bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Non-parametric Discrete Fracture Network Model
Authors: Gómez Santiago , Sanchidrián José A. , Segarra Pablo , Bernardini Maurizio
Published: January 2023

A discrete fracture network (DFN) model based on non-parametric kernel density estimators (KDE) and directional-linear statistics is developed. The model provides a characterization of the fracture network with distributions of fracture orientation and size jointly. A solution to the Bertrand paradox is used for the calculation of disk sizes from trace lengths, the latter calculated from the intersection of disks and highwall faces by triangulation. A Poisson point process is applied for the generation of the model, with fractures assumed to be flat and circular in shape, the number of fractures per unit volume (P30) adjusted to match the experimental length of fractures per unit area (P21). Length censoring of traces due to the surface dimension is considered in the calculations by including semi-bounded traces, i.e., traces censored in one of their ends. Orientation and size biases are corrected with a weighting function in the random sampling. The truncation effect whereby no traces shorter than some cut-off length are recorded, is addressed by a randomized optimization algorithm. The joint fracture orientation-size distribution model developed is tested with trace maps of discontinuities measured from photogrammetric models of twelve highwall faces of quarry benches, with outstanding results. Computational advantages over traditional parametric fracture models are addressed.
Synthesis, structural characterization and study of antioxidant and anti-PrPSc properties of flavonoids and their rhenium(I)–tricarbonyl complexes
Authors: Glykofridi Pigi , Tziouri Vassiliki-Eleni , Xanthopoulos Konstantinos , Vlachou Maria-Eirini , Correia Susana , Fischer Anna-Lisa , Thüne Katrin , Hatzidimitriou Antonios , Zerr Inga , Schmitz Matthias , Sklaviadis Theodoros , Hadjipavlou-Litina Dimitra , Papagiannopoulou Dionysia
Published: January 2023

This study aims at the synthesis and initial biological evaluation of novel rhenium–tricarbonyl complexes of 3,3′,4′,5,7-pentahydroxyflavone (quercetin), 3,7,4΄-trihydroxyflavone (resokaempferol), 5,7-dihydroxyflavone (chrysin) and 4΄,5,7-trihydroxyflavonone (naringenin) as neuroprotective and anti-PrP agents. Resokaempferol was synthesized from 2,2΄,4-trihydroxychalcone by H2O2/NaOH. The rhenium–tricarbonyl complexes of the typefac-[Re(CO)3(Fl)(sol)] were synthesized by reacting the precursorfac-[Re(CO)3(sol)3]+with an equimolar amount of the flavonoids (Fl) quercetin, resokaempferol, chrysin and naringenin and the solvent (sol) was methanol or water. The respective Re–flavonoid complexes were purified by semi-preparative HPLC and characterized by spectroscopic methods. Furthermore, the structure of Re–chrysin was elucidated by X-ray crystallography. Initial screening of the neuroprotective properties of these compounds included the in vitro assessment of the antioxidant properties by the DPPH assay as well as the anti-lipid peroxidation of linoleic acid in the presence of AAPH and their ability to inhibit soybean lipoxygenase. From the above studies, it was concluded that the complexes’ properties are mainly correlated with the structural characteristics and the presence of the flavonoids. The flavonoids and their respective Re-complexes were also tested in vitro for their ability to inhibit the formation and aggregation of the amyloid-like abnormal prion protein, PrPSc, by employing the real-time quaking-induced conversion assay with recombinant PrP seeded with cerebrospinal fluid from patients with Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. All the compounds blocked de novo abnormal PrP formation and aggregation.

Graphical abstract
Porous metal block based on topology optimization to treat distal femoral bone defect in total knee revision
Authors: Zhang Jiangbo , Zhang Aobo , Han Qing , Liu Yang , Chen Hao , Ma Mingyue , Li Yongyue , Chen Bingpeng , Wang Jincheng
Published: January 2023

Metal block augmentations are common solutions in treating bone defects of total knee revision. However, the stress shielding and poor osteointegration resulted from metal block application could not be neglected in bone defects restoration. In this study, a novel porous metal block was designed with topology optimization to improve biomechanical performance. The biomechanical difference of the topologically optimized block, solid Ti6Al4V block, and porous Ti6Al4V block in treating bone defects of total knee revision was compared by finite element analysis. The inhomogeneous femoral model was created according to the computed tomography data. Combined with porous structures, minimum compliance topology optimization subjected to the volume fraction constraint was utilized for the redesign of the metal block. The region of interest was defined as a 10 mm area of the distal femur beneath the contacting surface. The biomechanical performance of daily motions was investigated. The von Mises stress, the strain energy density of the region of interest, and the von Mises stress of metal blocks were recorded. The results were analyzed in SPSS. In terms of the region of interest, the maximum von Mises stress of the topological optimized group increased obviously, and its average stress was significantly higher than that of the other groups (p < 0.05). Moreover, the topologically optimized block group had the highest maximum strain energy density of the three groups, and the lowest maximum stress of block was also found in this group. In this study, the stress shielding reduction and stress transfer capability were found obviously improved through topology optimization. Therefore, the topological optimized porous block is recommended in treating bone defects of total knee revision. Meanwhile, this study also provided a novel approach for mechanical optimization in block designing.
Polylactic acid synthesis, biodegradability, conversion to microplastics and toxicity: a review
Authors: Ali Wajid , Ali Hazrat , Gillani Sayed , Zinck Philippe , Souissi Sami
Published: January 2023

Global pollution by plastics derived from petroleum has fostered the development of carbon–neutral, biodegradable bioplastics synthesized from renewable resources such as modern biomass, yet knowledge on the impact of bioplastics on ecosystems is limited. Here we review the polylactic acid plastic with focus on synthesis, biodegradability tuning, environmental conversion to microplastics, and impact on microbes, algae, phytoplankton, zooplankton, annelids, mollusk and fish. Polylactic acid is a low weight semi-crystalline bioplastic used in agriculture, medicine, packaging and textile. Polylactic acid is one of the most widely used biopolymers, accounting for 33% of all bioplastics produced in 2021. Although biodegradable in vivo, polylactic acid is not completely degradable under natural environmental conditions, notably under aquatic conditions. Polylactic acid disintegrates into microplastics faster than petroleum-based plastics and may pose severe threats to the exposed biota.
Fully-digital low-frequency lock-in amplifier for photoluminescence measurements
Authors: Pollastrone Fabio , Piccinini Massimo , Pizzoferrato Roberto , Palucci Antonio , Montereali Rosa Maria
Published: January 2023

Lock-in amplifiers, used in several experimental physics applications, are instruments performing quadrature demodulation, which is useful when signals are affected by much noise. Generally, commercially-available lock-in amplifiers are very accurate, but expensive, especially if their operating range includes radiofrequencies. In many applications, high precision is not necessary for the measurements, but it is preferable to have low-cost, low-weight, compactness and a user-friendly graphical unit interface. In this paper, we describe a new fully-digital low-frequency lock-in amplifier developed at ENEA C.R. Frascati Laboratories for photoluminescence experiments based on an innovative low-cost architecture and processing algorithms. The hardware, firmware and software developed for the whole photoluminescence measurement set-up is presented. The present lock-in was first characterized with synthetic electrical sine wave signals and white noise. A dynamic reserve of 43 dB and a noise figure in the range of 25–44 dB were estimated. These results show compatibility with several measurement applications, such as photoluminescence, and the adequacy of the resolutions with respect to the hardware costs. Finally, preliminary results of photoluminescence measurements are presented.
The Galerkin Analysis for the Random Periodic Solution of Semilinear Stochastic Evolution Equations
Authors: Wu Yue , Yuan Chenggui
Published: January 2023

In this paper, we study the numerical method for approximating the random periodic solution of semilinear stochastic evolution equations. The main challenge lies in proving a convergence over an infinite time horizon while simulating infinite-dimensional objects. We first show the existence and uniqueness of the random periodic solution to the equation as the limit of the pull-back flows of the equation, and observe that its mild form is well defined in the intersection of a family of decreasing Hilbert spaces. Then, we propose a Galerkin-type exponential integrator scheme and establish its convergence rate of the strong error to the mild solution, where the order of convergence directly depends on the space (among the family of Hilbert spaces) for the initial point to live. We finally conclude with a best order of convergence that is arbitrarily close to 0.5.
Age-Dependent Prebiotic Effects of Soluble Corn Fiber in M-SHIME® Gut Microbial Ecosystems
Authors: Arroyo Marta Calatayud , Laurie Ieva , Rotsaert Chloë , Marzorati Massimo , Risso Davide , Karnik Kavita
Published: January 2023

Soluble corn fiber (SCF) has demonstrated prebiotic effects in clinical studies. Using an in vitro mucosal simulator of the human intestinal microbial ecosystem (M-SHIME®) model, the effects of SCF treatment on colonic microbiota composition and metabolic activity and on host-microbiome interactions were evaluated using fecal samples from healthy donors of different ages (baby [≤ 2 years], n = 4; adult [18–45 years], n = 2; elderly [70 years], n = 1). During the 3-week treatment period, M-SHIME® systems were supplemented with SCF daily (baby, 1.5, 3, or 4.5 g/d; adult, 3 or 8.5 g/d; and elderly, 8.5 g/d). M-SHIME® supernatants were evaluated for their effect on the intestinal epithelial cell barrier and inflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide. (LPS)-stimulated cells. Additionally, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production and microbial community composition were assessed. In the baby and adult models, M-SHIME® supernatants from SCF treated vessels protected Caco-2 membrane integrity from LPS-induced damage. SCF treatment resulted in the expansion of Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Bifidobacterial, as well as increased SCFA production in all age groups. SCF tended to have the greatest effect on propionate production. These findings demonstrate the prebiotic potential of SCF in babies, adults, and the elderly and provide insight into the mechanisms behind the observed prebiotic effects.
A protocol for Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of Lens culinaris Medik (lentil)
Authors: Polowick Patricia L. , Yan Wei
Published: January 2023

A reliable protocol for Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of Lens culinaris Medik (lentil) was developed. Using cultivar Laird, the protocol yielded rooted shoots from an average of 6.8 independent events per hundred seeds. The protocol utilized longitudinal slices of embryo axes from imbibed mature seed as a starting explant and a plasmid containing a β-glucuronidase:neomycin phosphotransferase (gus:nptII) fusion gene in Agrobacterium strain EHA105. A series of four media, each with appropriate levels of kanamycin selection were identified and other factors tested included the optical density of the Agrobacterium suspension, and type and concentration of plant growth regulators. The expression of the gus reporter gene was visualized through histochemical staining, and further molecular analysis through PCR, qPCR, ddPCR and Southern hybridization confirmed transformation and provided copy number. The inserted genes were inherited into the T1 generation and chimaeras were not identified. The time from co-cultivation to the planting of rooted shoots ranged from 4 to 7 months, as transgenic clusters continue to produce additional clonal shoots.
Embracing discomfort in active learning and technology-rich higher education settings: sensemaking through reflexive inquiry
Authors: McLay Katherine Frances , Thomasse Lauren , Reyes Vicente Chua
Published: January 2023

Preparing students for professional life in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous twenty-first century world has seen tertiary institutions eschew the traditional ‘lecture-tutorial’ model in favour of active learning approaches. However, implementing these approaches is not unproblematic. This paper explores how we navigated the tensions of cultivating twenty-first century skills in our students—first-year preservice teachers—through a purposely designed approach to active learning in an educational technology course. We illustrate how deploying Bakhtinian precepts through reflexive inquiry supported sensemaking of discomfort, leveraging this sensemaking to reinvigorate practice.
Experiences of listening to the Qur'an in Egypt: A qualitative phenomenological study of therapeutic and recreational listening
Authors: Ismail Mohamed Hossam
Published: January 2023

This is an interdisciplinary study that explores the impact of listening to the Qur'an on the physiological and psychological statuses of an average Egyptian Muslim. It is a transcendental phenomenological study that intersects with theories and concepts from different disciplines including reception studies, media, and popular culture analysis. The study uses two tools that are common in transcendental phenomenological studies: journals, memoirs, and in-depth interviews. Such tools help investigating the experience of listening to the Qur’an as an ongoing stream of consciousness. The study aims at exploring the phenomenon of listening to the Qur’an from the points of view of six participants who are heavy listeners of the Qur’an and are in the habit of writing memoirs and diaries, as a multi-case study purposive sample. The study reveals that the ritual practice of listening to the Qur'an differs from one person to another depending on several factors mainly gender and educational background. Analysis of the replies of the study respondents sheds light on the positive influence of listening to the Qur’an, and the characteristics of a good reciter from Muslims’ point of view. Future studies on a bigger sample are highly recommended so as to gain deeper insights into the influence of this Islamic ritual, leading to possible generalization.
Achieving soil health in Aotearoa New Zealand through a pluralistic values-based framework: mauri ora ki te whenua, mauri ora ki te tangata
Authors: Stronge Dean C. , Kannemeyer Robyn L. , Harmsworth Garth R. , Stevenson Bryan A.
Published: January 2023

Globally, soil policy and management have been based on a limited understanding of values and perspectives, and mainly dominated by a Western-centric soil science perspective. Further, this understanding has tended to be highly focused on instrumental values—particularly the soil’s productive potential and use. In this paper, we use the Nature Futures Framework (NFF) to analyse how Aotearoa New Zealand’s agricultural productive sectors express their relationship with soil and soil health. Our analysis highlights the multidimensional nature of soil values across society. Importantly, the results are consistent with work undertaken on Indigenous Māori perspectives of soil and soil health. Māori perspectives strongly connect soil to their people and take a holistic or well-being approach to soil. We then present a soil health and well-being framework that can incorporate a plurality of values from people of diverse backgrounds, including landowners, industry, farmers, and Indigenous peoples. We use a bi-cultural model approach—“waka taurua”—to demonstrate how the plurality of values from non-Indigenous and Indigenous groups in Aotearoa New Zealand can be used to shape process, dialogue and understanding, to develop shared goals to maintain and enhance the soil resource, and to achieve soil health and human well-being. There needs to be a shift in how soil policy and management is approached to achieve international calls to manage soils sustainably. Our approach using the NFF indicates that people assign multiple, co-existing values to soil. The resulting dialogue on values enriches our understanding of soils and soil health, and our relationships and connections with nature, improves the way we define threats and risks, and will lead to more targeted actions to achieve desired sustainable outcomes.
Treatment Considerations for Patients with Locoregionally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer with a Contraindication to Cisplatin
Authors: Kim Sangwoo S. , Liu Hannah C. , Mell Loren K.
Published: January 2023

Opinion statement

Significant advancements have been made in the treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer, predominantly driven by the integration of concurrent chemotherapy with radiation therapy as a standard of care for many patients. The most heavily investigated chemotherapeutic is cisplatin, yet many patients are ineligible for cisplatin due to the presence of pre-existing medical comorbidities. Moreover, given the toxicity profile of cisplatin, identifying which patients stand to benefit from cisplatin is challenging, which is particularly evident in older patients. Efforts to better risk-stratify patients based on age, performance status, and the degree of pre-existing comorbidities are ongoing and have been increasingly utilized in national clinical trials. In parallel, exploration into alternative systemic agents, including novel targeted therapies and immunotherapies, in cisplatin-ineligible patients are rapidly expanding. Cumulatively, identifying appropriate treatment paradigms in patients who harbor contraindications to cisplatin can not only improve clinical outcomes but also critically mitigate detrimental adverse effects.
Biological Aging in People Living with HIV on Successful Antiretroviral Therapy: Do They Age Faster?
Authors: Akusjärvi Sara Svensson , Neogi Ujjwal
Published: January 2023

Purpose of Review

In the absence of a prophylactic/therapeutic vaccine or cure, the most amazing achievement in the battle against HIV was the discovery of effective, well-tolerated combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). The primary research question remains whether PLWH on prolonged successful therapy has accelerated, premature, or accentuated biological aging. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of the immunometabolic profile in PLWH, potentially associated with biological aging, and a better understanding of the mechanisms and temporal dynamics of biological aging in PLWH.

Recent Findings

Biological aging, defined by the epigenetic alterations analyzed by the DNA methylation pattern, has been reported in PLWH with cART that points towards epigenetic age acceleration.

The hastened development of specific clinical geriatric syndromes like cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, cancers, liver diseases, neurocognitive diseases, persistent low-grade inflammation, and a shift toward glutamate metabolism in PLWH may potentiate a metabolic profile at-risk for accelerated aging.
Posttranscriptional Regulation of Gene Expression Participates in the Myelin Restoration in Mouse Models of Multiple Sclerosis: Antisense Modulation of HuR and HuD ELAV RNA Binding Protein
Authors: Borgonetti Vittoria , Galeotti Nicoletta
Published: January 2023

Neuropathic pain is the most difficult-to-treat pain syndrome in multiple sclerosis. Evidence relates neuropathic pain to demyelination, which often originates from unresolved neuroinflammation or altered immune response. Posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression might play a fundamental role in the regulation of these processes. The ELAV RNA-binding proteins HuR and HuD are involved in the promotion of inflammatory phenomena and in neuronal development and maintenance, respectively. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of HuR and HuD in demyelination-associated neuropathic pain in the mouse experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model. HuR resulted overexpressed in the spinal cord of MOG35-55–EAE and PLP139-151–EAE mice and was detected in CD11b + cells. Conversely, HuD was largely downregulated in the MOG–EAE spinal cord, along with GAP43 and neurofilament H, while in PLP-EAE mice, HuD and neuronal markers remained unaltered. Intranasal antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) delivery to knockdown HuR, increased myelin basic protein expression, and Luxol Fast Blue staining in both EAE models, an indication of increased myelin content. These effects temporally coincided with attenuation of pain hypersensitivity. Anti-HuR ASO increased the expression of HuD in GAP43-expressing cells and promoted a HuD-mediated neuroprotective activity in MOG–EAE mice, while in PLP–EAE mice, HuR silencing dampened pro-inflammatory responses mediated by spinal microglia activation. In conclusion, anti-HuR ASO showed myelin protection at analgesic doses with multitarget mechanisms, and it deserves further consideration as an innovative agent to counteract demyelination in neuropathic pain states.

Graphical Abstract
Enacting Inner Speech on the Academic Stage. A Dialogical Review on Fossa, P. (Ed.). (2022). New Perspectives on Inner Speech. Springer
Authors: Machková Markéta
Published: January 2023

The recently published Springer Brief in cultural psychology presents theoretical and empirical advances on inner speech. The editor Pablo Fossa suggests viewing inner speech as a private area toremember, play and dream, rather than a mere psychological function connected to problem solving. Along the lines of this suggestion, I adopt a playful approach in order to review the volume. Rather than delivering results of an analysis, I invite us to use the academic journal platform to take part in a dialogical encounter. In the first part of this essay, I offer a transparent step-by-step process of researcher's positioning, based onremembering and playing. In the second part, Idreamof research methodologies, which would allow us to explore inner speech as dynamic movements experienced by whole and dialogical beings. This experiment, in which I enact my inner speech on the academic stage, eventually lets three key-moments of Fossa's book come forward as gamechangers for future inquiries: 1. The importance of hearing one's voice in audio-diary based research, 2. the shift of attention towards experiential contexts of inner speech (such as bodily sensations or felt knowledge), and 3. the notion ofthirdnessas a meta-position, pointing at the mutual permeability of reflective and pre-reflective realms of inner speech. This performing review is inspired by a theatre-based practice called Dialogical Acting with the Inner Partners and represents an original contribution to researcher's self-reflexive positioning practices, as well as to inner speech qualitative research methodologies.
Curiosity, Checking, and Knowing: a Virtue-Theoretical Perspective
Authors: Miscevic Nenad
Published: January 2023

In his important and original book, Knowing and Checking, Guido Melchior provides advice on how to tackle skepticism. I argue that his analysis points to a possible virtue-theoretic answer to skepticism, which I call the restraint solution, i.e., activate your self-trust and restrain your inquisitiveness! It leads one to the ideal of bounded reflective curiosity: when it comes to knowledge, we should restrain our second-order, reflective curiosity and stay content with the somewhat Moorean trust in ordinary everyday beliefs. We can preserve our ordinary, first-order vigilance and investigative interest (curiosity) without falling into skeptical over-caution which is basically a reflective, second-order vicious attitude.
Chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia: literature review
Authors: Gao Ai , Zhang Linlin , Zhong Diansheng
Published: January 2023

Chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT) is a common condition that frequently results in reduced chemotherapy dosages, postponed treatment, bleeding, and unfavorable oncological outcomes. At present, there is no clear suggestions for preventing or treating CIT. Thrombopoietin (TPO) replacement therapy has been invented and used to treat CIT to promote the production of megakaryocytes and stimulate the formation of platelets. However, this treatment is limited to the risk of immunogenicity and cancer progression. Therefore, an unmet need exists for exploring alternatives to TPO to address the clinical issue of CIT. Application of appropriate therapeutic drugs may be due to understanding the potential mechanisms of CIT. Studies have shown that chemotherapy significantly affects various cells in bone marrow (BM) microenvironment, reduces their ability to support normal hematopoiesis, and may lead to BM damage, including CIT in cancer patients. This review focuses on the epidemiology and treatment of cancer patients with CIT. We also introduce some recent progress to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of chemotherapy inhibiting normal hematopoiesis and causing thrombocytopenia.
The application of patient-derived organoid in the research of lung cancer
Authors: Li Yin , Gao Xinyu , Ni Chao , Zhao Bing , Cheng Xinghua
Published: January 2023

Lung cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. However, mechanisms of its progression remained unclear and new treatments against this disease are rapidly emerging. As a novel preclinical model, patient-derived organoid (PDO) can also be established from the patient’s tumor tissue and cultured in the laboratory, which preserves the key biological characteristics of the original tumor. Compared to the patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model of lung cancer, the culture success rate is improved, and the time and cost of model establishment are largely reduced. PDO is also expected to provide a more individual model to predict the efficacy of anti-cancer treatment in vitro. This paper summarizes the current application of PDO in the translational research of lung cancer.
Miniaturization and Abstraction in the Later Stone Age
Authors: Shipton Ceri
Published: January 2023

This article offers some hypotheses to explain Later Stone Age lithic miniaturization: the systematic creation of small stone flakes on the finest-grained materials. Fundamentally, this phenomenon appears to represent the prioritization of stone tool sharpness over longevity, and a disposable mode of using stone tools. Ethnographic evidence from Australasia, the Andaman Islands, and Africa is used to suggest some specific functions for miniaturized lithics, as well as their relationship to other aspects of Later Stone Age material culture, including ochre crayons, shell beads, and notched bones. Miniaturized lithic functions are hypothesized to have a common basis in the cognitive capacity for abstraction: having ideas about ideas. The technological and social affordances of abstraction may have given laterHomo sapienssignificant adaptive advantages over other members of our genus.
Zusammenhang von Belastungsfaktoren im beruflichen Setting bei Erzieherinnen in Kindertagesstätten mit dem Burnout-Risiko
Authors: Darius Sabine , Hohmann Christina Barbara , Siegel Lydia , Böckelmann Irina
Published: January 2023

Hintergrund

Erzieherinnen und Erzieher aus Kindertagesstätten sind während ihrer Tätigkeit diversen Belastungen ausgesetzt, die zu gesundheitlichen Beeinträchtigungen führen können. Diese Studie untersucht, welche konkreten Belastungen die psychische Gesundheit der Erzieherinnen negativ beeinflussen.

Methoden

An der Studie nahmen 194 Erzieherinnen im Alter von 43,4 ± 12,5 Jahren freiwillig teil. Die Belastungsfaktoren, die unmittelbare Beanspruchung und das Burnout-Risiko als langfristige Beanspruchungsfolge wurden mit Fragebögen erfasst.

Ergebnisse

Als häufigste Belastungsfaktoren stellten sich viele Arbeitsaufgaben (96 %), Lärm (95 %) und viele Kinder in der Gruppe (91 %) heraus. Bei über 80 % der Erzieherinnen kamen körperliche Belastungen hinzu. Bedeutsame Beanspruchungen ließen sich aufgrund sozialer und organisationaler Faktoren feststellen. Bei 9 Erzieherinnen bestand ein Burnout-Risiko.

Schlussfolgerung

Organisationale Prozesse sollten optimiert und Lärm reduziert werden. Diskutiert wird, welche Präventionsmaßnahmen durchgeführt werden könnten, um die Gesundheit der Erzieherinnen zu erhalten.
The Integrative Studies on the Functional A-to-I RNA Editing Events in Human Cancers
Authors: Wu Sijia , Fan Zhiwei , Kim Pora , Huang Liyu , Zhou Xiaobo
Published: January 2023

Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing, constituting nearly 90% of all RNA editing events in humans, has been reported to contribute to the tumorigenesis in diverse cancers. However, the comprehensive map for functional A-to-I RNA editing events in cancers is still insufficient. To fill this gap, we systematically and intensively analyzed multiple tumorigenic mechanisms of A-to-I RNA editing events in samples across 33 cancer types from The Cancer Genome Atlas. For individual candidate among ∼ 1,500,000 quantified RNA editing events, we performed diverse types of downstream functional annotations. Finally, we identified 24,236 potentially functional A-to-I RNA editing events, including the cases in APOL1, IGFBP3, GRIA2, BLCAP, and miR-589-3p. These events might play crucial roles in the scenarios of tumorigenesis, due to their tumor-related editing frequencies or probable effects on altered expression profiles, protein functions, splicing patterns, and microRNA regulations of tumor genes. Our functional A-to-I RNA editing events (https://ccsm.uth.edu/CAeditome/) will help better understand the cancer pathology from the A-to-I RNA editing aspect.
Ethics and Law for Australian Nurses
Authors: Atkins Kim , Ripperger Bernhard , Ripperger Rebecca
Published: January 2023

Every day, registered nurses are required to act and make decisions based on their moral and legal obligations. They must build professional, culturally safe relationships with patients, understand patient rights and the requirements of consent, and prevent and manage clinical mistakes in order to avoid negligence and abuse of power. Now in its fifth edition, Ethics and Law for Australian Nurses guides students through foundational concepts such as personhood, autonomy, trust, consent and vulnerability, and considers a nurse's responsibilities in relation to voluntary assisted dying, abortions and advanced care directives. It explains the Australian legal system and how it relates to nursing practice. This edition discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially on elderly Australians, as well as on injury and negligence claims. It includes updated discussions on guardianship, assisted dying, abortion and 'not for resuscitation' orders.
A Concise History of Serbia
Authors: Djokić Dejan
Published: January 2023

This accessible and engaging book covers the full span of Serbia's history, from the sixth-century Slav migrations up to the present day. It traces key developments surrounding the medieval and modern polities associated with Serbs, revealing a fascinating history of entanglements and communication between southeastern and wider Europe, sometimes with global implications. This is a history of Serb states, institutions, and societies, which also gives voice to individual experiences in an attempt to understand how the events described impacted the people who lived through them. Although no real continuity between the pre-modern and modern periods exists, Dejan Djokić draws out several common themes, including: migrations; the Serbs' relations with neighbouring empires and peoples; Serbia as a society formed in the imperial borderlands; and the polycentricity of Serbia. The volume also highlights the surprising vitality of Serb identity, and how it has survived in different incarnations over the centuries through reinvention.
Peremptory Norms of General International Law (Jus Cogens) (Revisited) and Other Topics: The Seventy-Third Session of the International Law Commission
Authors: Murphy Sean D.
Published: January 2023

The International Law Commission (ILC) held its seventy-third session from April 18 to June 3 and from July 4 to August 5, 2022 in Geneva, under the chairmanship of Dire Tladi (South Africa). This session was the final one of the quinquennium, which originally would have occurred in the summer of 2021. (Since the Commission did not meet in the summer of 2020 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 sessions were postponed to 2021 and 2022 respectively.) Although the pandemic continued in 2022, the members faced fewer health risks and travel difficulties; consequently, the Commission held its session with almost all members physically present in Geneva, and just a few occasionally participating online by means of Zoom.
Impact of Vaccination on Cost and Course of Hospitalization Associated with COVID-19 Infection
Authors: Somani Selina T. , Firestone Rachelle L. , Donnelley Monica A. , Sanchez Luciano , Hatfield Chad , Fine Jeffrey , Wilson Machelle D. , Duby Jeremiah J.
Published: January 2023

Objective:

Examine the impact of vaccination status on hospital cost and course for patients admitted with COVID-19 infection.

Design:

Retrospective cohort study characterizing vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals hospitalized for COVID-19 between April 2021 to January 2022.

Setting:

Large academic medical center.

Methods:

Patients were included if they were greater than 18 years old, fully vaccinated or unvaccinated against COVID-19, and admitted for COVID-19 infection.

Patients:

437 consecutively admitted patients for COVID-19 infection met inclusion criteria. Of these, 79 were excluded for unknown or partial vaccination status, transfer from an outside hospital, or multiple COVID-19 related admissions.

Results:

Overall, 279 (77.9%) unvaccinated patients compared to 79 (22.1%) vaccinated patients were hospitalized with a diagnosis of COVID-19. Average length of stay was significantly lower in the vaccinated group (6.47 days versus 8.92 days, P = 0.03). Vaccinated patients experienced a 70.6% lower risk of ICU admission (OR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.12–0.71, P = 0.006). The unadjusted cost of hospitalization was not found to be statistically significant ($119,630 versus $191,146, P = 0.06). After adjusting for age and comorbidities, vaccinated patients experienced a 26% lower cost of hospitalization compared to unvaccinated patients (P = 0.004). Unvaccinated patients incurred a significantly higher cost of hospitalization per day ($29,425 vs $13,845 P < 0.0001). Unvaccinated patients (n = 118, 42.9%) were more likely than vaccinated patients (n = 16, 20.3%) to require high-flow oxygen or mechanical ventilation (OR = 2.95, 95% CI 1.62–5.38, P = 0.0004).

Conclusion:

Vaccinated patients experienced a lower cost of hospitalization after adjusting for age and comorbidities and shorter length of stay compared to unvaccinated patients admitted for COVID-19.
“Send a Soldier to Parliament”: Ex-servicemen, Masculinity, and the Legacies of the Great War in Liberal Electoral and Parliamentary Politics
Authors: Johnson Matthew
Published: January 2023

The spectacular collapse of the Liberal Party in Britain has often been regarded as the result of a crisis in Liberal values, supposedly provoked by the unprecedented militarization of British society during the Great War. However, this interpretation typically fails to recognize the extent to which the most important and visible legacies of that process of militarization were accommodated within the Liberal Party itself. Between 1918 and 1929, more than a hundred ex-servicemen were elected to Parliament as Liberal MPs, and scores more stood as Liberal candidates. This article examines how these men negotiated, presented, and performed their military identities within the framework of postwar electoral politics; analyzes how they operated in Parliament; and traces the longer-term trajectories of their political careers. It challenges the assumption that Liberals were temperamentally or ideologically incapable of engaging with the war's legacies, demonstrating the ability of Liberal candidates to exploit the iconography and rhetorical tropes of military service when appealing to an electorate that had been profoundly shaped by the experience of war and military mobilization. Liberals sought to contest Conservative Party attempts to monopolize the politics of patriotism after 1918 by constructing gendered electoral appeals that acknowledged the unstable meanings of the Great War and the ambiguous status of the men who had fought in it. However, the inability of Liberal politicians to unite around a shared understanding of what the war had meant ultimately prevented them from exploiting the memory of the conflict as effectively as their Conservative and Labour rivals.
Nutrient density and cost of commonly consumed foods: a South African perspective
Authors: Madlala Samukelisiwe S. , Hill Jillian , Kunneke Ernesta , Faber Mieke
Published: January 2023

Food-based dietary guidelines promote consumption of a variety of nutritious foods for optimal health and prevention of chronic disease. However, adherence to these guidelines is challenging because of high food costs. The present study aimed to determine the nutrient density of foods relative to cost in South Africa, with the aim to identify foods within food groups with the best nutritional value per cost. A checklist of 116 food items was developed to record the type, unit, brand and cost of foods. Food prices were obtained from the websites of three national supermarkets and the average cost per 100 g edible portion was used to calculate cost per 100 kcal (418 kJ) for each food item. Nutrient content of the food items was obtained from the South African Food Composition Tables. Nutrient density was calculated using the Nutrient Rich Food (NRF9.3) Index. Nutrient density relative to cost was calculated as NRF9.3/price per 100 kcal. Vegetables and fruits had the highest NRF9.3 score and cost per 100 kcal. Overall, pulses had the highest nutritional value per cost. Fortified maizemeal porridge and bread had the best nutritional value per cost within the starchy food group. Foods with the least nutritional value per cost were fats, oils, foods high in fat and sugar, and foods and drinks high in sugar. Analysis of nutrient density and cost of foods can be used to develop tools to guide low-income consumers to make healthier food choices by identifying foods with the best nutritional value per cost.
A simplest mathematics of turn-taking: Conversational deep structure, emergence, and permeation
Authors: Cannon Bryan C. , Robinson Dawn T.
Published: January 2023

David Gibson’s (2008) examination of research on conversational interaction highlighted methodological and theoretical gaps in current understanding – particularly around the localized construction of interaction and the reproduction of social structures. This paper extends extant formal models used by group process researchers to explain how exogenous status structures shape local interaction by incorporating insights from qualitative work examining the local production of conversational interaction. Relational events serve as a bridge between conversation analytic understandings of the deep structure of conversation and expectation states formal models of permeation. We propose a theoretical integration of the status organizing process (permeation) and local turn-taking rules (deep structure) as a more complete model of conversational behavior in task groups. We test a formalized construction of this preliminary theory by examining turn-taking using data from 55 task groups whose members vary in gender, authority, and legitimacy of that authority. This integrated model offers substantial improvements in prediction accuracy over using status information alone. We then propose ways to expand the integrated theoretical framework to advance current understandings of action and events in conversation. Finally, we offer suggestions for insights from group processes theories that could be incorporated into network models of interaction outside of this theoretical framework.
Image-based searches for pulsar candidates using MWA VCS data
Authors: Sett S. , Bhat N. D. R. , Sokolowski M. , Lenc E.
Published: January 2023

Pulsars have been studied extensively over the last few decades and have proven instrumental in exploring a wide variety of physics. Discovering more pulsars emitting at low radio frequencies is crucial to further our understanding of spectral properties and emission mechanisms. The Murchison Widefield Array Voltage Capture System (MWA VCS) has been routinely used to study pulsars at low frequencies and discover new pulsars. The MWA VCS offers the unique opportunity of recording complex voltages from all individual antennas (tiles), which can be off-line beamformed or correlated/imaged at millisecond time resolution. Devising imaged-based methods for finding pulsar candidates, which can be verified in beamformed data, can accelerate the complete process and lead to more pulsar detections. Image-based searches for pulsar candidates can reduce the number of tied-array beams required, increasing compute resource efficiency. Despite a factor of

$\sim$

4 loss in sensitivity, searching for pulsar candidates in images from the MWA VCS, we can explore a larger parameter space, potentially leading to discoveries of pulsars missed by high-frequency surveys such as steep spectrum pulsars, exotic binary systems, or pulsars obscured in high-time resolution time series data by propagation effects. Image-based searches are also essential to probing parts of parameter space inaccessible to traditional beamformed searches with the MWA (e.g. at high dispersion measures). In this paper we describe the innovative approach and capability of dual-processing MWA VCS data, that is forming 1-s visibilities and sky images, finding pulsar candidates in these images, and verifying by forming tied-array beam. We developed and tested image-based methods of finding pulsar candidates, which are based on pulsar properties such as steep spectral index, polarisation and variability. The efficiency of these methodologies has been verified on known pulsars, and the main limitations explained in terms of sensitivity and low-frequency spectral turnover of some pulsars. No candidates were confirmed to be a new pulsar, but this new capability will now be applied to a larger subset of observations to accelerate pulsar discoveries with the MWA and potentially speed up future searches with the SKA-Low.
Harnessing Backlash: How Leaders Can Benefit from Antagonizing Foreign Actors
Authors: Matush Kelly
Published: January 2023

Leaders nearly always claim that their diplomatic campaigns are intended to attract foreign support. However, many diplomatic campaigns fail spectacularly in this regard. While these events have largely been explained as diplomatic failures, I argue that alienating the apparent target of an international diplomatic campaign can be a deliberate strategy leaders use to win domestic support. Under certain conditions, a costly backlash from a foreign actor can be a credible signal that the leader shares the domestic audience's preferences. Therefore, by intentionally provoking a backlash from a valuable foreign actor, leaders can exchange foreign condemnation for an increase in domestic support. I support this argument with evidence from Netanyahu's 2015 speech to the US Congress. I show that, as expected by this theoretical framework, Netanyahu's efforts resulted in a significant backlash among US Democrats and a corresponding increase of support among right-wing Israelis, a crucial constituency for his upcoming election.
Marker-assisted selection for improving body weight in local chickens in Egypt
Authors: Helal M. M. , El-Gendy E. A.
Published: January 2023

There is a need for a low-cost strategy that accelerates the genetic change in local chicken breeds. Therefore, the objective of this study is to develop a strategy for marker-assisted selection for growth in local chickens in the developing countries. The studied lines were a homozygous normally feathered selected line (CE1), homozygous naked-neck selected line (CE3) and their corresponding control lines (CE2 and CE4). Lines CE1 and CE3 have been selected for high 6-week body weight (BW) for five generations. Three generations were obtained for this study. In the current study, we consider the 6th generation as the base generation for marker-assisted selection study. Two subsequent selected generations were obtained from the base generation. The selected lines were significantly heavier at 6 weeks of age than their corresponding control lines by 24.15 and 27.07% in the base generation and by 51.4 and 34.5% in the second selected generation. A total of 34 polymorphic alleles in 19 loci were flown over generations and the flow trends were different in different lines and families within lines. Principal component analysis was applied to the data of both lines and two main components were found and three canonical correlations were obtained. Four and five alleles were persistently concomitant with the highly performed families in lines CE1 and CE3, respectively. These alleles would have brought 6-week BW into higher levels of performance by 25.1 and 16.6% in the second generation if they would have been considered in the selection for 6-week BW.
Rethinking the Current “Stage-and-Wait” Paradigm
Authors: Ragoler Morel , Radomislensky Irina , Dolev Eran , Renert Liran , Peleg Kobi
Published: January 2023

Introduction:

The experience of terrorist incidents involving a secondary explosive device that targeted rescue forces led to changes in the safety protocols of these forces in most countries of the world. These protocols are the foundation of the current “Stage-and-Wait” paradigm that prohibits the entry of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) from entering the scene and treating casualties until it is deemed safe. These guidelines were established absent of an evidence-base detailing the risk to responders and the potential consequences to the injured on-scene. The lack of clarity is compounded by the fact that different situations, as well as operational considerations, such as the length of time until bomb squad arrival at the scene versus time of massive bleeding injuries, for example, impact outcomes must be taken into account.

Objective:

This study sought to shed light on this matter while employing an evidence-based approach exploring the investigations of the frequency of secondary explosion threats in terrorist attacks over the last 20 years and discussing some of the ethical challenges and ramifications ensuing. While this study does not propose an outright change to current guidelines, in light of the evidence gathered, an open review and discussion based on the findings may be beneficial.

Methods:

The Global Terrorism Database (GTD) was used as the data source of bombing incidents world-wide.

Results:

The results revealed that approximately 70 per-1,000 bombing incidents involved secondary explosions across regions and countries within the study period.

Conclusion:

This study emphasizes the need to rethink the current “Stage-and-Wait” paradigm by recommending brainstorming conferences comprised of multi-sectoral experts aimed at deliberating the matter. World-wide experts in emergency medicine, bioethics, and disaster management should cautiously consider all aspects of bomb-related incidents. These brainstorming deliberations should consider the calculated risk of secondary explosions that account for approximately 70 per-1,000 bombing incidents. This study highlights the need to re-examine the current versus new paradigm to achieve a better balance between the need to ensure EMS safety while also providing the necessary and immediate care to improve casualty survival. This ethical dilemma of postponing urgent care needs to be confronted.