bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Age impacts left atrial functional remodeling in athletes
Authors: Cousergue Cynthia , Saloux Eric , Reboursière Emmanuel , Rocamora Amélia , Milliez Paul , Normand Hervé , Hodzic Amir
Published: July 2022

Aim

Age-associated changes in cardiac filling and function are well known in the general population. Yet, the effect of aging on left atrial (LA) function, and its interaction with left ventricular (LV) adaptation, remain less described when combined with high-intensity chronic training. We aimed to analyze the effects of aging on LA and LV functions in trained athletes.

Methods and results

Ninety-five healthy highly-trained athletes referred for resting echocardiography were included. Two groups of athletes were retrospectively defined based on age: young athletes aged <35 years (n = 54), and master athletes aged ≥35 years (n = 41). All subjects were questioned about their sports practice. Echocardiographic analysis of LV systolic and diastolic functions (2D-echo, 3D-echo, and Doppler), as well as LA 2D dimensions and phasic deformations assessed by speckle tracking, were analyzed. Master athletes (mean age = 46.3 ± 8.3 years, mean duration of sustained training = 13.7 ± 8.9 years) exhibited significantly stiffer LV and LA with reduced LV early diastolic functional parameters (ratio E/A, peak e’, and ratio e’/a’), LA reservoir and conduit strain, whereas LA volume, LA contractile strain and LV peak a’ were higher, compared to young athletes. Multivariate regression analysis confirmed that age was predictive of peak e’, LA reservoir strain and LA conduit strain, independently of training variables. LA phasic strains were strongly associated with LV diastolic function.

Conclusions

Regardless of chronic sports practice, master athletes exhibited age-related changes in LA function closely coupled to LV diastolic properties, which led to LV filling shifts to late diastole.
Kitano Takeshi’s ‘melancholic nationalism’ and the role of Koreans in the Outrage trilogy1
Authors: Ko Mika
Published: July 2022

This article will examine the way in which Koreans are mobilized in Kitano Takeshi’s Outrage series and how their representations may be related to Kitano’s vision of Japan. In order to do so, the article first places the Outrage trilogy in the context of Kitano’s other films as well as previous representations of Koreans in Japanese yakuza (gangster) films in general. The article then continues to explore the role of Korean characters in Outrage Beyond and Coda and discusses the way in which the seemingly progressive transnational bonding and Korean representation may confirm Kitano’s romantic nationalism or what I would call ‘melancholic nationalism’.
East–West rewriting and recontextualization: Approaching Rashōmon (Akira Kurosawa) and its afterlives from adaptation theory
Authors: Hieu Le Quoc
Published: July 2022

The legacy of Akira Kurosawa has become ‘fertile land’, beckoning a plethora of intercultural and intermedia adaptations. Rashōmon (1950), which is adapted from two short stories by the great Japanese writer Akutagawa Ryūnosuke (1892–1927), namely, ‘Rashōmon’ (1915) and ‘In a Grove’ (1922), surprised Hollywood by refusing the dominant traditional narrative techniques of the period. Although this masterpiece was created over half a century ago, it has been reproduced continually through multimediated practices. Rashōmon was a cognitive explosion that revolutionized western perceptions of the creative and imaginative potential of eastern cinema. Since its release, this cinematic masterpiece has been rewritten and recontextualized into a slew of film, stage and musical productions. Adaptation is the process of reinterpreting and negotiating a target text for new cultural and sign biospheres. This work analyses the transformation process of Rashōmon into the movie adaptations The Outrage (Ritt 1964) (United States) and อุโมงค์ผาเมือง (The Outrage, also known as At the Gate of the Ghost) () (Thailand) to answer the following questions: what elements are added, amplified or excluded in the Rashōmon adaptations? Can the recontextualization of Rashōmon in the United States and Thailand show how the Rashōmon adaptations accommodate and confront cultural and epochal similarities and differences? What translatable and adaptable ‘textual gaps’ allow the adaptations to discourse and reinterpret the source/original/adapted texts? This article uses theory of adaptation as the main theoretical framework to address the questions above.
Hegemonic Mimicry: Korean Popular Culture of the Twenty-First Century, Kyung Hyun Kim (2021)
Authors: Hyland Robert
Published: July 2022

Review of: Hegemonic Mimicry: Korean Popular Culture of the Twenty-First Century, Kyung Hyun Kim (2021)

Durham and London: Duke University Press, 328 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-47801-449-2, p/bk, $27.95 and e-book, $15.37
Por una sociohistoria del trabajo social en España
Authors: Alonso Luis Enrique
Published: July 2022

En este texto breve pero denso, se describe el resultado de una relación académica, la de un doctorando con su director de tesis, que no siempre es fácil y tranquila, pero que en el caso concreto de Manuel Gil resultó ser profundamente rica y fértil. Una relación entre académicos, en la que su director además de acompañar el riguroso empeño intelectual de Manuel, empeñado apasionadamente en rastrear y rescatar la construcción sociohistórica del trabajo social en España, pudo traducirse también en una profunda amistad entre ambos.
Las cinco miradas de Manolo y María
Authors: Torre Díaz Javier de la
Published: July 2022

El artículo estudia el valor profundo de la mirada al otro al comienzo de la vida desde la psicología, en el crecimiento de la vida desde algunos autores de la filosofía y algunos rasgos de la sociología y en el final de la vida desde el acompañamiento a la persona en un caso real. En este final de la vida podemos observar cinco momentos en la evolución de la mirada, algunos de los cuales son la otra cara de la mirada al comienzo de la vida.
Revisitando los orígenes del trabajo social: Richmond frente a Addams
Authors: Verde-Diego Carmen
Published: July 2022

Los fundamentos históricos y epistemológicos del origen del trabajo social han llegado a España desde Estados Unidos y de forma sesgada. Tradicionalmente la literatura ha privilegiado una forma de comprender la profesión y la disciplina derivados de la Charity Organization Society (COS) y del case work que acabó por sistematizar Mary Ellen Richmond. En este artículo analizamos, a partir de una revisión bibliográfica y documental, la tradición estadounidense que inauguró Jane Addams, en el settlement llamado Hull House, donde desarrolló un trabajo social grupal y comunitario. Profundizamos en las coincidencias entre Addams y Richmond, en especial en sus biografías, y en sus divergencias, en particular, en su forma de concebir el trabajo social.
La (des) profesionalización del trabajo social
Authors: Nogués Sáez Luis , Martín Estalayo Maribel
Published: July 2022

Una de las preocupaciones intelectuales de nuestro compañero Manuel Gil Parejo fue analizar el proceso de institucionalización del trabajo social a lo largo de la historia de nuestro país. De su última publicación en esta revista3 se desprende una idea-fuerza de la que deseamos partir: el trabajo social está íntimamente unido al contexto y no puede hablarse de un único modelo de profesión. Por ello, el objetivo de nuestra contribución es sumarnos a ese ejercicio dialógico necesario entre los elementos de reconocimiento institucional del trabajo social en un contexto posmoderno y mercantilizado y las estrategias-posicionamientos-modelos de intervención social identificables.
Trabajo social, acompañamiento y evolución de los Servicios Sociales en La Rioja
Authors: Carbonero Muñoz Domingo
Published: July 2022

Por medio de un análisis documental a nivel nacional y regional, se ha realizado un estudio del trabajo social en el contexto de los servicios sociales. Tomando como referencia la Comunidad Autónoma de La Rioja (CAR), los servicios sociales en su primer período se enmarcan en un modelo de intervención más generalista y diferenciado entre el primer y segundo nivel. Sin embargo, en un segundo período evolucionan hacia un mayor grado de especialización en el primer nivel, y una demanda hacia el alineamiento entre primer y segundo nivel. Las conclusiones dan cuenta de los retos sociales y el carácter especializado en la prestación de acompañamiento.
Logros y retos de los Servicios Sociales municipales en tiempos de cambio y crisis
Authors: Mota López Rosalía , Rubio Guzmán Eva , Lázaro Fernández Santa
Published: July 2022

Los servicios sociales desde su nacimiento como sistema público universal se han constituido en una pieza de gran valor para el bienestar de la ciudadanía. En su trayectoria han ido enfrentando diferentes momentos críticos, vinculados en gran medida a los nuevos riesgos sociales y a las crisis económicas y sociales, que han supuesto un incremento de la pobreza y la exclusión social y un recorte de los derechos garantizados por las leyes. El presente artículo aborda los obstáculos que el sistema de servicios sociales de atención primaria ha ido encarando desde su creación, en relación con la garantía y el contenido de los derechos que protege, la tensión permanente entre necesidades crecientes, diversas y complejas y los recursos disponibles y, por último, las desigualdades territoriales existentes, dado el desarrollo normativo autonómico. La llegada de la pandemia en 2019 puso aún más de manifiesto las fallas del sistema: su falta de financiación y recursos, su burocratización y tendencia al asistencialismo, así como el agotamiento de sus profesionales en su intento de llegar a atender a la ciudadanía con escasez de recursos humanos y materiales. Las y los trabajadoras sociales han tenido y tienen un papel relevante tanto en el diseño de los servicios sociales como en el desarrollo de su acción protectora y deben seguir siendo los profesionales de referencia en este pilar fundamental de la protección social en el estado de bienestar.
Les élus et la participation citoyenne.
Authors: Bottin Jehan , Schiffino Nathalie
Published: July 2022

Si les travaux sur la participation citoyenne foisonnent, ce que pensent les élus à son sujet demeure relativement peu exploré dans la littérature en science politique. La participation des citoyens s’institutionnalise dans les processus de décisions publiques alors que, paradoxalement, les élus tendent à tempérer sa légitimité. Cet article étudie le sens que les élus donnent à la participation citoyenne à travers deux dispositifs participatifs de nature différente (consultation populaire et panel citoyen), dans la ville belge d’Ottignies–Louvain-la-Neuve. Sur la base d’une analyse thématique d’entretiens effectués avec des élus locaux, cet article suggère que l’expérience politique forge le rapport des élus à la participation citoyenne. L’expé­rience est entendue, au sens de Dewey, comme les connaissances acquises par les élus en fonction des conditions environnantes, ici principalement partisanes et institu­tionnelles. Plus les élus sont socialisés par leur parti, plus les élus et leur parti restent au pouvoir, plus ils instrumentent les dispositifs participatifs.
Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infections Associated With Left Ventricular Assist Devices in 3 Patients
Authors: Singh Manavotam , Krishnan Mrinalini , Ruiz Maria Elena , Sheikh Farooq H.
Published: July 2022

Durable left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) provide circulatory support in patients with end-stage heart failure; however, complications include infection of the driveline exit site. Nontuberculous mycobacterial infections are rare in patients with LVADs, but they should be considered in those who have undergone device exchanges and have bacterial infections with driveline exit-site discharge but no fever or leukocytosis.

We reviewed the charts of patients who had an LVAD implanted at our institution from January 2009 through December 2019, to identify those with a device-related nontuberculous mycobacterial infection. Collected data included patient demographics, premorbid conditions, infection type, previous device complications, treatment, and outcomes. We identified infections in 3 patients (mean age, 41 yr): Mycobacterium abscessus in 2 and M. chimaera in 1. All had a HeartMate II device and had undergone device exchanges for pump thrombosis or for driveline fault or infections. All presented with driveline exit-site discharge without fever or leukocytosis. The mean time between initial device implantation and diagnosis of a nontuberculous mycobacterial infection was 55 months. All 3 patients were treated with antibiotics and underwent localized surgical débridement; one underwent an additional device exchange. The M. abscessus infections disseminated, and both patients died; the patient with M. chimaera infection continued to take suppressive antibiotics.

Nontuberculous mycobacterial infections are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates, warranting prompt diagnosis and treatment.
Effect of Glomus intraradices spore abundance of the inoculum on percent mycorrhizal colonization and growth of Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper
Authors: Selvaraj Anandakumar , Thangavel Kalaiselvi
Published: July 2022

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are well known symbiotic microorganism found to improve the growth of host plant by mobilizing immobile nutrients, mainly phosphorus, from the soil. However, the effect of AM fungi on host plant growth depends on the percentage mycorrhizal colonization, whereas it is not clear that the percent mycorrhization impacts by AM fungal spore abundance of the inoculum. Therefore, the current investigation was conducted to know the effect of percent mycorrhization of Glomus intraradices on the growth of blackgram inoculated with varied numbers of AM fungal spores via seed biotization (1 to 10 AM fungal spores per seed). Percent mycorrhizal colonization and plant growth characteristics of blackgram were recorded after 10, 20 and 30 days of sowing (DOS). Our results are revealed that the percentage of mycorrhizal colonization significantly influenced based on the availability of AM fungal spore richness of the biotized seeds, which leads to altered crop growth. Percent mycorrhizal colonization in the roots of blackgram increased with increasing AM fungal spore abundance per seed and it ranges from 10 to 70 %. Moreover, mycorrhizal colonized plants recorded higher shoot and root length, leaf area, leaf area index, shoot and root biomass production as well as chlorophyll content over control, conversely it was increased further with increasing percent mycorrhizal colonization, which is directly proportional to the richness of the AM fungal spores per seed. Therefore, AM fungal spore abundance is one of the governing factors that influence percent mycorrhizal colonization in roots of plants besides AM fungal and plant species and soil condition.
Fraud Prevention Strategies: An Integrative Approach on the Role of Forensic Accounting
Authors: Ogunode Olubunmi A. , Dada Samuel O.
Published: July 2022

This study examined the role that forensic accounting play in aiding the success of fraud prevention strategies in combating frauds at both corporate and national levels. The study adopted the exploratory research design methodology involving extensive review of published articles, periodicals and other materials relevant to the subject matter. The study found that while the use and deployment of forensic accounting tools and techniques have made appreciable progress in the developed world, its appreciation and usage in emerging economies is still at the embryonic stage due to lack of political will, poor ethical tone set by management and dearth of skilled forensic accounting professionals. It therefore recommended that to ensure sustainable success of fraud prevention strategies, management of both public sector and corporate entities should demonstrate the needed political will and set the right ethical tone at the top through their actions and activities. Similarly, efforts should be made to continually upskill anti-fraud staffs (internal audit, forensic accountants, forensic investigators) through trainings and awareness programs on the latest fraud prevention methodologies. Also, that in view of the rising cases of cybercrimes, nation states should urgently consider the signing and implementation of legal treaties and frameworks to combat the scourge.
Capital Transformation in the Ethnic Restaurant Brand in Pekanbaru, Indonesia
Authors: Junaidi Junaidi
Published: July 2022

This study aims to examine the capital form and transformation in ethnic restaurant brands in Pekanbaru, Indonesia. Bourdieu’s concept of forms of capital was used to appraise cultural production in six ethnic restaurant brands, including Kim Teng, Ayam Penyet Pemuda Semarang, Bare Solok, Sultan Resto, Pondok Patin, and Koki Sunda. Direct observations and in-depth ethnographic interviews with restaurant owners were conducted. The results revealed that the forms of capital in ethnic restaurant brands are closely related to ethnicity and the restaurant industry forms a culture of production. Moreover, the six restaurants produce four different aspects of cultural production, including community, identity, culture and history, and partnership. Their transformation forms economic capital as the restaurants were established for financial benefits. Hence, it can be inferred that economic capital needs to be supported by symbolic, social, and cultural capital for financial benefits.
On the degree of restrictions of q-valued logic vector functions to linear manifolds
Authors: Ryabov Vladimir G.
Published: July 2022

We obtain estimates for the probability that for a randomly selected k-dimensional n-place q-valued logic vector function there exists a linear manifold of fixed dimension such that the degree of the restriction of the function to this manifold is not larger than the given value. The asymptotics of the number of manifolds on which the restrictions are affine is obtained. It is shown that if n → ∞ and k ≤ n/q, then for almost all k-dimensional n-place vector functions the maximum dimension of a manifold on which the restriction is affine lies in the interval

[
⌊

log
q

n
k

+

log
q

log
q

n
k

⌋
,
⌈

log
q

n
k

+

log
q

log
q

n
k

⌉
]

$ [\lfloor \log_q \frac{n}{k}+\log_q \log_q \frac{n}{k} \rfloor, \lceil \log_q \frac{n}{k}+\log_q \log_q \frac{n}{k} \rceil] $

, while the analogous parameter for the case of fixed variables lies in the range

[
⌊

log
q

n
k

⌋
,
⌈

log
q

n
k

⌉
]

$ [\lfloor \log_q \frac{n}{k} \rfloor, \lceil \log_q \frac{n}{k} \rceil] $

.
The limited deficit method and the problem of constructing orthomorphisms and almost orthomorphisms of Abelian groups
Authors: Menyachikhin Andrey V.
Published: July 2022

The limited deficit method is described, which allows constructing new orthomorphisms (almost orthomorphisms) of groups with the use of those already known. A class of transformations is described under which the set of all orthomorphisms (almost orthomorphisms) remains invariant. It is conjectured that the set of all orthomorphisms (almost orthomorphisms) is generated by transformations implemented by the limited deficit method. This conjecture is verified for all Abelian groups of order at most 12. The spectral-linear method and the spectral-differential method of design of permutations over the additive group of the field 𝔽2m(m= 4, …, 8) are used to construct orthomorphisms with sufficiently high values of the most important cryptographic parameters.
A method of construction of differentially 4-uniform permutations overVmfor evenm
Authors: Davydov Stepan A. , Kruglov Igor A.
Published: July 2022

A generalization of the method of C. Carlet for constructing differentially 4-uniform permutations of binary vector spaces in even dimension 2kis suggested. It consists in restricting APN-functions in 2k+1 variables to a linear manifold of dimension 2k. The general construction of the method is proposed and a criterion for its applicability is established. Power permutations to which this construction is applicable are completely described and a class of suitable not one-to-one functions is presented.
Approximation of restrictions of q-valued logic functions to linear manifolds by affine analogues
Authors: Ryabov Vladimir G.
Published: July 2022

For a finite q-element field F

q
, we established a relation between parameters characterizing the measure of affine approximation of a q-valued logic function and similar parameters for its restrictions to linear manifolds. For q > 2, an analogue of the Parseval identity with respect to these parameters is proved, which implies the meaningful upper estimates q

n−1(q − 1) − q

n/2−1 and q

r−1(q − 1) − q

r/2−1, for the nonlinearity of an n-place q-valued logic function and of its restrictions to manifolds of dimension r. Estimates characterizing the distribution of nonlinearity on manifolds of fixed dimension are obtained.
Multiaffine polynomials over a finite field
Authors: Selezneva Svetlana N.
Published: July 2022

We consider polynomials f(x
1, …, xn
) over a finite field that possess the following property: for some element b of the field the set of solutions of the equation f(x
1, …, xn
) = b coincides with the set of solutions of some system of linear equations over this field. Such polynomials are said to be multiaffine with respect to the right-hand side b. We obtain the properties of multiaffine polynomials over a finite field. Then we show that checking the multiaffinity with respect to a given right-hand side may be done by an algorithm with polynomial (in terms of the number of variables and summands of the input polynomial) complexity. Besides that, we prove that in case of the positive decision a corresponding system of linear equations may be recovered with complexity which is also polynomial in terms of the same parameters.
Large deviations of branching process in a random environment. II
Authors: Shklyaev Aleksandr V.
Published: July 2022

We consider the probabilities of large deviations for the branching process Zn
in a random environment, which is formed by independent identically distributed variables. It is assumed that the associated random walk Sn
= ξ
1 + … + ξn
has a finite mean μ and satisfies the Cramér condition E
ehξi

< ∞, 0 < h < h
+. Under additional moment constraints on Z
1, the exact asymptotic of the probabilities P (ln Zn
∈ [x, x + Δn
)) is found for the values x/n varying in the range depending on the type of process, and for all sequences Δn
that tend to zero sufficiently slowly as n → ∞. A similar theorem is proved for a random process in a random environment with immigration.
Assessment of tramadol pharmacokinetics in correlation with CYP2D6 and clinical symptoms
Authors: Ahmadimanesh Mahnaz , Naeini Mehri Bemani , Rouini Mohammad-Reza , Shadnia Shahin , Ghazi-Khansari Mahmoud
Published: July 2022

Objectives

Due to lack of adequate data on tramadol kinetic in relevance of CYP2D6 toxicity, this study was designed to investigate the effect of CYP2D6 phenotype in tramadol poisoning. The saliva, urine and blood samples were taken at the admission time. Consequently, concentration of tramadol and its major metabolites were measured.

Methods

A pharmacokinetic and metabolic study was developed in cases of tramadol poisoned (n=96). Cases of tramadol poisoned evidenced seizure, hypertension, dizziness, nausea and vomiting symptoms participated.

Results

Female cases showed higher N-desmethyltramadol (M2) tramadol concentrations than male cases: in urine (40.12 ± 124.53 vs. 7.3 ± 7.13), saliva (16.91 ± 26.03 vs. 5.89 ± 7.02), and blood (1.11 ± 1.56 vs. 0.3 ± 0.38) samples. Significant correlation between blood, saliva, and urine concentrations were found (r = 0.5). Based on the metabolic ratio of O-desmethyltramadol (M1) of male (0.53 ± 0.22) and female (0.43 ± 0.26), poisoning and severe symptoms like seizure in female occurs statistically fewer (13.04%) than in male (50.6%). Assessment of CYP2D6 phenotype showed all of the participants were extensive metabolizers (EM) and their phenotype was associated with clinical symptoms.

Conclusions

According to our results, M1 as a high potent metabolite has an important role in toxicity and the likelihood of poisoning in people with EM phenotype. Finally, tramadol metabolic ratio may justify the cause of various symptoms in human tramadol poisoning.
Adansonia digitata L. leaf extract attenuates lead-induced cortical histoarchitectural changes and oxidative stress in the prefrontal cortex of adult male Wistar rats
Authors: Atuadu Vivian , Benneth Ben-Azu , Oyem John , Esom Emmanuel , Mba Chris , Nebo Kate , Ezemeka Godswill , Anibeze Chike
Published: July 2022

Objectives

Adansonia digitata L. is popularly known for the management of various neurological diseases in ethno-medicine. Studies have shown that lead toxicity is a possible risk factor for early onset of neurodegenerative disease. Hence, this study was designed to evaluate the effect of A. digitata aqueous leaf extract (ADALE) against lead-induced oxidative stress and histo-architectural changes in the prefrontal cortex of adult Wistar rats.

Methods

Saline (10 mL/kg), ADALE (500 and 1000 mg/kg) and EDTA (55 mg/kg) were pretreated orally 30 min prior to lead acetate (LA) (120 mg/kg) administration to male Wistar rats (n=7) for 21 days. Thereafter, standard biochemical (superoxide dismutate, catalase, glutathionxe and malondialdehyde), histological (H&E) and histochemical assessment (crystyl fast violet stain for nissil substance) were carried out in the prefrontal cortex.

Results

ADALE significantly (p<0.05) reversed LA-induced oxidative stress, as evidenced by increased catalase, superoxide dismutase and oxidized glutathione levels, and decreased malondialdehyde concentration in the prefrontal cortex. Also, the increase chromatolysis and neuronal pyknosis of the pyramidal neurons of the prefrontal cortex were significantly attenuated by ADALE.

Conclusions

The result of this study showed that A. digitata aqueous leaf extract attenuated lead acetate-induced cortical neurodegeneration via inhibition of oxidative stress.
Herbal preparations in the management of hypothyroidism in Unani medicine
Authors: Alam Md Anzar , Quamri Mohd Aleemuddin
Published: July 2022

Hypothyroidism is the most common thyroid disorder, affects women more frequently, and incidence increases with age. The prevalence of hypothyroidism in developed countries is around 4–5%, whereas, in India, it is about 11%. The common symptoms of hypothyroidism in adults are weight gain, fatigue, lethargy, cold intolerance, constipation, change in voice, and dry skin. It can affect all systems of the body. Diagnosis is mainly based on clinical history and laboratory investigations. Untreated hypothyroidism increases morbidity and mortality. In conventional medicine, the treatment of choice is Levothyroxine, whereas in Unani System of Medicine, pharmacotherapy consists of single and compound drugs. Single drugs are selected as per the constitution (Mizaj) of drugs as opposed to the abnormal constitution (Su-e-Mizaj) of disease and its pathology. Some drugs increase the basal metabolic rate whereas some evacuate the morbid material from the body by the action of purgation. The drugs are used either in a single form or as a prescription of more than one drug in the form of decoction (Joshandah), infusion (Kheshandah), or powder (Safoof). This review aims at providing comprehensive information regarding various drugs used in Unani system of medicine that is used in the management of thyroid dysfunction.
Spinal and general anesthesia produces differential effects on oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines in orthopedic patients
Authors: Aremu Peter A. , Ajayi Abayomi M. , Ben-Azu Benneth , Orewole Olayinka T. , Umukoro Solomon
Published: July 2022

Objectives

The contribution of anesthetic procedure to surgical stress and postoperative complications has been attributed to increased oxidative stress and release of inflammatory cytokines. Thus, the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers and inflammatory cytokines in patients with general anesthesia (GA) and spinal anesthesia (SA) that underwent open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) in orthopedic surgery at Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti state, Nigeria were investigated.

Methods

Forty patients were randomly distributed into two groups (n = 20) namely GA and SA. Blood samples were collected before and after surgery for estimation of glucose, oxidative stress biomarkers (malondialdehyde [MDA], glutathione, catalase and nitrile) and inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α] and interleukin-6) levels.

Results

The post-operative blood glucose level was higher than the pre-operative value (p<0.5) in the two groups. There were significant (p<0.05) changes in MDA concentration and catalase activity in patients with GA in the post-operative stage relative to preoperative phase. There were no significant differences in glutathione, nitrite and interleukin-6 contents between the two groups. The patients with SA had higher levels of TNF-α in the post-operative stage.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that anesthesia has differential effects on oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines in patients with ORIF orthopedic surgery.
Ascorbic acid improves extrapyramidal syndromes and corpus striatal degeneration induced by dopamine-2 receptor inhibition in Wistar rats
Authors: Mujittapha Sirajo U. , Kauthar Murtala , Azeez Ishola O. , Oyem John C.
Published: July 2022

Objectives

The prolonged uses of fourth-generation antipsychotics have been implicated in inducing extrapyramidal syndromes characterized by the motor deficit. This was attributed to the loss of dopamine-2 receptor (D2R) signaling. However, ascorbic acid (SVCT2R stimulation) in the brain is proposed to modulate D2R activity. We, therefore, investigated the beneficial roles of ascorbic acid in improving the extrapyramidal symptoms seen in D2R loss.

Methods

Twenty adult male Wistar rats of average weight 200 g were distributed randomly into four groups. The control (NS) received normal saline for 28 days, Untreated D2R inhibition group (−D2R) received normal saline for seven days and then subsequently received chlorpromazine for 21 days, D2R inhibition group treated with ascorbic acid (−D2R+SVCT2R) received chlorpromazine for 21 days and was subsequently treated with ascorbate for seven days while the withdrawal group (WG) received chlorpromazine for 21 days and subsequently received normal saline for seven days. Motor deficits were assessed using a rotarod and cylinder test. The corpus striatum was harvested, processed, and stained using H&E and Nissl stains. Cellular density was analyzed using Image J software 1.8.0.

Results

Motor deficit was observed in −D2R animals administered chlorpromazine with less improvement in WG compared to control (p<0.05) in both rotarod and cylinder test. Ascorbic acid (SVCT2R stimulation) significantly (p<0.001) improved the latency of fall and climbing attempts observed in −D2R animals. The density of basophilic trigoid bodies was significantly (p<0.001) restored in −D2R+SVCT2R group, suggesting recovery of neural activity in the corpus striatum. Moreover, the hallmarks of neuronal degeneration were less expressed in the ascorbic acid treatment groups.

Conclusions

Ascorbic acid putatively ameliorates extrapyramidal symptoms observed in D2R blockage by chlorpromazine in Wistar rats.
Immunogenicity of antitumor necrosis factor therapy in patients with spondyloarthritis
Authors: Mahmoud Ines , Rouached Leila , Ben Tekaya Aicha , Saidane Olfa , Bouden Selma , Jradi Saoussen , Sfar Imen , Tekaya Rawdha , Ben Abdelghani Kawther , Lakhoua Gorgi Yousr , Abdelmoula Leila
Published: July 2022

Objectives

To evaluate the serum dosage of the biomedicine (DBM) and the incidence of antidrug antibody (ADA) against antitumor necrosis factor (TNF) in spondyloarthritis, and to demonstrate the influence of these parameters on the clinical efficiency.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional multicentric study including patients with spondylarthritis (SpA) under antiTNF (infliximab [INF], etanercept [ETA] and adalimumab [ADL]) for at least 6 months. A dosage of the ADA and DBM were practiced by the immuno-enzymatic essay.

Result

Seventy one patients were recruited. Disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) were associated with anti-TNF in 30%. ADA was positive in 54% for INF, 33% for ADL and 0% for ETA with a significant difference(p<0.0001). Immunogenicity was correlated to a bad therapeutic response (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index [BASDAI]≥4)(p=0.04). The DBM was inversely correlated with the rate of ADA for patients treated with INF(p<0.0001) and ADL(p<0.0001). The DBM was also inversely correlated with BASDAI of INF(p=0.03) and ADL (p=0.01). ADA was significantly associated with an anterior switch of anti TNF(p=0.04), the use of INF(p=0.002), presence of coxitis(p=0.01) and higher body mass index (BMI)(p=0.007). DMARDs associated with anti TNF were not a protective factor for positive ADA. In a multivariate study, only INF and BMI were independent factors of positive ADA.

Conclusion

The ADA formation lowered the DBM and favored the therapeutic failure.
Clinical efficacy ofMajoon FalasfaandRoghan-e-Surkhin post-stroke-disability: an open labeled, pre-post analysis
Authors: Ahmad Izhar , Ahmad Tanzeel , Aleemuddin Quamri Mohd
Published: July 2022

Objectives

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in India. The estimated adjusted prevalence rate of stroke range, 84–262/100,000 in rural and 334–424/100,000 in urban areas. A deficit in motor function affects mobility, daily activity of life. Rehabilitation is the most useful method to reduce deficit motor function. Hemiplegia (Falij),is one of the most common disability resulting from stroke has been described by Unani physicians, and they treat the disease effectively on the principle ofTanqia(evacuation) andTadeel(alterative). Hence, a study contemplated to determine the effectiveness ofMajoon Falasfa(MF)and Roghan-e-Surkh(RS) in post-stroke disability.

Methods

This trail was an open labeled, pre-post analysis, carried out at the National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM), on thirty (n=30) subjects of both genders, with post-stroke disability, and given MF 6 g orally with water in the morning and evening on empty stomach daily along with massage of 15 mL RS on the affected part once a day for 45 days with three follow up fortnightly (i.e. 15th, 30th, and 45th day). Patients were assessed on each follow up based on Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living (ADL). Pre- and post-treatment values of the scale were analyzed statistically using Student’s ‘t’ test and paired Proportion test.

Results

The treatment difference as pre-post values determine with Barthel Index was found statistically highly significant (p<0.001). Safety parameters found within the normal range.

Conclusions

Finding of this trial recommended that both Unani formulations are effective in the management of post-stroke disability, and it can be used to decrease the dependency and boost the quality of life of the patients. No adverse effect was noted during the treatment of test formulations.
Das Recht der Angst
Authors: Klein Rebekka A.
Published: July 2022

Insofar as the purpose of modern law is to secure the freedom of the individual, meaning that modern law is thus a right of freedom, the question arises as to how this right of freedom relates to fear. The article first refers to the narrative of religion as a regime of fear, which is historically related to the narrative of peace through law. After analysing the religious technique of increasing and escalating the irrational and derailing moment of fear (by referring to Søren Kierkegaard and Rudolf Otto), it contrasts the religious regime of fear with the modern regime of fear in the form of law and interprets the latter as an order of immunization against fear, i.e., as a technique of securing domination by ‘taking in the hostile other’ at the price of its division (Isabell Lorey). In this perspective, law appears as a secularized version of the religiously driven escalation of fear; within the framework of a secular order of immanence it seeks to immobilize the relationship to the indeterminate and extraordinary as cultivated by fear in its abysmal nature. Consequently, fear returns to the realm of religion and superstition assigned to it in enlightened modernity. But, disturbingly, in pandemic society it continues to haunt the belief in the reality-assuring power of the normative legal order in the form of the intensifying fear of the ‘enemy in the body’.
Volatile terpene extraction of spruce, fir and maritime pine wood: supercritical CO2 extraction compared to classical solvent extractions and steam distillation
Authors: Bertaud Frédérique , Crampon Christelle , Badens Elisabeth
Published: July 2022

To evaluate the potential recovery rate of volatile terpenes from pulp mills, different extraction methods were performed on fir, spruce and maritime pine, and the extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector/mass spectroscopy (GC-FID/MS). The results obtained by traditional solvent extraction in the Soxhlet and the accelerated solvent extraction (ASE)® apparatus were compared with those of steam distillation technology (Clevenger), and supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) extraction was also tested as an interesting alternative to extraction with liquid organic solvents. ASE®-Dionex applied on freeze-dried samples with successive extraction with n-hexane and acetone/water (95/5) was not suitable for volatile compounds. Steam distillation applied on fresh and ground samples was very specific of volatiles, but did not allow complete extraction. Soxhlet extraction performed on fresh and ground samples with successive application of acetone and acetone/cyclohexane (1/9) gave the most representative quantification of ground wood chips, together for volatile terpenes, resins and fatty-acid-type compounds. SC-CO2 [20 and 30 MPa, 60°C modified by 5% ethanol (EtOH)] is able to extract most of the terpenes, terpenoids and fatty-acid-type compounds, but the extraction rates of volatiles were very limited because of a pre-drying step (freeze-drying and crushing). Other lipophilic extractives were also recovered to a lesser extent.
A new reduced switch double boost five-level inverter with Self-Balancing of Capacitor Voltage
Authors: Kishore P S V , Jayaram Nakka , Jakkula Swamy , Rajesh Jami , Halder Sukanta
Published: July 2022

This paper proposes a new five-level double boost inverter based on switched capacitor technique. The proposed topology has fewer number of components and has the ability of balancing the voltage across the capacitor. The structure of the proposed topology is very simple and can be easily extended to higher number of voltage levels. The proposed generalised topology for higher gain is presented. This proposed 5-level inverter is compared with the state-of-art topologies to demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed topology. The proposed topology is simulated using MATLAB/Simulink by using the simplified control logic. Further, the power losses are calculated to find the efficiency of the proposed topology. Finally, this topology is tested in laboratory for the performance verification and the results are included.
A structure preserving front tracking finite element method for the Mullins–Sekerka problem
Authors: Nürnberg Robert
Published: July 2022

We introduce and analyse a fully discrete approximation for a mathematical model for the solidification and liquidation of materials of negligible specific heat. The model is a two-sided Mullins–Sekerka problem. The discretization uses finite elements in space and an independent parameterization of the moving free boundary. We prove unconditional stability and exact volume conservation for the introduced scheme. Several numerical simulations, including for nearly crystalline surface energies, demonstrate the practicality and accuracy of the presented numerical method.
The role of season and climate in the incidence of congenital hypothyroidism in Kerman province, Southeastern Iran
Authors: Khanjani Narges , Ahmadzadeh Ahmad , Bakhtiari Bahram , Madadizadeh Farzan
Published: July 2022

Background:

Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is a common endocrine disease and an important cause of mental retardation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the probable role of season and climatic factors in the incidence of CH in Kerman province, Iran.

Methods:

Incidence data were collected from the CH screening program files from 2005 to 2011 in Kerman province, a number of 288,437 infants were included in the study. Climate data were collected from the Meteorological Office. The relations were tested by χ2-test, Pearson correlation, and negative binomial regression.

Results:

The overall incidence of CH in Kerman province was 2.68 per 1000 births. There was a significant difference in both the monthly and seasonal incidence of CH (p<0.05). There were a few significant, but weak correlation between some climatic factors and the incidence of CH in some regions, but the results were inconsistent.

Conclusions:

It seems like there is no clear relation between CH incidence and climate factors, in Kerman Province. However, CH incidence was highest in October (Autumn) and lowest in June (Summer).
Modals and conditionals in instrumental practical reasoning: the case of Polish
Authors: Sztencel Magdalena , Duffy Sarah E.
Published: July 2022

This paper investigates the relation between conditionals and modals in Polish. In particular, it looks into whether modalized indirect reports of conditionals – specifically, reports which involve the use of root modality verbs – reflect the number of alternative antecedents foregrounded in the context of the reported conditional utterance. It finds that the root possibility modal mogę is preferred when many alternative antecedents are foregrounded (i.e. when p is interpreted as a sufficient but not necessary condition for q), whereas the root necessity modal muszę is preferred in contexts where there are no alternative antecedents (i.e. when p is interpreted as a necessary condition for q). The results are comparable to those obtained for English (see Sztencel and Duffy 2018), thus providing initial support for their cross-linguistic generalizability. Furthermore, a parallel is drawn between the basic structure of instrumental practical reasoning (e.g. Walton 2007) and modalized indirect reports of conditionals. This parallel offers a rationale for the method of investigating instrumental practical reasoning by the proxy of indirect speech reports.
Militärische Jugenderziehung vor dem und im Ersten Weltkrieg
Authors: Raasch Markus
Published: July 2022

In diesem Aufsatz wird die militärische Jugenderziehung vor dem und im Ersten Weltkrieg untersucht. Die dabei eingenommene institutionenhistorische Perspektive misst Ideen und Strukturfragen dieselbe Bedeutung bei wie Wahrnehmungsweisen und internationalen Zusammenhängen. Im Blickpunkt stehen die Verhältnisse in Deutschland und der österreichischen Reichshälfte der Habsburgermonarchie. Anhand von zeitgenössischem Schrifttum, einschlägigem Liedgut, administrativem Aktenmaterial und Selbstzeugnissen kann sodann deutlich gemacht werden, dass eine forcierte militärische Jugenderziehung – einschließlich ihrer Schwierigkeiten und Gegner – ein internationales Phänomen des frühen 20. Jahrhunderts bildete. Nach 1914 versuchten Deutsche und Österreicher, ein spezielles Modell von Jugendkompagnien (Jugendwehren) zu installieren, das auf umfassenden Anspruch, Freiwilligkeit und staatliche Organisation setzte. Ihre Erfolge hatten klare Grenzen, fielen aber beachtlicher aus, als die gängige Literatur meint.
Chaos und Kohärenz
Authors: Kröncke Merten
Published: July 2022

In der historischen Schlachtenforschung können kulturgeschichtliche Ansätze, die sich der medialen und symbolischen Repräsentation und Erinnerung des Kampfgeschehens zuwenden, mittlerweile als fest etabliert gelten. Am häufigsten werden Schlachtrepräsentationen dabei – zumindest wenn es sich um deutsche Schlachtrepräsentationen des Ersten Weltkrieges handelt – in Hinblick auf ihren jeweiligen normativ-politischen Gehalt untersucht. Demgegenüber wird dieser Aufsatz für eine andere, ergänzende Forschungsperspektive werben, die eine für Schlachtrepräsentationen fundamentale, indes bislang noch kaum untersuchte Spannung in den Mittelpunkt rückt: die Spannung von Chaos und Kohärenz. Vorgeschlagen wird ein interdisziplinärer Zugang, der sowohl das Dargestellte als auch die Darstellungsweise zu analysieren vermag und der Geschichts- und Literaturwissenschaften miteinander verknüpft. Dass der vertretene Ansatz fruchtbar ist, soll eine Untersuchung von textuellen Repräsentationen des Einsatzes der 3., 4. und 5. bayerischen Infanteriedivisionen in der Schlacht an der Somme 1916 demonstrieren. Die aus der Analyse resultierende These lautet: Alle untersuchten Textsorten kennzeichnen das dargestellte Schlachtgeschehen im Mittelwert als chaotisch, doch zumindest den deutlich nach den Kampfereignissen verfassten Texten gelingt es, das Chaos der Schlacht zu kompensieren, indem sie Kohärenz auf der Ebene der Darstellungsweise herstellen.
Affectivity in Media-Based Public Discussions: A Critical Phenomenological Analysis
Authors: Kekki Minna-Kerttu Maarja
Published: July 2022

Affectivity has become an operative concept for a variety of analyses of our everyday media-based public communications. However, it often remains unclear what affectivity is and how it can be used for analysing media-based public discussions. To clarify the role of affectivity in such analyses, I take a look back to the classical phenomenological analyses of affectivity provided by Edmund Husserl. I argue that based on Husserl’s analyses, affectivity is essentially a relation between the object and the affected subject evoking (sometimes emotional) responses in the subject. Accordingly, the role of affectivity in the opinion formation and other similar processes in media-based public discussions can be analysed as contingent sedimentations of the object’s such relations to the subject. As my analysis demonstrates, analyses of affectivity in the context of media-based communications do not capture their research object—affectivity—if affectivity is conceived as a feature of the media contents and not as a modality of experience.
Effects of pre-treatment habitual physical activity on course and outcome measures of assisted reproductive therapy
Authors:   ,   Doctoral School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pécs, Prémusz Viktória
Published: July 2022

The overall aim was to investigate the effects of pre-treatment habitual physical activity on course and outcome measures of assisted reproductive therapy. Specific aims: - To analyse the utilization of assisted reproductive treatments in Hungary; - To investigate the relationship between self-reported frequency of exercise and success of assisted reproduction in a pilot study; - To explore in a qualitative synthesis of a systematic literature review on appropriate measurement methods of physical activity in association with ART; - To assess the effects of psychosocial and lifestyle factors with special regard to physical activity on course and outcome of ART.