bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parenting experiences of Chinese mothers living with a mental illness
Authors: Chen Lingling , Vivekananda Kitty , Guan Lili , Reupert Andrea
Published: November 2021

Background

Although the experiences of mothers with mental illness are well researched in Western countries, little is known about the experiences of Chinese mothers. This study aims to explore the experiences of family life and parenting of Chinese mothers, in the context of their mental illness.

Methods

Fourteen Chinese mothers with mental illness undertook in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was employed to guide the data analysis.

Results

Seven themes were identified: motherhood as a central identity, the stigma associated with being a mother with mental illness, participants’ perceptions about the impact of mental illness on parenting and their children, experiences of talking to children about mental illness, how having children impacts mothers’ illness and recovery, and support obtained and needed. Similar to Western mothers, Chinese mothers experienced stigma and fluctuating mental illness symptoms which impacted on parenting. Unlike mothers based in Western countries, the mothers interviewed in this study highlighted complicated co-caring relationships with parents-in-law and did not raise child custody concerns.

Conclusions

Mental health professionals need to have the skills to identify and recognize the mothering role of their clients. Culturally sensitive interventions are required to assist Chinese families where mothers have a mental illness. Future research is required to investigate family experiences of parental mental illness from the perspectives of children, partners, and mental health professionals.
Longitudinal serological assessment of type VI collagen turnover is related to progression in a real-world cohort of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Jessen Henrik , Hoyer Nils , Prior Thomas S. , Frederiksen Peder , Rønnow Sarah R. , Karsdal Morten A. , Leeming Diana J. , Bendstrup Elisabeth , Sand Jannie M. B. , Shaker Saher B.
Published: November 2021

Background

Remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is a central mechanism in the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and remodeling of type VI collagen has been suggested to be associated with disease progression. Biomarkers that reflect and predict the progression of IPF would provide valuable information for clinicians when treating IPF patients.

Methods

Two serological biomarkers reflecting formation (PRO-C6) and degradation (C6M) of type VI collagen were evaluated in a real-world cohort of 178 newly diagnoses IPF patients. All patients were treatment naïve at the baseline visit. Blood samples and clinical data were collected from baseline, six months, and 12 months visit. The biomarkers were measured by competitive ELISA using monoclonal antibodies.

Results

Patients with progressive disease had higher (P = 0.0099) serum levels of PRO-C6 compared to those with stable disease over 12 months with an average difference across all timepoints of 12% (95% CI 3–22), whereas C6M levels tended (P = 0.061) to be higher in patients with progressive disease compared with stable patients over 12 months with an average difference across all timepoints of 12% (95% CI − 0.005–27). Patients who did not receive antifibrotic medicine had a greater increase of C6M (P = 0.043) compared to treated patients from baseline over 12 months with an average difference across all timepoints of 12% (95% CI − 0.07–47). There were no differences in biomarker levels between patients receiving pirfenidone or nintedanib.

Conclusions

Type VI collagen formation was related to progressive disease in patients with IPF in a real-world cohort and antifibrotic therapy seemed to affect the degradation of type VI collagen. Type VI collagen formation and degradation products might be potential biomarkers for disease progression in IPF.
Open MRI validation of a hip model driven with subject-specific motion capture data in predicting anterior femoroacetabular clearance
Authors: Mohtajeb Maryam , Cibere Jolanda , Graffos Angelo , Mony Michelle , Zhang Honglin , Hunt Michael A. , Wilson David R.
Published: November 2021

Background

Cam and/or pincer morphologies (CPM) are potential precursors to hip osteoarthritis (OA) and important contributors to non-arthritic hip pain. However, only some CPM hips develop OA and/or pain, and it is not clear why. Anterior impingement between the femoral head/neck contour and acetabular rim during motion is a proposed pathomechanism. Understanding how activity and deformity combine to produce impingement may shed light on the causes of hip degeneration/pain. The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of a subject-specific hip model driven by subject-specific motion data in predicting anterior impingement.

Methods

We recruited 22 participants with CPM (both with and without pain) and 11 controls. We collected subject-specific 3D kinematics during squatting and sitting flexion, adduction, and internal rotation (FADIR) (an active and a passive maneuver, respectively, proposed to provoke impingement). We then developed 3D subject-specific hip models from supine 3T hip MRI scans that predicted the beta angle (a measure of anterior femoroacetabular clearance) for each frame of acquired kinematics. To assess the accuracy of these predictions, we measured the beta angle directly in the final position of squatting and sitting FADIR using open MRI scans. We selected the frame of motion data matching the static imaged posture using the least-squares error in hip angles. Model accuracy for each subject was calculated as the absolute error between the open MRI measure of beta and the model prediction of beta at the matched time frame. To make the final model accuracy independent of goodness of match between open MRI position and motion data, a threshold was set for least-squares error in hip angles, and only participants that were below this threshold were considered in the final model accuracy calculation, yielding results from 10 participants for squatting and 7 participants for sitting FADIR.

Results

For squatting and sitting FADIR, we found an accuracy of 1.1°(0.8°) and 1.3°(mean (SD), and root mean squared error, respectively) and 0.5°(0.3°) and 0.6°, respectively.

Conclusion

This subject-specific hip model predicts anterior femoroacetabular clearance with an accuracy of about 1°, making it useful to predict anterior impingement during activities measured with motion analysis.
Calcaneal lengthening using ipsilateral fibula autograft in the treatment of symptomatic pes valgus in adolescents
Authors: Lai Chien-Cheng , Wang Ting-Ming , Chang Chih-Hung , Pao Jwo-Luen , Fang Hsu-Wei , Chang Chun-Chien , Lin Shang-Ming , Lan Tsung-yu
Published: November 2021

Background

Evans calcaneal lengthening osteotomy is used to treat symptomatic flexible flatfoot when conservative treatment fails. Grafts such as autologous iliac bone grafts, allografts, and xenografts are implanted at the osteotomy site to lengthen the lateral column of the hindfoot. This study aimed to present the outcomes of an autologous mid-fibula bone graft used for calcaneal lengthening in symptomatic pes valgus in adolescents.

Methods

We retrospectively examined 23 ft of 13 adolescents who underwent surgery between July 2014 and January 2018. The radiological and clinical outcomes (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot scale scores) were assessed during a mean follow-up of 49.7 (range, 30.9–73.4) months. The mean distance of the lengthening site was measured to evaluate graft sinking or collapse. The Goldberg scoring system was used to determine the degree of union at the donor and recipient sites.

Results

The calcaneal pitch and the anteroposterior and lateral talo-first metatarsal (Meary) angles showed significant correction, from 14.4 to 19.6 (p < 0.001), and from 14.5 to 4.6 (p < 0.001) and 13.5 to 8.5 (p < 0.001), respectively. The mean distance of the lengthening site showed no significant change (p = 0.203), suggesting no graft sinking or postoperative collapse. The lateral distal tibial angle showed no significant difference (p = 0.398), suggesting no postoperative ankle valgus changes. Healing of the recipient and donor sites occurred in 23 and 21 ft, respectively. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot scores improved significantly, from 68.0 to 98.5 (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Evans calcaneal lengthening using an ipsilateral mid-fibula bone autograft resulted in significant improvement in clinical and radiological outcomes without ankle valgus deformity. Hence, it could be a treatment option for lateral column calcaneal lengthening in adolescents.
Is assessment of oral health-related quality of life burdensome? An item nonresponse analysis of the oral health impact profile
Authors: Pattanaik Swaha , Lee Chi Hyun , John Mike T. , Chanthavisouk Phonsuda , Paulson Danna
Published: November 2021

Aim

This study aimed to investigate if in the 49-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP): (i) more missing data occurred when participants answered more questions, (ii) more missing data occurred in a particular item or set of related items, and (iii) item missingness was associated with the demographic characteristics and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) impairment level.

Methods

We used OHIP data from the Dimensions of OHRQoL (DOQ) project, which consolidated data from 35 individual studies. Among these studies, we analyzed OHIP data from 19 studies (4,847 surveyed individuals, of which 3,481 were completed under supervision and 1,366 were completed unsupervised) that contained some missing information. We computed descriptive statistics to investigate the OHIP missingness. We also used logistic regression analyses, with missing information as the dependent variable, and number of questions filled in (OHIP item rank) as the independent variable for samples with and without supervision. To investigate whether missing data occurs more in a particular item or set of related items we fitted regression models with individual OHIP items and the OHRQoL dimensions as indicator variables. We also investigated age, gender, and OHRQoL level as predictor variables for missing OHIP items.

Results

We found very low levels of missingness across individual OHIP items and set of related items, and there was no particular item or set of related items that was associated with more missing data. Also, more missing data did not depend on whether the participants answered more questions. In studies without supervision, older persons and females were 5.47 and 2.66 times more likely to have missing items than younger persons and females. However, in studies with supervision, older persons, and participants with more OHRQoL impairment were 1.70 and 2.65 times more likely to have missing items.

Conclusion

The study participants from general and dental patient populations did not find OHIP-49 burdensome. OHIP item missingness did not depend on a particular OHIP item or set of related items, or if the study participants responded to a greater number of OHIP items. We did not find a consistent pattern of the influence of sociodemographic and OHRQoL magnitude information on OHIP missingness. The amount of missing OHIP information was low making any potential influence likely small in magnitude.
Primary oral mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma in patient with monoclonale gammopathy: a rare case report
Authors: Hafian Hilal , Schvartz Hubert , Patey Martine , Quinquenel Anne
Published: November 2021

Background

Monoclonal gammopathy is a biological reality encountered in approximately 1% of the general population. In the absence of clinical and biological signs, it is considered of undetermined significance; however, it can be a biological signature of a monoclonal lymphocytic or plasma-cell proliferation. Their localisation to the oral mucosa remains rare and difficult to diagnose, particularly in indolent forms that escape imaging techniques.

Case presentation

Here, we report the case of a 73-year-old woman with a history of IgM kappa gammopathy followed for 13 years. The patient did not have a chronic infection or an autoimmune disease, and all the biological investigations and radiological explorations were unremarkable during this period. The discovery of a submucosal nodule in the cheek led to the diagnosis of MALT lymphoma and regression of half of the IgM kappa level after resection. The review of the literature shows the dominance of clinical signs (i.e., a mass or swelling) in the diagnosis of primary MALT lymphomas of the oral cavity after surgical resection.

Conclusions

Our case illustrates the role of examination of the oral cavity in the context of a monoclonal gammopathy. The absence of clinical and radiological evidence in favor of lymphoplasmacytic proliferation, does not exclude a primary indolent MALT lymphoma of the oral mucosa.
Dental anxiety and potentially traumatic events: a cross-sectional study based on the Tromsø Study—Tromsø 7
Authors: Nermo Hege , Willumsen Tiril , Rognmo Kamilla , Thimm Jens C. , Wang Catharina Elisabeth Arfwedson , Johnsen Jan-Are Kolset
Published: November 2021

Objective

The objectives of the study were to describe the prevalence of dental anxiety and the possible associations between dental anxiety and potentially traumatic events in an adult population.

Method

The study is based on cross-sectional questionnaire data from the 7th wave of the Tromsø Study, a study of the adult general population in the municipality of Tromsø carried out in 2015–2016. The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale was used to measure dental anxiety across potentially traumatic events, oral health, dental attendance (avoidance) and current mental health symptoms (Hopkins Symptom Checklist). Individuals with high and low dental anxiety scores were compared to investigate differences in the distribution of potentially traumatic events, current mental health symptoms, avoidance, sex and oral health, and hierarchical multivariable regression was used to study the influence of traumatic events on dental anxiety.

Results

High dental anxiety was reported by 2.9% of the sample and was most prevalent among females and in the youngest age groups. Individuals with high dental anxiety reported more current mental health symptoms, and they were more likely to report poorer oral health and more irregular dental visits compared to individuals with no or lower dental anxiety scores. Concerning traumatic events, the reporting of painful or frightening dental treatment showed the biggest difference between those with high dental anxiety and low dental anxiety scores (a moderate effect). The hierarchical regression model indicated that reporting sexual abuse, traumatic medical treatment in hospital and childhood neglect significantly predicted dental anxiety in the step they were entered in, but only sexual abuse remained a significant individual contributor after controlling for current mental health symptoms.

Conclusions

The prevalence of high dental anxiety was lower than expected (2.9%), but dentally anxious individuals expressed a high burden of mental health symptoms, poor oral health and the avoidance of dental care. The regression analysis indicated that experiences with sexual abuse could affect dental anxiety levels in the absence of generalised symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Risk of bias in observational studies using routinely collected data of comparative effectiveness research: a meta-research study
Authors: Nguyen Van Thu , Engleton Mishelle , Davison Mauricia , Ravaud Philippe , Porcher Raphael , Boutron Isabelle
Published: November 2021

Background

To assess the completeness of reporting, research transparency practices, and risk of selection and immortal bias in observational studies using routinely collected data for comparative effectiveness research.

Method

We performed a meta-research study by searching PubMed for comparative effectiveness observational studies evaluating therapeutic interventions using routinely collected data published in high impact factor journals from 01/06/2018 to 30/06/2020. We assessed the reporting of the study design (i.e., eligibility, treatment assignment, and the start of follow-up). The risk of selection bias and immortal time bias was determined by assessing if the time of eligibility, the treatment assignment, and the start of follow-up were synchronized to mimic the randomization following the target trial emulation framework.

Result

Seventy-seven articles were identified. Most studies evaluated pharmacological treatments (69%) with a median sample size of 24,000 individuals. In total, 20% of articles inadequately reported essential information of the study design. One-third of the articles (n = 25, 33%) raised some concerns because of unclear reporting (n = 6, 8%) or were at high risk of selection bias and/or immortal time bias (n = 19, 25%). Only five articles (25%) described a solution to mitigate these biases. Six articles (31%) discussed these biases in the limitations section.

Conclusion

Reporting of essential information of study design in observational studies remained suboptimal. Selection bias and immortal time bias were common methodological issues that researchers and physicians should be aware of when interpreting the results of observational studies using routinely collected data.
microRNA-194 is increased in polycystic ovary syndrome granulosa cell and induce KGN cells apoptosis by direct targeting heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor
Authors: Wu Yi-xuan , Lin Yan-shan , Li Si-chen , Yao Xi , Cheng Mingwei , Zhu Lin , Liu Hai-ying
Published: November 2021

Background

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine-related follicular developmental disorder that affects 50 %-70 % of reproductive-aged women diagnosed with ovulation-related infertility. Abnormal proliferation and apoptosis of granulosa cells (GCs) are thought to be the critical factors leading to abnormal maturation of follicles. It has been shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) exert a significant influence in the pathogenesis of PCOS; however, the relationship between miRNA, PCOS, and GC apoptosis is not entirely understood.

Methods

To clarify the effect of miR-194 in PCOS, CCK-8, Ki67 staining, AO/EB, and flow cytometry assays were used to assess cell growth, proliferation, and apoptosis in KGN cells, which were artificially stimulated to overexpress miR-194. Luciferase reporter assays and rescue experiments were used to elucidate the mechanism underlying miR-194 in PCOS.

Results

miR-194 expression was significantly up-regulated in rat models of PCOS and the ovarian GCs of PCOS patients. miR-194 suppression promoted KGN cell growth and proliferation. miR-194 overexpression also induced cell apoptosis, while miR-194 downregulation had an opposite effect. Furthermore, up-regulating heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) expression rescued the pro-apoptotic effects of miR-194 upregulation on KGN cells.

Conclusions

miR-194 is increased in PCOS granulosa cell and may function as a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for KGN cells via HB-EGF regulation.
Randomized and non-randomized designs for causal inference with longitudinal data in rare disorders
Authors: Izem Rima , McCarter Robert
Published: November 2021

In the United States, approximately 7000 rare diseases affect 30 million patients, and only 10% of these diseases have existing therapies. Sound study design and causal inference methods are essential to demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy, safety, and effectiveness of new therapies. In the rare diseases setting, several factors challenge the use of typical parallel control designs: the small patient population size, genotypic and phenotypic diversity, and the complexity and incomplete understanding of the disorder’s progression. Repeated measures, when spaced appropriately relative to disease progression and exploited in design and analysis, can increase study power and reduce variability in treatment effect estimation. This paper reviews these longitudinal designs and draws the parallel between some new and existing randomized studies in rare diseases and their less well-known controlled observational study designs. We show that self-controlled randomized crossover and N-of-1 designs have similar considerations as the observational case series and case-crossover designs. Also, randomized sequential designs have similar considerations to longitudinal cohort studies using sequential matching or weighting to control confounding. We discuss design and analysis considerations for valid causal inference and illustrate them with examples of analyses in multiple rare disorders, including urea cycle disorder and cystic fibrosis.
Promises and challenges of personalized medicine to guide ARDS therapy
Authors: Wick Katherine D. , McAuley Daniel F. , Levitt Joseph E. , Beitler Jeremy R. , Annane Djillali , Riviello Elisabeth D. , Calfee Carolyn S. , Matthay Michael A.
Published: November 2021

Identifying new effective treatments for the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), including COVID-19 ARDS, remains a challenge. The field of ARDS investigation is moving increasingly toward innovative approaches such as the personalization of therapy to biological and clinical sub-phenotypes. Additionally, there is growing recognition of the importance of the global context to identify effective ARDS treatments. This review highlights emerging opportunities and continued challenges for personalizing therapy for ARDS, from identifying treatable traits to innovative clinical trial design and recognition of patient-level factors as the field of critical care investigation moves forward into the twenty-first century.
On positive solutions of second-order delayed differential system with indefinite weight
Authors: Wang Fanglei , Ding Ran
Published: November 2021

In this paper, we study the existence of positive solutions of a second-order delayed differential system, in which the weight functions may change sign. To prove our main results, we apply Krasnosel’skii’s fixed point theorems in cones.
Depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in females exposed to intimate partner violence
Authors: Sabri Youmna
Published: November 2021

Background

United Nations considered intimate partner violence (IPV) as a serious problem affecting 35% of females all over the world requesting action to face this problem. There is strong evidence that the effect of violence against women has short-term and long-term negative outcomes on women physical health such as pain, wounds, fractures or even death in addition to serious psychiatric disorders for example anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The study aims to evaluate the prevalence of different subtypes of (IPV) in a group sample of married females.

Also, the current study will examine the relation of intimate partner violence with subsequent depression and post-traumatic stress disorder disorders among those females.

Results

This study highlights subtypes of intimate partner violence among the studied females according to the Composite Abuse Scale (CAS); the highest prevalence type of violence is harassment (72.2%) followed by physical violence (57.8%), severe combined violence (54.4%), emotional violence (53.3%), and finally the last one is sexual abuse (7.8%). Post-traumatic stress disorder distribution among studied females; the highest prevalence (n = 37, 41.1%) had mild PTSD, followed by 23 (25.6%) who were normal, and then n = 20 (22.2%) who had severe PTSD, while the least prevalence (n = 10, 11.1%) had moderate PTSD.

In concern to depressive disorder distribution among studied females, the highest prevalence (n = 33, 36.7%) were normal, followed by 29 (32.2%) who had moderate depression, and then n = 12 (1.3%) who had severe depression, n = 9 (10.0%) who had mild depression, while the least prevalence (n = 7, 7.8%) had very severe depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

This study found that the prevalence of intimate partner violence among the studied females is high. In addition, the presence of a strong relationship between all subtypes of intimate partner violence and the diagnosis of PTSD and depressive disorder among studied females. Potential implications; these results can be applied clinically as females are exposed to the burden of IPV and should be helped empowered in various ways such as providing psychiatric counselling for those females.
Cancer-Related Fatigue After Esophageal Cancer Surgery: Impact of Postoperative Complications
Authors: Cheng Zhao , Johar Asif , Nilsson Magnus , Lagergren Pernilla
Published: November 2021

Background

The impact of postoperative complications on cancer-related fatigue is unknown. This nationwide prospective cohort study aimed to assess the trajectory of cancer-related fatigue and the influence of predefined postoperative complications on cancer-related fatigue up to 2 years after esophageal cancer surgery.

Methods

The patients in this study underwent esophagectomy between 2013 and 2019 in Sweden. The exposure was predefined postoperative complications. The outcome was cancer-related fatigue measured by the fatigue scale of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the EORTC QLQ-Fatigue 12 (QLQ-FA12) questionnaire. Linear mixed-effects models provided adjusted fatigue scores and mean score differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) between patients with and without predefined complications.

Results

The study enrolled 331 patients. The QLQ-C30 fatigue score increased with clinical relevance among patients with any complications (MD, 5.8; 95% CI, 2.6–9.0) who had a higher Clavien-Dindo classification (grades 2 to 3a: MD, 7.3; 95% CI, 3.1–11.5), a medical complication (MD, 6.9; 95% CI, 3.0–10.7), or a pulmonary complication (MD, 6.9; 95% CI, 2.1–11.6) for 1–1.5 years and remained stable until 2 years after esophagectomy. Similar patterns were found in the QLQ-FA12 fatigue and QLQ-FA12 physical and emotional subscales, but not in the cognitive subscales.

Conclusions

Complications in general and medical and pulmonary complications in particular might be associated with increased cancer-related fatigue after esophagectomy.
Discovery and initial characterization of YloC, a novel endoribonuclease in Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Ingle Shakti , Chhabra Shivani , Chen Jiandong , Lazarus Michael B. , Luo Xing , Bechhofer David H.
Published: November 2021

The Bacillus subtilis genome is predicted to encode numerous ribonucleases, including four 3′ exoribonucleases that have been characterized to some extent. A strain containing gene knockouts of all four known 3′ exoribonucleases is viable, suggesting that one or more additional RNases remain to be discovered. A protein extract from the quadruple RNase mutant strain was fractionated and RNase activity was followed, resulting in the identification of an enzyme activity catalyzed by the YloC protein. YloC is an endoribonuclease and is a member of the highly conserved “YicC family” of proteins that is widespread in bacteria. YloC is a metal-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the cleavage of single-stranded RNA, preferentially at U residues, and exists in an oligomeric form, most likely a hexamer. As such, YloC shares some characteristics with the SARS-CoV Nsp15 endoribonuclease. While the in vivo function of YloC in B. subtilis is yet to be determined, YloC was found to act similarly to YicC in an Escherichia coli in vivo assay that assesses decay of the small RNA, RyhB. Thus, YloC may play a role in small RNA regulation.
Freedom of the arts and sciences and intellectual property protection: an Italian, European and International Law perspective
Authors: Doria Maria Jelda
Published: November 2021

The study presents the freedom of the arts and sciences and the principles regarding the protection of intellectual property, and it is aimed at analyzing the complex balance between the former and the latter. In order to thoroughly understand this relationship, it is first necessary to clarify what the two elements of this balance are: on the one hand, the freedom of the arts and sciences, which is intimately related to the individual right to access to scientific, artistic and cultural developments, and, on the other, intellectual property regimes. Secondly, it is essential to examine the possible interferences of the protection of one of the two elements under discussion on the other element. Finally, it is fundamental to discuss how different jurisdictions have approached this issue. The whole contribution is conducted in a Comparative and International Law perspective: Italian, European and International Law will be examined. Besides, there will be some interesting hints about the solutions adopted in the US legal system, which are particularly interesting.
Włoskość stworzona z przyjemności (używania) swojego języka ojczystego. Przeszłość i przyszłość w powieściach Michele Mari
Authors: Janusz Joanna
Published: November 2021

Michele Mari, który zadebiutował pod koniec lat 80. XX wieku, jest autorem dzieł z zakresu prozy, poezji i dramatu i uważa się go za jednego z klasyków literatury. Jego nazwisko bardzo często wymienia się obok takich sław jak Gadda i Consolo. Już jego debiut literacki ukazał go jako stojącego w opozycji do współczesnego stylu i tematów, które rządziły literaturą do tamtej pory. Jeśli chodzi o te dwa aspekty dzieła literackiego, Mari korzysta z bagażu tradycji literackiej, zarówno włoskiej, jak i europejskiej, nie ograniczając się jedynie do postmodernistycznej techniki cytowania i odniesienia. Tradycja w jego twórczości jest wykorzystywana w sposób twórczy i przekształcana w materię, która pozwala na oryginalną interpretację współczesności. Niniejszy artykuł ma na celu ukazanie wybranych elementów językowych i tematycznych, które zostały przekształcone w ten sposób w trzech pierwszych powieściach autora.
“Galiza is (not) a mine”: rural responses to pro-extractivist policies
Authors: Evans Pim Joám
Published: November 2021

The struggles against extractivist developments have been a constant during the past 50 years of accelerated social transformation of the Galizan rural landscape. From the 1970s As Encrobas and Triacastela struggles against open pit coal and limestone mining to recent mass movements against the Corcoesto, San Finx and Touro metal mining developments, a common pattern emerges of emancipatory rural action to defend lands and livelihoods from the ruling Partido Popular slogan “Galiza is a mine”. Renewed interest for mining developments in the 2010s following growing metal prices, EU policies on ‘critical raw materials’ and corporate interest in investment alternatives after the collapse of the Spanish property bubble has fuelled levels of social contestation unseen for decades in the traditional strongholds of Galizan local power-brokers. Drawing on historical and participatory action research, this paper examines contemporary forms of nonviolent contestation and explores their capacity to build emancipatory alternatives.
Distributionally Robust Markov Decision Processes and Their Connection to Risk Measures
Authors: Bäuerle Nicole , Glauner Alexander
Published: November 2021

We consider robust Markov decision processes with Borel state and action spaces, unbounded cost, and finite time horizon. Our formulation leads to a Stackelberg game against nature. Under integrability, continuity, and compactness assumptions, we derive a robust cost iteration for a fixed policy of the decision maker and a value iteration for the robust optimization problem. Moreover, we show the existence of deterministic optimal policies for both players. This is in contrast to classical zero-sum games. In case the state space is the real line, we show under some convexity assumptions that the interchange of supremum and infimum is possible with the help of Sion’s minimax theorem. Further, we consider the problem with special ambiguity sets. In particular, we are able to derive some cases where the robust optimization problem coincides with the minimization of a coherent risk measure. In the final section, we discuss two applications: a robust linear-quadratic problem and a robust problem for managing regenerative energy.
Moral Values and Struggle in the Story of Saba Nan Aluih, From the Region of Padang Tarok Baso, Agam
Authors: Aziz Abdul Aziz
Published: November 2021

The values ​​of struggle and moral values ​​in literature are dependent on each other. Literature is strongly influenced by the values ​​of struggle and moral values, so that everything contained in morals and struggles is reflected in literature. Thus, literary works can be approached using the values ​​of struggle and moral values. The problem of this research is about the value of struggle and moral values ​​contained in the folklore of Saba Nan Aluih. The purpose of this study is to describe the description of the values ​​of struggle and moral values ​​in the folklore of Saba Nan Aluih. The data of this study is a description of the values ​​of struggle and moral values ​​in the folklore of Saba Nan Aluih. The method used is descriptive method with qualitative analysis by describing the description of the values ​​of struggle and moral values ​​in the folklore of Saba Nan Aluih. This method is based on consideration of the suitability of the research form with the research objectives. The research instrument was carried out by means of a documentation study. Documentation study was conducted on the folklore of Saba Nan Aluih with an analysis approach to the value of struggle and moral values. From the results of this study, it can be found the results of research on the value of struggle in terms of, the value of self-sacrifice, the value of unity, the value of respect, the value of sabra and unyielding spirit, and the value of cooperation. Based on moral values, moral values ​​in human relations with oneself are divided into, responsibility for education. The moral values ​​of human relations with other humans are divided into, parental advice to children, advice between friends, parental love for children, and child affection for parents.
Nitric oxide detection using principal component analysis spectral structure matching to the UV derivative spectrum
Authors: Fan Bo-Qiang , Zhang Yu-Jun , He Ying , You Kun , Yu Dong-Qi , Xie Hao , Lei Bo-En , Liu Wen-Qing
Published: November 2021

Ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy is widely applied in real-time environmental monitoring, especially in diesel vehicle nitrogen monoxide (NO) emissions. However, in field experiments, UV absorption spectrum may exist for different degrees of drifts. Spectral jitters may exist for various reasons such as optical power variation, electrical signal drift, and the refractive index jitters of the optical path for an extended period of time, which causes the detection system to be calibrated. And the pulse xenon lamps as the UV source are characterized by specific emission lines that interfere in spectral analysis directly. For these problems, we proposed the spectral structure matching method based on principal component analysis (PCA), which was compared with the conventional polynomial fitting method to observe feasibility and variability. Further, the UV derivative spectrum was applied to the system appropriately, due to the variation of the absorption peak, and was only related to the target gas by using the above method. We validated our method experimentally by performing the NO UV detection system with the calibration and the comparison test. The results suggested that the calibration relative error was less than 9% and the measurement relative error was less than 6% for this wide range by the proposed processes, which optimized the interference of spectral structures and fluctuation to the system and therefore provided better monitoring. This study may provide an alternative spectral analysis method that is unaffected on the specific emission lines of lamps and is not limited to the spectral region and the target gas.
Lens stars and Platonic lenses
Authors: Bělín Jakub , Courtial Johannes , Tyc Tomáš
Published: November 2021

Lens stars comprise identical ideal thin lenses arranged in a regular star shape centred on the common principal point. They satisfy the edge-imaging condition of transformation optics (TO) and are thus suitable as building blocks of ideal-lens TO devices [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 37, 305 (2020)10.1364/JOSAA.37.000305]. Here we show that the ray trajectories in lens stars are piecewise straight approximations of conic sections. We also generalise lens stars to Platonic lenses, highly symmetric combinations of lens stars based on Platonic solids, and find that ray trajectories in Platonic lenses are closed and planar; we design a more general ideal-lens cloak; and we clarify the process of designing ideal-lens TO devices. Throughout, we illustrate our results with ray-tracing simulations. Our results add to the knowledge of TO with ideal lenses.
Investigation of light source effects on digital camera-based spectral estimation
Authors: Liang Jinxing , Xiao Kaida , Hu Xinrong
Published: November 2021

The influence of light sources on digital camera-based spectral estimation is explored. The CIE daylight and non-CIE daylight illuminants with different Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) are first tested comparatively, results indicate that CCT can be used to describe the performance of the CIE daylight illuminants for spectral estimation but not applicable to all types of light sources. To further investigate the mechanism of light effects on spectral estimation, several handmade special shape of Spectral Power Distribution (SPD) are tested, results show that the red component in visible spectrum is crucial for a higher spectral estimation accuracy. Finally, several feature metrics of SPD are proposed to evaluate the performance of the light sources in spectral estimation, results illustrate that the better the feature metrics the better the spectral estimation accuracy.
Demonstration of in-depth analysis of silicon photonics circuits using OFDR: waveguides with grating couplers
Authors: Tokushima Masatoshi , Ushida Jun
Published: November 2021

Optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) is a powerful technique
to investigate backscatter in waveguides. However, its use in Si
photonics circuits has so far been limited to measuring the
propagation loss and group index of a waveguide. We demonstrate that
the transmittance (T) and reflectance
(R) of elemental devices comprising a Si
photonics circuit can be determined by OFDR. An analysis of Si wire
waveguides with grating couplers (GCs) is described in detail. The
wavelength dependence of T and R of the GCs were determined by using a
backscatter model incorporating time-equivalent multiple-reflection
paths and were well reproduced by a numerical simulation.
Helical plasma filaments from the self-channeling of intense femtosecond laser pulses in optical fibers
Authors: Mangini F. , Ferraro M. , Zitelli M. , Niang A. , Mansuryan T. , Tonello A. , Couderc V. , De Luca A. , Babin S. A. , Frezza F. , Wabnitz S.
Published: November 2021

We experimentally and numerically study the ignition of helical-shaped
plasma filaments in standard optical fibers. Femtosecond pulses with
megawatt peak power with proper off-axis and tilted coupling in the
fiber core produce plasma skew rays. These last for distances as long
as 1000 wavelengths thanks to a combination of linear waveguiding and
the self-channeling effect. Peculiar is the case of graded-index
multimode fibers; here the spatial self-imaging places constraints on
the helix pitch. These results may find applications for fabricating
fibers with helical-shaped core micro-structuration as well as for
designing laser components and three-dimensional optical memories.
CStone: A de novo transcriptome assembler for short-read data that identifies non-chimeric contigs based on underlying graph structure
Authors: Linheiro Raquel , Archer John
Published: November 2021

With the exponential growth of sequence information stored over the last decade, including that ofde novoassembled contigs from RNA-Seq experiments, quantification of chimeric sequences has become essential when assembling read data. In transcriptomics,de novoassembled chimeras can closely resemble underlying transcripts, but patterns such as those seen between co-evolving sites, or mapped read counts, become obscured. We have created a de Bruijn basedde novoassembler for RNA-Seq data that utilizes a classification system to describe the complexity of underlying graphs from which contigs are created. Each contig is labelled with one of three levels, indicating whether or not ambiguous paths exist. A by-product of this is information on the range of complexity of the underlying gene families present. As a demonstration of CStones ability to assemble high-quality contigs, and to label them in this manner, both simulated and real data were used. For simulated data, ten million read pairs were generated from cDNA libraries representing four species,Drosophila melanogaster,Panthera pardus,Rattus norvegicusandSerinus canaria. These were assembled using CStone, Trinity and rnaSPAdes; the latter two being high-quality, well established,de novoassembers. For real data, two RNA-Seq datasets, each consisting of ≈30 million read pairs, representing two adultD.melanogasterwhole-body samples were used. The contigs that CStone produced were comparable in quality to those of Trinity and rnaSPAdes in terms of length, sequence identity of aligned regions and the range of cDNA transcripts represented, whilst providing additional information on chimerism. Here we describe the details of CStones assembly and classification process, and propose that similar classification systems can be incorporated into otherde novoassembly tools. Within a related side study, we explore the effects that chimera’s within reference sets have on the identification of differentially expression genes. CStone is available at:https://sourceforge.net/projects/cstone/.
Low risk of relapse and deformity among leprosy patients who completed multi-drug therapy regimen from 2005 to 2010: A cohort study from four districts in South India
Authors: Rajkumar Prabu , Chethrapilly Purushothaman Girish Kumar , Ponnaiah Manickam , Shanmugasundaram Devika , Padma Jayasree , Meena Rang Lal , Vadivoo Selvaraj , Mehendale Sanjay M.
Published: November 2021

Introduction

Relapse of leprosy among patients released from treatment (RFT) is an indicator of the success of anti-leprosy treatment. Due to inadequate follow-up, relapse in leprosy patients after RFT is not systematically documented in India. Relapsed leprosy patients pose a risk in the transmission of leprosy bacilli. We determined the incidence of relapse and deformity among the patients RFT from the leprosy control programme in four districts in South India.

Methods

We conducted two follow-up surveys in 2012 and 2014 among the leprosy patients RFT between 2005 and 2010. We assessed them for any symptoms or signs of relapse, persistence and deformity. We collected slit skin samples (SSS) for smear examination. We calculated overall incidence of relapse and deformity per 1000 person-years (PY) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and cumulative risk of relapse.

Results

Overall, we identified 69 relapse events, 58 and 11, during the first and second follow-up surveys, respectively. The incidence of relapse was 5.42 per 1000 PY, which declined over the years after RFT. The cumulative risk of relapse was 2.24%. The rate of deformity among the relapsed patients was 30.9%. The overall incidence of deformity was 1.65 per 1000 person years. The duration ofM.lepraedetection in smears ranged between 2.38 and 7.67 years.

Conclusions

Low relapse and deformity rates in leprosy RFT patients are indicative of treatment effectiveness. However, a higher proportion of detection of deformity among relapsed cases is a cause for concern. Periodic follow-up of RFT patients for up to 3 years to detect relapses early and ensure appropriate treatment will minimize the development of deformity among relapsed patients.
Reduced production of the major allergens Bla g 1 and Bla g 2 in Blattella germanica after antibiotic treatment
Authors: Lee Seogwon , Kim Ju Yeong , Yi Myung-Hee , Lee In-Yong , Yong Dongeun , Yong Tai-Soon
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Allergens present in the feces or frass of cockroaches can cause allergic sensitization in humans. The use of fecal and frass extracts for immunotherapy has been previously investigated but has not yet been fully standardized. Here, we treated cockroaches with ampicillin to produce extracts with reduced amounts of total bacteria.

Methods

We performed targeted high-throughput sequencing of 16S rDNA to compare the microbiomes of ampicillin-treated and untreated (control) cockroaches. RNA-seq was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in ampicillin-treated cockroaches.

Results

Analysis of the microbiome revealed that alpha diversity was lower in the ampicillin-treated group than in the control group. Beta diversity analysis indicated that ampicillin treatment altered bacterial composition in the microbiome of cockroaches. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed that almost all bacteria were removed from ampicillin-treated cockroaches. RNA-seq analysis revealed 1,236 DEGs in ampicillin-treated cockroaches (compared to untreated cockroaches). Unlike bacterial composition, the DEGs varied between the two groups. Among major allergens, the expression of Bla g 2 decreased significantly in ampicillin-treated cockroaches (compared to untreated group).

Conclusions

In this study, the reduced level of allergens observed in cockroaches may be related to lower amounts of total bacteria caused by treatment with antibiotics. It is possible to make a protein extract with few bacteria for use in immunotherapy.
Acoustic structure and information content of trumpets in female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)
Authors: Fuchs Evelyn , Beeck Veronika C. , Baotic Anton , Stoeger Angela S.
Published: November 2021

Most studies on elephant vocal communication have focused on the low-frequency rumble, with less effort on other vocalization types such asthemost characteristic elephant call, the trumpet. Yet, a better and more complete understanding of the elephant vocal system requires investigating other vocalization types and their functioning in more detail as well. We recorded adult female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) at a private facility in Nepal and analyzed 206 trumpets from six individuals regarding their frequency, temporal and contour shape, and related acoustic parameters of the fundamental frequency. We also tested for information content regarding individuality and context. Finally, we recorded the occurrence of non-linear phenomena such as bifurcation, biphonation, subharmonics and deterministic chaos. We documented a mean fundamental frequency ± SD of 474 ± 70 Hz and a mean duration ± SD of 1.38 ± 1.46 s (Nindiv.= 6, Ncalls= 206). Our study reveals that the contour of the fundamental frequency of trumpets encodes information about individuality, but we found no evidence for trumpet subtypes in greeting versus disturbance contexts. Non-linear phenomena prevailed and varied in abundance among individuals, suggesting that irregularities in trumpets might enhance the potential for individual recognition. We propose that trumpets in adult female Asian elephants serve to convey an individual’s identity as well as to signal arousal and excitement to conspecifics.
O Jornalismo e a História: Homenagem a Isabel Nobre Vargues
Authors: Figueira João , Peixinho Ana Teresa
Published: November 2021

Obra sobre Media, Liberalismo e História, que integra 12 ensaios de diversos investigadores portugueses. Pensada como homenagem ao percurso académico e cívico da Professora Isabel Nobre Vargues, a obra divide-se em três partes: i) Media e Liberalismos; ii) Histórias e perfis do Jornalismo; iii) Testemunhos. Partindo de uma reflexão sobre o papel do primeiro Liberalismo português, os textos propõem uma diversidade de abordagens ao estudo da Imprensa, do Jornalismo, desde inícios do século XIX até aos dias de hoje. Conta com a participação de académicos das áreas da História e da Comunicação, dois campos a que a homenageada dedicou a sua investigação.