bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gut microbial diversity and functional characterization in people with alcohol use disorder: A case-control study
Authors: Piacentino Daria , Vizioli Carlotta , Barb Jennifer J. , Grant-Beurmann Silvia , Bouhlal Sofia , Battista Jillian T. , Jennings Olivia , Lee Mary R. , Schwandt Melanie L. , Walter Peter , Henderson Wendy A. , Chen Kun , Turner Sara , Yang Shanna , Fraser Claire M. , Farinelli Lisa A. , Farokhnia Mehdi , Leggio Lorenzo
Published: June 2024

Individuals with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) typically have comorbid chronic health conditions, including anxiety and depression disorders, increased sleep disruption, and poor nutrition status, along with gut microbial dysbiosis. To better understand the effects of gut dysbiosis previously shown in individuals with AUD, gut microbiome and metabolome were investigated between three cohorts. Two groups of individuals with AUD included treatment-seeking newly abstinent for at least six weeks (AB: N = 10) and non-treatment-seeking currently drinking (CD: N = 9) individuals. The third group was age, gender, and BMI-matched healthy controls (HC: N = 12). Deep phenotyping during two weeks of outpatient National Institutes of Health Clinical Center visits was performed, including clinical, psychological, medical, metabolic, dietary, and experimental assessments. Alpha and beta diversity and differential microbial taxa and metabolite abundance of the gut microbiome were examined across the three groups. Metabolites derived from the lipid super-pathway were identified to be more abundant in the AB group compared to CD and HC groups. The AB individuals appeared to be most clinically different from CD and HC individuals with respect to their gut microbiome and metabolome. These findings highlight the potential long-term effects of chronic alcohol use in individuals with AUD, even during short-term abstinence.
Investigation of mechanical and thermal behavior of fiber-reinforced silica xerogel composites
Authors: Ammar Muhammad , Wakeel Aneela , Nasir Muhammad Ali , Zubair Muhammad
Published: June 2024

Silica aerogels or xerogels are renowned dried gels with low density, high surface area, higher porosity, and better thermal stability which makes it suitable for aerospace, light weight structures, thermal insulation, and hydrophobic coatings. But brittle behaviour, low mechanical strength, and high manufacturing cost restrict its usage. Recently, the addition of various fibres like glass or carbon fiber is one of the best reinforcement methods to minimize the brittle behaviour. Supercritical drying technique usually used to develop aerogel that is expensive and difficult to produce in bulk quantities. Higher cost obstacle can be tackled by applying ambient pressure drying technique to develop xerogel. But researcher observed cracks in samples prepared through the ambient pressure drying technique is still a major shortcoming. The aim of this study is to systematically analyze the influence of silica gel fiber reinforcement on silica xerogels, encompassing morphology, mechanics, thermal behaviour, compression test, and thermogravimetric characteristics. The research used a low-cost precursor named Tetraethyl orthosilicate to synthesize low-cost composite Silica xerogel and glass and carbon fiber added to provide strength and flexibility to the overall composite. Silica gel works as binder in strengthening the xerogel network. The investigation employs scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to examine the morphology of the composites, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis to affirm hydrophobic characteristics, compression tests to assess mechanical strength, and thermogravimetric tests to study weight loss under different conditions. SEM results reveals that glass fibers exhibit lower adhesion to the xerogel network compared to carbon fibers. FTIR analysis confirms the hydrophobicity of the composite silica xerogel. Compression tests showed that, under a 48% strain rate, the carbon fiber composite demonstrates superior compressive stress endurance. Thermogravimetric tests revealed a 1% lower weight loss for the carbon fiber composite compared to the glass fiber composite. This work concludes that glass and carbon fiber together with silica gel particles successfully facilitated in developing flexible, less costly, hydrophobic, and crack-free silica xerogel composites by APD. These advancements have the potential to drive innovations in material science and technology across diverse industries.
More than just a color: Archaeological, analytical, and procedural aspects of Late Bronze Age purple-dye production at Cape Kolonna, Aegina
Authors: Berger Lydia , Forstenpointner Gerhard , Frühauf Peter , Kanz Fabian
Published: June 2024

Excavations in the Eastern Suburb of Bronze Age Aegina Kolonna revealed the destruction deposit of two sequenced Early Mycenaean buildings (phase Late Helladic IIA; 16th century BC). The older building is interpreted as a widely undisturbed production site of purple-dye based on indicative finds such as ceramic sherds containing analyzable quantities of pigment, high amounts of mollusk shells, and a few functional facilities. Chemical analysis by HPLC and malacological determination revealed that the banded dye-murex (Hexaplex trunculus) was used almost exclusively. The presence of crushing tools and a waste disposal pit provide insight into the technical process of dye production. Additionally, skeletal remains of heavily burnt infantile and juvenile piglets, kids, or lambs were found in the purple workshop area. The evidence may be better explained by ritual activities aimed at promoting the highly meaningful event of purple production, rather than by normal food consumption practices.
Disinfection of sink drains to reduce a source of three opportunistic pathogens, during Serratia marcescens clusters in a neonatal intensive care unit
Authors: Bourdin Thibault , Benoit Marie-Ève , Prévost Michèle , Charron Dominique , Quach Caroline , Déziel Eric , Constant Philippe , Bédard Emilie
Published: June 2024

Objective

Evaluate the effects of five disinfection methods on bacterial concentrations in hospital sink drains, focusing on three opportunistic pathogens (OPs): Serratia marcescens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia.

Design

Over two years, three sampling campaigns were conducted in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Samples from 19 sink drains were taken at three time points: before, during, and after disinfection. Bacterial concentration was measured using culture-based and flow cytometry methods. High-throughput short sequence typing was performed to identify the three OPs and assess S. marcescens persistence after disinfection at the genotypic level.

Setting

This study was conducted in a pediatric hospitals NICU in Montréal, Canada, which is divided in an intensive and intermediate care side, with individual rooms equipped with a sink.

Interventions

Five treatments were compared: self-disinfecting drains, chlorine disinfection, boiling water disinfection, hot tap water flushing, and steam disinfection.

Results

This study highlights significant differences in the effectiveness of disinfection methods. Chlorine treatment proved ineffective in reducing bacterial concentration, including the three OPs. In contrast, all other drain interventions resulted in an immediate reduction in culturable bacteria (4–8 log) and intact cells (2–3 log). Thermal methods, particularly boiling water and steam treatments, exhibited superior effectiveness in reducing bacterial loads, including OPs. However, in drains with well-established bacterial biofilms, clonal strains of S. marcescens recolonized the drains after heat treatments.

Conclusions

Our study supports thermal disinfection (>80°C) for pathogen reduction in drains but highlights the need for additional trials and the implementation of specific measures to limit biofilm formation.
Prognostic model of in-hospital ischemic stroke mortality based on an electronic health record cohort in Indonesia
Authors: Yamanie Nizar , Felistia Yuli , Susanto Nugroho Harry , Lamuri Aly , Sjaaf Amal Chalik , Miftahussurur Muhammad , Santoso Anwar
Published: June 2024

Stroke patients rarely have satisfactory survival, which worsens further if comorbidities develop in such patients. Limited data availability from Southeast Asian countries, especially Indonesia, has impeded the disentanglement of post-stroke mortality determinants. This study aimed to investigate predictors of in-hospital mortality in patients with ischemic stroke (IS). This retrospective observational study used IS medical records from the National Brain Centre Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia. A theoretically driven Cox’s regression and Fine-Gray models were established by controlling for age and sex to calculate the hazard ratio of each plausible risk factor for predicting in-hospital stroke mortality and addressing competing risks if they existed. This study finally included 3,278 patients with IS, 917 (28%) of whom had cardiovascular disease and 376 (11.5%) suffered renal disease. Bivariate exploratory analysis revealed lower blood levels of triglycerides, low density lipoprotein, and total cholesterol associated with in-hospital-stroke mortality. The average age of patients with post-stroke mortality was 64.06 ± 11.32 years, with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 23.77 kg/m2 and a median Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 12 and an IQR of 5. Cardiovascular disease was significantly associated with IS mortality risk. NIHSS score at admission (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00–1.07), male sex (HR = 1.51[1.01–2.26] and uric acid level (HR = 1.02 [1.00–1.03]) predicted survivability. Comorbidities, such as cardiovascular disease (HR = 2.16 [1.37–3.40], pneumonia (HR = 2.43 [1.42–4.15] and sepsis (HR = 2.07 [1.09–3.94, had higher hazards for post-stroke mortality. Contrarily, the factors contributing to a lower hazard of mortality were BMI (HR = 0.94 [0.89–0.99]) and GCS (HReye = 0.66 [0.48–0.89]. In summary, our study reported that male sex, NIHSS, uric acid level, cardiovascular diseases, pneumonia, sepsis. BMI, and GCS on admission were strong determinants of in-hospital mortality in patients with IS.
Garden of Future Blackness: A terraform artwork
Authors: Ware Syrus Marcus , Mitchell Allyson
Published: June 2024

This photo essay documents the making of the Garden of Future Blackness, a sankofa-shaped garden and land-based community artwork that promotes a future where Blackness will be inherently valuable, cherished, and nurtured. Started in the summer of 2020 on the 64-acre site of FAR (Feminist Artist Residency), the Garden became the site of one of three outdoor performances that closed the weeklong Witch Institute symposium in August 2021.
Faye Driscoll: Weathering
Authors: Cardwell Erica N.
Published: June 2024

This is a review about the choreographer Faye Driscoll’s most recent work, “Weathering” which was recently performed at Daniels Spectrum and presented by Blackwood Gallery at the University of Toronto Mississauga.
Carole Itter: Only When I’m Hauling Water Do I Wonder If I’m Getting Any Stronger
Authors: Park Yerang
Published: June 2024

A review of Vancouver-based artist Carole Itter’s recent retrospective at the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, highlighting Itter’s artistic research, begun in the 1960s, around the Northwest Coast, critically embodying the dynamic shift of late-capitalist material and ecological conditions in and beyond the Vancouver area. Deploying the totem-like assemblage of consumed materials as a strategy of political resistance, Itter’s works do not simply build a space for pre-capitalist and primitivist ideas of the ritual but rather, through their post-industrial materials and their transformation via the feminine craft of slow weaving, they meticulously sketch the unevenness of plural temporalities in the late-capitalist era.
El patrimonio histórico educativo como fuente para la historia pública de la educación: entre buenas prácticas y nuevas perspectivas. III Congreso Nacional SIPSE (Milán, 14 a 15 de diciembre de 2023)
Authors: Lucchetti Costanza , Allgayer Rochele
Published: June 2024

El presente articulo tiene por objeto informar sobre las actividades realizadas en el marco del III Congreso Nacional impulsado por la Società Italiana per lo Studio del Patrimonio Storico-Educativo (SIPSE), que tuvo lugar los días 14 y 15 de diciembre de 2023 en la Università del Sacro Cuore de Milán (Italia). Las dos jornadas fueron un importante momento de intercambio entre estudiosos de países europeos y no europeos, que se enfrentaron sobre el tema del patrimonio material e inmaterial como objeto de investigación histórico-educativa, y sobre la valiosa contribución que la Historia Pública ofrece en este campo.
La juventud en el ecosistema mediático: una mirada al consumo y la producción informativos de las nuevas generaciones
Authors: Meneu Borja Marta , Soria Salvador Alicia , Aguar Torres Joaquín
Published: June 2024

Esta investigación combina una metodología cuantitativa con una cualitativa para esbozar tendencias en el consumo informativo de la juventud, pero también en la producción informativa de quienes comienzan su andadura en la profesión periodística. Se observa que las nuevas generaciones priorizan las redes sociales por encima de los medios tradicionales, aunque se muestran críticos con sus lógicas de funcionamiento y evidencian fenómenos derivados como News Find Me, sobresaturación, news avoidance o desinformación.
Interactional and convivial possibilities at war: Ukrainian students’ home-making on a multicultural campus
Authors: Calic Jelena , Tarsoly Eszter , Oliinyk Hanna
Published: June 2024

This article examines Ukrainian students’ home-making at London’s multilingual and multicultural universities, contrasting the ways in which students’ idea of themselves and their sense of belonging developed after their arrival in London, and the ways in which this experience was altered by the outbreak of war on 24 February 2022. For international students in the UK, making themselves at home on a university campus is a relational process in which cultural, linguistic and political ideas and practices, brought together from the students’ former homes, are negotiated and transcended in newly established social networks. In this article, we explore the ways in which students’ networks, old and new, are altered as a result of their experience of war. Our findings indicate that when imagined personal life trajectories are disrupted as a result of the social and political crisis that accompanies the war, the possibilities of articulating the individual experience and the social interactions that provide such affordances are existential processes, which allow (or not) individuals to (re-)engage in home-making and to find new meaning in their emplacement and sense of self.
DESIGUALDADE SOCIOESPACIAL E DESENVOLVIMENTO TERRITORIAL NO BRASIL: INDICADORES E ÍNDICES
Authors: Guedes Walef Pena , Branchi Bruna Angela , Ferreira Denise Helena Lombardo , Sugahara Cibele Roberta
Published: June 2024

A salvaguarda das necessidades básicas é o grande desafio advindo da contemporaneidade. Frente à complexidade das desigualdades entre as regiões brasileiras, a proposição e utilização de índices multidimensionais a partir de indicadores sintéticos podem favorecer a gestão pública quanto à avaliação e mensuração dos fenômenos intimamente relacionados às múltiplas desigualdades. Nesse sentido, este estudo teve como objetivo discutir a desigualdade socioespacial e o desenvolvimento territorial através da elaboração e aplicação de um Índice Multidimensional de Desigualdade Socioespacial. Trata-se de uma pesquisa aplicada, exploratória e quantitativa, realizada utilizando dados secundários disponíveis no Atlas do Desenvolvimento Humano Brasil (2023), amparado na aplicação da técnica multivariada de Análise Fatorial. O índice proposto neste estudo parte do pressuposto de que uma avaliação holística necessita incluir a dimensão ambiental, social e econômica. Como resultados, o Índice Multidimensional de Desigualdade Socioespacial dos estados brasileiros apresenta a concentração dos piores valores nos estados do Maranhão, Amapá e Acre, enquanto o decil com os melhores resultados inclui os estados de Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná e Santa Catarina.
IA y orientación académica y profesional
Authors: Núñez Colás Juan M.
Published: June 2024

La inteligencia artificial generativa se ha convertido en tema de discusión y debate en todos los ámbitos sociales y profesionales y la educación no se ha quedado atrás. Necesitamos tener la pausa necesaria para la reflexión y la audacia suficiente para su aprovechamiento de manera que seamos capaces de comprender primero y utilizar después todas las posiblidades que nos ofrece en pos de un modelo de sociedad más justo y equitativo. Veremos en este artículo algunos porqués y algunos cómos en relación al potencial de la IA en el ámbito de la orientación académica y profesional.
La identidad de Marta
Authors: Fernández Mangado Jonás
Published: June 2024

En este artículo se aborda el tema de la construcción de la identidad y sus implicaciones en la escuela, en concreto en colegios de la Compañía de Jesús. Está redactado como una carta a una compañera en la que describe una formación en la que se ha participado.
Protração da maxila: quando utilizar a Barra Manhães ou o Arco Lingual Manhães Bordallo?
Authors: André Cristiane
Published: June 2024

Objetivo: O presente trabalho mostra a importância do planejamento tridimensional na escolha entre os aparelhos Barra Manhães, Barra Manhães Articulada e Arco Lingual Manhães Bordallo, nos tratamentos de más oclusões de Classe III e expansão rápida da maxila (Hyrax Híbrido). Métodos: Enfatizamos alguns pontos importantes, como a altura da crista óssea e o espaço entre as raízes; a instalação dos mini-implantes sem lesionar o ligamento periodontal; a presença de dentes girovertidos e dentes em fase ativa de erupção. Conclusão: Essas características podem impossibilitar ou retardar o início das terapias, deixando evidente que a anatomia dos pacientes deve ser avaliada de forma individual e previamente à instalação, aumentando as chances de sucesso. Além disso, com o uso de guias de transferência, podemos trabalhar de forma segura e previsível.
El contrato de renting o leasing operativo. Régimen jurídico privado y aspectos contables y tributarios
Authors: Martínez Cañella Anselmo María
Published: June 2024

En el libro sobre el contrato de renting, Anselmo Martínez Cañellas realiza un análisis pormenorizado del régimen jurídico privado del contrato. Contempla el renting como un contrato mixto de arrendamiento de bienes muebles y de contrato de servicios, diferenciándolo de otros contratos, como el de la compraventa a plazos, el contrato de leasing financiero o el arrendamiento de bienes muebles a corto plazo. La obra es novedosa en tanto que resalta los aspectos contables y tributarios como criterios interpretativos útiles para la determinación de la naturaleza jurídica del contrato. Seguidamente, analiza los elementos personales, reales, formales y temporales del contrato, y el contenido de derechos y obligaciones de las partes. Finaliza con las formas de extinción del contrato. Todo ello, con especial consideración a la doctrina española y, sobre todo, a la jurisprudencia sobre este tipo de contratos, especial mente abundante desde 2010. En la obra se incluyen referencias a 295 resoluciones del Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Unión Europea, del Tribunal Supremo y de las Audiencias Provinciales, además de las resoluciones de órganos administrativos, especialmente relevantes en aspectos tributarios y contables.
Struktur Komunitas Sumber Daya Teripang di Perairan Tanjung Gelam, Pulau Karimunjawa
Authors: Pinasthi Laili Salma , Hartoko Agus , Muskananfola Max Rudolf
Published: June 2024

Teripang merupakan salah satu echinodermata yang dapat ditemukan di perairan Tanjung Gelam, Karimunjawa dan bernilai ekonomis tinggi di pasaran domestik maupun internasional. Perairan Tanjung Gelam memiliki ekosistem terumbu karang yang disukai teripang, namun saat ini terjadi penurunan populasi teripang yang ditunjukkan dari semakin menurunnya jenis teripang karena adanya kegiatan penangkapan secara ekstensif. Tujuan dari penelitian adalah untuk mengetahui jenis teripang yang ada, struktur komunitas sumber daya teripang, kelimpahan relatif, indeks keanekaragaman, indeks keseragaman, indeks dominansi, dan kualitas perairan di Tanjung Gelam, Karimunjawa. Penelitian dilakukan pada bulan April – November 2023. Pengambilan sampel teripang dilakukan di 2 stasiun perairan Tanjung Gelam, Karimunjawa pada bulan Agustus 2023. Hasil data struktur komunitas menunjukkan bahwa pada Stasiun-1 (10-15 m) ditemukan 6 jenis teripang dengan kelimpahan tertinggi pada spesies Bohadschia argus dan Stichopus horrens dengan nilai masing-masing sebesar 28,6%, sedangkan nilai terendah terdapat pada spesies Bohadschia subrubra dan Isostichopus badionotus dengan nilai masing-masing sebesar 7,1%. Stasiun-1 memiliki indeks keanekaragaman senilai 1,649 (sedang); indeks keseragaman senilai 0,920 (tinggi); indeks dominansi senilai 0,214 (rendah). Di samping itu, pada Stasiun-2 ditemukan 5 jenis teripang dengan kelimpahan relatif tertinggi terdapat pada spesies Stichopus horrens dengan nilai 50,0% sedangkan nilai terendah pada spesies Holothuria flavomaculata dan Isostichopus badionotus dengan nilai kelimpahan relatif masing-masing sebesar 8,3%. Stasiun-2 (17-18 m) memiliki indeks keanekaragaman senilai 1,358 (sedang); indeks keseragaman senilai 0,844 (tinggi); indeks dominansi senilai 0,319 (sedang). Kedua stasisun memiliki nilai parameter kualitas air yang tidak berbeda signifikan dimana parameter suhu, salinitas, pH dan substrat tergolong optimal bagi kehidupan teripang.
Analisis Hubungan Panjang Berat dan Faktor Kondisi Teripang (Stichopus horrens) Berdasarkan Hasil Tangkapan Nelayan di Perairan Karimunjawa
Authors: Lestari Abid , Muskananfola Max Rudolf , Hartoko Agus , Rudiyanti Siti
Published: June 2024

Teripang (Stichopus horrens) merupakan salah satu komoditas perikanan yang memiliki nilai ekonomis penting. Stichopus horrens merupakan teripang dengan peminat besar di industri konsumsi dan produksi sehingga berpengaruh terhadap aspek biologisnya. Ketersediaan data panjang berat dan faktor kondisi dapat menjadi informasi penting untuk pengelolaan sumber daya teripang di kemudian hari. Tujuan dilakukannya penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisa hubungan panjang berat dan faktor kondisi teripang Stichopus horrens. Penelitian dilakukan pada bulan Agustus 2023 di perairan Tanjung Gelam, Karimunjawa. Pengumpulan data dilakukan pada malam hari. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode deskriptif kuantitatif dengan melakukan pengambilan sampel dengan teknik sensus sampling. Pengambilan sampel dilakukan dengan penyelaman langsung pada kedalaman 10 – 20m dengan waktu penyelaman dua jam. Data yang diambil adalah data panjang (cm) dan berat (gr). Analisis data dilakukan menggunakan software Microsoft Excel. Total sampel yang didapatkan sejumlah sepuluh ekor, hasil analisis didapatkan sifat pertumbuhan teripang allometrik negatif, yaitu pertambahan panjang lebih cepat dari pada pertambahan beratnya.
A Data-Driven Method for Parametric PDE Eigenvalue Problems Using Gaussian Process with Different Covariance Functions
Authors: Alghamdi Moataz , Bertrand Fleurianne , Boffi Daniele , Halim Abdul
Published: June 2024

We use a Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) strategy to analyze different types of curves that are commonly encountered in parametric eigenvalue problems.
We employ an offline-online decomposition method.
In the offline phase, we generate the basis of the reduced space by applying the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method on a collection of pre-computed, full-order snapshots at a chosen set of parameters.
Then we generate our GPR model using four different Matérn covariance functions.
In the online phase, we use this model to predict both eigenvalues and eigenvectors at new parameters.
We then illustrate how the choice of each covariance function influences the performance of GPR.
Furthermore, we discuss the connection between Gaussian Process Regression and spline methods and compare the performance of the GPR method against linear and cubic spline methods.
We show that GPR outperforms other methods for functions with a certain regularity.
Wie situiert sich Theorie?
Authors: Eusterschulte Anne
Published: June 2024

The essay outlines modelling theory in terms of an active form of thinking. In contrast to concepts of theory whose validity can be described by a scientific explanatory approach with a systematic character and the claim to universalization regarding a specific field of research, the question here is about varieties of theory building. The focus is on theoretical activity, not on theory as a result. Based on ancient implications of the term θεωρία (theoria), models of a theoretical activity, attitude or stance are brought into focus, whereby ways of distancing are constitutive in each case. What does theorizing mean from the perspective of a spectator and to what extent is purposelessness to be thought of as a critical potential? Does the theoretical performance of thought include a sense of possibility and to what extent is this articulated in the aesthetic forms of language? Do theoretical realizations in the literary medium move on a threshold between historical determinisms and the freedom of a conceivable future? To what extent do theoretical views have a synaesthetic dimension, and can we imagine poetic language as a medium of theoretical reflection? Is the nuanced linguistic nature of theoretical articulation modes the very condition of critical intervention? All these modellings of aesthetic distancing ask about the forms in which theory can be expressed, including ways of writing theoretical activity.
Application of discrete symmetry to natural convection in vertical porous microchannels
Authors: Avramenko Andriy A. , Shevchuk Igor V. , Kovetskaya Margarita M. , Kovetska Yulia Y. , Kobzar Andrii S.
Published: June 2024

This work focuses on the study of natural convection in a flat porous microchannel with asymmetric heating. The novelty of the work lies in the fact that for the first time the method of discrete symmetries was used to analyze the complete system of Navier–Stokes and energy equations in a two-dimensional approximation. Analytical solutions for velocity and temperature profiles have been derived based on symmetry analysis, taking into account boundary conditions such as slip and temperature jump at the channel walls. The effect of Grashof, Knudsen, Darcy, and Prandtl numbers on the flow characteristics in the microchannel and heat transfer coefficients was elucidated. At high Grashof numbers, an ascending flow near the hot wall and a descending flow near the cold wall arise. Increasing the Knudsen number leads to an increase in the velocity, temperature jump at the walls and a decrease in heat transfer coefficients. As the Darcy number increases, velocities amplify in both ascending and descending flows. The temperature jump at the hot wall grows up, while it remains unchanged at the cold wall. In the same time, the heat transfer coefficient at the hot wall decreases.
miR-let-7a inhibits sympathetic nerve remodeling after myocardial infarction by downregulating the expression of nerve growth factor
Authors: Jing Yanyan , Qi Lei , Zhang Xueli , Zheng Lu , Yang Peijin , Yin Jie , Shi Yugen , Yan Suhua
Published: June 2024

Objective

Sympathetic hyperinnervation following myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the primary causes of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) after MI. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a key molecule that induces sympathetic nerve remodeling. Previous studies have confirmed that microRNA (miR)-let-7a interacts with NGF. However, whether miR-let-7a is involved in sympathetic remodeling after MI remains unknown. We aimed to investigate whether miR-let-7a was associated with the occurrence of VA after MI.

Methods and results

A rat model of myocardial infarction was established using left coronary artery ligation. miR-let-7a expression levels were analyzed by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Western blotting was also used to examine NGF expression levels in vivo and in M1 macrophages in vitro. The relationship between miR-let-7a and NGF levels was investigated using a luciferase reporter assay. The results revealed that the expression of miR-let-7a decreased significantly after MI, while NGF expression was significantly upregulated. In addition, overexpression of miR-let-7a effectively inhibited NGF expression in rats, which was also verified in M1 macrophages. Tyrosine hydroxylase and growth-associated protein 43 immunofluorescence results revealed that the administration of a miR-let-7a overexpression lentivirus to rats inhibited sympathetic remodeling after MI. Programmed electrical stimulation, renal sympathetic nerve activity recording, and heart rate variability measurements showed that miR-let-7a overexpression decreased sympathetic activity.

Conclusions

These findings provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms by which miR-let-7a and NGF contribute to the progression of sympathetic nerve remodeling after MI. Therefore, miR-let-7a may be a promising therapeutic target to reduce the incidence of arrhythmia following MI.
Joint effects of PPARG-C161T (rs3856806) polymorphism and cardiovascular risk factors on restenosis risk after coronary stent implantation
Authors: Javadova Zahra , Yanar Fatih , Aslan Ezgi Irmak , Ozkara Gulcin , Malikova Fidan , Kilicarslan Onur , Ser Ozgur Selim , Yildiz Ahmet , Kucukhuseyin Ozlem , Ozturk Oguz , Yilmaz Aydogan Hulya
Published: June 2024

Objectives

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG) C161T polymorphism (rs3856806) may be a risk factor for in-stent restenosis (ISR) due to its known associations with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), obesity, and coronary artery disease (CAD). This study aims to investigate the relationship between PPARG-C161T polymorphism and the risk of ISR, considering clinical features.

Methods

According to the results of coronary angiography, the patients who had undergone drug-eluting stent implantation were categorized into two groups: ISR (n=116) and non-ISR (n=265). The control group consisted of 140 healthy subjects with asymptomatic for CAD or any systemic disease. PPARG-C161T genotypes were determined using the real-time polymerase chain reaction melting curve analysis.

Results

T2DM, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia were observed as the main clinical features causing non-ISR and ISR. The 161-CC genotype was associated with an increased risk of ISR compared to both controls (p=0.014) and non-ISR patients (p=0.008). This difference remained statistically significant after multivariate analysis for non-ISR patients (p=0.003) but not for the ISR group. The prevalence of hypertension and hyperlipidemia was higher in ISR patients with T2DM than in non-ISR patients with T2DM (p=0.002 and p=0.009, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression analysis in subgroups based on the presence of T2DM showed that hypertension (p<0.001) was associated with ISR in patients with T2DM.

Conclusions

This study points out the association between the PPARG 161-CC genotype and the risk of ISR, which also means that the PPARG 161-T allele is protective against ISR. However, this effect could be divergent in the presence of the metabolic components of the restenosis phenotype, especially T2DM.
On Social Media Photography
Authors: Verheul Jaap
Published: June 2024

This article looks at the photography of Kris Graves and the circulation of the artist’s images on his social media accounts as a way of promoting social progress and racial justice, with a focus on his 2016 A Bleak Reality photoseries for Vanity Fair. The series consists of eight images that address the haunting specters of police brutality against eight African American male citizens who lost their lives at the hands of the state. Looking at Instagram, I posit a threefold claim about the social media photograph. First, I argue against the association of the social photo with the everyday. I examine a photoseries that initially participated in an economy of art but then migrated across a network of social relations in order to enhance its visibility—its dissemination ushering in the social life of the photograph that undergirds Black Lives Matter. Second, I suggest that the affective residues of Instagram’s content linger in an indexical trace that transcends the transplatform network’s digitally composited, modified, duplicated, and distributed images. This dual focus illuminates how social media function, on the one hand, as a technology of race while they allow Graves, on the other hand, to document instances of police brutality against African Americans. Third, in so doing, this article locates A Bleak Reality within a genealogy of civic media in order to explore how the co-optation of photography’s reproductive affordances by African American photographers, artists, scholars, intellectuals, and abolitionists has allowed them to construct a counter-archive of Black cultural production around historical movements for racial justice.
La filosofía latinoamericana y el factor religioso
Authors: Barrera Rivera Dan Abner
Published: June 2024

In this essay, the author explores the topic of religion in the debate on a Latin American philosophy in Augusto Salazar Bondy (1960’s). The arguments focus on religion and philosophy, generally considered opposite, dissociated or overlapping. The question is: How important is the religious factor when thinking about the need for one’s own Latin American philosophy To answer this question, an explanation about philosophy and religion is made. Secondly, religion is analyzed as and innate characteristic or not to human beings, as well as some reflections on the relationship between religion and philosophy through History, and the meaning of Eurocentric thought. Thirdly, what is the significance of the religious factor in Salazar Bondy’s proposal. Fourthly, due to Salazar’s critical analysis of the possibility of an authentic Latin American thought is doubtful, the contributions of Marxist José Carlos Mariátegui on this subject, 40 years before, are considered an example. Finally, the Liberation Theology is explained not like a “philosophy” but like creation of a Latin American thought that took into account “the religious factor” of these communities. At the end, this essay proposes four reflections instead of final conclusions.
Researching Together: Disrupting Colonial Thinking in Higher Education and Beyond
Authors: Tangney Sue , Mooney Julie A. , López-Vélez Ana Luisa
Published: June 2024

Las universidades, aunque se consideran centros de creación de conocimiento, también son producto del colonialismo. Este artículo se centra en un estudio autoetnográfico llevado a cabo por tres profesoras universitarias blancas que utilizamos pautas reflexivas para problematizar nuestra posición. Nuestro objetivo es comprendernos mejor a nosotras mismas y nuestras identidades, los beneficios que hemos obtenido del colonialismo y los enfoques apropiados que podemos adoptar para facilitar la descolonización de los planes de estudio. Consideramos que este autointerrogatorio y esta búsqueda colaborativa de significados, aunque a veces doloroso, constituyen una oportunidad enriquecedora y transformadora para el desarrollo personal y profesional, y un punto de partida para escuchar a los pueblos indígenas, trabajar con ellos y permitirles emprender una labor descolonizadora.  Seguidamente, utilizamos esta experiencia para sugerir formas en las que otros y otras profesoras pueden participar en procesos similares de autorreflexión crítica y autodesarrollo, con el fin de desbaratar el pensamiento colonial en la educación superior y más allá.
Significados y Expectativas de Educación Rural de Madres Mapuches en La Araucanía, Chile
Authors: Villarroel Cárdenas Viviana , Arias Ortega Katerin
Published: June 2024

El artículo expone resultados de investigación que dan cuenta de la construcción de significados y expectativas de madres mapuches de La Araucanía, Chile, respecto a la educación escolar rural que cursaron y que hoy reciben sus hijos y nietos. La metodología es cualitativa, se entrevistaron a seis madres mapuches quienes vivieron procesos de escolarización y que envían a sus hijos y nietos a la misma escuela. Los datos se analizaron a través del análisis de contenido a fin de identificar los sentidos explícitos y latentes que han construido las madres en torno a su experiencia. Los principales resultados dan cuenta que las madres mapuches tienen recuerdos de experiencias traumáticas en su proceso de escolarización, sustentadas en el castigo físico y simbólico. Sin embargo, deciden continuar enviando a sus hijos y nietos a esos mismos espacios áulicos con la esperanza que puedan lograr un mejor devenir económico. Asimismo, tienen la esperanza que a mayor educación tendrán una relación de respeto y valoración de su ser mapuche en la sociedad. Concluimos, que históricamente la educación escolar se ha caracterizado por ser una escuela opresora y castigadora que en la actualidad ha buscado su transformación bajo un discurso de relaciones de respeto y de valoración de la diversidad social y cultural.
Determining the optimum layer combination for cross-laminated timber panels according to timber strength classes using Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Gezer Engin Derya , Birinci Abdullah Uğur , Demir Aydın , Öztürk Hasan , İlhan Okan , Demirkir Cenk
Published: June 2024

The primary aim of this work was to determine the effects of production parameters, such as wood species and timber strength classes, on some mechanical properties of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels using artificial neural network (ANN) prediction models. Subsequently, using the models obtained from the analyses, the goal was to identify the optimum layer combinations of timber strength classes used in the middle and outer layers that would provide the highest mechanical properties for CLT panels. CLT panels made from spruce and alder timbers, as well as hybrid panels created from combinations of these two wood species, were produced. The strength classes of the timbers were determined non-destructively according to the TS EN 338 (2016) standard using an acoustic testing device. The bending strength and modulus of elasticity values of the CLT panels were determined destructively according to the TS EN 408 (2019) standard. According to ANN results, the optimum timber strength classes and layer combinations were determined for bending strength as C24-C27-C24 for spruce CLT, D18-D24-D18 for alder CLT, C30-D40-C30 and D18-C30-D18 for hybrid panels; and for modulus of elasticity, C22-C27-C22 for spruce, D35-D30-D35 for alder, C16-D24-C16, and D24-C24-D24 for hybrid panels.
Edukacinio 3D virtualiosios realybės vaizdo metodo įtaka ruošiant žarnyną kolonoskopijai: pirmieji rezultatai
Authors: Kildušis Edvinas , Brimas Gintautas
Published: June 2024

Objective. Adequate bowel preparation is essential for diagnostic, screening, surveillance, and therapeutic colonoscopy. 3D virtual reality (3D-VR) has the characteristics of depth, interactivity and visuality and is widely used in medicine, so it can be used for patient education and training. The aim of our study is to determine the impact of using 3D virtual reality video for patients education on bowel preparation before colonoscopy. Materials and methods. A prospective, blind, randomized clinical trial was launched at the Republican Vilnius University Hospital (RVUL) on 07.03.2021, which included 50 outpatients who had indications for colonoscopy until 28.02.2022. Patients were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. The first group was given the bowel preparation information in the standard form used by RVUL – in writing, and the second – in a 3D virtual reality video. The content of the information provided to both groups was the same. The quality of bowel preparation was assessed based on the Boston and Ottawa bowel preparation scales. Results. Of the 50 outpatients who participated in the study, 26 were assigned to the control group, 24 to the study group. The patients of both groups were identical in terms of sex, age, body mass index, comorbidities. The mean (SD) BBPS score was statistically significantly lower in the control group compared to the 3D-VR video group (5.96(±1) vs. 7.58(±1.47); p < 0.001). The mean (SD) scores of OBPS were higher in the control group (6.58(±2.44) than in the study group 1.83(±2.32); p < 0.001). The rate of adequate bowel preparation in the 3D-VR video group was higher than in the control group (18(69.23%) vs. 23(95.83%); the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.024)). The rate of terminal ileum intubation in the control group was 50% compared to 83.33% in the 3D-VR video group (p = 0.02).The mean (SD) colonoscopy time was statistically significantly shorter in the 3D-VR video group 23.04(±3.66) minutes and 16.5(±4.28) minutes, p = <0.001. Conclusions. Patients who were informed by 3D-VR method before colonoscopy had statistically significantly better bowel preparation, as well as reduced procedure time and possibly increased detection rates of polyps and adenomas.
Correction of Constricted Ear – Case Report
Authors: Damjanoska Krstikj Ljubinka , Rajkovska Kimovska Ana , Krsteska Roza , Stevkovska Mare
Published: June 2024

Introduction. Congenital deformities of the outer ear are common; reported incidence are from 1:6000 to 1:6830 newborns. Multitude of corrective procedures are described in the literature. Purpose of the case study. The adequate surgical treatment of the congenital constricted ear remains a challenge. Selected tailor made approach should be employed on case by case basis, thus, in this study we present our case of moderate constricted ear and the used surgical procedures done under general anesthesia, as well as the outcome of the treatment. Case report. A 6 year old girl presented in pediatric and plastic surgery department with complaint of right ear deformity from birth and additional psychological effects such as increased difficulty in social integration and lack of self- confidence. On clinical examination, we considered as constricted ear grade IIB by Tanzel. Two separate procedures under general anesthesia were done. In the first procedure, advancement of the helix and otoplasty was performed; an effective expansion, of about 1 cm in the length of the pinna was obtained. In the second procedure, about 0.5 cm expansion of the helix was performed, and also the breadth of the pinna. Conclusion. In our case, combination of Mustardé suture, helix advancement and helix cartilage graft in moderate constricted ear were a useful surgical option, producing aesthetically good results in a simple and effective way.
Better Guidelines and Policies: AAP’s Partnership for Policy Implementation
Authors: Lehmann Christoph U. , Adams William G. , Chaparro Juan D. , Fiks Alexander G. , Grout Randall W. , Leu Michael G. , Mendonca Eneida A. , Michel Jeremy J. , Okechukwu Kymika , Salmon Jeremiah , Sharifi Mona , Downs Stephen M.
Published: June 2024

OBJECTIVES

In 2005, the American Academy of Pediatrics founded the Partnership for Policy Implementation (PPI). The PPI has collaborated with authors to improve the quality of clinical guidelines, technical reports, and policies that standardize care delivery, improve care quality and patient outcomes, and reduce variation and costs.

METHODS

In this article, we describe how the PPI trained informaticians apply a variety of tools and techniques to these guidance documents, eliminating ambiguity in clinical recommendations and allowing guideline recommendations to be implemented by practicing clinicians and electronic health record (EHR) developers more easily.

RESULTS

Since its inception, the PPI has participated in the development of 45 published and 27 in-progress clinical practice guidelines, policy statements, technical and clinical reports, and other projects endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The partnership has trained informaticians to apply a variety of tools and techniques to eliminate ambiguity or lack of decidability and can be implemented by practicing clinicians and EHR developers.

CONCLUSIONS

With the increasing use of EHRs in pediatrics, the need for medical societies to improve the clarity, decidability, and actionability of their guidelines has become more important than ever.
Diversidad y conservación de los macro y meso mamíferos de un bosque protegido de la alta Amazonía de Pastaza, Ecuador
Authors: Jácome-Negrete Iván , Torres Jiménez Javier , Utreras Josselyn , Monar-Barragán Paúl , López Eliseo , Chimbo Moisés , Mamallacta Adelmo , Licuy Faustino , Rodríguez Galarza Fidel Ernesto
Published: June 2024

Los mamíferos medianos y grandes de la alta Amazonía ecuatoriana han sido poco estudiados a pesar de enfrentar graves amenazas. En este contexto, este estudio buscó documentar la riqueza y la abundancia de estas especies en el Bosque Protector de la Comunidad Etnoecológica Pablo López de Oglán Alto (BPCEPLOA) ubicado en la provincia de Pastaza. De febrero a julio de 2020 se instalaron 20 estaciones de fototrampeo, separadas entre sí por 500 m, en diez km² de bosque siempre verde de tierras bajas. Con un esfuerzo de 3347 noches-trampa, se obtuvieron 1110 eventos independientes de 29 especies de mamíferos de ocho órdenes y quince familias. 21 especies de talla mediana y ocho de talla grande. Del total de eventos independientes, el 60,88 % fueron mamíferos omnívoros, 25,87 % de herbívoros, 10,61 % carnívoros y 2,52 % insectívoros. Las especies con el Índice de Abundancia Relativa (IAR) más alto fueron Dasyprocta fuliginosa (IAR=9,98), Mazama americana (IAR=4,93) y Dasypus novemcinctus (IAR= 3,85). Las especies amenazadas registradas fueron Phantera onca, Tapirus terrestris, Myrmecophaga tridactyla, Priodontes maximus, Atelocynus microtis y Speothos venaticus. Nuestro estudio demuestra que el BPCEPLOA tiene una alta diversidad de mamíferos a pesar de su corta extensión. Con esta información se podrá promover la creación de un corredor ecológico en la cuenca del río Oglán para la protección de la fauna local consensuado con las comunidades indígenas del área de influencia.
Nematodes Infecting the Shield Frog Adelophryne baturitensis in Rainforest Enclaves of Brazilian Semiarid
Authors: Batista-Oliveira Dalilange , De Castro Araujo Kássio , De Oliveira Cicero Ricardo , Cassiano-Lima Daniel , Ávila Robson Waldemar
Published: June 2024

Parasitological studies provide important information about host biology. However, most anuran species in mountain environments have their helminth fauna understudied. In the present study, we aimed to inventory the endoparasites associated with the shield frog Adelophryne baturitensis from an altitudinal rainforest enclave in the Brazilian semiarid region. We found 57 specimens from five nematode taxa. Perhaps, the high nematode infection on this mountain frog might be related to the host’s direct life cycle where they do not need water ponds to lay eggs and reach tadpole development. Trematodes and other endoparasite taxa are commonly reported in water-dependent frogs. Although shield frogs seem to be myrmecophagous, more studies are still needed to investigate how their feeding habits might influence parasitological infection. Our study is an important contribution to understanding the parasite-host ecological relationship in minute frogs.