese UFO Talks
Authors: Li Yadong
Published: November 2024

Abstract: Almost simultaneously with the end of communism, the emergence of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) has become a hallmark event of the post-communist upheavals for many Chinese citizens. Although most UFO enthusiasts have only scant knowlContents edge of UFOs, in narratives they describe UFOs as a sign of radical hope. Drawing on public narratives and ethnographic fieldwork, the article discusses how and why the extraterrestrial imagination strikes resonance among China’s post-communist generations. Engaged with the concept of narrative hope, the article further examines how narrative practices produce hope through contesting linear temporality thereby playing with unfulfilled promises and alternative futures.
Green traffic grooming in IP-over-WDM satellite optical networks
Authors: Liu Yu , Li Xin , Zheng Zhennan , Li Daixuan , Liu Tianhao , Ruan Feiyang , Zhao Chenyu , Huang Shanguo
Published: November 2024

With the ability to provide worldwide communication coverage, satellite networks are drawing greater attention. The translucent optical payload enables the implementation of IP-over-WDM satellite optical networks (SONs), which can achieve great bandwidth capacity while providing the flexibility of IP routing. The rechargeable battery is the sole energy support for satellites in the eclipse region. Unrestrained discharge will accelerate battery aging and shorten the satellite operation period, causing extremely high expenditure costs. Satellite movement causes time-scheduled energy supply and traffic fluctuation, complicating the problem of energy consumption in IP-over-WDM SONs. This paper studies green traffic grooming (GTG) in IP-over-WDM SONs from the perspective of battery lifetime consumption (BLC). A grooming graph is designed to implement GTG with the physical impairment constraint in IP-over-WDM SONs, and battery-aware GTG (BA-GTG) and time-aware GTG (TA-GTG) are proposed by taking battery information and time information as prior knowledge. Numerical results indicate that BA-GTG and TA-GTG, especially the latter, can effectively reduce BLC. In addition, multiple link configurations are set in performance comparison to evaluate the effect of the physical impairment on battery efficiency in IP-over-WDM SONs.
Photoinduced charge transfer and excitonic energy transfer in the CuInS2/ZnS/MoS2 heterotrilayer
Authors: Jia GuangRui , Wang RenLong , Qin ChaoChao , Chen BingKun , Jiao ZhaoYong , Zhu ZunLue , Zhou ZhongPo
Published: November 2024

Photo-induced charge transfer is the key process of many applications such as photovoltaics, photodetection, and light-emitting devices. With the outgrowth of a new class of low-dimensional semiconductors, i.e., monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides and semiconductor nanocrystals, charge transfer at the 2D/0D heterostructures has drawn many efforts because of the outstanding optical and electrical properties. This paper studies the dynamics of excitons of the CuInS2/ZnS/MoS2 heterotrilayer through femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy. The electron and hole transfer are observed by selectively exciting the electrons with tunable pump wavelengths. The exciton lifetimes are obtained on the picosecond scale. This work provides clues on exploring the non-toxic optoelectronic devices based on the CuInS2/ZnS/MoS2 heterotrilayer.
Practical magneto-optical imaging of the current density of coated conductors within liquid nitrogen
Authors: Mu Nana , Liu Cong , Li Yihao , Deng Jihua
Published: November 2024

Magneto-optical imaging (MOI) is widely used for magnetic studies of superconducting materials due to its advantages of full-field, real-time operation and high resolution. However, a traditional MOI system requires vacuum pumping, thermal shielding, and cooling by thermal conducting, thereby making the system very complex and expensive and increasing the time required to complete a set of experiments. In this study, a novel (to our knowledge) and practical approach for MOI within liquid nitrogen (LN) is proposed in which thermal conducting, thermal shielding, and vacuum pumping are no longer necessary. The key technique is realized through a semi-immersed polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bar in LN, and its size is optimized to ensure a stable temperature difference and polarized optical visualization within LN. With the improvised method, a defect in a superconducting layer of length approximately 250 µm in the coated conductor (CC) sample was detected. Additionally, the current density reduced by approximately 50% in magnitude compared to its neighbor region, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of the new approach. It is expected that this technique can further enhance the application of MOI as an efficient tool for industrial inspection of superconducting CCs.
Picosecond pulsed flat-top beam in a mode-locking all-fiber laser
Authors: Long Rufei , Wen Jiahao , Li Yongle , Jiang Guobao , Fan Dianyuan , Chen Yu
Published: November 2024

Ow7ing to the flat center and steep edge, the flat-top beam is widely used in the fields of micromachining and optical image processing. Here, we propose an efficient scheme to generate a picosecond pulsed flat-top beam in a mode-locking all-fiber laser. After utilizing an orthogonal polarization method for complete incoherence and a high-precision all-fiber optical delay line (ODL) for rigorous time synchronization, the pulsed fundamental mode (LP01) and the pulsed vortex beam (VB) are superimposed to generate a pulsed flat-top beam. The pulsed flat-top beam has a duration of 6.10 ps, with a normalized root mean square (NRMS) variation of 0.049 and a steep degree value of 0.876, indicating an excellent beam quality. In addition, the effect of coherence between the two superimposed beams on the quality of the combined beam has also been investigated. This is the first, to the best of our knowledge, demonstration of a picosecond scale pulsed flat-top beam in the mode-locking all-fiber laser, which may greatly promote its application in laser processing and biomedicine.
Symbolic regression: an alternative method to model the optical response of photonic biological and bio-inspired structures
Authors: Sierra-Velez Julian , Inchaussandague Marina , Skigin Diana , Vial Alexandre , Hölscher Hendrik , Macias Demetrio
Published: November 2024

In this contribution, we assess the performance of symbolic regression (SR) when used to model the optical response of biological and bio-inspired structures. To this end, we search for analytical closed-form expressions that model the reflectance spectra related to the Tersina viridis bird’s plumage and the porous structure inspired on the Cyphochilus insulanus beetle. Our numerical results demonstrate the high prediction accuracy of the employed symbolic regression scheme. The retrieved models not only capture the dependency of the optical response on various relevant geometrical and illumination parameters, but they are also dimensionally homogeneous.
Structural Dynamics Analysis of Large Aperture Space Telescope based on Linear State Space Method
Authors: MA BIN , Li Zongxuan , Li Yunfeng , peng youhan , Chen Rifan , ren shuhui , Li Qingya , Xu Jiakun
Published: November 2024

The linear state space model of the optical remote sensing camera with aperture of φ572mm was established using the structural dynamics and linear state space theory. Modal reduction is carried out using the balanced reduction method. Combined with the controllable and observability matrix, the model order is reduced. To obtain the frequency response curve between the excitation input point and the response output point, we performed frequency response analysis with the reduced state space model. The initial frequency response curve was plotted and compared with the response curves of the DC gain method and the balanced reduction method. The accuracy and rationality of the simulation analysis are verified by dynamic tests. The balanced reduction method under state-space representation provides a new method for studying the dynamics of lightweight opto-mechanical structures. It can characterize the inherent properties of the system by using the reduction model, and has higher computational efficiency, which is helpful to analyze the frequency response characteristics of complex linear system quickly and accurately.
Community-based reconstruction and simulation of a full-scale model of the rat hippocampus CA1 region
Authors: Romani Armando , Antonietti Alberto , Bella Davide , Budd Julian , Giacalone Elisabetta , Kurban Kerem , Sáray Sára , Abdellah Marwan , Arnaudon Alexis , Boci Elvis , Colangelo Cristina , Courcol Jean-Denis , Delemontex Thomas , Ecker András , Falck Joanne , Favreau Cyrille , Gevaert Michael , Hernando Juan B. , Herttuainen Joni , Ivaska Genrich , Kanari Lida , Kaufmann Anna-Kristin , King James Gonzalo , Kumbhar Pramod , Lange Sigrun , Lu Huanxiang , Lupascu Carmen Alina , Migliore Rosanna , Petitjean Fabien , Planas Judit , Rai Pranav , Ramaswamy Srikanth , Reimann Michael W. , Riquelme Juan Luis , Román Guerrero Nadir , Shi Ying , Sood Vishal , Sy Mohameth François , Van Geit Werner , Vanherpe Liesbeth , Freund Tamás F. , Mercer Audrey , Muller Eilif , Schürmann Felix , Thomson Alex M. , Migliore Michele , Káli Szabolcs , Markram Henry
Published: November 2024

The CA1 region of the hippocampus is one of the most studied regions of the rodent brain, thought to play an important role in cognitive functions such as memory and spatial navigation. Despite a wealth of experimental data on its structure and function, it has been challenging to integrate information obtained from diverse experimental approaches. To address this challenge, we present a community-based, full-scale in silico model of the rat CA1 that integrates a broad range of experimental data, from synapse to network, including the reconstruction of its principal afferents, the Schaffer collaterals, and a model of the effects that acetylcholine has on the system. We tested and validated each model component and the final network model, and made input data, assumptions, and strategies explicit and transparent. The unique flexibility of the model allows scientists to potentially address a range of scientific questions. In this article, we describe the methods used to set up simulations to reproduce in vitro and in vivo experiments. Among several applications in the article, we focus on theta rhythm, a prominent hippocampal oscillation associated with various behavioral correlates and use our computer model to reproduce experimental findings. Finally, we make data, code, and model available through the hippocampushub.eu portal, which also provides an extensive set of analyses of the model and a user-friendly interface to facilitate adoption and usage. This community-based model represents a valuable tool for integrating diverse experimental data and provides a foundation for further research into the complex workings of the hippocampal CA1 region.
Systematizing cellular complexity: A Hilbertian approach to biological problems
Authors: Dehghani Nima
Published: November 2024

Examining individual components of cellular systems has been successful in uncovering molecular reactions and interactions. However, the challenge lies in integrating these components into a comprehensive system-scale map. This difficulty arises due to factors such as missing links (unknown variables), overlooked nonlinearities in high-dimensional parameter space, downplayed natural noisiness and stochasticity, and a lack of focus on causal influence and temporal dynamics. Composite static and phenomenological descriptions, while appearing complicated, lack the essence of what makes the biological systems truly “complex.” The formalization of system-level problems is therefore important in constructing a meta-theory of biology. Addressing fundamental aspects of cellular regulation, adaptability, and noise management is vital for understanding the robustness and functionality of biological systems. These aspects encapsulate the challenges that cells face in maintaining stability, responding to environmental changes, and harnessing noise for functionality. This work examines these key problems that cells must solve, serving as a template for such formalization and as a step towards the axiomatization of biological investigations. Through a detailed exploration of cellular mechanisms, particularly homeostatic configuration, ion channels and harnessing noise, this paper aims to illustrate complex concepts and theories in a tangible context, providing a bridge between abstract theoretical frameworks and concrete biological phenomena.
System and transcript dynamics of cells infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
Authors: Silva João M. F. , Oteo Jose Á. , Garay Carlos P. , Elena Santiago F.
Published: November 2024

Statistical laws arise in many complex systems and can be explored to gain insights into their structure and behavior. Here, we investigate the dynamics of cells infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) at the system and individual gene levels; and demonstrate that the statistical frameworks used here are robust in spite of the technical noise associated with single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. A biphasic fit to Taylor’s power law was observed, and it is likely associated with the larger sampling noise inherent to the measure of less expressed genes. The type of the distribution of the system, as assessed by Taylor’s parameters, varies along the course of infection in a cell type-dependent manner, but also sampling noise had a significant influence on Taylor’s parameters. At the individual gene level, we found that genes that displayed signals of punctual rank stability and/or long-range dependence behavior, as measured by Hurst exponents, were associated with translation, cellular respiration, apoptosis, protein-folding, virus processes, and immune response. Those genes were analyzed in the context of a protein-protein interaction network to find possible therapeutic targets.
The limits of learning engagement and academic leadership within the higher education digitalization process ‐ analysis by using PLS SEM
Authors: Gutu Ioana , Medeleanu Camelia Nicoleta , Asiminei Romeo
Published: November 2024

There is convincing evidence that the learning environments digitalization of tools and equipment ultimately results in the speed and depth learning involvement of academia members, by raising attainment of each of the digital learning experiences. The majority of the research that was conducted on the topic of enhancing the digital skills of learners, which would ultimately lead to an increase in their active engagement, was conducted on students in primary and secondary education, leaving members of higher education outside of the scope of the study. Given the uninterrupted search for academic performance and innovation, the current research considers the technological changes that lead to the transformation of the traditional academic learning environments as previously known. The current paper considers the changes in the learners’ engagement in the context of the dually digital transformation of the higher academic multi-institutional digitally-learning enhancements. An important factor to be considered regards the leadership evolution (in terms of teaching) that over time, led to a different speed contextual shift, according to its effectiveness, leading to higher or lower students learning (dis)engagement. The current manuscript aims to examine how the higher education digitalization levels could affect the student’s learning engagement, under the close monitoring of the academia leadership styles practice. Data collection and analysis implied at first a qualitative approach by issuing an online-distributed survey that resulted in a number of 2272 valid responses. After performing structural equation modelling and proving a valid assessment tool, the analysis resulted into statistically proving the validity of two main hypotheses according to which students learning engagement has a positive effect on the practice of academic leadership. Additionally, results emphasized the fact that higher education digitalization has altogether a negative effect of students learning engagement. Consequently, the current study stresses on the importance of different peers’ categories in the context of higher education institutions performance, with an emphasis on the different levels of students’ engagement and the leadership styles evolution and practice, aspects uniformly developing within a continuously digitally transformation of the higher education environment.
Sem espelhos planos
Authors: Varão Rafiza
Published: November 2024

Este artigo traça uma comparação entre os usos dos media em um dos primeiros movimentos populistas da história, o populismo russo, e os usos dos  media realizados pelas correntes populistas contemporâneas e digitais. Trata-se de uma análise essencialmente teórica, realizada a partir de revisão bibliográfica tanto sobre o primeiro tema quanto sobre o segundo, a partir do método comparativo, buscando esses elementos na literatura especializada. O objetivo é identificar não só possíveis aproximações entre os usos dos media pelo populismo na Rússia do Século XIX e as correntes populistas recentes, mas sobretudo divisar suas diferenças, inclusive no que diz respeito à democracia. Conclui-se que, apesar de possuírem alguma semelhança, as diferenças entre os dois populismos se apresentam em maior número.
Impact of a natural rubber-based scratcher as an environmental enrichment on the scratching behavior, cortisol level, and semen quality of stable male goats
Authors: Kimsakulvech Sakdichod , Sriphavatsarakom Prarom , Thaikoed Sunsaneeya , Oupala Waraluk , Punkong Chainarong , Prompiram Phirom , Saingkaew Somchai , Hayakijkosol Orachun , Wongtawan Tuempong
Published: November 2024

Background and Aim: Goats are valuable livestock because they can generate meat and milk for human consumption. Goat husbandry is becoming more intensive due to the growing demand for goat products, which may impact animal welfare and natural behavior. This study aimed to investigate the impact of natural rubber (para rubber)-based scratchers as an environmental enrichment on scratching behavior, cortisol levels, and semen quality in stable bucks (male goats/goats).

Materials and Methods: Nine male goats were used in this study. Scratching behavior and cortisol levels were used as welfare indicators, whereas semen quality was evaluated as an indicator of reproductive potential. These indicators were analyzed before and after scratcher installation.

Results: After installing the scratchers, the goats showed a significant increase in scratching behavior and a notable decrease in cortisol levels (p < 0.001). Notably, the goats exhibited a marked preference for scratching against the scratcher (p < 0.001) compared to the stable. They significantly preferred using their heads for scratching (p < 0.001) instead of other body parts. In addition, goats preferred to scratch on the softest rubber scratchers at specific installation locations (p < 0.001). Although there was a slight improvement in semen quality, there was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: A natural rubber-based scratcher can increase scratching behavior and reduce cortisol levels, indicating its potential to improve the welfare of farm goats. Selecting an appropriate hardness and preferred location is essential to ensure that the scratcher effectively encourages animals to use it.

Keywords: cortisol, goat, para rubber, scratcher, semen quality.
Effect of mite-specific subcutaneous immunotherapy on patients with allergic rhinitis
Authors: Sun Guoyan , He Shuangba , Zhang Qingxiang
Published: November 2024

This study analyzed the effect of mite-specific subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) on patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). We enrolled 98 AR patients visiting our hospital from April 2017 to April 2019 and grouped them in a random number table. The control group (n=49) received conventional treatment for three years. The SCIT used a standardized mite allergen injection for the experimental group (n=49) for three years. The study compared total nasal symptom score (TNSS), daily medication score (DMS), total combined score (TCS), visual analog scale (VAS) score, mini-rhinitis quality of life questionnaire (MiniRQLQ) score, and serum immunoglobulin E (sIgE) level before and after treatment. The overall response rate was higher in the experimental group than in the control group (59.18% vs. 30.61%, p<0.05). After treatment, the experimental group had lower values for TCS and VAS score (p<0.05); motion score; practical problems; nasal, ocular, and other symptoms (p<0.05); and sIgE, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp)-sIgE, and Dermatophagoides farinae (Df)-sIgE levels (p<0.05) than the control group. The sIgE, Dp-sIgE, and Df-sIgE levels were lower in the effective group than in the ineffective group (p<0.05). The areas under the ROC curves of IgE, Dp-sIgE, and Df-sIgE and their combination for predicting the therapeutic effect of mite-specific SCIT on AR were 0.839, 0.779, 0.814, and 0.903, respectively. Mite-specific SCIT relieved clinical symptoms and improved the quality of life of AR patients, probably by decreasing the IgE expression level.
Study of acute and subacute toxicities and genotoxic and mutagenic potentials of the lyophilized extract of Campomanesia sessiliflora (O.Berg) mattos leaves in wistar rats
Authors: Burigato Anahy Arruda , Silva Jacenir Vieira da , Mueller Larissa Pires , Araújo Flávio Henrique Souza de , Cardoso Cláudia Andréa Lima , Souza Roosevelt Isaías Carvalho , Souza Agruslávia Rezende de , Felipe Francisco Bittencourt Junior  , Oesterreich Silvia Aparecida
Published: November 2024

Campomanesia sessiliflora (O.Berg) Mattos is a Brazilian native plant species used in a popular medicinal tea for treating gastrointestinal, urinary, and dermatological pathologies. This study evaluated the toxicity of Campomanesia sessiliflora (O.Berg) Mattos via acute and subacute toxicity tests. It also analyzed mutagenic and genotoxic potentials by the micronucleus test, which detects genetic material damage indicating mutagenicity, and the comet assay, which assesses DNA damage levels as a genotoxicity indicator. The plant extract initially originated from the ultrasonic maceration of Campomanesia sessiliflora (O.Berg) Mattos leaves in a hydroethanolic solution. The involved animals were adult Wistar rats. Ten females were available to evaluate acute toxicity and estimate the LD50, receiving a dose of 2000 mg/kg. The subacute toxicity evaluation used 35 females and 35 males divided into seven groups: negative control (saline control – SC), positive control (cyclophosphamide control – CC), 125 mg/kg (125), 250 mg/kg (250), 500 mg/kg (500), 1000 mg/kg (1000), and the satellite group (ST). Genotoxicity and mutagenicity experiments applied bone marrow micronucleus and comet assays. Acute and subacute toxicity tests did not present behavioral, physical, and physiological changes (p≥0.05). Administering the Campomanesia sessiliflora (O.Berg) Mattos extract reduced spleen size in male and female animals, without histopathological changes. However, doses above 500 mg/kg showed significant genotoxic and mutagenic effects in the comet and micronucleus assays compared to the control group. The extract did not exhibit acute or subacute toxicity, but doses higher than 500 mg/kg indicated some level of genotoxicity and mutagenicity.
Social responsibility of animal scientists in the new Europe
Authors: HODGES John
Published: November 2024

Enlargement of the EU in 2004 from 15 to 25 countries was a significant moment in European history. The process of bringing countries and peoples together is likely to continue forming a larger EU and Greater Europe. The formation of Europe over many millennia has created diverse ethnic groups, cultures and languages. The genetic and cultural origins are briefly described. European values developed under Judea-Christian influences. The EU is not intended to homogenize this human biodiversity but to provide unity without uniformity. The paper focuses upon agriculture as a historic formative influence and argues that its future role must embrace rural and environmental quality of life issues as well as food. The model of intensification and scale in agriculture developed in the 20th century in Western Europe under government policies has brought an abundance of cheap food and also massive demographic movements of people from rural to urban locations. The paper argues that this model should not be adopted for the enlarged EU and Greater Europe because of the inevitable consequence of further migrations of up to 73 million people from the land, creating enormous new socio-economic problems. The paper calls for animal and agricultural scientists to develop, with other disciplines, a new model for European agriculture which will not divide rural from urban society and will enable the former to share prosperity and quality of life with the latter. New values of community and recognition of social capital are needed if this endeavour is to succeed.
Indicators of biological value of the pheasant meat originated from natural and controlled breeding
Authors: TUCAK Zvonimir , ŠKRIVANKO Mario , KRZNARIĆ Marko , POSAVČEVIĆ Štefica , BOŠKOVIĆ Ivica
Published: November 2024

The authors made a comparative research of the influence of natural food and mixture prepared according to prescription on the metabolism of pheasants, which is evident as biological value of meat. The results indicated that pheasants fed on natural food had much higher biological value of meat compared to those which consumed commercially prepared mixture. The recommendation of the study is that people as the ultimate consumers take an opportunity to choose meat of the pheasants, or other winged game originated from natural way of life.
Differences in slaughtering characteristics between crossbred pigs with Pietrain and Duroc as terminal sire
Authors: KUŠEC Goran , KRALIK Gordana , PETRIČEVIĆ Antun , MARGETA Vladimir , GAJČEVIĆ Zlata , GUTZMIRTL Draženka , PEŠO Mario
Published: November 2024

In this paper results on investigation of 27 carcasses of crossbred pigs were presented. The pigs were divided into two groups regarding the breed of terminal sires: Pietrain group had 15 and Duroc group 12 carcasses. All dams were double crosses of Swedish Landrace and Large White. Pigs were slaughtered at approximate weight of 100 kg and important measures of carcass and meat quality were taken. Analyses showed that pigs from Pietrain group had longer carcasses (P<0.001). No differences in conformation of hams were found as well as loin eye area between the groups (P>0.05), but the pigs from Pietrain group had significantly lower fat area (P<0.05) indicating higher meatiness of the pigs from this group proved by significantly lower fat/meat ratio (P<0.01). Although no differences in the percentage of bones were found (P>0.05) carcasses of Pietrain group had significantly higher percent of lean (P<0.001) and less fat (P<0.01) than the carcasses of the pigs with Duroc as terminal sire breed. With exception of initial pH value measured in ham, significant differences in all meat quality indicators were found between the groups and all of these were in favour of the meat originating from pigs crosses with Duroc as terminal sire. The distribution of meat into 5 quality classes showed that in Pietrain and Duroc group, 85% and 25% (respectively) of meat samples were described as PSE (pale, soft, exudative) and RSE (reddish-pink, soft, exudative) condition. Only 15% of the samples from Pietrain group was classified as RFN (red, firm, non-exudative); in this category 58.33% of the samples from Duroc group was distributed.