bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The New Jerusalem, Geologic Election, and Lithic Afterlives in Heaven’s Marble Vault
Authors: Werth Tiffany Jo
Published: August 2024

“The New Jerusalem, Geologic Election, and Lithic Afterlives in Heaven’s Marble Vault” considers stone’s place in the imagined geography of the afterlife. It begins with Othello’s invocation to “yond marble heaven” and explores how the celestial afterlife frequently mirrors the earthly lithic imagination—along with its prejudices. It analyzes the eschatological preoccupation with the New Jerusalem, whose material perdurance emerges in St. John’s Revelation and whose vision lays the foundation for the translated saints to reside in a crystalline corpus coeleste. Moving from Edmund Spenser and Anne Vaughan Locke (late sixteenth century) through Milton and Bunyan (late seventeenth), the chapter frames a pervasive heavenly lithic materiality conjoined with a Protestant, geologic election. It concludes by following a continuum from the Christian New Jerusalem to twenty-first century after-earth, posthuman, and transhuman H+ futures as envisioned by elite Silicon Valley techno prophets. The chapter maps the transmission of the lithic imagination from Old to New, from this life into the next, noting its exclusionary potential and its proclivity for a particular elect or elite.
Framing Refugees
Authors: Drewski Daniel , Gerhards Jürgen
Published: August 2024

After the catastrophic experiences of World War II, the Human Rights Declaration of 1948 defined the right to seek asylum as a fundamental human right. However, not all countries comply with the requirements of international refugee law. While some open their borders and grant protection, others keep their borders completely closed, and yet others admit some groups of refugees while excluding others. How can we make sense of these different responses to admitting refugees? Framing Refugees analyzes political discourse on the admission of refugees in six countries from different regions of the world: Germany, Poland, and Turkey, all responding to the exodus of Syrian and Middle Eastern refugees; Chile’s reaction to the Venezuelan displacement; Singapore and its stance toward Rohingya refugees; and Uganda facing the displacement from South Sudan. The book takes a cultural sociological perspective, emphasizing the importance of framing and the cultural repertories that frames are based on. It shows that refugee policies are shaped by how governments and opposition parties respond to two questions: Who are “we,” the receiving nation? And who are “they,” the refugees? In framing the “we” and the “others,” politicians draw on cultural repertoires, which vary by country and political constituency within a country. Contrary to accounts that emphasize a cross-national convergence toward either a more liberal or a more “securitized” discourse on refugees, Framing Refugees uncovers the country-specific cultural repertoires such as a neo-Ottoman ideology in Turkey, Pan-Africanism in Uganda, or Poland’s self-understanding as a Christian nation. This approach also helps to understand why sometimes illiberal regimes such as Turkey and Uganda pursue a more open refugee policy than liberal ones.
Types of Recognition
Authors: Kilibarda Pavle
Published: August 2024

The vocabulary of international law and international relations knows several different forms of recognition beyond full and unqualified diplomatic recognition. These various types are intended to modify or qualify the effects of recognition in a given case. State practice, jurisprudence, and scholarship thus distinguish between de jure and de facto recognition, external and internal recognition, and conditional recognition. These types differ according to the effects of the act in question, whether the author considers it revocable, whether recognition comes from the executive or judicial branch of government, and whether recognition is conditioned upon the recipient meeting certain additional criteria. Chapter 3 examines the types of recognition in light of historic and contemporary practice.
Monte Carlo methods
Authors: Limmer David T.
Published: August 2024

In this chapter, we will focus exclusively on Monte Carlo approaches employed to study statistical mechanics of equilibrium systems. The basic idea of Monte Carlo is to estimate ensemble averages by sampling configurations from the Boltzmann distribution, which can be done by evolving the system using a stochastic process known as a Markov chain. In many cases, this can be done straightforwardly and the limitations of such an approach are only in the accuracy with which a system’s Hamiltonian is modeled, and the finite capacity of a computer that will restrict the system sizes and number of samples collected. Here, we will introduce both basic and more advanced algorithms, as well as discuss some practical aspects associated with simulating efficiently. We will render our presenta- tion concrete by considering a few paradigmatic models related to both classical and quantum mechanical systems.
Time dependence near equilibrium
Authors: Limmer David T.
Published: August 2024

Here we develop the formalism to quantify dynamical evolution statistically. The dynamical view of how an equilibrium distribution emerges supplements the static perspective we have thus far built. In contrast with our discussion of static equilibrium phenomena, the development will be concerned with the probability distribution associated with trajectories that microstates trace out over time, rather than the particular microstates themselves. Initially, the basis of our development will be Hamiltonian mechanics, and from it we will deduce theorems concerning the conservation of probability, and by association, the equations governing the evolution of collections of particles or their collective properties like mass and momentum. The statements we will develop here are sufficient to clarify principles of reversibility alluded to macroscopically in early chapters, and state general theorems restricting the behavior of systems evolving irreversibly. Of overarching importance will be the perspective we develop on time, both its extent and its direction.
A Cartography of Resistance
Authors: Grint Keith
Published: August 2024

Resistance is universal, but why does it occur, and fail or succeed? Resistance is often regarded as a problem to be overcome because it is regarded as short-sighted or self-interested, but this book suggests that resistance is not necessarily right or wrong, it just is. From resistance to the Roman Empire to resistance to slavery, the Nazis, racism, the state, capitalism, patriarchy, and imperialism, this book ranges across time and place to explain the success or failure of resistance. While many contemporary approaches focus on leadership as the explanatory variable, this book expands the approach to include management and command of resistance movements—and of their opponents. Many of the case studies explore the failures, as well as the successes, of resistance, and the book suggests that even the failures reveal a fundamental truth about the human condition: just because the situation looks bleak for those suffering from oppression does not mean they surrendered meekly. Rather, many seemed to adopt the same attitude that led Sisyphus to keep rolling the boulder up the hill: they were determined not to let their situation define or defeat them.
Why Do (Some) People Resist?
Authors: Grint Keith
Published: August 2024

Most people do not resist their oppressors, and usually significantly fewer than 10 per cent engage in activities that attract penalties from the authorities. This chapter examines the various explanations for this and explores the ideas that suggest a consensus is both unlikely and unnecessary for successful resistance. To explain why people do, or do not, resist, we turn to existentialist arguments and particularly the critical approach taken by Albert Camus, especially his retelling of the myth of Sisyphus, doomed to push a boulder uphill, only to see it topple back each time. For Camus this ‘absurd’ response by Sisyphus captures the heart of resistance because it recognizes both the pointless nature of the task in a meaningless world—and its absolute necessity. The chapter then explores the Exit, Voice, Loyalty work of Hirschman and takes that as a frame for understanding the resistance of Russian men in the call to fight in the Ukrainian War. Of course, not all resistance is armed and the difficulties of organizing resistance in universities and Total Institutions are considered next, along with the role of incrementalism in undermining resistance. Finally, the chapter explores the work of Lenin, Luxemburg, and Marx in explaining the role of political parties, and ends with Arendt’s concerns about the apparent totalitarian nature of the Nazi state and the inability of those subject to it to resist: a claim undermined by Primo Levi’s experiences in Auschwitz.
Resisting Slavery in the British West Indies
Authors: Grint Keith
Published: August 2024

This chapter starts by exploring the history of enslavement in Britain and then the British West Indies, and goes on to examine the development of sugar plantations across the region, fed by enslaved labour from Africa. It explains the nature of the coercive system and reveals an unending level of resistance by the enslaved against their conditions. While much emphasis has been placed upon the forces supporting the abolition of slavery, this chapter also highlights the roles of the Maroon Wars in Jamaica, the Demerara Rebellion, and the Jamaican Rebellion. It was the latter two episodes that undermined the attempts by slave owners to retain hold of their slaves, though the compensation schemes were aimed only at the owners, not the enslaved.
Resisting Slavery in French Saint-Domingue/Haiti
Authors: Grint Keith
Published: August 2024

The only successful slave rebellion in history that led to the abolition of the institution and the establishment of a slave-free society occurred in Saint-Domingue/Haiti. This chapter explores why this happened here and the role of the extraordinarily complex and dynamic environment generated by the French Revolution and subsequently by Napoleon. Toussaint Louverture played a leading role in uniting diverse components of the rebellion together, but ultimately the continuing strength of the French military, in conjunction with the difficulties of keeping the freed population behind his model of post-revolutionary society, led to his downfall. Almost uniquely the previously enslaved population of Saint-Domingue managed to combine the leadership, management, and command necessary to overcome French (and British) imperialism, but the costs of that struggle blighted Haiti for generations, and still do.
O tandem felix civili, Roma, victoria!
Authors: Wienand Johannes
Published: August 2024

In ad 416, Honorius visited the city of Rome to celebrate what has been called “the last recorded triumphal observances of the Roman emperor in the ancient capital.” The spectacular victory procession was intended to celebrate a profound renovatio imperii. The triumphal adventus of the emperor in the notional capital of the empire gave a symbolic conclusion to one of the most serious crises that had ever befallen the empire. A series of usurpers had seized power during the preceding decade; at the same time, bands of barbarian warriors had penetrated deep into the Roman heartland, advancing into Gaul, Spain, and even Italy. In 410, the Gothic king Alaric captured and sacked Rome itself, and the emperor’s half-sister, Galla Placidia, fell into barbarian hands. Yet Honorius slowly managed to regain control of the situation and overcome the crisis. The attempted usurpations were successfully checked; a foedus was struck with the Goths after the death of Alaric and his successor Athaulf; Rome slowly recovered from the shock of the Gothic sack and returned to normalcy; finally in 416, Galla Placidia was allowed to return to the imperial court.
Born to Be Emperor
Authors: Börm Henning
Published: August 2024

When Constantine I was acclaimed emperor by the Roman troops in Eburacum (York) after the death of his father Constantius Chlorus in the summer of 306, this step was at once both extraordinary and predictable—and it was probably seen as such by contemporaries, whether or not they considered the Imperium Romanum a hereditary monarchy. Neither in the eyes of the new senior augustus Galerius nor in the view of most modern historians did Constantine’s accession satisfy the prevailing criteria of the time. Whether he can be called a “usurper,” however, is of secondary importance, for it is clear that he saw himself confronted by a deficit of legitimacy. His success tipped the balance in favor of the idea that being related to an emperor justified one’s claim to rule, and it was in this period that the dynastic principle was established as an explicit element of the legitimation of Roman rulers once and for all. With the exception of Jovian, who ruled for only a few months, all universally recognized emperors between 324 and the mid-fifth century, without exception, were members of only two dynasties: first the Constantinian and subsequently the Valentinian-Theodosian.
Industrialization in Argentina Since 1870
Authors: Odisio Juan , Rougier Marcelo
Published: August 2024

This chapter offers an overview of the evolution of the manufacturing industry in Argentina, from its beginnings in the 19th century to the present day. Three major historical periods are identified based on Argentine economic and political developments in a global context and discussed using three perspectives: the ideas and debates regarding the industrialization process, their ‘materialization’ through government institutions and policies, and the resulting evolution of the manufacturing sector itself. Taken together, the Argentine case demonstrates the complexity of domestic and international factors shaping industrial policy and the impact that ideas regarding industrial development and industrial policy can have on the dynamics of different industries within a country, often in ways unanticipated by policymakers.
Anthropogenic Labour Law
Authors: Deakin Simon
Published: August 2024

This chapter examines the process through which foundational concepts in labour law developed in the long durée from the end of the Middle Ages to the dawn of modern capitalism. The juridical forms of slavery, service, and employment coevolved with colonization and industrialization. In the early Anthropocene, slavery was underpinned by legal reasoning which made it possible to treat some human beings as the property of others. The concept of service, which came to the fore with the destruction of the guild and rise of the factory, had a contractual base which was, however, combined with a subordinate status for labour. The modern contract of employment retains elements of subordination while incorporating the social rights recognized by the mid-twentieth century welfare state. Capitalism is not monolithic, but variegated by time and space. One consistent feature, nonetheless, has been its active shaping by the law of work.
Tertium Non Datur
Authors: Aloisi Antonio , Cherry Miriam A.
Published: August 2024

This chapter critically analyses ‘intermediate categories,’ which encompass forms of work located between employment and independent contracting, by considering their evolution and anticipating the path of the law forward. Intermediate categories have been implemented in response to rigid classification dichotomies or to broaden the scope of substantive or procedural rights for workers. Recently, the emergence of platform work has reignited the debate around its effectiveness. The chapter outlines the similarities and differences between national experiences with intermediate categories, focusing on a set of European and North American jurisdictions. Failures of the hybrid category have generally resulted from employer arbitrage, where employees lost rights through being downgraded into an in-between category. Other intermediate categories have been too burdensome to implement and so were scarcely adopted. Thus, it is argued that creating a third category for gig work would be subject to many of these same unintended consequences that have manifested in the past.
Waivability of Employment Rights
Authors: Estlund Cynthia
Published: August 2024

The employment relationship is essentially contractual, founded as it is on an individual’s agreement to perform work for another for remuneration. Yet many terms and conditions of employment are governed by legislated rights and labour standards that are mandatory and not derogable by the parties to the employment contract. The principle of nonwaivability of employee rights is basic to the law of work across the developed world, and highlights the basic division of labour, so to speak, between mandates and contract in the law of work. But the principle is not uniformly applied and questions continue to percolate: Should workers or their unions be allowed to trade away some existing or future worker entitlements? In short, should the law of work concede more ground to contract? This chapter asks whether, and when, limited waiver rights might help to meet challenges posed by heterogeneity of jobs, industries, and workers’ interests.
Dismissal
Authors: Araki Takashi
Published: August 2024

This chapter first confirms that dismissal regulations are of such importance that they determine a country’s employment system and industrial relations. While regulatory reform of dismissal is being discussed in many countries, three types of regulations (dismissal procedures, prohibited dismissal, and unfair dismissal without just cause) should be distinguished. The diverse approaches of many countries to these three types of regulations will be analysed. As for remedies for illegal dismissal, there are two types: reinstatement and monetary compensation. For prohibited dismissal, the principal remedy is still reinstatement. For unfair dismissal, monetary compensation has become prevalent. Even in countries where dismissal without just cause is invalidated, there are discussions to allow monetary compensation formally. Although balancing security and flexibility in employment is essential for employment policy, deregulation of dismissal is not the only solution. There can be alternative models, such as maintaining dismissal regulations but allowing flexible adjustment of employment contracts.
Protection from Sexual Harassment
Authors: Collier Debbie
Published: August 2024

The chapter provides an overview of the historical development of laws against sexual harassment, from litigation based on sex discrimination in the US in the 1970s to the adoption of the ILO Violence and Harassment Convention (No 190) in 2019, recognizing that violence and harassment in the world of work undermines safety, offends human dignity, and threatens equal opportunities. Both quid pro quo harassment and hostile working environment harassment are prohibited in most jurisdictions, with provisions for shifting the burden of proof, and vicarious liability if an employer fails to take reasonable steps to prevent or to address harassment in the workplace. Organizational characteristics and disparities in power and status are risk factors for sexual harassment, and, without systemic change, are factors that inhibit the effectiveness of sexual harassment laws. Sexual harassment is a complex social problem requiring a multi-faceted, nuanced, and responsive approach that achieves lasting cultural change.
The International Labour Organization and Its Conventions
Authors: Trebilcock Anne
Published: August 2024

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has a well-established system of developing and supervising international labour standards, chiefly in the form of Conventions and Recommendations, as well as in key Declarations. These remain a central means of action for the tripartite ILO, among its other functions. After tracing how such standards on the law of work are developed, adopted, and monitored through various procedures, the chapter looks at how they are used through diffusion and embedding in national, regional, and international contexts. Such embedding extends the ILO’s impact to wider circles, but harbours risks at the same time. The chapter acknowledges challenges posed by developments in the global economy and multilateral governance, while reaffirming the continuing potential of the ILO and its standards for ensuring greater respect for rights at work and fostering social justice.
Income Inequality Before, During, and After the Transition in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Bukowski Pawel , Novokmet Filip
Published: August 2024

This chapter explores the income inequality in Central and Eastern Europe before, during, and after the transition. It argues that the fall of communism and the transition to a market economy in Eastern Europe were landmark events in the history of modern inequality. Inequality dramatically increased in Eastern Europe after communism. The notion of inequality development of post-socialist countries allows for a greater understanding of the role of technological change and globalization against changing institutions and transition policies. The chapter then discusses the long-run trends of inequality in post-socialist countries and the recentered influence function (RIF) decomposition method in line with the role of changes in individual characteristics and its returns in shaping income distribution.
Growing Pains
Authors: Feygin Yakov
Published: August 2024

This chapter documents the subtle transition in Soviet thought about the long-term evolution of an economy from an emphasis on theories of economic reproduction to growth theory. This shift in emphasis was influenced by the political difficulties encountered by the advocates of economic reform during the Khrushchev Thaw and early Brezhnev period and deteriorating economic performance. Embracing growth theory allowed the Soviet Union’s economists to avoid thorny questions about distribution and household consumption and to instead explain the USSR’s economic problems as driven by supply-side factors. This allowed for a recoding and the survival of critical economics in the conservative Brezhnev period, but it also had consequences for the planning and execution of Gorbachev’s policies in the 1980s.
Human Rights and Republicanism
Authors: Halldenius Lena
Published: August 2024

Republican political theory, with its commitment to a political and personal conception of freedom in terms of the absence of domination, has the potential to revitalize how we think about human rights. From a republican perspective, the aims of the politics of human rights are—in negative terms—to end exploitation, vulnerability, and precarity and—in positive terms—to establish a society of equals in a free political culture. It is suggested here that republican rights should serve as egalitarian levers. This chapter aims to explicate such a republican approach to human rights by outlining a unifying principle for what rights people have, what it is to have rights, or what a human right is, and offering an account of what the point of human rights is. These three aspects of a republican approach to human rights underline the need to attend to the extension of human rights (what rights there are (in the world)), the concept (what we mean by a human right or how we use it), and the rationale for thinking in these terms at all (what the point of human rights is or what kind of work we want human rights to do). An analysis of this kind is inescapably normative.
Social Cognition, Attention, and Eye Tracking
Authors: Kawakami Kerry , Meyers Chanel , Fang Xia
Published: August 2024

This chapter focuses on eye tracking in social psychological research with the goal of offering a brief discussion on the importance of visual attention in social cognitive theorizing and describing several examples. The chapter also provides a short overview of methods and several measures related to eye tracking. The majority of the chapter, however, comprises a review of studies that have used eye tracking to investigate social cognitive processes. Specifically, the chapter begins broadly with how observers process people in scenes, followed by the more targeted processing of faces, including facial features and emotions. Next, it explores how these processes are influenced by category membership, interpersonal relations, and relationship goals. Finally, it illustrates how eye tracking can be applied in one particular behavioral domain, morality. The aim is to showcase a diversity of paradigms and measurements and explore current and future applications for the use of eye tracking in the field.
The Gender Gap in Household Bargaining Power: A Revealed-Preference Approach
Authors: Gu Ran , Peng Cameron , Zhang Weilong
Published: August 2024

When members of the same household have different risk preferences, whose preference matters more for investment decisions and why? We propose an intrahousehold model that aggregates individual preferences at the household level as a result of bargaining. We structurally estimate the model, analyze the determinants of bargaining power, and find a significant gender gap. Gender differences in individual characteristics, as well as gender effects, partially explain the gap. These patterns hold broadly across Australia, Germany, and the United States. We further link the distribution of bargaining power to households’ perceived gender norms in a cross-sectional analysis. (JEL G11, G41, G50)
Abstract 31: Umbilical Cord Blood Derived Macrophages, DUOC-01, Suppress Neuroinflammation by Protecting the Blood Brain Barrier
Authors: Min Hyunjung , Xu Li , Saha Arjun , Kurzberg Joanne , Filiano Anthony
Published: August 2024

Introduction

The central nervous system (CNS) has a specialized barrier, the blood brain barrier (BBB), that tightly regulates the entry of circulating blood cells and molecules. The BBB is compromised in many neurodegenerative diseases, thus understanding BBB dysfunction is critical to treating neurodegenerative diseases, like multiple sclerosis (MS). CNS macrophages regulate the BBB and have potential for development as a cell therapy.

Objectives

In this study, we tested if umbilical cord blood derived macrophages (DUOC-01) could prevent BBB dysfunction and suppress the progression of disease in as mouse model of MS.

Methods

We utilized the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse model for MS. To initiate EAE, we immunized C57BL/6 mice with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide (MOG35-55) in complete Freund’s adjuvant. We manufactured DUOC-01 from cord blood as previously described and injected into the cerebrospinal fluid at the onset of EAE symptoms. We measured clinical paralysis, immune cell infiltration, and BBB integrity.

Results

DUOC-01 suppressed clinical scores over 21 days of EAE accompanied by decreased infiltration of leukocytes induced by the disease. Mice treated with DUOC-01 had less infiltrating neutrophils, and Ly6Chi and Ly6Clo macrophages in the lumbar spinal cord. Myeloid cell attracting chemokines: CCL2, CXCL1, and CCL4 were decreased in DUOC-01 treated group. Using immunohistochemistry, we determined tight junction proteins, ZO-1 and Claudin-5, on endothelial cells of BBB decreased in EAE and this was blocked by DUOC-01. To study the direct effects of DUOC-01 on brain endothelial cells, we set up primary mouse brain endothelial cell culture. In co-cultures, DUOC-01 suppressed secretion of CCL2, CXCL1, and CCL4 from activated endothelial cells. Using a transwell migration assay, we found DUOC-01 suppressed myeloid cell migration through activated endothelial cells.

Discussion

In this study, we determined DUOC-01 alleviated EAE, at least in part by suppressing the activation of brain endothelial cells. This restored BBB function, suppressed chemokine expression and immune cell infiltration. Overall, our data suggest that DUOC-01 could be beneficial in reducing neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases, like MS.
SymRK Regulates G-Protein Signaling During Nodulation in Soybean (Glycine max) by Modifying RGS Phosphorylation and Activity
Authors: Choudhury Swarup Roy , Pandey Sona
Published: August 2024

Molecular interspecies dialogue between leguminous plants and nitrogen-fixing rhizobia results in the development of symbiotic root nodules. This is initiated by several nodulation-related receptors present on the surface of root hair epidermal cells. We have shown previously that specific subunits of heterotrimeric G-proteins and their associated regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins act as molecular links between the receptors and downstream components during nodule formation in soybeans. Nod factor receptor 1 (NFR1) interacts with and phosphorylates RGS proteins to regulate the G-protein cycle. Symbiosis receptor-like kinases (SymRK) phosphorylate Gα to make it inactive and unavailable for Gβγ. We now show that like NFR1, SymRK also interacts with the RGS proteins to phosphorylate them. Phosphorylated RGS has higher activity for accelerating guanosine triphosphate (GTP) hydrolysis by Gα, which favors conversion of active Gα to its inactive form. Phosphorylation of RGS proteins is physiologically relevant, as overexpression of a phospho-mimic version of the RGS protein enhances nodule formation in soybean. These results reveal an intricate fine-tuning of the G-protein signaling during nodulation, where a negative regulator (Gα) is effectively deactivated by RGS due to the concerted efforts of several receptor proteins to ensure adequate nodulation.

[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .
Characterization and Classification of Frontal Hairline Contours and Growth Directions in Chinese Women
Authors: Wang Hailin , Li Xin , Zhao Yingjie , Hu Zhiqi , Miao Yong
Published: August 2024

BACKGROUND

Hair transplantation has become a major method for improving upper facial contour. Hairline contour (HC) and hair growth direction (HGD) are the main factors affecting postoperative aesthetic outcomes. However, studies on natural HC and HGD in Chinese women are scarce.

OBJECTIVE

To summarize the HC and HGD of hairlines in Chinese female participants.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Standard photographs of the forehead were obtained from healthy Chinese volunteers older than 18 years. Hairline contour features were classified into 5 groups: round, bell-shaped, M-shaped, rectangular, and triangular. Hair growth direction was classified into 5 groups: Type ⅠA, Type ⅠB, Type ⅡA, Type ⅡB1, and Type ⅡB2. The authors performed hairline corrections in female participants.

RESULTS

A total of 568 women participated in this study. The proportions of participants with different HC features were as follows: round (8.10%), bell-shaped (15.84%), M-shaped (23.24%), rectangular (44.19%), and triangular (8.63%). The proportions of participants with different HGDs were as follows: Type ⅠA (7.75%), Type ⅠB (27.64%), Type ⅡA (30.81%), Type ⅡB1 (28.34%), and Type ⅡB2 (5.46%).

CONCLUSION

Both HC and HGD were categorized into 5 types in Chinese women. Shaping the hairline into a round type along with the preexisting direction was suggested in most instances.
Arsenic exposure and measures of glucose tolerance in Bangladeshi adults: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Mazumdar Maitreyi , Wang Xingyan , Biswas Subrata K. , Biswas Partha Pratim , Farooque Afifah , Lee Mi-Sun , North Crystal M. , Afroz Sakila , Husain Nazmul , Islam Fuadul , Mostofa Md Golam , Mow Sadia , Liang Liming , Hug Christopher , Ludwig David S. , Quamruzzaman Quazi , Fleisch Abby F. , Christiani David C.
Published: August 2024

Background:

Arsenic has been associated with diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in many studies, although some reports have shown null findings.

Methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional study among 300 adults in Bangladesh. Participants were randomly selected from a roster of 1800 people who previously participated in studies of arsenic and skin lesions. We measured fasting glucose and insulin levels. We assessed drinking water arsenic concentration using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry (GF-AAS) and toenail arsenic concentration using inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). We ran covariant-adjusted, linear regression and spline models to examine associations of arsenic concentrations with the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), a marker of insulin resistance, and HOMA of beta-cell function (HOMA-β), a marker of beta-cell function.

Results:

Among 285 participants with complete data, the median (IQR) arsenic concentration was 4.0 (6.9) μg/g in toenails and 39.0 (188.5) μg/L in drinking water. Arsenic concentrations were not associated with insulin resistance or beta-cell function. HOMA-IR was 0.67% lower and HOMA-β was 0.28% lower per µg/g increment in toenail arsenic, but these effect estimates were small, and confidence intervals crossed the null value.

Conclusions:

Although arsenic exposure has been associated with diabetes, we found no evidence of an adverse effect on insulin resistance or beta-cell function.
AI-enhanced “Two-thirds Guidelines” for Lipolifting: Addressing Multiple Hallmarks of Facial Aging
Authors: Tiryaki Kemal Tunç , Canikyan Serli , Woods Jack , Sterodimas Aris , Gentile Pietro , Cohen Steven , Andjelkov Katarina , Schlaudraff Kai-Uwe , Siolo Eva , Kul Yaren , Duyan Ceren
Published: August 2024

Background:

Facial aging involves complex changes such as volume loss, ligament weakening, and skin quality alterations. The “two-thirds guidelines” emerge as a novel strategy to combat these aging signs, drawing from an extensive analysis of 2800 facial fat grafting procedures conducted over two decades.

Methods:

Guided by facial lipolifting data, including patient age, fat type (microfat and nanofat), and injection depth, this study devises a systematic framework for multilayer fat rejuvenation and ligament restoration. The two-thirds guidelines advocate injecting two-thirds of the patient’s age for microfat and one-third for nanofat, with specific injection codes for lower, middle, and upper facial regions.

Results:

A prospective study involving 400 patients confirms the efficacy of the two-thirds guidelines. However, applicability may vary for patients outside SD ranges, particularly concerning facial proportions and body mass index. Patients within the golden ratio range (1.4–1.9) report high satisfaction rates and a 50% fat graft uptake, with minimal complications. For patients outside this range, an artificial intelligence (AI) program was implemented.

Conclusions:

The two-thirds guidelines offer a comprehensive approach to facial rejuvenation, addressing volume loss, ligament weakening, and skin quality. They are applicable in early aging stages, promising enduring and natural outcomes while mitigating effects of weight fluctuations. These guidelines provide a safe, replicable, and adaptable approach to facial fat grafting, either standalone or in combination with facelift techniques, with minimized overfilling risks. A dataset obtained from 2800 patients serves as the foundation for developing an AI program tailored to aid doctors in diagnosing and treating similar cases.
Interventions to Reduce Surgical Waste Burden: A Systematic Review
Authors: Vu Cindy , Ibarra-Vega Alejandra , Yang Christopher D. , Manzanarez-Felix Karlos , Ting Caleb L. , Pakvasa Mikhail , Vyas Raj M. , Pfaff Miles J.
Published: August 2024

Background:

Operating suites are significant drivers of waste, pollution, and costs. Surgeons can help fight the climate crisis by implementing innovative strategies aimed at mitigating the environmental impact of surgical procedures and decreasing operational costs, and moving toward a more sustainable healthcare system. This study aims to review the literature describing interventions that reduce surgical waste.

Methods:

PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase were searched. Studies reporting interventions to reduce operative waste, including emissions, energy, trash, and other, were included. Case reports, opinion-based reports, reviews, and meta-analyses were excluded. Study quality was rated using MINORS and Jadad scales. Data were extracted from each study to calculate waste on a per case basis. Narrative review of studies was performed rather than meta-analysis.

Results:

The search yielded 675 unique hits, of which 13 (level of evidence: I–III) met inclusion criteria. Included studies were categorized by intervention type in relation to the operating and procedure room. Three studies evaluated provider education initiatives, three evaluated setup of instruments, two evaluated single-use items, four evaluated technique changes, and one evaluated surgical venue. Seven studies reported significant reductions in disposable surgical waste throughput, and seven reported significant reductions in cost.

Conclusions:

The results of this systemic review demonstrated the effectiveness of surgical waste reduction initiatives in reducing waste volume, cost, and carbon emissions. Within plastic surgery, minimal surgical packs resulted in reduced gross waste and cost while promoting patient satisfaction in hand surgery, supporting the continued development and implementation of such initiatives in a surgical context.
Anal high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia and cancer in women with HIV and women without HIV with other risk factors
Authors: Capell-Morell Montserrat , Bradbury Melissa , Dinares Maria Carme , Hernandez Javier , Cubo-Abert Montserrat , Centeno-Mediavilla Cristina , Gil-Moreno Antonio
Published: August 2024

Objective:

To determine the prevalence and the risk factors for anal high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia and anal cancer (HSIL+) in women with HIV (WWH), and to compare them to women without HIV with other risk factors.

Design:

Prospective cohort study.

Methods:

WWH and women without HIV with other risk factors were included. Screening for anal HSIL+ using anal cytology and HPV testing was performed. A high-resolution anoscopy with directed biopsy was also performed in patients with an abnormal cytology result or a positive HPV testing for high-risk (HR) genotypes, and in those with anal symptoms.

Results:

The period prevalence of anal HR-HPV infection and histological HSIL was 57.9% and 10.9% among WWH, and 60.8% and 9.2% among women without HIV. The prevalence of anal HPV 18 infection was higher in WWH. The risk factors for anal HSIL+ in WWH included anal HPV 16, other HR genotypes and low-risk genotypes infection, as well as a history of vulvar HSIL+. In women without HIV, the risk factors included anal HPV 16 infection, history of anogenital warts and of vulvar HSIL+, and immunosuppressive treatment.

Conclusions:

A high prevalence of anal HPV infection and HSIL was observed in WWH and women without HIV with other risk factors. Both groups share anal HPV 16 infection and history of vulvar HSIL+ as risk factors for the development of anal HSIL+. Genotyping for anal HPV 16 may help identify women at higher risk of anal cancer.
The effects of different types of emotion words on emotion picture processing – evidence from event-related potential
Authors: Liu Songhan , Liu Shuyi , Li Yaru , Liu Liyuan , Shen Yue
Published: August 2024

Emotional information can be seen everywhere in daily life. Research on emotional words often employs lexical decision tasks to judge the veracity of words, involving only superficial processing and not the deep processing of emotional significance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the effect of types of emotional words on the processing of emotional pictures. Participants were publicly recruited for a button-press experiment to discuss the impact of emotional words on the processing of emotional pictures from both behavioral and physiological mechanisms. The results of experiment 1 show: (a) in terms of reaction time, the processing speed for negative emotional words was slower, with longer reaction times; (b) In terms of accuracy, positive emotional words had a higher correct rate than negative emotional words. The results of experiment 2 found: (a) a significant main effect of emotional word type in the late processing stage; (b) a significant interaction between emotional word type and congruency. Previously presented emotional words affect the processing of subsequently presented emotional pictures, with differences in the processing of the four types of words, indicating a significant role of language in emotional processing.
Glutamic acid decarboxylase immunoreactivity in the olfactory bulb of a reptile
Authors: Pritz Michael B.
Published: August 2024

The objective is to determine the distribution of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) in the olfactory bulb of a crocodilian, Caiman crocodilus. Avidin-biotin immunohistochemical methodology using a polyclonal antibody to GAD raised in sheep was employed. The following controls were used: substitution of the primary antibody with preimmune sheep serum at concentrations equal to that of the primary antibody; omission of the primary antibody; and omission of the primary antibody and biotinylated rabbit antisheep immunoglobulin. No GAD (+) cells were observed in the control sections. Based on cell and fiber staining, the layering and neuronal organization of the olfactory bulb in Caiman were similar to other vertebrates, including other reptiles. The following elements were GAD (+): granule cells, certain neurons in the outer plexiform layer, periglomerular neurons, and the glomeruli themselves. GAD (+) puncta were present throughout the olfactory bulb. In conclusion, these results in Caiman were similar, in part, to comparable studies in mammals and birds. Taken together, these data indicate that crocodiles not only have a similar pattern of layers that other amniotes possess but also that the immunocytochemical signatures of certain elements of the olfactory bulb are likewise shared.
Ginsenoside Rg1 protects the blood–brain barrier and myelin sheath to prevent postoperative cognitive dysfunction in aged mice
Authors: Huang Yao , Yang Dianping , Liao Sijing , Guan Xilin , Zhou Feiran , Liu Yan , Wang Yong , Zhang Ying
Published: August 2024

In this study, the postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) mouse model was established to observe the changes in inflammation, blood–brain barrier permeability, and myelin sheath, and we explore the effect of ginsenoside Rg1 pretreatment on improving POCD syndrome. The POCD model of 15- to 18-month-old mice was carried out with internal fixation of tibial fractures under isoflurane anesthesia. Pretreatment was performed by continuous intraperitoneal injection of ginsenoside Rg1(40 mg/kg/day) for 14 days before surgery. The cognitive function was detected by the Morris water maze. The contents of interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α in the hippocampus, cortex, and serum were detected by ELISA. The permeability of blood–brain barrier was observed by Evans blue. The mRNA levels and protein expression levels of 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase (CNPase), myelin basic protein (MBP), beta-catenin, and cyclin D1 in the hippocampus were analyzed by quantitative PCR and western blotting. The protein expression levels of ZO-1 and Wnt1 in the hippocampus were analyzed by western blotting. Finally, the localizations of CNPase and MBP in the hippocampus were detected by immunofluorescence. Ginsenoside Rg1 can prevent POCD, peripheral and central inflammation, and blood–brain barrier leakage, and reverse the downregulation of ZO-1, CNPase, MBP, and Wnt pathway-related molecules in aged mice. Preclinical studies suggest that ginsenoside Rg1 improves postoperative cognitive function in aged mice by protecting the blood–brain barrier and myelin sheath, and its specific mechanism may be related to the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.
Electroacupuncture attenuates depressive-like behaviors in poststroke depression mice through promoting hippocampal neurogenesis and inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway
Authors: Li Ming , Yang Fang , Zhang Xiaoling , Yang Hong , He Xingjin , Mao Zhongnan , Mao Liya
Published: August 2024

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact and underlying molecular mechanisms of electroacupuncture on mice with poststroke depression (PSD). Mice were randomly allocated into sham, PSD, and electroacupuncture groups. Mice in the PSD and electroacupuncture groups underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) surgery following with sedentary behavior. Electroacupuncture targeting Zusanli (ST36) acupoint was performed 24 h after MCAO for 4 weeks in electroacupuncture group. The sucrose preference test, forced swimming test, open field test, tail suspension test, elevated plus maze, Catwalk analysis, RNA sequencing, Nissl staining, Golgi staining, TUNEL staining, Edu labeling, and doublecortin staining were performed. Lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood and the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and expression of Iba1/CD86, Iba1/NLRP3, TLR4/p38/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathways in the hippocampus were detected. Electroacupuncture effectively protected against the development of depression-like symptoms. The number of granulosa cells and doublecortin-positive cells in the dentate gyrus (DG) were significantly decreased in PSD group, which were significantly upregulated (P < 0.01) by electroacupuncture. Electroacupuncture also significantly reduced (P < 0.05) TUNEL-positive cells in the DG and CA1. RNA-seq revealed that electroacupuncture may exert antidepressant effect by regulating the inflammation mediated by TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway in hippocampus. Electroacupuncture remarkably elevated (P < 0.01) the ratio of CD4+ to CD8+ T cells and percentage of CD3-CD49b+ cells in CD45+CD49b+ cells in the peripheral blood. Electroacupuncture significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the high levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, iba1, TLR4, p-p38, p-NF-κB, and NLRP3 and sedentary behavior. Electroacupuncture was observed to mitigate depression symptoms and increase hippocampal neurogenesis in mice with PSD, possibly by inhibiting TLR4/p38/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathways and improving the microglia-mediated inflammatory microenvironment in the hippocampus.