bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What’s the cut-point?: a systematic investigation of tau PET thresholding methods
Authors: Weigand Alexandra J. , Maass Anne , Eglit Graham L. , Bondi Mark W.
Published: April 2022

Background

Tau positron emission tomography (PET) is increasing in popularity for biomarker characterization of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and recent frameworks rely on tau PET cut-points to stage individuals along the AD continuum. Given the lack of standardization in tau PET thresholding methods, this study sought to systematically canvass and characterize existing studies that have derived tau PET cut-points and then directly assess different methods of tau PET thresholding in terms of their concurrent validity.

Methods

First, a literature search was conducted in PubMed to identify studies of AD and related clinical phenotypes that used the Flortaucipir (AV-1451) tau PET tracer to derive a binary cut-point for tau positivity. Of 540 articles screened and 47 full-texts reviewed, 23 cohort studies met inclusion criteria with a total of 6536 participants. Second, we derived and compared tau PET cut-points in a 2 × 2 × 2 design that systematically varied region (temporal meta-ROI and entorhinal cortex), analytic method (receiver operating characteristics and 2 standard deviations above comparison group), and criterion/comparison variable (amyloid-beta negative cognitively unimpaired or cognitively unimpaired only) using a sample of 453 older adults from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.

Results

For the systematic review, notable variability in sample characteristics, preprocessing methods, region of interest, and analytic approach were observed, which were accompanied by discrepancy in proposed tau PET cut points. The empirical follow-up indicated the cut-point derived based on 2 standard deviations above a either comparison group in either ROI best differentiated tau positive and negative groups on cerebrospinal fluid phosphorylated tau, Mini-Mental State Examination score, and delayed memory performance.

Conclusions

Given the impact of discrepant thresholds on tau positivity rates, biomarker staging, and eligibility for future clinical treatment trials, recommendations are offered to select cut-point derivations based on the unique goals and priorities of different studies.
Emotional prosody recognition is impaired in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Amlerova Jana , Laczó Jan , Nedelska Zuzana , Laczó Martina , Vyhnálek Martin , Zhang Bing , Sheardova Kateřina , Angelucci Francesco , Andel Ross , Hort Jakub
Published: April 2022

Background

The ability to understand emotions is often disturbed in patients with cognitive impairments. Right temporal lobe structures play a crucial role in emotional processing, especially the amygdala, temporal pole (TP), superior temporal sulcus (STS), and anterior cingulate (AC). Those regions are affected in early stages of Alzheimer´s disease (AD). The aim of our study was to evaluate emotional prosody recognition (EPR) in participants with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) due to AD, AD dementia patients, and cognitively healthy controls and to measure volumes or thickness of the brain structures involved in this process. In addition, we correlated EPR score to cognitive impairment as measured by MMSE. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess the ability of EPR tests to differentiate the control group from the aMCI and dementia groups.

Methods

Eighty-nine participants from the Czech Brain Aging Study: 43 aMCI due to AD, 36 AD dementia, and 23 controls, underwent Prosody Emotional Recognition Test. This experimental test included the playback of 25 sentences with neutral meaning each recorded with different emotional prosody (happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, anger). Volume of the amygdala and thickness of the TP, STS, and rostral and caudal parts of AC (RAC and CAC) were measured using FreeSurfer algorithm software. ANCOVA was used to evaluate EPR score differences. ROC analysis was used to assess the ability of EPR test to differentiate the control group from the aMCI and dementia groups. The Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated to explore relationships between EPR scores, structural brain measures, and MMSE.

Results

EPR was lower in the dementia and aMCI groups compared with controls. EPR total score had high sensitivity in distinguishing between not only controls and patients, but also controls and aMCI, controls and dementia, and aMCI and dementia. EPR decreased with disease severity as it correlated with MMSE. There was a significant positive correlation of EPR and thickness of the right TP, STS, and bilateral RAC.

Conclusions

EPR is impaired in AD dementia and aMCI due to AD. These data suggest that the broad range of AD symptoms may include specific deficits in the emotional sphere which further complicate the patient’s quality of life.
Ultrasound elastography in the assessment of post-stroke muscle stiffness: a systematic review
Authors: Roots Jacqueline , Trajano Gabriel S , Fontanarosa Davide
Published: April 2022

Background

Post-stroke muscle stiffness is a major challenge in the rehabilitation of stroke survivors, with no gold standard in clinical assessment. Muscle stiffness is typically evaluated by the Modified Ashworth Scale or the Tardieu Scale; however, these can have low reliability and sensitivity. Ultrasound elastography is an advanced imaging technology that can quantitatively measure the stiffness of a tissue and has been shown to have good construct validity when compared to clinically assessed muscle stiffness and functional motor recovery.

Objective

The purpose of this article is to systematically review the literature regarding the change in muscle stiffness as measured by ultrasound elastography in stroke survivors.

Methods

Scopus, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, MEDLINE and Cochrane Library were searched for relevant studies that assessed the change in stiffness of post-stroke muscle stiffness measured by ultrasound elastography following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines.

Results

In total, 29 articles were identified, using either strain elastography and shear wave elastography to measure the stiffness of muscles in stroke survivors, most frequently in the biceps and medial gastrocnemius muscles. The stiffness was typically higher in the paretic compared to the non-paretic or healthy control. Other variations that increased the stiffness include increasing the joint angle and introducing a passive stretch or muscle activation. The paretic muscle has also been assessed pre- and post-treatment demonstrating a decrease in stiffness.

Conclusion

Ultrasound elastography is a promising imaging technology for determining the muscle stiffness in stroke survivors with need for a standardized imaging protocol.
Addressing the important error of missing surgical items in an operated patient
Authors: Susmallian Sergio , Barnea Royi , Azaria Bella , Szyper-Kravitz Martine
Published: April 2022

Background

We aim to analyze the characteristics of incidences of missing surgical items (MSIs) and to examine the changes in MSI events following the implementation of an MSI prevention program.

Methods

All surgical cases registered in our medical center from January 2014 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

Among 559,910 operations, 154 MSI cases were reported. Mean patient age was 48.67 years (standard deviation, 20.88), and 56.6% were female. The rate of MSIs was 0.259/1000 cases. Seventy-seven MSI cases (53.10%) had no consequences, 47 (32.41%) had mild consequences, and 21 (14.48%) had severe consequences. These last 21 cases represented a rate of 0.037/1000 cases. MSI events were more frequent in cardiac surgery (1.82/1000 operations). Textile elements were the most commonly retained materials (28.97% of cases). In total, 15.86% of the cases were not properly reported. The risk factors associated with MSIs included body mass index (BMI) above 35 kg/m2 and prolonged operative time. After the implementation of the institutional prevention system in January 2017, there was a gradual decrease in the occurrence of severe events despite an increase in the number of MSIs.

Conclusion

Despite the increase in the rate of MSIs, an implemented transparency and reporting system helped reduce the cases with serious consequences. To further prevent the occurrence of losing surgical elements in a surgery, we recommend educating OR staff members about responsibility and obligation to report all incidents that are caused during an operation, to develop an event reporting system as well as "rituals" within the OR setting to increase the team's awareness to MSIs.

Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04293536). Date of registration: 08.01.2021. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04293536.
ISO 10993 biological evaluation of novel hemostatic powder – 4SEAL®
Authors: Szymanski Lukasz , Golaszewska Kamila , Wiatrowska Anna , Dropik Monika , Szymanski Pawel , Gromadka Bartosz , Krakowiak Patrycja , Wierzchowska Justyna , Matak Damian
Published: April 2022

Background

Hemostasis plays a crucial role during every surgery allowing for a bloodless operating field. Fast and effective surgery leads to a reduced risk of postoperative complications. One of the latest methods for achieving homeostasis is using natural polysaccharide-based hemostatic powders. The study aimed to evaluate the biocompatibility according to the ISO 10993 standards of 4SEAL® Hemostatic powder.

Methods

Chemical characterization (Headspace GC-MS, GC-MS, and ICP-MS), cytotoxicity, genotoxicity (MLA and AMES), endotoxin contamination, sensitization potential, intracutaneous reactivity, acute and subacute systemic toxicity with implantation, and pyrogenicity were evaluated to investigate the biocompatibility of the 4SEAL® Hemostatic powder. Studies were conducted according to ISO 10993 standards.

Results

The biocompatibility requirements according to ISO 10993-1 for 4SEAL® Hemostatic powder were met. Based on the conducted in-vitro studies, 4SEAL® Hemostatic powder shows a non-cytotoxicity and non-mutagenic potential. Also, the results of in vivo studies of 4SEAL® Hemostatic powder shows no signs of toxicity, non-sensitizing, non-irritating, and no pyrogenicity potential. In the chemical characterization of 4Seal® Hemostatic Powder, no compounds were identified above Analytical Evaluation Threshold (AET) and no elements with concentrations higher than element-specific PDE [μg/day] were detected.

Conclusions

4SEAL® Hemostatic powder is a promising new hemostatic agent with a wide range of potential applications and excellent biocompatibility.
Stunting and associated factors among children aged 6–59 months from productive safety net program beneficiary and non-beneficiary households in Meta District, East Hararghe zone, Eastern Ethiopia: a comparative cross-sectional study
Authors: Tesfaye Aklilu , Egata Gudina
Published: April 2022

Background

Undernutrition is one of the major public health problems affecting children in developing settings. Despite impressive interventions like productive safety net program (PSNP), there is limited information on the association between stunting and PSNP implementation in Ethiopia.

Methods

Community-based comparative cross-sectional study design was used among systematically selected 1555 children and their mothers/caregivers from households enrolled in PSNP and not, respectively, in Meta District east Ethiopia from 5th–20th of March 2017. Data were collected using pretested structured questionnaire. Measuring board was used to measure length/height of children. Length/height for age Z-score was generated using World Health Organization (WHO) Anthro version 3.2.2. Descriptive statistics was used to describe all relevant variables. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors of stunting. Odds ratio along with 95% confidence intervals were estimated to measure the strength of association. The statistical significance was declared at p value less than 0.05.

Results

The prevalence of stunting was 47.7%, 95% CI (44.1%, 51.5%) and 33.5%, 95% CI (29.9%, 36.9%) among children from households enrolled in PSNP and non-PSNP ones, respectively. Lack of maternal education [AOR = 3.39; 95% CI (1.12, 5.11)], women’s empowerment [AOR = 3.48; 95% CI (2.36, 5.12)] and fourth antenatal care visit [AOR = 4.2, 95% CI (2.5, 6.8)], practicing hand washing [AOR = 0.46; 95% CI (0.28, 0.76)], living in mid-land [AOR = 1.94, 95% CI (1.12, 3.35)] and low-land[AOR = 0.27: 95% CI (0.16, 0.45)] agro-ecological zones, PSNP membership [AOR = 1.82, 95% CI (1.14, 2.89)], childhood illness [AOR = 8.41; 95% CI (4.58, 12.76)], non-exclusive breastfeeding [AOR = 3.6; 95% CI (2.30, 4.80)], inadequate minimum dietary diversity [AOR = 4.7; 95% CI (3.0, 7.40)], child’s sex [AOR = 1.73, 95% CI (1.18, 2.53)] and age (24–59 months) [AOR = 3.2; 95% CI (1.6, 6.3)] were independent predictors of stunting.

Conclusions

The prevalence of stunting was high among children from households enrolled in PSNP. Stunting was significantly associated with maternal- and child-related factors. Therefore, women empowerment on household’s issues and improving infant and young child feeding practices could reduce the prevalence of stunting and its adverse consequences.
Morphometric analysis of the Filipino knee and its implication in total knee arthroplasty prosthesis design
Authors: Flores Cleff Lucero , San Juan Jose Antonio G.
Published: April 2022

Background

Prosthesis factors account for a quarter of the dissatisfaction rates among post-total knee replacement (TKR) patients. In the Philippines, the available prostheses have pre-determined sizes and dimensions that are based on Caucasian morphometric data. This can pose a problem, since according to previous studies Asian knees have smaller dimensions compared to Caucasians. Since there is a paucity of research looking into the fitness of these prostheses to the Filipino knee, this study was pursued.

Methods

This study measured 675 knees of 675 adult Filipinos from January 2018 to December 2020. The morphometric measurements were performed on T1-weighted magnetic resonance images. The distal femoral morphometry included: the anteroposterior distance, lateral and medial anteroposterior distances, mediolateral distance, anterior and posterior mediolateral distances, and the femoral aspect ratio. The proximal tibial morphometry included: the anteroposterior distance, mediolateral distance, the medial and lateral anteroposterior distances, and the tibial aspect ratio. The patellar height, width, and thickness were also determined. Statistical analyses were done by using SPSS (version 26) and Microsoft Excel (version 2016).

Results

The mean femoral medial and lateral anteroposterior distances were 57.6 mm and 57.1 mm, respectively. The femoral mediolateral distance was 69.3 mm, and the mean femoral aspect ratio was 1.21. The mean proximal tibial antero-posterior and mediolateral distances were 45.3 mm and 71.9 mm, respectively. The mean tibial aspect ratio was 1.66. Most TKR prostheses can be fitted to the Filipino knee but underhang on the mediolateral aspect is commonly observed in both the femoral and tibial components. The mean patellar height and width of Filipinos were 39.6 mm and 42.6 mm, respectively while the average thickness was 23.1 mm.

Conclusion

Most prostheses available in the Philippine and Asian markets can be fitted into Filipino knees albeit the underhang observed in the mediolateral aspects of both femoral and tibial components. Potential patellar complications are unlikely given the adequate thickness. To avoid the potential mismatch, the best approach is to design a prosthesis aptly suited for the Filipino knees.
Increasing patient-reported allergies are not associated with pain, functional outcomes, or satisfaction following medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction: a retrospective comparative cohort study
Authors: Bi Andrew S. , Shankar Dhruv S. , Vasavada Kinjal D. , Fisher Nina D. , Strauss Eric J. , Alaia Michael J. , Campbell Kirk A.
Published: April 2022

Background

Patient-reported allergies (PRAs) are often stigmatized as a potential nonmodifiable risk factor for increased pain and worse functional outcomes following surgery. However, there is a dearth of literature directly assessing the impact of PRAs on outcomes in sport surgeries such as medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction (MPFLR). The purpose of our study was to determine whether PRAs were associated with worse outcomes following MPFLR.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent MPFLR at our institution from 2011 to 2019. Patients were included if they had at least 12 months of follow-up. PRAs were obtained from preoperative medical assessments and categorized by drug class. Demographic and perioperative data were obtained from electronic medical records. Postoperative outcomes were measured using a telephone survey and included recurrent instability, Visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, VAS for sports, Kujala score, MPFL-Return to Sport after Injury (MPFL-RSI) score, and overall satisfaction score. Multiple linear regression was used to determine association between PRAs and outcome measures, and p-values less than 0.05 were considered significant.

Results

The cohort included 141 MPFLR. Most patients were female (98, 70%) with an average age of 25 years (range 12–56 years). Average follow-up time was 47 months. Forty-seven patients (33%) reported at least one PRA. There were no significant differences in postoperative pain, functional outcomes, satisfaction, or return to sport between patients with or without PRAs (all p > 0.05). Absence of antibiotic PRAs was predictive of higher VAS (p < 0.007), but there were no other differences. There were no significant differences in outcomes between patients without PRAs, PRAs without a concomitant psychiatric disorder, or PRAs with a concomitant psychiatric disorder (all p > 0.05).

Conclusions

In conclusion, PRAs with or without concomitant psychiatric diagnoses are not associated with worse postoperative pain, functional outcomes, or satisfaction following MPFLR with allograft, dispelling common misconceptions that increased number of allergies or psychiatric diagnoses lead to inferior surgical outcomes. Presence of antibiotic allergies was associated with lower VAS postoperative pain score. Future research should investigate the relationship between PRAs and other surgeries in the field of sports medicine.
Risk factors and trajectories of opioid use following total knee replacement
Authors: Ward Ralph , Taber David , Gonzales Haley , Gebregziabher Mulugeta , Basco William , McCauley Jenna , Mauldin Patrick , Ball Sarah
Published: April 2022

Background

Opioids are commonly used to manage orthopedic pain in those undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). There are limited studies assessing patterns of perioperative opioid use and risk factors for chronic use in patients undergoing TKA.

Methods

This is a retrospective longitudinal cohort study of Medicaid enrollees undergoing TKA between 2014 and 2017 using de-identified medical and pharmacy claims. The primary outcome was chronic opioid use (opioid prescription filled 90–270 days following TKA). Trajectory group membership was determined by identifying distinct groups of patients with similar patterns of daily morphine milligram equivalent (MME) values during the postsurgery follow-up period.

Results

In total, 1666 TKA surgeries performed in 1507 patients were included; 69% of patients were classified as chronic opioid users. Multivariable analyses identified prior opioid use, high opioid doses during the month after TKA, concomitant mood therapies and benzodiazepines, and comorbid conditions as important risk factors. Group-based trajectory analysis identified five distinct post-TKA surgery opioid use phenotypes with several key characteristics predicting group membership.

Conclusions

This large-scale analysis demonstrated that chronic opioid use was common after TKA surgery and established several important risk factors for chronic use following TKA. Novel analysis revealed five distinct opioid use trajectories and identified key characteristics to help guide clinicians when determining perioperative opioid use. Results demonstrate that interventional studies attempting to reduce opioids after TKA are needed if reductions in long-term use are to be realized in this high-risk patient population.
Role of Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (VEMP) in diagnosis of vestibular abnormalities in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: El-seady Israa Y , Abd El-Tawab Mohamed M , El-Shawaf Wessam I , El-Sehrawy Amr A
Published: April 2022

Objectives

To evaluate the role of ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMP) in diagnosis of vestibular abnormalities among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods

Eighty T2DM patients were selected for the study plus a group of 30 normal non-diabetic individuals. Both groups were assessed regarding oVEMP latency and amplitude.

Results

There were statistically significant differences in the latencies of N1 and P1 in patients with DM in comparison to controls in both the right and left ears although there was no significant difference between both groups regarding the amplitude of N1 and P1. We found that there were statistically significant differences in the latencies of N1 and P1 in patients with DPN in comparison with patients without DPN. Also, we found that there was no significant relation between duration of diabetes and VEMP latency. According to type of treatment, there was significant difference between diabetic patients on insulin therapy and those on hypoglycemic medications regarding latency of N1 and P1 (Table 6).

Conclusion

In patients with type 2 DM receiving primary health care, who are not seeking medical care due to sensory or balance decline, utricular function may be impaired even without history of falls.
Seismic data recovery using deep targeted denoising priors in an alternating optimization framework
Authors: Lan Nanying , Zhang Fanchang
Published: April 2022

The problem of recovering the complete seismic data from undersampled field-observed data is a long-term challenge. Many recent efforts to address this problem develop model-based recovery methods. However, current model-based methods cannot accurately capture inherent priors of seismic data to obtain optimal recovery results. For this issue, we have developed a novel model-based seismic data recovery method, which integrates a deep learning (DL)-based targeted denoiser into the seismic data recovery model and leverages the deep targeted denoising priors learned by this denoiser to implement high accuracy data recovery. Specifically, we first use operator-splitting technology to decouple the data-consistency term and prior constraint term in a seismic data recovery model, resulting in an alternating optimization scheme composed of a least-squares inversion subtask and a proximal minimization subtask. The DL-based targeted denoiser, a dual-channel deep denoising network (DcDDNet), is then plugged into the alternating optimization scheme as a modular component, according to the mathematical equivalence between the proximal operator and the targeted denoiser. This modular component replaces the formalized proximal minimization subtask and plays the role of an implicit prior in the recovery optimization problem. Finally, the least-squares inversion and deep denoising subtasks in the alternating optimization scheme are iteratively executed to achieve seismic data recovery. Due to the integration of the powerful DcDDNet, this method not only enjoys high flexibility and impressive generalization capability but also has high computational efficiency and excellent performance. Synthetic and field data with regular and irregular undersampling are used to evaluate the recovery capability of this method. The results demonstrate that, compared with the f- x adaptive interpolation and curvelet-based recovery methods, our method has advantages in visual and quality metrics. In addition, this method also is more practical in seismic applications because it works in the time-space domain and can handle spatial aliasing and spectral leakage.
Simultaneous estimation of local intersecting slopes
Authors: Gao Zhenghui , Han Fuxing , Sun Zhangqing , Yu Ping , Xiong Dingyu , Liu Zheng , Huo Shoudong
Published: April 2022

The local slope of a seismic event is one of the most important attributes in seismic data processing and interpretation. In simple cases, only one slope value corresponds to a data location; however, in some complex geologic environments, such as unconformities or faults, two or more seismic events may intersect and yield several slopes. Although there are well-established methods for computing slopes in simple cases, there is no satisfactory algorithm in complex situations. We first detail the multimodality of coherence of intersecting events in the slope domain, and then propose a novel multimodal optimization method to capture their local slopes simultaneously. In the method, we use the neighborhood-based crowding differential evolution (NCDE) multimodal optimization algorithm cascaded by the hill-valley niche detection function and the Nelder-Mead simplex local search algorithm. Using this approach, we can obtain all of the local intersecting slopes simultaneously and avoid the need for a fine search when fully adopting the NCDE algorithm. The results of our numerical analysis indicate that the proposed method is robust, efficient, and accurate. Furthermore, the application of the proposed method to the dip-steering median filter for random noise attenuation shows better results than the iterative [Formula: see text] method in the case of complex wavefields.
Prognostic Value of Lateral Spread Response Recorded 1 Month After Microvascular Decompression for the Treatment of Hemifacial Spasm
Authors: Kim Minsoo , Cho Kyung Rae , Park Sang-Ku , Jeon Chiman , Park Kwan
Published: April 2022

BACKGROUND:

The predictive value of intraoperative disappearance of the lateral spread response (LSR) during microvascular decompression surgery for hemifacial spasm treatment is unclear. Studies evaluating the clinical implications of the LSR recorded during the postoperative period are also limited.

OBJECTIVE:

To analyze the LSR 1 month postoperatively and to evaluate its prognostic value until 1 year postsurgery.

METHODS:

In total, 883 patients who underwent microvascular decompression between 2016 and 2018 were included. LSR was recorded preoperatively, intraoperatively before decompression, intraoperatively after decompression, and 1 month postoperatively. The outcomes were evaluated at 1 week, 1 month, and 1 year postoperatively.

RESULTS:

The presence of preoperative and intraoperative LSR after decompression did not predict the postoperative outcome at 1 year. In 246 patients (27.9%), the postoperative LSR at 1 month was not identical to that recorded intraoperatively after decompression. Postoperative LSR at 1 month was associated with a worse outcome at 1 month (P < .0001) and 1 year (P = .0002) postoperatively. Patients with residual symptoms and a LSR 1 month postoperatively were more likely to show residual symptoms 1 year postoperatively, with a positive predictive value of 50.7%.

CONCLUSION:

Unlike the intraoperative LSR, the LSR at 1 month postoperatively showed prognostic value in predicting 1-year postoperative outcomes and was useful for identifying patients with a high risk of unfavorable outcomes. Thus, confirming the presence of postoperative LSR is necessary.
A mixture of innate cryoprotectants is key for freeze tolerance and cryopreservation of a drosophilid fly larva
Authors: Kučera Lukáš , Moos Martin , Štětina Tomáš , Korbelová Jaroslava , Vodrážka Petr , Des Marteaux Lauren , Grgac Robert , Hůla Petr , Rozsypal Jan , Faltus Miloš , Šimek Petr , Sedlacek Radislav , Koštál Vladimír
Published: April 2022

Insects that naturally tolerate internal freezing produce complex mixtures of multiple cryoprotectants (CPs). Better knowledge on composition of these mixtures, and on the mechanisms of individual CP interactions, could inspire development of laboratory CP formulations optimized for cryopreservation of cells and other biological material. Here, we identify and quantify (using high resolution mass spectrometry) a range of putative CPs in larval tissues of a subarctic fly, Chymomyza costata, which survives long-term cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen. The CPs proline, trehalose, glutamine, asparagine, glycine betaine, glycerophosphoethanolamine, glycerophosphocholine and sarcosine accumulate in hemolymph in a ratio of 313:108:55:26:6:4:2.9:0.5 mmol l−1. Using calorimetry, we show that artificial mixtures, mimicking the concentrations of major CPs in hemolymph of freeze-tolerant larvae, suppress the melting point of water and significantly reduce the ice fraction. We demonstrate in a bioassay that mixtures of CPs administered through the diet act synergistically rather than additively to enable cryopreservation of otherwise freeze-sensitive larvae. Using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI), we show that during slow extracellular freezing trehalose becomes concentrated in partially dehydrated hemolymph where it stimulates transition to the amorphous glass phase. In contrast, proline moves to the boundary between extracellular ice and dehydrated hemolymph and tissues where it probably forms a layer of dense viscoelastic liquid. We propose that amorphous glass and viscoelastic liquids may protect macromolecules and cells from thermomechanical shocks associated with freezing and transfer into and out of liquid nitrogen.
Insights and Further Understanding of Radioactive Cesium Removal Using Zeolite, Prussian Blue and Graphene Oxide as Adsorbents
Authors: Yagyu Junya , Islam Md Saidul , Yasutake Hiroki , Hirayama Haruka , Zenno Hikaru , Sugimoto Akira , Takagi Shunji , Sekine Yoshihiro , Ohira Shin-Ichi , Hayami Shinya
Published: April 2022

The efficient removal of radioactive cesium (137Cs) from contaminated water around nuclear plants and/or after nuclear accidents has become an emerging issue since the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Fukushima, Japan) disaster on March 11, 2011. Herein, we have demonstrated and compared the adsorption performances of both 137Cs and 133Cs using three potential adsorbents, zeolite (ZL), Prussian blue (PB) and graphene oxide (GO), in deionized water and simulated seawater. The adsorption efficiencies are determined in terms of the adsorbent amount, initial Cs concentration, and the effect of other competing ions in the system. In addition, the practical application of the materials was justified by evaluating the elution/retention of the adsorbed Cs with different volumes of solvent. Significantly, we illustrated a practical validation of a purification route for 137Cs-contaminated fly ash generated from nuclear power plant accidents, while PB can be a potential adsorbent for large-scale implementation.
Χριστιανοί και παγανιστικοί λατρευτικοί χώροι σε Αίγυπτο, Παλαιστίνη και Συρία από τον 4ο έως τον 6ο αιώνα
Authors: Μητσόπουλος Παναγιώτης
Published: April 2022

Οι παγανιστικές λατρείες κατά την Ύστερη Αρχαιότητα υποχωρούν όλο και περισσότερο, σε αντίθεση με τη ραγδαία ανάπτυξη του Χριστιανισμού. Έτσι, στα τέλη του 6ου αιώνα οι πιστοί τους είναι πλέον ελάχιστοι. Η μετάβαση αυτή προς το Χριστιανισμό σε γενικές γραμμές είναι ειρηνική, ενώ η τύχη των παγανιστικών ναών ποικίλλει. Συνήθως εγκαταλείπονται είτε επαναχρησιμοποιούνται για άλλες λειτουργίες. Συγχρόνως, είναι πολύ λίγες οι βίαιες επιθέσεις σ’ αυτούς. Οι περισσότερες συγκρούσεις Χριστιανών και παγανιστών εντοπίζονται σε Αίγυπτο, Παλαιστίνη και Συρία και οφείλονται σε μεγάλο βαθμό στο θρησκευτικό και κοινωνικό τους υπόβαθρο. Εκεί εξελίσσονται επίσης και οι κυριότερες επιθέσεις σε παγανιστικούς λατρευτικούς χώρους. Χαρακτηριστικά παραδείγματα αποτελούν οι καταστροφές του Σαραπείου στην Αλεξάνδρεια, του ναού του Δία στην Απάμεια και του ναού του Δία Μαρνά στη Γάζα. Ιδιαίτερη είναι η δράση του Αββά Σενουτέ, ο οποίος συμμετέχει σε τέτοιου είδους επιθέσεις. Φαίνεται πάντως, πως σε πολλές αφηγήσεις τέτοιων γεγονότων υπάρχει έντονο το στοιχείο της υπερβολής, ιδιαίτερα από τους εκκλησιαστικούς συγγραφείς, καθώς δεν επιβεβαιώνονται οι αναφορές τους από τα αρχαιολογικά ευρήματα.
ESTUDIO ESTILÍSTICO Y ANALÍTICO DE LA PRODUCIÓN LITERARIA DE ZULEIJA ABU RISHA
Authors: Ahmad Al-Amar Abdullah Muhammad
Published: April 2022

Este trabajo es un intento de enfocar la luz sobre la voz de la mujer jordana presentada por Zuleija Abu Risha, considerada una de las escritoras jordanas mejor conocidas en el mundo árabe y uno de los ejemplos más valiosos del inquieto feminismo árabe. Por otro lado, este trabajo pretende poner de relieve algunas de sus aportaciones a la literatura femenina jordana mostrando su estilo poético único, renovado y rebelde cuando trata de la pasión amorosa y la relación entre el hombre y la mujer. Palabras claves: La literatura femenina jordana, Zuleija Abu Risha, la rebeldía.
‘NO-BODY’: ENVEJECIMIENTO PREMATURO Y AUSENCIA CORPORAL FEMENINA EN “PERSUASION” DE JANE AUSTEN
Authors: Cortés Vieco Francisco José
Published: April 2022

La presencia de incógnito de Jane Austen en el panorama literario del siglo XIX armoniza con la ausencia del “no-cuerpo” de Anne, su heroína en Persuasion que, con o sin freno narrativo, se repliega hacia sí misma y pierde sus demarcaciones identitarias con desembocadura textual en envejecimiento prematuro, el estigma de la “solterona” y su deshumanización en un entorno hostil que acelera su anulación física y psíquica. Palabras claves: Cuerpo, identidad, ausencia, sufrimiento, envejecimiento, suicidio.
LA TRANSGRESIÓN EN ROSALÍA DE CASTRO. APUNTES SOBRE EL SUJETO FEMENINO Y LA COMUNIDAD
Authors: García Candeira Margarita
Published: April 2022

Este artículo propone una revisión de la figura de Rosalía de Castro que matice algunos rasgos de la percepción simbólica más generalizada. Parte de la noción foucaultiana de transgresión y presta especial atención a su prosa para identificar actitudes vitales y literarias de Rosalía que revelan una perspectiva feminista profundamente libertaria y una concepción de la comunidad igualmente heterodoxa. Palabras claves: Rosalía de Castro, transgresión, prosa, feminismo, comunidad.
FEMINISMO Y GÉNERO EN “LA HEMBRA DE LA LENGUA”: PONENCIAS SOBRE DISCURSO Y GÉNERO DE ZULEIKHA ABU RISHA
Authors: Hussein Al Duweiri Larosi Haidar
Published: April 2022

Este trabajo pretende ser un acercamiento a la investigadora jordana Zuleikha Abu Risha partiendo de su obra La hembra de la lengua: ponencias sobre discurso y género, obra que viene a resumir en líneas generales las inquietudes y preocupaciones de la autora en el ámbito de la crítica y la investigación lingüística desde que pocos años antes publicó su primer libro sobre el tema y que, de alguna manera, había supuesto una revolución y desafío al discurso masculino imperante. Palabras claves: Género, feminismo, lengua, discurso, Abu Risha.
REBELDÍA Y ESPERANZA, EL FRUTO DE UNA VISIONARIA: BERTHA VON SUTTNER
Authors: Sáez Méndez Leonor
Published: April 2022

Desde el área temática mujeres, rebelión y escritura propongo detenernos en una rebeldía esperanzadora, en la escritora austriaca Bertha von Suttner. Desde mediados del siglo XIX y la primera mitad del XX las convulsiones políticas y económicas marcan un cambio substancial en la sociedad europea y son punto no sólo de reflexión de la mirada crítica de Bertha von Suttner, sino de su actuación exitosa. En 1889, publicó el libro: ¡Abajo las armas! (Die Warfen nieder!), muestra un camino rebelde frente al sufrimiento innecesario. La ética de los gobernantes y el derecho internacional, junto a la dignidad de los individuos y a sus lazos de fraternidad crean el nuevo espacio que ella nos propone articular, este pensamiento es el tema de este artículo. Palabras claves: Bertha von Suttner, Rebeldía, Esperanza, Descifrar, derecho internacional, ética.
POESÍA RELIGIOSA DE CAROLINA CORONADO
Authors: Soler Arteaga Mª Jesús
Published: April 2022

Carolina Coronado pertenece a la primera generación de escritoras románticas. En 1852 publicó la reedición aumentada de su primer poemario. En este libro se incluían poemas que habían aparecido en los periódicos de la época y otros que habían sido silenciados por la propia autora por su contenido amoroso. En esta fecha debido a la buena acogida del público y al aliento de Juan Eugenio Hartzenbusch y también a la circunstancia del fallecimiento del hombre al que iban dedicados aquellos poemas, la poeta incluyó los poemas que había guardado celosamente hasta ese momento. Este celo no debe resultar extraño, puesto que las autoras de este periodo se enfrentaron en muchas ocasiones a la hostilidad de sectores que no aceptaban la incorporación de la mujer al panorama literario. Palabras claves: Carolina Coronado, escritoras, románticas, incorporación de la mujer, panorama literario.
UNA AUSENCIA: LA TRISTE HISTORIA DE ISOLINA CANUTI
Authors: Matas Gil Paulino
Published: April 2022

En el mes de enero de 1900 en Verona, dos lavanderas encuentran un cuerpo descuartizado e incompleto. Se trata de Isolina Canuti. Una joven de 20 años, de familia humilde, poco agraciada físicamente y de dudosa moralidad. Todas las culpas recaen en el que había sido su amante y que era quien la había dejado embaraza: el teniente del ejército Carlo Trivulzio que pretendía que Isolina abortase. Isolina. La donna tagliata a pezzi es una obra realista que concede gran importancia a la documentación hasta tal punto de que la propia autora en 1983 se traslada a Verona para recopilar toda la documentación. Excepto en los periódicos, sólo encuentra el silencio porque estaba en juego el honor del ejército y, ¿qué valía la vida de una joven como Isolina ante el honor del ejército? Palabras clave: Honor, ejército, vida, tribunal, periódicos.
‘‘MISTERI DEL CHIOSTRO NAPOLETANO’’. UN CORAGGIOSO PERCORSO DI VITA NEL MERIDIONE D’ITALIA
Authors: Pagliara Maria
Published: April 2022

Enrichetta Caracciolo, autrice di un’opera autobiografica, I Misteri del Chiostro napoletano (1864). L’autrice, monacata a forza e in seguito uscita dal convento dopo disperate battaglie, pubblica le sue memorie, con intento pedagogico e per dimostrare l’utilità del decreto del nuovo governo, succeduto a quello borbonico, con cui si sopprimono i conventi. Le memorie contengono anche altri temi, quali la famiglia, l’educazione, la fede patriottica, ecc., visti tutti da uno sguardo al femminile. Parole chiave: Enrichetta Caracciolo, monacato, memorie.
NATHALIE GASSEL, UNA VOZ FRANCÓFONA DE LA LITERATURA ERÓTICA Y DE LA DISIDENCIA
Authors: Tremblais Mathilde
Published: April 2022

Este artículo propone un acercamiento a la obra de Nathalie Gassel, escritora belga que sitúa el género en el centro de su pensamiento. El cuerpo atlético y andrógino que se ha creado la autora y que proyecta en la escena literaria le permite reivindicar la especificidad de su yo erótico, quebrantando las convenciones y los esquemas clásicos de la literatura erótica. Palabras claves: Nathalie Gassel, género, trasgresión, literatura erótica.
TEATRO, FRASEOLOGÍA Y PAREMIOLOGÍA EN LA CLASE DE E/LE: TRA(D)ICIÓN DE BETH ESCUDÉ I GALLÈS
Authors: García Rodríguez Coral
Published: April 2022

El teatro es una herramienta fundamental en relación con la enseñanza/aprendizaje de la fraseología y la paremiología, en un enfoque dirigido a la acción que da sentido al proyecto llevado a cabo en clase. La paremiología y la fraseología, a su vez, son portadoras de connotaciones sociológicas que se remiten a una cultura específica, susceptible de ser estudiada desde un punto de vista contrastivo (español/italiano). Palabras claves: teatro, Beth Escudé I Gallès, paremiología, fraseología, didáctica.
LO SCHERMO TRA LE PAGINE. PER UNA LA RILETTURA DE LA BELLA ADDORMENTATA NEL BOSCO, GENESI E METAMORFOSI DI UNA FIABA
Authors: Articoni Angela
Published: April 2022

La metafora della “Bella Addormentata”, archetipo del femminile che si risveglia solo con “il bacio del vero amore”, inteso come bisogno imprescindibile della figura maschile per la realizzazione del proprio sé, va mutando attraverso il rapido evolversi delle trasformazioni sociali e culturali. I film Maleficent e La belle endormie ribadiscono il valore del femminile all’interno delle narrazioni simboliche. Parole chiave: Letteratura per l’infanzia, La Bella Addormentata, fiabe, cinema.
Effects of the use of digital technologies on the performance of firms in a developing country: are there differences between creative and manufacturing industries?
Authors: Seclen-Luna Jean Pierre , Castro Vergara René I. , Lopez Valladares Hellen
Published: April 2022

This paper aims to analyse the effects of the use of digital technologies on firms’ net sales and productivity. The technology adoption approach is applied in empirical research using data from the National Enterprise Survey in Peru. Using the OLS method on a sample of 2,970 firms from creative and manufacturing industries in Peru, the effects of digital technologies on net sales and productivity are determined. Findings indicate that there is a positive relationship. However, these relationships can be different depending on the type of digital technology, the size of the firm and the manager’s gender proportion. We found that most of these technologies are more commonly related to creative industries than manufacturing firms. These relationships have greater statistical significance to net sales in large companies within both types of industry. However, SMEs have greater statistical significance with respect to productivity in both types of industries. Lastly, given the positive effect on these relationships, we conclude by highlighting the importance of managers crafting their technology portfolio and digital capabilities properly and the need for further research to determine the performance of companies in the context of developing countries.
Asset Reclassifications and Bank Recapitalization During the Financial Crisis
Authors: Bischof Jannis , Brüggemann Ulf , Daske Holger
Published: April 2022

Regulators frequently relax accounting rules during a financial crisis as a means of regulatory forbearance. The new accounting options provide banks with an opportunity for an accrual-based increase in their regulatory capital. The use of such an accounting option helps reduce the costs of government interventions such as bailouts and avoid the dilution of existing shareholders’ ownership rights. We examine the introduction of the reclassification option for financial assets during the 2008 financial crisis and study the position of accrual-based options in the pecking order of banks’ recapitalization measures. The findings suggest that the accrual-based increase in regulatory capital is temporary and does not provide permanent relief. Consistent with the long-term costs of accrual-based measures, investors perceive the accounting choice as a negative signal. If banks do not complement their use of the accounting option by other corrective actions that result in a real capital increase and a liquidity injection, they continue to suffer from low capitalization and financial difficulties in the following years. Ultimately, government interventions in accounting regulation are unlikely to offer a sustainable solution to capital shortfalls in the banking sector if they are not supported by the concurrent enforcement of real corrective actions.

This paper was accepted by Brian Bushee, accounting.

Funding: The authors acknowledge financial support from Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Project-ID 403041268-TRR 266) as well as from IAAER and KPMG under the “Research Informing the IASB Standard Setting” grant.

Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4364 .
Persuasion in Networks: Public Signals and Cores
Authors: Candogan Ozan
Published: April 2022

In many social networks, individuals’ actions depend on the actions of their peers and their information. How can a designer design informative signals to induce a desired outcome in a networked system? Candogan answers this question in a setting where the designer is restricted to using public signaling mechanisms. He provides a convex programming framework for obtaining optimal public signaling mechanisms in networks where agents’ actions exhibit local strategic complementarities and characterizes the (double-interval) structure of these mechanisms. The framework he develops is useful in other settings (where the designer’s payoff is an increasing step function of the posterior mean). He also provides an approach for designing asymptotically optimal public signaling mechanisms in large random networks that relies only on using the (limiting) degree distribution information. Finally, he sheds light on another fundamental question: Which networks are more amenable to persuasion?
Incorporating International Environmental Legislation Into Power Plant Development
Authors: Cooper Dr. Herbert W.
Published: April 2022

N ew pow er plant installations are shiftingworld-wid e fast er than anyon e could have imagined, even twoy ear s a go , Acum en and ex pe r ie n ce d ev elop ed laboriously inth e U.S . is now in int ernational d emand. Dr, Coo pe r' s two-parts e r ies e x p lo r e s th e e n vir o n me n ta l legislati on which is int egralto thi s g lob a l d e v elopm ent.Part 1 r e vi ew s "E c o n o m i cs , En ergy and th e E n vi r o n -m ent " ... "E n v ir o n me n ta l Ov ervi ew of Pow er Plant Projects " ..." Envir onm ental Impact Is su es" ... and conclud es with "T h eR e gul at or s. "Part 2, to a p pe a r in th e Fall 1997 i ssu e , carri es on with"E nv i ro n me n t a l S t a n d a r ds " .. . " Mee t in g En vironm ental Re-q u i re m e nt s" ' .. " O b t a i n in g Environm ental P ermit s " ... and"T'r erid s. "
Top 10 Winners in the Electric vs. Gas Sweepstakes
Authors: Rudden Richard J.
Published: April 2022

Any review of "winners" and "losers" puts one int o a slipp er yar ea. Th e politically correct topic of "winners" is opposed by th e po-litically incorrect notion of "losers."But a spade is a spade. There will be losers . Companies will beacquired , some will go bankrupt, and managers will be asked to lea ve .However, in discussing the winners in this article, we might be ableto provide guidance to that "other group."Th e top ten categories of winners listed here are rank ed in orderof importance. My opinion is based on projects in which we have donesome dir ectly-related work, on the inputs of industry guru s, on a lotof re search , and on some good hard brainstorming within my firm .You will note that each successive winn er will exhibit a numb er-butnot all-of the attr ibute s described in the earlier winners.
Private Power Practitioners- Viva Las Vegas!
Authors: Feldman Roger D.
Published: April 2022

The current debates regarding the limits on the scope of electricutility and convergence mergers, and the extent of regulation ofpower product commodities, are not just about the nice details ofretail access-they are about the essence of the future business . Pri-vate power needs to focus on their profound risk managementaspects: that focus will enable it both to take tactically useful policypositions and to develop an appropriate business plan . To win-or tobe cast aside.