bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Virtual reality with artificial intelligence-led scenarios in nursing education: a project evaluation
Authors: Teixeira Luis , Mitchell Aby , Martinez Neus Carlos , Salim Behnam Jafari
Published: September 2024

Aim:

To provide insights into the optimal use of virtual reality (VR) in nursing education by evaluating pre-registration nursing students' experiences in conducting holistic patient assessments while interacting with artificial intelligence (AI)-led patients. Specifically, this project evaluation compares the use of two different VR scenarios, one employing a menu-based interface and another using AI voice-controlled technology.

Methods:

Eleven pre-registration adult nursing students from two UK universities were selected through purposeful sampling to participate in the two VR simulations. Data collection and analysis: This included qualitative insights gathered from three focus group sessions, audio-recorded and thematically analysed to classify and describe students' experiences.

Findings:

Four key themes emerged: technological literacy, VR as a learning tool, the road of learning, and transition to independence. Advantages across both methods of VR-AI interaction and their particular challenges were identified and described for each key theme.

Conclusion:

VR with AI-led patient technology in pre-registration nursing education positively contributes to the curriculum by exposing students to problem-based learning situations and use of a multiplicity of skills in a safe environment. Although both methods are relevant for developing proficiencies around holistic patient assessment, there are advantages and limitations to each. Students perceived the voice-controlled technology as more intuitive with a more natural method of communication, whereas the menu-based interaction gave students more structure and guidance.
Principles and collaborative practices: a roundup of summer publications
Authors: Tingle John
Published: September 2024

John Tingle, Associate Professor, Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham, provides an update on recent patient safety reports
Recognising the benefits and challenges of simulated practice learning
Authors: Foster Sam
Published: September 2024

Sam Foster, Executive Director of Professional Practice, Nursing and Midwifery Council, considers the soon to be published review of simulated practice learning and the messages for education provision and policy
Research Roundup
Authors: Green Laura
Published: September 2024

Synopses of a selection of recently published research articles of relevance to palliative care
Cattle Congress brings livestock vets together
Authors: Adams James
Published: September 2024

British Cattle Veterinary Association board member, James Adams, tells us what Congress means to him and how this year's event has an invaluable programme to meet the needs of the farm vet profession
Women’s Representation and Participation in Politics in Uzbekistan from 1991 to 2023
Authors: Balcı Meral
Published: September 2024

Uzbekistan had a new Constitution, and a series of laws were enacted after the proclamation of independence in 1991. The functioning of the new state in a democratic way was organized according to these laws. In this study, it was investigated whether the laws enacted had influence on women’s participation and representation in politics along with democracy, and if so, in what ways they were applied. As the method of the study, a descriptive design with semi-structured interviews and document analyses was applied to obtain data for the triangulation of a mixedmethod
approach. The current situation and dynamics regarding women’s participation and representation in politics were explored by analysing original governmental documents related to Uzbek Constitution and by conducting semi-structured interviews with 9 Uzbek citizens. As the results exhibited, it was seen that women in Uzbekistan were represented in the politics as mentioned in the laws. However, as the data analysis indicated the so-called representation and participation of women in Uzbekistan remained on the surface level. Depending on the reported results, it could be stated that the presentation and participation were limited and not efficient and actively implemented in the real-life context.
Clarissa 's Accounts: Ephemeral History and the Eighteenth-Century Memorandum Book
Authors: Yingst Carlisle
Published: September 2024

Abstract: This essay examines the non-epistolary, "supplement[ary]" "materials" of Samuel Richardson's Clarissa; or The History of a Young Lady (1747–48), with particular attention to the novel's minutes and account or memorandum books. It reads Richardson's uses of these forms alongside other methods of journal and memorandum keeping from both the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to show how Clarissa participates in larger negotiations concerning the use and value of preserving passing moments of quotidian life. Joining ongoing book historical discussions about the eighteenth–century development of the concept of ephemerality, as well as recent work positioning Clarissa in relation to contemporaneous historical genres, this essay argues that Richardson's use of accounts and memoranda in his History of a Young Lady models a theory of history that defines itself against and through the idea of the ephemeral.
"Au sein d'un océan de ténèbres": Jean-Sylvain Bailly's Atlantis and Enlightenment Anxieties of Climate and Origins
Authors: Roman Hanna
Published: September 2024

Abstract: This essay explores the origins of attitudes toward the climate crisis in the Western world today, with a specific focus on climate anxiety. A case study of the French astronomer and philosopher Jean-Sylvain Bailly's Lettres sur l'Atlantide de Platon (1779) reveals that fears about the inevitability and repercussions of climate change are not new to our current era but played an important role in shaping late Enlightenment mentalities about the natural world and the human role within it. Anxieties about the future of nature and humanity fueled the growth of racist ideologies around which groups were superior and allowed to thrive—and injustice emanating from these beliefs continues to impact the climate crisis today.
Defoe's Finger: On Immediacy and Catachresis
Authors: Rigilano Matthew J.
Published: September 2024

Abstract: In this essay, I argue that Daniel Defoe's invocation of the "Finger of God" complicates his famously artless indexing of reality. In Defoe's Essay upon Literature (1726), the "Finger of God" is responsible for the invention of writing, but, at the same time, the figure appears as a form of catachresis, or bungled metaphor, as it refers to its own rhetoricity just as much as it refers to some transcendental or providential power of intervention. Through a deconstructive analysis of this ambivalent signifier, this essay seeks to complicate the history of mediation that Defoe's Essay maps out and to situate the Essay amongst the so-called supernatural essays, Mere Nature Delineated (1726), and Robinson Crusoe (1719). The aim of this essay is to demonstrate how an early master of secular realism achieves epistemological closure only at the cost of a kind of figural excess, the consequence of which is the production of a distinct stylistic trace that corresponds less to scriptural tradition and more to a particular mode of subjective inscription.
Seeing is Believing? Reflections on Teaching the Holocaust Through Film
Authors: Baumel-Schwartz Judy Tydor
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACT: In this essay, I explore the role of visual media in creating the history of events and focus on my personal experiences of teaching Holocaust through film in Israel for over three decades. I explore my choice of films, discuss various difficulties that are encountered when using film in the classroom, and explain the use of film in the intergenerational transference of trauma. I end my essay with a number of concluding thoughts and suggestions to those using films in their classroom to teach about the Holocaust.
China's Age of Counterreform
Authors: Minzner Carl
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACT: China is steadily sliding deeper into the counterreform era. Economically, it is slowing down. Ideologically, it is closing up. Politically, it is steadily pivoting back toward personalistic one-man rule. As these trends deepen, Beijing's leaders are erasing core elements of both the reform and revolutionary eras, reviving ruinous Maoist governance practices of the 1950s, and turning back to China's imperial history in an effort to build a new ideological foundation for their authoritarian rule. Far from paving the way for China's twenty-first-century rise, Beijing's counterreforms are exacerbating its structural problems, weakening the nation and undermining its stability.
Performance advantage of quantum hypothesis testing for partially coherent optical sources
Authors: Zhang Jian-Dong , Zhang Kexin , Hou Lili , Wang Shuai
Published: September 2024

Determining the presence of a potential optical source in the interest region is important for an imaging system and can be achieved by using hypothesis testing. The previous studies assume that the potential source is completely incoherent. In this paper, this problem is generalized to the scenario with partially coherent sources and any prior probabilities. We consider quantum-optimal error probability and a classical benchmark of two scenarios depending on the number of available temporal modes M. For M=1, we calculate the quantum Helstrom bound and the error probability of prior-based direct decision. For M≫1, we analyze the quantum Chernoff bound as well as the Chernoff bound of intensity-based direct imaging. In addition, we propose binary spatial-mode demultiplexing and the result demonstrates asymptotically optimal detection performance. Our findings may shed new light on super-resolution imaging in partially coherent scenarios.
Quantum enhanced multiple transmission estimation with a bright squeezed light field
Authors: Hong Seongjin
Published: September 2024

Recently, there has been significant interest in multiple-parameter quantum estimation techniques that exploit quantum resources. In particular, the estimation of optical transmission is a crucial parameter in various scientific fields and industries. In optical-based sensing, precision can be enhanced through two approaches: increasing the number of photons that interact with the samples and utilizing quantum states of light. In this paper, we investigate multiple transmission estimation using bright two-mode squeezed states (bTMSSs), which combine the advantages of both bright light and quantum states. We calculate the precision bound for multiple transmission estimation by employing multiple copies of bTMSSs with experimentally feasible optimal measurement, determining both the quantum Cramer-Rao bound and the Cramer-Rao bound. Our results demonstrate that multiple copies of bTMSSs can achieve quantum-enhanced sensitivity for multiple transmissions compared to coherent states, and the ultimate limit of precision can be attained in regions with high nonlinear gain. Furthermore, as an application, we show the quantum-enhanced sensing in circular dichroism sensing using a pair of bTMSSs. Our strategy for multiple transmission estimation offers a practical platform for exploring real-world quantum sensing applications.
Detection method for chloride ion penetration distribution in concrete based on hyperspectral images and LSTM
Authors: He Xilong , Feng Qingsheng , Shao Hui , Li Hong , Fu Mingyu
Published: September 2024

The infiltration of chloride ions corrodes steel reinforcement and causes concrete to crack, reducing the overall bearing capacity and compromising the structure's service life and safety. Timely acquisition of chloride ion distribution is essential for accurately assessing the performance of concrete structures. We present a method for detecting the distribution of chloride ion penetration based on hyperspectral images and long short-term memory (LSTM). First, hyperspectral images of the chloride-ion-permeated split surfaces of the concrete are obtained, and a total of 1000 average spectral data points across 5 categories are collected. The Savitzky-Golay (S-G) data preprocessing algorithm is then applied to reduce spectral noise. Then, we employed a joint Competitive Adaptive Re-weighted Sampling-Principal Component Analysis (CARS-PCA) dimensionality reduction method to identify spectral feature bands highly correlated with concrete chloride distribution. Finally, the LSTM method is utilized to achieve precise classification of the various components of concrete and to accurately identify the distribution of chloride ions. The CARS-PCA dimensionality reduction model, when integrated with an LSTM network, yields superior performance models with an equivalent number of features. This combination achieves a classification accuracy of 93%, reflecting an average improvement of 4.71% over other classification algorithms.
A genome-wide arrayed CRISPR screen identifies PLSCR1 as an intrinsic barrier to SARS-CoV-2 entry that recent virus variants have evolved to resist
Authors: Le Pen Jérémie , Paniccia Gabrielle , Kinast Volker , Moncada-Velez Marcela , Ashbrook Alison W. , Bauer Michael , Hoffmann H.-Heinrich , Pinharanda Ana , Ricardo-Lax Inna , Stenzel Ansgar F. , Rosado-Olivieri Edwin A. , Dinnon Kenneth H. , Doyle William C. , Freije Catherine A. , Hong Seon-Hui , Lee Danyel , Lewy Tyler , Luna Joseph M. , Peace Avery , Schmidt Carltin , Schneider William M. , Winkler Roni , Yip Elaine Z. , Larson Chloe , McGinn Timothy , Menezes Miriam-Rose , Ramos-Espiritu Lavoisier , Banerjee Priyam , Poirier John T. , Sànchez-Rivera Francisco J. , Cobat Aurélie , Zhang Qian , Casanova Jean-Laurent , Carroll Thomas S. , Glickman J. Fraser , Michailidis Eleftherios , Razooky Brandon , MacDonald Margaret R. , Rice Charles M.
Published: September 2024

Interferons (IFNs) play a crucial role in the regulation and evolution of host–virus interactions. Here, we conducted a genome-wide arrayed CRISPR knockout screen in the presence and absence of IFN to identify human genes that influence Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We then performed an integrated analysis of genes interacting with SARS-CoV-2, drawing from a selection of 67 large-scale studies, including our own. We identified 28 genes of high relevance in both human genetic studies of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and functional genetic screens in cell culture, with many related to the IFN pathway. Among these was the IFN-stimulated gene PLSCR1. PLSCR1 did not require IFN induction to restrict SARS-CoV-2 and did not contribute to IFN signaling. Instead, PLSCR1 specifically restricted spike-mediated SARS-CoV-2 entry. The PLSCR1-mediated restriction was alleviated by TMPRSS2 overexpression, suggesting that PLSCR1 primarily restricts the endocytic entry route. In addition, recent SARS-CoV-2 variants have adapted to circumvent the PLSCR1 barrier via currently undetermined mechanisms. Finally, we investigate the functional effects of PLSCR1 variants present in humans and discuss an association between PLSCR1 and severe COVID-19 reported recently.
Lymphatic embolization for early post-operative lymphatic leakage after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer
Authors: Shin Yoo Sub , Han Kichang , Lee Jongsoo , Han Hyun Ho , Jang Won Sik , Kim Gyoung Min , Heo Ji Eun
Published: September 2024

Background and objective

Although radical cystectomy (RC) with pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) is the standard treatment of muscle invasive bladder cancer, it may cause lymphatic leakage. Recent studies describe lymphatic embolization (LE) as an option to manage post-operative lymphatic leakage. Hence, this study evaluated the outcome of LE in patients receiving RC and analyzed factors associated with outcomes.

Methods

This was a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent LE after RC for bladder cancer between August 2017 and June 2023. The data was assessed for analysis at January 2024. The patients were divided into a clinical success group and a clinical failure group. Clinical failure was defined as the following: 1) those who required drainage catheter placement >7 days after LE, 2) those who needed re-intervention before catheter removal, and 3) those who experienced adverse events associated with LE. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with outcomes of LE.

Key findings and limitations

We analyzed 45 patients who underwent LE after RC. Twenty-eight (62.2%) patients were identified as clinically successful. Four patients required re-embolization, but none required more than two sessions of intervention. Three patients experienced lymphatic complications after LE. In multivariable analysis, maximal daily drainage volume of >1,000 mL/day (odds ratio [OR] = 4.729, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.018–21.974, p = 0.047) and diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR = 4.571, 95% CI: 1.128–18.510, p = 0.033) were factors associated with LE outcome.

Conclusions and clinical implications

Our results suggest LE as a potentially effective procedure for controlling post-operative lymphatic leaks after RC, with few minor side effects. Patients exceeding a daily drainage of 1,000mL/day or with a medical history of DM have a higher risk for re-intervention and clinical failure after LE.
Soil phosphorus fractionations as affected by cropping systems in the central mid-hills region of Nepal
Authors: Khadka Dinesh , Pande Keshab Raj , Tripathi Bhaba Prasad , Bajracharya Roshan Man
Published: September 2024

Soil plays a critical role as the primary reservoir of phosphorus (P) in terrestrial ecosystems. Sequential fractionation has been extensively utilized to gain insights into the characteristics and dynamics of soil P. However, there is a knowledge gap regarding the different P pools in Nepalese soils. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of cropping systems on soil P fractions in the central mid-hills of Nepal. The study focused on four cropping systems: vegetable, fruit, rice, and maize-based systems, which exhibited variations in nutrient management, topography, and cropping intensity. A total of 240 soil samples (60 samples from each cropping system) were collected from multiple sites within the central mid-hill region. Standard analytical methods were used to determine the general parameters of the soils, while the sequential fractionation method was employed to assess the organic and inorganic P pools. The results indicated that the effect of cropping systems on soil pH, calcium carbonate (CaCO3) content, and the proportion of sand, silt, and clay was not statistically significant in terms of general parameters. However, significant differences were observed among the different cropping systems in organic matter (OM), electrical conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and available phosphorus. Similarly, in terms of inorganic phosphorus fractions, loosely bound P (LB-P), aluminum bound P (Al-P), iron bound P (Fe-P), and reductant soluble P (RS-P) were significantly affected, while calcium bound P (Ca-P) did not show a significant difference. Furthermore, in terms of organic phosphorus fractions, labile organic P (L-Po), fluvic acid organic P (FA-Po), and non-labile organic P (NL-Po) exhibited significant differences, whereas moderately labile organic P (ML-Po) and humic acid organic P (HA-Po) did not show a significant difference. Additionally, reductant soluble P showed a significant difference, while total P did not differ significantly. The vegetable-based system exhibited higher levels of the majority of P fractions, followed by the fruit-based, maize-based, and rice-based systems. These findings emphasize the importance of considering cropping systems and their response to different phosphorus pools, as this knowledge can contribute to the development of improved soil phosphorus management strategies and promote sustainable agricultural practices in the region.
Pharmacological intervention of behavioural traits and brain histopathology of prenatal valproic acid-induced mouse model of autism
Authors: Neelotpol Sharmind , Rezwan Rifat , Singh Timothy , Mayesha Iffat Islam , Saba Sayedatus , Jamiruddin Mohd Raeed
Published: September 2024

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one of the leading causes of distorted social communication, impaired speech, hyperactivity, anxiety, and stereotyped repetitive behaviour. The aetiology of ASD is complex; therefore, multiple drugs have been suggested to manage the symptoms. Studies with histamine H3 receptor (H3R) blockers and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) blockers are considered potential therapeutic agents for the management of various cognitive impairments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the neuro-behavioural effects of Betahistine, an H3R antagonist, and Donepezil, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor on Swiss albino mouse model of autism. The mice were intraperitoneally injected with valproic acid (VPA) on the embryonic 12.5th day to induce autism-like symptoms in their offspring. This induced autism-like symptoms persists throughout the life. After administration of different experimental doses, various locomotor tests: Open Field, Hole-Board, Hole Cross and behavioural tests by Y-Maze Spontaneous Alternation and histopathology of brain were performed and compared with the control and negative control (NC1) groups of mice. The behavioural Y-Maze test exhibits significant improvement (p <0.01) on the short term memory of the test subjects upon administration of lower dose of Betahistine along with MAO-B inhibitor Rasagiline once compared with the NC1 group (VPA-exposed mice). Furthermore, the tests showed significant reduction in locomotion in line crossing (p <0.05), rearing (p <0.001) of the Open Field Test, and the Hole Cross Test (p <0.01) with administration of higher dose of Betahistine. Both of these effects were observed upon administration of acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, Donepezil. Brain-histopathology showed lower neuronal loss and degeneration in the treated groups of mice in comparison with the NC1 VPA-exposed mice. Administration of Betahistine and Rasagiline ameliorates symptoms like memory deficit and hyperactivity, proving their therapeutic effects. The effects found are dose dependent. The findings suggest that H3R might be a viable target for the treatment of ASD.
Transcriptomic analysis reveals effects of fertilization towards growth and quality of Fritillariae thunbergii bulbus
Authors: Huang Luman , Liang Shuang , Luo Lei , Wu Mengmin , Fu Hongwei , Zhong Zhuoheng
Published: September 2024

Fritillariae thunbergii Bulbus (FTB) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been widely cultivated for its expectorant, antitussive, antiasthmatic, antiviral, and anticancer properties. The yield and quality of F. thunbergii are influenced by cultivation conditions, such as the use of fertilizers. However, the optimal type of fertilizers for maximum quality and yield and underlying mechanisms are not clear. We collected F. thunbergii using raw chicken manure (RC), organic fertilizer (OF), and plant ash (PA) as the base fertilizer in Pan’an County, Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province as experimental materials. The combined results of HPLC-ELSD detection and yield statistics showed that the F. thunbergii with OF application was the best, with the content of peimine and peiminine reaching 0.0603% and 0.0502%, respectively. In addition, the yield was 2.70 kg/m2. Transcriptome analysis indicated that up-regulation of the ABA signaling pathway might promote bulb yield. Furthermore, putative key genes responsible for steroidal alkaloid accumulation were identified. These results provided guiding significance for the rational fertilization conditions of F. thunbergii as well as the basis for the exploration of functional genes related to the alkaloid biosynthesis pathway.
The impact of digital technology on entrepreneurship——Evidence from China General Social Survey
Authors: Wu Kedong , Zhu Mengchun , Qu Yahui
Published: September 2024

In light of the rapid development of digital technology, it is imperative to study the impact of digital technology on the labour force’s entrepreneurial choices with the utmost urgency. This paper first constructs a theoretical mechanism for how digital technology affects individual entrepreneurship. It then empirically examines data from the China General Social Survey (CGSS) to test the theory. The results show that digital technology significantly increases individual entrepreneurial choices. Furthermore, the conclusions of the study are robust even when the estimation method and variable measurement are changed. Finally, the study finds that digital technology has the greatest impact on entrepreneurship among individuals with low education, the second-largest impact on those with medium education, and the third-largest impact on those with high education. Individuals with higher education levels have the second largest impact on the entrepreneurship of individuals with higher education levels, while the smallest impact is observed in this group. Digital technology development has a stronger role in promoting entrepreneurship of individuals with urban household registration than those with rural household registration. In terms of sub-region, digital technology has a larger role in individual entrepreneurship in the eastern and central regions, and has a less significant role in the western region. The findings of this study suggest that there is a need to implement measures to accelerate the pace of digital technology development, enhance the training of entrepreneurial skills and attitudes among highly educated individuals, and direct efforts towards enhancing digital technology development in rural and western China.
Factors associated with 90-day mortality in Vietnamese stroke patients: Prospective findings compared with explainable machine learning, multicenter study
Authors: Mai Ton Duy , Nguyen Dung Tien , Tran Cuong Chi , Duong Hai Quang , Nguyen Hoa Ngoc , Dang Duc Phuc , Hoang Hai Bui , Vo Hong-Khoi , Pham Tho Quang , Truong Hoa Thi , Tran Minh Cong , Dao Phuong Viet
Published: September 2024

The prevalence and predictors of mortality following an ischemic stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage have not been well established among patients in Vietnam. 2885 consecutive diagnosed patients with ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage at ten stroke centres across Vietnam were involved in this prospective study. Posthoc analyses were performed in 2209 subjects (age was 65.4 ± 13.7 years, with 61.4% being male) to explore the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors associated with 90-day mortality following treatment. An explainable machine learning model using extreme gradient boosting and SHapley Additive exPlanations revealed the correlation between original clinical research and advanced machine learning methods in stroke care. In the 90 days following treatment, the mortality rate for ischemic stroke was 8.2%, while for intracerebral hemorrhage, it was higher at 20.5%. Atrial fibrillation was an elevated risk of 90-day mortality in the ischemic stroke patient (OR 3.09; 95% CI 1.90–5.02, p<0.001). Among patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, there was no statistical significance in those with hypertension compared to their counterparts without hypertension (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.41–1.03, p > 0.05). The baseline NIHSS score was a significant predictor of 90-day mortality in both patient groups. The machine learning model can predict a 0.91 accuracy prediction of death rate after 90 days. Age and NIHSS score were in the top high risks with other features, such as consciousness, heart rate, and white blood cells. Stroke severity, as measured by the NIHSS, was identified as a predictor of mortality at discharge and the 90-day mark in both patient groups.
Distilling knowledge from multiple foundation models for zero-shot image classification
Authors: Yin Siqi , Jiang Lifan
Published: September 2024

Zero-shot image classification enables the recognition of new categories without requiring additional training data, thereby enhancing the model’s generalization capability when specific training are unavailable. This paper introduces a zero-shot image classification framework to recognize new categories that are unseen during training by distilling knowledge from foundation models. Specifically, we first employ ChatGPT and DALL-E to synthesize reference images of unseen categories from text prompts. Then, the test image is aligned with text and reference images using CLIP and DINO to calculate the logits. Finally, the predicted logits are aggregated according to their confidence to produce the final prediction. Experiments are conducted on multiple datasets, including MNIST, SVHN, CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100, and TinyImageNet. The results demonstrate that our method can significantly improve classification accuracy compared to previous approaches, achieving AUROC scores of over 96% across all test datasets. Our code is available at https://github.com/1134112149/MICW-ZIC.
Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pediatric patients in a tertiary care hospital setting
Authors: Pattanakitsakul Ploy , Pongpatipat Chanya , Setthaudom Chavachol , Kunakorn Mongkol , Sahakijpicharn Thiantip , Visudtibhan Anannit , Apiwattanakul Nopporn , Assawawiroonhakarn Surapat , Pandee Uthen , Techasaensiri Chonnamet , Boonsathorn Sophida , Chaisavaneeyakorn Sujittra
Published: September 2024

Globally, cases of children’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been reported since the pandemic started. Most children have an asymptomatic or mild infection. Therefore, the incidence rate of COVID-19 in children might have been underestimated. This study aimed to determine (1) the seroprevalence (and seroconversion rates) of COVID-19, including associated risk factors, in pediatric patients visiting hospitals; and (2) the immunological responses to COVID-19. This was a prospective, cross-sectional study. Patients aged 0–18 years who visited the hospital from September 2020 to February 2022 were included. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were reviewed. A total of 1,443 pediatric patients were enrolled. Of these, 323 (22.6%) had a history of COVID-19. In the pre-Delta period, the seroprevalence increased from 4.1% to 70.6% in all included patients and from 0.5% to 10% in patients without a known history of COVID-19 compared with the Delta-Omicron period. The seroconversion rate was 6.8% (19 per 100 person-years) in pediatric patients with COVID-19. Risk factors for COVID-19 seropositivity were respiratory symptoms, being in an outpatient department setting, and infection during the Delta-Omicron period. Exposure to household members with confirmed COVID-19 was a risk factor for seropositivity and seroconversion. Infection during the Delta-Omicron period and testing conducted >2 weeks after the onset of symptoms was associated with spike immunoglobulin (Ig) M and spike and nucleocapsid IgG, respectively. High nucleocapsid IgG levels were associated with pneumonia in pediatric patients with COVID-19. Pediatric patients exposed to household members with COVID-19 and respiratory symptoms should be tested for COVID-19. Nucleocapsid IgG can be used as a surrogate marker to identify patients who may have experienced pneumonia from COVID-19 and as a screening tool for the COVID-19 outbreak, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status.
αvβ3 integrin-targeted magnetic resonance imaging in a pancreatic cancer mouse model using RGD-modified liposomes encapsulated with Fe-deferoxamine
Authors: Yoshimoto Mitsuyoshi , Hayakawa Takuya , Yamaguchi Masayuki , Kimura Sadaaki , Fujii Hirofumi
Published: September 2024

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a powerful imaging modality for obtaining anatomical information with high spatial and temporal resolution. In the drug delivery system (DDS) framework, nanoparticles such as liposomes are potential candidates for MR imaging. We validated that RGD peptides are possible targeting molecules for pancreatic cancer with αvβ3 integrin expression. This study aimed to evaluate RGD-modified liposomes loaded with ferrioxamine B for pancreatic cancer imaging. We synthesized four types of RGD-modified liposomes encapsulated with ferrioxamine B (SH-, H-, M-, and L-RGD-liposomes). The binding affinity of RGD-modified liposomes was evaluated in a competitive inhibition study using 125I-echistatin. To investigate the pharmacokinetics of RGD-modified liposomes, a biodistribution study using RGD-liposomes labeled with 111In was carried out in a human pancreatic cancer PANC-1 xenograft mouse model. Finally, MR was performed using ferrioxamine-B-loaded liposomes. RGD-liposomes inhibited the binding of 125I-echistatin to RGD. The biodistribution study revealed that 111In-RGD-liposomes accumulated significantly in the liver and spleen. Among the 111In-RGD-liposomes, 111In-H-RGD-liposomes showed the highest tumor-to-normal tissue ratio. In the MR study, H-RGD-liposomes loaded with ferrioxamine B showed higher tumor-to-muscle signal ratios than RKG-liposomes loaded with ferrioxamine B (control). We successfully synthesized RGD-liposomes that can target αvβ3 integrin.
Pseudorabies Virus UL4 protein promotes the ASC-dependent inflammasome activation and pyroptosis to exacerbate inflammation
Authors: Zhang Xiaohua , Chen Guiyuan , Yin Junqing , Nie Lichen , Li Linghao , Du Qian , Tong Dewen , Huang Yong
Published: September 2024

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) infection causes systemic inflammatory responses and inflammatory damages in infected animals, which are associated with the activation of inflammasome and pyroptosis in infected tissues. Here, we identified a critical function of PRV non-structural protein UL4 that enhanced ASC-dependent inflammasome activation to promote pyroptosis. Whereas, the deficiency of viral UL4 was able to reduce ASC-dependent inflammasome activation and the occurrences of pyroptosis. Mechanistically, the 132–145 aa of UL4 permitted its translocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm to interact with cytoplasmic ASC to promote the activation of NLRP3 and AIM2 inflammasome. Further research showed that UL4 promoted the phosphorylation levels of SYK and JNK to enhance the ASC phosphorylation, which led to the increase of ASC oligomerization, thus promoting the activation of NLRP3 and AIM2 inflammasome and enhanced GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis. In vivo experiments further showed that PRV UL4 (132DVAADAAAEAAAAE145) mutated strain (PRV-UL4mut) infection did not lead to a significant decrease in viral titers at 12 h. p. i, but it induced lower levels of IL-1β, IL-18, and GSDMD-NT, which led to an alleviated inflammatory infiltration and pathological damage in the lungs and brains, and a lower death rate compared with wild-type PRV strain infection. Taken together, our findings unravel that UL4 is an important viral regulator to manipulate the inflammasome signaling and pyroptosis of host cells to promote the pathogenicity of PRV, which might be further exploited as a new target for live attenuated vaccines or therapeutic strategies against pseudorabies in the future.
El acto fallido de Scalia
Authors: Fiss Owen M. , Patzán Sánchez Juan Francisco
Published: September 2024

El autor realiza un análisis de la jurisprudencia de Antonin Scalia, destacado e influyente jurista del Tribunal Supremo de Estados Unidos, desarrollada para frustrar los principios progresistas destinados a erradicar la estructura de castas raciales y otros vestigios de la esclavitud en Estados Unidos. Las decisiones de Scalia se opusieron a la discriminación positiva en la educación superior, negaron a los negros la protección frente a cambios en los procesos políticos que les perjudicarían y dejaron sin efecto una disposición de la Voting Rights Act of 1965 que exigía a un selecto grupo de jurisdicciones –las más infractoras– solicitar la autorización del gobierno federal antes de instituir nuevos requisitos electorales.
El razonamiento probatorio entre lo que es y lo que debe ser: una solución en clave de arquetipo a la ambivalencia metodológica del modelo de la plausibilidad relativa
Authors: Giles Alejo Joaquín
Published: September 2024

Con su Modelo de la Plausibilidad Relativa, Ronald Allen y Michael Pardo pretenden dar cuenta del razonamiento probatorio judicial. Como destacaré, la propuesta adolece de una ambivalencia metodológica. Con ella se pretende explicar cómo sucede en los hechos el fenómeno de interés y, al mismo tiempo, guiar la conducta de quienes lo llevan a cabo, de acuerdo con lo que mandan ciertas normas jurídicas. El precio que paga a cambio es elevado. Entre otros problemas, esto dificulta comprender la naturaleza de las aserciones que componen el modelo y favorece las confusiones en el debate académico a su alrededor. Luego de descartar su interpretación como una teoría empírica, aquí propondré entenderlo como un arquetipo, lo cual clarifica sus criterios de corrección y lo sitúa en una mejor posición para afrontar algunas críticas significativas que ha recibido. En mi definición, un modelo arquetípico de razonamiento probatorio judicial es discurso que representa este fenómeno en su versión ideal según ciertas máximas, tomando a la realidad en parte como faro y en parte como límite.
¿Libertarismo o compatibilismo? La disyuntiva filosófica detrás del debate entre Eduardo García Máynez y Carlos Cossio
Authors: Lecón Rosales Mauricio
Published: September 2024

En este artículo examino la controversia académica sobre el concepto de libertad jurídica entre Eduardo García Máynez y Carlos Cossio. Defiendo que la discrepancia entre los autores responde a diferencias estructurales que refieren, en última instancia, a dos concepciones distintas acerca de la libertad humana. Para ello, primero, analizo la definición positiva ofrecida por Máynez de libertad jurídica y sus notas esenciales. Luego examino las principales críticas interpuestas por Carlos Cossio a las ideas de García Máynez, así como el modo en el que García Máynez atendió a estas críticas. Finalmente, argumento que la noción de libertad jurídica revela los compromisos libertarios de García Máynez, mientras que las ideas de Carlos Cossio reflejan su concepción compatibilista de la libertad humana. El objetivo final es interpretar la disputa desde una consideración filosófica que no ha sido explorada aún y que permite situar a los autores en discusiones filosóficas más amplias, como la existencia o inexistencia del determinismo causal.
Normas como significados: una revisión al debate sobre la ontología de normas y la teoría jurídica
Authors: Mattei-Gentili Piero
Published: September 2024

En este ensayo se defiende que Alchourrón y Bulygin no se equivocaron al adoptar a la concepción semántica (hilética) de normas y al sostener que ésta es consistente con la teoría jurídica positivista. No obstante, es cierto que no proporcionan argumentos acerca de cómo se relaciona la concepción semántica con la tesis positivista de los hechos sociales. Por lo tanto, en este trabajo se buscan exponer los motivos por los cuales las concepciones rivales no son satisfactorias y, además, se propone al convencionalismo como una vía de explicación acerca de cómo es posible adoptar la concepción semántica de manera consistente con una ontología anti-realista acorde a la tesis de los hechos sociales.
Az udvariasság fokozatai
Authors: Bácsi Enikő
Published: September 2024

A tanulmány az egyes, mai nyelvre megalkotott udvariasságelméletek alkalmazhatóságát vizsgálja meg történeti anyagon: középmagyar kori misszilisekben megjelenő kéréseket elemez az udvariasság szempontjából. A forrás a Történeti magánéleti korpuszban található 16. századi házastársi levelezés, Nádasdy Tamás és Kanizsay Orsolya 184 misszilise. Az anyagban 170 kérés fordul elő, amelyeket három különböző elmélet és szempontrendszer segítségével tanulmányozok: a Blum-Kulka, House és Kasper-féle csoportosítás (Blum-Kulka–House–Kasper 1989), a Locher és Watts szerzőpáros kapcsolati munka fogalma (Locher–Watts 2005), valamint Spencer-Oatey (2002; 2008) kapcsolatkezelési modellje alapján. A házaspár eltérő mintázatai kapcsán jelentős szempontnak bizonyult a felek közötti hierarchikus viszony, valamint a nagy korkülönbség. Kiemelendő, hogy minél fontosabb volt a kérő fél számára a kérés, annál udvariasabb módon formálta azt meg. A kérés tárgya és a „súlya” befolyásoló tényezőnek számított, a megszólítások pedig sok esetben árnyalták a kéréseket. Ugyanazt a jelenséget vizsgáltam meg különböző elméletek keretében, és így az eltérő modellek alkalmazása révén új eredmények születtek, a téma több irányból vált ismertté. Bár a Blum-Kulka, House és Kasper (1989) szerzőhármas keretrendszere csupán kiindulási alapot adott az udvariasság meghatározásához, a másik két koncepció – Locher és Watts (2005), valamint Spencer-Oatey (2002; 2008) modelljei – által árnyaltabb kép bontakozott ki a vizsgált adatokról.
Demonstrating Agency in Uncertain Times
Authors: Mollet Amanda , Black Wayne , Shelton Leslie
Published: September 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to understand education Ph.D. candidates’ experiences while navigating pathways to faculty careers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study presents the opportunity for learning about obtaining faculty positions during a particularly precarious time for the academic labor market.

Design/Methodology/Approach

This exploratory longitudinal qualitative study examined doctoral candidates’ career development during what they anticipated as their final year of doctoral study during the 2020-2021 academic year. Data includes 33 total interviews, representing three interviews each from 11 diverse doctoral students who all shared a common career goal of becoming full-time faculty. Data analysis was rooted in the grounded theory analysis technique of the constant comparative method and also holistic coding.

Findings

Guided by career development theory, we highlighted participants demonstrating agency despite limited control that encompassed participants’ career self-management. Participants demonstrated coping with uncertainty and creating spaces of joy.

Originality

This study fulfills an identified need to examine the experiences of graduating Ph.D. students in education as they navigated the academic job market seeking faculty positions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning about the ways students navigate barriers in the faculty search process has the potential for identifying strategies for success and support for students and their faculty mentors. Another main contribution of this study is working towards understanding the career pathways of today’s generation of doctoral students as they navigate the realities of faculty careers that have again changed markedly from the experiences studied in prior generations.
Evaluating Equity in Clinical Trial Accessibility: An Analysis of Demographic, Socioeconomic, and Educational Disparities in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Drug Trials
Authors: Kerbage Anthony , Loesch Jack , Hamza Eyad , Khan Sulman , Nero Neil , Simons Madison , Lembo Anthony
Published: September 2024

INTRODUCTION:

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disorder of gut-brain interaction, imposes a significant economic burden because of its high prevalence and the chronic nature of its symptoms. IBS currently has 7 United States Food and Drug Administration–approved treatments. Despite efforts to improve diversity in randomized controlled trials' participation, significant disparities remain in various medical fields; yet, these have not been thoroughly examined within the context of IBS. We aimed to investigate the demographic, socioeconomic, educational, and geographic disparities in IBS drug trials.

METHODS:

We conducted a systematic review of phase 3 randomized controlled trials on United States Food and Drug Administration–approved drugs for the treatment of IBS with constipation and IBS with diarrhea in the United States. Data on participant demographics and trial site locations were extracted and analyzed to identify disparities.

RESULTS:

Our analysis included 17 studies encompassing 21 trials with 17,428 participants. Approximately 77.3% of participants were female, with a mean age of 45.4 years. Race was reported in 95% of the trials, but only 35% disclosed ethnicity. White participants constituted the majority at 79.3%. Hispanics accounted for only 5.9%. Counties without trial sites had smaller average population sizes compared with trial and trial-adjacent counties. Socioeconomic indicators such as poverty rates, median household income, educational attainment, and broadband internet access were lower in counties without trial sites, with higher average Area Deprivation Index scores indicating greater deprivation.

DISCUSSION:

The findings highlight significant disparities in IBS trial participation across race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic backgrounds. This raises potential concerns about generalizability of trial outcomes and underscores the need for strategies to enhance inclusivity in clinical research.
The influence of climate conditions on conflict
Authors: Marten Finn
Published: September 2024

Climate change has been linked with increased conflict risk through resource scarcity or forced migration but there remains a gap in understanding how these impacts vary across different types of conflicts. This study addresses this gap by examining the heterogeneous effects of long-term temperature and precipitation deviations on various conflict categories. I employ panel regression and a long-difference approach with UCDP data for 2780 conflicts from 1998-2020 in 81 low- and mid-income countries. My main finding confirms that climate impacts are indeed heterogeneous across conflict categories as lagged temperature deviations of 1°C increase the expected mean count of non-state conflict by 88.55% while armed conflict and one-sided violence are not affected significantly. This effect even increases to 117% when countries with high base temperatures are used for the estimation, suggesting different vulnerability levels as warmer countries also experience higher real conflict counts. The long-difference approach supports these results. Contrary to earlier studies, I did not find significant precipitation effects. 
Conflitos socioambientais entre a preservação ambiental e a reprodução camponesa no Parque Nacional dos Lençóis Maranhenses
Authors: Terra Ademir
Published: September 2024

As discussões sobre conflito permeiam diversos campos do conhecimento, e ele envolve duas partes que divergem ideologicamente, dentro de um contexto em que uma das partes se sente de alguma forma ameaçada pela outra, o que a faz ativar seus modos de defesa. Na multiplicidade dos conflitos, os socioambientais remetem à utilização dos recursos naturais e, ao mesmo tempo, à apropriação e ao controle do território por diferentes sujeitos sociais. Recorremos à uma análise dialética dos conflitos socioambientais que insurgem no Parque Nacional dos Lençóis Maranhenses e envolvem, por um lado, os camponeses que habitam no interior do Parque e buscam manter a territorialidade camponesa e, por outro, os gestores do Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, que buscam cumprir a legislação ambiental referente a uma unidade de Proteção Integral. Foram selecionadas como base empírica três comunidades, Buriti Amarelo, Bracinho e Tucuns, identificadas pelos habitantes do Parque como comunidades da “região de areia”; e três outras, Canto do Atins, Ponta do Mangue e Santo Inácio, identificadas como da “região de praia”.