bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
UCF101 Rescues against Diabetes-Evoked Cardiac Remodeling and Contractile Anomalies through AMP-Activated Protein Kinase-Mediated Induction of Mitophagy
Authors: Zhuang Zhiqiang , Zhu Yuxi , Tao Jun , Liu Yandong , Lin Jie , Yang Chunjie , Dong Chule , Qin Xing , Li Qun , Reiter Russel J. , Wang Guizhen , Pei Zhaohui , Ren Jun
Published: October 2024

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is known to provoke devastating anomalies in myocardial structure and function, while effective therapeutic regimen is still lacking. The selective protease inhibitor UCF101 (5-[5-(2-nitrophenyl) furfuryl iodine]-1,3-diphenyl-2-thiobarbituric acid) has been shown to fend off ischemic heart injury, although its impact on diabetic cardiomyopathy remains elusive. Methods: Our present work was conducted to examine the effect of UCF101 on experimental diabetes-evoked cardiac geometric and functional abnormalities as well as mechanisms involved. Adult mice were made diabetic using streptozotocin (STZ, 50 mg/kg, i.p., for 5 days) while receiving UCF101 (7.15 mg/kg, i.p.). Results: STZ evoked cardiac hypertrophy, interstitial fibrosis, mitochondrial ultrastructural damage, oxidative stress, dampened autophagy (LC3B, Beclin 1, elevated p62), mitophagy (FUNDC1 and Parkin with upregulated TOM20), increased left ventricular end systolic diameter, reduced fractional shortening, ejection fraction, cardiomyocyte shortening capacity, velocities of shortening/re-lengthening, and rise in intracellular Ca2+ in conjunction with elongated diastole and intracellular Ca2+ removal, the responses were overtly reconciled by UCF101 with little effects from UCF101 itself. Levels of cell injury markers Omi/HtrA2, TNFα, and stress signaling (JNK, ERK, p38) were overtly enhanced along with compromised phosphorylation of cellular fuel AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) (Thr172) and cell survival molecule GSK3β, as well as downregulated SERCA2a and elevated phospholamban, the effect was reversed by UCF101 (except for SERCA2a). AMPK knockout, pharmacological inhibition, the mitophagy inhibitor liensinine, and parkin knockout nullified UCF101-offered cardioprotection in diabetes. UCF101 reversed STZ-induced upregulation in the AMPK degrading enzymes PP2A and PP2C. Conclusion: These findings suggest that UCF101 rescues diabetes-mediated alterations in cardiac structure and function, likely through AMPK-mediated regulation of mitophagy.
Preliminary Efficacy, Tolerability, and Safety Analysis of Darolutamide for Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: A Single-Center, Open-Label Study
Authors: Yu JunJie , Zhou KaiChen , Wang JunQi , Mao LiJun
Published: October 2024

Introduction: Darolutamide is a structurally unique second-generation androgen receptor antagonist that has been approved for indications in patients with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC) and metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). The aim was to assess the efficacy and safety of Darolutamide for mCRPC. Methods: In this single-center, open-label study, patients with previously untreated mCRPC were enrolled and received androgen deprivation therapy (goserelin acetate 3.6 mg every 28 days) and docetaxel (75 mg per square meter of body surface area every 21 days) with Denosumab (120 mg every 28 days) for bone metastases, Darolutamide (300 mg orally twice daily) in the experimental group, and the control group received the corresponding of placebo. Serum PSA changes were detected and recorded, and imaging changes and adverse events (AEs) were evaluated. The primary endpoints were safety, tolerability, and antitumor efficacy, and the second endpoint was radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS). Results: Thirty-seven patients with mCRPC were enrolled. The median time to PSA50 in the Darolutamide group was 1.5 months (95% CI: 0.2619–0.9545), significantly lower than that in the placebo group (3.0 months [95% CI: 1.048–3.818], p = 0.0259). The median time to PSA90 in the experimental group was 4 months (95% CI: 0.3094–1.437), 2 months shorter than that in the placebo group (6.0 months [95% CI: 0.6961–3.232]). With the median follow-up of 6 months, the median decrease in serum PSA was −81.8% (range −60.4 to −99.9%) in the Darolutamide group and −69.4% (range −50.3 to −89.6%) in the placebo group. Tumor-related pain and AEs were not increased, and the median rPFS was not reached. Conclusions: The combination of Darolutamide and docetaxel was well tolerated with more clinically beneficial than docetaxel alone in previously untreated mCRPC. Darolutamide rapidly reduced PSA levels and prolonged rPFS and did not increase the incidence of AEs.
Pancolite eosinofílica em paciente idosa
Authors: Santos Júnior Claudio José dos , Lima Agatha Prado de , Torres Jussara Cirilo Leite , Rocha Thiago José Matos , Azevedo Paulo Victor Muniz , Pires José Nobre , Pires Thales Simões Nobre , Lacet Celina Maria Costa
Published: October 2024

A colite eosinofílica é uma doença rara, sendo a forma menos frequente e mais grave entre as doenças eosinofílicas gastrintestinais. Este estudo apresenta o caso de uma mulher de 69 anos, natural de Anadia, Alagoas, Brasil, que apresentou dor abdominal intermitente nas fossas ilíacas direita e esquerda, acompanhada de eructações, flatos, aumento da frequência do trânsito intestinal, diarreia e inapetência por aproximadamente seis meses. O diagnóstico de colite eosinofílica foi confirmado por endoscopia digestiva alta, colonoscopia e histopatologia, que revelaram pancolite eosinofílica com cerca de 100 eosinófilos por campo de grande aumento na maioria dos fragmentos de tecido. Após três meses de dieta restritiva e tratamento com cetotifeno 1 mg (duas vezes ao dia por 30 dias) e esomeprazol 40 mg (uma vez ao dia em jejum por 56 dias), a paciente apresentou melhora clínica. Este caso destaca os desafios diagnósticos da colite eosinofílica devido aos seus sinais clínicos inespecíficos e enfatiza a necessidade de exames complementares.
Percepção do transtorno disfórico pré-menstrual entre universitários de medicina de Curitiba/PR
Authors: Portes Bianca Ruiz , Menon Giovana Quezini Monken , Pereira Leticia Maria Secchi , Sikorski Mariana Alves , Lovato Raquel Porto , Lima Vanessa Camargo , Pinhat Elisa Chicareli , Andrade Fabiana Antunes de
Published: October 2024

Introduction: Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a severe form of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) characterized by psychological or behavioral symptoms that significantly impact a woman’s quality of life. Due to its recent recognition as a mental health disorder, many healthcare professionals remain unfamiliar with PMDD, complicating its diagnosis and management. Objective: To evaluate the perception of medical students in Curitiba, Paraná, regarding premenstrualdysphoric disorder. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (CAAE: 47635921.4.0000.0093). Data were collected between August 2021 and April 2022 through an online questionnaire administered to 593 medical students from institutions in Curitiba, Paraná. The questionnaire assessed knowledge about PMDD, its teaching during medical training, differentiation from PMS, and the medical approach towards affected women. Results: Of the participants, 83.6% were women and 16.4% were men. A total of 51.9% had studied Gynecology and Obstetrics and/or Psychiatry. Regarding PMDD, 40.8% had never heard of it, and only 28.8% had acquired knowledge about it during their university education. Among those who had studied Gynecology and/or Psychiatry, 86.7% did not feel qualified to diagnose the disorder and were unaware of the differences between PMDD and PMS (52.4%), with a higher frequency of men (68.4%) compared to women (51%, p=0.017). While 55.2% of students correctly defined PMDD, the majority (53.2%) were unclear about its signs and symptoms. Among female students, 82.9% felt that the medical approach was superficial during consultations, while only 10.1% reported a thorough investigation of symptoms.Conclusions: PMDD is a condition that is poorly understood and inadequately addressed in the training of general practitioners. Increasing awareness and education on this subject in universities would better equip professionals to recognize and manage this disorder, ultimately improving women’s quality of life.
A sífilis congênita nas regiões de saúde no estado de Alagoas (2009-2018)
Authors: Correia Daniel Martins , Lima Roberta Karolline de Souza , Lopes Bruna Carvalho , Machado Michael Ferreira
Published: October 2024

Introduction: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by Treponema pallidum. When transmission occurs from mother to child during pregnancy, it is called congenital syphilis (CS). Alagoas is among the Brazilian states with one of the highest mortality rates for CS in children under one year old. Given this scenario, this article aims to analyze the temporal trend of congenital syphilis in the Health Regions (HR) of Alagoas from 2009 to 2018. Methods: This is an ecological time series study. Sociodemographic variables and clinical aspects were analyzed. Data were obtained from the Information System for Notifiable Diseases and the Information System for Live Births. Trend analysis was conducted using the joinpoint regression model. Results: A total of 3,342 cases of CS were registered in Alagoas, with the 1st HR being the most affected (83.57%). The 8th HR had the lowest number of cases (0.18%). In terms of incidence, the 10th HR had the highest rate (14.51/1,000 inhabitants), while the 8th HR had the lowest (0.24/1,000 inhabitants). Regarding neonatal outcomes, most newborns survived (92.40%), and the majority were of mixed race (74.78%). Among maternal characteristics, there was a predominance of incomplete primary education (32.92%) and mixed race (75.08%). Conclusion: The State of Alagoas had a high incidence of CS between 2009 and 2018. The CS rate increased in almost all HRs, except for the 5th HR.
Perfil bioquímico e hematológico de recém-nascidos admitidos em UTI neonatal durante a pandemia de coronavirus
Authors: Cunha Cláudia Regina Silva dos Santos , Fort Marcela Patrícia Macelo Belo , Teixeira Patrícia Guilianne da Silva Barros , Lima-Aragão Mônica Vírginia Viégas , Silva Mayara Cristina Pinto , Nascimento Flávia Raquel Fernandes , Guerra Rosane Nassar Meireiles
Published: October 2024

Objetivo: Avaliar o perfil hematológico e bioquímico dos recém-nascidos admitidos na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal (UTIN) durante a pandemia do novo coronavírus, a fim de reunir informações que definam parâmetros de avaliação diagnóstica. Material e Método: Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva e retrospectiva, baseada na análise quantitativa de dados secundários para a avaliação hematológica e bioquímica de recém-nascidos admitidos em uma UTIN durante a pandemia do novo coronavírus em São Luís - MA. A amostra foi por conveniência. Resultados: Foram incluídos 96 pacientes. Cinquenta e sete por cento das crianças admitidas apresentaram diagnósticos associados ao sistema respiratório. Observou-se correlações significativas entre a infecção por Covid-19 nas mães e os valores de eritrócitos, hematócrito, hemoglobina, basófilos, cálcio e potássio dos bebês, bem como entre a idade gestacional e os parâmetros observados na série vermelha e cálcio. A maioria das crianças permaneceu internada por até cinco dias. Quatro crianças testaram positivo para Covid-19, sendo uma com 6 horas de vida e outras três após 72 horas de internação. Conclusão: Foram observadas correlações associadas à infecção por Covid-19 na mãe do recém- nascido. Recomenda-se que os parâmetros laboratoriais sejam avaliados com ênfase em exames de base, como hemograma completo e bioquímica, com análises de cálcio, sódio, potássio, magnésio e glicose capilar, para reduzir a quantidade de procedimentos invasivos desnecessários e contribuir para a diminuição do tempo de internação do recém-nascido na UTIN.
Para além dos estereótipos: um enfoque endógeno e crítico do conhecimento sobre a África
Authors: Baldé Mamim Alfissene Baciro
Published: October 2024

O presente artigo promove uma análise acerca da produção do conhecimento relativo à realidade africana, enfatizando a imprescindível participação dos intelectuais nativos na construção desse acervo. Mediante uma pesquisa qualitativa apoiada na análise bibliográfica, o estudo ressalta a necessidade de abordar as questões metodológicas e epistemológicas. O objetivo primordial é reivindicar a viabilidade de uma perspectiva local e crítica da realidade africana, buscando transpor o manto do "racismo epistêmico" que permeia a produção científica concernente ao continente. Destaca-se a importância de os africanos assumirem um protagonismo intelectual na elucidação das reflexões emergentes de suas próprias realidades, o que poderá proporcionar uma compreensão autêntica e abrangente dos desafios enfrentados pelo continente em diversas esferas, e nesse contexto a noção de "vigilância epistêmica" assume relevância. Tal posicionamento implica em questionar de forma contínua as perspectivas aceitas e as abordagens metodológicas empregadas nos estudos sobre e para África.
The Desert as an Inventarium
Authors: Kiperwasser Reuven
Published: October 2024

This article is about the symbolic representation of the wilderness motif in a selection of rabbinic travel tales, taking into consideration its representation in earlier Jewish writings. The article includes a selection of rabbinic travel narratives found in b. Baba Batra that concern the desert journeys of the remarkable rabbinic protagonist Rabba bar Bar Ḥanna. The hero of the stories is presented as viewing the giant dead bodies of the biblical tribes in the wilderness, Mount Sinai, and Korah and his people, all according to the sequence of biblical events in the books of Moses. Wilderness plays an integral role in these stories. While there is little interest in this motif in Palestinian rabbinic literature, wilderness plays a distinct role in the eschatological process according to the rabbinic theological speculations known from the Babylonian Talmud. According to the selected travel narratives, which all focus on the wilderness, several objects from the biblical past, as well as some items from the dawn of creation, which are designated to play an important role in the eschatological process, are stored there.
“And Judith Set Forth”
Authors: Livneh Atar
Published: October 2024

Judith is a wealthy, pious, celibate, domestic(ated) widow both at the beginning of the story and at its conclusion. Comprising the central section, her peregrinations to Holofernes’ tent (Jdt 10:1–13:20) and the Jerusalem temple (Jdt 15:8–16:21) serve as an “interlude.” Her story (chs. 8–16) is thus structured as a rite de passage, opening and ending in two stable states that enclose a liminal core. This article traces the role her two journeys play in the narrative, comparison of the topographical details, encounters with foreigners, and gender roles, suggesting that Judith’s first voyage marks her separation from her community and position within it, the second her reintegration and restoration to her original status.
Poetic Alchemy: the Rise of Romance from a Persian Perspective
Authors: Cross Cameron
Published: October 2024

The eleventh and twelfth centuries witnessed either the rise or revival of long-form amorous narratives in at least four courtly language traditions across the southwestern flank of Eurasia: Persian, Georgian, Greek, and French. This coeval occurrence of the “rise of romance” offers fruitful grounds for considering broad literary-historical questions about genre, poetics, and interconnectivity in a comparative fashion. The aim of this article is to give an account of this phenomenon in the early Persian context, with special attention to the role of poetry in transforming popular tales into elite literature. Understanding the implications of this practice may shed some light on possible factors contributing to the romance’s (re-)emergence in other twelfth-century literary traditions. As a coda, this article suggests twelfth-century Anatolia and Syria as significant contact zones where all four of the courtly languages mentioned above would have had some opportunity to interact.
Greek Poetry in a Multicultural Society: Sicily and Salento in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries
Authors: Kubina Krystina , Zagklas Nikos
Published: October 2024

In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, southern Italy experienced a period of relative political stability and economic prosperity under the Normans as well as the Hohenstaufen dynasty that succeeded them. These cultural conditions fostered a cultural resurgence, which included the composition of Greek poetry. Poets in Sicily wrote from within a multicultural context, including the presence of Arabic- and Latin-speaking communities. Many of their poems illustrate the generative intersections between the Byzantine-Constantinopolitan, Latin, and Arabic traditions. Later in Salento, poetry was written in a rather closed Greek-speaking, Orthodox society. Comparing Greek poetry from Sicily and Salento shows some differences between composition in the two regions. Whereas Sicilian poetry includes especially creative narrative poems, composed for the rich and sophisticated courts of the island, the Salentine poetry bears the stamp of the schoolroom. In fact, most poems from both Sicily and Salento survive in manuscripts that can be traced to a pedagogical environment. While the circulation of these poems was limited to their surrounding regions, their literary sophistication betrays remarkable creativity and the multicultural conditions of composition, further evidence of the vitality of Greek literary culture far from the heartland of the Byzantine Empire.
Evolution of Remote Participation of the Accused and Victim in International Criminal Proceedings
Authors: Sobański Kamil
Published: October 2024

The use of technologies in criminal proceedings has become increasingly popular. This has not escaped the attention of international criminal proceedings. Of particular importance are remote communication tools, which are now used in proceedings before the International Criminal Court (icc). These tools enable, among other things, the remote participation of the accused and the victim in the proceedings. In this paper I will analyse how this one form of using technologies in the criminal process has evolved in the changing reality of international criminal proceedings, including how the use of remote communication tools affects the rights of the accused. I will argue that the development of the use of remote communication tools in icc proceedings has so far been evolutionary and that this has been justified differently depending on the approach taken by the accused and victim in the proceedings. The paper also examines the impact of the covid-19 pandemic.
From Face to Facies
Authors: Jones David Houston
Published: October 2024

This article considers Beckett’s faces in the light of Giorgio Agamben’s account of the face as a disputed biopolitical marker. Agamben refers to the face both in terms of social and juridical identity in ancient Rome and as an icon of contemporary biopolitics, as social identity gives way to biometric recognition. Beckett’s own face figures prominently in the series of machine-generated Eigenface portraits created by artist Trevor Paglen in 2017, and whose use of the Eigenface method invokes modern facial recognition technologies. The Eigenface is examined here in relation to a gallery of ghostly progenitors: the faces of Beckett’s late plays.
A novel species of Apiospora from Ulmus pumila in China
Authors: YIN XIAOYE , JIANG NING
Published: October 2024

Apiospora (Apiosporaceae, Amphisphaeriales) is a common genus distributed on various substrates globally. Members in this genus are usually known as endophytes and saprobes, sometimes phytopathogens. Two new strains of Apiospora were isolated from healthy leaves of Ulmus pumila in Beijing, China. Identifications were conducted based on morphological features and phylogeny of combined sequences of ITS, tef1 and tub2 loci. As a result, Apiospora ulmicola sp. nov. is proposed herein, which is different from its phylogenetically close species, Ap. intestini by much smaller conidia.
9. Attending to the Online Other: A Phenomenology of Attention on Social Media Platforms
Authors: Marin Lavinia
Published: October 2024

Lavinia Marin draws from phenomenology to lay bare another aspect of the ubiquitous presence of social media. By taking the phenomenology of attention as a starting-point, she show that attention is – rather than only a scare resource as analysts departing from the perspective of the attention economy would have it – foundational for our moral relations to other beings. She argues that there is a distinctive form of other-oriented attention that enables us to perceive other beings as living beings that are worthy of care. This mode of attention presupposes a form of affectivity and involves the recognition of the other as a moral being capable of forming judgments, as well as someone having certain vulnerabilities. Her analysis shows that by prioritizing homogenous interactions and standardization, social media platforms hinder us from engaging in this mode of attention, thereby undermining our capacity of recognizing to others as surprising, changing, and fallible beings.
Projected North Equatorial Current/Countercurrent toward an El Niño–Like Condition in the Western Pacific under Moderate and Worst-Case CO2 Emission Scenarios
Authors: Hsin Yi-Chia , Chiang Tzu-Ling , Hsu Huang-Hsiung
Published: October 2024

Validating the mean state and historical trends of the North Equatorial Current (NEC) and North Equatorial Counter Current (NECC) in 36 phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) models and 32 phase 6 CMIP models with those in ocean reanalysis products, this study extracts the most qualified 17 model outputs to explore the projected changes in NEC and NECC in the western Pacific Ocean under scenarios of moderate- and worst-case CO2 emissions. NEC and NECC are robustly predicted to have an El Niño–like change, in which the NEC (NECC) tends to intensify with a poleward (equatorward) movement, during the twenty-first century under both scenarios. Meanwhile, the Kuroshio and Mindanao Current are projected to become weaker. A change in the meridional gradient of basin-scale wind stress curl in the tropical Pacific Ocean is the major contributor to the centennial changes in NEC and NECC; however, anomalous wind stress curl dipole on the two sides of NEC off the eastern Philippines is the major factor in controlling the western boundary currents. This study not only represents a step forward in understanding the impact of global warming on the western tropical Pacific surface circulation but also serves as a reference for downscaled modeling, which can better resolve regional circulation and western boundary currents, for selecting suitable inputs from a large number of CMIP models.

Significance Statement

The North Equatorial Current and Countercurrent are important surface currents transporting massive heat and mass zonally across the tropical Pacific Ocean. With verified modeling outputs of phases 5 and 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP), this study aims at understanding the 100-yr tendencies of the two currents in the western Pacific Ocean during the twenty-first century. The outcome shows that the North Equatorial Current (Countercurrent) tends to intensify with a poleward (equatorward) movement associated with the changes in the meridional gradient of wind stress curl across the entire tropical Pacific Ocean. The 100-yr tendencies are similar to those during an El Niño event. Meanwhile, Kuroshio and Mindanao Current are projected to be weaker during the twenty-first century due to the anomalous wind stress curl dipole off the Philippines in the western tropical Pacific Ocean. This study provides an understanding about the impact of global warming on the western tropical Pacific surface circulation and helps to select suitable initial conditions, boundary conditions, and forcing from a large number of CMIP models when conducting a downscaling modeling for the western Pacific area.
Tropical Intraseasonal Variability as a Leading Moisture Dynamic Mode of the Warm-Pool Background State
Authors: Hayashi Michiya , Jin Fei-Fei
Published: October 2024

Tropical intraseasonal variability (ISV) is dominated by the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO), and its spatiotemporal characteristics vary with the Indo-Pacific warm-pool background on seasonal and longer time scales. Previous works have suggested ISV dynamics in various frameworks, whereas a unifying view remains challenging. Motivated by the recent advance in moisture mode theory, we revisit the ISV as a leading moisture mode modulated by varying background states derived from a reanalysis, using a moist linear baroclinic model (mLBM) improved with a simple convective scheme relating convective precipitation to tropospheric and boundary layer moisture anomalies and simple cloud-radiative feedback representations. Under a boreal winter background state, this mLBM yielded a large-scale but local eastward-propagating mode with a phase speed of 3–5 m s−1 over the warm-pool region, resembling the MJO. Background lower-tropospheric winds and thermodynamic fields are important in determining the growth rate and periodicity of the leading mode, whose stability depends on cloud-radiative feedback and background state variations. We further demonstrate why the MJO is locally contained in the Indo-Pacific warm-pool region. The local thermal/moisture condition and Walker circulation greatly enhance its instability, but outside this region, this mode is heavily damped. Thus, the expansion/contraction of this warm-pool condition may enhance/reduce its instability and expand/reduce its domain of activity. Prescribing El Niño background causes eastward displacement of the wintertime ISV activity, reminiscent of the observed MJO modulations by El Niño. Under a summer background state, the eastward-propagating leading mode resembles the boreal summer ISV but is biased, requiring further model improvements.
Scale-Dependent Inflation Algorithms for Ensemble Kalman Filters
Authors: Deng Junjie , Lei Lili , Tan Zhe-Min , Zhang Yi
Published: October 2024

Ensemble-based data assimilation methods often suffer sampling errors due to limited ensemble sizes and model errors, which can result in filter divergence. One method to avoid filter divergence is inflation, which inflates ensemble perturbations to increase ensemble spread and account for model errors. The commonly applied inflation methods, including the multiplicative inflation, relaxation to prior spread (RTPS), and additive inflation, often use a constant inflation parameter. To capture different error growths at different scales, a scale-dependent inflation is proposed here, which applies different inflation magnitudes for variables associated with different scales. Results from the two-scale Lorenz05 model III show that for the ensemble square root filter (EnSRF) and integrated hybrid ensemble Kalman filter with ensemble mean updated by hybrid background error covariances (IHEnKF-Mean), scale-dependent inflation is superior to constant inflation. Constant inflation overinflates small-scale variables and results in increased small-scale errors, which then propagate to large-scale variables through the coupling between large- and small-scale variables and lead to increased large-scale errors. Scale-dependent inflation applies larger inflation for large-scale variables and imposes no inflation for small-scale variables, since large-scale errors have larger magnitudes than small-scale ones and small-scale errors grow faster than large-scale ones. But IHEnKF-Ensemble that updates both the ensemble mean and perturbations with hybrid background error covariances is much less sensitive to scale-dependent inflation, compared to EnSRF and IHEnKF-Mean, because updating ensemble perturbations with hybrid background error covariances can play a role similar to the scale-dependent inflation.

Significance Statement

Ensemble-based data assimilation and ensemble forecasts often have smaller ensemble spread than errors. Strategies used by ensemble-based data assimilation to combat insufficient ensemble spread usually focus on the short-term ensemble forecasts, rather than considering the whole ensemble forecasts over different lead times. Thus, there are obvious gaps between the ensemble-based data assimilation and ensemble forecasts. A scale-dependent inflation that can capture different error growths at different scales is proposed, which obtains improved consistency between ensemble spread and errors at different lead times and effectively links the ensemble-based data assimilation and ensemble forecasts.
Clip Myringoplasty
Authors: Shehata Saleh Ahmed , Rabie Hossam Mohamed , Mady Ossama Mustafa
Published: October 2024

Introduction:

Perforations of the tympanic membrane result mainly from otitis media or trauma, and we need grafting when a perforation is chronically persistent to prevent recurring infections and to enhance hearing. In the present study, we assessed the success rate, feasibility, and efficacy of endoscopic transcanal tympanoplasty using tragal cartilage grafts via the clip technique.

Methods:

This prospective study was performed between September 2017 and December 2021 and was conducted in ENT departments in tertiary hospitals. Forty patients underwent endoscopic clip technique tragal cartilage type 1 tympanoplasty. Patients with dry (for 3 months at least) small (less than 3 mm), medium (3-5 mm), or large (more than 5 mm) central perforations but not marginal perforations.

Results:

TM perforation healing following the procedure for 6 months was achieved in 100% of the patients with small perforations, 18 of 19 (94.73%) with medium perforations and 11 of 12 (91.6%) with large perforations. At 6 months post-surgery, hearing improvement, as confirmed by audiometric results, was approximately 12.41 ± 1.01 dB. There was a highly significant improvement in the A-B gap (air-bone gap).

Conclusion:

Endoscopic chondro-perichondrial tragal graft with the clip technique for the repair of small-, medium-, and large-sized nonmarginal TM perforations is a minimally invasive, safe and effective technique compared with the conventional myringoplasty technique. It provided good results (closure of both the perforation and the air-bone gap), minimized morbidity, reduced the operative time, increased patient compliance, and reduced the duration of hospital admission.
“The Kids can Handle it”: A Culturally Responsive Case Study of Four Detracking School Leadership Teams
Authors: Thornton Margaret
Published: October 2024

Purpose: This comparative case study focused on high schools in California, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia using the lens of Culturally Responsive School Leadership to investigate the actions of school leaders in implementing detracking and asks How do school leaders’ actions regarding detracking fit into the larger framework of Culturally Responsive School Leadership? Research Methods: This study uses a qualitative comparative case study method involving interviews with leadership team members at detracking high schools. Findings: Leaders in all the schools explicitly demonstrated creating inclusive spaces, embracing community assets, and enacting culturally responsive instructional leaders. Leaders at three of the schools explicitly celebrated students’ identities. Leaders at two of the schools suggested they engage in critical self-reflecting aimed at combating biases against minoritized students but did not explicitly mention this self-reflection. Implications for Researchers and Practitioners: Though emergent in nature, these findings add to our collective knowledge about practices in detracking schools that may be beneficial elsewhere and being to fill in gaps in our knowledge about specific detracking conditions over which school leaders have control. These findings also demonstrate a need for researchers, professors of leadership education, and policy makers to support school leaders in becoming culturally responsive and sustaining the practices at the heart of CRSL. Applying this framework allows for a rigorous discussion of leaders’ specific actions along with avenues of detailed consideration for researchers, educators of future school leaders, and policy makers in a coherent manner to create and sustain schools that can serve all children well.
Yoga, Physical Therapy and Home Exercise Effects on Chronic Low Back Pain: Pain Perception, Function, Stress, and Quality of Life in a Randomized Trial
Authors: Oz Muzeyyen , Ulger Ozlem
Published: October 2024

Low back pain is a common health problem. In this study, we investigated the effects of yoga, physical therapy (PT), and home exercise (HE) on pain perception, function, stress, and quality of life in chronic low back pain (cLBP). We randomly assigned 54 participants to three distinct treatment groups: (a) a physical therapy group (PT) who received spinal stabilization exercises (SSE) combined with local heat and transcutaneous electrical stimulation; (b) a home exercise group (HE) who received SSE as part of the home program; and (c) a yoga group who received yoga exercises. The primary outcome measures were a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for measuring pain, and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) to measure function. Secondary outcome measures were the Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale (TKS), Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI), pain sensitivity (L3 and deltoid R/L PPTs), Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), plasma cortisol and DHEA-S levels, Transversus Abdominis (TrA) muscle activation, and the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP). Assessments were conducted before and after a six-week intervention period. All three groups demonstrated improvements in pain on the VAS, function on the ODI, pain sensitivity on the L3 and deltoid R/L PPTs, CSI, anxiety on the STAI, TrA muscle activation, and quality of life on the NHP ( p < .05). The PT group exhibited a more pronounced improvement on the ODI score ( p < .05) than the other groups. Cortisol levels only decreased in the PT group ( p < .05). The exercises did not impact DHEA-S and NHP-S parameters. Thus, all interventions resulted in decreased stress, pain intensity, pain sensitivity, central sensitization, and improved function and quality of life; there was no singularly superior approach between interventions. These findings will aid in tailoring treatment programs for managing cLBP according to individual needs.
Seeing the Forest for the Trees: The role of Growth-Oriented Leadership in Shaping Public Servants’ Work Experiences in the Post-NPM Environment
Authors: Franken Esme , Hernandez Grande Aglae , Farr-Wharton Ben , Sharafizad Fleur , Bentley Tim
Published: October 2024

In recent years, growth-oriented leadership (GOL) has come to the fore as a salient predictor of positive employee outcomes in public sector contexts. This empirical paper examines the role of GOL in shaping perceptions of quantitative demands as a product of an evolved New Public Management (NPM) context and the subsequent impact on stress and well-being for 419 local government employees working in Western Australia. While latent in previous GOL-oriented studies, this paper is the first to explore the intersection of GOL and quantitative demands, noting that the former has an established positive effect on employee wellbeing, and the opposite case for the latter. Drawing on the challenge-hindrance framework, this article argues that GOL helps to shape employees’ primary appraisals of demands as challenges, rather than hindrances, in the post-NPM environment. The results indicate strong, direct negative relationships linking GOL with quantitative demands and stress, and a strong positive relationship between GOL and well-being. This study establishes GOL as a relevant capability for public leaders in supporting employees to deal effectively with public service demands and subsequently grow. Understanding how leadership capability, and particularly GOL, can shape the employee experience is important in ensuring the effective delivery of public services.
MPPT control for PMSG based wind turbine: Adaptive dynamic programming approach
Authors: Nguyen Hoang Anh , Pham Quang Dai , Vu Nga Thi-Thuy
Published: October 2024

This paper proposes an online adaptive dynamic programming-based controller for the variable-speed wind turbine system, ensuring it tracks the maximum power point under uncertain conditions. This control scheme is composed of two components: the adaptive optimal control component and the high-order disturbance observer-based adaptive sliding mode control component. The adaptive optimal control part is designed using the online adaptive dynamic programming technique, which is one of the algorithms of the reinforcement learning method. This control component has the role of achieving the optimal characteristics for the nonlinear system. Likewise, the high-order disturbance observer is established to estimate system uncertainties and external disturbances. These approximated disturbances are then fed to the adaptive sliding mode control component for system disturbance compensation. As a result, the system, which is affected by the unknown disturbances, achieves robust optimal performance. In addition, the convergence of the adaptive laws and the stability of the overall system are ensured through the Lyapunov theory. Finally, comparative simulations are conducted to validate the advantages of the proposed control scheme in comparison to the existing methods.
Lengthening Short Noses in Rhinoplasty
Authors: Aldosari Badi
Published: October 2024

Objective: Rhinoplasty aims to create a nose in harmony with an ideal face, help patients with specific aesthetic concerns, and improve the nose’s function. So, learning all types of deformities and rhinoplasty procedures is essential to solving that particular problem. So, we aimed to point at a neglected nasal deformity to serve as a guide in short nose rhinoplasty. Methods: Hereditary factors usually determine the length of a nose, such as cephalo-caudal patterning. Nowadays, individuals who want a change on their nose neglect whether it suits their face. Therefore, a considerable change may cause a paradox and lead to losing the operated nose and face harmony. As a general rule, it should be remembered that short nose elongation sounds more complicated than reduction rhinoplasty. Indeed, multiple soft tissues, mucosa, and structures exist, and short noses may get fibrotic, thickened, and inflamed skin for various reasons. Results: Dorsal augmentation through autologous cartilage grafts or implants is often used in patients with short noses. This demands a primary focus on lengthening the short nasal base. The simplest method of lengthening the short nose is dorsal onlay or radix implants. Silicone implants with a reported non-negligible tendency of infection are no longer used. Autologous cartilage grafts can be harvested from the septum, auricular cartilage, or rib. In the case of short noses, the surgeon can remove the septum as a graft and increase the nasal dorsum or undertake dorsal augmentation through septal cartilage grafts. Conclusion: Dorsal augmentation through autologous cartilage grafts or implants remains valuable for patients with short noses. Surgeons can achieve the desired length and proportional rotation by employing various methods, such as dorsal onlay or radix implants, septal cartilage grafts, and careful tip rotation. Through skillful execution and a patient-centered approach, surgeons can help patients with short noses achieve improved facial harmony and self-confidence.
Shakespearean bodies in movement: Central and Eastern European and American echoes on dance stages
Authors: Petcu-Pădurean Ioana
Published: October 2024

Shakespeare's adaptations in choreographic art function, both in classical ballet and in contemporary dance, as a link between cultural identities. Framed in a socio-political context and following the Shakespearean choreographic adaptations, this article focuses on the creations of some artists from Central and Eastern Europe and aims to highlight the intersections of modern American dance with their style, regardless of the existence or the fall of the Iron Curtain.
Cooking Energy, Health, and Happiness of Women in Nigeria
Authors: Nduka Eleanya , Jimoh Modupe
Published: October 2024

This study utilizes novel data to investigate the impact of cooking energy sources and indoor air pollution on the happiness, life satisfaction, physical, and mental health of women in Nigeria. The existing body of literature relies on ambient air pollution data, which can be limiting in resource-constrained settings. To address this gap, we employ a direct approach, measuring Carbon Monoxide (CO) levels in participants’ blood using the Rad-57 CO-oximeter. Our analysis reveals strong positive correlations between the utilization of clean cooking energy and women’s reported happiness and life satisfaction. Additionally, the study finds that clean cooking energy usage is associated with a significant reduction in mental health problems among women. These findings highlight a substantial disparity in well-being based on access to clean cooking energy sources. Furthermore, exposure to carbon monoxide, as measured in this study, demonstrates a detrimental effect on women’s health and overall well-being. Consequently, policymakers and stakeholders should prioritize initiatives that promote household energy access and facilitate the transition to clean cooking practices, especially in rural areas where the use of polluting fuels and exposure to indoor air pollution remain prevalent concerns.

JEL Classification: D12, I31, I100, Q420.
A DTI-based radiomics model for predicting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) amplification in adult IDH1-wild glioblastomas
Authors: Wang Dongdong , Han Qiuyue , Yang Shan , Cui Jin , Xia Wei , Lu Yiping , Yin Bo , Geng Daoying
Published: October 2024

Background

Molecular alteration events are common in glioblastomas, the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-wild of which have had poor survival results so far. The progress of radiomics-based model provides novel sights for its preoperatively noninvasive prediction.

Purpose

To develop a radiomics-based model for predicting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) amplification status in IDH1-wild glioblastomas of adults by pretreatment diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

Material and Methods

A total of 124 patients with diagnosed glioblastomas were retrospectively collected. Six conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of all the tumors were evaluated visually. Patients were divided into the training (n = 87) and the test set (n = 37) with a ratio of 7:3. Radiomics features were extracted from two regions of the glioblastomas, which were the total tumor (ROI_1) and the solid portion of tumor (ROI_2). The radiomics features extracted from the DTI and T1–contrast-enhanced (T1C) images were selected using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression algorithm. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to develop models for EGFR amplification prediction in the training set.

Results

The radiomics model based on ROI_1 demonstrated favorable discrimination in both the training (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.86) and the test set (AUC = 0.82) ( P < 0.05). Combining the radiomics features and the conventional feature tumor location, no significant improvement of AUCs was achieved (AUC = 0.86 and 0.81).

Conclusion

The radiomics model derived from pretreatment DTI may have potential in differentiating the EGFR mutation status in glioblastomas.
Title VII and Religious Accommodations in the Workplace After Groff v. Dejoy (2023)
Authors: Roberts Robert
Published: October 2024

The United States Supreme Court in Groff v. DeJoy rejected a 50-year precedent regarding the application of Title VII of the United States Civil Rights to requests by private and public employees for Title VII workplace religious accommodations. The article evaluates the impact of 73 U.S. District Court and U.S. Court of Appeals decisions decided after Groff to determine whether Groff has had an impact on how lower federal courts have evaluated requests for Title VII workplace religious accommodations. The article also evaluates the role of U.S. District Courts as gatekeepers for Title VII workplace religious accommodation lawsuits. Finally, the article discusses the impact of Groff on the most common types of workplace religious accommodation requests. The article argues that employers will have greater difficulty persuading U.S. District Court to grant motions to dismiss or motions for summary judgment to end Title religious accommodation lawsuits.
L’hésitation vaccinale contre la grippe des infirmiers et aides-soignants français : un nouvel éclairage sur les stratégies de restauration de la liberté lors de réactance à la communication pro-vaccinale
Authors: Wilhelm Marie-Claire , Gavard-Perret Marie-Laure , Mignot Alexandre , Epaulard Olivier
Published: October 2024

Malgré de nombreuses campagnes, la vaccination antigrippale des soignants reste insuffisante en France. L’approche très cognitive des modèles de persuasion en santé explique mal cette non-vaccination. Une enquête sur 794 infirmiers et aides-soignants français en 2018 souligne le rôle de la réactance psychologique. Plus la menace perçue sur leur liberté due à la pression vaccinale est forte, plus elle engendre de la réactance situationnelle et des stratégies de restauration de leur liberté menacée : déni ou minimisation de la menace de santé (faibles perceptions de sévérité et vulnérabilité envers la grippe), attractivité diminuée ou dénigrement de l’option recommandée (faibles perceptions d’efficacité et des bénéfices de la vaccination), menant au rejet du comportement préconisé (vaccination antigrippale). Cette modélisation originale de variables traditionnellement vues comme antécédentes à la réactance explique l’échec persuasif et est contextualisée et discutée au travers de caractéristiques objectives (âge, profession). Des recommandations managériales et voies de recherche en découlent.
Trends, Predictors, and Potential Disparities of Palliative Care Utilization Among Older Adults With Hip Fractures: A Retrospective Analysis of the National Inpatient Sample, 2016–2020
Authors: Yamada Yuji , Kobayashi Takaaki , Eyck Patrick Ten , Ren Renee , Fujitani Shigeki , Ko Fred
Published: October 2024

Objectives: To assess the trends in palliative care consultation utilization and identify associated factors among older adults hospitalized with hip fractures in the United States between 2016 and 2020. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the National Inpatient Sample from 2016 to 2020. The study included patients aged 65 and older admitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis of hip fracture. We identified palliative care consultations using ICD-10 code Z51.5. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of palliative care utilization, adjusting for demographics, clinical variables, and hospital characteristics. Results: A total of 293,749 admissions for hip fractures were identified, of which 9546 (3.2%) had palliative care consultations. A consistent upward trend was seen in the proportion of patients receiving palliative care consultations across all fracture types. Patients of color (Black: odds ratio [OR] = 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.65-0.83; Hispanic: OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.60-0.75 compared to White), those in lower-income quartiles (lowest: OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.76-0.87 compared to highest), smaller hospital size (OR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.79-0.89 compared to large), and rural hospital (OR = 0.63, 95% Cl: 0.59-0.68, compared to urban teaching) were associated with fewer palliative care consultations. Conclusion: The number of palliative care consultations during hip fracture hospital admission was low, although the proportion increased over time. Significant disparities were observed and further research should explore barriers to palliative care access and develop strategies to enhance its delivery across diverse healthcare settings.