bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The conceptualisation of cardiometabolic disease policy model in the UK
Authors: Putri Septiara , Ciminata Giorgio , Lewsey Jim , Jani Bhautesh , McMeekin Nicola , Geue Claudia
Published: September 2024

Background

Decision models are increasingly used to inform policy-making processes, and there is a need to improve their credibility. The estimation of health and economic outcomes generated from decision models is influenced by the development process itself. This paper aims to present the conceptual model development process of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) policy models in the UK setting.

Methods

This conceptual model followed the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research-Society of Medical Decision Making (ISPOR-SMDM) Modelling Good Research Practices Task Force-2.

Results

First, for the conceptualisation of the problem, the CMD disease staging, progression and current clinical guidelines were summarised, followed by a systematic review of published policy models. We critically appraised policy models such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Key messages from the review emphasised the importance of understanding various determinants influencing model development, including risk factors, model structure, models’ parameters, data utilisation, economic perspective, equality/equity consideration, transparency and validation process. Second, as a sequential process, is model conceptualisation, to determine which modelling types and their attributes best represent the defined problem. Expert opinions, including a clinician and experienced modellers, provided input on the state transition model to ensure the structure is clinically relevant. From this stage, the consideration and agreement to establish a disease state in a state transition model was discussed.

Conclusion

This conceptual model serves as a basis for representing the systematic process for structuring a CMD policy model to enhance its transparency and credibility.
Spatially fractionated GRID radiation potentiates immune-mediated tumor control
Authors: Bekker Rebecca A. , Obertopp Nina , Redler Gage , Penagaricano José , Caudell Jimmy J. , Yamoah Kosj , Pilon-Thomas Shari , Moros Eduardo G. , Enderling Heiko
Published: September 2024

Background

Tumor-immune interactions shape a developing tumor and its tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) resulting in either well-infiltrated, immunologically inflamed tumor beds, or immune deserts with low levels of infiltration. The pre-treatment immune make-up of the TIME is associated with treatment outcome; immunologically inflamed tumors generally exhibit better responses to radio- and immunotherapy than non-inflamed tumors. However, radiotherapy is known to induce opposing immunological consequences, resulting in both immunostimulatory and inhibitory responses. In fact, it is thought that the radiation-induced tumoricidal immune response is curtailed by subsequent applications of radiation. It is thus conceivable that spatially fractionated radiotherapy (SFRT), administered through GRID blocks (SFRT-GRID) or lattice radiotherapy to create areas of low or high dose exposure, may create protective reservoirs of the tumor immune microenvironment, thereby preserving anti-tumor immune responses that are pivotal for radiation success.

Methods

We have developed an agent-based model (ABM) of tumor-immune interactions to investigate the immunological consequences and clinical outcomes after $$2\,\text{Gy} \times 35$$

2

Gy
×
35

whole tumor radiation therapy (WTRT) and SFRT-GRID. The ABM is conceptually calibrated such that untreated tumors escape immune surveillance and grow to clinical detection. Individual ABM simulations are initialized from four distinct multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) slides, and immune related parameter rates are generated using Latin Hypercube Sampling.

Results

In silico simulations suggest that radiation-induced cancer cell death alone is insufficient to clear a tumor with WTRT. However, explicit consideration of radiation-induced anti-tumor immunity synergizes with radiation cytotoxicity to eradicate tumors. Similarly, SFRT-GRID is successful with radiation-induced anti-tumor immunity, and, for some pre-treatment TIME compositions and modeling parameters, SFRT-GRID might be superior to WTRT in providing tumor control.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates the pivotal role of the radiation-induced anti-tumor immunity. Prolonged fractionated treatment schedules may counteract early immune recruitment, which may be protected by SFRT-facilitated immune reservoirs. Different biological responses and treatment outcomes are observed based on pre-treatment TIME composition and model parameters. A rigorous analysis and model calibration for different tumor types and immune infiltration states is required before any conclusions can be drawn for clinical translation.
Real-world multidisciplinary outcomes of onasemnogene abeparvovec monotherapy in patients with spinal muscular atrophy type 1: experience of the French cohort in the first three years of treatment
Authors: Desguerre Isabelle , Barrois Rémi , Audic Frédérique , Barnerias Christine , Chabrol Brigitte , Davion Jean Baptiste , Durigneux Julien , Espil-Taris Caroline , Gomez-Garcia de la Banda Marta , Guichard Marine , Isapof Arnaud , Nougues Marie Christine , Laugel Vincent , Le Goff Laure , Mercier Sandra , Pervillé Anne , Richelme Christian , Thibaud Marie , Sarret Catherine , Schweitzer Cyril , Testard Hervé , Trommsdorff Valérie , Vanhulle Catherine , Walther-Louvier Ulrike , Altuzarra Cécilia , Chouchane Mondher , Ropars Juliette , Quijano-Roy Susana , Cances Claude
Published: September 2024

Background

Spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA1) is the most severe and early form of SMA, a genetic disease with motor neuron degeneration. Onasemnogene abeparvovec gene transfer therapy (GT) has changed the natural history of SMA1, but real-world data are scarce.

Methods

A French national expert committee identified 95 newly diagnosed treatment-naive SMA1 patients between June 2019 and June 2022. We prospectively report on children treated with GT as the first and only therapy who had more than one-year of follow-up.

Results

Forty-six SMA1 patients received GT. Twelve patients received other treatments. Patients with respiratory insufficiency were oriented toward palliative care after discussion with families. Twenty-nine of the treated patients with more than 12 months of follow-up were included in the follow-up analysis. Among them, 17 had 24 months of follow-up. The mean age at treatment was 7.5 (2.1–12.5) months. Twenty-two patients had two SMN2 copies, and seven had three copies. One infant died in the month following GT due to severe thrombotic microangiopathy, and another died due to respiratory distress. Among the 17 patients with 24 months of follow-up, 90% required spinal bracing (15/17), three patients required nocturnal noninvasive ventilation, and two needed gastrostomy. Concerning motor milestones at the 24-month follow-up, all patients held their head, 15/17 sat for 30 s unassisted, and 12/17 stood with aid. Motor scores (CHOPINTEND and HINE-2) and thoracic circumference significantly improved in all patients.

Conclusions

Our study shows favorable motor outcomes and preserved respiratory and feeding functions in treatment-naive SMA1 infants treated by GT as the first and only therapy before respiratory and bulbar dysfunctions occurred. Nevertheless, almost all patients developed spinal deformities.
CFTR modulators response of S737F and T465N CFTR variants on patient-derived rectal organoids
Authors: Kleinfelder Karina , Melotti Paola , Hristodor Anca Manuela , Fevola Cristina , Taccetti Giovanni , Terlizzi Vito , Sorio Claudio
Published: September 2024

Background

Predictions based on patient-derived materials of CFTR modulators efficacy have been performed lately in patient-derived cells, extending FDA-approved drugs for CF patients harboring rare variants. Here we developed intestinal organoids from subjects carrying S737F- and T465N-CFTR in trans with null alleles to evaluate their functional impact on CFTR protein function and their restoration upon CFTR modulator treatment. The characterization of S737F-CFTR was performed in two subjects recently assessed in nasal epithelial cells but not in colonoids.

Results

Our functional analysis (Ussing chamber) confirmed that S737F-CFTR is a mild variant with residual function as investigated in colonoids of patients with S737F/Dele22-24 and S737F/W1282X genotypes. An increase of current upon Elexacaftor/Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor (ETI) treatment was recorded for the former genotype. T465N is a poorly characterized missense variant that strongly impacts CFTR function, as almost no CFTR-mediated anion secretion was registered for T465N/Q39X colonoids. ETI treatment substantially improved CFTR-mediated anion secretion and increased the rescue of mature CFTR expression compared to either untreated colonoids or to dual CFTR modulator therapies.

Conclusions

Our study confirms the presence of a residual function of the S737F variant and its limited response to CFTR modulators while predicting for the first time the potential clinical benefit of Trikafta® for patients carrying the rare T465N variant.
Sex-specific hypothalamic neuropathology and glucose metabolism in an amyloidosis transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Qi Guibo , Tang Han , Gong Pifang , Liu Yitong , He Chenzhao , Hu Jianian , Kang Siying , Chen Liang , Qin Song
Published: September 2024

Background

Amyloid toxicity and glucose metabolic disorders are key pathological features during the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While the hypothalamus plays a crucial role in regulating systemic energy balance, the distribution of amyloid plaques in the preoptic, anterior, tuberal, and mammillary regions of the hypothalamus in AD mice, particularly across both sexes, remains largely unclear. Our ongoing research aims to explore hypothalamic neuropathology and glucose metabolic disturbances in a well-described APP/PS1 mouse model of AD.

Results

Immunocytochemical staining revealed that Old-AD-Female mice exhibited a greater hypothalamic Amyloid β (Aβ) burden than their Old-AD-Male counterparts, with the mammillary bodies showing the most severe accumulation. Analysis of ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (IBA1) immunoreactivity and Iba1 mRNA indicated differential microgliosis based on sex, while tanycytic territory and ZO-1 tight junction protein expression remained stable in AD mice. Moreover, sex-specific peripheral glucose metabolic parameters (random and fasting blood glucose) seemed to be exacerbated by age. Old AD mice of both sexes exhibited limited hypothalamic activation (c-Fos + cells) in response to blood glucose fluctuations. Hypothalamic Glut 1 expression decreased in young but increased in old female AD mice compared with age-matched male AD mice. Pearson correlation analysis further supported a negative correlation between hypothalamic Aβ load and random blood glucose in old AD groups of both genders, shedding light on the mechanisms underlying this amyloidosis mouse model.

Conclusion

Aged APP/PS1 mice exhibit sex-specific hypothalamic neuropathology and differential glucose metabolism, highlighting distinct pathological mechanisms within each gender.
Compression of room impulse responses for compact storage and fast low-latency convolution
Authors: Jälmby Martin , Elvander Filip , van Waterschoot Toon
Published: September 2024

Room impulse responses (RIRs) are used in several applications, such as augmented reality and virtual reality. These applications require a large number of RIRs to be convolved with audio, under strict latency constraints. In this paper, we consider the compression of RIRs, in conjunction with fast time-domain convolution. We consider three different methods of RIR approximation for the purpose of RIR compression and compare them to state-of-the-art compression. The methods are evaluated using several standard objective quality measures, both channel-based and signal-based. We also propose a novel low-rank-based algorithm for fast time-domain convolution and show how the convolution can be carried out without the need to decompress the RIR. Numerical simulations are performed using RIRs of different lengths, recorded in three different rooms. It is shown that compression using low-rank approximation is a very compelling option to the state-of-the-art Opus compression, as it performs as well or better than on all but one considered measure, with the added benefit of being amenable to fast time-domain convolution.
Biologically engineered probiotic supplement production containing phytase enzyme for livestock, poultry, and aquaculture consumption
Authors: Bandari Narjes Mohammadi , Abootaleb Mohammad , Nikokar Iraj , Karimli Mohammad
Published: September 2024

Background

Livestock and aquaculture feed rely heavily on cereals, fish meal, and plant proteins, but these ingredients are not fully utilized by animals, and alternative protein sources are needed due to rising demand, unstable resources, and high prices. However, plant-based materials contain phytic acid or phytate, making phosphorus less available to monogastric animals. Bacterial phytases can effectively release phosphorus from phytate in the digestive system, making them cost-effective and a potential alternative to traditional sources of phosphorus. Probiotics are helpful bacteria that have long been employed in food production and health-related products. Bioengineered probiotics are utilized to express and transmit native or recombinant molecules to the digestive tract's mucosal surface, thereby improving feed efficiency and health. Therefore, this study aimed to use a biologically engineered probiotic supplement containing phytase enzyme-producing lactic acid bacteria as a feed additive for livestock, poultry, and fish to address this issue.

Results

The study involved multiple steps to engineer Lactobacillus lactis to produce the PHY protein for animal feed. These steps include identifying and designing primers for the phy gene, and phy gene was extracted from the pMNA1 plasmid by colony PCR and cloned in L. lactis, confirming the presence of the PHY protein through SDS-PAGE, and harvesting the product in granular form. The phy gene identified and isolated using PCR and inserted it into L. lactis, confirming the presence of the PHY protein through SDS-PAGE. The resulting product was harvested and used as animal feed for livestock, poultry, and fish.

Conclusions

The development of biologically engineered probiotic supplements containing phytase enzyme can enhance the nutritional value and sustainability of animal production. More research and development in this field can lead to more effective and sustainable animal production practices, benefiting both producers and consumers of animal products.
Forest structural complexity and ignition pattern influence simulated prescribed fire effects
Authors: Bonner Sophie R. , Hoffman Chad M. , Linn Rodman R. , Tinkham Wade T. , Atchley Adam L. , Sieg Carolyn H. , Varner J. Morgan , O’Brien Joseph J. , Hiers J. Kevin
Published: September 2024

Background

Forest structural characteristics, the burning environment, and the choice of ignition pattern each influence prescribed fire behaviors and resulting fire effects; however, few studies examine the influences and interactions of these factors. Understanding how interactions among these drivers can influence prescribed fire behavior and effects is crucial for executing prescribed fires that can safely and effectively meet management objectives. To analyze the interactions between the fuels complex and ignition patterns, we used FIRETEC, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics fire behavior model, to simulate fire behavior and effects across a range of horizontal and vertical forest structural complexities. For each forest structure, we then simulated three different prescribed fires each with a unique ignition pattern: strip-head, dot, and alternating dot.

Results

Forest structural complexity and ignition pattern affected the proportions of simulated crown scorch, consumption, and damage for prescribed fires in a dry, fire-prone ecosystem. Prescribed fires in forests with complex canopy structures resulted in increased crown consumption, scorch, and damage compared to less spatially complex forests. The choice of using a strip-head ignition pattern over either a dot or alternating-dot pattern increased the degree of crown foliage scorched and damaged, though did not affect the proportion of crown consumed. We found no evidence of an interaction between forest structural complexity and ignition pattern on canopy fuel consumption, scorch, or damage.

Conclusions

We found that forest structure and ignition pattern, two powerful drivers of fire behavior that forest managers can readily account for or even manipulate, can be leveraged to influence fire behavior and the resultant fire effects of prescribed fire. These simulation findings have critical implications for how managers can plan and perform forest thinning and prescribed burn treatments to meet risk management or ecological objectives.
SIMBA—A Single-Puncture Approach to Lower Limb Block
Authors: Prasad Mukesh Kumar , Jain Payal
Published: September 2024

Peripheral nerve blocks provide a safe and reliable alternative in the anesthetic management of femur fractures in elderly subpopulations associated with significant comorbidities. Single-Insertion Multiple Nerve Block Anesthesia (SIMBA) is a technique where a single needle insertion is used to block all four nerves that supply the femur shaft: the femoral nerve, obturator nerve, lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, and sciatic nerve. The authors performed this technique in 11 cardiac compromised geriatric patients with midshaft/distal femur fractures, and the surgery was conducted successfully without any significant hemodynamic change and good postoperative analgesia.
Innovative pro-environmental technologies and the model of public management in suburban zones in Poland
Authors: Smoliński Paweł , Biegańska Jadwiga , Grzelak-Kostulska Elżbieta , Środa-Murawska Stefania
Published: September 2024

Research on suburban zones, which has been carried out for many years, allows us to assume that, as in the case of urban space, suburban zones are predestined to become smart spaces. The smart city, as proposed by Komninos (2019), is understood broadly as an urban region, of which the suburban zone is the second component next to the large city. However, while new technologies are present in cities as innovation centres, their diffusion may be much slower and more diverse in suburban zones, which have been developing in Poland since as late as the system transition. This paper addresses the presence of innovative pro-environmental technologies (IPTs) in suburban zones in Poland in the light of social research. The presence of these solutions was considered in the context of the public management model. The primary data source was a nationwide survey conducted on a representative sample of 939 respondents. The survey showed that innovative pro-environmental solutions developed in suburban communes strongly depend on the governance model. The more traditional the management model, the less innovative commune. The most valuable public management model involves all users of space. Research indicates that the closer it is to a participatory approach, the more effectively innovative pro-environmental solutions are implemented.
Ο Κένεθ Γκόλντσμιθ και η επίδραση της τεχνολογίας στη σύγχρονη λογοτεχνία μέσα από το κίνημα της μη δημιουργικής γραφής
Authors: Στοαντζίκης Αντώνης
Published: September 2024

Τι θα συνέβαινε εάν κάποιος προσπαθούσε να εκτυπώσει ολόκληρο το περιεχόμενο του διαδικτύου; Σε έρευνα της «Washington Post» βρίσκουμε ότι το αποτέλεσμα θα ήταν περίπου 305,5 δισεκατομμύρια σελίδες. Για να συνειδητοποιήσουμε το μέγεθος, ο όγκος του εκτυπωμένου ίντερνετ είναι όσο 212 εκατομμύρια αντίτυπα του βιβλίου «Πόλεμος και Ειρήνη» του Λέων Τολστόι. Πώς επιδρά αυτή η αφθονία κειμένων στη σύγχρονη λογοτεχνία; Ποιο το νέο περιβάλλον που διαμορφώνεται για το βιβλίο; Πώς είναι να βρίσκεται αντιμέτωπος ο σύγχρονος δημιουργός με ένα άνευ προηγουμένου διαθέσιμο ψηφιακό κείμενο; Το 2011 ο Αμερικανός ποιητής και κριτικός λογοτεχνίας, Κένεθ Γκόλντσμιθ, έγραψε παραφράζοντας τον καλλιτέχνη, Ντάγκλας Γουέμπλερ, «Ο κόσμος είναι γεμάτος κείμενα, κάποια περισσότερο και άλλα λιγότερο ενδιαφέροντα· Δεν επιθυμώ να προσθέσω περισσότερα». Με αυτές τις λέξεις θέλησε να θέσει τα θεμέλια για την ύπαρξη ενός νέου ρεύματος στη σύγχρονη δημιουργική γραφή που, παραδόξως, ακούει στο όνομα μη δημιουργική γραφή. Αντί της συγγραφικής πρωτοτυπίας και ιδιοφυίας του καλλιτέχνη, ο Γκόλντσμιθ μάς καλεί στον κόσμο της «μη δημιουργικότητας», που λειτουργεί ως ένα νέο σημείο αναφοράς, επίτευγμα της λογοτεχνίας. Τα τελευταία χρόνια ποιητές, σχολιαστές και λογοτεχνικοί κριτικοί έχουν αρχίσει να αναγνωρίζουν αυτό το ξεχωριστό κίνημα ή το σύνολο τεχνικών ως τη νέαλογοτεχνική πρωτοπορία, που αναδείχτηκε και αναγνωρίστηκε τη δεκαετία του 1990 ως ανεξάρτητη πρακτική και ως απάντηση στην αυξανόμενη επικράτηση των τεχνολογιών δικτύωσης και της διαδικτυακής κουλτούρας. Αναγνωρίζουν ότι στο τέλος του μοντερνισμού και του μεταμοντερνισμού οι τέχνες της δημιουργικής γραφής εισήλθαν σε ένα νέο πρότυπο, με γνώμονα την τεχνολογία, τονίζοντας πως το πρόβλημα στις μέρες μας, όπου η πρωτοφανής και ακατάπαυστη παραγωγή κειμένων έχει οδηγήσει σε πληθώρα κειμένων, είναι η συστηματική διαχείρισή τους. Επισημαίνουν ότι το πρώτο μέλημα των συγγραφέων της εποχής μας θα πρέπει να είναι το πώς θα διαχειριστούν αυτήν την αφθονία πολιτιστικών δεδομένων. Το παρόν άρθρο προσπαθεί να διεισδύσει στον κόσμο της μη δημιουργικότητας ερευνώντας την εμπλοκή της λογοτεχνίας με τα ψηφιακά μέσα της εποχής μας, αλλά και την περίπλοκη κατάσταση του βιβλίου ως πολιτιστικού υβριδίου.
Tracking aspects of healthcare activity during the first nine months of COVID-19 in Ireland: a secondary analysis of publicly available data
Authors: McGlacken-Byrne Domhnall , Parker Sarah , Burke Sara
Published: September 2024

Background Sláintecare aims to introduce universal healthcare in Ireland. The COVID-19 pandemic poses both challenges and opportunities to this process. This study explored the impact of COVID-19 on aspects of Irish healthcare during the first nine months of the pandemic and considers the implications for Sláintecare implementation. Methods Secondary analysis was undertaken on publicly available data on three key domains of the Irish healthcare system: primary care, community-based allied healthcare, and hospitals. Descriptive statistics were computed using Microsoft Excel 2016. Results Up to March 2021, 3.76 million COVID-19 tests were performed by Ireland’s public healthcare system, 2.48 million (66.0%) of which were referred from the community. General practitioners delivered 2.31 million telephone triages of COVID-19 symptoms, peaking in December 2020 when 416,607 consultations occurred. Patient numbers across eight allied healthcare specialties fell by 35.1% versus previous years, with the greatest reductions seen in speech and language therapy (49.0%) and audiology (46.1%). Hospital waiting lists increased from 729,937 to 869,676 (or by 19.1%) from January 2019 to January 2021. In January 2021, 629,919 patients awaited a first outpatient clinic appointment, with 170,983 (27.1%) waiting longer than 18 months. The largest outpatient lists were observed in orthopaedic surgery (n=77,257); ear, nose and throat surgery (n=68,073); and ophthalmology (n=47,075). The proportion of patients waiting more than 12 months for a day-case gastrointestinal endoscopy rose from 6.0% in January 2020 to 19.0% in January 2021. Conclusions Healthcare activity has been significantly disrupted by COVID-19, leading to increased wait times and greater barriers to healthcare access during the pandemic. Yet, Ireland’s health system responses also revealed strong willingness and ability to adapt and to implement novel solutions for healthcare delivery, rapidly and at scale. This has demonstrated what is achievable under Sláintecare and provides a unique opportunity to ‘build back better’ towards sustainable recovery.
Current Issues and Prospects of the Educational Process in Higher School
Authors: Aynutdinova Irina , Ainoutdinova Karina Arturovna , Gali Gul'nara , Gimaeva Inna , Eremeeva Guzel' , Zabolotskaya Al'bina , Zakirova Gyuzel' , Kondrat'eva Irina , Korneva Inna , Makaev Hanif , Maklakova Nataliya , Murtazina Elina , Plotnikova Nailya , Sigacheva Natal'ya , Shahnina Irina
Published: September 2024

The collective scientific monograph “Current Issues and Prospects of the Educational Process in Higher School” is devoted to the issues of contemporary education and educational activities. The monograph presents the results of the authors’ many years experience and deals with such significant, relevant and at the same time insufficiently studied problems as training and defining the requirements for the personality and professional competence of a modern higher school teacher; the content and organization of the educational process at the university, language training of students; students’ personality formation. Developed by the authors and systematically used in the educational process forms, methods, teaching techniques and educational tools are described in the present study.
The monograph may be of interest to teachers of higher educational institutions, undergraduates, postgraduate and doctoral students, researchers, as well as to those who are interested in the development of modern education.
Los modelos educativos de educación de aventura desde la perspectiva docente española.
Authors: González-Melero Estrella , Granero-Gallegos Antonio , Baena-Extremera Antonio
Published: September 2024

El objetivo de este estudio ha sido examinar los modelos de educación de aventura que conocen y aplican los docentes de Educación Física en Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, a nivel nacional. El estudio desarrollado para elaborar esta investigación se ajusta a un diseño no experimental, seccional y descriptivo y correlacional, resultando representativo a nivel nacional. Participaron 453 docentes (294 profesores y 159 profesoras) y se utilizó un cuestionario creado y validado por comité de expertos para la ocasión que se aplicó a nivel nacional. Los resultados mostraron un alto porcentaje de docentes que programan actividades en el medio natural (91,4%); sin embargo, un alto desconocimiento respecto a los modelos de educación de aventura y su aplicación en las sesiones de Actividad Física en el Medio Natural. Aunque se pudieron constatar los avances conseguidos en la actividad en el medio natural dentro de la programación de aula en Educación Física, no así en lo que respecta a los modelos de aventura a seguir dentro de estas programaciones. A través de este estudio se pueden percibir las carencias existentes en el profesorado de Educación Física, a nivel nacional, con respecto a la programación de Actividad Física en el Medio Natural y los modelos de aventura y educación aplicables a estos contenidos
Validation of a Pedagogical Innovation Strategy for the Strengthening of Metacognitive Skills.
Authors: Vesga Bravo Grace Judith , Gamboa-Mora María Cristina , López-Rodríguez Nelly Milady , Zapata-Zapata Adiela , Hernández López Fernando
Published: September 2024

Different researchers have designed strategies for strengthening metacognitive skills, generally for specific areas of knowledge. The goal of this research was to validate a pedagogical innovation strategy to strengthen metacognitive skills in university students and determine their perception of the same. Three competencies were appointed: self-recognition, self-planning, and self-management of knowledge. The strategy considered three moments: I recognize myself; analysis of the students’ metacognitive skills, I strengthen myself; study strategy planning and I project myself; monitoring and adjustment. A quantitative methodology was used with a pre-experimental design with pre-test and post-test with three different groups. Seventy-five students from 3 universities in Colombia were involved, one public university and two private who were taking part in three different courses, one virtual and two in distance mode within the framework of the health emergency generated by COVID-19. The competencies were assessed through the Schraw & Dennison (1994) Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) as a pre-test and post-test and were analyzed through a related-sample T-test. The perception was determined by a survey. It was evidenced that students strengthened the three metacognitive skills after the strategy implementation, the significance tests show this to be true. More than 95% of students pointed out that the strategy was effective and that favored the understanding of their learning processes, the organization of their study methods and the constant self-evaluation on the strengthing of their skills. It is suggested that the strategy is used in new learning environments to continue evaluating its effectiveness.
Playing in the gym, boxing in the classroom: A diffractive approach to music, embodiment and affect in childhood.
Authors: Roa-Trejo José J. , Pacheco-Costa Alejandra
Published: September 2024

Embracing the more-than-human paradigm in educational research allows to attend the intricacy and multilplicity of classroom situations. This research focuses on a music event in a primary education classroom in which several agents intertwine. Thinking-with-theory upon this event allows us to create new knowledge and to avoid limiting strategies that often insist on what is already known. Data is presented as an audiovisual vignette, and a multi-layered diffractive analysis is applied, where bodies, sound, movement, and memory entangle, and where affective encounters in/through music emerge. Each diffraction enables us to regard the event from multiple lenses, drawing on more-than-human and newmaterialist concepts such as affect, spacetimemattering and intra-action. Through this analysis, the research delves deep into the convergence of materializations and embodiments within a child's apparent distraction, revealing the nuanced ways in which children derive meaning through their bodies, sound, space, memory, and affect. In this process, it is possible to reflect beyond representational logic perpetuated by adults and teachers at school, and to attain a deeper understanding of the embodied essence of meaning-making. We provide insights into how children make meaning in/through/with bodies, sound, space, memory and affect, and how they escape the fixed relations of the classroom as proposed by adults/teachers.
U progu niepodległości: „Kroniki Polskie” Centralnej Agencji Polskiej w Lozannie (sierpień – październik 1918)
Authors: Cichoracki Piotr , Dufrat Joanna , Jaworski Paweł , Kulka Grzegorz , Nowikiewicz Mateusz , Piotrowska-Marchewa Monika
Published: September 2024

The volume is an edition of sources on the history of Poland in the last months of the post-partitions period, falling between 1795 and 1918. The main part of the publication contains monthly reports on the situation in the Polish lands, as well as in emigration centres of the Polish population in the Western hemisphere, in the period from August to October 1918. These reports were compiled by the Central Polish Agency in Lausanne and distributed under the common name of „Polish Chronicles”. The Agency was established in Switzerland in September 1915, i.e. about a year after the outbreak of the World War. The initiator of its creation was Erazm Piltz, an important fi gure on the Polish political scene at the time. Piltz had been associated since the beginning of the 20th century with the Party of Real Politics, the most important Polish conservative group of the Russian partition. The Agency’s main task became to inform public opinion in Europe about the situation in the Polish lands. The CAP was intended to be politically neutral organisation. However, both the person of its founder and the affi liations of the vast majority of its co-workers quickly placed it in the constellation of structures representing pro-Allied attitudes (with the Polish National Committee at the forefront). This was refl ected in the choice of content and tone of the studies produced under the Agency’s banner. This also applies to the „Polish Chronicles” published in this volume.
Saving Millions in Government Procurement Through Data Science and Market Design
Authors: Olivares Marcelo , Saban Daniela , Weintraub Gabriel Y. , Lara Eduardo , Zanocco Piero , Moreno Paula
Published: September 2024

Framework agreements (FAs) are widely used procurement mechanisms in both the private and public sectors. We redesigned the Chilean FA market using an experimental design, which led to a broad implementation. Extrapolating the pilot’s success, the redesign saved approximately $74 million in 2022.
Information Dependency in Mitigating Disruption Cascades
Authors: Bakshi Nitin , Mohan Shyam
Published: September 2024

Problem definition: Shocks that trigger supply chain disruptions inflict initial losses by damaging firms’ assets. The disruption can then cascade when an affected firm fails to deliver to its buyer, thereby interrupting the buyer’s operations, and continue thus across multiple levels (tiers) in the supply chain. To protect against such disruption cascades, firms can make ex ante investments in risk mitigation. These investments depend heavily on the operational characteristics of network participants and their interconnections. Gathering operational information can be challenging. Our aim is to shed light on the forces that govern information requirements for risk mitigation. Methodology/results: We introduce a game-theoretic model to characterize the equilibrium mitigation by firms in a decentralized arborescent network facing severe disruptions. We find that when the trigger shocks are nonconcurrent events, the equilibrium mitigation by a firm displays a limited vertical dependence on the operational attributes of suppliers that are farther away in tier (network) distance. Specifically, we show that information about a firm’s extended local neighborhood—up to its tier 2 suppliers—suffices to characterize its equilibrium mitigation. Allowing for concurrent shocks to simultaneously strike multiple firms increases the information requirement at partner firms that typically lie within two tiers downstream from the firms experiencing concurrent shocks. Managerial implications: Full supply chain visibility is costly. The literature offers little guidance on how to prioritize efforts to enhance visibility into the attributes of supply chain partners. Rather than a blanket call for greater visibility, our results proffer nuanced managerial prescriptions for the extent to which risk mitigation requires such visibility.

Supplemental Material: The online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.0408 .
The Medical Management of Spontaneous Pneumothorax: A Concise Review
Authors: Barton Eleanor C , Walker Steven P
Published: September 2024

Spontaneous pneumothorax is an increasingly common clinical presentation, the management of which, until recent years, had remained unchanged for decades. A recent surge in pneumothorax research has produced the largest randomised controlled trials in the field yet and has revolutionised the management of spontaneous pneumothorax. The body of evidence supporting the introduction of conservative and ambulatory care in appropriate patients in recent guidelines now allows these patients, many of whom would otherwise have been admitted to hospital, to be managed in the outpatient setting and reduces their risk of complications compared to conventional chest drain insertion. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the management of pneumothorax and the evidence underpinning contemporary guidelines. We aim to equip physicians with the knowledge to engage their patients in the decision-making process regarding their pneumothorax, whilst keeping patient safety and patients’ own preferences at the centre of their care.
Special schools eye care service ‘sabotaged’ by cuts
Authors: McCarthy-McClean Andrew
Published: September 2024

The AOP says the government has cut funding by 30% and risks failing the service before it has begun. Andrew McCarthy-McClean reports
The role of limb alignment on natural tibiofemoral kinematics and kinetics
Authors: Postolka Barbara , Taylor William R. , Fucentese Sandro F. , List Renate , Schütz Pascal
Published: September 2024

Aims

This study aimed to analyze kinematics and kinetics of the tibiofemoral joint in healthy subjects with valgus, neutral, and varus limb alignment throughout multiple gait activities using dynamic videofluoroscopy.

Methods

Five subjects with valgus, 12 with neutral, and ten with varus limb alignment were assessed during multiple complete cycles of level walking, downhill walking, and stair descent using a combination of dynamic videofluoroscopy, ground reaction force plates, and optical motion capture. Following 2D/3D registration, tibiofemoral kinematics and kinetics were compared between the three limb alignment groups.

Results

No significant differences for the rotational or translational patterns between the different limb alignment groups were found for level walking, downhill walking, or stair descent. Neutral and varus aligned subjects showed a mean centre of rotation located on the medial condyle for the loaded stance phase of all three gait activities. Valgus alignment, however, resulted in a centrally located centre of rotation for level and downhill walking, but a more medial centre of rotation during stair descent. Knee adduction/abduction moments were significantly influenced by limb alignment, with an increasing knee adduction moment from valgus through neutral to varus.

Conclusion

Limb alignment was not reflected in the condylar kinematics, but did significantly affect the knee adduction moment. Variations in frontal plane limb alignment seem not to be a main modulator of condylar kinematics. The presented data provide insights into the influence of anatomical parameters on tibiofemoral kinematics and kinetics towards enhancing clinical decision-making and surgical restoration of natural knee joint motion and loading.

Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2024;13(9):485–496.
Does Academic Freedom Protect Pedagogical Autonomy?
Authors: Gelber Scott
Published: September 2024

Abstract: Scholars have analyzed debates about controversial faculty speech inside and outside of the classroom, but none have paid close attention to the facet of academic freedom related to professors’ decisions about daily teaching methods. This omission, along with obstacles to enacting pedagogical norms, has caused the scholarly community to overlook the manner in which academic freedom entails collective supervision of teaching. By viewing instructional choices through the prism of academic freedom, this essay encourages faculty members to engage with the scholarship of teaching in a manner that is similar to how we consult disciplinary literature when conducting research or determining course content.
Contested Boundaries: Visual Representations of Travel to Colonial Regions within Europe, 1860–1900
Authors: Os Sophie van
Published: September 2024

Abstract: This article examines the ethnographic portrayal of the Sámi in the nineteenth-century European illustrated press, focusing on travel reports about Sápmi (Norway) from 1860 to 1900. It analyses how touristic depictions of Indigenous peoples reflected popular interest and prevalent racial discourses of the time. Often disguised as objective narratives of scientific observation and exploration, these representations, produced and circulated by esteemed explorers, photographers, and publishers, served to reinforce Western colonial structures and imperialist ideologies. Inviting a turn inwards, this essay draws attention to the existence of domestic colonies within Europe and underlines how the same rhetoric was redeployed to justify these internal colonies.
Thin-film dielectric characterization by bound state in the continuum in high contrast grating
Authors: Lin Yi-Wen , Chang Tsun-Hsu , Her Tsing-Hua , Yao Hsin-Yu
Published: September 2024

Subwavelength high contrast grating (HCG) is renowned for its remarkable ability to produce sharp optical resonance, known as the bound state in the continuum (BIC). Due to the strong surface field enhancement, the resonant wavelength and quality factor (Q factor) are highly sensitive to the dielectric properties of the surrounding medium. We propose utilizing this extraordinary phenomenon for thin-film dielectric characterization based on a film-substrate-grating configuration. By optimizing the geometrical parameters to control the cross-interference between guided modes in the grating and self-interference of propagating wave in the substrate slab, an accidental BIC with a Q factor reaching 104 is excited. Using this BIC, two retrieval methods based on contour mapping of resonant wavelength and Q factor are proposed to extract the complex permittivity (εf) of the film under test. It has been demonstrated that with a film thickness as thin as 10−5 times the grating period, the error in the retrieved Re[εf] is below 2%, and that of Im[εf] is below 10%. The proposed design is a strong candidate for non-destructive dielectric characterization of thin films with thicknesses below one-thousandth of the operating wavelength. This characterization technique can facilitate the development of high-frequency devices for the 6 G high-speed communication.
Development of cybersecurity framework for FinTech innovations: Bahrain as a case study
Authors: AlBenJasim Salah , Takruri Haifa , Al-Zaidi Rabab , Dargahi Tooska
Published: September 2024

FinTech is the term used to refer to financial and technology convergence space solutions. It usually refers to new innovations that conduct or connect with financial services via the internet, smart devices, software applications, or cloud services and encompasses anything from mobile banking to cryptocurrency applications. Despite the advantages of FinTech, cybercriminals seized the opportunity to exploit vulnerabilities in FinTech systems. Phishing attacks, ransomware, and data breaches have become more prevalent, targeting individuals and FinTech institutions. Bahrain, which is not different from the rest of the world, was impacted by such cyber threats. Thus, FinTech companies have had to strengthen their cybersecurity countermeasures and protocols to combat these threats.

Existing countermeasures in the literature primarily focus on general cybersecurity practices and frameworks, with limited attention given to the specific needs of the FinTech industry. Hence, there is a notable gap in the literature regarding a focused cybersecurity framework that caters to the unique requirements of FinTech innovations, especially in Bahrain. To bridge this gap, this research addresses the problem by conducting an extensive review of existing cybersecurity challenges, common practices, and cybersecurity standards and through in-depth research interviews with executives, experts, and other FinTech business stakeholders. Leveraging this knowledge, this research proposed an adaptable framework that addresses the risks and vulnerabilities faced by FinTech innovations in Bahrain.

Through panel discussions and Delphi sessions, industry experts evaluated the framework’s practical feasibility, ability to address specific risks, and compatibility with the existing FinTech regulatory landscape. The results demonstrate a high acceptance of the developed framework and highlight the framework’s potential to enhance cybersecurity resilience significantly. Moreover, the experts acknowledge the proposed framework as a fundamental baseline in securing the FinTech ecosystem in Bahrain. The importance of this research lies in its potential to enhance the cybersecurity posture of the FinTech industry in Bahrain, mitigating risks and vulnerabilities associated with cyber threats in this vital sector.
Integration of estimated regional gene expression with neuroimaging and clinical phenotypes at biobank scale
Authors: Hoang Nhung , Sardaripour Neda , Ramey Grace D. , Schilling Kurt , Liao Emily , Chen Yiting , Park Jee Hyun , Bledsoe Xavier , Landman Bennett A. , Gamazon Eric R. , Benton Mary Lauren , Capra John A. , Rubinov Mikail
Published: September 2024

An understanding of human brain individuality requires the integration of data on brain organization across people and brain regions, molecular and systems scales, as well as healthy and clinical states. Here, we help advance this understanding by leveraging methods from computational genomics to integrate large-scale genomic, transcriptomic, neuroimaging, and electronic-health record data sets. We estimated genetically regulated gene expression (gr-expression) of 18,647 genes, across 10 cortical and subcortical regions of 45,549 people from the UK Biobank. First, we showed that patterns of estimated gr-expression reflect known genetic–ancestry relationships, regional identities, as well as inter-regional correlation structure of directly assayed gene expression. Second, we performed transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) to discover 1,065 associations between individual variation in gr-expression and gray-matter volumes across people and brain regions. We benchmarked these associations against results from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of the same sample and found hundreds of novel associations relative to these GWAS. Third, we integrated our results with clinical associations of gr-expression from the Vanderbilt Biobank. This integration allowed us to link genes, via gr-expression, to neuroimaging and clinical phenotypes. Fourth, we identified associations of polygenic gr-expression with structural and functional MRI phenotypes in the Human Connectome Project (HCP), a small neuroimaging-genomic data set with high-quality functional imaging data. Finally, we showed that estimates of gr-expression and magnitudes of TWAS were generally replicable and that the p-values of TWAS were replicable in large samples. Collectively, our results provide a powerful new resource for integrating gr-expression with population genetics of brain organization and disease.