bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
De calouros a internos: análise retrospectiva de 8 semestres na Disciplina Integração Ensino Serviço e Comunidade no curso de medicina
Authors: Santos Felipe Manoel Oliveira , Jordão Diandra Alcântara , Melo Beatriz Tavares de , Ribeiro Filho Dennis Cavalcanti , Medeiros Juliana Lima , Ferreira Júlia Silva , Moura Maria Rita Webster , Aragão Simone Silva da Costa
Published: August 2021

O presente estudo objetivou analisar a importância da inserção dos estudantes de Medicina na atenção primária e o Sistema Único de Saúde desde os primeiros períodos através da disciplina Integração, Ensino, Serviço e Comunidade por meio de um relato de experiência, abordando a vivência de seis alunos do curso de Medicina do Centro Universitário Tiradentes do 1º ao 8º semestre. Como principais resultados, foi o observado que a inclusão do estudante de Medicina desde o primeiro período nas Unidades Básicas de Saúde, auxilia na formação de médicos mais humanizados, proativos, responsáveis e conscientes acerca do Sistema Único de Saúde. A união da teoria com prática possibilita um conhecimento mais consolidado, e este conhecimento pode ser propagado para a comunidade que os acolhe. Com isso, a disciplina viabiliza não só uma melhor formação do médico generalista, mas colabora também na melhoria da rede pública de saúde.
English Language Education in the National Development Planning of Modern Taiwan
Authors: Wang Li-Yi
Published: August 2021

Articulating and implementing national development plans (ndp s) has been a popular approach taken by most governments in the world in response to the opportunities and challenges occurring in domestic and international spheres. Since the 2000s the Taiwanese government has launched a series of ndp s with different goals, foci, and tactical approaches. This paper adopts a retrospective lens to examine how English language education has been strategically situated in the ndp s of Taiwan and reflects on both the alignments and misalignments between the unveiled goals of the ndp s and the policies pertaining to English language education of the nation over the last two decades. In the pursuit of the goals of the contemporary ndp of the nation, strategic remodelling of teacher education programmes is needed through: (1) expanding bilingual/all-English programmes within departments; (2) advocating departmental interaction within/across teacher training institutes; and (3) optimising training and teaching opportunities for foreign students.
Seeing History in the Present: Reflections on the Concept of “Contaminated Landscapes”
Authors: Klei Alexandra
Published: August 2021

The essay takes the 2014 book Kontaminierte Landschaften [Contaminated Landscapes] by the Austrian journalist and writer Martin Pollack as an opportunity to explore relationships between landscapes, (marked) places, and memory. In considering the relationship between the metaphorical (literary) image of contaminated landscapes and the actual crime scenes, I focus on the mass shootings of Jews by the German Nazis and their local supporters in the former Soviet Union. These specific crime scenes are used to explore the limits of Pollack’s metaphor and the problems it causes. The central arguments are presented using concrete examples provided by seven photographs.
Oral History as a Selection of Sources: Discussion Around "'O tym nie wolno mówić…' Zagłada Żydów w opowieściach wspomnieniowych ze zbiorów Dionizjusza Czubali" ['We Are Not Allowed to Speak About It...' The Extermination of Jews in Memoirs from the Collection of Dionizjusz Czubala]
Authors: Filipkowski Piotr
Published: August 2021

This article reviews the book „O tym nie wolno mówić…” Zagłada Żydów w opowieściach wspomnieniowych ze zbiorów Dionizjusza Czubali [“We Are Not Allowed to Speak About It...” The Extermination of Jews in Memoirs from the Collection of Dionizjusz Czubala], selected and edited by Piotr Grochowski, Wydawnictwo Naukowe UMK, Toruń 2019, 236 pp.
50°31’29.7”N 22°46’39.1”E 50°30’56.2”N 22°46’01.0”E 50°30’41.0”N 22°45’49.5”E
Authors: Macocha Dominika
Published: August 2021

This richly illustrated text is a descriptive introduction to Dominika Macocha’s video-sculptural installation, detailing the idea behind the work, the process of its creation, and its suggested interpretations. The file is concluded with a link to the film The Mystery of Forest Lakelet.
Images of Failure
Authors: Stańczyk Xawery
Published: August 2021

On the one hand, the sphere of art offers the possibility to imagine a different, less oppressive and normative world, where just as in the case of cartoons even the greatest gawks, misfits, and outcasts would build friendships and alliances helping them to reach a happy ending. On the other hand, there is something of an artistic performance, at least of an illusionist show, to an intentional act of failure. To perform failure, one has to improvise, to operate randomly, blunderingly, and ostentatiously, as well as to resist the social norms and rules. The artworks that are presented here pertain to all of these meanings of the “art of failure”.
Look at me, I’m on TV: the political dimensions of reality television participation
Authors: Klein Bethany , Coleman Stephen
Published: August 2021

It has been over 20 years since the reality television genre attracted the attention of fans, critics and scholars. Reality programmes produced high viewing figures, suggesting a strong appetite for the form; critics dismissed the programmes as mindless and the participants as desperate for fame; and scholars assessed the formats, audiences and meanings of reality television, offering a complex, if rarely celebratory, account. While some commentators and scholars made connections between vote-based formats and electoral systems, or between opportunities afforded audiences for the deliberation of social issues and the idealized public sphere, the civic dimension of participation itself has not been explored. In this article, we take a closer look at reality television participants, drawing on press interviews and coverage in order to highlight how participants enact representative performances that might supplement more formal modes of democratic representation.
Ultra-short-term wind speed prediction based on variational mode decomposition and optimized extreme learning machine
Authors: Lian Lian , He Kan
Published: August 2021

The main purpose of this paper is to improve the prediction accuracy of ultra-short-term wind speed. It is difficult to predict the ultra-short-term wind speed because of its unstable, non-stationary and non-linear. Aiming at the unstable and non-stationary characteristics of ultra-short-term wind speed, the variational mode decomposition algorithm is introduced to decompose the ultra-short-term wind speed data, and a series of stable and stationary components with different frequencies are obtained. The extreme learning machine with good prediction performance and real-time performance is selected as the prediction model of decomposed components. In order to solve the problem of random setting of input weights and bias of extreme learning machine, whale optimization algorithm is used to optimize extreme learning machine to improve the regression performance. The performance of the developed prediciton model is verified by real ultra-short-term wind speed sample data. Five prediction models are selected as the comparison model. Through the comparison between the predicted value and the actual value, the prediction error and its histogram distribution, eight performance indicators, and Pearson’s test correlation coefficient, the results show that the proposed prediction model has high prediction accuracy.
Heat treatment T4 and T6 effects on the tribological properties of sillimanite mineral-reinforced LM30 aluminium alloy composites at elevated temperatures
Authors: Sharma Sandeep , Nanda Tarun , Pandey OM Prakash
Published: August 2021

The present study investigates effect of heat treatment on wear and friction behaviour of sillimanite/LM30 aluminium matrix composites at elevated temperatures (50–300 °C). The composites were prepared using a stir-casting process. Composites were reinforced with 3–15 wt.% sillimanite particle sizes of fine (1–20 μm):coarse (75–106 μm) in the ratio of 1:3, 1:1 and 3:1, respectively. Next, the composites were subjected to T4 and T6 heat treatment. For T4 heat treatment, composites were heated at 550 °C for 1 h, water quenched and naturally aged (at room temperature) for 480 h. Further, for T6 heat treatment composites were artificially aged at 200 °C for 4 h and air cooled. Hardness of composites improved with increase in particle weight percentage and increases in the ratio of fine particles in the mix. Maximum improvement in hardness was observed for 15 wt.% T6 heat-treated composites with fine:coarse in the ratio of 3:1. The addition of sillimanite particles improved wear resistance and coefficient of friction of the composites. Wear and friction analysis revealed that beyond 200 °C, wear behaviour of composites changed from mild to severe. Further, the heat treatment of composites improved wear resistance and coefficient of friction. Wear rate and friction coefficient of T6 heat-treated 15 wt.% composite with fine:coarse as 3:1 at 200 °C decreased by 70% and 52%, respectively. X-ray diffraction of wear tracks and wear debris of T6 heat-treated composites revealed the formation of intermetallics and oxides on the wornout surface of the composites. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of wear tracks and debris revealed that at elevated temperatures, abrasive and adhesive wear was dominant for the material removal mechanism. The developed composites exhibited nearly wear behaviour similar to that of grey cast iron used in brake rotors. Thus, sillimanite/LM30 aluminium matrix composites provide a suitable substitute to replace heavy grey cast iron components used in automobile industry.
Cultivation theory: The impact of crime media's portrayal of race on the desire to become a U.S. police officer
Authors: Pollock Wendi , Tapia Natalia D , Sibila Deborah
Published: August 2021

The death of George Floyd on 25 May 2020 again left people asking why U.S. police officers so commonly resort to the use of deadly force when interacting with Black individuals. The current article proposes that media, combined with cultivation theory and social cognition concepts may create implicit biases that are potential contributors to this problem. Police officers have a greater vulnerability to these biases because intake of crime-related media positively predicts their interest in selecting law enforcement as a career. Other predictors of an interest in working in law enforcement, and implications of these findings, are discussed.
Arthroscopic Treatment of Femoroacetabular Impingement in Patients With and Without Borderline Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Murata Yoichi , Fukase Naomasa , Dornan Grant , Martin Maitland , Soares Rui , Pierpoint Lauren , Philippon Marc J.
Published: August 2021

Background:

Based on previous studies, it is difficult to discern whether patients who have femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) with borderline developmental dysplasia of the hip (BDDH) would benefit from arthroscopy when compared with patients without BDDH.

Purpose:

To evaluate the existing comparative literature on arthroscopic findings, procedures, patient-reported outcomes (PROs), and failures in patients who have FAI with BDDH compared with those without BDDH.

Study Design:

Systematic review; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

The PubMed, Embase, and Ovid databases were searched for studies published up to August 31, 2019, that reported outcomes after arthroscopy to treat patients who had FAI with BDDH. Included studies were required to have patients diagnosed with FAI and BDDH who were treated arthroscopically and compared with control patients (FAI without BDDH). Arthroscopic findings, PROs, and revision or total hip arthroplasty (THA) conversion rates were compared between groups.

Results:

Included in the review were 4 articles (933 patients). Patients who had FAI with BDDH were defined as having a lateral center-edge angle (LCEA) of either 18° to 25° or 20° to 25°; for control patients, the maximum LCEA was 40°. Across the studies, there were 224 patients who had FAI with BDDH compared with 709 control patients; the mean follow-up time ranged from 21.6 to 31.3 months among the groups. Improvements were shown across all PROs in each study. Random-effects meta-analysis indicated no statistically significant differences in postoperative PROs, the risk for revision surgery, or conversion to THA between the patients who had FAI with versus without BDDH.

Conclusion:

The results of the current review indicated that hip arthroscopy produced similar short-term outcomes between patients who had FAI with versus without BDDH.
Opportunities and limits of combining microbiome and genome data for complex trait prediction
Authors: Pérez-Enciso Miguel , Zingaretti Laura M. , Ramayo-Caldas Yuliaxis , de los Campos Gustavo
Published: August 2021

Background

Analysis and prediction of complex traits using microbiome data combined with host genomic information is a topic of utmost interest. However, numerous questions remain to be answered: how useful can the microbiome be for complex trait prediction? Are estimates of microbiability reliable? Can the underlying biological links between the host’s genome, microbiome, and phenome be recovered?

Methods

Here, we address these issues by (i) developing a novel simulation strategy that uses real microbiome and genotype data as inputs, and (ii) using variance-component approaches (Bayesian Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space (RKHS) and Bayesian variable selection methods (Bayes C)) to quantify the proportion of phenotypic variance explained by the genome and the microbiome. The proposed simulation approach can mimic genetic links between the microbiome and genotype data by a permutation procedure that retains the distributional properties of the data.

Results

Using real genotype and rumen microbiota abundances from dairy cattle, simulation results suggest that microbiome data can significantly improve the accuracy of phenotype predictions, regardless of whether some microbiota abundances are under direct genetic control by the host or not. This improvement depends logically on the microbiome being stable over time. Overall, random-effects linear methods appear robust for variance components estimation, in spite of the typically highly leptokurtic distribution of microbiota abundances. The predictive performance of Bayes C was higher but more sensitive to the number of causative effects than RKHS. Accuracy with Bayes C depended, in part, on the number of microorganisms’ taxa that influence the phenotype.

Conclusions

While we conclude that, overall, genome-microbiome-links can be characterized using variance component estimates, we are less optimistic about the possibility of identifying the causative host genetic effects that affect microbiota abundances, which would require much larger sample sizes than are typically available for genome-microbiome-phenome studies. The R code to replicate the analyses is in https://github.com/miguelperezenciso/simubiome.
Correlation of serum delta-like ligand-4 level with the severity of diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Zhu Yan , Hu Jingcheng , Du Xuan , Fang Qionglei , Zhou Yingyi , Chen Ke
Published: August 2021

Background

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most serious microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Delta-like ligand-4 (DLL4) maintains the normal physiological microenvironment of the retina. However, the relationship between the level of DLL4 and the severity of DR remains unclear.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed serum DLL4 levels and other laboratory and clinical data in 94 T2DM patients (35 patients without DR [NDR], 32 with non-proliferative DR [NPDR], 27 with proliferative DR [PDR]), and 30 healthy controls.

Results

The serum DLL4 level was significantly greater in the NDR group (43.38 ± 16.23 pg/mL), NPDR group (56.57 ± 25.89 pg/mL), and PDR group (74.97 ± 25.28 pg/mL) than in the healthy controls (29.9 ± 8.92 pg/mL; allp < 0.05). Among T2DM patients, the level of DLL4 increased as the severity of DR increased (p < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that DR was positively associated with DLL4, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and duration of T2DM (allp < 0.05). Consistently, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis also indicated that DLL4 was a potential candidate biomarker for identifying the severity of DR.

Conclusions

T2DM patients, especially those with DR, have increased serum levels of DLL4. DLL4 may be used as a biomarker and an independent risk factor for DR, and targeting DLL4 may be a potential therapy in patients with DR.
Traditional application and modern pharmacological research of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.
Authors: Huang Lichuang , Lyu Qiang , Zheng Wanying , Yang Qiao , Cao Gang
Published: August 2021

As a Traditional Chinese Medicine,Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.has been used for the treatment of various diseases since ancient times, involving lumbar pain, knee pain, osteoporosis, hepatoprotection, paralysis, intestinal haemorrhoids, vaginal bleeding, abortion, spermatorrhoea, foot fungus, anti-aging etc. With the developing discovery ofE. ulmoidesextracts and its active components in various pharmacological activities,E. ulmoideshas gained more and more attention. Up to now,E. ulmoideshas been revealed to show remarkable therapeutic effects on hypertension, hyperglycemia, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, sexual dysfunction.E. ulmoideshas also been reported to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-fatigue, anti-aging, anti-cancer and immunoregulation activities etc. Along these lines, this review summarizes the traditional application and modern pharmacological research ofE. ulmoides, providing novel insights ofE. ulmoidesin the treatment of various diseases.
A qualitative study of the impacts of having an infant or young child with achondroplasia on parent well-being
Authors: Pfeiffer Kathryn M. , Brod Meryl , Smith Alden , Viuff Dorthe , Ota Sho , Charlton R. Will
Published: August 2021

Background

Currently, there is limited research on how having a child diagnosed with achondroplasia affects parents’ lives. The purpose of the study was to investigate the experiences of parents of infants and young children less than two years of age with achondroplasia.

Methods

Concept elicitation interviews were conducted with parents of children less than 2 years of age with achondroplasia in the United States and Spain. Using grounded theory methods modified for health outcomes research, a qualitative analysis of interview transcripts was conducted. Based on the qualitative analysis, a preliminary theoretical model of the experiences of parents of infants and young children with achondroplasia was developed.

Results

Fifteen parents, including 14 mothers and 1 father from 15 unique families, participated in individual or focus group concept elicitation interviews in the US (n = 9) and Spain (n = 6). The qualitative analysis identified four key parent impact domains, which included caretaking responsibilities, impacts on emotional well-being, having worries and concerns about their child, and impacts on daily well-being. Frequently discussed caretaking responsibilities among parents were managing child’s medical care/treatment (93%), obtaining adaptations/items for child (73%), and monitoring child to avoid complications of achondroplasia (67%). Emotional impacts included feeling stressed/overwhelmed (67%), depressed/sad (40%), and anxious/nervous (33%). Worries and concerns included worry/concern about the future (100%), concerns regarding child’s physical health (87%), worry about child’s social well-being (80%), concern for child’s emotional well-being (73%), and worry about child being able to function independently (67%). Daily well-being impacts included family strain (60%), missed work time (47%), and missed/limited social activities (33%). Based on the qualitative findings, a preliminary theoretical model depicting the experiences of parents of infants and young children with achondroplasia was created.

Conclusions

The study sheds light on the range of impacts that parents of infants and young children with achondroplasia may experience, including caretaking responsibilities, impacts on emotional well-being, worries/concerns regarding their child, and impacts on daily well-being. The theoretical model of parent experiences may provide a helpful framework for informing future research and clinical practice.
The implications of outcome truncation in reproductive medicine RCTs: a simulation platform for trialists and simulation study
Authors: Wilkinson Jack , Huang Jonathan Y. , Marsden Antonia , Harhay Michael O. , Vail Andy , Roberts Stephen A.
Published: August 2021

Background

Randomised controlled trials in reproductive medicine are often subject to outcome truncation, where the study outcomes are only defined in a subset of the randomised cohort. Examples include birthweight (measurable only in the subgroup of participants who give birth) and miscarriage (which can only occur in participants who become pregnant). These outcomes are typically analysed by making a comparison between treatment arms within the subgroup (for example, comparing birthweights in the subgroup who gave birth or miscarriages in the subgroup who became pregnant). However, this approach does not represent a randomised comparison when treatment influences the probability of being observed (i.e. survival). The practical implications of this for the design and interpretation of reproductive trials are unclear however.

Methods

We developed a simulation platform to investigate the implications of outcome truncation for reproductive medicine trials. We used this to perform a simulation study, in which we considered the bias, type 1 error, coverage, and precision of standard statistical analyses for truncated continuous and binary outcomes. Simulation settings were informed by published assisted reproduction trials.

Results

Increasing treatment effect on the intermediate variable, strength of confounding between the intermediate and outcome variables, and the presence of an interaction between treatment and confounder were found to adversely affect performance. However, within parameter ranges we would consider to be more realistic, the adverse effects were generally not drastic. For binary outcomes, the study highlighted that outcome truncation could cause separation in smaller studies, where none or all of the participants in a study arm experience the outcome event. This was found to have severe consequences for inferences.

Conclusion

We have provided a simulation platform that can be used by researchers in the design and interpretation of reproductive medicine trials subject to outcome truncation and have used this to conduct a simulation study. The study highlights several key factors which trialists in the field should consider carefully to protect against erroneous inferences. Standard analyses of truncated binary outcomes in small studies may be highly biassed, and it remains to identify suitable approaches for analysing data in this context.
Livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) prevalence in humans in close contact with animals and measures to reduce on-farm colonisation
Authors: Crespo-Piazuelo Daniel , Lawlor Peadar G.
Published: August 2021

Since the 1940s, Staphylococcus aureus has adapted to the use of different antimicrobials to treat infections. Although S. aureus can act as a commensal bacterium, some strains are facultative pathogens and acquiring them can be fatal. In particular, treating infections caused by S. aureus with acquired antimicrobial resistance is problematic, as their treatment is more difficult. Some of these S. aureus variants are methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) with prevalence across the globe in health-care facilities, community settings and on livestock farms. Apart from humans, MRSA can colonise other animal species, and because of this, resistance to new antimicrobials can appear and jump between species. Livestock and companion animals are particularly important in this regard considering the relatively high usage of antimicrobials in these species. There is a risk to humans who come into direct contact with animals acquiring MRSA but there is also the risk of animals acquiring MRSA from colonised humans. In this review, we summarise studies conducted worldwide to characterise the prevalence of MRSA in veterinarians, farmers and other personnel who come into close contact with animals. Finally, alternative treatment, preventive measures and on-farm strategies to reduce MRSA introduction to a farm and carriage within a herd are discussed.
“Sex Work Is Star Shaped”
Authors: Carlisle Vanessa
Published: August 2021

This article interrogates the common sex worker rights’ slogan “sex work is real work,” a claim that yokes sex worker struggles to labor struggles worldwide. This article argues that US-based sex worker rights activism, which relies on the labor rights framework to confront stigma and criminalization, is unable to undo how racial capitalism constructs sex work as not a legitimate form of work. While labor protections are important, sex work offers opportunity for the development of antiwork potentials. Many people engaging in sexual performance or trading sex are already creating spaces where sex work itself exceeds analysis as a job. By foregrounding sex workers’ lived experiences and the theoretical moves of antiracist anticapitalism, antiwork politics, queer liberationists, and disability justice, this article locates sex workers at the nexus of important forms of subjugated knowledge crucial for undermining the criminalization of marginalized people.
The Making of Freedom and Common Forms of Struggle of Runaways in Taiwan
Authors: Parhusip Jonathan S.
Published: August 2021

Local labor laws in Taiwan push migrant workers to run away from contracted employment arrangements and become undocumented. This article examines the common forms of struggle pursued by runaway Indonesian migrant workers with a focus on the informal organizational structures that support their daily survival. To open space for maneuver within nation-state borders, runaway migrant workers utilize their agency and negotiate state and nonstate structures such as recruitment companies, NGOs and civil society organizations, migrant communities, illegal agency services, and taxi drivers.
The Refugee Festival
Authors: Idrus Rusaslina
Published: August 2021

The Refugee Festival opens a space for “power and hope” for refugees in Malaysia. Moving away from narratives of refugees as victims, this article highlights refugee practices of autonomy and freedom through the marginal spaces of the Refugee Festival. Within the context of the pandemic and rising xenophobia in Malaysia, the festival takes on an even more important significance for the community. Through the festival, the participants disrupted narratives of refugees as voiceless, powerless, and invisible, instead rebuilding an inclusive space, and a vision of an alternative future, in which they have equal rights and freedoms.
Implementing a Physical Activity Consultation Clinic during a Global Pandemic
Authors: Butts Jessica F. , Schmitz Kathryn H. , Onks Cayce , Silvis Matthew
Published: August 2021

Ten percent of all premature deaths and 117 billion dollars in annual health care costs are attributable to physical inactivity in America. The positive impact exercise can have on overall health is irrefutable. While it is the responsibility of health care providers to assess and counsel for exercise, there are logistical, structural, and educational barriers preventing this counseling. A physical activity consultation clinic led by primary care sports medicine physicians would allow for focused exercise counseling by appropriately trained providers to motivated patients. While previously there have been many institutional and logistical barriers to establishing such a clinic, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a window of opportunity for doing so within a large academic medical center. This article reviews the importance of exercise on overall health, outlines the barriers for establishing a clinical experience dedicated to counseling for physical activity, and details how overcoming those barriers was facilitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Exercise Is Medicine for Immune Function: Implication for COVID-19
Authors: Nieman David C.
Published: August 2021

This review supports that physical activity improves immunosurveillance and has the potential to counter COVID-19 infection and symptomatology at three prevention levels. At the primary prevention level, several lines of evidence support that physical activity is an immune system adjuvant in combating infectious diseases. Recent epidemiological studies indicate that regular physical activity is associated with a reduced risk for COVID-19, similar to what has been reported for other respiratory infections. Although specific COVID-19-related studies are needed, data from investigations with other types of infectious agents, such as influenza, support the potential role of physical activity in augmenting COVID-19 vaccine efficacy (secondary prevention level). There is a growing awareness that COVID-19 can cause sustained morbidity in some patients, and physical training and rehabilitation (tertiary prevention level) can be directed toward improvement in physical fitness, quality of life, and immune health.
Dosimetric analyses of intra-arterial versus standard intravenous administration of 177Lu-DOTATATE in patients of well differentiated neuroendocrine tumor with liver-dominant metastatic disease
Authors: Thakral Parul , Sen Ishita , Das Subha Shankar , Manda Divya , CB Virupakshappa , Malik Dharmender
Published: August 2021

Objective:

The aim of the present study was to perform calculation of the absorbed doses to organs at risk and to neuroendocrine tumors and to determine whether hepatic intra-arterial (IA) injection of 177Lu-DOTATATE Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) would achieve higher intratumoral concentrations than standard intravenous administration of 177Lu-DOTATATE.

Methods:

29 patients with Grade I-II, inoperable, metastatic gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (GEPNET) were prospectively identified and enrolled for the study. 15 patients of GEPNETs with liver-dominant metastatic disease and less than 3 sites of extrahepatic metastatic disease were administered a single dose of 177Lu-DOTATATE therapy through the selective catheterization of the hepatic artery (IA group). The other 14 patients received a single dose of 177 Lu- DOTATATE through standard intravenous route (IV group). For dosimetry, whole-body γ (anterior and posterior planar acquisitions) and SPECT/CT scans of the abdomen at 2, 24 and 96 h post 177Lu-DOTATATE administration were acquired. Dosimetric calculations were done using the HERMES software.

Results:

The mean dose per unit activity (DpA) in the liver and tumor lesions in the IA group differed significantly (p < 0.05) but differed insignificantly in spleen and kidneys (p > 05) with the IV group. The mean tumor/non-tumor concentration at 96 h was 76.83 ± 7.9 (range 10.2–251.3) in the IA group whereas it was 25.6 ± 5.9 (Range: 12–55) in the IV group. There was an average threefold increase in tumoral concentration over the standard intravenous group.

Conclusion:

IA administration of 177Lu-DOTATATE results in higher concentration and absorbed dose in hepatic metastases in patients of GEPNETs as compared to a single dose of PRRT administered through standard IV route, and thus seems to be a powerful tool to improve the efficacy of PRRT.

Advances in knowledge:

Measurement of the dose received by the tumor lesions and the critical organs is of paramount importance for the prognostication of a radionuclide therapy. Scant data exist on the dosimetric impact of IA administration of the therapy with 177Lu-DOTATATE on the tumors and other organs, and this study would add an impact towards the better treatment outcome in patients of neuroendocrine tumor with liver-dominant metastatic disease.
Optimal biopsy approach for detection of clinically significant prostate cancer
Authors: Ippoliti Simona , Fletcher Peter , Orecchia Luca , Miano Roberto , Kastner Christof , Barrett Tristan
Published: August 2021

Prostate cancer (PCa) diagnostic and therapeutic work-up has evolved significantly in the last decade, with pre-biopsy multiparametric MRI now widely endorsed within international guidelines. There is potential to move away from the widespread use of systematic biopsy cores and towards an individualised risk-stratified approach. However, the evidence on the optimal biopsy approach remains heterogeneous, and the aim of this review is to highlight the most relevant features following a critical assessment of the literature. The commonest biopsy approaches are via the transperineal (TP) or transrectal (TR) routes. The former is considered more advantageous due to its negligible risk of post-procedural sepsis and reduced need for antimicrobial prophylaxis; the more recent development of local anaesthetic (LA) methods now makes this approach feasible in the clinic. Beyond this, several techniques are available, including cognitive registration, MRI–Ultrasound fusion imaging and direct MRI in-bore guided biopsy. Evidence shows that performing targeted biopsies reduces the number of cores required and can achieve acceptable rates of detection whilst helping to minimise complications and reducing pathologist workloads and costs to health-care facilities. Pre-biopsy MRI has revolutionised the diagnostic pathway for PCa, and optimising the biopsy process is now a focus. Combining MR imaging, TP biopsy and a more widespread use of LA in an outpatient setting seems a reasonable solution to balance health-care costs and benefits, however, local choices are likely to depend on the expertise and experience of clinicians and on the technology available.
Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis: to investigate the association of adherence to plant-based diets with cardiovascular disease risk
Authors: Lopes Tatum , Zemlin Annalise E. , Faber Mieke , Durao Solange , Erasmus Rajiv T. , Kengne Andre P.
Published: August 2021

Background: Plant-based diets (PBDs) are characterised as healthy dietary patterns that emphasise the intake of plant foods and limit the intake of animal foods. The Mediterranean and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diets are common examples of healthy dietary patterns that are mainly plant based. There are different dietary pattern analysis approaches and scoring systems available to construct indices that measure adherence to a dietary pattern. Nutritional epidemiology studies necessitate the use of appropriate dietary indices when investigating diet-disease associations.

Methods: This systematic review protocol was developed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. PubMed–Medline, Scopus and relevant biomedical databases within EBSCOhost will be searched up to August 2021 using relevant key words. Two reviewers will independently screen the identified records and review the eligible full texts for inclusion. Discrepancies will be resolved by consensus or through discussion with a third reviewer. Appropriate meta-analysis will be performed where possible and consistency of the findings checked through subgroup analysis. Heterogeneity across studies will be assessed and quantified, and publication bias investigated. Relevant sensitivity analyses will be performed to substantiate the robustness of the study findings.

Conclusion: Currently, there is some inconsistency in defining and measuring adherence to a PBD across study populations. In addition to this, a lack of global data on the association between adherence to a PBD and CVD risk. This systematic review could aid in promoting the worldwide uptake of these findings for policy and practice purposes. This research will use previously published studies; and therefore, will not require ethical approval.
Models of Consumer Behavior on the Example of Generations
Authors: Fomicheva Irina , Polyakov V.
Published: August 2021

The article considers modern models of consumer behavior depending on the market situation in society: models of a rational consumer of the neoclassical school, a model of a socio-economic person, neoinstitutionalism, the doctrine of "libertarian paternalism" and a marketing model of a black box. A method for substantiating consumer behavior based on the concept of marketing experiences is proposed. The behavioral characteristics of people are considered on the example of generations BB, X, Y and Z. It is substantiated that it is the value basis that has formed among representatives of generations BB and Y that continues to have a significant impact on social networks and “opinion leaders”.
Functioning of the Fast Payment System in Russia
Authors: Zverev A. , Mandron Viktoria Valerievna , Sereda A.
Published: August 2021

Digital transformation is the main direction of development of the national financial industry. Traditional banking services are being transferred to online services, especially in the context of the rapid growth of e-commerce. The introduction of new information channels of remote interaction allows credit institutions to reduce their costs, improve the quality and speed of customer service, balance active and passive operations, expand the «line» of banking products and financial services, stabilize and expand the customer base. The development of the banking business based on the introduction of a fast payment system is becoming a necessity for all categories of retail and corporate clients. The creation and development of the infrastructure of the fast payment system is a priority project of the Bank of Russia for the development and expansion of non-cash payments. This project is aimed at developing the availability of financial services in remote regions of Russia and reduces the costs of market participants.
Free economic zones as a mechanism for attracting investment in the economy of the Syrian Arab Republic
Authors: Kibrasli Feras
Published: August 2021

The paper is devoted to the analysis of the formation, development and current state of free economic zones (FEZ) and industrial cities (industrial zones) in the Syrian People's Republic. The article presents the legislative acts regulating the activities of FEZs and industrial zones in Syria, their features, the objective necessity and possibility of the activity of FEZs, their goals and objectives. The author substantiates the point of view that the main purpose of the FEZ activities in Syria is socio-economic development, and in this regard, the FEZs of Syria correspond to world practice. However, the FEZ and especially the industrial zones are faced with the task of restoring the Syrian economy destroyed as a result of the military actions. In this aspect, foreign investment is of crucial importance as a mechanism for restoring industrial potential and its subsequent development, as well as for diversifying the national economy and exports. In the field of FEZ in Syria, a number of problems remain. However, the author also highlights the existing prospects for the investment process in the FEZ.
Nichilismo e linguaggio poetico nella riflessione “estetica” heideggeriana.
Authors: Serra Danilo
Published: August 2021

Il seguente contributo vuole mostrare come la questione circa la natura della Dichtung permetta ad Heidegger da un lato di misurarsi fino in fondo con le fondamentali contraddizioni ed inquietudini della contemporaneità, dall’altro di ripensare (e ricreare) la relazione originaria dell’uomo con le cose stesse e con l’essere. Da qui la necessità di riflettere sulla portata ontologica del discorso poetico con il fine di soffermarsi sulla peculiarità di un linguaggio, quello artistico-poetico, in grado di dirci, più di ogni altro, qualcosa di significativo sull’essenza dei fenomeni e sul nostro rapporto con la natura.
Uma contribuição de Chuang-tzu ao pensamento de Heidegger: o cultivo do inútil.
Authors: Bauchwitz Oscar
Published: August 2021

O interesse de Heidegger pelo pensamento asiático é algo reconhecido pelos intérpretes da sua obra. O que se procura expor aqui é uma parte desse interesse, analisando e contextualizando a presença do Chuang-tzu onde Heidegger o traz à colação com o propósito de interpretar o sentido do inútil. Para Heidegger, o inútil designa a especificidade e o caráter próprio da filosofia e do pensamento meditativo, ao tempo que permite pensar a liberdade e a disposição humanas desde uma perspectiva não utilitarista do mundo técnico. Em Chuang-tzu, Heidegger encontrou um interlocutor privilegiado, valendo-se de suas parábolas para pensar em outro modo de realização do habitar humano que exige a necessidade de apresentar e fomentar o cultivo do inútil.
¿Qué quiere decir leer? Interpretaciones en torno a légein, legen y lesen en camino a la pregunta por el decir del Habla en la obra de Martin Heidegger.
Authors: Gourhand Vanesa
Published: August 2021

Pretendemos cuestionarnos en este breve estudio qué significa leer encaminándonos hacia la pregunta qué significa pensar. Ello en el contexto de la indagación hermenéutica por la modalidad del decir del Leer, implicada en la relación compleja entre leer, interpretar y comprender en la obra de Martin Heidegger. Para ello, en primer lugar, escucharemos los sentidos arcaicos del légein griego; seguiremos entonces el lugar de aquello que interpela o exhorta al pensar a pensar (como noeîn), un silencio que concierne al mortal en cuanto que lo dicho en el decir, su decir, no resulta a disposición de pensamiento representativo alguno, máxima indicación de la apertura a la alteridad que dicen los lenguajes. Finalmente marcaremos algunas conclusiones a modo de cierre del texto
Eutropius as an oriental
Authors: Babnis Tomasz
Published: August 2021

Eutropius, eunuch who became the consul of the Roman Empire in 399 AD under Arcadius, is a villain of Claudius Claudian’s invective In Eutropium. Argumentation in this piece is based on many negative topoi employed in the earlier Roman poetry. In doing this, the poet makes a particular use of stereotypes connected with the East, by dint of which he can attribute these features to the Eastern Roman Empire (epitomised by Eutropius) and – at the same time – to show that the right Roman virtues are fostered in the Western Roman Empire, controlled by the poet’s patron, Stilicho.
Oswald Spengler and his Interpretation of the Ancient Egyptian Civilisation
Authors: Engels David
Published: August 2021

Spengler’s Decline of the West is generally read in view of Spengler’s bleak prophecies concerning the future of the West. This somewhat obscures his contribution to comparative history and his interest not only in Classical Antiquity and the West, but also in the Ancient Near East. In this paper, we will first present and critically analyze the outlines of Spengler’s interpretation of Ancient Egyptian History in the field of art history, politics and religion, before venturing some conclusions and personal remarks about the important question whether Spengler’s endeavor must be considered helplessly outdated and refuted by modern research, or whether it still has a potential to serve as the basis of a new, upto- date morphology of history.
The Hamburg Circle: A Thoroughly Structured Expression of the German Conservative Revolution in the Weimar Republic
Authors: Diec Joachim
Published: August 2021

The members of the Hamburg Circle: W. Stapel (the leading figure), H. Bogner, A.E. Günther, G. Günther, are usually attributed to the ‘young conservative’ trend of the conservative revolution in the Weimar Republic. The main platform of their expression was the Deutsches Volkstum, a monthly published in Hamburg between 1898 and 1938. The activists of the circle opposed the realities of the Weimar Republic, negating the foundations of a democratic and liberal society as it did not express the ‘national will’ of Germans. Their ideal was not exactly in the revival of monarchy but they proposed a national state which was supposed to promote the traditionally structured society. In the area of religious policy, Stapel and his colleagues aimed at a non-secular state with a form of traditionalistic church life in spite of the religious diversity in Germany. Christianity was not perceived from a purely spiritual perspective, but as a doctrine that should be a strong pillar of the state. The Hamburg Circle claimed that to achieve these goals Germans ought to reject liberalism and pacifism, which appeared to be a dangerous consequence of the ideological pressure from assimilated Jewry.
Kelsen’s Idea of a World State (Weltstaat)
Authors: Widłak Tomasz
Published: August 2021

This article offers an analysis of the meaning of the term ‘world state’ (Weltstaat) as used by Hans Kelsen in his work on international legal theory. The author argues that Kelsen understands the term solely as a legal concept. Reconstruction of Kelsen’s understanding of the notion of world state begins with a summary of Kelsen’s reductionist doctrine of the state and its identity with law. Secondly, the analysis moves to Kelsen’s radical deconstruction of sovereignty. Thirdly, Kelsen’s doctrine of evolution of legal orders along the axis of centralization is considered. These considerations lead to the assertion that Kelsen’s Weltstaat shows in fact more affinity with the concept of the international community rather than a fully-fledged state. The article concludes that Kelsen’s world state is only a theoretical possibility, a stage in the evolution of legal orders and a common point of imputation rather than a manifestation of any cosmopolitan agenda.
Performance Evaluation of Stochastic Systems with Dedicated Delivery Bays and General On-Street Parking
Authors: Abhishek  , Legros Benjamin , Fransoo Jan C.
Published: August 2021

As freight deliveries in cities increase due to retail fragmentation and e-commerce, parking is becoming a more and more relevant part of transportation. In fact, many freight vehicles in cities spend more time parked than they are moving. Moreover, part of the public parking space is shared with passenger vehicles, especially cars. Both arrival processes and parking and delivery processes are stochastic in nature. In order to develop a framework for analysis, we propose a queueing model for an urban parking system consisting of delivery bays and general on-street parking spaces. Freight vehicles may park both in the dedicated bays and in general on-street parking, whereas passenger vehicles only make use of general on-street parking. Our model allows us to create parsimonious insights into the behavior of a delivery bay parking stretch as part of a limited length of curbside. We are able to find explicit expressions for the relevant performance measures, and formally prove a number of monotonicity results. We further conduct a series of numerical experiments to show more intricate properties that cannot be shown analytically. The model helps us shed light onto the effects of allocating scarce urban curb space to dedicated unloading bays at the expense of general on-street parking. In particular, we show that allocating more space to dedicated delivery bays can also make passenger cars better off.
Locus of control: the impact on self-leadership and effectiveness in healthcare teams
Authors: Joseph Stephen
Published: August 2021

Stephen Joseph explores the psychological concept of locus of control, and how this can impact on both healthcare leaders and their teams.
Dr Robot: the new normal is here
Authors: Sheppy Bruce , Areal Andreia , Itua Imose , McIntosh Bryan
Published: August 2021

With the use of telemedicine increasing significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, this article discusses the implications for healthcare facilities and the extent to which generational gaps affect adoption of new technology.