bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Grotteschi e Rabeschi: a hipotipose do horror em Gabriele D'Annunzio
Authors: Diniz Julia Ferreira Lobão
Published: January 2022

Investigação da poética de Gabriele D’Annunzio, com ênfase em sua fase jornalística e na obra Grotteschi e Rabeschi, à procura de traços da literatura de horror. O objetivo deste artigo concentra-se em elucidar as hipotiposes, isto é, as descrições vívidas de horror presentes nas produções que precedem as obras canônicas de D’Annunzio e que imortalizariam o autor como um poeta decadentista obcecado pela beleza e pelo prazer, desvinculando-o, terminantemente, de criações que remetessem ao profano, ao terrífico e ao insólito.
Slasher therapy: the slasher movie as an allegory for uncovering trauma
Authors: Oliveira Amanda de
Published: January 2022

This study aims at analyzing slasher films as potential allegories for the therapeutic process of uncovering trauma, proposing a reading of the slasher killer as a metaphor for the trauma. To perform this analysis, the plots of the movies A Nightmare on Elm Street (Bayer, 2010) and Final Girls (Schulsson, 2015), were read as possible allegories for a psychoanalytical process in which their final girls come to terms with trauma as they face the killers. This analysis is performed based on the slasher film structure as composed by Final Girl versus Slasher killer, as defined by Carol Clover (1992), and, as their confrontation takes place in what Clover calls the Terrible place, that is compared to the unconscious and its dynamics, as proposed by Sigmund Freud’s The Ego and the Id (2019). The correlation of trauma and fictional narratives is performed based on Cathy Caruth’s (1996) studies of trauma and the construction of narratives.
A construção do inquietante nos contos de Frederico Toscano
Authors: Sena André de
Published: January 2022

O presente artigo visa analisar os efeitos inquietantes que se modalizam nas narrativas de horror do escritor brasileiro Frederico Toscano, a partir dos contos publicados em seu primeiro livro de ficção, Carapaça escura (2019), ao tempo que busca compreender as particularidades contemporâneas dessa mesma escrita imaginativa em diálogo com subgêneros e modos de séculos anteriores (o gótico setecentista, o fantástico e o horror dos séculos XIX e XX, com destaque para este último).
New weird e literatura brasileira: Análise do conto “Menina bonita bordada de entropia”, de Cirilo Lemos
Authors: Taniguchi André Karasczuk , Aguiar Cristhiano
Published: January 2022

O presente artigo busca compreender o New Weird, vertente da literatura insólita originada em literaturas de língua inglesa entre o fim da década de 1990 e começo dos anos 2000. Para tanto, além de uma revisão teórica sobre o New Weird, buscaremos entender a sua recepção na literatura brasileira, através da leitura do conto “Menina bonita bordada de entropia”, de Cirilo Lemos, publicado na antologia Fractais tropicais: o melhor da ficção científica, organizada por Nelson de Oliveira.
Dostoiévski e Literatura-Mundial: apontamentos para uma solução do enigma de Mister Astley
Authors: Araujo João Marcos Cilli de
Published: January 2022

Schwarz (2000, p. 27) lembra a recorrência de personagens germanófilos e francófilos nos romances russos, figuras um tanto ridículas que, embora sejam falsários e picaretas, são os grandes defensores da modernização que acompanha o capital. Em Um jogador, romance de Dostoiévski publicado em 1867, a situação vai além. Como sua ação transcorre toda no exterior, não há sequer a necessidade de um russo francófilo ou germanófilo: os ocidentais falam por si. Contudo, diferentemente do que ocorre com os demais personagens associados ao Ocidente, há, no romance em questão, um retrato aparentemente positivo de Mister Astley, britânico que, no entender de boa parte da crítica, seria uma espécie de paradigma moral do romance. O que se pretende neste artigo é justamente uma problematização da leitura positiva que se faz de Mister Astley, buscando-se, ao inserir o personagem na economia-mundo capitalista e ler a obra dostoievskiana a partir da problemática da Literatura-Mundial, apontá-lo como o retrato do nefasto imperialismo britânico.
O solipsismo memorial de Anton Lavriéntievich G-v em Os demônios, de Dostoiévski
Authors: Pedroso Ednilson Rodrigo
Published: January 2022

O artigo analisa como o estatuto da memória garante verossimilhança ao romance Os demônios, a despeito da complexa disposição do foco narrativo dessa obra. A análise parte da concepção fenomenológica de tempo literário a partir de três instâncias ficcionais: histórica, discursiva e narrativa. Depois, é examinado como o realismo dostoievskiano se vale da memória e de sua lógica própria, avessa à dinâmica causal naturalista, para construir o protagonismo sutil do narrador Anton Lavriéntievich G-v. A partir das concepções filosóficas de tempo e de memória de Santo Agostinho e de Henri Bergson, é investigado como o discurso do romance pode ser intrinsecamente vinculado às associações significativas da memória de G-v, o que viabiliza outra leitura da obra: a de uma crônica majoritariamente composta por solipsismos confessionais
A arte involuntária de sonhar: o devaneio em Noites brancas
Authors: Araújo Rosanne Bezerra de , Lopes Lucas José de Mello
Published: January 2022

Neste artigo, exploramos os caminhos do protagonista (o sonhador) e sua extraordinária epopeia interior na novela de Dostoiévski. A temática do devaneio, interligada à descrição simbólica do espaço, compõem o foco de nossa análise. Conforme Bachelard, o devaneio serve como uma fuga para o enfadonho real que envolve o sujeito e o priva de vivenciar outras realidades fantasiadas por sua mente. Em particular, o devaneio na literatura funciona como um motor que propulsiona a criação de um cogito, a exemplo do que ocorre em Noites brancas. O protagonista é um sonhador, porém com clareza de consciência. Ao analisar o espaço da narrativa, constatamos que o imaginário urbano que envolve São Petersburgo (pontes, canais, rio, avenidas), aliado ao fenômeno das noites brancas no verão, alimenta o devaneio do protagonista.
Ser (e deixar de ser) o homem doente, o homem mau e o homem desagradável: notas sobre Memórias do subsolo
Authors: Farina Diego lock
Published: January 2022

O presente artigo comenta e analisa as estratégias e o percurso narrativo do protagonista anônimo das Memórias do subsolo (1864), de Fiódor Dostoiévski, com o intuito de destacar a pertinência de uma leitura critico-clínica acerca da novela, tendo em vista o estudo das sintomatologias e o diálogo com o pensamento de Gilles Deleuze que diz respeito à literatura como devir, à função do escritor como médico da civilização e ao sujeito larvar das micropolíticas que atua nos efeitos do real e na potência do impossível. O texto tem também como objetivo levantar a hipótese ensaística de que o homem do subsolo experencia transcendentalmente um efetivo movimento entre a enfermidade e a saúde do mundo, entre o bem e o mal e, por fim, entre a crítica negativa e a afirmação do desejo na vida, sempre sob vias de transbordar esses limites todos. Para tal aproveitamento, discute-se igualmente algumas observações centrais a propósito da obra e/ou da filosofia do tempo de Dostoiévski realizadas por René Girard, Bakhtin, Nietzsche, Sergio Givone, dentre outros. De uma leitura diferencial da novela à leitura da teoria literária contemporânea, o artigo se utiliza das Memórias como um local intensivo de disputas pelo sentido da escrita, da mimese como técnica poética primordial e do gênero textual das confissões, ou melhor, dos castigos correcionais que conjuram por aporias.
Palavras-chave: Memórias do subsolo; devir literário; sintomatologia; Deleuze.
Dos corpos aos crematórios: ideologia e ironia em Bobók
Authors: Lima Elizabete Barros de Sousa , Buzar Perroni Otávio Augusto
Published: January 2022

Bobók é um dos contos mais representativas de Dostoiévski. A obra critica as ideologias dominantes, baseando-se no humor para destronar as vozes de autoridade. Assim, o artigo visa discorrer acerca da importância da literatura de Dostoiévski para a formação crítica social por meio do riso, versando sobre a notabilidade do elemento risível para a atenuação das desigualdades e, assim, contribui para reafirmar a necessidade da literatura do riso para a reflexão social.
Memórias do subsolo: dificuldades interpretativas
Authors: Villaça Davi Lopes
Published: January 2022

Partindo de uma discussão sobre as dificuldades relativas à análise de Memórias do subsolo (1864), de Dostoiévski, tal como elas se manifestaram em diversos momentos da história da interpretação da novela, pretendo desenvolver uma série de considerações sobre a complexa relação entre o autor e seu narrador, analisando seus pontos de identificação e de oposição, e dialogando com diferentes abordagens críticas sobre esse tema.
Nabokov, Dostoiévski e... Tolstói
Authors: Bernardini Aurora Fornoni
Published: January 2022

Este ensaio comenta alguns aspectos da abordagem crítica de Nabokov de obras de Dostoiévski. Seus autores russos favoritos, sobre os quais escreveu trabalhos mais extensos, são Gógol, Tolstói e Tchekhov. Quanto a Dostoiévski (1821-1881) sua opinião é controversa, ora critica, ora aprecia suas obras.
palhaço Gadanho é nossa próxima atração: vem pro circo e para o choro com o “ás do violão”!
Authors: Amorim Humberto , Prando Flávia Rejane , Motta Jefferson , Paschoito Ivan
Published: January 2022

Francisco Rosa Gadanho é mais um dentre as centenas de personagens pioneiros do violão brasileiro sobre o qual pouco se sabe. De sua eventual produção para o instrumento, a obra que ineditamente apresentamos neste artigo – o choro Caranguejo – é a primeira de que se tem notícia e, para além dela, são parcas as informações concretas sobre a sua biografia na literatura disponível. No caso do Palhaço Gadanho, seu nome artístico, esta lacuna parece significativa por se tratar de um dentre os mais afamados cômicos que, desde meados do século XIX, aproximaram os universos do circo e do violão no Brasil, um tema ainda infimamente estudado, mas cujo impacto parece ter sido decisivo para a disseminação do instrumento e de suas práticas a partir dos anos oitocentos. Além de apresentar e tecer uma breve genealogia do manuscrito e das fontes (sobretudo hemerográficas) encontradas, o artigo objetiva, em diálogo com parte da bibliografia de referência relacionada aos estudos circenses e suas intersecções com a música (SILVA, 2007; 2003; 1996; TINHORÃO, 2005, 2001; 1998; DAMASCENO, 1956), não somente levantar e analisar os traços biográficos disponíveis sobre Gadanho e conectar o personagem aos contextos e circuitos de atuação (por exemplo, os circos nos quais atuou e os palhaços com os quais conviveu, como Benjamim de Oliveira e Eduardo das Neves), mas também por em pauta alguns dos aspectos que tornaram o circo um espaço tão importante no percurso histórico do violão no país, com reverberações na constituição, recriação e/ou disseminação de seu repertório como acompanhante ou mesmo solista.
A Forma da Noite: uma proposta de análise formal da Noite Transfigurada
Authors: Rodrigues André de Cillo
Published: January 2022

Este artigo investiga a relação entre as resultantes harmônicas e a estruturação formal da Noite Transfigurada, composta por Arnold Schoenberg em 1899. Inicialmente é feito um exame crítico de algumas propostas de segmentação formal da peça a partir dos trabalhos de autores como Swift (1977), Pfannkuch (1963), Frisch (1993) e Wellesz (1968). Posteriormente, o artigo apresenta uma análise formal construída a partir do detalhamento da estruturação harmônica em relação aos materiais temáticos da peça. A análise evidenciou o papel relevante da harmonia na estruturação da peça, além de sua inadequação a modelos formais apriorísticos. Em outras palavras, a análise revelou a existência de um projeto harmônico em que ainda é possível perceber a existência dos mecanismos fundamentais do tonalismo, responsáveis pelo aumento da redundância das relações internas colocadas pela obra nos planos micro e macro estruturais.
Nacht, from Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire: a perspective from the ArtSong Theory on the text-music relationships and its unfoldings
Authors: Picchi Achille
Published: January 2022

The cycle of melodramas Pierrot Lunaire op. 21 was written and premiered in 1912 and is one of the capital works of Schoenberg’s output as well as of the vocal music in the twentieth-century music. In this article we examine Nacht, the eighth melodrama, first of the second part, due to its relationships on text-music as a factor of influence in the perception and performance of the work. And we also examine the numerical relations that were so dear to the composer.
O que um Lied de Schoenberg pode nos ensinar sobre uma Sonata de Santoro?
Authors: Souza Rodolfo Coelho de
Published: January 2022

A análise da canção Sommermüg Op. 48 No 1 de Arnold Schoenberg nos mostra que as técnicas dodecafônicas empregadas pelo compositor, no período em que o método já tinha atingido sua maturidade, exibem uma variedade bem maior de estratégias composicionais do que nos ensinam os manuais. A segmentação da série em conjuntos com funções complementares de contraponto melódico e sustentação harmônica é uma delas. Sua busca por construções simétricas é outra preocupação a que se dá menos atenção do que ele teria desejado.

A análise de Schoenberg nos propiciou revisitar a Sonata 1942 para piano de Claudio Santoro, uma das obras pioneiras do estilo dodecafônico na música brasileira. O exame detalhado da técnica usada na obra revela um compositor jovem já no domínio completo do método dodecafônico, o que nos levou a cogitar os motivos que induziram nossa musicologia a acusá-lo de desconhecer ou desconsiderar a ortodoxia do estilo. Concluímos que, entre outras razões, essa crítica indevida se deveu a uma preferência da Academia pelo estilo de Webern, um autor que àquela altura não poderia ter servido de modelo a Santoro.
Single Circuit in V1 Capable of Switching Contexts During Movement Using an Inhibitory Population as a Switch
Authors: Voina Doris , Recanatesi Stefano , Hu Brian , Shea-Brown Eric , Mihalas Stefan
Published: January 2022

As animals adapt to their environments, their brains are tasked with processing stimuli in different sensory contexts. Whether these computations are context dependent or independent, they are all implemented in the same neural tissue. A crucial question is what neural architectures can respond flexibly to a range of stimulus conditions and switch between them. This is a particular case of flexible architecture that permits multiple related computations within a single circuit.

Here, we address this question in the specific case of the visual system circuitry, focusing on context integration, defined as the integration of feedforward and surround information across visual space. We show that a biologically inspired microcircuit with multiple inhibitory cell types can switch between visual processing of the static context and the moving context. In our model, the VIP population acts as the switch and modulates the visual circuit through a disinhibitory motif. Moreover, the VIP population is efficient, requiring only a relatively small number of neurons to switch contexts. This circuit eliminates noise in videos by using appropriate lateral connections for contextual spatiotemporal surround modulation, having superior denoising performance compared to circuits where only one context is learned. Our findings shed light on a minimally complex architecture that is capable of switching between two naturalistic contexts using few switching units.
Recognition and Redistribution in Aristotle’s Account of Stasis
Authors: Cairns Douglas , Canevaro Mirko , Mantzouranis Kleanthis
Published: January 2022

In Politics 5.1–3, Aristotle sees different conceptions of proportional equality and justice as the fundamental causes of stasis and metabolē (constitutional change). His account shows what happens to notions of ‘particular’ justice when they become causes of individual and collective action in pursuit of moral and political revolution. The whole discussion of the causes of stasis should be read through the filter of individual/group motivation – as a reflection of what goes on in the heads of those who engage in stasis. Movements towards political change are motivated by ingrained conceptions of proportional equality and fair distribution of honour and wealth. Aristotle’s approach, therefore, may be compared to Axel Honneth’s, that social justice should be seen in terms of the distribution of dignity and respect as well as of material resources.
Cyrus’ Beehive: Ruling Eros and with Eros in Xenophon’s Cyropaedia
Authors: Pageau-St-Hilaire Antoine
Published: January 2022

This paper examines the role of love in Xenophon’s Cyropaedia. I argue that an essential aspect of Cyrus’ knowledgeable rule is a specific understanding of eros and a corresponding strategy to cope with the power of love. Specifically, I contend that by exploiting a common Greek distinction between the beloved and the lover, he articulates the view that lovers are subjects or even slaves to their beloved who deceive themselves into thinking that their attraction and the ensuing behaviors are voluntary. Accordingly, Cyrus attempts to avoid falling in love and to rule as a universally beloved leader. Reflecting on the implications of this solution, I finally suggest that Xenophon wishes to show the limits of Cyrus’ solution.
Cynicism as Immanent Critique: Diogenes and the Philosophy of Transvaluation
Authors: Gardner Darren
Published: January 2022

I argue that Diogenes and early Cynicism can be understood in an explicitly social and political context, where Cynic praxis, performative public action, can be seen to make visible oppositions inherent to the polity. In doing so, Diogenes’ praxis should be understood as a form of immanent critique, one that demonstrates, for example, that nature and custom (phusis and nomos) are interrelated oppositions in the polis. Cynicism here is understood as a form of immanent critique because Diogenes challenges the social norms of the polis without endorsing external universal standards or predetermined models, but from illuminating dynamics from within the polis and polity.
The Beautiful in Aristotle’s Ethics
Authors: Little David H.
Published: January 2022

This article argues for an aesthetic reading of to kalon, primarily as it appears in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle uses to kalon to indicate that, to the morally serious, virtue is attractive and productive of a kind of pleasure. Read aesthetically, to kalon mitigates the tension between one’s own good and the common good. Aristotle shows how his students’ understanding of to kalon can be refined and thus preserved as an important and salutary feature of moral and political life.
On the taxonomy of Negeta semialba Hampson, 1918 with descriptions of two new Leucobaeta László, Ronkay & Witt, 2010 species (Lepidoptera, Nolidae, Nolinae)
Authors: LÁSZLÓ GYULA M.
Published: January 2022

The taxonomic position of the West African Negeta semialba Hampson, 1918 is revised and the species is transferred from the genus Negeta Walker, 1862 of Westermanniinae to Leucobaeta László, Ronkay & Witt, 2010 of Nolinae: Leucobaeta semialba (Hampson, 1918) comb. n., based on morphological analysis. The hitherto unknown male adult and genitalia of both sexes are described and illustrated. Leucobaeta semialba is compared to the superficially similar Afrotropical Negeta mesoleuca (Holland, 1894) and N. ruficeps (Hampson, 1902); two sibling species from East Africa and Madagascar are described as new to science: L. smithi and L. malagassa spp. n. Pairwise genetic distances of COI-5P sequences between the taxa are provided.
Integrating voice and phenotype in a revision of the brush cuckoo Cacomantis variolosus (Aves: Cuculidae) complex
Authors: WU MENG YUE , SCHODDE RICHARD , RHEINDT FRANK E.
Published: January 2022

Brush cuckoos of the Cacomantis variolosus complex, which range from Southeast Asia to Australia and the Solomon Islands, have undergone much taxonomic upheaval. Here we examine 389 vocal recordings, 832 skins, and records of brood parasitism and habitat partitioning to shed light on their species and subspecies taxonomy. Bioacoustic analysis revealed seven distinct vocal groups. Among morphological markers, shape and proportions of the tail were found to be supporting indicators, in addition to plumage tone and pattern. Integration of the resulting data set distinguished six species-level taxa within the complex: sepulcralis in the Philippines and Sundaland east to central Nusa Tenggara, virescens in Sulawesi and the Sula Archipelago, aeruginosus in the Moluccas, variolosus in east Nusa Tenggara, the Moluccas, north and east Australia, New Guinea and Bismarck Archipelago, blandus in the Admiralty Islands, and addendus in the Solomon Islands. Our review of infra-specific differentiation among species leads us to distinguish 13 subspecies. All taxa identified are listed in a summary classification of the complex. Taxon diversity is greatest in the Moluccas, where two habitat-partitioned species and five allopatric subspecies occur, of which one species and three subspecies are endemic to this region.
Study on the mud swimming motion of Paramisgurnus dabryanus
Authors: Wu Liyan , Li Wanpeng , Ni Yonggang , Liu Wenbing , Liu Zeyu , Liu Cuihong , Fan Xiaoguang
Published: January 2022

In the context of the rapid development of bionic technology, inspired by the swimming behavior of fish, a variety of robotic fish have been designed and applied to different underwater works and even military applications. However, in some operations, such as detection and salvage, vehicles need to travel under mud, a medium that is different from fluids. This complicating factor put higher requirements on robotic fish design. In this study, Paramisgurnus dabryanus, a fish species adept at swimming into the mud, was taken as a research object to investigate its profile and mud swimming behavior. First, a three-dimensional (3D) image scanner is used for profile scanning to acquire the point cloud data of the profile features of the loach. After modification, data coordinate points are extracted and used to fit the profile curve of loach and build geometric and mathematical models by means of Fourier function fitting. The next step includes the analysis of the motion of loach, determination of main parameters of the wave equation, and establishment of the fish body wave curve of a loach in the swimming using MATLAB software. Saturated mud having a water content of 37% is adopted as an environmental medium to numerically simulate the swimming behavior in mud, identifying the distribution of vortex path, and velocity field of loach’s motion. The rationality of simulation results is verified by the loach mud swimming test, and the simulating results agree well with the experimental data. This study lays a preliminary foundation for the outer contour design of the robotic fish operating under mud and aims to carry out the drag reduction and accelerating design of the robotic fish. The robotic loach may be applied in fishery breeding, shipwreck salvage operations, and so on.
Hybrid simulation model for navigation performance evaluation of the Three Gorges–Gezhouba Dams under novel regulations
Authors: Zhang Yu , Tian Hongwei , Li Ran , Liang Xiaolei , Li Jun
Published: January 2022

As an important project on the golden waterway of the Yangtze River in China, the Three Gorges–Gezhouba Dams (TGGD) plays a pivotal role in the construction of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. To improve the efficiency and safety of ship traffic, some novel navigation regulations have been implemented that change the TGGD operation obviously. For example, a piecewise control strategy proposed in the regulations is applied to control the traffic flow of ships under a sectional manner. With the implementation of these regulations, how to understand the dynamic effects of new changes on TGGD has been an important problem. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the navigation performance of the TGGD via a data- and event-driven hybrid simulation model developed by multi-agent and discrete-event modeling theories. The model simulates the three significant navigable scenarios inherent in the actual operating environment: dry season, wet season, and flood season, reflecting the real situations. The input data come from the statistical analysis of the actual navigation data provided by the Three Gorges Navigation Administration. The validity and reliability of the model are verified by comparing the output results with actual data. Moreover, a set of test experiments are designed to explore the TGGD navigation limit and analyze the key factors that restrict the navigation capacity of the TGGD system. The work is expected to provide a certain decision support for the future cooperative scheduling optimization of the TGGD.
Medieval Interpretation of Phonation Through the Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri
Authors: Borraccini Martha , Marinini Matteo , Riva Michele Augusto
Published: January 2022

The anatomic and medical knowledge of people throughout history is unexpectedly evident in some of the poems and texts written by intellectuals of the time. This article attempts to understand the conception of laryngology in the Middle Ages by analyzing the Divine Comedy, written by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265‐1321) at the beginning of the 14th century. In the text, Dante mentions the throat several times. He recognizes that the larynx has the dual functions of allowing respiration (dead souls recognize that the poet is alive through movement of his throat when breathing) and speech (souls with their throat cut cannot speak). However, Dante does not seem to know of the existence of vocal cords, thinking that it is the tongue that allows for word formation. In general, Dante’s poem indicates that the anatomy and function of the throat were known during the medieval period, although this knowledge was not precise.
Potential therapeutic effects of green tea on obese lipid profile – a systematic review
Authors: Macêdo Ana Paula Azevêdo , Gonçalves Mariane dos Santos , Barreto Medeiros Jairza Maria , David Jorge Mauricio , Villarreal Cristiane Flora , Macambira Simone Garcia , Soares Milena Botelho Pereira , Couto Ricardo David
Published: January 2022

Background: Green tea, obtained from the plant Camellis sinensis, is one of the oldest drinks in the world and contains numerous bioactive compounds. Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of green tea in preventing obesity and cardiovascular diseases that may be related to the reduction of lipid levels. Aim: This study aimed to evidence, through a systematic review, the therapeutic potential of green tea on the lipid profile in preclinical studies in obese animals and clinical studies in obese individuals. Methods: This systematic review follows the recommendations of the preferred report items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The electronic databases, PubMed (Medline), Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science were consulted. Articles from January 2009 to December 2019 were selected. Results: This search resulted in twenty-nine articles were included cirtically reviewed. In experimental studies, green tea administration has been shown to reduce total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in animals exposed to obesity-inducing diet. In humans’ studies green tea was not shown to be effective for obese lipid control. Because supplementation with green tea extract reduced total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein for three months at a specific dose. Conclusion: Therefore, green tea appears to act as a protective agent for dyslipidemia in obesity-induced animals. In human studies, green tea has not been shown to be effective in controlling obese lipids.
Study on the test load for the structural test of the flight-load condition of the external fuel tank for fixed-wing aircraft
Authors: Kim Hyun-gi , Kim Sungchan , Ha Byung-Geun
Published: January 2022

In this study, for the purpose of conducting the structural tests for the verification of structural soundness of the flight-load conditions of the external fuel tank for the fixed-wing aircraft, the flight load acting on the external fuel tank was converted to test load and the suitability of the converted loads was verified. The loads imposed on the external fuel tank were expressed as the combination of the inertial load (based on the acceleration in the translational direction) and the tangential direction inertial load (based on the angular acceleration of the moment). To calculate the test load, the transfer function table was generated by calculating the shear load and moment based on the unit load. For this purpose, a transfer function table was established by dividing the external fuel tank into a few sections and calculating the shear load and moment generated by the unit shear load and unit moment in each section. In addition, the test load for each section was calculated by computing the established transfer function table and flight-load conditions. However, in actual structural tests, it is often not possible to impose a load in the same position as the point at which the shear load and moment are calculated. For this reason, the actual test-load positions had to be determined and the calculated test loads were redistributed to those positions. Then, the final test load plan was established by applying a whiffle tree to increase the efficiency of the test while also making it easier to apply the actuators. Finally, the suitability of the established test load plan was confirmed by comparison with the flight-load conditions.
Experimental study on the aerodynamic influence of purge flow in a turbine cascade with different mainstream incidence angles
Authors: Lianpeng Zhao , Hongwei Ma
Published: January 2022

Demand for high reliability and long life of modern turbine requires that turbine components should be cooled adequately. The cooling flow purged into the rotor-stator disk cavity will inevitably interact with the mainstream. The current paper mainly focuses on the aerodynamic influence of cooling flow on the secondary flows in the mainstream. Both particle image velocimetry and blade wall pressure measurement were utilized to study the flow field within the turbine blade passage under different mainstream incidence angles and purge flow rates. The purge flow was found to promote the development of the passage vortex by inducing vortices which can enhance the vorticity of the passage vortex. In addition, the mainstream incidence angle also has an impact on the development of the passage vortex through affecting the blade loading and the horseshoe vortex. Furthermore, the transient results demonstrate that the time-averaged vortex is the superposition of large number of transient vortices, and the purge flow causes more transient vortices with large size and high strength.
Maternal Stressful Life Events During the Periconceptional Period and Orofacial Clefts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Tran Christina , Crawford Andrew A. , Hamilton Alexander , French Clare E. , Wren Yvonne , Sandy Jonathan , Sharp Gemma
Published: January 2022

Objective

To assess whether women who experience stressful life events during the periconceptional period are at higher risk of giving birth to a baby with an orofacial cleft (OFC).

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting the proportion of babies born with OFC to mothers exposed and unexposed to population-level or personal-level stressful life events during the periconceptional period. Six electronic databases were searched from inception to August 2020. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Odds ratios (ORs) for the odds of OFC in babies of exposed mothers relative to unexposed controls were extracted and/or calculated. Random effects meta-analysis was undertaken, stratified by cleft subtype.

Results

Of 12 eligible studies, 8 examined experience of personal events and 4 examined population-level events. Studies demonstrated low-moderate risk of bias and there was indication of publication bias. There was some evidence that personal stressful life events were associated with greater odds of cleft lip and/or palate (six studies, OR 1.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16, 2.30, P = 0.001) and cleft palate only (six studies, OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.02, 2.06, P = 0.04). Population-level events were associated with higher odds of OFC in studies that did not specify subtype (three studies, OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.19, 2.25, P = 0.002), but subtype stratified analyses were underpowered. Heterogeneity was high.

Conclusions

Limited evidence indicated a weak positive association between maternal stressful life events during the periconceptional period and risk of OFC in the offspring, but further studies with greater consistency in research design are needed.
Cervix Uteri Cancer in Lebanon: Incidence, Temporal Trends, and Comparison to Countries From Different Regions in the World
Authors: Lakkis Najla A. , Osman Mona H. , Abdallah Reem M.
Published: January 2022

Background

Invasive cervix uteri cancer is the fourth most common malignancy in women globally. This study investigates the incidence and trends of cervix uteri cancer in Lebanon, a country in the Middle East, and compares these rates to regional and global ones.

Methods

Data on cervix uteri were obtained from the Lebanese national cancer registry for the currently available years 2005 to 2016. The calculated age-standardized incidence and age-specific rates were expressed as per 100,000 population.

Results

From 2005 to 2016, cervix uteri cancer was the tenth most common cancer among women. Its age-standardized incidence rate fluctuated narrowly between 3.5 and 5.7 per 100,000, with the lowest rate in 2013 and the highest rate in 2012. The age-specific incidence rate had 2 peaks, the highest peak at age group 70–74 years and the second at age group 50–59 years. The annual percent change (+.05%) showed a non-statistically significant trend of increase. The age-standardized incidence rate of cervix uteri cancer in Lebanon was comparable to that of the Western Asia region that has the lowest incidence rate worldwide. The rate was intermediate as compared to other countries in the Middle East and North Africa Region and relatively similar to the ones in Australia, North America, and some Western European countries.

Conclusion

The incidence rates of invasive cervix uteri are low in Lebanon. This could be attributed to the low prevalence of human papilloma virus infection and other sexually transmitted infections among Lebanese women, and the opportunistic screening practices. It is important to adopt a comprehensive approach to decrease the potential burden of cervix uteri, especially with the rising patterns of risky sexual behaviors. This includes improving awareness, enhancing access to preventive services, developing clinical guidelines, and training health care providers on these guidelines.
Introduction to Max Weber’s article ‘The “Threatening” of the Reich Constitution’
Authors: Whimster Sam
Published: January 2022

In May 1904 Max Weber published a short article in the Frankfurter Zeitung. It has gone unnoticed in the extensive Weber literature and it appears here in English translation for the first time. It is an important statement of Weber’s political views after his withdrawal from his active political engagement in the 1890s. He defends the Reich Constitution from attack and a possible coup d’état. He demands that the German Parliament (Reichstag) stand up to autocratic plans, closely linked to Emperor William II, to suppress democracy and voting rights. A constitutional conflict would require not a great statesman but an ‘unscrupulous idiot or a political adventurer’ who would undermine ‘all our institutions and the security of law for many generations’. The article marks the start (earlier than previously assumed in the literature) of Weber’s consistent championing of Parliament and democratic institutions.
MeetDurian: Can Location-Based Games be Used to Improve COVID-19 Hygiene Habits?
Authors: Chen Dongliang , Bucchiarone Antonio , Lv Zhihan
Published: January 2022

The COVID-19 problem has not gone away with the passing of the seasons. Although most countries have achieved remarkable results in fighting against epidemic diseases and controlling viruses, the general public is still far from understanding the new crown virus and lack imagination on its transmission law. Location-based games (LBGs) have been challenged during the on-going pandemic. No research has shown that LBGs can be used to help prevent COVID-19 infection. Therefore, we designed the game MeetDurian, which integrates entertainment, sports, and education. For investigating factors influencing intention to play the MeetDurian, we proposed some comparative evaluation. Data were gathered from participants who participated in capturing virtual durians and completed questionnaires about immersion into the game, workload assessment, user’s emotions, learning outcomes, and personal hygiene. These results proved the acceptability and usability of the mobile game-based MeetDurian for preventing the infection and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Navigational health literacy among people with chronic illness
Authors: Griese Lennert , Schaeffer Doris , Berens Eva-Maria
Published: January 2022

Objectives

People with chronic illness are particularly dependent on navigating and using the health care system. This requires navigational health literacy (HL-NAV). The article aims to examine the distribution and predictors of HL-NAV in a sample of chronically ill individuals.

Methods

Data of 1,105 people with chronic illness from the general population in Germany were collected in December 2019 and January 2020. HL-NAV was assessed by 12 items (score 0–100). Bivariate and multiple linear regression analysis were performed.

Results

HL-NAV score was 39.1 (SD 27.3). In bivariate analyses, HL-NAV was lower among chronically ill persons aged 65 or above, with low education, limited functional health literacy, low social status, financial deprivation, poor social support, multiple chronic conditions, and an illness duration of 6–10 years. In multivariate analyses, advanced age, lower education, less functional health literacy, lower social status, and less social support remained associated with lower HL-NAV.

Discussion

The results underline the importance of promoting HL-NAV among people with chronic illness. Strategies should aim at strengthening individual competencies taking into account the social and situational factors but also at reducing the demands placed on chronically ill people by providing user-friendly and trustworthy information on the health care system along the illness trajectory.
Qualitative evaluation of the symptoms and quality of life impacts of long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorders
Authors: Williams-Hall Rebecca , Tinsley Katie , Kruger Eliza , Johnson Chloe , Bowden Alexandra , Cimms Tricia , Gater Adam
Published: January 2022

Background:

Long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorders (LC-FAOD) are a group of rare autosomal-recessive genetic disorders characterized by metabolic deficiencies in which the body is unable to convert long-chain fatty acids into energy. To date, however, there is limited understanding of the patient experience of LC-FAOD.

Methods:

The symptoms, observable signs, and quality of life (QoL) impacts associated with LC-FAOD were explored via a focus group ( n = 8) and semi-structured interviews ( n = 6) with patients and caregivers of patients with LC-FAOD, and interviews ( n = 4) with expert clinicians. Data were analyzed via thematic analysis and summarized in a conceptual model.

Results:

Participants reported a wide range of signs and symptoms associated with LC-FAOD, broadly categorized as musculoskeletal, endocrine/nutritional/metabolic, neurological, gastrointestinal/digestive, sensory, cardiovascular, respiratory, urological, and constitutional. LC-FAOD were reported to have a significant impact on various aspects of patients’ lives including physical functioning, participation in daily activities, emotional/psychological wellbeing, and social functioning. Lifestyle modifications (such as diet and exercise restrictions) were necessary because of the condition. Symptoms were typically episodic in presentation often arising or exacerbated during catabolic conditions such as prolonged exercise, fasting, physiological stress, and illness/infection. Symptoms were also commonly reported to lead to emergency room visits, hospitalization, and clinical complications.

Conclusion:

LC-FAOD have a considerable impact on patients’ lives. There is a high degree of concordance in the signs, symptoms, and impacts of LC-FAOD reported by patients, caregivers, and clinicians; however, there were many symptoms and impacts that were only reported by patients and caregivers, thus demonstrating that insights from patient/caregiver experience data are integral for informing medical product development and facilitating patient-centered care.
Safety and activity of pembrolizumab in combination with rituximab in relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma
Authors: Nastoupil Loretta J. , Chin Collin K. , Westin Jason R. , Fowler Nathan H. , Samaniego Felipe , Cheng Xiaoyun , Ma Man Chun John , Wang Zhiqiang , Chu Fuliang , Dsouza Ly , Obi Chizobam , Mims Jennifer , Feng Lei , Zhou Shouhao , Green Michael , Davis Richard Eric , Neelapu Sattva S.
Published: January 2022

PD-1 blockade enhances the function of antitumor T cells and antibody-dependent, cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) of NK cells. In a single-center, open-label, phase 2 trial, we tested the combination of pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, and rituximab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody that induces ADCC, in 30 patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) with rituximab-sensitive disease who had relapsed after ≥1 prior therapy. Pembrolizumab was administered at 200 mg IV every 3 weeks for up to 16 cycles, and rituximab was given at 375 mg/m2 IV weekly for 4 weeks in cycle 1 only. The most common grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs) were liver enzyme abnormalities (3%), diarrhea (3%), nausea (3%), aseptic meningitis (3%), and pancreatitis (3%). Low-grade immune-related AEs were reported in 80% of patients, including diarrhea (43%), liver enzyme abnormalities (33%), thyroid dysfunction (27%), and rash (23%). Grade 3 or 4 immune-related AEs occurred in 13% of the patients. Treatment-related AEs led to discontinuation in 6 (20%) patients. The overall response rate (primary end point) was 67%, and the complete response (CR) rate was 50%. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 12.6 months (95% confidence interval, 8.2-27.6), the 3-year overall survival rate was 97%, and 23% of patients were in remission at a median follow-up of 35 months. The presence of a high CD8+ T-effector score at baseline in the tumor was associated with induction of a CR and improved PFS. In this single-arm, phase 2 study, the combination of pembrolizumab and rituximab demonstrates favorable efficacy and safety profile in relapsed FL. This trial is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02446457.
A novel mouse model of type 2N VWD was developed by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and recapitulates human type 2N VWD
Authors: Shi Qizhen , Fahs Scot A. , Mattson Jeremy G. , Yu Hongyin , Perry Crystal L. , Morateck Patricia A. , Schroeder Jocelyn A. , Rapten Jessica , Weiler Hartmut , Montgomery Robert R.
Published: January 2022

Type 2N von Willebrand disease is caused by mutations in the factor VIII (FVIII) binding site of von Willebrand factor (VWF), resulting in dysfunctional VWF with defective binding capacity for FVIII. We developed a novel type 2N mouse model using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. In homozygous VWF2N/2N mice, plasma VWF levels were normal (1167 ± 257 mU/mL), but the VWF was completely incapable of binding FVIII, resulting in 53 ± 23 mU/mL of plasma FVIII levels that were similar to those in VWF-deficient (VWF−/−) mice. When wild-type human or mouse VWF was infused into VWF2N/2N mice, endogenous plasma FVIII was restored, peaking at 4 to 6 hours post-infusion, demonstrating that FVIII expressed in VWF2N mice is viable but short-lived unprotected in plasma due to dysfunctional 2N VWF. The whole blood clotting time and thrombin generation were impaired in VWF2N/2N but not in VWF−/− mice. Bleeding time and blood loss in VWF2N/2N mice were similar to wild-type mice in the lateral tail vein or ventral artery injury model. However, VWF2N/2N mice, but not VWF−/− mice, lost a significant amount of blood during the primary bleeding phase after a tail tip amputation injury model, indicating that alternative pathways can at least partially restore hemostasis when VWF is absent. In summary, we have developed a novel mouse model by gene editing with both the pathophysiology and clinical phenotype found in severe type 2N patients. This unique model can be used to investigate the biological properties of VWF/FVIII association in hemostasis and beyond.
The probable role and therapeutic potential of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in SARS-CoV-2 induced coagulopathy
Authors: Khezri Mohammad Rafi , Varzandeh Reza , Ghasemnejad-Berenji Morteza
Published: January 2022

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is associated with a high mortality rate. The majority of deaths in this disease are caused by ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) followed by cytokine storm and coagulation complications. Although alterations in the level of the number of coagulation factors have been detected in samples from COVID-19 patients, the direct molecular mechanism which has been involved in this pathologic process has not been explored yet. The PI3K/AKT signaling pathway is an intracellular pathway which plays a central role in cell survival. Also, in recent years the association between this pathway and coagulopathies has been well clarified. Therefore, based on the evidence on over-activity of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in SARS-CoV-2 infection, in the current review, the probable role of this cellular pathway as a therapeutic target for the prevention of coagulation complications in patients with COVID-19 is discussed.
Spatiotemporal expression profile of novel and known small RNAs throughout rice plant development focussing on seed tissues
Authors: Meijer Anikó , De Meyer Tim , Vandepoele Klaas , Kyndt Tina
Published: January 2022

Background

Small RNAs (sRNAs) regulate numerous plant processes directly related to yield, such as disease resistance and plant growth. To exploit this yield-regulating potential of sRNAs, the sRNA profile of one of the world’s most important staple crops – rice – was investigated throughout plant development using next-generation sequencing.

Results

Root and leaves were investigated at both the vegetative and generative phase, and early-life sRNA expression was characterized in the embryo and endosperm. This led to the identification of 49,505 novel sRNAs and 5581 tRNA-derived sRNAs (tsRNAs). In all tissues, 24 nt small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were highly expressed and associated with euchromatic, but not heterochromatic transposable elements. Twenty-one nt siRNAs deriving from genic regions in the endosperm were exceptionally highly expressed, mimicking previously reported expression levels of 24 nt siRNAs in younger endosperm samples. In rice embryos, sRNA content was highly diverse while tsRNAs were underrepresented, possibly due to snoRNA activity. Publicly available mRNA expression and DNA methylation profiles were used to identify putative siRNA targets in embryo and endosperm. These include multiple genes related to the plant hormones gibberellic acid and ethylene, and to seed phytoalexin and iron content.

Conclusions

This work introduces multiple sRNAs as potential regulators of rice yield and quality, identifying them as possible targets for the continuous search to optimize rice production.