bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MR protocol optimization for hepatobiliary phase imaging with Gd-EOB-DTPA at 1.5 T: comparison between breath-hold T1-weighted and high-resolution navigated 3D T1-weighted sequences
Authors: Picchi Eliseo , Ferrazzoli Valentina , Liberto Valeria , Toti Luca , Da Ros Valerio , Pucci Noemi , Minosse Silvia , Garaci Francesco , Di Giuliano Francesca
Published: December 2024

Background

This study aims to compare the efficacy of navigator-gated three-dimensional T1-weighted gradient-echo sequences (NAV) with standard breath-hold T1-weighted gradient-echo sequences (BH) for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) nodules in patients with chronic viral hepatitis undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with gadolinium ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA).

Methods

From May 2022 to November 2023, fifty-eight patients were included in this retrospective study. Eligible patients had chronic viral hepatitis and at least one hepatic nodule of one cm or larger detected by ultrasound. Each patients underwent MRI that included NAV and BH sequences obtained by using various flip angles (FA) ranging from 10° to 40° post Gd-EOB-DTPA administration. Three independent radiologists performed qualitative analysis evaluating the clearness of the image, the presence of artifacts, the diagnostic reliability of the sequences, and the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between lesions and liver, as well as between liver and spleen.

Results

NAV sequences at a FA of 40° have demonstrated the highest agreement across all quality parameters (p < 0.001). A comparison of CNR between hypointense lesions and liver tissue showed decreasing values with increase FA, notably in NAV sequences. Statistically significant differences were observed among the sequences: BH 10° 0.73 ± 0.17; BH 30° 0.68 ± 0.17; BH 40° 0.68 ± 0.15; NAV 25° 0.62 ± 0.18; NAV 40° 0.56 ± 0.17. Although sequences with higher FA have shown an increase in CNR and contrast between liver and spleen, no statistically significant differences have been detected between BH and NAV with 40° of FA.

Conclusions

The study highlighted the diagnostic superiority of NAV over BH sequences with a 40° FA in assessing image quality and enhancement in malignant liver nodules of cirrhotic patients. Incorporating one of these sequences into MRI protocols is recommended for enhanced diagnostic clarity, which is critical for informed surgical planning. This could facilitate more precise interventions, potentially improving surgical outcomes in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma.
EPA guidance on lifestyle interventions for adults with severe mental illness: A meta-review of the evidence
Authors: Maurus Isabel , Wagner Sarah , Spaeth Johanna , Vogel Anastasia , Muenz Susanne , Seitz Valentina , von Philipsborn Peter , Solmi Marco , Firth Joseph , Stubbs Brendon , Vancampfort Davy , Hallgren Mats , Kurimay Tamás , Gerber Markus , Correll Christoph U. , Gaebel Wolfgang , Möller Hans-Jürgen , Schmitt Andrea , Hasan Alkomiet , Falkai Peter
Published: December 2024

There is growing interest in lifestyle interventions as stand-alone and add-on therapies in mental health care due to their potential benefits for both physical and mental health outcomes. We evaluated lifestyle interventions focusing on physical activity, diet, and sleep in adults with severe mental illness (SMI) and the evidence for their effectiveness. To this end, we conducted a meta-review and searched major electronic databases for articles published prior to 09/2022 and updated our search in 03/2024. We identified 89 relevant systematic reviews and assessed their quality using the SIGN checklist. Based on the findings of our meta-review and on clinical expertise of the authors, we formulated seven recommendations. In brief, evidence supports the application of lifestyle interventions that combine behavioural change techniques, dietary modification, and physical activity to reduce weight and improve cardiovascular health parameters in adults with SMI. Furthermore, physical activity should be used as an adjunct treatment to improve mental health in adults with SMI, including psychotic symptoms and cognition in adults with schizophrenia or depressive symptoms in adults with major depression. To ameliorate sleep quality, cognitive behavioural informed interventions can be considered. Additionally, we provide an overview of key gaps in the current literature. Future studies should integrate both mental and physical health outcomes to reflect the multi-faceted benefits of lifestyle interventions. Moreover, our meta-review highlighted a relative dearth of evidence relating to interventions in adults with bipolar disorder and to nutritional and sleep interventions. Future research could help establish lifestyle interventions as a core component of mental health care.
Health-related Quality of Life, Social, and Psychological Well-Being of 109 Adult Patients With Genetic Lipodystrophy
Authors: Mosbah Héléna , Vatier Camille , Andriss Béatrice , Belalem Inès , Delemer Brigitte , Janmaat Sonja , Bouhnik Anne-Deborah , Le Collen Lauriane , Maiter Dominique , Nobécourt Estelle , Vantyghem Marie-Christine , Vigouroux Corinne , Dumas Agnes
Published: December 2024

Introduction

Lipodystrophy syndromes are rare diseases characterized by a generalized or partial lipoatrophic morphotype and metabolic complications. Data on health-related quality of life and impact of genetic lipodystrophy on social or psychological well-being are lacking.

Patients and Methods

Patients with genetic lipodystrophy were recruited throughout the French national reference network for rare diseases of insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity. Patients completed a self-reported questionnaire exploring their physical, psychological, and social well-being and perceived impact of the disease. Descriptive analyses and comparison with general population norms were conducted.

Results

Of 175 eligible patients, 109 (84% of women) were included, either with familial partial (n = 93) or congenital generalized (n = 16) lipodystrophy. Health-related quality of life based on physical and mental scores was significantly decreased compared to the French general population of similar age and gender (P < .001 for both). Forty-one percent of patients reported moderate or severe depression and 69% dealt with chronic pain. Half of respondents had taken tranquilizers, sleeping pills, or antidepressants over their life. Female participants with genetic lipodystrophy were more frequently unemployed due to health issues as compared to the general population. Social discrimination was highly prevalent (73%), coming, in 34% of cases, from health professionals. More than half of affected women reported a very negative impact of lipodystrophy on body image, significantly associated with depressive symptoms.

Conclusion

This study highlights the need of psychosocial support in patients with lipodystrophy. An integrated approach and evaluation of psychological and physical symptoms by physicians should be made available to organize specialized care and set up specific therapeutic educational programs.
Feasibility, Acceptability, and Validity of Home Continuous Glucose Monitoring–Based Oral Glucose Tolerance Test in Youth
Authors: Rodriguez Gonzalez Adriana , Harrison Caleb , Hewitt Brianna , Mejier Jennifer L , Vajravelu Mary Ellen
Published: December 2024

Context

Home-based approaches to type 2 diabetes (T2D) screening in youth may facilitate early diagnosis.

Objective

This work aimed to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, and validity of a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)-based oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

Methods

A prospective observational study was conducted at a pediatric clinical and translational research center. Participants were youth aged 8 to 18 years with overweight/obesity and prediabetes-range glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting glucose, or 2-hour glucose on OGTT, and/or one or more guideline-based T2D risk factors. Participants completed two 75 g 2-hour OGTT 1) at the research center using serum samples (research-OGTT), and 2) at home using blinded CGM (home-OGTT). Feasibility: Percentage with valid home-OGTT data (date/time reported, transmitter returned). Acceptability: Survey and interview responses. Validity: Sensitivity, specificity, positive- and negative predictive value (PPV, NPV) of home- vs research-OGTT dysglycemia (fasting ≥100 mg/dL; 2-hour ≥140 mg/dL).

Results

Thirty-nine youth (54% female; 33% Black, 8% Hispanic/Latinx, 13% multiracial, 46% non-Hispanic White; age 14.6 ± 2.0 years; mean body mass index 37.0 ± 6.7 kg/m2) participated. HbA1c was 5.7% ± 0.4%, fasting glucose 85.7 ± 8.0 mg/dL, and 2-hour glucose 115.9 ± 25.9 mg/dL. Thirty (77%) had valid home-OGTT data. Acceptability was high (92% excellent/great, 8% neutral). Due to higher average values on home-OGTT, sensitivity and NPV were high (≥80%), while specificity (fasting: 10%; 2-hour: 25%) and PPV (fasting: 3.6%, 2-hour: 18.2%) were low.

Conclusion

Home-OGTT was acceptable, but strategies to precisely capture glucose ingestion timing could improve feasibility. Alternate dysglycemia thresholds may need to be defined prior to using CGM as a method for T2D screening in youth.
Development and Characterization of 3-Dimensional Cell Culture Models of Adrenocortical Carcinoma
Authors: Feely Sarah , Mullen Nathan , Donlon Padraig T , Reidy Eileen , Challapalli Ritihaas Surya , Hassany Mariam , Sorushanova Anna , Martinez Eduardo Ribes , Owens Peter , Quinn Anne Marie , Pandit Abhay , Harhen Brendan , Finn David P , Hantel Constanze , O’Halloran Martin , Prakash Punit , Dennedy Michael C
Published: December 2024

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy of the adrenal cortex that is associated with a poor prognosis. Developing effective treatment options for ACC is challenging owing to the current lack of representative preclinical models. This study addressed this limitation by developing and characterizing 3-dimensional (3D) cell cultures incorporating the ACC cell lines, MUC-1, HAC15, and H295R in a type I collagen matrix. ACC tissue samples were analyzed by immunohistochemistry to determine the presence of type I collagen in the tumor microenvironment. Cell viability and proliferation were assessed using flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. mRNA expression of steroidogenic enzymes and steroid secretion was analyzed by comparing the 3D and monolayer cell culture models. All cells were successfully cultured in a type I collagen matrix, which is highly expressed in the ACC tumor microenvironment and showed optimal viability until day 7. All 3 models showed increased metabolic and proliferative activity over time. Three-dimensional cell cultures were steroidogenic and demonstrated increased resistance to the gold standard chemotherapy, mitotane, compared with monolayer. The use of these models may lead to an improved understanding of disease pathology and provide a better representative platform for testing and screening of potential therapies.
Growth Hormone Action as a Target in Cancer: Significance, Mechanisms, and Possible Therapies
Authors: Basu Reetobrata , Boguszewski Cesar L , Kopchick John J
Published: December 2024

Growth hormone (GH) is a pituitary-derived endocrine hormone required for normal postnatal growth and development. Hypo- or hypersecretion of endocrine GH results in 2 pathologic conditions, namely GH deficiency (GHD) and acromegaly. Additionally, GH is also produced in nonpituitary and tumoral tissues, where it acts rather as a cellular growth factor with an autocrine/paracrine mode of action. An increasingly persuasive and large body of evidence over the last 70 years concurs that GH action is implicit in escalating several cancer-associated events, locally and systemically. This pleiotropy of GH's effects is puzzling, but the association with cancer risk automatically raises a concern for patients with acromegaly and for individuals treated with GH. By careful assessment of the available knowledge on the fundamental concepts of cancer, suggestions from epidemiological and clinical studies, and the evidence from specific reports, in this review we aimed to help clarify the distinction of endocrine vs autocrine/paracrine GH in promoting cancer and to reconcile the discrepancies between experimental and clinical data. Along this discourse, we critically weigh the targetability of GH action in cancer—first by detailing the molecular mechanisms which posit GH as a critical node in tumor circuitry; and second, by enumerating the currently available therapeutic options targeting GH action. On the basis of our discussion, we infer that a targeted intervention on GH action in the appropriate patient population can benefit a sizable subset of current cancer prognoses.
Pachydermoperiostosis Due to a Novel HPGD Splicing Site Mutation Masquerading as Acromegaly
Authors: Almalki Mussa , Alghamdi Balgees , Benito Allianah , Alfares Ahmed , Alzahrani Ali S
Published: December 2024

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HOA: MIM 167100)) is classified into primary and secondary types. Primary HOA, also known as pachydermoperiostosis (PDP), is a rare genetic condition with distinct clinical features including digital clubbing, skin thickening, and periostosis. Secondary HOA often occurs as a paraneoplastic syndrome or is associated with systemic diseases. In this report, we present a 17-year-old male patient who initially presented with significant digital clubbing, enlarged hands and feet, and excessive sweating. Although the initial suspected diagnosis was acromegaly, the patient’s plasma level of insulin-like growth factor 1 was normal and growth hormone levels suppressed to <1 ng/dL following oral glucose tolerance test. Whole exome sequencing followed by Sanger sequencing of leukocyte deoxyribonucleic acid revealed a novel splicing variant in the 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (HPGD) gene (NM_000860.6: c.662 + 5_662 + 8del). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction confirmed that this variant led to defective splicing with skipping of exon 6, a frameshift, and truncation at codon 13 of exon 7 downstream. His symptoms did not respond well to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs but showed excellent response to a trial of lanreotide autogel that has been used for about 1 year.
Albumin–Butyrylcholinesterase as a Novel Prognostic Biomarker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Post-hepatectomy: A Retrospective Cohort Study with the Hiroshima Surgical Study Group of Clinical Oncology
Authors: Tadokoro Takeshi , Kobayashi Tsuyoshi , Honmyo Naruhiko , Kuroda Shintaro , Ohira Masahiro , Hashimoto Masakazu , Oishi Koichi , Oshita Akihiko , Abe Tomoyuki , Onoe Takashi , Kohashi Toshihiko , Ohdan Hideki
Published: December 2024

Background

This study aimed to investigate the association between a new biomarker that incorporates albumin (Alb) and butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE) levels, as well as the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after hepatectomy.

Methods

The study enrolled 1712 patients who underwent primary hepatectomy for HCC between January 2003 and December 2019 at seven institutions belonging to the Hiroshima Surgical Study Group of Clinical Oncology. The entire dataset was randomly split into discovery and validation cohorts in a 7:3 ratio. The product of the preoperative Alb and BCHE levels was defined as the ABC. In the discovery cohort, the patients in the high-ABC group (≥ 951) were compared with those in the low-ABC group (< 951). These findings then were confirmed in the validation cohort.

Results

In the discovery cohort, a significant difference was observed in the 5-year survival rate between the high- and low-ABC groups (p < 0.001), and ABC was identified as an independent prognostic factor for HCC. Similarly, in the validation cohort, a significant difference was observed in the 5-year survival rate between the high- and low-ABC groups (p < 0.001), and ABC was identified as an independent prognostic factor for HCC. Furthermore, in the discovery and validation cohorts, significant differences in the early recurrence rate between the two groups were observed (p < 0.001 and p = 0.020, respectively).

Conclusions

For patients with HCC, ABC is a useful predictive biomarker because it can be calculated in a simple manner and because it provides accurate prognostic information.
MAintAin Activity in Arthritis: A study protocol of the co-development and feasibility testing of a physical activity maintenance intervention
Authors: McDonough Suzanne , Stephenson Aoife , Grimmett Chloe , Bennett Kathleen , Coyle Noreena , Grealis Stacey , Kinneavy Claire , Fitzgerald Oliver , French Helen , Stokes Maria , Walsh Aisling , Thacker Mick , Hurley Osing Deirdre , French David
Published: December 2024

Background Despite the wealth of evidence demonstrating the health benefits of physical activity (PA), people with arthritis commonly do not meet recommended PA levels. Whilst various programmes support people with arthritis to become active, most individuals reduce their level of PA after completion of a structured exercise programme. This research aims to co-develop and feasibility test a PA maintenance intervention for those living with arthritis, after exit from a structured exercise programme. Methods Intervention development was guided by the INDEX framework for developing complex interventions. Phase 1, Evidence Synthesis: Bring together existing evidence, clinical guidelines and behavior change theories for PA maintenance in arthritis, to develop an intervention logic model. Phase 2, Observation and qualitative study: Conduct an observational analysis of a physiotherapy led structured exercise programme for those living with arthritis, to understand what behaviour change components are used and what might support PA maintenance. Followed by a qualitative exploration of PA maintenance barriers, facilitators and strategies for those who have participated in the classes, their family members/friends and the delivering physiotherapist. Phase 3, Finalise intervention prototype: Results from phases 1 and 2, will be triangulated to inform potential intervention options. Those living with arthritis/key stakeholders will be invited to participatory workshops to refine intervention content and delivery modes. Phase 4, Feasibility Study: The final phase is a pre-post, mixed methods feasibility evaluation of the newly developed multicomponent PA maintenance intervention for people living with arthritis, after completion of a physiotherapy led structured exercise programme. Discussion Intervention development will bring together PA maintenance theory and evidence with user input and other key contextual factors. User input will be achieved by collaboration with two embedded patient researchers and a wider Public Patient Involvement (PPI) panel to ensure diverse patient experiences and perspectives are heard and inform programme design.
Eosinophilic Fasciitis: A Review of Research and Therapeutic Possibilities
Authors: Biernikiewicz Julia , Wilewska Anna , Pomirski Bartosz , Pomirska Agata , Biernikiewicz Milena , Alabrudziński Konstanty , Borowiec Agnieszka , Borowiec Kinga , Kwaśniewska Paulina , Graczyk Patryk
Published: December 2024

IntroductionEosinophilic fasciitis (EF) is a rare inflammatory disorder marked by elevated eosinophils in tissues and blood. Patients typically present with symptoms such as skin swelling, pain, and induration, which can be mistaken for other connective tissue diseases. The pathogenesis of EF is not fully understood, though immune and autoimmune mechanisms appear to play significant roles. Diagnosis often involves biopsies, lab analyses, and imaging techniques. Current treatment mainly consists of corticosteroids, but further research is needed to assess various therapeutic strategies. Understanding EF is essential for improving patient outcomes and quality of life.
Purpose The purpose of this article is to enhance knowledge of eosinophilic fasciitis by examining its pathogenesis, immune mechanisms, and diagnostic challenges, as well as evaluating current diagnostic criteria and treatments. Given the rarity and complexity of EF, the study also seeks to clarify its differentiation from similar diseases and offer insights into effective therapies for early diagnosis and improved treatment outcomes.
ConclusionEF is a rare disease, and its complexity, due to diverse etiologies and variable treatment efficacy, poses significant challenges in clinical practice. In the near future, the publication of new cases and the initiation of clinical trials should contribute to the development of innovative therapeutic strategies and an effective treatment algorithm.
Materials and methods: Our review is based on an analysis of material collected in 'Pubmed', 'Google Scholar' and other scientific articles using the keywords: Eosinophilic fasciitis, Shulman, fibrosis, hypergammaglobulinemia, eosinophilia.
An A to Z of enhancements: W is for Weather
Authors: Jackson Amy
Published: December 2024

Wind, rain and snow present different opportunities for children to engage in weather-led activities. By Amy Jackson
Natural Machines: Fashioning Desire and Hybrid Subjectivity through Falconry in Pero López de Ayala’s Libro de la caza de las aves
Authors: O’Brien Michael
Published: December 2024

Abstract: Pero López de Ayala’s Libro de la caza de las aves is a fourteenth-century falconry treatise covering the training and care of raptors. Containing López de Ayala’s personal accounts, hunting preferences, and tips on how to train falcons, the text provides valuable insight into the interests of a fourteenth-century Castilian hunter and the public image he attempts to portray. Considering the close bond that necessarily forms between hunter and raptor, the current article analyzes Libro de la caza de las aves through an environmental hermeneutics approach and relies on Jeffrey Jerome Cohen’s concept of the “medieval identity machine,” which views identity formation through intimate connections between animate and inanimate objects driven by desire. The present study proposes the existence of three “identity machines,” or “circuits” in Libro de la caza de las aves , each fueled by desire and comprised of humans, animals, and other inanimate objects: an aesthetic circuit, an acquisition circuit, and a training/hunting circuit. Each circuit is formed through a need to project an image of nobility based upon aesthetics, wealth, and fame, but the study reveals that the very preferences of these identity machines also make them unstable, and thus potentially challenging to the established social hierarchy.
Colón’s Redemptive Quest: Navigator to a New Heaven and a New Earth
Authors: Bailey Matthew
Published: December 2024

Abstract: In order to delve deeper into Cristóbal Colón’s first voyage and the degree to which his disheartening experience contributed to the formulation of an alternate rationale for his seafaring enterprise, this essay begins by examining select passages from Colón’s Diario . It is a richly dramatic narrative of the confrontation between Colón’s exuberant expectations and the jarringly contrastive reality that he encountered as he explored islands of the Caribbean. The disjunctive nature of this discourse infuses the text with a dramatic tension that propels Colón’s digression into increasingly delusional thoughts and statements. The essay then reviews the genesis of Colón’s Libro de las profecías , a text written between his ignominious return to Spain in chains in the fall of 1500 and his fourth and final voyage to the New World. It is a collection of biblical passages that Colón wished to present to his sovereign sponsors as evidence that his enterprise was preordained by God. This startling assertion will be examined for indications of influence and purpose. The essay then turns to select writings by Luis de León (Fray Luis), known to literary scholars as an intellectually exquisite Renaissance poet, but who also wrote in Latin on the subject of theology and biblical interpretation nearly one hundred years after Colón’s first voyage. The analysis of Fray Luis’s writings will reveal how he molded biblical prophesies into a presaging of Colón’s voyages to America and the Christian conversion of its native peoples. In other words, an affirmation that Colón’s seafaring enterprise was preordained by God. Finally, the essay examines select scriptural references made by Colón and their exegesis by Fray Luis in order to better understand their distinct methodologies and purposes.
Unstressed Vowel Syncope in Maybalay Atayal as a Result of Positional Augmentation
Authors: Huang Hui-chuan J.
Published: December 2024

Abstract: The phonology of Maybalay Atayal, an understudied C’uli’ ([ʦɿʔulíʔ]) dialect of Atayal spoken in Wufeng Township, Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan, has received relatively little attention in the literature. This paper examines previous work on Maybalay and provides alternative generalizations of the data based on fieldwork. Maybalay Atayal shows vowel-zero alternations in pre-tonic unstressed syllables, which were treated as epenthesis/metathesis in the literature but are reanalyzed as vowel neutralization and syncope in the present study. The syncopating process is disguised by prepenultimate neutralization to the low vowel [a] in the language, which renders epenthesis appealing at first sight. Vowel syncope in Maybalay always targets the second vowels in words with more than three syllables, leaving the final two vowels intact and giving rise to a word-initial closed syllable. I argue that initial syllable prominence, rather than metrical weakness, plays a crucial role in triggering unstressed vowel syncope in Maybalay Atayal and that a noniterative iambic foot at the right word edge blocks vowel syncope in shorter words. The data are captured via positional augmentation and positional faithfulness constraints within Optimality Theory.
At the Crossroads: Postsecondary Education Access Opportunities and Constraints for Rural Black Students
Authors: Means Darris R.
Published: December 2024

Abstract: This longitudinal qualitative study delves into the nuanced dynamics of postsecondary education access and choice for 23 rural Black students during their senior year of high school. Employing a multifaceted methodological approach encompassing interviews, visual data, and geospatial data, this research illuminates conditions that influence postsecondary education access and opportunity for rural Black youth. Results highlight how postsecondary education opportunity for rural Black students is shaped by local Black social networks, institutional contexts and climates, proximity to hometown, postsecondary education costs and affordability, as well as the intersecting forces of class, racial, and spatial inequities. This study also demonstrates how participants' meaning making of these conditions changed over time, thereby influencing their postsecondary education trajectories and decision-making processes. This research contributes insights into the shifting dynamics, meaning making, and forces that shape postsecondary education access for rural Black youth over time, providing implications for creating more equitable postsecondary education opportunities for rural Black youth.
"That Sounds like Something Geniuses Do": Exploring How Vertical Transfer Computing Students Conceptualize PhD Pathways
Authors: Blaney Jennifer M. , Hernandez Theresa E. , Wofford Annie M. , Feldon David F.
Published: December 2024

Abstract: There are currently too few computer science faculty to meet student demand, and faculty from historically minoritized groups are severely underrepresented. Expanding pathways from community colleges to PhDs is one critical avenue to both grow and diversify the computer science professoriate that has been underexplored. To gain insight into these pathways, this phenomenological study utilizes interviews with community college transfer students in computer science to examine how they conceptualize PhD study as part of their academic trajectories. Findings highlight experiences (e.g., serving as a tutor) that promote early interest in PhDs among this diverse and talented group of students.
Stevens and Germany, Stevens in West and East Germany
Authors: Gross Andrew Steven
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACT: This second of two special issues on Wallace Stevens and Germany expands the focus of the first issue to include the East German publication of a collection of his translated poems and features contributions on important translations in reunified Germany, Steven’s relevance to critical theory (specifically Adorno’s thinking), and his relation to wisdom literature and mysticism (here the reference is Rilke). Taken together, these paired special issues open up new fields of research on a poet who grew up speaking German; cultivated an interest in German poetry, art, and philosophy; researched his own German heritage (on his mother’s side) and the history of German-speaking communities near his birthplace; and used German words in his poetry and correspondence.
Programmable waveguide mesh photonic integrated circuits based on thin-film lithium niobate
Authors: Zhang Shengya , Liu Jianguo , Zhang Jing , Li Jinye
Published: December 2024

Programmable photonics chips based on a versatile structure are crucial for the next generation of advanced photonics systems. In this paper, we designed a programmable photonics chip with a hexagonal waveguide mesh consisting of longitudinally parallel arranged tunable basic units based on thin-film lithium niobate. We fabricated a waveguide mesh on a chip with an effective area of 5.2mm×1.5mm, which contains six tunable basic units, and tested its performance. The extinction ratio of both output ports of the tunable basic units exceeded 15 dB, with P
π
=46mW and a response time of about 32 µs. By programming the waveguide mesh through a PC, it can be configured as a multi-channel adjustable optical switch, where the extinction ratio of each output port is greater than 15 dB. This can be applied to all-optical networks for arbitrary path switching.
Prevalence of overweight and obesity and their impact on academic performance and psychological well-being among university students in 2024 in Bangladesh
Authors: Emon Hasibul Hassain , Sarker Soham , Lima Mst. Shamima Akter , Tasnim Farzana Afroze , Al Nabil Abdullah , Azam Muhammad Ibrahim , Hossain Md. Moyazzem
Published: December 2024

Background

The prevalence and impact of obesity and overweight is one of the main concerns among researchers worldwide. There are several consequences of overweight and obesity among students in developing countries like Bangladesh. Therefore, this study aims to explore the prevalence and impact of overweight or obesity on individuals’ self-esteem and academic performance among university students in Bangladesh.

Methods and materials

This study is based on primary data that was collected from 600 students of Jahangirnagar University using a well-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic information, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-7). The summary statistics, the Fisher exact test, the Chi-square test, and the Pearson correlation matrix were computed. A logistic regression model assessed the relationship between low self-esteem and other variables such as demographic characteristics, BMI status, and physical activities.

Results

The findings indicate that 38.2% of the students are overweight or obese, and the prevalence rate is high among males. The lowest academic performance across all disciplines is observed among obese students. A negative correlation is observed between BMI and self-esteem (r = -0.41) and academic performance is negatively linked with overweight or obese (r = -0.26) Results depict that overweight/obese students are 7.11 times more likely to have low self-esteem (AOR: 7.11, 95% CI: 4.59–11.02) compared to normal students.

Conclusions

Overweight and obese students are more prone to lower academic performance and low self-esteem, considering physical inactivity and irregular dietary patterns. Therefore, university authorities ought to encourage students to engage in physical activities and should create awareness among students about the beneficial effects of nutritious foods and the importance of physical exercise.
Artificial intelligence and disinformation literacy programmes used by European fact-checkers
Authors: Sánchez Gonzales Hada M. , González María Sánchez , Alonso-González Marián
Published: December 2024

Media literacy is a tool of prevention, which is useful in strengthening the resilience to disinformation. Artificial intelligence (hereinafter AI) offers solutions in the fight against fake news, but also implies ethical challenges regarding its use. This research explores the use of AI in Europe for verifying information, as well as the development of training programmes focused on AI literacy in relation to disinformation. To this end, the authors have used semi-structured interviews with verifiers who belong to the European Fact-Checking Standards Network. The results confirm that the literacy of fact-checkers is still in the nascent stages, and that the use of AI continues to evolve, especially around image verification. Although its implementation in newsrooms is quite common nowadays, there is still a lack of policies and principles needed in order to achieve a true symbiosis.
Company Attractiveness, Corporate Reputation, and Recruitment Websites as Determinants of Job Application Intentions (Case Study of Islamic Banking Study Program Students)
Authors: Tri Puji Astuti
Published: December 2024

Research Aims: The research aims to examine and analyze the influence of company attractiveness, company reputation and recruitment website on job application intentions in the sharia banking industry.
Methodology: The respondents were sharia banking students in Yogyakarta, with a sampling technique using purposive sampling with a total sample of 145 respondents. The analysis tool used is WarpPLS 7.0.
Research Findings: The results of the research show that company attractiveness has a positive and significant effect on intention to apply, company reputation and recruitment website do not have a significant effect on intention to apply for work and recruitment websites are proven to be able to moderate the influence of company attractiveness and company reputation on job application intentions.
Theoretical Contribution: The research findings  identify the factors that serve as strengths, making them attractive to potential applicants based on the Theory of Reasoned Action.
Research limitation and implication: Islamic banks in Indonesia should pay closer attention to company attractiveness, particularly regarding the value that potential employees will gain. Similarly, regarding corporate reputation, Islamic banks must continue to maintain their well-established reputation among employees and the surrounding community.
Transnational media and English spread in the Expanding Circle: Hollywood’s predominance, language accommodation, and English as an additional language in cinema, television, and video on demand
Authors: Hilgendorf Suzanne K.
Published: December 2024

This paper explores the relationship between transnational media and the dramatic increase in English language users and uses within Kachru’s (1990. World Englishes and applied linguistics. World Englishes 9(1). 3–20) Expanding Circle. Traditionally, English has been considered a Foreign Language in the third and demographically largest sphere of Kachru’s (1990. World Englishes and applied linguistics. World Englishes 9(1). 3–20) World Englishes framework. Yet in recent decades, the language has spread significantly within speech communities in e.g., continental Europe, South America, and the Middle East. In contemporary Expanding Circle contexts, English has gained international and local uses, for interactions with individuals from abroad and fellow speech community members. Thus, English has evolved beyond its single, traditional role to acquire the added functions of Lingua Franca and Additional Language. This study examines these changing roles in connection with transnational media’s development over the last century, given the leading industry position of L1-English Hollywood. The paper reviews the transnational history of cinematic film, television programming, and video streaming on-demand, with their evolving top-down language policies and bottom-up viewer practices. The European context of Germany illustrates how English use within these domains over time reflects changing proficiencies and roles for the language.
Beyond hypothetical manner: a functional typology of insubordinate como si-clauses
Authors: Royo Viñuales Víctor , Van linden An
Published: December 2024

This article explores the phenomenon of insubordination through the analysis of independent clauses introduced by the conjunction como si ‘as if’ in Spanish. Drawing on present-day corpus data, it proposes a four-way functional typology of insubordinate como si-clauses. In line with previous studies on insubordination, we observe that insubordinate constructions allow speakers to move beyond the prototypical function of como si-clauses observed in subordinate structures, in which they express hypothetical manner. Specifically, we distinguish two types which meet the narrow definition of insubordination in that they combine syntactic with discursive independence, namely denial of an assumption and scalar evaluation, as well as two types that are discursively dependent, and hence instantiate dependency shift, namely nuanced agreement and discursive elaboration or reformulation. In terms of tense-aspect-mood marking, we find that three types consistently show past subjunctive marking, while one type, that of scalar evaluation, invariably shows present indicative verb forms. In terms of discourse-interactional features, we observe that denial of an assumption clauses stand out in favouring dialogic contexts, while the other three types tend to occur in monologic contexts. Within dialogic settings then, all four types are found to be uttered more frequently turn-initially than turn-medially.
On the existence of tripartite graphs and n-partite graphs
Authors: Guo Jiyun , Li Haiyan , Zhang Yuqin , Liu Lingling , Fu Miao
Published: December 2024

A sequence

α

\alpha

of nonnegative integers is said to be graphic if it is the degree sequence of a simple graph

G

G

, and such a graph

G

G

is called a realization of

α

\alpha

. In this article, we generalize Gale and Ryser’s theorem and give the sufficient condition and necessary condition for a triple to be realized by a tripartite graph. Not only that, we also give another stronger monotonous degree condition.
Herod Strategy and a Social Insurance Scheme Against a Short Life: Three Challenges
Authors: Ponthiere Gregory
Published: December 2024

A social insurance scheme against a short life seems impossible: ex ante (before lengths of life are known), it is hard to identify the persons who will be short-lived, and ex post (once lengths of life are known), it is often too late to compensate the short-lived. However, it is possible to insure persons against a short life by means of age-based statistical discrimination that favours the young in line with the Herod strategy: allocating the good things of life to all young adults improves the situation of the unidentified persons who will die prematurely and reduces the deprivation due to an early death. This article examines three challenges questioning the capacity of the Herod strategy to reduce wellbeing deprivation due to a premature death. First, the limited substitutability between the quantity and the quality of life years makes an efficient insurance scheme against a short life incomplete. Second, the state cannot know ex ante the conception of the good life of the short-lived and must offer baskets of universal means that would improve all kinds of short lives. Such baskets will, under endowment effects, affect the adopted views about the good life, against the ideal of a neutral state. Third, the bias towards the future makes persons spontaneously reallocate the good things of life to later ages, which would defeat insurance against a short life.
Geometric nonlinear analysis based on the generalized displacement control method and orthogonal iteration
Authors: Li Ling
Published: December 2024

In response to the shortcomings of insufficient efficiency in calculating geometric nonlinear features and high environmental impact in the current construction, this study explores the control of nonlinear geometric structures based on an updated Lagrangian model function in the construction. In this method, the change in the geometric nonlinear stiffness is analyzed using generalized stiffness parameters and a displacement increment method, and the iteration step size and loading/unloading directions are adjusted in the iteration process to achieve the convergence of the solution. In the simulation experiment, the proposed method took 126 s to calculate the incremental iteration steps 700 times in a conventional environment, which is 28.8% more efficient than the cross-sectional method. In the simulated disaster environment, the model took 1,615 s to calculate the ultimate load of 84 contact elements, which is 43.1% more efficient than the section method and 62.6% more efficient than the discrete analysis method. Experimental results showed that the displacement judgment calculation efficiency of the method proposed in this study is higher than that of other models under different loading and unloading conditions and even in geological disaster states. This method had high environmental adaptability in solving nonlinear building structures and could improve the efficiency of solving general nonlinear building results.
From proof and unproof to critical fabulation: a response to Frieman
Authors: Crellin Rachel J.
Published: December 2024

In her debate article, Frieman's (2024) reflections on the idea of unproof are a welcome and elegant addition to current debate on the nature of archaeological evidence, how we construct the stories we tell about the past, and the role of archaeology in the contemporary world. Frieman draws on both feminist and anarchist theory to argue that the value of archaeology is the way it allows us to grasp worlds different from our own and suggests that this can allow us to pre-figure better future worlds. This chimes closely with other recent work on the subject (e.g. Barton 2021; Cipolla et al. 2024; Schofield 2024)—clearly, archaeologists are considering the radical potential of our own discipline to change the world.
Attending to unproof: an archaeology of possibilities
Authors: Frieman Catherine J.
Published: December 2024

The fragmentation of the archaeological record presents methodological challenges: as researchers analyse and construct models, they do not (and in most cases cannot and will not) know what is missing. Here, the author argues that these gaps are one of the field's greatest strengths; they force practitioners to be reflective in their understanding of, and approach to, studying the material traces of past people's lives and to make space for ways of being foreign to present reality. The uncertainty of a past in ruins is a place of possibility that empowers us all to imagine and to work towards a better future.
A Case of Successful Treatment of Left Ventricular Rupture after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation
Authors: Tuleutayev Rustem , Abzaliyev Kuat , Kolesnikov Alexey , Kim Igor , Abzaliyeva Symbat
Published: December 2024

Background: The article talks about a patient who had nonrheumatic disease of the aortic valve and had a left ventricular rupture during a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedure. Methods: The discrepancy between the size of the prosthesis and the size of the native aortic valve (mismatch) led to the need to deploy a second prosthesis, which was dislocated into the left ventricular cavity and led to myocardial damage and the development of tamponade. Results: As a result of timely cardiac surgery and effective measures of the emergency support service, both prostheses were removed from the left ventricular cavity, the aortic valve was replaced with a “Medtronic Hankock No. 25” biological prosthesis, and the left ventricular myocardial rupture was sutured. Conclusions: In case of the development of such complications during the transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedure with asystole and cardiac tamponade, it was suggested to conduct cardioplegia (instead of chest compressions).
Investigation of Floating Peat Wetlands, Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, California
Authors:   HydroFocus, Inc., Deverel Steven , Jeffres Carson ,   University of California–Davis, Dore Sabrina ,   HydroFocus, Inc., Corline Nicholas ,   HydroFocus, Inc., Christen Nicholas ,   HydroFocus, Inc., Xu Liyi ,   HydroFocus, Inc., Olds Marc ,   HydroFocus, Inc., Haas Savannah ,   HydroFocus, Inc., Schellenbarger Gregory ,   cbec eco engineering, Eckes Daniel ,   HydroFocus, Inc.
Published: December 2024

Tidal wetland restoration is integral to achieving the Delta coequal goals. Deeply subsided islands limit the potential for tidal wetland restoration. Floating peats may offer an opportunity to create tidal habitat in the subsided western and central Delta. We conducted a mesocosm experiment to assess the feasibility of floating peat blocks, and the potential food-web benefits, biomass production, carbon sequestration, methane emissions, and water-quality effects. We evaluated the effect of varying water residence time and initial peat-block density.

The peat blocks floated during the entire experiment, and accreted biomass at rates consistent with those reported for Delta non-tidal managed wetlands. Peat blocks placed in mesocosms with 45% open water expanded horizontally about 21% per year. We estimated average vertical accretion rates of 5.5 to 8.6 cm yr – 1 for all the mesocosms. Vertical and horizontal expansion increase floating peat-block stability.

We measured a 3-fold zooplankton population increase during the first year after deployment, relative to the Mokelumne River, which was the mesocosm’s water source. Measured and modeled methane emissions were lower than those reported in Delta non-tidal managed wetlands. Aqueous methane concentrations and methane fluxes were significantly lower for the shorter water-residence-time of about 5 days compared to longer residence times of about 11 days. Elevated dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations generally corresponded with low methane concentrations. Our estimated net ecosystem carbon balance of – 820 +/– 137 g C m – 2 yr – 1 indicates that the floating wetlands are potentially greater carbon sinks than Delta non-tidal wetlands. Nitrogen data indicated consumption by wetland plants, and denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction in the mesocosms. Our preliminary results point to potential ecosystem benefits of floating peats on a larger scale.