bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Data from USP1 expression driven by EWS::FLI1 transcription factor stabilizes Survivin and mitigates replication stress in Ewing sarcoma
Authors: Mallard Halle J. , Wan Shibiao , Nidhi Prakriti , Hanscom-Trofy Yvan D. , Mohapatra Bhopal , Woods Nicholas T. , Lopez-Guerrero Jose Antonio , Llombart-Bosch Antonio , Machado Isidro , Scotlandi Katia , Kreiling Natasha F. , Perry Megan C. , Mirza Sameer , Coulter Donald W. , Band Vimla , Band Hamid , Ghosal Gargi
Published: August 2023

Abstract
In this study, we identify USP1 as a transcriptional target of EWS::FLI1 and demonstrate the requisite function of USP1 in Ewing sarcoma (EWS) cell survival in response to endogenous replication stress. EWS::FLI1 oncogenic transcription factor drives most Ewing sarcomas, a pediatric bone cancer. EWS cells display elevated levels of R-loops and replication stress. The mechanism by which EWS cells override activation of apoptosis or cellular senescence in response to increased replication stress is not known. We show that USP1 is overexpressed in EWS and EWS::FLI1 regulates USP1 transcript levels. USP1 knockdown or inhibition arrests EWS cell growth and induces cell death by apoptosis. Mechanistically, USP1 regulates Survivin (BIRC5/API4) protein stability and the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3/7 in response to endogenous replication stress. Notably, USP1 inhibition sensitizes cells to doxorubicin and etoposide treatment. Together, our study demonstrates that USP1 is regulated by EWS::FLI1, the USP1-Survivin axis promotes EWS cell survival, and USP1 inhibition sensitizes cells to standard of care chemotherapy.

Implications: High USP1 and replication stress levels driven by EWS::FLI1 transcription factor in Ewing sarcoma are vulnerabilities that can be exploited to improve existing treatment avenues and overcome drug resistance.
The “Hard Problem of Consciousness” Arises from Human Psychology
Authors: Berent Iris
Published: August 2023

Consciousness presents a “hard problem” to scholars. At stake is how the physical body gives rise to subjective experience. Why consciousness is “hard”, however, is uncertain. One possibility is that the challenge arises from ontology—because consciousness is a special property/substance that is irreducible to the physical. Here, I show how the “hard problem” emerges from two intuitive biases that lie deep within human psychology: Essentialism and Dualism. To determine whether a subjective experience is transformative, people judge whether the experience pertains to one’s essence, and per Essentialism, one’s essence lies within one’s body. Psychological states that seem embodied (e.g., “color vision” ∼ eyes) can thus give rise to transformative experience. Per intuitive Dualism, however, the mind is distinct from the body, and epistemic states (knowledge and beliefs) seem particularly ethereal. It follows that conscious perception (e.g., “seeing color”) ought to seem more transformative than conscious knowledge (e.g., knowledge of how color vision works). Critically, the transformation arises precisely because the conscious perceptual experience seems readily embodied (rather than distinct from the physical body, as the ontological account suggests). In line with this proposal, five experiments show that, in laypeople’s view (a) experience is transformative only when it seems anchored in the human body; (b) gaining a transformative experience effects a bodily change; and (c) the magnitude of the transformation correlates with both (i) the perceived embodiment of that experience, and (ii) with Dualist intuitions, generally. These results cannot solve the ontological question of whether consciousness is distinct from the physical. But they do suggest that the roots of the “hard problem” are partly psychological.
Time-and-Space-Efficient Weighted Deduction
Authors: Eisner Jason
Published: August 2023

Many NLP algorithms have been described in terms of deduction systems. Unweighted deduction allows a generic forward-chaining execution strategy. For weighted deduction, however, efficient execution should propagate the weight of each item only after it has converged. This means visiting the items in topologically sorted order (as in dynamic programming). Toposorting is fast on a materialized graph; unfortunately, materializing the graph would take extra space. Is there a generic weighted deduction strategy which, for every acyclic deduction system and every input, uses only a constant factor more time and space than generic unweighted deduction? After reviewing past strategies, we answer this question in the affirmative by combining ideas of Goodman (1999) and Kahn (1962). We also give an extension to cyclic deduction systems, based on Tarjan (1972).
Cross-functional Analysis of Generalization in Behavioral Learning
Authors: Luz de Araujo Pedro Henrique , Roth Benjamin
Published: August 2023

In behavioral testing, system functionalities underrepresented in the standard evaluation setting (with a held-out test set) are validated through controlled input-output pairs. Optimizing performance on the behavioral tests during training (behavioral learning) would improve coverage of phenomena not sufficiently represented in the i.i.d. data and could lead to seemingly more robust models. However, there is the risk that the model narrowly captures spurious correlations from the behavioral test suite, leading to overestimation and misrepresentation of model performance—one of the original pitfalls of traditional evaluation.

In this work, we introduce BeLUGA, an analysis method for evaluating behavioral learning considering generalization across dimensions of different granularity levels. We optimize behavior-specific loss functions and evaluate models on several partitions of the behavioral test suite controlled to leave out specific phenomena. An aggregate score measures generalization to unseen functionalities (or overfitting). We use BeLUGA to examine three representative NLP tasks (sentiment analysis, paraphrase identification, and reading comprehension) and compare the impact of a diverse set of regularization and domain generalization methods on generalization performance.1
Exploring Contrast Consistency of Open-Domain Question Answering Systems on Minimally Edited Questions
Authors: Zhang Zhihan , Yu Wenhao , Ning Zheng , Ju Mingxuan , Jiang Meng
Published: August 2023

Contrast consistency, the ability of a model to make consistently correct predictions in the presence of perturbations, is an essential aspect in NLP. While studied in tasks such as sentiment analysis and reading comprehension, it remains unexplored in open-domain question answering (OpenQA) due to the difficulty of collecting perturbed questions that satisfy factuality requirements. In this work, we collect minimally edited questions as challenging contrast sets to evaluate OpenQA models. Our collection approach combines both human annotation and large language model generation. We find that the widely used dense passage retriever (DPR) performs poorly on our contrast sets, despite fitting the training set well and performing competitively on standard test sets. To address this issue, we introduce a simple and effective query-side contrastive loss with the aid of data augmentation to improve DPR training. Our experiments on the contrast sets demonstrate that DPR’s contrast consistency is improved without sacrificing its accuracy on the standard test sets.1
Lankarān
Authors: Asatrian Garnik
Published: August 2023

This is an attempt to interpret the origin of the well-known South Caspian Iranian toponym, Lankarān (Lankōn in Talishi), the name of the capital of Talish (Tōlǝš), or Talishistan (Tōlǝšistōn), the ethnic homeland of the Talishis, covering today the southernmost part of Azerbaijan Republic, bordering Iran. In Azerbaijani Turkish, the historical habitat of this Iranian people is officially named Cǝnub bölgǝsi, i.e., “Southern region/zone”.
Ambiguity, Contingency, and Dominance: Decolonizing Theories of Modernity
Authors: Linkenbach Antje
Published: August 2023

Focusing on the work of Johann P. Arnason and Peter Wagner, this article examines in its first part recent sociological, non-linear and contingency-sensitive ways of engagement with modernity, which refer to different levels of socio-historical configuration (civilization analysis vs. world sociology) and attribute different significance to normative questions. While both authors acknowledge the entanglement of European and non-European cultural worlds as well as its power dynamics, they still fail to fully grasp and theorize the devastating role of colonialism, which today is still felt in the marginalisation and even erasure of knowledge, perspectives, ideas and experiences from the ‘non-West’. Their approaches also lack a serious engagement with post- and decolonial scholarship. The second part of this contribution presents decolonial thinking as a theoretical and normative-political project. Theorising modernity from ‘beyond’ invites us to ‘break the Western code’ (Mignolo) and engage with modernity from a perspective that is grounded in different epistemologies, philosophies and social imaginaries, ultimately questioning autonomy and mastery (over humans and nature) as basic premises or axioms of Western modernity. As a normative-political project decoloniality is future-oriented and, focusing on the temporally, spatially and socially contextualized acting subjects and collectives, aims to rebuild a polycentric world and establishes ‘pluriversality as a universal project’ (Mignolo). The Zapatista movement in Chiapas (Mexico), representing a new understanding of the revolutionary subject and the revolutionary praxis, illustrates how indigenous groups and (urban) Marxists can come together as equals, learn from each other and negotiate how to change the world in discourse and practice.
The ‘Shared Problematic’ in China: Reflections on Confucianism as a Civilizing Factor
Authors: Sigurðsson Geir
Published: August 2023

This paper provides a discussion of the role of Confucianism in the development of Chinese civilization, both past and present, specifically with regard to the contribution of Johann Arnason to the topic. The bulk of the paper deals with two issues related to his analysis of Chinese civilization: The former is the Axial Age hypothesis, according to which China was one of the three important civilizations to have 'awakened' in the last few centuries BCE; the second is Max Weber’s project of comparative religion and culture, in which China played a significant role. I attempt to clarify the status of Confucianism vis-a-vis each on these issues, often with the support of Arnason's writings, but towards the end I offer some thoughts on the rather curious status and enigmatic role of Confucianism in today’s China.
Poa sorengiana (Poaceae): a new species from Western Himalaya, India
Authors: OLONOVA MARINA V , SINGH HARSH
Published: August 2023

Poa sorengiana,a new species from Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya is described and illustrated. Morphologically, it is somewhat similar to P. nemoralis and P. orinosa but differs from both with unique combination of main qualitative characteristics.
Coccolithophores in the algal flora from South Urals (Russia) with the description of a new Hymenomonas species
Authors: IGNATENKO MARINA , YATSENKO-STEPANOVA TATYANA
Published: August 2023

This paper focuses on the study of the diversity of coccolithophores in the reservoirs in the steppe zone of the South Urals (Russia). Four species of coccolithophores were identified in the studied reservoirs by scanning electron microscopy, namely Hymenomonas roseola, Jomonlithus littoralis, Chrysotila carterae and C. roscoffensis. Of these, H. roseola is registered in freshwater, J. littoralis—in the salinity range from 0.6 to 5.7‰, C. carterae and C. roscoffensis—at salinity 3.8–8.1‰. J. littoralis, C. carterae and C. roscoffensis are reported for the first time in Russia. A wide range of halotolerances of J. littoralis, C. carterae and C. roscoffensis is suggested. We noted morphological variability in the ornamentation of placoliths of C. roscoffensis. The description and microphotographs of unidentified coccoliths found in freshwater, which represent a species new to science, are also given.
Dyschoriste charlesii, a replacement name for Dyschoriste erecta C.B.Clarke (Acanthaceae)
Authors: KOTTAIMUTHU RAMALINGAM
Published: August 2023

N/A
Why current agroecology rhetoric stands to protract farmer poverty in the developing world
Authors: Muhumuza Joshua R
Published: August 2023

Like in the rest of the world, the vision for the future of agriculture in the developing world is highly contested. At the centre of this oft-polarized debate, a growing constituency of advocates suggests a large-scale shift to agroecology as the key to transforming Africa's agriculture. Yet, this rhetoric is not only quixotic in its vision for an African agricultural revolution but also profoundly dissociated from the realities of African agriculture. If the aim is to revolutionize African agriculture, rigid philosophical fixations on an idealized farming system are not the answer. For resource-poor farmers looking to lift themselves out of poverty in Africa and the rest of the developing world, such a narrative will only protract the status quo. Most crucially, it represents a pathway that stands to drive them deeper into poverty. Agricultural transformation in the developing world requires a pragmatic outlook, one that leverages the best of agroecology and modern agricultural solutions for smallholder farmers.
Compound faults identification of rolling bearing based on one-dimensional mixed binary pattern
Authors: Fang Minghe , Yu Mingyue , Cong Haonan , Guo Guihong
Published: August 2023

To address the difficulty in extracting the characteristics of combined failure of rolling bearings, a novel fault identification method, one-dimensional mixed binary pattern (1D-MBP), is proposed. Firstly, regarding that variance can better highlight the partial weak failure information of sequence than median, the binarization of vibration signals based on one-dimensional local binary pattern (1D-LBP) is carried out with variance as criterion. Meanwhile, binarization sequence is converted to decimal sequence as the local conversion signal (LCS). Secondly, considering that failure information of rolling bearings is reflected in partial and global texture, the paper proposed the method of gaining global weighted mean value by weighting partial mean value with partial energy. Binarize vibration signals based on one-dimensional global binary pattern (1D-GBP) with obtained global weighted mean value as criterion and convert the obtained binarized sequence into decimal as the global conversion signal (GCS). Thirdly, signals are reconstructed by obtained LCS and GCS to get 1D-MBP signal. Finally, combined failure types of bearing can be identified from 1D-MBP signals based on TEAGER energy spectrum (TES). The result indicates that the 1D-MBP not only can effectively control noise components in vibration signal but also can precisely identify the combined failure types of rolling bearings.
Sensitive and rapid quantitation of dexamethasone in human plasma using liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometer
Authors: Dubey Naveen Kumar , Jain Peeyush
Published: August 2023

The aim of this paper was to develop, validate, and utilize a sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry bioanalytical method for bioequivalence/clinical trial studies conducted in human plasma. To accomplish the target, a stable labeled internal standard, that is, dexamethasone D4was used as an internal standard to track and compensate the parent compound during processing, and extraction from plasma. The method involves a rapid liquid–liquid phase extraction from plasma, followed by reverse phase chromatography, and mass spectrometry detection, with a total run time of 3.5 min. The method was developed and validated from 2 to 600 ng/ml for dexamethasone. The mean recovery for dexamethasone was found to be 81.0%. The validated method enabled the analysis of dexamethasone in samples from clinical pharmacokinetic studies. The peak concentration of dexamethasone ranged between 253 to 281 ng/ml and 319 to 343 ng/ml, respectively, in fasted and fed conditions. The terminal half-life values for dexamethasone ranged between 3.5 to 8.2 h and 3.0 to 7.5 h, respectively.
A Holistic System of English Learning Strategies Grounded on Successful EFL Learners
Authors: Zha Dehua , Liu Dianzhi
Published: August 2023

This study investigated successful EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students’ learning strategies in Chinese universities and explored the classification system of English learning strategies, to guide EFL students how to learn English. A total of 24 successful English majors and non-English majors in Chinese universities were interviewed about their English learning strategies and experiences, which were coded in three stages with the grounded theory approach. About 767 items of specific strategies were identified and merged into 66 open codes which constructed four categories: self-management, cognitive, affective, and resource-using strategies. Furthermore, the core of successful English learners’ strategies was generalized: to comprehend and learn English comprehensively in whole contexts, briefly, holistic learning. This idea coincides with the global precedence effect.
Taking the developmental state seriously: Why South Korea outperformed neoliberal regulatory states in rapid coronavirus disease 2019 vaccinations and saving lives
Authors: Kumar Rajiv
Published: August 2023

Coronavirus disease 2019 claimed more than three million lives worldwide in 2020, giving national governments the most urgent task for 2021 to achieve high vaccination rates to save lives. The World Health Organization declared that “vaccines are the most critical tool to end the pandemic and save lives.” In this context, South Korea (hereafter, Korea) achieved a remarkable milestone by outperforming the United Kingdom and the United States in vaccinations rate, where the world's earliest vaccination programs started. Thanks to its high vaccination rate, Korea recorded less than 100 deaths per million populations in 2021 compared to more than 1000 in the United Kingdom and the United States. Why Korea leaped ahead of the United Kingdom and the United States in rapid vaccinations that saved many lives? To answer this question, I first conceptualize contemporary Korea as a developmental state which retained its institutional capacity despite its transition from authoritarianism to liberal democracy, distinguishing it from the UK and the US's neoliberal regulatory states, where reforms hallowed out state capacity. I then advance two core claims. First, Korea surpassed the United Kingdom and the United States in vaccine rollout because of its developmental state-type goal-oriented autonomous policymaking and strong institutional capacity, manifested as Korea's central agency deployed a command and control vaccination program led by a coherent health bureaucracy. Second, the Korean state's strategic intervention in the market and its capacity to foster public–private partnerships to realize national goals boosted its vaccinations. Finally, the paper suggests how neoliberal regulatory states in the global north can learn lessons from the Korean experience in rebuilding state capacity to deal with the future global pandemic.
Physical therapy rehabilitation after hospital discharge in patients affected by COVID-19: a systematic review
Authors: A. M. C. Perez , M. B. C Silva , L. P. G. Macêdo , A. C. Chaves Filho , R. A. F Dutra , M. A. B. Rodrigues
Published: August 2023

In 2019, the Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) virus was identified, also defined as novel coronavirus or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The Corona VIrus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic generated several changes in society in 2020 as a result of its rapid spread in humans. The main symptoms are high fever (≥ 37.8 °C), dry cough, dyspnea, upper respiratory symptoms, myalgia, fatigue and diarrhea in the most uncommon cases. Considering the emergency situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects attributed to it, rehabilitation professionals have a fundamental role in the functional recovery of patients, independence and improvement of quality of life. This is a systematic review of the literature, with the aim of discussing the main findings on physical therapy management in functional changes in post-COVID-19 patients. Pubmed, Scielo, Sciencedirect, BVS and PEDro databases were used. The terms MESH/DECs used for the searches were: Rehabilitation, Physical Therapy Modalities, Covid-19, Post-acute Syndromes COVID-19 and Physical Fitness, the keywords were also used: rehabilitation, physiotherapy, Covid-19, post- acute syndrome COVID-19 and functional capacity. To cross the terms, Boolean operators (AND and OR) were used. Randomized trials, recommendations, quasi-randomized or prospective controlled trials, reports, guidelines, and field updates were included. As for the selected population, studies were included in individuals of both sexes, with no age restriction, that evaluated physiotherapeutic interventions in patients who had COVID-19. Literature reviews, case studies, conferences, abstracts of articles published in conference proceedings and letters to the editor were excluded from the research. To measure methodological quality, the PEDro scale was used.Searches for articles were performed restricting the period of publication between the years 2019 to 2022. The electronic search strategy identified a total of 364 records from the selected databases. After screening for duplicates, 14 articles were excluded, followed by screening by titles and abstracts, another 298 articles were excluded, of these 47 potentially relevant records were submitted to full text review and of these 5 randomized clinical trials were included in this review. In view of the findings of this study, it can be concluded that physical therapy rehabilitation should continue after hospital discharge, with the aim of improving physical performance and activities of daily living (ADL) in post-COVID-19 patients.
Associations between accumulating job stressors, workplace social capital, and psychological distress on work-unit level: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Nikunlaakso Risto , Reuna Kaisa , Oksanen Tuula , Laitinen Jaana
Published: August 2023

Background

Psychosocial job stressor studies usually examine one exposure at a time and focus on individual workers. In this study we examined the accumulation of work stressors in work units and its association with psychological distress (PD) on work-unit level. We also investigated whether high workplace social capital modifies the effect.

Methods

We examined survey responses from 813 Finnish health and social services (HSS) work units, comprising 9 502 employees, in a cross-sectional study design. The survey was conducted in 2021. We calculated odds ratios for the association between accumulating job stressors and PD. We also analyzed the interaction between work stressors and the effect modification of high workplace social capital.

Results

We found that HSS work units with high percentage of employees having high job demands and low rewards (OR 7.2, 95% CI 3.7, 13.8) have an increased risk of higher PD in the work unit. We also found indication of high social capital possibly modifying the effect of job stressors on PD. The results suggest that accumulated job stressors are associated with PD on work unit level, with excess risk for PD compared to the stressors acting separately.

Conclusions

The results indicate that the effect of accumulating job stressors should be further studied on work-unit level. Participatory organizational-level and work-unit level interventions to tackle job stressors and to improve workplace social capital are warranted.
Threshold effect and sex characteristics of the relationship between chronic inflammation and BMI
Authors: Liqiang Su , Fang-Hui Li , Minghui Quan , Haichun Chen
Published: August 2023

Chronic inflammation is an important pathway for obesity to harm health, the aggravation of chronic inflammation occurs without clinical symptoms. BMI is closely related to chronic inflammation, and it is a predictive factor of chronic inflammation, but the following questions remain unanswered: Are the effects of chronic inflammation on different BMI intervals consistent? Are the effects of BMI on chronic inflammation consistent between male and female? This study aimed to explore the threshold effect, and sex characteristics of the relationship between chronic inflammation and BMI. Methods: People with normal weight, overweight, and obesity were selected as subjects for cross-sectional study. BMI, hs-CRP, adiponectin and irisin was tested. Multiple regression analysis and generalized additive models were used to examine the association between hs-CRP and BMI. Results: 119 adults were recruited (normal weight: n = 30, 28.1 ± 7.65 years, BMI: 22.04 ± 1.55; overweight: n = 29, 27.45 ± 7.47 years, BMI: 26.11 ± 1.22; and obesity: n = 60, 28.82 ± 6.05 years, BMI: 33.68 ± 3.57). After adjusting for age and sex, BMI was found to be positively associated with the chronic inflammatory marker hs-CRP (β = 0.45; P < 0.001), which had a threshold effect on hs-CRP. Positive correlation with hs-CRP was observed for BMI of > 24.6 (β = 0.54; P < 0.001) but not for BMI of 18.5–25.4 (β = −0.02; P > 0.05). The pro-inflammatory effect caused by BMI increase in female (β = 0.56; P < 0.001) was higher than that in male (β = 0.38; P < 0.001). When BMI was greater than 33, a positive correlation with hs-CRP was observed in female (β = 0.97; P < 0.001) but not in male (β = 0.14; P > 0.05).

Conclusions: BMI has a threshold effect on chronic inflammation, BMI greater than 24.3 is positively correlated with hs-CRP. BMI in 18.5–24.3 is not correlated with hs-CRP. Furthermore, when the BMI greater than 33, hs-CRP is not positively correlated with BMI in male, whereas the pro-inflammatory effect of BMI increase becomes greater in female.

Highlights:

• BMI has a threshold effect on chronic inflammation. BMI in 18.5–24.3 is not correlated with chronic inflammation, and BMI greater than 24.3 is positively correlated with chronic inflammation.

• The pro-inflammatory effect caused by BMI increase in female is higher than that in male. In particular, when the BMI is greater than 33, chronic inflammation is not positively correlated with BMI in male, whereas the pro-inflammatory effect of BMI increase becomes greater in female.
Linking Intensive Care Unit functional scales to the International Classification of Functioning: proposal of a new assessment approach
Authors: dos Santos Juliana S. F. , Silva Gabriely A. G. , Lima Nubia M. F. V. , Gualdi Lucien P. , Dantas Diego de S. , Lima Íllia N. D. F.
Published: August 2023

Background

There are several tools to assess functional and physical status in critical ill patients. These tools can guide rehabilitation strategies in Intensive care units (ICU). However, they are not standardized, and this can compromise their applicability. The aim of the study is to identify common contents between International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and Medical Research Council sum score (MRC-ss), Functional Status Score for the ICU (FSS-ICU), and Physical Function in ICU Test-scored (PFIT-s). As well as to propose a new assessment approach based on the ICF to ICU patients.

Methods

Pilot cross-sectional study. ICU in-patients, both genders, aged between 50 and 75 years were assessed with MRC-ss, FSS-ICU, PFIT-s and the linking rules used were proposed by Cieza et al. The inter-rater agreement for the linking process was performed using the Kappa coefficient.

Results

The ICF categories identified in the tools covered a total of 14 items. Common contents were identified in 13 of the 14 and two were related to body functions, six to body structures and five to activities and participation. The inter-rater agreement was considered substantial for the linking of MRC-ss (k = 0.665) and PFIT-s (k = 0.749) to the ICF, and almost perfect for the FSS-ICU (k = 0.832).

Conclusions

This study synthesizes and categorizes commonly used tools and presents a new proposal based on the ICF to guide future studies. The proposed model combines the ICF with the contents of the most relevant instruments used in critical care.
Clinical characteristics and short-term outcomes of acute pancreatitis among patients with COVID-19
Authors: Zhang Jinchang , Luo De , Kang Maoji , Li Bo , Su Song
Published: August 2023

Objective

The existing literature on the combination of acute pancreatitis (AP) and COVID-19 is scarce. The objective of our study is to compare the clinical outcomes and occurrence of long COVID syndrome in AP patients with and without COVID-19, while investigating the potential impact of COVID-19 on the severity, mortality rate, and long COVID syndrome in these patients.

Methods

This retrospective, observational study was conducted at a single center. It included patients aged 18 years and above who were diagnosed with AP during the pandemic. Patients were categorized into two groups based on the results of RT-qPCR testing: the SARS-CoV-2-positive group and the SARS-CoV-2-negative group. The study aimed to compare the severity of AP, mortality rate, and occurrence of long COVID syndrome between these two groups.

Result

A retrospective review was conducted on 122 patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis between December 1, 2022, and January 31, 2023. Out of these patients, 100 were included in the study. The analysis revealed no significant differences in mortality rate, severity, and sequelae between AP patients with COVID-19 and those without COVID-19 (p > 0.005). However, a statistically significant difference was observed in the occurrence of long COVID syndrome, specifically in the presence of cough (p = 0.04).

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that the presence of COVID-19 in patients with pancreatitis does not lead to an increase in the mortality and severity rate of pancreatitis.
Identification of tumor antigens and anoikis-based molecular subtypes in the hepatocellular carcinoma immune microenvironment: implications for mRNA vaccine development and precision treatment
Authors: Zheng Zhiyuan , Yang Hantao , Shi Yang , Zhou Feng , Liu Lingxiao , Yan Zhiping , Wang Xiaolin
Published: August 2023

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents a formidable malignancy with a high lethality. Nonetheless, the development of vaccine and the establishment of prognostic models for precise and personalized treatment of HCC still encounter big challenges. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop HCC vaccines and explore anoikis-based prognostic models based on RNA sequencing data in GEO datasets (GSE10143, GSE76427) and the TCGA-LIHC cohort. Potential HCC antigens were identified using GEPIA2, cBioPortal, and TIMER2. Anoikis-related subtypes and gene clusters were defined by consensus clustering of 566 liver cancer samples based on 28 anoikis regulators, and we further analyzed their relationship with the immune microenvironment of HCC. A predictive model based on anoikis-related long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) was developed to accurately predict HCC prognosis. Seven overexpressed genes associated with HCC prognosis and tumor-infiltrating antigen-presenting cells were identified as potential tumor antigens for the development of HCC mRNA vaccines. Two subtypes based on anoikis-related genes (ARGs) and two gene clusters with different characteristics were identified and validated in defined cohorts. The tumor immune microenvironment between the two subtypes showed different cell infiltration and molecular characteristics. Furthermore, a prognostic score based on seven lncRNAs identified by LASSO regression was constructed, with the low-risk group having favorable prognosis, a “hot” immune microenvironment, and better response to immunotherapy. CCNB1, CDK1, DNASE1L3, KPNA2, PRC1, PTTG, and UBE2S were first identified as promising tumor antigens for mRNA vaccine development in HCC. Besides, we innovatively propose anoikis-based molecular subtypes, which not only enable personalized prognostic stratification of HCC patients but also provide a blueprint for identifying optimal candidates for tumor vaccines, enhancing immunotherapeutic strategies.
Removal of methylene blue by porous biochar obtained by KOH activation from bamboo biochar
Authors: Ge Qing , Li Peng , Liu Miao , Xiao Guo-ming , Xiao Zhu-qian , Mao Jian-wei , Gai Xi-kun
Published: August 2023

A series of activated biochar (KBBC-700, KBBC-800 and KBBC-900) which were modified by KOH and pyrolysis at various temperatures from ball-milling bamboo powder were obtained. The physicochemical properties and pore structures of activated biochar were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectoscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and N2 adsorption/desorption. The adsorption performance for the removal of methylene blue (MB) was deeply studied. The results showed that KBBC-900 obtained at activation temperature of 900 °C exhibited a great surface area which reached 562 m2/g with 0.460 cm3/g of total pore volume. The enhancement of adsorption capacity could be ascribed to the increase of surface oxygen-containing functional groups, aromatization and mesoporous channels. The adsorption capacity was up to 67.46 mg/g under the optimum adsorption parameters with 2 g/L of adsorbent dose, 11 of initial solution pH and 298 K of the reactive temperature. The adsorption capacity was 70.63% of the first time after the material was recycled for three cycles. The kinetics indicated that the adsorption equilibrium time for MB on KBBC-900 was of about 20 min with the data fitted better to the pseudo-second-order kinetics model. The adsorption process was mainly dominated by chemical adsorption. Meanwhile, the adsorption isotherm showed that the Langmuir model fitted the best, and thermodynamic parameters revealed that the adsorption reaction was the endothermic nature and the spontaneous process. Adsorption of MB mainly attributed to electrostatic interactions, cation-π electron interaction and redox reaction. This study suggested that the activated biochar obtained by KOH activation from bamboo biochar has great potentials in the practical application to remove MB from wastewater.

Graphical Abstract
Proanthocyanidin and sodium butyrate synergistically modulate rat colon carcinogenesis by scavenging free radicals and regulating the COX-2 and APC pathways
Authors: Salim Elsayed I. , El-Halawany Sameh M. S. , Hassan Hanaa A. , Hafez Ezar H.
Published: August 2023

Background

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of sodium butyrate (NaB), grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE), or their combination against dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced aberrant crypt foci (ACF) formation, which is a proxy for colon carcinogenesis in the rat colon.

Results

After inducing colon cancer, all treatments markedly decreased the overall numbers of ACF, with the NaB–GSPE combination eliciting the most pronounced reduction. All the treatments significantly inhibited cell proliferation as indicated by the lower percentages of Ki67-positive cells in the colonic mucosa. Also, caspase-3-immunolabeled cells were found to be significantly increased after all treatments, indicating more apoptotic activity in the initiated colonocytes. Further, the treatments significantly modulated the levels of antioxidant biomarkers, including malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione, and total antioxidant capacity, suggesting a potently induced antioxidant activity, especially after the combination treatment. All treatments, especially the combination, dramatically downregulated the expression of COX-2 and APC, both of which are directly linked to colon cancer.

Conclusions

NaB and GSPE exert potent anti-carcinogenic effects, both alone but more effectively in combination, in a rat colon cancer model. They could be important for colon cancer treatment and for adjuvant therapy in humans.
CD4 T lymphocyte subsets display heterogeneous susceptibility to apoptosis induced by serum from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Mesquita Fernanda Vieira , Ferreira Vanessa , Mesquita Danilo , Andrade Luís Eduardo Coelho
Published: August 2023

Background

Serum from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients has been shown to induce T-lymphocyte (TL) apoptosis. Given that different cells of the immune system display different sensitivity to apoptosis, we set to evaluate the in vitro effect of SLE serum on regulatory T-cells (Treg), Th17, Th1 and Th2 from SLE patients and healthy controls.

Methods

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from SLE patients or normal controls were exposed to a pool of sera from SLE patients or normal controls. Annexin V was used to label cells in apoptosis or necrosis. Annexin V-labeled Treg, Th17, Th1 and Th2 cells were determined using flow cytometry.

Results

Total CD3 + and CD4 + cells from SLE patients showed higher frequency of spontaneous apoptosis/necrosis, whereas Th1 cells from SLE patients presented reduced spontaneous apoptosis/necrosis rate as compared with cells from controls. Incubation with SLE serum induced increased frequency of apoptotic/necrotic CD3 + , CD4 + and Th2 cells from normal controls or from SLE patients as compared with cultures incubated with normal human serum (NHS) or without human serum at all. Incubation with SLE serum did not increase the apoptosis/necrosis rate in Th1 or Th17 cells. Treg cells from SLE patients were more prone to apoptosis/necrosis induced by SLE serum than Treg cells from normal individuals. Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells presented increased apoptosis rates in cultures without human serum.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that the serum of patients with active SLE stimulates apoptosis of CD4 + T cells in general and exhibit differentiated effects on CD4 + T-cell subsets.
Exploring the determinants of destination satisfaction: a multidimensional approach
Authors: Iqbal Ubais Parayil , Hamza V. K. , Nooney Lenin Kumar , Sainudeen Shajeer
Published: August 2023

Tourism, as one of the major contributors to the world GDP, offers a wide range of economic and non-economic benefits to global society. The exchange of culture and values through travel and tourism improves harmony among people, which is essential for global peace. Consequently, governments have started giving policy significance to the tourism sector and making budget allocations for its promotion in their respective countries. This increased attention on tourism promotion through policy initiatives has fostered research attempts on various aspects of tourism, making it relevant and contemporary. However, few research attempts have been made to study the precursors of destination satisfaction. Therefore, the present study aims to fill this gap by studying the determinants of destination satisfaction through a multidimensional approach. The current study aimed to examine the dimensions of destination satisfaction and its role in deciding the destination loyalty. The study reveals interesting findings that helps the administrative apparatus in the tourism industry to come up with tailor-made policies to sustain and further enhance economic growth. The study findings reveal that factors such as satisfaction with destination characteristics, destination environment, and price significantly influence destination satisfaction among tourists visiting the Maldives. These findings underscore the importance of price as a determining factor in tourists' decision to visit the Maldives, suggesting the promotion of guesthouse tourism to provide a range of price options to attract a diverse tourist base. Additionally, the study emphasizes the necessity to enhance the quality of destination characteristics and prioritize environmental conservation efforts to ensure a positive tourist experience. The results highlight the important dimensions that determine the destination satisfaction of tourists visiting Maldives.
The controls of strike-slip faults on fracture systems: Insights from 3D seismic data in the central Tarim Basin, northwest China
Authors: Liu Jun , Gong Wei , Wang Peng , Yang Yingjun , You Jun
Published: August 2023

The central Tarim Basin has gained wide attention for its petroleum reserves, especially the recent commercial discovery of carbonate reservoirs of the Ordovician age in the Shunbei oil and gas field. A systematic analysis is conducted based on 3D seismic interpretation in the central Tarim Basin. The results indicate the presence of several major strike-slip faults and associated fracture systems. The characteristics of major strike-slip faults indicate a lower positive or negative flower structure in the Lower-Middle Ordovician and faults with a normal sense of movement in the Upper Ordovician due to the regional stress field. The major strike-slip faults commonly cause fractures in multiple scales. The fracture systems in different segments of major strike-slip faults contain significant differences in characteristics. In addition, two models are established with regard to strike-slip fault-associated fracture systems in a compressional setting and an extensional setting. The development of fracture systems varies to a large extent in relation to the scales of a strike-slip fractured zone. The fracture systems in a small-scale shear zone or strike-slip fractured zone usually develop along the fracture plane. In contrast, the fracture systems in a large-scale strike-slip fractured zone commonly develop along the fault zone on both sides.
How come Denmark is planning to increase the annual budget for psychiatry by almost 20 percent?
Authors: Nordentoft Merete , Rasmussen Mikkel , Høgh Lene , Legind Christian , Kjellberg Jakob
Published: August 2023

In Denmark, a 10-year plan for psychiatry has been agreed on. The content of the plan was developed in collaboration between the Danish Health Authority and the Danish Authority for Social Services and Housing, and it involved many stakeholders. Recently, the government presented a planned investment that would increase the overall budget in Danish regions and municipalities by almost 20 percent over a 10-year period. Epidemiological research demonstrating shortened life expectancy and high levels of burden of disease for people with mental disorders contributed to emphasizing the need for improvement of psychiatric services. User organizations, trade unions, and scientific societies in the field of mental health were unified in a common organization, called the Psychiatry Alliance, and this alliance agreed on common action points and acted together to influence politicians. An assertive approach toward politicians and media was pivotal, and being a first mover and presenting tentative budgets was very influential.
Srd5a1is Differentially Regulated and Methylated During Prepubertal Development in the Ovary and Hypothalamus
Authors: Bar-Sadeh Ben , Pnueli Lilach , Keestra Sarai , Bentley Gillian R , Melamed Philippa
Published: August 2023

5α-reductase-1 catalyzes production of various steroids, including neurosteroids. We reported previously that expression of its encoding gene, Srd5a1, drops in murine ovaries and hypothalamic preoptic area (POA) after early-life immune stress, seemingly contributing to delayed puberty and ovarian follicle depletion, and in the ovaries the first intron was more methylated at two CpGs. Here, we hypothesized that this CpG-containing locus comprises a methylation-sensitive transcriptional enhancer for Srd5a1. We found that ovarian Srd5a1 mRNA increased 8-fold and methylation of the same two CpGs decreased up to 75% between postnatal days 10 and 30. Estradiol (E2) levels rise during this prepubertal stage, and exposure of ovarian cells to E2 increased Srd5a1 expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation in an ovarian cell line confirmed ESR1 binding to this differentially methylated genomic region and enrichment of the enhancer modification, H3K4me1. Targeting dCas9-DNMT3 to this locus increased CpG2 methylation 2.5-fold and abolished the Srd5a1 response to E2. In the POA, Srd5a1 mRNA levels decreased 70% between postnatal days 7 and 10 and then remained constant without correlation to CpG methylation levels. Srd5a1 mRNA levels did not respond to E2 in hypothalamic GT1-7 cells, even after dCas9-TET1 reduced CpG1 methylation by 50%. The neonatal drop in POA Srd5a1 expression occurs at a time of increasing glucocorticoids, and treatment of GT1-7 cells with dexamethasone reduced Srd5a1 mRNA levels; chromatin immunoprecipitation confirmed glucocorticoid receptor binding at the enhancer. Our findings on the tissue-specific regulation of Srd5a1 and its methylation-sensitive control by E2 in the ovaries illuminate epigenetic mechanisms underlying reproductive phenotypic variation that impact life-long health.
Estratégias baseadas em dados
Authors: Machado Márcio André Veras , Miranda Kléber Formiga
Published: August 2023

Como avançar em maturidade analítica para melhorar a gestão financeira e da empresa como um todo.
Analysis of Risk Factors for the Development of the Russian IT Segment in the Field of ITSM Solutions Under Sanctions
Authors: Kazakova Nataliya , Kim Nikita
Published: August 2023

The article presents trends and forecasts for the development of the IT sector in the Russian Federation. The features and growth prospects of the Russian ITSM solutions market are revealed. The key risk factors for the development of this segment were identified using the PESTEL methods, and the probability of key risks materialization was calculated using the method of expert assessments.
New in Line with the Improvement of Financial Legislation
Authors: Smirnov E.
Published: August 2023

Improving financial legislation, the Parliament of Russia adopted this year, in particular, Federal Laws No. 260-FZ and No. 226-FZ, which are aimed at increasing the level of efficiency and competitiveness of the national financial market.
Historical Prerequisites for the Formation of Accountant’s Professional Judgment
Authors: Undov A.
Published: August 2023

In this paper, attention is paid to one of the significant changes of recent times — the need for a wide application of professional judgment by an accountant. Th e purpose of the study is to prove that the accountant’s judgment is of great importance both in the past and in the present and in the future. Th e results of the study allow us to state the existence of a close relationship between the historical aspects of accounting and modern methods of accounting, which confirms the relevance of the history of the development of accounting, the need to study it for deeper penetration into accounting disciplines and expanding the educational horizon.