bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Essential growth factor receptors for fibroblast homeostasis and activation: Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR), Platelet Derived Growth Factor Receptor (PDGFR), and Transforming Growth Factor β Receptor (TGFβR)
Authors: Cheng Maye F. , Abdullah Faizah S. , Buechler Matthew B.
Published: May 2024

Fibroblasts are cells of mesenchymal origin that are found throughout the body. While these cells have several functions, their integral roles include maintaining tissue architecture through the production of key extracellular matrix components, and participation in wound healing after injury. Fibroblasts are also key mediators in disease progression during fibrosis, cancer, and other inflammatory diseases. Under these perturbed states, fibroblasts can activate into inflammatory fibroblasts or contractile myofibroblasts. Fibroblasts require various growth factors and mitogenic molecules for survival, proliferation, and differentiation. While the activity of mitogenic growth factors on fibroblasts in vitro was characterized as early as the 1970s, the proliferation and differentiation effects of growth factors on these cells in vivo are unclear. Recent work exploring the heterogeneity of fibroblasts raises questions as to whether all fibroblast cell states exhibit the same growth factor requirements. Here, we will examine and review existing studies on the influence of fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs), platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFRs), and transforming growth factor β receptor (TGFβR) on fibroblast cell states.
Re-sequencing of the complete chloroplast genome of Cinnamomum burmanni (Nees & T.Nees) Blume (Lauraceae) from Indonesia using MinION Oxford Nanopore Technologies
Authors: Salindeho Richard Andreas , Dwiyanti Fifi Gus , Pratama Rahadian , Matra Deden Derajat , Majiidu Muhammad , Siregar Iskandar Z.
Published: May 2024

Cinnamomum burmanni (Nees & T.Nees) Blume (Lauraceae) belongs to the Magnoliids group and is mainly distributed in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. The complete chloroplast (cp) genome of C. burmanni sampled from Indonesia was assembled and annotated for the first time in this study. The length of the cp genome is 152,765 bp with a GC content of 39%, and it consists of four subregions: a large single-copy (LSC) region of 93,636 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,893 bp and two inverted repeats (IR) regions (IRA 20,121 bp; IRB 20,115 bp) . The cp genome of C. burmanni encodes a total of 173 unique genes, which are 96 protein-coding genes, 19 rRNA genes, and 68 tRNA genes that can be utilized for advanced genetic and genomic studies of the species.
THE HISTORY OF CHATBOTS: FROM IDEA TO USE IN APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
Authors: Freimanis Inga F. , Freimanis Dennis R.
Published: May 2024

Objective. The study focuses how to explore the potential opportunities and benefits of using chatbots in applied psychology. To determine the best ways to integrate chatbots into existing psychological services and programmes. To analyse and review the literature to identify common trends and findings on the use of chatbots in psychological support. Systematising research in this area would help to understand the potential of chatbots, identify optimal strategies for their use and identify areas for further research into this technology.
Methodology. The systems thinking is the basis for the research. The main theoretical methods of research: analysis, synthesis, deduction. This article is a review of the history of the development of chatbots in applied psychology. It includes studies investigating the use of chatbots to promote psychological health.
Results. Research results promise relatively the practicality and safety of chatbots using to promote psychological health. But using them as a part of applied psychology should be done with extreme caution. These technologies can be termed experimental. Research in this area is insufficient, and it is mainly of a pilot nature.
Conclusion. Topics such as the effectiveness and especially the safety of chatbots in applied psychology should be an integral part of future basic psychology research programmes.
COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE PECULIARITIES OF FUTURE SOCIONOMIC SPECIALISTS
Authors: Makarenko Yuliya V. , Sivtseva Aleksadra S. , Braslavskaya Elena A.
Published: May 2024

Purpose. To examine theoretically communicative competence features of future specialists of socionomic professions.
Materials and methods of research. Methodological ground of the study is the competence approach, in particular, communicative competence. The achievement of the goals set in the work was carried out on the basis of theoretical and methodological analysis, systematization and generalization of the scholarly literature directly relevant to the research problems.
 Research results. The research found that the communicative competence is a phenomenon which includes knowledge about the rules of communication and natural processes of communication. It was revealed that such factors as higher nervous activity, interests, needs, specialist abilities, professional environment, and social experience can affect the level of communicative competence. In addition to that, its formation can occur both spontaneously, and via focused educational influence. Communicative competence is proved to be an integral component of the socionomic profession professiogram helping specialists to communicate with customers.
Further application of the obtained results. The results of the study can be applied in the field of higher education to train specialists of socionomic professions.
ASSESSMENT OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE LEVELS OF SITUATIONAL AND PERSONAL ANXIETY WITH PROBLEMATIC INTERNET USE IN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Authors: Yaskevich Natalia A. , Lysakov Alexey S. , Yaskevich Roman A. , Moskalenko Olga L.
Published: May 2024

Problematic Internet use characterized by loss of control. Over time spent on the internet obsessive, craving for various types of Internet activities, which often becomes a catalyst for the formation of a wide range of psychosocial and psychosomatic problems. Among them anxiety disorders occupy a special place. Anxiety affects all areas of a teenager's life, noticeably worsening his well-being relationships in family and society and reducing school performance.
Purpose. To assess the relationship between the levels of situational and personal anxiety with problematic Internet use in high school students.
Materials and methods. 165 students of both sexes of the senior classes of secondary school No. 84 in Krasnoyarsk took part in the study. The assessment of the level of Internet addiction was carried out using the "Chen Internet Addiction Scale" adapted by V.L. Malygin and K.A. Feklisov. The severity of personal and situational anxiety was carried out using the scale "State-Trait Anxiety Inventory" by C.D. Spielberger modified, by Y.L. Khanin.
Results. The frequency of problematic Internet use in the general group was 10,3%. High levels of situational and personal anxiety were observed in 2,4% and 49,7% of the surveyed. At the same time girls with high levels of situational and personal anxiety were more common compared to boys. In most cases among high school students with an increase in the severity of the pattern of Internet addictive behavior, the number of people with low levels of both situational and personal anxiety decreased, while the number of respondents with a high level increased.
Conclusion. The interrelationships of problematic Internet use with indicators of situational and personal anxiety among high school students are revealed.
Does sauna bathing prevent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or Alzheimer's disease? May adults with cardiovascular disease use a sauna? A systematic review
Authors: Sobczyk Maciej , Słaboń Małgorzata , Pasztelan Małgorzata , Pulikowski Jarosław , Garbacz Karolina , Maciąg Maria , Krawczuk vel Walczuk Julia , Baran Joanna , Muca Aleksandra , Marczak Aleksandra
Published: May 2024

Recently, there has been a surge of interest in sauna bathing and its role in health aspects. However, there are few studies focusing on the association between regular sauntering and the risk of dementia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Considerably better understood are the effects on the cardiovascular system. This study delves into contemporary scientific research on Finnish saunas, exploring their potential correlation with Alzheimer's disease prevention, their impact on vascular health in adults with cardiovascular disorders, and their association with reducing the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Scientific studies published in PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases were analyzed, including terms related to Finnish sauna, dementia, COPD and cardiovascular disease. The methodological quality and results of each study were evaluated. Sauna bathing in addition to being a relaxing lifestyle habit, remains a potential additional strategy which can be used in improving cardiovascular function in adults with well-controlled cardiovascular disorders. A limited amount of research has been identified on the correlation between sauna bathing and reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and COPD. The accumulating evidence suggests that frequent sauna bathing may reduce the risk or severity of several vascular and nonvascular conditions including COPD and also moderate to high frequency of sauna bathing was associated with lowered risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Further research is required, especially large-scale cohort studies with repeated measurement on sauna to establish the potential mechanisms linking sauna bathing and either memory diseases or COPD and better understand the relationship between sauntering and cardiovascular health. Upcoming studies may become very promising for the development of sauna bathing as a new non-pharmacological treatment or prevention of various diseases and improvement in the quality of life.
Nauki młodego szlachcica w Warszawie stanisławowskiej
Authors: Żołądź-Strzelczyk Dorota , Kowalczyk Małgorzata Ewa
Published: May 2024

Wacław Chodkiewicz (1767-1784) był pierworodnym synem starosty żmudzkiego Jana Mikołaja Chodkiewicza i Ludwiki Marii z Rzewuskich. Rodzice pokładali w nim wielkie nadzieje, dbając o jego staranną edukację, niezbędną szlachcicowi w życiu prywatnym i funkcjonowaniu publicznym. Niniejszy artykuł przybliża więc przebieg i zakres nauk młodego starościca żmudzkiego. Chłopiec uczył się najpierw w domu. Kiedy miał siedem lat został wysłany przez rodziców do Warszawy, gdzie spędził osiem lat, pozostając pod opieką profesora Marcina Nikuty. Bogaty materiał źródłowy, na podstawie którego zrekonstruowano m.in. pobyt młodego Chodkiewicza w stolicy, miejsce jego nauk, przedmioty, których się uczył oraz wyniki jego osiągnięć edukacyjnych jest przechowywany w Archiwum Narodowym w Krakowie. Materiał źródłowy jest ogromny, zważywszy na krótkie, niespełna osiemnastoletnie życie bohatera niniejszego artykułu.
Jeńcy z Ukraińskiej Armii Halickiej w Obozie Jeńców nr 4 w Pikulicach (1919-1920 r.)
Authors: Węglewicz Wiktor
Published: May 2024

W niniejszym artykule zostały przedstawione losy oficerów i żołnierzy Ukraińskiej Armii Halickiej, którzy byli więzieni w Obozie Jeńców nr 4 w Pikulicach pod Przemyślem. Autor analizuje w nim warunki pobytowe, wyżywienie jeńców, jak również bardzo istotną kwestię epidemii chorób zakaźnych jesienią 1919 r., które spowodowały śmierć kilkuset jeńców. Artykuł jest oparty na źródłach z Centralnego Archiwum Wojskowego Wojskowego Biura Historycznego w Warszawie, Centralnego Państwowego Historycznego Archiwum Ukrainy w Kijowie, a także polskiej i ukraińskiej prasy z epoki.
Kilka refleksji o historiach powiązanych
Authors: Subrahmanyam Sanjay
Published: May 2024

Tłumaczenie wykładu WHY CONNECTED HISTORIES? SOME REFLECTIONS
ANÁLISIS DEL ESPACIO URBANO EN JAPÓN. EL TRABAJO DE CAMPO EN LAS DÉCADAS DE LOS SESENTA Y LOS SETENTA DEL SIGLO XX
Authors: Prieto Castro Salvador
Published: May 2024

Los estudios de objetos cotidianos y trivialidades urbanas tienen una larga tradición en Japón. En el contexto del siglo XX sería posible trazar el legado de la influencia producida en la arquitectura en términos de metodología. El trabajo de campo urbano surgido tras el fervor de las manifestaciones contra el Anpo en Japón, fue herramienta fundamental para entender la ciudad y su relación con la sociedad. Si hay un denominador común que une a la generación de arquitectos que rastrearon la ciudad en estas décadas es el propósito de encontrar nuevas lecturas urbanas que desvelen significados ocultos bajo las capas del tiempo. Las investigaciones realizadas por Arata Isozaki y Teiji Itō en el grupo de investigación Toshi Dezain Kenkyūtai (Grupo de Investigación sobre Diseño Urbano) abrieron vías para entender el espacio urbano genuinamente japonés. La recapitulación de estas exploraciones, junto a las posteriores indagaciones urbanas, realizadas por grupos como Konpeito o The Architectural Detective Agency, basadas en la atención menuda a los objetos ordinarios o la expresión individual, suponen una alternativa fructífera de análisis urbano, ya que ponen de relieve la ciudad cotidiana, trascendiendo los límites de la investigación de campo tradicional. La puesta en valor de elementos, configuraciones o construcciones que a priori damos por sabidas, desvelan, en algunos casos, situaciones extraordinarias que responden a un patrón común.
Apoyo a la investigación en Costa de Marfil: procesos de selección y evaluación de proyectos
Authors: Ouattara Annette , Sangaré Yaya
Published: May 2024

Este capítulo pretende presentar la percepción de la excelencia en la investigación dentro del PASRES a través de su proceso de selección y revisión por pares de los proyectos financiados, y extraer algunas reflexiones que pueden servir de base a una agencia de concesión de ayudas a la investigación en un país de ingresos bajos o medios.
Explorando la evaluación de la investigación desde una perspectiva de desarrollo sostenible
Authors: Chavarro Diego
Published: May 2024

En este capítulo me centraré en examinar algunos de los fundamentos teóricos de los RES convencionales, centrándome en los RES que utilizan indicadores de producción y citación para elaborar clasificaciones, y examinando sus limitaciones a la hora de captar las características de la construcción del conocimiento en un contexto de desarrollo sostenible. También examino, desde una perspectiva de elaboración de políticas, algunas de las razones por las que existe resistencia a transformar los RES nacionales, y sugiero alternativas que pueden ser exploradas por los consejos de investigación y otras organizaciones políticas que quieran desarrollar evaluaciones en el contexto de la sostenibilidad.
AS RELAÇÕES ENTRE A ESTRUTURA ECONÔMICO-SOCIAL E EDUCAÇÃO NO CAPITALISMO TARDIO, DEPENDENTE E DE MODERNIZAÇÃO CONSERVADORA.
Authors: Neves Bruno Miranda , Frigotto Gaudencio
Published: May 2024

O presente texto resulta de uma síntese de produções sobre fundamentos das relações entre a estrutura econômico-social, o trabalho e a educação tendo como principal a formação técnico-profissional de nível médio integrada ao ensino básico. Esta opção deriva da natureza da coletânea da qual ele faz parte e que objetiva estimular a leitura de fontes clássicas e contemporâneas para entender a especificidade destas relações na sociedade brasileira de capitalismo tardio dependente de modernização.
REFORMA EMPRESARIAL DA EDUCAÇÃO, TERCEIRA VIA E A EDUCAÇÃO PROFISSIONAL E TECNOLÓGICA: PRONATEC
Authors: Dos Santos Jordan Rodrigues
Published: May 2024

O presente artigo tem como objetivo realizar uma breve exposição do Programa Nacional de Acesso ao Ensino Técnico e Emprego (PRONATEC) - trabalho realizado em minha dissertação de mestrado defendida em 2018 na Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF) - a partir da sua contextualização no âmbito das disputas político-ideológicas para a promoção do mercado da educação dado pelas múltiplas determinações exercidas pela “nova direita” e seus defensores e suas contundentes investidas para a fomento do mercado da educação, contando, sobretudo, com a ação dos organismos internacionais, os empresários da educação, bem como de fundações educacionais (FREITAS, 2012; MARTINS, 2016). Enfocaremos como dados ilustrativos o PRONATEC Jovem Aprendiz do Desporto (PRONATEC-JADE) realizado no Rio de Janeiro para a preparação de mão de obra para atuar nos jogos Olímpicos Rio 2016. Assim, apresentaremos alguns apontamentos críticos a respeito do mencionado programa tomando como base o trabalho de campo realizado a partir de entrevistas realizadas com egressos do supracitado programa, triangulando com relatórios produzidos pelo Tribunal de Contas da União (TCU) de análise e fiscalização do Pronatec entre os anos de 2015 e 2016, bem como de bibliografia complementar (Souza (2017), Domingues (2016), Melo (2015) e Ananias (2015)). Quanto ao referencial teórico-metodológico, partimos dos fundamentos epistemológicos do materialismo histórico-dialético (CIAVATTA, 2009 e 2014; FRIGOTTO, 2009 e 2010; KOSIK, 1976; MARX, 2008 e 2009).
COVID-19 outcomes in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease and risk factors: perspectives from a hospital in Ireland
Authors: McGuone Deirdre , Farrand Nicola , Prizeman Geraldine , O'Brien Frances
Published: May 2024

Background/Aims

COVID-19 has led to substantial changes in the provision of emergency healthcare services. International data suggest that COVID-19 is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk factors. This study aimed to explore the association between pre-existing cardiovascular disease and/or cardiovascular risk factors and COVID-19 disease severity and outcomes in an Irish hospital.

Methods

This retrospective study obtained data from a bioresource database of patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection (n=649) in a large hospital in Dublin. Data were collected on patients' demographic characteristics, cardiovascular diseases, cardiovascular disease risk factors and medications taken for cardiovascular conditions. The World Health Organization progression scale was used to assess the severity of COVID-19 infection in each patient. Cross-tabulation analysis was used to analyse associations between variables, with a P value of ≤0.05 indicating significance.

Results

Mortality rates were six times greater in patients with cardiovascular disease compared to those without cardiovascular disease (18.6% vs 3.1%). A higher percentage of patients with one or more cardiovascular risk factors had moderate (53.4%) or severe (19.1%) COVID-19 and higher mortality rates (10.7%) than those without cardiovascular risk factors. Of the patients who died from COVID-19 (n=40), 60.0% (n=24) had one or more cardiovascular diseases, while 80.0% (n=32) had one or more cardiovascular risk factors.

Conclusions

Existing cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk factors increase the risk of more severe disease and worse clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Many cardiovascular risk factors are modifiable, so it is important to consider preventative education strategies designed to reduce modifiable risk factors to improve outcomes for patients with COVID-19.
Journal scan
Authors: Welyczko Nikki
Published: May 2024

A brief overview of recently published articles on gastroenterology, hepatology and stoma care
Upper gastrointestinal signs and symptoms: assessment, management and referral pathways
Authors: Alsararatee Hasan
Published: May 2024

This paper considers the common presentation of upper gastrointestinal (GI) signs and symptoms. It discusses their prevalence, aetiology, clinical presentation and the importance of comprehensive history taking and examination. In addition, the article explores investigations, management pathways and criteria for referral to a gastroenterologist, including the two-week referral pathway. While the paper focuses on UK practice, it draws upon evidence and guidance from around the world and therefore guidelines for managing upper GI presentations can vary between countries and continents.
The importance of spirituality in gastrointestinal nursing care
Authors: Harrison Penny
Published: May 2024

Penny Harrison discusses the intersection of faith, healthcare and the ongoing battle against health inequalities
The use of a convex light appliance and mouldable rings for patients with an ostomy and effluent leakage in the early postoperative period
Authors: Manuel Bona Sánchez , Victoria Alejandra López Callejón , Irene Oto Puyuelo , Mercedes Rubio Vázquez , Luisa Vázquez Burrero , Eduardo García Blázquez
Published: May 2024

Background/aims:

Patients with digestive ostomies frequently experience effluent leakage in the early postoperative period, leading to complications and reduced quality of life. The convex appliance and adaptable rings in ostomy (CONAN) study investigated a new combined treatment strategy for reducing leakage and improving patient satisfaction.

Methods:

This prospective, multicenter study involved 244 patients with digestive ostomies and early effluent leakage across 54 stoma units in Spain. Patients were treated with the CONAN strategy, using a light convex ostomy appliance (Easiflex Confort Convex Light) and a flexible ring (Brava moldable). Stoma care nurses collected data on leak episodes per day and patient satisfaction (0–10 scale) at baseline and 2–3 weeks post-discharge. Multivariate analysis identified patient characteristics associated with greater treatment benefit.

Results:

Patients experienced a significant reduction in mean leak episodes per day (3.4 ± 5.2 to 1.3 ± 2.3, p<.0001). Mean patient satisfaction significantly increased post-treatment (5.1 ± 2 to 7.2 ± 1.7, p<.0001). Multivariate analysis revealed the following factors were associated with high patient satisfaction (≥ 8 over 10): shorter hospital admission, programmed surgery (vs. emergency), closed ostomy appliance (vs. open) and multi-piece appliance systems.

Conclusions:

The CONAN strategy, combining a light convex ostomy appliance and flexible rings, effectively reduces leakage and improves satisfaction in patients with digestive ostomies and early effluent leakage. Patients with longer hospital stays, emergency ostomy surgery, open ostomy systems and single-piece appliances may benefit most from early intervention with this strategy.
Rings with the annihilator condition and their extensions
Authors: Malki Latifa , Louzari Mohamed
Published: May 2024

Let R be an associative unital ring and let α be an endomorphism of R. In this article, we study rings having the annihilator condition (a.c.) and some related rings. Also, many polynomial extensions of R having the condition (a.c.) are stud-ied. In particular, α-skew quasi-Armendariz rings and α-(sps) quasi-Armendariz rings. We prove that this class of rings have always the property (a.c.) on the left but not necessary on the right. Furthermore, we investigate the transmission of the property (a.c) from a ring R to R[x, α] and R[[x, α]].
The Recirculation of an African American Slave Narrative in Canada: Thomas Jones's The Experience of Thomas Jones and Two Religious Newspapers in Nova Scotia, 1851–53
Authors: Bird Eleanor
Published: May 2024

abstract: This article examines how antebellum slave narratives by self-liberated individuals in the United States, which were circulated and read in Canada, are contextualized within a wider body of little-known stories about slavery in Canada. Critics have argued that antebellum slave narratives by self-liberated people are part of the Canadian literary canon, but they have not explored the connection between slave narratives and Canadian newspapers, which recirculated narratives about slavery. This article uses Gérard Genette's concept of the paratext, functioning as the "threshold" to a text, to place a slave narrative back into the threshold of the newspaper that framed it for its religious readers. The self-liberated Wesleyan preacher and abolitionist Thomas H. Jones first arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in May 1851, and in 1853 his narrative was reprinted in Saint John. The article shares the results of research on two religious newspapers in Nova Scotia and three popular Saint John newspapers, 1851–53, arguing that Thomas H. Jones's The Experience of Thomas Jones, Who Was a Slave for Forty-Three Years was read within a context that gave priority to its evangelical imperatives. Through examining a wider body of newspaper narratives that feature fictional enslaved African American characters and function as moral tales for evangelical readers, this article provides a more contextual reading of Jones's narrative in Nova Scotia. When we place book-length slave narratives back into a wider body of newspaper narratives, it problematizes an oversimplified view of Canadian antislavery divorced from other imperatives and agendas. Book-length narratives, in their US and Canadian circulation context, should be read alongside lesser-known newspaper narratives.
A "Tyranny Unparalleled in History": Anxious Laughter and Projection of the Nation in the John-Donkey (January–October 1848)
Authors: Ogliari Elena , Paparoni Ginevra
Published: May 2024

abstract: This article intends to explore the constitutive role of US satirical periodicals in nation-building by focusing on the John-Donkey . In 1848, sixty years after the ratification of the American Constitution, the young United States was imagining itself into a nation. American periodicals were crucial in conveying competing ideas of what America should be, mirroring and amplifying widespread aspirations and preoccupations. In particular, the John-Donkey fostered a discussion with coeval papers on subjects such as mass immigration and the widespread sympathy for Pius IX in the United States. Although maintaining a desecrating attitude toward the papacy, the John-Donkey ridiculed those who deemed such sympathy and the rising number of Catholics (and Catholic voters) in the United States a threat. In doing so, the periodical indirectly expressed and expelled the anxieties fuelled in the readership by the Nativists as much as its editorial staff's preoccupation that those anxieties might result in intolerance and even fanaticism. A detailed analysis of the texts and images related to these themes reveals conflating thoughts on international and domestic policies, indicating to what extent the projection of a specific "America" implied the definition of oneself as opposed to non-Americans and political opponents.
Evolving Illustrations: Louis A. Godey and the Home Library in Godey's Lady's Book
Authors: Purificato David
Published: May 2024

abstract: Godey's Lady's Book illustrations regularly depicted women in direct relation to books in the nineteenth century. For the first two and a half decades, images with women and bookcases also included a male presence. Female education was seen as necessary in order to create generations of good citizens, but the idea that women could be too educated also persisted. However, by the late 1850s, Godey's Lady's Book began to feature pictures of middle-class white women and a bookcase (or home library), without men. When the debate over what women should read had begun to diminish, Godey 's popular fashion plates began in 1859 to include bookcases for the first time. The addition of the bookcase motif demonstrates how the magazine visually engaged with the debate over women's education and also implies a change in Louis A. Godey's personal views as he was directly involved in the production of the magazine's artwork.
Afrodescendientes que hablan quechua: Risa, agencia y resistencia en dos entremeses del convento de Santa Teresa (Villa Imperial de Potosí)
Authors: Ruiz Tresgallo Silvia
Published: May 2024

Abstract: The Entremés de los compadres en celebridad del nacimiento del niño Dios and the Entremés gracioso —short comic pieces from the eighteenth century preserved in manuscripts from the Convent of Santa Teresa, Villa Imperial de Potosí (present-day Bolivia)—invite scrutiny of the comic characterization of the Black- and Africandescendant populations in the Andes region during the later colonial period. To begin, this study considers how the author or authors of the entremeses maintain an imperial gaze by characterizing Afro-descendants through a grotesque performativity. Yet on closer inspection, we find these texts place Blacks in a central position, conferring a visibility in a manner that draws attention to a history of discrimination. Notably, Black and Afro-descendant characters do not appear alone, but rather interact and share protagonism with characters representing Amerindians from this region of colonial Bolivia. Also notable is how the comic pieces blend the Quechua language with habla de negros and bear witness to the violence suffered by both ethnic groups.
De la invisibilidad a la especulación crítica: Un esgrimista y poeta negro en el inédito Entremés segundo del negro
Authors: Berruezo-Sánchez Diana
Published: May 2024

Abstract: This study examines and recontextualizes the anonymous Entremés segundo del negro , whose Black protagonist is a courageous swordsman and a poet skilled in sonnet writing. Comic intrigue focuses on the marriage his enslavers arrange to Francisca, a Black woman. To date, scholars have relegated this entremés to secondary importance by contemplating it as a sequel to another entremés, Luis Quiñones de Benavente's El negrito hablador . Following on methodological proposals for "critical fabulation" (Saidiya Hartman) and "responsible speculation" (Rebecca Olson), this study presents the entremés as a point of departure for new methods of analysis, with the goal of recovering underexplored images of Blacks as active cultural agents in early modern Spain. To bring new attention to this comic drama that survives in just one seventeenth-century manuscript, an appendix offers an annotated edition in modernized orthography.
Queering El valiente negro en Flandes
Authors: Fra-Molinero Baltasar
Published: May 2024

Abstract: Andrés de Claramonte's El valiente negro en Flandes (ca. 1620) reframes the representation of Blackness in Spain, presenting the possibility for Black people to reproduce themselves in freedom. This essay, through a reading of Frantz Fanon, addresses how, in Juan de Mérida's journey to overcome the social inferiority of his Blackness, he faces the threat of sodomy. Sodomy conjures the Black protagonist's fears about white supremacy. The two different endings the textual transmission of the play offers, one in which the Black hero marries his former enslaver, and another in which the marriage scene is excised, signal the anxiety in Spain about the increased presence of a free Black population in the midst of a society that enslaved kidnapped Africans and their descendants, the scenes of sodomy performance functioning as a form of symbolic containment.
White Faces, Black Masks: The Racial Shimmer of Morisco and Sub-Saharan Slaveries in Lope de Vega's Los melindres de Belisa
Authors: Cheema Zainab
Published: May 2024

Abstract: This essay examines how Lope de Vega's Los melindres de Belisa , a comedia urbana composed circa 1608, represents the intersection of different types of slavery in Habsburg Spain. This play is especially pertinent to these questions as its composition coincided with the intense debates that culminated in Philip III's Order of the Expulsion of the Moriscos from the Iberian Peninsula (1609), a time when sub-Saharan slavery was also firmly established in peninsular Spain. Lope de Vega's comic genius yields a rich dramatic canvas for exploring how racialized representations of enslaved Moriscos and sub-Saharan peoples intersect and interpellate one another in Spanish public theater. An analysis of racial imagery and plot twists in Los melindres de Belisa shows that even though early modern Spanish discourse often strategically essentialized differences between Black sub-Saharan Africans and Moriscos, the racial shimmer in Lope's representations of slavery discloses that these categories were fundamentally entangled with, and indeed, constructed one another.
An Overview of Stylometry and Its Application to the Comedia
Authors: Albrecht Jane W.
Published: May 2024

Abstract: Developments in computational analysis, corpus construction, and text editing have opened exciting new areas of inquiry in comedia studies. The first two decades of the twenty-first century have seen a swell of stylometric studies dedicated to comedias of unknown or disputed authorship. This essay gives an account of stylometry, or the quantitative analysis of textual evidence, and appraises it in plain, nontechnical language. Taking the perspective most germane to comedia studies, the article reviews stylometry's place in authorship studies; considers the mechanics of performing it and some of the tests and methods employed; provides a brief history of stylometry in the early modern Spanish theater context; comments on the preparation of adequate texts and corpora; and offers conclusions about the overall implications of this mode of analysis.
Enter Your Chambers and Shut Your Doors behind You: Bodily Containment, Proliferation, and the Right to Privacy in American Law and Gothic Horror
Authors: Naser-Hall Emily
Published: May 2024

ABSTRACT: Landmark legal decisions on privacy and birth control reiterate gendered Cold War logics of containment by positioning the home as the safe container for female sexuality and fertility. Contemporary horror, however, counters this dualistic construction of safe interior–uncontrollable exterior by portraying the boundaries between inside and outside as artificial and porous. Representations of sexual containment, the nuclear family, and the domestic home space in The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963) and Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968) complicate broader cultural and legal conceptions of birth control as a form of protection for the impenetrable marital home.
Priority-weight-based computing and spectrum resource scheduling for dependent tasks in EON-supported computing first networks
Authors: Xin Jingjie , Li Xin , Zhang Lu , Zhang Yongjun , Huang Shanguo
Published: May 2024

The computing first network (CFN) supported by the elastic optical network (EON) is proposed as an innovative information infrastructure, where end users can access computing resources on demand. However, since the link capacity is limited, the network capacity bottleneck may cause task offloading failures even with sufficient computing resources. This paper proposes a cost-efficient computing and spectrum resource scheduling scheme to solve the above problem. The goal is to determine offloading decisions for dependent tasks by minimizing the completion delay and the energy consumption on computing nodes powered by non-green energy (i.e., non-green energy consumption). A priority-weight-based computing and spectrum resource scheduling (PW-CSRS) algorithm is proposed, which can sort the execution order of sub-tasks and optimize computing node selection and spectrum allocation. PW-CSRS is compared with three benchmarks in the 52-node and 33-node systems, and simulation results show that PW-CSRS can effectively improve the acceptance ratio and reduce non-green energy consumption.
Vertical integration of KTN on SOI wafer
Authors: Chang Tzu-Yun , Ebert Martin , Zhang Weiwei , Thomson David
Published: May 2024

Optical modulators play an important role in communication systems, and silicon has been a focal point in this field thanks to its compatibility with CMOS fabrication. However, silicon’s lack of inherent electro-optic behavior makes it suboptimal for modulation purposes. Conversely, potassium tantalate niobate (KTN) materials boast an improved electro-optic coefficient, presenting a path for improving modulation efficiency. However, limited research exists on KTN materials due to the difficulties associated with their fabrication. Here, a fabrication methodology is described for wafer-scale vertical integration of KTN material onto silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers. The resulting devices exhibit a propagation loss of 3.3 dBmm1 and a transition loss within the range of 0.46 to 0.76 dB, which are in agreement with simulations. This method tackles the fabrication challenges and showcases the potential of utilising KTN as the integration material on silicon platform for future optical modulators.
Factors influencing referral to maternity models of care in Australian general practice
Authors: Thomas Jaime , Kuliukas Lesley , Frayne Jacqueline , Bradfield Zoe
Published: May 2024

Background

In the Australian maternity system, general practitioners play a vital role in advising and directing prospective parents to maternity models of care. Optimising model of care discussions and the decision-making process avoids misaligning women with over or under specialised care, reduces the potential for disruptive care transitions and unnecessary healthcare costs, and is critical in ensuring consumer satisfaction. Current literature overwhelmingly focusses on women’s decision-making around model of care discussions and neglects the gatekeeping role of the General Practitioner (GP). This study aimed to explore and describe the factors influencing Australian GPs decision-making when referring pregnant women to maternity models of care.

Methods

This study used a qualitative descriptive approach. General practitioners (N = 12) with experience referring women to maternity models of care in Australia participated in a semi-structured interview. Interviews occurred between October and November 2021 by telephone or videoconference. Reflexive thematic analysis was facilitated by NVivo-12 data management software to codify and interpret themes from the data.

Findings

Two broad themes were interpreted from the data. The first theme entitled ‘GP Factors’, incorporated three associated sub-themes including ‘1) GPs Previous Model of Care Experience’, ‘2) Gaps in GP Knowledge’ and ‘3) GP Perception of Models of Care’. The second theme, entitled ‘Woman’s Factors’, encapsulated two associated sub-themes including the ‘4) Woman’s Preferences’ and ‘5) Access to Models’.

Conclusions

This study provides novel evidence regarding general practitioner perspectives of the factors influencing model of care decision-making and referral. Predominant findings suggest that gaps in GP knowledge regarding the available models of care are present and are largely informed by prior personal and professional experience. Most GPs described referring to models of care they perceive positively and centring their model of care discussions on the woman’s preferences and accessibility. The exploration and description of factors influencing model of care decisions provide unique insight into the ways that all stakeholders can experience access to a broader range of models of care including midwifery-led continuity of care models aligned with consumer-demand. In addition, the role of national primary health networks is outlined as a means to achieving this.
Subclinical hypothyroidism in Wales from 2000 to 2021: A descriptive cohort study based on electronic health records
Authors: Bauer Brenda S. , Azcoaga-Lorenzo Amaya , Agrawal Utkarsh , Fagbamigbe Adeniyi Francis , McCowan Colin
Published: May 2024

Background

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is a biochemical thyroid disorder characterised by elevated levels of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) together with normal levels of thyroid hormones. Evidence on the benefits of treatment is limited, resulting in persistent controversies relating to its clinical management.

Aim

This study describes the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients identified as having subclinical hypothyroidism in Wales between 2000 and 2021, the annual cumulative incidence during this period and the testing and treatment patterns associated with this disorder.

Methods

We used linked electronic health records from SAIL Databank. Eligible patients were identified using a combination of diagnostic codes and Thyroid Function Test results. Descriptive analyses were then performed.

Results

199,520 individuals (63.8% female) were identified as having SCH, 23.6% (n = 47,104) of whom received levothyroxine for treatment over the study period. The median study follow-up time was 5.75 person-years (IQR 2.65–9.65). Annual cumulative incidence was highest in 2012 at 502 cases per 100,000 people. 92.5% (n = 184,484) of the study population had TSH levels between the upper limit of normal and 10mIU/L on their first test. 61.9% (n = 5,071) of patients identified using Read v2 codes were in the treated group. 41.9% (n = 19,716) of treated patients had a history of a single abnormal test result before their first prescription.

Conclusion

In Wales, the number of incident cases of SCH has risen unevenly between 2000 and 2021. Most of the study population had mild SCH on their index test, but more than a third of the identified patients received levothyroxine after a single abnormal test result. Patients with clinically recorded diagnoses were more likely to be treated. Given the expectation of steadily increasing patient numbers, more evidence is required to support the clinical management of subclinical hypothyroidism.
Diversity in the internal functional feeding elements of sympatric morphs of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus)
Authors: Jónsdóttir Guðbjörg Ósk , von Elm Laura-Marie , Ingimarsson Finnur , Tersigni Samuel , Snorrason Sigurður Sveinn , Pálsson Arnar , Steele Sarah Elizabeth
Published: May 2024

The diversity of functional feeding anatomy is particularly impressive in fishes and correlates with various interspecific ecological specializations. Intraspecific polymorphism can manifest in divergent feeding morphology and ecology, often along a benthic–pelagic axis. Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) is a freshwater salmonid known for morphological variation and sympatric polymorphism and in Lake Þingvallavatn, Iceland, four morphs of charr coexist that differ in preferred prey, behaviour, habitat use, and external feeding morphology. We studied variation in six upper and lower jaw bones in adults of these four morphs using geometric morphometrics and univariate statistics. We tested for allometric differences in bone size and shape among morphs, morph effects on bone size and shape, and divergence along the benthic-pelagic axis. We also examined the degree of integration between bone pairs. We found differences in bone size between pelagic and benthic morphs for two bones (dentary and premaxilla). There was clear bone shape divergence along a benthic–pelagic axis in four bones (dentary, articular-angular, premaxilla and maxilla), as well as allometric shape differences between morphs in the dentary. Notably for the dentary, morph explained more shape variation than bone size. Comparatively, benthic morphs possess a compact and taller dentary, with shorter dentary palate, consistent with visible (but less prominent) differences in external morphology. As these morphs emerged in the last 10,000 years, these results indicate rapid functional evolution of specific feeding structures in arctic charr. This sets the stage for studies of the genetics and development of rapid and parallel craniofacial evolution.
Multiple job holding, working hours, and hypertension by race/ethnicity and sex
Authors: Bell Caryn N. , Tavares Carlos D. , Owens-Young Jessica L.
Published: May 2024

The number of Americans with multiple jobs is increasing and multiple jobholders work more hours per week. However, the associations between multiple jobholding and hypertension are unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of multiple jobholding with hypertension and determine whether weekly working hours moderated this association. Data from the 2015 National Health Interview Survey on adults (age ≥18 years) were used and included participants who self-identified as non-Hispanic Asian, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, or non-Hispanic White in the U.S. (n = 16,926), The associations of multiple jobholding with self-reported hypertension by sex were assessed using modified Poisson regressions. Both the number of working hours per week and race/ethnicity were assessed as moderators using multiplicative interaction terms. Multiple jobholding was not associated with hypertension among women. However, there was a significant three-way interaction such that multiple jobholding was associated with hypertension among non-Hispanic Black men who worked ≥55 hours per week (relative risk = 1.02, 95% confidence interval = 1.01–1.05). The results suggest that the associations between multiple jobholding, number of working hours, and hypertension should be examined at the intersection of race/ethnicity and sex. Future studies should further characterize multiple jobholding and hypertension among non-Hispanic Black men.
Enhancing medication management in hemodialysis patients: Exploring the impact of patient-centered pharmacist care and motivational interviewing
Authors: Paneerselvam Ganesh Sritheran , Kenneth Lee Kwing Chin , Aftab Raja Ahsan , Sirisinghe Roland Gamini , Siew Mei Lai Pauline , Lim Soo Kun
Published: May 2024

Background

Patients on hemodialysis (HD) often uses several medications, making them highly susceptible to medication-related problems (MRP) thereby leading to medication nonadherence. Therefore, an innovative pharmaceutical care strategy incorporating drug therapy optimization (DTO) and motivational interviewing (MI) can mitigate medication-related problems and optimize patient care.

Aims and objective

The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of pharmacist led interventions in utilizing DTO and MI techniques in managing medication related problems among patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Method and design

A12-months, cross sectional prospective study was conducted among 63 End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients on HD. DTO was conducted by the pharmacist to identify the MRP by reviewing complete medication list gathered from patient interview and medical records. All MRPs was classified using the PCNE classification version 9.00 and medication issues, that require patient involvement were categorized as patient-related, while those that necessitate physician intervention were classified as physician-related. The DTO was performed at the baseline, 6-month and at the final month of the study. Identified medication issues were communicated to the site nephrologist and was tracked during next follow up. Whereas MI was conducted physically at Month-3 and via telephone on month-6 and month-9 to address patient related medication issues.

Results

Mean age of the study population was 48.5±14 years. While the mean number of prescribed medications was 8.1±2 with 57% of the patients taking more than 5 types of medication. After 12 months of pharmacist intervention using DTO and MI, a mean reduction in MRP was observed for both patient-related and physician-related MRPs across three time series. However, further analysis using repeated measure ANOVA revealed that the reduction in patient-related MRPs was statistically significant [F(1.491, 92.412) = 60.921, p < 0.05], while no statistically significant difference was detected in physician-related MRPs [F(2, 124) = 2.216, P = 0.113].

Conclusion

Pharmaceutical care service through DTO and MI can effectively reduce and prevent drug-related issues to optimize medication therapy among HD patients.