bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Post-Pandemic Burden of COVID-19 Related Restrictions in the Management of Digestive Tract Cancers. A Single Center Study
Authors: Palamaru Andreea Luiza , Balan Gheorghe G , Ștefănescu Gabriela , Dumitrascu Diana , Toader Elena
Published: January 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS- CoV-2) infection has required a complete change in the management of patients with gastrointestinal disease who needed to undergo endoscopic procedures. In the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, due to restrictions for elective endoscopic procedures a large number of cancer patients were prevented from early diagnosis of several digestive cancers, which has led to a serious burden in the health system which nowadays needs to be dealt with. We designed a prospective study that included patients in whom access to elective endoscopic examinations during the COVID-19 pandemic has been delayed. Our aim was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis rate of digestive tract malignancies in the context of a health crisis management that generates an ethical dilemma regarding the balance of utilitarianism versus deontology. Our study shows that the decrease in the number of newly diagnosed gastrointestinal cancers by endoscopy and biopsy during the pandemic restrictions and the delay in diagnosis have hads a clear impact on stage migration due to disease progression.
Estimation of Small Stream Water Surface Elevation Using UAV Photogrammetry and Deep Learning
Authors: Szostak Radosław , Pietroń Marcin , Wachniew Przemysław , Zimnoch Mirosław , Ćwiąkała Paweł
Published: January 2024

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry allows the generation of orthophoto and digital surface model (DSM) rasters of a terrain. However, DSMs of water bodies mapped using this technique often reveal distortions in the water surface, thereby impeding the accurate sampling of water surface elevation (WSE) from DSMs. This study investigates the capability of deep neural networks to accommodate the aforementioned perturbations and effectively estimate WSE from photogrammetric rasters. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) were employed for this purpose. Two regression approaches utilizing CNNs were explored: direct regression employing an encoder and solution based on prediction of the weight mask by an encoder-decoder architecture, subse-quently used to sample values from the photogrammetric DSM. The dataset employed in this study comprises data collected from five case studies of small lowland streams in Poland and Denmark, consisting of 322 DSM and orthophoto raster samples. Each sample corresponds to a 10 by 10 meter area of the stream channel and adjacent land. A grid search was employed to identify the optimal combination of encoder, mask generation architecture, and batch size among multiple candidates. Solutions were evaluated using two cross-validation methods: stratified k-fold cross-validation, where validation subsets maintained the same proportion of samples from all case studies, and leave-one-case-out cross-validation, where the validation dataset originates entirely from a single case study, and the training set consists of samples from other case studies. The proposed solution was compared with existing methods for measuring WSE in small streams using a drone. The results indicate that the solution outperforms previous photogrammetry-based methods and is second only to the radar-based method, which is considered the most accurate method available. The solution is characterized by a high degree of explainability and generalization.
Staunch the Age Related Decline into Depression, Dementia, Diabetes, Obesity, Cancer, Long Covid, and Other Diseases with a Prebiotic, Probiotic, Postbiotic Triple Play
Authors: Chambers Patrick
Published: January 2024

“All diseases originate in the gut.” Hippocrates (400 BC) A healthy gut microbiome via the gut-brain-axis (GBA) elevates heart rate variability (HRV), a general measure of health and well-being. A dysbiotic gut microbiome, low in biodiversity and butyrate producers, triggers altered tryptophan metabolism and release of proinflammatory cytokines, predominantly TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β, that also characterize chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and a multitude of diseases, all exhibiting low HRV. Gut dysbiosis upregulates IFN-γ and with it IDO (indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase). Tryptophan pivots from serotonin synthesis to that of kynurenine, increasing the kynurenine to tryptophan ratio (KTR). An elevated KTR is positively linked to neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases and negatively linked to HRV. Elevated IDO activity is not only enzymatic but also an intracellular signal transducer potentiated by TGF-β. This cytokine is the primary determinant of the TME. The triple play of a prebiotic (d-mannose), probiotic (bifidobacteria and lactobacilli), and postbiotic (butyrate) might improve intestinal barrier integrity, suppress the inflammatory cytokine triad, balance IFN-γ and TGF-β, depress KTR, elevate HRV, and extend lifespan.
Association between Maternal Birth Weight and Prevalence of Congenital Malformations in Their offspring：The Japan Environment and Children’s Study
Authors: Hamada Hirotaka , Iwama Noriyuki , Tomita Hasumi , Tagami Kazuma , Kumagai Natsumi , Kudo Rie , Wang Hongxin , Izumi Seiya , Watanabe Zen , Ishikuro Mami , Obara Taku , Tatsuta Nozomi , Metoki Hirohito , Saito Masatoshi , Ota Chiharu , Kuriyama Shinichi , Arima Takahiro , Yaegashi Nobuo
Published: January 2024

Congenital malformations are functional and structural alterations in embryonic or foetal development resulting from a variety of factors including maternal health status. This study aimed to investigate the association between maternal birth weight (MBW) and the prevalence of congenital malformations in the offspring using data from a nationwide birth cohort study in Japan including 103,060 pregnancies. A binary logistic regression model with adjustment for various covariates revealed that MBW of <2,500 g (low MBW) was associated with increased risk of congenital heart disease (adjusted odds ratio: 1.388, [95% confidence interval: 1.075–1.792]), angioma (1.491 [1.079–2.059]), and inguinal hernia (1.746, [1.189–2.565]), while MBW of ≥4,000 g (high MBW) with congenital anomalies of the urinary tract (2.194, [1.261–3.819]), and arrhythmia (1.775, [1.157–2.725]), compared with those with MBW of 3,000-3,499 g. Low MBW was associated with cleft lip and/or palate (1.473, [1.052–2.064]), congenital heart disease (1.615, [1.119–2.332]), genital organs(1.648, [1.130–2.405]), hypospadias (1.804, [1.130–2.881]), and inguinal hernia (1.484, [1.189–1.851]) in male infants and CAKUT (1.619, [1.154–2.273]) in female infants, whereas high MBW was associated with congenital heart disease(1.745, [1.058–2.877]) and CAKUT (2.470, [1.350–4.517]) in male infants. The present study is the first to demonstrate a link between MBW and congenital malformations in Japanese children. While these results must be interpreted with caution, MBW should be considered a major predictor of congenital malformation risk.
Analysis of Gender Equity in Opportunities among Youth Engagement in Rice Value Chain in South-East, Nigeria
Authors: Tim-Ashama Akunna Chinenyenwa , Obasi Polycarp Chinedum , Emenyonu Christopher Akujuobi , Ibekwe Uwanu Christopher , Awotide Bola Amoke
Published: January 2024

The underperforming state of agricultural sector especially in Sub Saharan Africa, Nigeria inclusive is largely due to gender inequities in opportunities which undermine the sustainable and inclusive agricultural development. Agricultural value chain development requires equity in opportunities among men and women along the value chain, and this can only be done through interventions recommended by gender equity studies. The study analyzed gender equity opportunities, and youth engagement in rice value chains in southeast Nigeria. The multistage sampling technique was used in selecting the sample. The sample size consists of 476 youth rice value chain actors randomly selected from 48 villages across three states in South-East Nigeria. The data were analyzed using Modified Gender Equity Index (MGEI), and value addition models. The results from MGEI show that the level of gender equity opportunities for youth rice producers, processors and marketers were -0.21, -0.21 and -0.04 respectively, indicating inequity against the female youth. The overall value-added per ton by the male youth actors was ₦52,281 and ₦52,229 for female youth actors. The share of the value-added by male youth producers, processors and marketers were 51.65%, 49.41% and 47.78% while the share for female youth were 48.38%, 50.59% and 52.22%, respectively. The major constraints to youth engagement in rice value chain include lack of capital to start up, lack of access to credit, drought, lack of access to better technology, high cost of hiring machines, lack of technical skills, and stressful nature of rice value chain. It was recommended that Policies and interventions that ensure equal access to resources, opportunities, and decision-making power for both male and female youth actors should be implemented through targeted training programmes, awareness campaigns and capacity-building initiatives that promote gender equality.
Percutaneous Retrograde Trans-gluteal Embolization Of Type 2 Endoleak Causing Iliac Aneurysm Enlargement After Endovascular Re-pair: Case Report And Literature Review
Authors: Esposito Andrea , Pasqua Rocco , Menna Danilo , Giordano Antonio Nicola , Illuminati Giulio , D’Andrea Vito
Published: January 2024

Late type II endoleak (T2EL) arising from internal iliac artery (IIA) network may occur after endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) of aortoiliac aneurysm and may require embolization if sac enlargement is demonstrated. When direct antegrade access to ipsilateral IIA is not achievable due to previous vessel coverage and/or embolization, access to the nidus can be challenging. We report a case of T2EL originating from IIA network causing iliac sac enlargement in a patient previously treated by EVAR for artoiliac aneurysm with IIA embolization and coverage, in which embolization of the nidus was performed through a percutaneous sheathless access to ip-silateral superior gluteal artery (SGA). A literature review dealing with all cases of percutaneous direct SGA access for retrograde embolization of T2EL arising from IIA after previous EVAR is also reported. The research was conducted on Pubmed database using keywords “superior glu-teal artery access,” “transgluteal embolization” and “retrograde embolization for type II endo-leak”. Related articles and references were screened for suitable articles.
WDL Analysis Research Pipelines: Cloud-Optimized Workflows for Biological Data Processing and Reproducible Analysis
Authors: Degatano Kylee , Awdeh Aseel , Dingman Wes , Grant George , Khajouei Farzaneh , Kiernan Elizabeth , Konwar Kishori , Mathews Kaylee , Palis Kevin , Petrillo Nikelle , Van der Auwera Geraldine , Wang Chengchen (Rex) , Way Jessica , Pipelines WARP
Published: January 2024

In the era of large data, the cloud is increasingly used as a computing environment, necessitating the development of cloud-compatible pipelines that can provide uniform analysis across disparate biological datasets. The WDL Analysis Research Pipelines (WARP) repository is a GitHub repository of open-source, cloud-optimized WDL workflows for biological data processing that are semantically versioned, tested, and documented. A companion repository, WARP-Tools, hosts Docker containers and custom tools used in WARP workflows.
Fasting GLP-1 Levels and Albuminuria Are Negatively
Associated in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Jang Cheol-Won , Yu Tae Yang , Jeong Jin Woo , Ha Se Eun , Singh Rajan , Lee Moon Young , Ro Seungil
Published: January 2024

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone that acts on the pancreas to increase insulin and decrease glucagon secretion. Albuminuria is the pivotal marker for diabetic nephropathy, which is the leading microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus. Most of the previous studies mainly focused on the clinical trials of the therapeutic renal protective effect after administration of GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), not prior to administration. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between fasting plasma GLP-1 levels and albuminuria before GLP-1 RA administration. A cross-sectional study was designed to evaluate the association between fasting plasma GLP-1 levels and albuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A total of 68 T2DM participants were analyzed from the data at Wonkwang University Hospital in Iksan, Korea. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the incidence of albuminuria between the GLP-1 low group (Group L) and the high group (Group H). The OR (95% CI) for the incidence of albuminuria comparing the Group L with the Group H of fasting plasma GLP-1 levels was 3.410 (1.160-10.023), p = 0.026 after adjustment for age, gender, fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, C-peptide, the use of ACE inhibitors or ARBs, SGLT-2 inhibitors, and DPP-4 inhibitors. As a continuous variable, the OR (95% CI) for the incidence of albuminuria associated with the reduction of each 1 pmol/L in fasting plasma GLP-1 levels was 1.673 (1.173-1.870), p = 0.018, after full adjustment. This study showed the negative association between fasting plasma GLP-1 levels and the incidence of albuminuria in Korean patients with T2DM, before GLP-1 RA administration. This result suggests that endogenous GLP-1 may play a role in attenuating albuminuria.
European eel (Anguilla anguilla) Skin as a Valuable Source of Bioactive Compounds
Authors: Bote Antía , Trigo Marcos , Martínez Sidonia , Aubourg Santiago P.
Published: January 2024

The presence of valuable bioactive compounds in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) skin was studied. For it, proximate and lipid class compositions and analysis of the fatty acid (FA) profile (individual FAs; FA groups, i.e., saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated; FA ratios, i.e., polyunsaturated/saturated, ω3/ω6) were determined and compared to the composition of the eel muscle. As a result, higher (p<0.05) levels of proteins (271.6 g·kg-1), lipids (38.0 g·kg-1), ash (27.7 g·kg-1) and ω6 FAs were observed in the skin tissue. Contrary, the muscle tissue showed higher (p<0.05) moisture, ω3 FA and ω3/ω6 values. Regarding lipid classes, a higher (p<0.05) proportion of phospholipids (111.1 g·kg-1 lipids), sterols (104.7 g·kg-1 lipids), α-tocopherol (274.0 mg·kg-1 lipids), and free fatty acids (43.6 g·kg-1 lipids) was observed in the skin tissue. No differences (p>0.05) between both tissues could be detected for triacylglycerol and FA group (saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated) values, as well as for the polyunsaturated/saturated ratio. It is concluded that eel skin, a by-product resulting from commercial processing, can be considered a valuable source to provide the food and pharmaceutical industries with useful value-added constituents such as proteins, lipids, ω3 FAs, phospholipids, and α-tocopherol.
Indications of Endocrine Disruptor Effects of JP-5 Jet Fuel Using a Rat-Model Reproductive Study and an In Vitro Human Hormone Receptor Assay
Authors: Howard William Rawlingson , Rohan Joyce G , Yeager Kimberly SB , Gut Chester P , Frondorf Kathleen A , McInturf Shawn M , Gargas Nathan M , Mumy Karen L
Published: January 2024

Recent events concerning jet fuel contamination of drinking water have shown that we need a better understanding of the effects of ingested jet fuel. To this end, a reproductive study with in-gested jet fuel in rats was undertaken with relatively high concentrations of Jet Propellant (JP)-5 along with a human estrogen receptor activation in vitro assay using JP-5, JP-8, and an alternative jet fuel derived from the camelina plant to help evaluate potential effects of ingested jet fuel. Results of the in vivo study provided evidence that JP-5 can act as an endocrine disruptor, with specific observations including altered hormone levels with JP-5 exposure (significantly lower estradiol levels in male rats and significantly increased Dehydroepiandrosterone levels in females), indi-cations of abnormal estrous cycles, and a decreased male/female offspring ratio. The in vitro hormone receptor activation assay indicated JP-5 and JP-8 are capable of upregulating human estrogen receptor (ER) activity, while the alternative jet fuel derived from the camelina plant was not active in the ER assay. The jet fuels were not able to activate androgen or glucocorticoid re-ceptors in further in vitro assays. These results infer potential endocrine disruption associated with JP-5, with activation of the estrogen receptor as one potential mechanism of action.
Clinically Effective Molecules of Natural Origin for Obesity Prevention or Treatment
Authors: Hidalgo-Lozada Gladys Maribel , Villarruel-López Angelica , Nuño Karla , García-García Abel , Sánchez-Nuño Yaír Adonaí , Ramos-García César Octavio
Published: January 2024

The prevalence and incidence of obesity and the comorbidities linked to it are increasing in the world population. Current therapies for obesity and associated pathologies have proven to cause a broad number of adverse effects and often, they are overpriced or not affordable for all patients. Among the alternatives currently available, natural bioactive compounds stand out. These are frequently contained in pharmaceutical presentations, nutraceutical products, supplements, or functional foods. The clinical evidence for these molecules is increasingly solid, among which epigallocatechin-3-gallate, ellagic acid, resveratrol, berberine, anthocyanins, probiotics, carotenoids, curcumin, silymarin, hydroxy citric acid, and α-lipoic acid stand out. The molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways of these molecules have been shown to interact with the endocrine, nervous, and gastroenteric systems, as well as regulate the expression of multiple genes and, therefore, proteins involved in starvation-satiety processes, activation of brown adipose tissue, increased lipolysis, decreased lipogenesis, and inflammation, beneficial changes in metabolism and improved insulin sensitivity. This review provides a comprehensive view of nature-based therapeutic options to address the increasing prevalence of obesity. It offers a valuable perspective for future research and subsequent clinical practice, addressing everything from the molecular, genetic, and physiological bases to the clinical study of the bioactive compound.
Reconstructing Historical Terrain to Elucidate the Causes of Disaster Occurrence and Improve Disaster Prevention Literacy
Authors: Ebina Yuichi ,   Editorial Office, Sugawara Daisuke
Published: January 2024

This research collects and interprets historical information about topography from old maps and pictures, and constructs a method to reconstruct past topography on 3D graphics. Furthermore, from the restored historical topography, we will elucidate how the historical changes in the topography are related to today’s disaster situation, and visualize the disaster risk in the target area. We hope that the results of this research will contribute to the cultivation of disaster prevention awareness and the improvement of disaster prevention literacy.
Development of Cloud-Based Support Tools for Effective Evacuation Focusing on Time-Phase from Pre-Registration to Post-Incident Response to Improve Literacy for Disaster Resilience
Authors: Inoguchi Munenari ,   Editorial Office
Published: January 2024

In recent years, disasters have become more frequent and more severe in Japan. To ensure their safety, it is essential to ensure that all impacted individuals evacuate. Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, the formulation of district evacuation plans and the My-Timeline have been promoted, and their importance has been recognized. In addition, information and communication technology (ICT) has rapidly developed in recent years and is being integrated into the field of disaster management. In this context, digital transformation (DX) has become essential. Given the need to enhance disaster preparedness, via DX, this study designs and develops a digital support tool using ICT to support the formulation of evacuation plans and enhance capacity building for disaster prevention among individual users. In particular, it develops functions that allow users to easily formulate a plan based on their pre-registration information and familiarize them with hazard risks. It also helps them envision the potential damage they will incur and learn the impact of their personal attribute information on their choice of evacuation action when formulating an evacuation plan. These functions were implemented as a cloud service and evaluated by users. The evaluation confirmed that the tool contributed to raising users’ awareness.
Proposal for a Disaster Management Drill Program for High School Students Who Have Never Experienced a Disaster to Foster a Sense of “Awareness that Disaster Affects Everyone”
Authors: Kimura Reo ,   Editorial Office, Aikawa Kazuki
Published: January 2024

In this study, the authors propose a disaster management drill program for high school students. The program is designed to develop, among high school students, “the awareness that disasters affect themselves,” instead of being “someone else’s problem.” The program was developed in accordance with the ADDIE model of instructional design theory. Sayo High School in Sayo Town, Hyogo Prefecture, which was severely damaged by the flood in 2009, was selected as the program target. Since this school’s disaster management activities had primarily translated into a passive disaster management drill wherein students moved to an evacuation site according to the instructions of the teachers, we set two goals: “knowing past disasters and the current situation, and understanding the risks at the time of disaster” and “knowing the problems that occur at the time of disaster and understanding what action you should take.” In order to arouse interest among high school students, the authors incorporated drones for evacuation drills and gaming teaching materials for disaster management awareness into the program. We designed and implemented a program that ended in the morning, and compared the level of achievement on 21 learning objectives before and after the program. The results revealed a statistically significant rise in all of the 21 objectives. In addition, the results of factor analysis show that the program enabled the students to develop a sense of awareness that disasters affect everyone, understand the risks their communities would face during disasters, such as earthquakes and floods, and realize what they should do to manage this risk.
Open Science for Fostering Seismologic Science Literacy
Authors: Yamori Katsuya ,   Editorial Office
Published: January 2024

This paper reports on an attempt to introduce “open science” into the field of seismology to improve disaster literacy in seismology and related fields. The term “open science” has a variety of meanings, but the core idea is of diverse stakeholders “doing science collaboratively.” This study reports on four pieces of action research to improve seismology-related disaster literacy through the idea of “open science,” which focuses on “doing science collaboratively” with the active participation of citizens (non-experts) and researchers (experts). In particular, this study focuses on the “citizen science” perspective because disaster literacy, first and foremost, refers to the disaster literacy of the general public. Specifically, we improved earthquake literacy by operating the Abuyama Earthquake Observatory Science Museum; promoting citizen-participatory earthquake and tsunami evacuation drills by developing and implementing Nige-tore, a smartphone app to support tsunami evacuation drills; promoting the Minna de Honkoku project to decipher historical materials related to natural disasters through citizen involvement; and conducting a trial “open/citizen science”-oriented seismologic-data observation program, the Manten Project, for inland earthquake research.
Open Science Initiatives by Sakurajima Volcano Observatory
Authors: Sakamoto Mayumi ,   Editorial Office, Nakamichi Haruhisa
Published: January 2024

The sudden eruption and tragedy of Mt. Ontake in 2014, a volcano located in central Japan, showed the fact that the volcanic eruption is the event with uncertainty, and it is important to let citizen to be aware of such uncertainty. To find measures to raise citizen’s disaster awareness, this study focuses on the risk communication between citizens and volcano observatories, which are attached to universities. It examines the role of observatories, focusing on the activities of the Sakurajima Volcano Research Center, which monitors Mt. Sakurajima, one of the most active volcanoes in Japan, and suggests the necessity of human resource development that is able to connect citizen and science.
Intelligent System Detection of Dead Victims at Natural Disaster Areas Using Deep Learning
Authors: Hadi Moch. Zen Samsono ,   Editorial Office, Kristalina Prima , Pratiarso Aries , Fauzan M. Helmi , Nababan Roycardo
Published: January 2024

Disaster is the occurrence or sequence of occurrences that endangers and disrupts people’s lives and livelihoods due to natural and/or non-natural as well as human elements, including fatalities, property loss, environmental harm, and psychological effects. In addition to concentrating on the victims’ safety and their own safety, the search and rescue (SAR) team plays a significant part in this evacuation operation. Based on these issues, this study examined how to use a drone equipped with electronic equipment to search for victims on the ground to speed up the evacuation process at natural disaster sites, assisting the evacuation process and enhancing the safety of the SAR team. The drone carries a near-infrared camera and GPS. The images captured by the camera provide the parameters for classifying victims using deep learning. The system has been implemented by sampling data from human poses resembling the position of the victims’ bodies from natural disasters. From the experimental results, the system can detect objects with high accuracy, that is, 99% in both static and dynamic conditions. The best model results were obtained at a height of 2 meters with a low error percentage.
Factores que determinan el uso del crédito en los hogares en México
Authors: Martínez Morales Javier , Montoya Maldonado Edel Omar , Tolentino Sierra Sofía del Carmen
Published: January 2024

La siguiente investigación tiene como propósito analizar y estimar los factores sociodemográficos, económicos y financieros que determinan en el uso del crédito de los hogares en México. Para llevar a cabo dicho objetivo se consideró estimar un modelo probabilístico multinomial tipo logit. Los microdatos se obtuvieron de la Encuesta Nacional sobre Finanzas de los Hogares del INEGI (2019). La variable dependiente se construyó con preguntas relativas al crédito. Los principales resultados muestran que la probabilidad de uso de crédito es del del 9.5% para el crédito hipotecario, 53.9% para la tarjeta de crédito, 21.95%, para el acceso crédito de nómina o personal y, finalmente, el 14.62% para el crédito automotriz. Un hallazgo sobresaliente es que esta investigación abre puertas a nuevos análisis de modelos econométricos no probabilístico que fortalezcan los estudios de impacto del uso del crédito en función de factores relevantes de los hogares.
Competencias de liderazgo virtual en una universidad mexicana (UACJ). Un caso de estudio cuantitativo
Authors: Varela Medina Nestor Daniel
Published: January 2024

Este artículo examina las competencias de liderazgo virtual en el contexto de la educación superior y sus aspectos clave que impactan los ambientes virtuales en México. Uno de los contextos que más dramáticamente ha cambiado es el de la educación superior; sin embargo, sobresale que el liderazgo virtual en las universidades aún es escaso. Este trabajo utiliza un método cuantitativo de aproximación descriptiva y correlacional. Para ello, el cuestionario del modelo de E-Competencias fue aplicado a profesores para medir factores de liderazgo virtual y su eficiencia en el ambiente virtual educativo. Los resultados revelan que fueron encontradas correlaciones moderadas en competencias como e-cambio y e-social, exponiendo la casi insuficiente labor de los líderes al fomentar interacción social; así como también en e-equipo con e-tecnología, demostrando entrenamiento continuo en el uso de las TICs. Las conclusiones proponen nuevas estrategias para adquirir capacidades de liderazgo, efectivas para ambientes de educación virtual.
CONFLICTO Y ORDEN PÚBLICO: EL CONSEJO NACIONAL DE SEGURIDAD DURANTE LA GUERRA CIVIL ESPAÑOLA
Authors: PINO ABAD Miguel
Published: January 2024

Coincidiendo con el comienzo de la Guerra Civil, miles de españoles, incitados por las organizaciones sindicales y los partidos de izquierda, tomaron las calles de las principales ciudades para oponerse al alzamiento militar. Simultáneamente, el Gobierno republicano permaneció impasible ante el cariz que fueron adquiriendo los acontecimientos, al verse desbordado por no tener los medios necesarios para sofocar la sublevación, ni calmar a la gente. La vida pública demandaba un cambio de rumbo y éste se produjo con la llegada a la Jefatura del Ejecutivo de Largo Caballero, destacando en materia de orden público la creación el 26 de diciembre de 1936 del Consejo Nacional de Seguridad
Interés por la docencia y la formación docente en estudiantes del Máster de Profesorado de Secundaria del área de ciencia y tecnología
Authors: Poyato López Francisco José , Pontes Pedrajas Alfonso
Published: January 2024

En el presente trabajo mostramos los resultados de un estudio llevado a cabo con estudiantes del Máster en Profesorado de Enseñanza Secundaria, Formación Profesional y Enseñanza de Idiomas (MaES), en el que hemos recogido sus creencias sobre diferentes aspectos relacionados con el interés por la docencia y la formación inicial en la profesión docente. Del análisis de los datos recogidos, hemos observado que existen diferentes motivos por los que el alumnado del máster quiere dedicarse a la docencia, asimismo hemos podido apreciar que los momentos en los que apareció el interés por querer ser docente son también diversos en el tiempo. Un aspecto reseñable, se refiere a que existen relaciones importantes entre las diferentes variables estudiadas, y a que dichas relaciones llegan a ser bastante altas en algunos casos, pudiéndose observar cierta coherencia interna entre los motivos o intereses por la docencia estudiados. A pesar de ello, también se aprecian contradicciones que se asocian con que el hecho de que el pensamiento docente no es estático y a que puede verse modificado por varios factores. Debido a ello, de esta investigación han surgido diferentes cuestiones que serán analizadas en estudios posteriores. Un aspecto importante, por su especial relevancia en el futuro alumnado del profesorado en formación inicial de este estudio, se refiere a los motivos extrínsecos por la enseñanza que se han analizado. Sobre ellos creemos que podemos extraer conclusiones que se refieren a la configuración de la formación inicial del profesorado de secundaria que se lleva actualmente en nuestro país.
Comunicación y Cine Queer contemporáneo: contenidos, narrativas, estéticas y audiencias
Authors: A. Zurian Francisco , Vázquez Rodríguez Lucía Gloria
Published: January 2024

En un contexto en el que la violencia LGBTIQfóbica está en aumento, el cine y las series de televisión que podemos caracterizar como “queer” se presentan como medio idóneo para visibilizar y transformar la realidad de las personas LGBTIQ+ y combatir la queerfobia, especialmente a través de la proliferación de productos comunicativos capaces de llegar a un público más amplio que el que acude a festivales LGBTIQ+ y salas especializadas. En el pasado, la mayor parte de filmes queer circulaban únicamente en festivales de cine nicho, sin proyectarse en salas comerciales o retransmitirse por televisión. Sin embargo, en la actualidad estas películas y ficciones seriadas están ganando espacio tanto en los palmareses de festivales de categoría A como en taquillas y televisiones alrededor del mundo, tal y como demuestra el éxito de películas como Carol (Todd Haynes, 2015), Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, 2016) y Retrato de una mujer en llamas (Céline Sciamma, 2019), o la distribución transnacional de series como Sex Education (Netflix, 2019-2023), Euphoria (2019-), o Heartstopper (Netflix, 2022-). Hoy en día, audiencias que en principio no tienen por qué interesarse por cuestiones sociales relativas a las comunidades LGBTIQ+ a menudo consumen películas y series de televisión que desafían narrativas normativas y cuentan las historias de grupos y personas históricamente marginados o representados de manera negativa en los medios.
La complicada historia del pensamiento filosófico peruano siglos XVII y XVIII. (Selección de textos, notas y estudios) / José Carlos Ballón Vargas (editor y coordinador)
Authors: Cerutti-Guldberg Horacio
Published: January 2024

Aunque se presenta como una reseña, las breves líneas que siguen no lo son en sentido estricto. Las casi 1.500 páginas de este volumen requieren mucho más tiempo para ser leídas en detalle, requisito previo ineludible de cualquier reseña. Así, he leído como me dio la gana, aunque disfrutando cada palabra, cada una de las bien elaboradas frases, de la cuidadosa y fundamentada argumentación.
Production Operations Engineering
Authors: Lake Larry W. , Clegg Joe Dunn
Published: January 2024

Volume IV: Production Operations Engineering will bring readers up to date in the areas of design, equipment selection, and operation procedures for most oil and gas wells. Chapters cover three main topic areas: well completions, problems caused by formation damage, and artificial lift—a major concern for production engineers.
Conceptual design and analysis of a cryogenic front-end ASIC for TES readout using ST-130 nm BiCMOS technology
Authors: PRELE Damien , GONZALEZ Manuel , CHEN Si
Published: January 2024

In the context of future ground-based or space-borne cryogenic instruments using transition-edge sensors (TES), the location of the front-end electronics (FEEs) is an important aspect of instrument design. The main functions of the FEE are to provide biasing currents for TES and superconducting quantum interferencedevices (SQUIDs) and to amplify the output signals of the SQUID arrays (the last SQUID stage). Room temperature FEE has several advantages compared to cryogenic FEE: more power available, characterized commercially available devices, easier to develop and test, etc. On the other hand, it usually means having a longer cryo-harness before large signal amplification and more complex cryostat interfaces to preserve small signal integrity. Moreover, it is generally assumed that cooling the readout improves the intrinsic noise in addition to avoid interference in the cryo-harness. In this paper, we present a conceptual design of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for TES front-end readout operating at cryogenic temperatures (50 K to 70 K) using ST-130 nm technology. We discuss the necessary steps for the development of such ASICs. Indeed, another ASIC integrating elementary components has already been developed with this technology and has been tested at cryogenic temperatures. The measurements as function of temperature are useful to determine the correct operating points for low-temperature optimal performances of an FEE. Finally, the impacts of cryogenic operations on noise are discussed.
Europe’s Heatwave Battle: How Age-Old Building Ways Beat the Heat
Authors: DE TOLDI TIMOTHEE
Published: January 2024

As heat stress intensifies across Europe, the escalating use of air conditioning poses environmental, equity, and reliability concerns. Macro-quantitative performance analyses of passive cooling techniques (PCTs) are lacking, hindering the development of thermal resilience policies. Employing an extreme value bias approach, this study investigates the capacity of vernacular PCTs to satisfy thermal comfort and safety standards in current and projected European climates, demonstrating the substantial contribution they can make towards meeting cooling demand until the end of the century. Results show that such PCTs could still fulfill 90% of cooling demand for comfort in at least 83.30% of cooling-demanding regions across Europe over the 2070-2100 period (including 82.82% of Mediterranean regions), compared to 99.93% over the 2010-2040 period. While occasionally insufficient for comfort, PCTs could still play a crucial role in safeguarding occupants, meeting over 90% of the cooling demand for safety during extreme temperature and humidity events in at least 84.28% of cooling-demanding regions of Europe (including 75.05% of Mediterranean regions) over the 2070-2100 period (compared to 99.68% over the 2010-2040 period).
Discovering the potential role of giant viruses in antibiotic resistance spread
Authors: Li Jin-tian , Yi Xin-zhu , Liang Jie-Liang , Wen Ping , Jia Pu , wei feng , Liu Shen-yan , Zhuang Yuan-yue , Guo Yu-qian , Lu Jingli , Zhong Sheng-ji , Liao Bin , Wang Zhang , Shu Wen-Sheng
Published: January 2024

The rapid spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the microbiota is a major global public health concern. While the viruses infecting prokaryotic microbes (called phages) are known as important mediators of the spread of ARGs, our knowledge of ARGs of those viruses infecting eukaryotic microbes is still extremely limited. To address this knowledge gap, we systematically explored ARGs of nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs; also called giant viruses) that probably infect all major eukaryotic microbial lineages. Analysis of 1,416 NCLDV genomes including those of almost all currently available cultured isolates and high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes from diverse habitats across the globe revealed that 43.7% of them carried ARGs, which was approximately 23 times higher than that for phage genomes. Remarkably, two NCLDVs isolated from a > 30,000-year-old permafrost sample were found to harbor ARGs. A total of 14 ARG types were encoded by NCLDVs, covering nearly half of all known ARG types. Trimethoprim, polymyxin and rifampin were the major ARG types of NCLDVs, and antibiotic target alteration was their predominant antibiotic resistance mechanism. Phylogenies of the three most abundant NCLDV-encoded ARGs hinted that NCLDVs acquired ARGs not only from eukaryotes but also from prokaryotes and phages. A significant interdependence between the presence of ARGs and insertion sequences (ISs) in NCLDV genomes was observed, indicating the involvement of ISs in the acquisition of ARGs by NCLDVs. Minimum inhibitory concentration experiments with two Escherichia coli strains carrying trimethoprim resistance genes of NCLDVs provided the first evidence that NCLDV-encoded ARGs can confer an antibiotic resistance phenotype. Taken together, these findings underscore the overlooked importance of taking into account NCLDVs to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the spread of antibiotic resistance within the whole microbiota.
Identification of Kidney Cell Types in scRNA-seq and snRNA-seq Data Using Machine Learning Algorithms
Authors: Tisch Adam , Madapoosi Siddharth , Blough Stephen , Rosa Jan , Eddy Sean , Mariani Laura , Naik Abhijit , Limonte Christine , Mccown Philip , Menon Rajasree , Rosas Sylvia , Parikh Chirag , Kretzler Matthias , Mahfouz Ahmed , Alakwaa Fadhl
Published: January 2024

Background
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) provide valuable insights into the cellular states of kidney cells. However, the annotation of cell types often requires extensive domain expertise and time-consuming manual curation, limiting scalability and generalizability. To facilitate this process, we tested the performance of five supervised classification methods for automatic cell type annotation.
Results
We analyzed publicly available sc/snRNA-seq datasets from five expert-annotated studies, comprising 62,120 cells from 79 kidney biopsy samples. Datasets were integrated by harmonizing cell type annotations across studies. Five different supervised machine learning algorithms (support vector machines, random forests, multilayer perceptrons, k-nearest neighbors, and extreme gradient boosting) were applied to automatically annotate cell types using four training datasets and one testing dataset. Performance metrics, including accuracy (F1 score) and rejection rates, were evaluated. All five machine learning algorithms demonstrated high accuracies, with a median F1 score of 0.94 and a median rejection rate of 1.8%. The algorithms performed equally well across different datasets and successfully rejected cell types that were not present in the training data. However, F1 scores were lower when models trained primarily on scRNA-seq data were tested on snRNA-seq data.
Conclusions
Our findings demonstrate that machine learning algorithms can accurately annotate a wide range of adult kidney cell types in scRNA-seq/snRNA-seq data. This approach has the potential to standardize cell type annotation and facilitate further research on cellular mechanisms underlying kidney disease.
3D printable ultra-strong elastomers rivaling spider silk
Authors: Xie Tao , Fang Zizheng , Mu Hongfeng , Sun Zhuo , Zhang Kaihang , Zhang Anyang , Zheng Ning , Zhao Qian , Yang Xuxu , Wu Jingjun
Published: January 2024

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has emerged as an attractive manufacturing technique due to its exceptional freedom in accessing geometrically complex customizable products. Its potential for mass manufacturing, however, is hampered by its low manufacturing efficiency (print speed) and insufficient product quality (mechanical properties). Recent progresses in ultra-fast 3D printing of photo-polymers1-5 have alleviated the issue of manufacturing efficiency, but the mechanical performance of typical printed polymers still falls far behind what is achievable with conventional processing techniques. This is due to the printing requirements that restrict the molecular design towards achieving high mechanical performance. Here, we report a 3D photo-printable resin chemistry that yields an elastomer with tensile strength of 94.6 MPa. This strength far exceeds that of any 3D printed elastomer6-10 and in fact approaches that of natural spider silk which is a long lasting target for designing soft yet strong material11,12. Mechanistically, this is achieved via the dynamic covalent bonds in the printed polymer which allow network topological reconfiguration. This facilitates the formation of hierarchical hydrogen bonds (in particular amide hydrogen bonds), micro-phase separation, and interpenetration architecture, which contribute synergistically to the superior mechanical performance. Our work suggests a brighter future for mass manufacturing using 3D printing.
Molsidomine Provides Neuroprotection Against Vincristine-induced Peripheral Neurotoxicity Through Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase Activation
Authors: Utkina-Sosunova Irina , Chiorazzi Alessia , De Planell-Saguer Mariangels , Li Hai , Meregalli Cristina , Pozzi Eleonora , Carozzi Valentina Alda , Canta Annalisa , Monza Laura , Alberti Paola , Fumagalli Giulia , Karan Charles , Moayedi Yalda , Przedborski Serge , Cavaletti Guido , Lotti Francesco
Published: January 2024

Peripheral neurotoxicity is a dose-limiting adverse reaction of primary frontline chemotherapeutic agents, including vincristine. Neuropathy can be so disabling that patients drop out of potentially curative therapy, negatively impacting cancer prognosis. The hallmark of vincristine neurotoxicity is axonopathy, yet its underpinning mechanisms remain uncertain. We developed a comprehensive drug discovery platform to identify neuroprotective agents against vincristine-induced neurotoxicity. Among the hits identified, SIN-1 – an active metabolite of molsidomine – prevents vincristine-induced axonopathy in both motor and sensory neurons without compromising vincristine anticancer efficacy. Mechanistically, we found that SIN-1’s neuroprotective effect is mediated by activating soluble guanylyl cyclase. We modeled vincristine-induced peripheral neurotoxicity in rats to determine molsidomine therapeutic potential in vivo. Vincristine administration induced severe nerve damage and mechanical hypersensitivity that were attenuated by concomitant treatment with molsidomine. This study provides evidence of the neuroprotective properties of molsidomine and warrants further investigations of this drug as a therapy for vincristine-induced peripheral neurotoxicity.
Management factors affecting milk yield, composition, and quality on smallholder dairy farms
Authors: Mukasafari Marie Anne , Mpatswenumugabo Jean Pierre , Ndahetuye Jean Baptiste , Wredle Ewa , Båge Renée
Published: January 2024

A cross-sectional study on 156 smallholder dairy farms in Rwanda was carried out to assess the association between farm management practices and milk yield and quality. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data on cow characteristics and farm management practices. Milk yield was recorded at household level, milk composition was monitored using a Lactoscan device (Milk Analyzer). Somatic cell count (SCC) was determined using a DeLaval cell counter (DCC). A Delvotest SP-NT kit was used to determine antibiotic residues in raw milk. Most dairy cows were kept in zero-grazing system (84.6%) and most farmers had no experience of dairy production (78.2%). Mean daily milk yield was 3.9 L/cow and was associated with type of breed, milking frequency, stage of lactation and parity. Mean milk content of protein, fat, lactose and solid non-fat, and density were normal and showed no association with different management practices. Based on SCC analyses, 65.8% of the milk samples were graded as acceptable for delivery to a milk collection centre (MCC) and 12.9% of the samples tested positive for antibiotic residues. These findings suggest low milk yields on smallholder farms in Rwanda that are attributable to breed and mastitis, among other factors. The results also indicate possible non-compliance with withdrawal periods, resulting in antibiotic residues in milk, which has public health implications for consumers. Routine testing at MCC for both SCC and antibiotic residues is important for quality control.
Fabrication and Characterization of PVA/γ-chitosan/Kaolin Nanofiber for Hemostatic Oral Wound Dressing
Authors: Lee Hakyong , Kim Jinkyeong , Myung Suwan , Jung Tae-Gon , Han Dong-Wook , Kim Bongju , Lee Jae-Chang
Published: January 2024

A nanofiber-based composite nonwoven fabric was fabricated for hemostatic oral wound dressing, integrating polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), kaolin, and γ-chitosan extracted from Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis, Allomyrina dichotoma, and Eophileurus chinensis. The fabrication process utilized an electrospinning technique with needle-less and mobile spinneret, producing nanofibers with average diameters ranging from 172 to 277 nm, depending on the composition ratios. The γ-chitosan yield from these insects was between 6.9% and 10.8%, with the highest moisture-binding capacity observed at 535.6% for γ-chitosan from P. brevitarsis seulensis. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated a progressive increase in residual inorganic content with higher kaolin content, affirming its uniform distribution. Notably, the PVA/kaolin/γ-chitosan fabrics demonstrated enhanced biocompatibility, with cell survival rates under certain compositions reaching up to 86.9%. Furthermore, the optimized fabric compositions reduced blood coagulation time by approximately 2.5-fold compared to PVA alone, highlighting their efficacy in hemostasis. The study concludes that these novel nanofiber-based fabrics offer promising applications in dental medicine, providing an effective solution for hemostatic oral wound dressing with superior biocompatibility and enhanced hemostatic performance.