bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
N6-methyladenosine-dependent modification of circGARS acts as a new player that promotes SLE progression through the NF-κB/A20 axis
Authors: Zhao Xingwang , Dong Rui , Zhang Longlong , Guo Junkai , Shi Ying , Ge Lan , Wang Juan , Song Zhiqiang , Ni Bing , You Yi
Published: February 2022

Background

Certain circRNAs could be used as biomarkers to determine the risk of development and/or severity of systemic lupus erythematosus, and their new function in the regulation of gene expression has motivated us to investigate their role in SLE

Methods

Experimental methods including qRT-PCR, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), pulldown, dual luciferase reporter assay, RNA interference and cell transfection, RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization, western blotting, and mass spectrometry were used to assessed circGARS (hsa_circRNA_0009000) for immune functions and defined mechanisms by which circGARS promotes the progression in SLE.

Results

Our results demonstrated that the levels of circGARS was remarkably upregulated in SLE and correlated with clinicopathological features. CircGARS directly combined with microRNA-19a (miR-19a). Functionally, circGARS downregulated the expression of TNFAIP3 (A20, tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced protein 3) to mediate the activation of immune responses that were regulated by the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway as a negative feedback mechanism. In addition, miR-19a regulated A20 (TNFAIP3) degradation by downregulating the expression of YTH N6-methyladenosine RNA-binding protein 2 (YTHDF2).

Conclusions

The circGARS sponges miR-19a to regulate YTHDF2 expression to promote SLE progression through the A20/NF-κB axis and may act as an independent biomarker to help the treatment of SLE patients.
Dual-energy CT with virtual monoenergetic images to improve the visualization of pancreatic supplying arteries: the normal anatomy and variations
Authors: Liang Hong-wei , Zhou Yang , Zhang Zhi-wei , Yan Gao-wu , Du Si-lin , Zhang Xiao-hui , Li Xin-you , Lv Fa-jin , Zheng Qiao , Li Yong-mei
Published: February 2022

Background

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a malignancy with poor prognosis, appropriate surgical resection and neoadjuvant therapy depend on the accurate identification of pancreatic supplying arteries. We aim to evaluate the ability of monoenergetic images (MEI [+]) of dual-energy CT (DECT) to improve the visualization of pancreatic supplying arteries compared to conventional polyenergetic images (PEI) and investigate the implications of vascular variation in pancreatic surgery and transarterial interventions.

Results

One hundred patients without pancreatic diseases underwent DECT examinations were retrospectively enrolled in this study. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) at 40-keV MEI (+) were significantly higher than those of PEI (p < 0.05). All subjective MEI (+) scores were significantly higher than those of PEI (p < 0.05). The visualization rates were significantly higher for posterior superior pancreaticoduodenal artery (PSPDA), anterior and posterior inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery (AIPDA, PIPDA), anterior and posterior pancreaticoduodenal arcade (APAC, PPAC), transverse and caudal pancreatic artery (TPA, PCA) at 40-keV MEI (+) than those of PEI (p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences for visualizing anterior superior pancreaticoduodenal artery (ASPDA), inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery (IPDA), dorsal and magnificent pancreatic artery (DPA, MPA) between 40-keV MEI (+) and PEI (p > 0.05). Four types of variations were observed in the origin of DPA and three to five types in the origin of PSPDA, AIPDA and PIPDA.

Conclusions

40-keV MEI (+) of DECT improves the visualization and objective and subjective image quality of pancreatic supplying arteries compared to PEI. Pancreatic supplying arteries have great variations, which has important implications for preoperative planning of technically challenging surgeries and transarterial interventions.
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells enhance angiogenesis and promote fat retention in fat grafting via polarized macrophages
Authors: Dang Juanli , Yang Jizhong , Yu Zhou , Chen Lin , Zhang Zhaoxiang , Wang Kai , Tang Jiezhang , Yi Chenggang
Published: February 2022

Background

Fat grafting is one of the most common soft tissue filling methods in plastic surgery. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BM-MSC) transplantation is an effective method for improving graft retention. However, the role of BM-MSCs in fat transplantation is not completely clear.

Methods

Human fat particles, together with BM-MSCs or PBS as a control, were subcutaneously transplanted into the backs of nude mice. Samples were taken on days 14, 30 and 90 post-grafting to calculate the fat graft retention rate, and tissue staining was evaluated. Furthermore, macrophages were treated with BM-MSC conditioned medium (BM-MSC-CM) to identify the beneficial component secreted by these stem cells.

Results

In this study, we found that BM-MSCs improved retention by enhancing angiogenesis in fat grafting. Further analysis revealed that BM-MSCs could significantly inhibit the expression of the proinflammatory M1 macrophage markers interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and IL-6 in the early stages of fat grafting and promote the expression of the anti-inflammatory M2 macrophage markers Arg1, IL-10 and VEGF. Furthermore, our results showed that IL-10 secreted by BM-MSCs induced M2 macrophage polarization in vitro.

Conclusions

BM-MSC transplantation can improve the fat retention rate and promote angiogenesis, which may be related to M2 macrophages. These results help elucidate the role of BM-MSCs in fat grafting.
Food safety and the informal milk supply chain in Kenya
Authors: Zavala Nacul Hasibi , Revoredo-Giha Cesar
Published: February 2022

Background

Informal dairy supply chains are important in Sub-Saharan Africa, both in terms of employment and nutrition for poor population. Their safety has been debated in the literature, with those in favour to their legalisation, arguing that boiling milk reduces sanitary risks for its consumption and the nutritional impact offsets those possible risks. While, the opposing side, highlighting that boiling milk does not eliminate all the contaminants that are found, and the long term sanitary and health impact should be a major concern for regulatory enforcement.

The purpose of this case study, which focuses on food safety along a dairy supply chain in Kenya, the largest milk producer in Africa, is twofold: first, to review the different issues on food safety when consuming raw milk, and second, to extract lessons from a case study that follows an informal supply chain that operates in rural, peri-urban and urban areas in the Kiambu and Muranga counties in Kenya. This case study was based on semi-structure interviews to 29 stakeholders and participants of an informal dairy supply chain carried out in April–May 2019. The purpose of the interviews was to provide insights of the hurdles and food safety risks surrounding everyday activities of milk handlers.

Results

The results indicate that the informal dairy sector is associated with low-quality milk and food safety risks. These assumptions are linked to several factors such as lack of contact and control from the sanitary and health authorities, lack of awareness regarding milk safety from both consumers and the different supply chain participants; and the poor operating conditions the informal market has. In addition, other aspects were the overall lack of hygiene, accountability, and infrastructure in the entire supply chain.

Conclusions

In conclusion, greater focus should be put on improving food safety quality along the chain (e.g., through ensuring the application of Good Handling Practices like the use of food grade containers and the introduction control points). The reform of Kenya’s informal dairy market must focus on training to improve and increase the hygiene and safety practices of the informal operators to reduce the information gap that divides formal from informal.
Evaluation of phenotypic and genotypic patterns of aminoglycoside resistance in the Gram-negative bacteria isolates collected from pediatric and general hospitals
Authors: Azimi Leila , Armin Shahnaz , Samadi Kafil Hossein , Abdollahi Nafiseh , Ghazvini Kiarash , Hasanzadeh Sepide , Shahraki Zahedani Shahram , Rafiei Tabatabaei Sedigheh , Fallah Fatemeh
Published: February 2022

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the phenotypic and genotypic patterns of aminoglycoside resistance among the Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) isolates collected from pediatric and general hospitals in Iran. A total of 836 clinical isolates of GNB were collected from pediatric and general hospitals from January 2018 to the end of December 2019. The identification of bacterial isolates was performed by conventional biochemical tests. Susceptibility to aminoglycosides was evaluated by the disk diffusion method (DDM). The frequency of genes encoding aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes (AMEs) was screened by the PCR method via specific primers. Among all pediatric and general hospitals, the predominant GNB isolates were Acinetobacter spp. (n = 327) and Escherichia coli (n = 144). However, E. coli (n = 20/144; 13.9%) had the highest frequency in clinical samples collected from pediatrics. The DDM results showed that 64.3% of all GNB were resistant to all of the tested aminoglycoside agents. Acinetobacter spp. and Klebsiella pneumoniae with 93.6%, Pseudomonas aeruginosa with 93.4%, and Enterobacter spp. with 86.5% exhibited very high levels of resistance to gentamicin. Amikacin was the most effective antibiotic against E. coli isolates. In total, the results showed that the aac (6')-Ib gene with 59% had the highest frequency among genes encoding AMEs in GNB. The frequency of the surveyed aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme genes among all GNB was found as follows: aph (3')-VIe (48.7%), aadA15 (38.6%), aph (3')-Ia (31.3%), aph (3')-II (14.4%), and aph (6) (2.6%). The obtained data demonstrated that the phenotypic and genotypic aminoglycoside resistance among GNB was quite high and it is possible that the resistance genes may frequently spread among clinical isolates of GNB.
Surgical interventions in velopharyngeal dysfunction: Comparative perceptual speech and nasometric outcomes for three techniques
Authors: Instrum Ryan , Dzioba Agnieszka , Dworschak-Stokan Anne , Husein Murad
Published: February 2022

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate speech outcomes following surgical intervention for velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD). Perceptual speech outcome data were subsequently analyzed in conjunction with patient factors such as congenital abnormalities, presence of cleft lip and/or palate, and age of repair. We hope to aid in the eventual creation of treatment algorithms for VPD, allowing practitioners to tailor surgical technique selection to patient factors.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed for all patients who underwent surgical correction of VPD at London Health Sciences Centre between the years 2005 and 2018. Two hundred and two consecutive VPD patients (median age 10.6 years) were followed for an average of 20.2 months after having undergone a superiorly based pharyngeal flap (121), Furlow palatoplasty (72), or sphincteroplasty (9). Speech outcomes were measured via the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) perceptual speech assessment, and MacKay-Kummer Simplified Nasometric Assessment Procedures Revised (SNAP-R) was used to measure nasalence. Comparisons of mean preoperative and postoperative outcomes were made, as well as analyses regarding surgical procedure, syndrome, cleft status, and age.

Results

Mean perceptual scores improved significantly postoperatively (p < .0001), and successful perceptual resonance was identified in 86.1% patients (n = 174). Postoperative perceptual speech scores for three ACPA domains were superior with pharyngeal flap compared to both Furlow palatoplasty and sphincteroplasty ([hypernasality: p < .001, p < .02], [audible nasal emissions: p < .002, p < .05], [velopharyngeal function: p < .001, p < .05]). Success rate was higher in pharyngeal flap (94.2%) than in Furlow palatoplasty (75.0%, p < .001) or sphincter pharyngoplasty (66.7%, p < .001). No significant difference was identified in success rate based on syndrome or cleft status.

Conclusion

Operative management of VPD is highly effective in improving perceptual speech outcomes. Given proper patient selection, all three procedures are viable treatment options for VPD. For those patients identified as appropriate to undergo a pharyngeal flap, robust improvements in speech outcomes were observed.

Graphical Abstract
Bioenzyme-based nanomedicines for enhanced cancer therapy
Authors: Ding Mengbin , Zhang Yijing , Li Jingchao , Pu Kanyi
Published: February 2022

Bioenzymes that catalyze reactions within living systems show a great promise for cancer therapy, particularly when they are integrated with nanoparticles to improve their accumulation into tumor sites. Nanomedicines can deliver toxic bioenzymes into cancer cells to directly cause their death for cancer treatment. By modulating the tumor microenvironment, such as pH, glucose concentration, hypoxia, redox levels and heat shock protein expression, bioenzyme-based nanomedicines play crucial roles in improving the therapeutic efficacy of treatments. Moreover, bioenzyme-mediated degradation of the major components in tumor extracellular matrix greatly increases the penetration and retention of nanoparticles in deep tumors and infiltration of immune cells into tumor tissues, thus enhancing the efficacies of chemotherapy, phototherapy and immunotherapy. In this review, we summarize the recent progresses of bioenzyme-based nanomedicines for enhanced cancer therapy. The design and working mechanisms of the bioenzyme-based nanomedicines to achieve enhanced chemotherapy, photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, chemodynamic therapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy are introduced in detail. At the end of this review, a conclusion and current challenges and perspectives in this field are given.
Elimination of free-surface-related multiples by combining Marchenko scheme and seismic interferometry
Authors: He Wenjun , Geng Jianhua
Published: February 2022

The removal of free-surface-related multiples plays an important role in seismic data processing. We have developed a novel scheme for predicting free-surface-related multiples by combining the revised Marchenko equations with free-surface effects and convolutional seismic interferometry. This data-driven method can create the free-surface-related multiple prediction using only the reflection response recorded at the free surface and a macrovelocity model estimated in the first layer. By setting only one reference boundary in the first layer, we can stably and efficiently retrieve the one-way upgoing and scattered downgoing Green’s functions at virtual focusing points and then predict all orders of free-surface-related multiples. Numerical experiments on a 2D model and a subset of the Marmousi model indicate that this method can accurately and efficiently predict the traveltimes of all orders of free-surface-related multiples. After applying least-squares matched filtering, all orders of the surface-related multiples can be effectively eliminated from the raw shot gathers.
Wavefield separation using irreversible-migration filtering
Authors: Li Chao , Zhang Jinhai
Published: February 2022

Wavefield separation is important for eliminating unwanted components of seismic data while retaining preferred components therein; however, there have been difficulties with using traditional methods to select a proper muting window in the transformed domain. A narrow muting window can separate different components well, but it causes visible artifacts due to sudden truncations (e.g., the Gibbs phenomenon), whereas a wide muting window would, on the other hand, leave unwanted components. We have adopted separating the wavefield based on its irreversibility after migration and demigration. One-way wave-equation migration would automatically damp high-slope components in the evanescent region while accurately handling the other components. Thus, the migration velocity can be tuned to naturally trap a given range of high-slope components into the evanescent region in the migrated domain, which would be irreversible after demigration. In contrast, the other components (i.e., those outside the evanescent region) can be recovered after demigration. Our method achieves perfect muting by taking advantage of migration and demigration, and thus it avoids the manual operation of setting a muting window. As a result, our method is free of muting artifacts. We conduct numerical experiments with synthetic and field data, and the results verify the excellent performance of our method for several different kinds of wavefield separation, including linear event separation, structural noise elimination, diffraction-reflection separation, and vertical seismic profile wavefield separation. Our method integrates noise reduction and the wavefield separation, and thus it can reduce the computational cost of using different data processing schemes and avoid the related potential error accumulation.
Surgery No More? Managing the Primary Tumor in Stage IV Breast Cancer
Authors: Anderson David N. , Port Elisa R.
Published: February 2022

The Oncology Grand Rounds series is designed to place original reports published in the Journal into clinical context. A case presentation is followed by a description of diagnostic and management challenges, a review of the relevant literature, and a summary of the authors' suggested management approaches. The goal of this series is to help readers better understand how to apply the results of key studies, including those published in Journal of Clinical Oncology, to patients seen in their own clinical practice.
Non-trivial overlaps and ultrametricity for directed polymers in random media
Authors: Hartmann Alexander K.
Published: February 2022

Directed polymers on (1+1)-dimensional lattices coupled to a heat bath at temperature T are studied numerically for three new ensembles of the site disorder, plus a standard random ensemble. In particular correlations of the disorder as well as fractal patterning are considered for the new ensembles. Configurations are directly sampled in perfect thermal equilibrium for very large system sizes with up to

sites. The phase-space structure is studied via the distribution of overlaps and hierarchical clustering of configurations. Two ensembles show a simple behavior basically like a ferromagnet. The other two ensembles exhibit indications for complex behavior strongly reminiscent of multiple replica-symmetry breaking (RSB). Also results for the ultrametricity of the phase space are presented. In total, the present model ensembles offer convenient numerical accesses to comprehensively studying complex behavior.
Removing Welfare Traps: Employment Responses in the Finnish Basic Income Experiment
Authors: Verho Jouko , Hämäläinen Kari , Kanninen Ohto
Published: February 2022

This paper provides evidence that replacing minimum unemployment benefits with a basic income of equal size has minor employment effects at best. We examine an experiment in Finland in which 2,000 benefit recipients were randomized to receive a monthly basic income. The experiment lowered participation tax rates by 23  percentage points for full-time employment. Despite the considerable increase in work incentives, days in employment remained statistically unchanged in the first year of the experiment. Moreover, even though all job search requirements were waived, participation in reemployment services remained high. (JEL C93, H24, H53, I38, J64, J65)
School Spending and Student Outcomes: Evidence from Revenue Limit Elections in Wisconsin
Authors: Baron E. Jason
Published: February 2022

This study examines the impacts of two distinct types of school spending on student outcomes. State-imposed revenue limits cap the total amount of revenue that a school district in Wisconsin can raise unless the district holds a referendum asking voters to exceed the cap. Importantly, Wisconsin law requires districts to hold separate referenda for operational and capital expenditures, which allows for estimating their independent effects. Leveraging close elections in a dynamic regression discontinuity framework, I find that increases in operational spending have substantial positive effects on test scores, dropout rates, and postsecondary enrollment, but additional capital expenditures have little impact. (JEL D72, H75, I21, I22, I28)
Quality in MR reporting of the prostate – improving acquisition, the role of AI and future perspectives
Authors: Wang Liang , Margolis Daniel J. , Chen Min , Zhao Xinming , Li Qiubai , Yang Zhenghan , Tian Jie , Wang Zhenchang
Published: February 2022

The high quality of MRI reporting of the prostate is the most critical component of the service provided by a radiologist. Prostate MRI structured reporting with PI-RADS v. 2.1 has been proven to improve consistency, quality, guideline-based care in the management of prostate cancer. There is room for improved accuracy of prostate mpMRI reporting, particularly as PI-RADS core criteria are subjective for radiologists. The application of artificial intelligence may support radiologists in interpreting MRI scans. This review addresses the quality of prostate multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) structured reporting (include improvements in acquisition using artificial intelligence) in terms of size of prostate gland, imaging quality, lesion location, lesion size, TNM staging, sector map, and discusses the future prospects of quality in MR reporting.
Giant duodenal diverticulum masquerading as a sealed perforation
Authors: Khan Faraaz , Chetan Madhurima R , D'Costa Horace
Published: February 2022

Giant duodenal diverticula are large outpouchings involving all layers of the duodenal wall. Whilst often an incidental finding, giant duodenal diverticula can present with diverticulitis or biliary obstruction. We report a case of a giant duodenal diverticulum that was initially misdiagnosed as a localised duodenal perforation on CT. Additional ultrasound and fluoroscopic imaging demonstrated the final diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. The clinical course of this patient highlights the challenge of recognising a giant duodenal diverticulum and the limitations of solely relying on CT in the context of an acute abdominal presentation.
Sources of Political and Social Unrest in the Peloponnese on the Eve of the Revolution
Authors: Kostantaras Dean
Published: February 2022

This article explores questions surrounding the motivations of the diverse group of actors who took part in the Greek Revolution. Attention is directed especially towards conditions in the Peloponnese and the actions of local political and military elites. The insights gained from this analysis are further used to consider the extent to which the revolution may be compared, from a standpoint of precipitating causes, social forces and international contingencies, with the other great upheavals associated with the Age of Revolution.
The Catholic Communities of the Aegean Archipelago during the Greek Revolution, 1821–1830
Authors: Kousouris Dimitris
Published: February 2022

The Catholics of the Aegean islands represent a rather neglected subject in the story of the Greek War of Independence. As these communities enjoyed a large degree of autonomy from the Sublime Porte, were under French protection and participated in the global network of the Catholic Church, their integration into the Greek state was difficult. The frictions between insurgents and island Latins, the attempts of the Greek government to impose its authority, the efforts of those communities to mobilise their regional and international networks in order to maintain autonomy and their ultimate acceptance of the description “Greeks of the Western Church” attributed to them by the insurgents demonstrates that the making of the Greek nation was an open-ended process, providing valuable insights into the transition from a prenational/extraterritorial conception of sovereignty to a national/territorial one.
Knowledge and prevention practice against dengue vectors among dengue patients and general people in Chattogram, Bangladesh
Authors: Rahman Sahidur , Mehejabin Fatema , Rashid Rumana
Published: February 2022

Background: Due to the absence of an effective vaccine for dengue, community-led vector control strategy could be a sustainable approach for dengue prevention. Therefore, this study aimed to assess people’s knowledge of dengue vectors and the practice of preventive measures to avoid vector mosquitoes by means of a structured questionnaire.

Methods: A telephone-based survey was conducted between July 2019 to December 2019 from confirmed dengue patients and general people without dengue fever living in Chattogram, Bangladesh. Patients’ contact information was collected from two tertiary care hospitals. The level of knowledge and preventive practice were determined through the scoring of each participant against their responses. The association of individuals’ knowledge and practice scores with demographic variables was measured through chi-square and binary logistic analyses.   

Results: Overall, 61.9% of participants (72% case and 51.7% non-case) had good knowledge, whereas only 10.6% of them (12.7% case and 8.7% non-case) strongly practiced the mosquito prevention methods. However, significant variation in the level of knowledge was found between the two groups. Urban residents had 2.20 times higher knowledge compared to semi urban. Students and government officials had 3.39 times and 3.17 times better knowledge than general workers respectively. Permanent residents had 2.01 times better knowledge in comparison to the people living in temporary housing. In terms of mosquito preventive measures, semi-urban people showed 3.19 times (CI=0.97-10.52) stronger practice compared to rural people.

Conclusions: This study suggests that dengue control strategies should focus on the effective practice of mosquito prevention by engaging community people.
Creating a standard inpatient opioid withdrawal protocol
Authors: Abid Ariana , Shoptaw Steve , Bholat Michelle
Published: February 2022

Background: Despite safety and efficacy of medications for opioid use disorder, United States (US) hospitals face high health care costs when hospitalized patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) leave due to untreated opioid withdrawal.  Recent studies have concluded that evidence-based interventions for OUD like buprenorphine are underutilized by hospital services.

Objective: We developed a practical opioid withdrawal protocol utilizing buprenorphine and the Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale to address opioid withdrawal during inpatient treatment of a primary medical condition. We are currently implementing this protocol at the UCLA hospital in Santa Monica.

Design: The protocol includes order sets with appropriate and modifiable orders that can be submitted in the electronic medical record in order to deliver seamless care for opioid withdrawal. After the physician assesses the patient and initiates the protocol, nursing provides an essential role in continuing to monitor the patient’s level of withdrawal and administering the appropriate medications in response. Inpatient pharmacy is instrumental in monitoring medication administration, as well as calculating and providing dosages for orders on Day 2 and 3 of the protocol. Collaboration with case managers is essential for providing appropriate resources and ensuring a safe discharge.

Conclusion: Current challenges to widespread implementation of a standardized withdrawal protocol are discrepancies in addiction education across medical disciplines and inadequate outpatient access to buprenorphine providers and pharmacies that carry buprenorphine supplies.
Credit Risk Assessment During the Audit of Commercial Bank Statements
Authors: Glazkova G. , Hanova L.
Published: February 2022

The lending process is one of the fundamental functions of a commercial bank. Lending is inextricably linked to credit risk. Credit risk is the most significant among all the risks of credit institutions, since it is the lending process that is the largest source of income for a credit institution. That is why it is important to be able to timely identify potential credit risks and minimize their impact on banking processes.
Introducción a la fotografía cómica: una aproximación estética a la experiencia humorística a través de la imagen fija.
Authors: Ortiz de Urbina Arandigoien Xabier
Published: February 2022

La imagen fotográfica, al igual que sucede con otros fenómenos estéticos, puede resultar generadora de una experiencia humorística en quien la observa, de forma que dicha fotografía adquirirá un carácter cómico a ojos de su observador. Si bien existen limitaciones que son propias del soporte fotográfico a la hora de imitar aspectos risibles del comportamiento humano, cabe explorar las posibilidades de generar contenido cómico con las que cuenta la imagen fotográfica y ver cómo se puede hacer un uso satisfactorio de ellas.
El vacío y lo real en la imagen foto-cinematográfica. El caso de Marguerite Duras.
Authors: Hoyos Morales Alfonso
Published: February 2022

Los medios de reproducción técnica: tanto la fotografía como el cine, se han caracterizado por su superioridad mimética a la hora de capturar la realidad. Sin embargo, eso ha hecho que muchas de las teorías de dichos medios se hayan abocado a una suerte de dialéctica sobre la vericidad o no de la representación fotográfica. Desde una perspectiva fenomenológica intentaremos rescatar un concepto de verdad del registro fotográfico que no se vincule necesariamente con su dimensión empírica, es decir, con su pura positividad en la captación de su referente. Con ello, la reproducción fotográfica nos permitirá reflexionar sobre nuestro propio acceso a la realidad en la que los vacíos y las ausencias son igualmente constitutivos de la misma. El film de Marguerite Duras L’homme atlantique, nos proporcionará un caso de estudio para reflexionar sobre esta importancia
Nietzsche y el arte.
Authors: Espinosa Proa Sergio
Published: February 2022

Arte es la afirmación de lo real en el sujeto, y esta afirmación es lo propio de la fiesta. Cualquier otra interpretación es reactiva, es decir: nihilista. En tanto fuerza, o en tanto poder-de-ser, la existencia se afirma y se expresa estéticamente; la moral es un obstáculo, un retroceso, un debilitamiento, una pérdida de potencia. Nietzsche se opone a su maestro Schopenhauer, que mantiene una actitud expectante y desconfiada ante la Voluntad y que ve en el arte —como en la moral o en la religión— una suerte de abrigo a salvo de sus tempestades. Porque no es cuestión de escapar de la existencia —de salvarse—, sino de justificar su modo de ser. Afirmarse estéticamente significa olvidarse del mundo, hundirse en la soledad y la incomunicación. Lo real se afirma en el sujeto estéticamente, y la ética de este sujeto particular se reduce en fin de cuentas a refrendar esa afirmación —o a contravenirla.
Causal Rule Sets for Identifying Subgroups with Enhanced Treatment Effects
Authors: Wang Tong , Rudin Cynthia
Published: February 2022

A key question in causal inference analyses is how to find subgroups with elevated treatment effects. This paper takes a machine learning approach and introduces a generative model, causal rule sets (CRS), for interpretable subgroup discovery. A CRS model uses a small set of short decision rules to capture a subgroup in which the average treatment effect is elevated. We present a Bayesian framework for learning a causal rule set. The Bayesian model consists of a prior that favors simple models for better interpretability as well as avoiding overfitting and a Bayesian logistic regression that captures the likelihood of data, characterizing the relation between outcomes, attributes, and subgroup membership. The Bayesian model has tunable parameters that can characterize subgroups with various sizes, providing users with more flexible choices of models from the treatment-efficient frontier. We find maximum a posteriori models using iterative discrete Monte Carlo steps in the joint solution space of rules sets and parameters. To improve search efficiency, we provide theoretically grounded heuristics and bounding strategies to prune and confine the search space. Experiments show that the search algorithm can efficiently recover true underlying subgroups. We apply CRS on public and real-world data sets from domains in which interpretability is indispensable. We compare CRS with state-of-the-art rule-based subgroup discovery models. Results show that CRS achieves consistently competitive performance on data sets from various domains, represented by high treatment-efficient frontiers.

Summary of Contribution: This paper is motivated by the large heterogeneity of treatment effect in many applications and the need to accurately locate subgroups for enhanced treatment effect. Existing methods either rely on prior hypotheses to discover subgroups or greedy methods, such as tree-based recursive partitioning. Our method adopts a machine learning approach to find an optimal subgroup learned with a carefully global objective. Our model is more flexible in capturing subgroups by using a set of short decision rules compared with tree-based baselines. We evaluate our model using a novel metric, treatment-efficient frontier, that characterizes the trade-off between the subgroup size and achievable treatment effect, and our model demonstrates better performance than baseline models.
Appointment Scheduling for Multiple Servers
Authors: Kuiper Alex , Lee Robert H.
Published: February 2022

Appointment schedules, in essence, balance supply and demand and are often employed in settings where resources are scarce and thus a high utilization is realized (e.g., healthcare). Whereas most of the existing literature focuses on the single-server case, a framework is developed to study appointment scheduling in multiserver settings. Relying on phase-type approximations, general service-time distributions are modeled, which are fed into a recursive approach allowing evaluation and optimization of an objective function that balances expected waiting times and idle times. Studying optimized schedules for multiple servers reveals that the start and end of a session can deviate greatly from the dome-shaped pattern as established for the single-server case. Furthermore, a comparison of various multiserver setups shows that significant performance gains can be achieved when servers are pooled. This allows an explicit quantification of the cost of continuity of care. In addition, session overtime as well as early finish of servers can be incorporated in the approach; the benefits of the additional flexibility that a multiserver setting provides are summarized. For the stationary plateau of the dome, to which the optimal interarrival times converge, steady-state appointment schedules are obtained by exploiting the embedded Markov chain; these schedules are shown and argued to converge quickly to optimal solutions obtained in a heavy-traffic regime. In this regime, algebraic solutions are derived, which provide interesting managerial guidelines when the pooling of servers is considered in appointment scheduling.

This paper was accepted by Bariş Ata, stochastic models and simulation.
The Multiport Berth Allocation Problem with Speed Optimization: Exact Methods and a Cooperative Game Analysis
Authors: Martin-Iradi Bernardo , Pacino Dario , Ropke Stefan
Published: February 2022

We consider a variant of the berth allocation problem—that is, the multiport berth allocation problem—aimed at assigning berthing times and positions to vessels in container terminals. This variant involves optimizing vessel travel speeds between multiple ports, thereby exploiting the potentials of a collaboration between carriers (shipping lines) and terminal operators. Using a graph representation of the problem, we reformulate an existing mixed-integer problem into a generalized set partitioning problem, in which each variable refers to a sequence of feasible berths in the ports that the vessel visits. By integrating column generation and cut separation in a branch-and-cut-and-price procedure, our proposed method is able to outperform commercial solvers in a set of benchmark instances and adapt better to larger instances. In addition, we apply cooperative game theory methods to efficiently distribute the savings resulting from a potential collaboration and show that both carriers and terminal operators would benefit from collaborating.
Percepções sobre o aborto legal entre partidários da extrema direita: o caso da criança capixaba de 10 anos
Authors: Dantas Pita Paulo Henrique , Dibai Priscilla
Published: February 2022

Analisamos valores e crenças exteriorizados por partidários da extrema direita brasileira, autodeclarados apoiadores do presidente Jair Bolsonaro, em relação ao aborto legal de uma criança capixaba de 10 anos, estuprada por familiar, ocorrido em agosto de 2020. A coleta de dados ocorreu entre 13 e 21/08/20, em uma comunidade virtual pró-presidente, resultando em um corpus de 295 mensagens de texto e 42 imagens. A pesquisa buscou responder como os partidários valoraram o caso, quais sentidos agregaram ao aborto, quais atores/instituições foram mencionados ou cobrados e quais soluções foram propostas ou referendadas. Como resultado, identificamos posições predominantemente contrárias ao aborto legal – não entendido como direito, mas como crime –, bem como construções estereotipadas das mulheres, famílias, profissionais de saúde e políticas relacionadas à temática abortiva. O desejo por leis mais rígidas, a fé cristã  e o sentimento antiesquerda apareceram fortemente vinculados ao tema, com relevante influência na modalização da opinião antiaborto.
Capoeira angola em corpos estrangeiros: reestruturação de conhecimentos e de relações através da performance ritual
Authors: Tamplenizza Cecilia
Published: February 2022

Para a tese de doutorado realizei um estudo etnográfico interpretativo e reflexivo, baseado em minha experiência de aprendizado da capoeira angola no Grupo de Capoeira Angola Pelourinho - Gcap, situado em Salvador Bahia, e nas relações que teci com o grupo. Nessa pesquisa, sugeri que a capoeira angola, para esse grupo, é um complexo ambiente de comunicação e criação ritual. Sua performance é fundamentada em um repertório aberto de poesias cantadas e desenhadas com o corpo. Um jogo corporal, musical e de relações entre os capoeiristas do grupo. Uma poética em resistência que difunde práticas baseadas em uma tradição ou ancestralidade afro-descendente, com uma forte conotação política no Brasil. A partir dessas premissas, nesse artigo, proponho uma reflexão sobre como alguns de nós italianos estamos reinterpretando a capoeira em um contexto externo aos processos de luta e resistência dos descendentes dos africanos no Brasil. Para isso, além de minha pesquisa de campo autoetnográfica, me valho-me de entrevistas e discussões travadas com outros capoeiristas italianos, provenientes de diversas cidades, do norte ao sul da Itália, que praticam capoeira há mais de 15 anos e que participam de grupos de capoeira angola ligados à linhagem de mestre Pastinha. Chegando na Itália por caminhos independentes, a capoeira angola se tornou uma prática que diz promover a libertação. Uma forma de transmissão de meios alternativos de se relacionar, criar, se organizar.
Cuerpo, racialización y performance en tiempos de multiculturalismo: sujeciones, agencias y subversiones en tres casos de patrimonialización afrolatinoamericanos/caribeños
Authors: Parody Viviana
Published: February 2022

En las últimas décadas, en consonancia con el auge multicultural, los organismos internacionales comenzaron a tomar partido en defensa de la “diversidad” y de aquellas expresiones que de ella se derivan alcanzando el estatus de “patrimonio intangible” (UNESCO, 2003, 2005). En no pocas oportunidades, sin embargo, estas legitimaciones son adquiridas mediante arduos procesos de postulación en los que los Estados nacionales y los grupos “portadores” se ven involucrados en “inventarios” y “puestas en valor”. Estos bienes culturales resultantes, cuyo clivaje es corporal, tanto pueden facilitar a sectores poblacionales históricamente subalternizados la subversión de estigmas como su reconfiguración en novedosas formas de otrerización  -tales como   exotismo, espectacularización, folklorización-. Entendiendo a estas convenciones y sus puestas en práctica como un tipo particular de política cultural de corte global que tiene su emergencia en el marco del multiculturalismo, en este artículo propongo dirimir -de manera comparativa y multisituada- las sujeciones, agencias y subversiones dadas en tres procesos de patrimonialización afrolatinoamericanos/caribeños (Colombia, Cuba, y Uruguay). De manera específica, analizo las articulaciones que entre raza, cuerpo y performance se suscitan en estos procesos mediante los cuales determinados sectores poblacionales signados por la “raza” devienen protagonistas y a la vez garantes de la “salvaguardia” de las expresiones performáticas patrimonializadas. En el transcurso, privilegio examinar la  medida en que estas nuevas políticas  de corte global (y sus traducciones   locales), o   bien   fortalecen   o   bien   ponen   en   cuestión “regímenes de corporalidad situados” (Restrepo, 2010). Una antropología de y desde los cuerpos asiste la metodología, en no pocos períodos circunscrita a la participación radical (Jackson, 1996 y Blacking, 1995 en Ferreira, 1999), donde la corporalidad del investigador se constituye en la materialidad especular sobre la cual los actores sociales también proyectan marcaciones e identificaciones contrastativas que, en no pocas oportunidades, aún responden a regímenes de colonialidad.
Prevenção do pé diabético: práticas de cuidados de usuários de uma unidade saúde da família [Prevention of diabetic foot: care practices among users of a family health unit] [Prevención del pie diabético: prácticas de cuidados de usuarios de una unidad de salud de la familia]
Authors: Trombini Fernanda Dos Santos , Schimith Maria Denise , Silva Silvana De Oliveira , Badke Marcio Rossato
Published: February 2022

Objetivo: conhecer as práticas de cuidados com os pés realizadas por usuários com Diabetes Mellitus atendidos em uma Unidade de Saúde da Família. Método: estudo descritivo, com abordagem qualitativa. Foram entrevistados 12 usuários com diagnóstico de Diabetes Mellitus atendidos por uma Unidade Saúde da Família de um município do interior do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Resultados: dentre os participantes predominaram mulheres, com ensino fundamental incompleto e baixa renda. Identificou-se cuidados importantes para a prevenção de lesão nos pés, que a maioria dos usuários não realizava, ou realizava incorretamente. Conclusão: Os usuários têm dificuldade em realizar os cuidados com os pés de forma correta e de associar que cuidados básicos são importantes para a prevenção de lesão nos pés.ABSTRACTObjective: to learn the foot care measures taken by users with Diabetes Mellitus treated at a Family Health Unit. Method: for this qualitative, descriptive study, twelve users with a diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus attending a Family Health Unit in a town in Rio Grande do Sul State (RS) were interviewed. Results: the participants were predominantly women, had not completed lower secondary school and had little income. Important care for preventing foot injuries was identified, but was not performed or performed incorrectly by most users. Conclusion: users found it difficult to perform foot care correctly and to make the association that basic care is important to prevent foot injury.RESUMENObjetivo: conocer las prácticas de cuidados de los pies que realizan los pacientes con Diabetes Mellitus atendidos en una Unidad de Salud de la Familia. Método: estudio descriptivo con enfoque cualitativo. Se entrevistaron a doce usuarios diagnosticados de Diabetes Mellitus, atendidos por una Unidad de Salud de la Familia en una ciudad del interior del Estado de Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Resultados: entre los participantes predominaron las mujeres, con educación primaria incompleta y bajos ingresos. Se percibió que la mayoría de los usuarios no realizó, o realizó incorrectamente, cuidados importantes para prevenir lesiones en los pies. Conclusión: los usuarios tienen dificultades para realizar correctamente los cuidados de los pies y para entender que los cuidados básicos son importantes para la prevención de lesiones en los pies.
NEOLIBERALISMO E EXPANSÃO DO AGRONEGÓCIO GLOBALIZADO NO BRASIL
Authors: Santos Henrique Faria dos
Published: February 2022

O objetivo do presente artigo é discutir as bases de expansão e consolidação do agronegócio globalizado no território brasileiro que, na atualidade se fundamenta, em seu conteúdo político e econômico, no Neoliberalismo. Nas últimas décadas, o país vivenciou grandes transformações na atividade agropecuária em função da progressiva modernização das operações agrícolas, logísticas e de comercialização, tendo como protagonistas nesse processo a atuação estratégica do Estado e as grandes empresas nacionais e transnacionais. Várias regiões e seus respectivos municípios foram incorporados, de forma socialmente excludente e ambientalmente insustentável, à lógica de produção e exportação competitiva de commodities agrícolas para os mercados internacionais, o que tem acarretado diversas implicações socioespaciais. A superação do padrão produtivo derivado dos Complexos Agroindustriais e a constituição de uma agricultura científica globalizada trouxeram novos desafios à organização econômica e política do território, bem como situações geográficas de vulnerabilidade nas principais regiões produtivas do agronegócio.
PENSANDO A OPERACIONALIZAÇÃO DE ESTUDOS SOBRE CIDADES DO AGRONEGÓCIO
Authors: Elias DENISE
Published: February 2022

O agronegócio globalizado é um dos principais vetores da reorganização do território brasileiro, notadamente desde os anos de 1980, gerando inúmeras novas relações campo-cidade, processos de (re)estruturação urbano-regional, de (re)estruturação de muitas cidades, assim como de formação de novas cidades em função das demandas impostas pelos agentes hegemônicos desse agronegócio. O principal objetivo deste artigo é refletir sobre possibilidades de operacionalização de pesquisas sobre o que chamamos de cidade do agronegócio. Entendemos que os estudos sobre esse tipo de cidade podem ser organizados a partir de diferentes eixos, dentre os quais: reestruturação produtiva da agropecuária; o consumo produtivo do agronegócio; a composição do setor industrial; a dinâmica populacional; a dinâmica do mercado de trabalho; a reestruturação da cidade; as desigualdades socioespaciais na escala intraurbana. Embora tais temas sejam indissociáveis, essa subdivisão constitui um importante recurso metodológico, que viabiliza a realização da pesquisa. No entanto, para que se obtenha êxito em um trabalho científico, além de sua operacionalização, é preciso que a pesquisa seja calcada em sólidas bases teórico-conceituais e abrangente diálogo com os agentes da produção do espaço.