bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Platelet Angiopoietin-1 Protects Against Murine Models of Tumor Metastasis
Authors: Roweth Harvey G. , Becker Isabelle C. , Malloy Michael W. , Clarke Emily M. , Munn Sophie A. , Kumar Priya L. , Aivasovsky Ivan , Tray Kobe , Schmaier Alec A. , Battinelli Elisabeth M.
Published: July 2024

BACKGROUND:

In addition to their fundamental roles in preserving vascular integrity, platelets also contribute to tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. However, despite being a reservoir for angiogenic and metastatic cytokines, platelets also harbor negative regulators of tumor progression. Angpt1 (angiopoietin-1) is a cytokine essential for developmental angiogenesis that also protects against tumor cell metastasis through an undefined mechanism. Although activated platelets release Angpt1 from α-granules into circulation, the contributions of platelet Angpt1 to tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis have not been investigated.

METHODS:

Using cytokine arrays and ELISAs, we first compared platelet Angpt1 levels in breast and melanoma mouse tumor models to tumor-free controls. We then assessed tumor growth and metastasis in mice lacking megakaryocyte and platelet Angpt1 (Angpt1
Plt KO
). The spontaneous metastasis of mammary-injected tumor cells to the lungs was quantified using RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction). The lung colonization of intravenously injected tumor cells and tumor cell extravasation were determined using fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry.

RESULTS:

Platelet Angpt1 is selectively upregulated in the PyMT (polyoma middle tumor antigen) breast cancer mouse model, and platelets are the principal source of Angpt1 in blood circulation. While primary tumor growth and angiogenesis were unaffected, Angpt1
Plt KO
mice had both increased spontaneous lung metastasis and tumor cell lung colonization following mammary or intravenous injection, respectively. Although platelet Angpt1 did not affect initial tumor cell entrapment in the lungs, Angpt1
Plt KO
mice had increased tumor cell retention and extravasation. Serum from Angpt1
Plt KO
mice increased endothelial permeability and reduced VE (vascular endothelial)-cadherin expression at endothelial junctions compared with serum from control mice (Angpt1
WT
).

CONCLUSIONS:

Platelets provide an intravascular source of Angpt1 that restrains tumor metastasis by preserving the lung microvasculature to limit tumor cell extravasation.
Direct Comparison of Methods to Differentiate Wide Complex Tachycardias: Novel Automated Algorithms Versus Manual ECG Interpretation Approaches
Authors: LoCoco Sarah , Kashou Anthony H. , Deshmukh Abhishek J. , Asirvatham Samuel J. , DeSimone Christopher V. , Mikhova Krasimira M. , Sodhi Sandeep S. , Cuculich Phillip S. , Ghadban Rugheed , Cooper Daniel H. , Maddox Thomas M. , Noseworthy Peter A. , May Adam M.
Published: July 2024

BACKGROUND:

Differentiating wide complex tachycardias (WCTs) into ventricular tachycardia (VT) and supraventricular wide tachycardia via 12-lead ECG interpretation is a crucial but difficult task. Automated algorithms show promise as alternatives to manual ECG interpretation, but direct comparison of their diagnostic performance has not been undertaken.

METHODS:

Two electrophysiologists applied 3 manual WCT differentiation approaches (ie, Brugada, Vereckei aVR, and VT score). Simultaneously, computerized data from paired WCT and baseline ECGs were processed by 5 automated WCT differentiation algorithms (WCT Formula, WCT Formula II, VT Prediction Model, Solo Model, and Paired Model). The diagnostic performance of automated algorithms was compared with manual ECG interpretation approaches.

RESULTS:

A total of 212 WCTs (111 VT and 101 supraventricular wide tachycardia) from 104 patients were analyzed. WCT Formula demonstrated superior accuracy (85.8%) and specificity (87.1%) compared with Brugada (75.2% and 57.4%, respectively) and Vereckei aVR (65.3% and 36.4%, respectively). WCT Formula II achieved higher accuracy (89.6%) and specificity (85.1%) against Brugada and Vereckei aVR. Performance metrics of the WCT Formula (accuracy 85.8%, sensitivity 84.7%, and specificity 87.1%) and WCT Formula II (accuracy 89.8%, sensitivity 89.6%, and specificity 85.1%) were similar to the VT score (accuracy 84.4%, sensitivity 93.8%, and specificity 74.2%). Paired Model was superior to Brugada in accuracy (89.6% versus 75.2%), specificity (97.0% versus 57.4%), and F1 score (0.89 versus 0.80). Paired Model surpassed Vereckei aVR in accuracy (89.6% versus 65.3%), specificity (97.0% versus 75.2%), and F1 score (0.89 versus 0.74). Paired Model demonstrated similar accuracy (89.6% versus 84.4%), inferior sensitivity (79.3% versus 93.8%), but superior specificity (97.0% versus 74.2%) to the VT score. Solo Model and VT Prediction Model accuracy (82.5% and 77.4%, respectively) was superior to the Vereckei aVR (65.3%) but similar to Brugada (75.2%) and the VT score (84.4%).

CONCLUSIONS:

Automated WCT differentiation algorithms demonstrated favorable diagnostic performance compared with traditional manual ECG interpretation approaches.
Reduced Indian Ocean Dipole Asymmetry and Increased Extreme Negative Events under Future Greenhouse Warming
Authors: Zheng Yiling , Tam Chi-Yung , Collins Matthew
Published: July 2024

The Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) is a prominent interannual phenomenon in the tropical Indian Ocean (TIO), influencing weather and climate globally, particularly during extreme IOD events. The IOD shows notable amplitude asymmetry in both observations and historical simulations from the phase 6 of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6), with positive events having a greater magnitude than negative events, mainly due to the negative nonlinear dynamical heating. However, simulations under the shared socioeconomic pathway 5-8.5 (SSP5-8.5) scenario indicate a notable reduction in IOD asymmetry. It shows that this reduction points to an increased frequency of extreme negative IOD events under global warming. The primary cause of this reduced IOD asymmetry is less negative nonlinear dynamical heating in future simulations, especially the nonlinear zonal advection. Under global warming, the increased atmospheric static stability weakens the large-scale atmospheric response to sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies forcing. This leads to reduced strength of nonlinear zonal advection, resulting in a decreased IOD asymmetry. Nevertheless, nonlinear vertical advection, another key factor in IOD asymmetry, remains comparable due to the increased upper-ocean stratification in the eastern TIO. The reduced inhibition of negative nonlinear zonal advection and the increased SST response to deepening thermocline contribute to the increased frequency of extreme negative IOD events. These changes underscore the potential risks associated with negative IOD events in a warming world, emphasizing the importance of understanding IOD dynamics for improved climate impact prediction and future preparedness.
Head Impact, Concussion, and Salary in the NFL: Is There a Compensating Wage-Risk Premium?
Authors: Walia Bhavneet , Owora Arthur , Kmush Brittany , Ehrlich Justin , Sanders Shane
Published: July 2024

Sport epidemiological studies have estimated cumulative head impact and concussion rates by American football position group. Meanwhile, the sports economics literature has examined National football league (NFL) player-salary variation, and sports statisticians have studied NFL player productivity. Merging novel data and methodologies, we estimate whether players in position-groups with higher head impact or concussion risk are paid a compensating next-contract salary premium controlling for NFL experience, contract year, and productivity. For 2006 to 2017 NFL seasons, we consider all 1,162 fully observed player contracts and all 290 fully observed, non-rookie player contracts. Specifying two sets of contract-length frequency-weighted, contract-year (of signing) fixed effects linear regressions, we find robust evidence that players receive lagged, next-contract compensation for additional on-field productivity and experience. However, position groups with higher estimated cumulative head impact and, alternatively, higher estimated concussion rate are paid a significant and substantial next-contract dispremium. Results are consistent with an augmented compensating salary-differential theory, in which firm and employee share risk.
Advancing Stratification Research by Measuring Non-declarative Cultural Capital: A National Population-Based Study Combining IAT and Survey Data
Authors: van der Waal Jeroen , de Koster Willem , van Meurs Tim , Noordzij Kjell , Groeniger Joost Oude , Schaap Julian
Published: July 2024

Cultural capital is a central concept in stratification research. Crucial to the Bourdieusian habitus, upper strata familiarity with the dominant culture is assumed to be ingrained via socialization, allowing its members to smoothly navigate educational institutions and higher segments of the labor market. Although cultural capital is deemed partially implicit, such “non-declarative” or “embodied” cultural capital has largely escaped empirical scrutiny; arguments about its importance are typically post hoc interpretations of associations between measures of declarative cultural capital (survey items on elite cultural consumption) and variables of interest. To advance stratification research, we developed tools to empirically capture non-declarative cultural capital: Implicit Association Tests (IATs) measuring (1) positive association and (2) self-identification with elite culture, embedded in a survey fielded among a high-quality panel representative of the Dutch population ( n = 2,436). We find our IATs validly measure non-declarative cultural capital. As expected, scores are only weakly coupled with declarative cultural capital, and associated with (parental) socioeconomic position. Using these IATs liberates non-declarative cultural capital from its deus ex machina status and answers the black-box critique of the Bourdieusian habitus as an explanation for socially stratified patterns across a range of fields.
The United Kingdom’s ‘free speech crisis’: From the fringes to a mainstream political project 2010–2023
Authors: Hughson Taylor A , Dragoș Simina
Published: July 2024

This article traces the mainstreaming of the idea that there is a ‘free speech crisis’ in the United Kingdom, from its emergence in the 2010s to the Free Speech Act of 2023. We argue that ‘free speech’ is initially constructed during this period in opposition to an imagined ‘uncivilised’, ‘external’ Muslim other. However, by the end of the 2010s, the threat to ‘free speech’ is imagined as much more widespread, and as coming from ‘inside the West’, where a new enemy is identified alongside the ‘uncivilised Muslim’: the ‘woke’, censorious ‘snowflake’. This new enemy of free speech is cast in populist terms: as part of an illegitimate elite or proto-elite. This discursive shift occurs, on our account, because the rhetoric of a ‘free speech crisis’ paradoxically becomes an increasingly powerful way for right-wing political actors to deny political legitimacy to those opposed to their political positions. By locating those opposed to them as against the incontrovertible Western Enlightenment good of ‘free speech’ itself, these right-wing actors racialise the speech of others as ‘uncivilised’ and therefore outside of politics in a way that silences critique.
Emotional bureaucrats: The paradox of Weberian bureaucracy and emotions in the Indian Railways
Authors: Chan Kyle
Published: July 2024

State officials in Weber’s rational-bureaucratic ideal type execute the business of the state rationally and dispassionately. Yet, in practice, the professional lives of bureaucrats are often deeply imbued with emotions. Drawing on fieldwork conducted over 2 years in India, this article examines the relationship between emotions and organizational structure in the Indian Railways, one of the world’s largest state bureaucracies. From fear and helplessness to jealousy and pride, I argue that the varied and powerful emotional experiences of Indian Railway officers stem partly from structural factors within the bureaucracy itself, particularly its organizational structure. Feelings of powerless and a sense that ‘bureaucrats are beggars’ can be traced to the fragmented organizational structure of the Indian Railways, which sharply constrains the authority of individual officers. A pervasive ‘fear of being questioned’ is fueled by the frequent ‘weaponization’ of anti-corruption tools and intricate rules to carry out personal vendettas. Ultimately, this article shows how efforts to produce a more Weberian, rationally organized bureaucracy can end up generating the very emotions they aim to limit.
Youth e-cigarette never-users and ever-users perceptions of novel educational comic book
Authors: Brown Hannah E , Ickes Melinda J
Published: July 2024

Objectives:

More than 2.5 million middle and high school students in the United States reported current use of e-cigarettes in 2022. With continued curiosity and initiation of e-cigarette use among youth, it is critical to explore new and innovative ways to communicate about the dangers of e-cigarettes. The purpose of this study was to determine youth never-user and ever-user interpretations of a novel, educational comic book, ‘The Villainous Vape’.

Method:

A 43-question survey was distributed to a convenience sample of middle and high school students across Kentucky.

Results:

Of the 76 respondents, 85.5% ( n = 65) reported having never using e-cigarettes and 14.5% ( n = 11) reported having tried e-cigarettes at least once in their lifetime. Never-users were more likely to say that the comic book would be an effective method of e-cigarette education for their peers, compared with ever-users. In addition, never-users were more likely to report that the comic book deterred them from using e-cigarettes.

Conclusion:

Further research is needed to determine how perceptions of story-based education through novel comics affect young people’s health decisions regarding e-cigarette use.
Assessing attitudes toward mental health illnesses in Saudi Arabia: A national cross-sectional study
Authors: BinDhim Nasser F , Althumiri Nora A , Al-Luhaidan Sulaiman M , Alhajji Mohammed , A Saad Sami Yahya , Alyami Hussain , Al-Duraihem Rashed Abdullah , Alhabeeb Abdulhameed Abdullah
Published: July 2024

Objectives:

The study aimed to assess the national attitudes toward individuals with mental health illnesses in Saudi Arabia, exploring the relationship between these attitudes and various sociodemographic factors.

Methods:

A cross-sectional design with computer-assisted telephone interviews was employed, covering all 13 administrative regions in Saudi Arabia. A total of 4,533 adults agreed to participate, and their attitudes toward people with mental illnesses (PWMI) were measured using an 11-item scale. The translation of the original English version of the PWMI to Arabic was validated and published previously. The scale used level of agreement on a 5-point Likert scale. The score varies from 11 to 55, where a higher score signifies higher stigma. The associations between total PWMI scores and sociodemographic variables were analyzed using linear regression.

Results:

The mean age of participants was 35.92 ± 12.84, with equal distribution across regions. The linear regression model showed significant associations between total PWMI scores and gender, education level, marital status, living with, or being friends with someone diagnosed with a mental illness, and working in healthcare. No significant associations were found with age, income level, and previous mental health diagnosis. The study suggests that negative stereotypes about mental illness may be more prevalent in Saudi Arabia, while Saudi participants had a more optimistic view regarding the recovery and outcomes of mental illnesses.

Conclusions:

The study highlights the importance of assessing mental health stigma and its associations with sociodemographic factors in Saudi Arabia. The significant associations found point to the need for targeted interventions and public health campaigns to address misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding mental health, ultimately improving the societal acceptance and well-being of individuals with mental health illnesses.
A narrative review of the international literature on social work within the military
Authors: Marsh Jonathan J. , Forgey Mary Ann , Green Karen , Osborn Shenae , Smith Lashawn , Ponteen Erica M. , Cai Yafei , He Kundong , Rooks Don
Published: July 2024

There is a dearth of understanding about the international literature on military social work with active service members. This narrative review spans the literature between 1944 and 2019 in an effort to grow the international military social work knowledge base. Of the 92 countries searched, 24 produced at least one publication about military social work with active military service members. Major themes identified among the articles reviewed included: the general scope of practice, practice in mental health and trauma, practice with special populations, practice with families, interdisciplinary practice and collaboration, ethical issues and dilemmas, and education and training.
Ladakh’s Quest For Autonomy Amidst Geopolitical And Strategic Contestations
Authors: Verma Naresh Kumar , Rawat Rahul
Published: July 2024

Ladakh has become the major flashpoint of contestation between India and China. The existing dynamics can be attributed to the abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and the creation of the Union Territory of Ladakh in August 2019, resulting in constitutional, geopolitical, and strategic changes. This paper examines Ladakh’s attainment of UT status and the paradigm shift in the conception of its role as a strategic territory in light of the local struggle for autonomy, the diplomatic position of global actors, and the ongoing territorial conflict between India and China.
Can a voluntarist approach to social security extend protection to gig workers? Evidence from the platform-based food-delivery sector in China
Authors: Zhang Hao , Liu Kai
Published: July 2024

Gig workers are in a precarious position in the absence of employer-sponsored social insurance programs in countries that adopt the Bismarck model of social security. China, among others, has attempted to address this challenge by including gig and other self-employed workers on a voluntary, self-sponsorship basis. Drawing on data collected from platform-based food-delivery workers complemented by self-compiled data on local labor policies across Chinese cities, this study evaluated the effects of voluntarism in extending social protection to gig workers on their social insurance enrollment. Specifically, we compared the social insurance enrollment of workers granted employee status by the platform or its subcontractors—thus covered by the mandatory, employer-sponsored social insurances—over crowdsourcing/gig workers on the same platform that may self-enroll in the system. We found that voluntary enrollment has achieved a generally lower social insurance coverage than the mandatory approach. But the primary contribution of this research lies in the institutional contingencies for this finding contextualized in areas with deregulated labor markets and discrimination against migrant workers. Specifically, we found that while improved labor market regulations play a protective role for mandatory social insurance enrollment only, gaining local citizenship may to some extent offset those disadvantages associated with the voluntary approach.
Age-Expected Language and Academic Outcomes for Deaf Children With Hearing Caregivers
Authors: Finton Erin , Hall Wyatte C. , Berke Michele , Bye Ronald , Ikeda Stuart , Caselli Naomi
Published: July 2024

While deaf children learning American Sign Language (ASL) from deaf caregivers generally develop along typical trajectories, some have been skeptical that deaf children who have hearing caregivers—the majority of deaf children—can similarly benefit from ASL exposure. This study tracked ASL fluency and academic achievement among a large sample of children for 4 years. Children with hearing caregivers who entered the school before age 3 (i.e., participated in early intervention) reliably had comparable academic achievement to deaf children who had deaf caregivers. The relationship between early entry and academic achievement was partially, but not entirely, mediated by increased ASL skills. The results should assuage concern that deaf children with hearing caregivers cannot benefit from sign language–focused bilingual education and instead illustrate that early bilingual education can have long-term benefits for academic growth.
Periodic stays in a ‘playcage’ as an environmental enrichment measure for laboratory rats housed in individually ventilated cages: Short report
Authors: Gudbrandsen Oddrun A
Published: July 2024

Male Zucker Diabetic Sprague Dawley rats were housed in standard individually ventilated cages with floor area of 1500 cm2, and were placed in a ‘playcage’ (a large open cage) for three visits per week from the age of 16–18 weeks. The playcage was introduced in an attempt to reverse the compulsive behaviour that the rats displayed in the individually ventilated cages, with the purpose to increase their well-being and to provide cognitive as well as physical stimulation. After two weeks of periodic stays in the playcage, the rats’ repetitive behaviour in their home cage ceased, and the rats displayed signs of happiness and excitement when they were in the playcage. The observations strongly indicate that periodic stays in a larger playcage can be an alternative environmental enrichment for laboratory rats when housing in a larger home cage is not an option.
Incorporating Frequency Effects in the Lexical Access of Mandarin Tone 3 Sandhi
Authors: Gao Feier , Lin Chien-Jer Charles
Published: July 2024

Mandarin tone 3 sandhi refers to the phenomenon whereby a tone 3 syllable changes to a tone 2 when followed by another tone 3. This phonological process creates a deviation between the tonal forms realized at morphemic (/tone3—tone3/) and word ([tone2—tone3]) levels, posing questions in terms of how disyllabic tone 3 sandhi words are represented and accessed. The current study conducted three cross-modal lexical decision priming experiments to investigate this issue. Experiment 1 manipulated the frequencies of the initial morpheme and whole word, showing that the higher initial-character frequency against the whole word gives stronger activation to the underlying representation and the lower frequency of the initial character leads to stronger activation of the surface tone. Experiments 2 and 3 operationalized the relative frequency of the initial tone 3 morpheme’s realization as a sandhi tone, finding that the competition between the two tonal realizations also influences how T3 sandhi words are accessed. Specifically, the more frequently the T3 morpheme surfaces as a T2 allomorph, the less activated the underlying representation becomes in the mental lexicon. Our results indicate a complex interplay between morpheme, word, and the associated tonal representations in the mental lexicon and that these factors co-determine the lexical access of tone 3 sandhi.
Developing an initial programme theory for a model of social care in prisons and on release (empowered together): A realist synthesis approach
Authors: Buck Deborah , Mulligan Lee D , Lennox Charlotte , Bowden Jana , Minchin Matilda , Kemp Lowenna , Devine Lucy , Southworth Joshua , Ghafur Falaq , Robinson Catherine , Shepherd Andrew , Shaw Jennifer J , Forsyth Katrina
Published: July 2024

Many people are living in prison with a range of social care needs, for example, requiring support with washing, eating, getting around safely, and/or maintaining relationships. However, social care for this vulnerable group is generally inadequate. There is uncertainty and confusion about who is legally responsible for this and how it can best be provided, and a lack of integration with healthcare. We used realist-informed approaches to develop an initial programme theory (IPT) for identifying/assessing social care needs of, and providing care to, male adults in prison and on release. IPT development was an iterative process involving (a) an initial scoping of the international prison literature; (b) scoping prison and community social care policy documents and guidelines; (c) full systematic search of the international prison social care literature; (d) insights from the community social care literature; (e) stakeholder workshops. Information from 189 documents/sources and stakeholder feedback informed the IPT, which recommended that models of prison social care should be: trauma-informed; well integrated with health, criminal justice, third-sector services and families; and person-centred involving service-users in all aspects including co-production of care plans, goals, and staff training/awareness programmes. Our IPT provides an initial gold standard model for social care provision for people in prison and on release. The model, named Empowered Together, will be evaluated in a future trial and will be of interest to those working in the criminal justice system, care providers and commissioners, local authorities, housing authorities, voluntary groups, and service-users and their families.
Third generation antiseizure medications exposure during pregnancy and neonatal adverse birth outcomes: A systematic review
Authors: Goubran Joyce , Okunnu Oreofe Grace , Lavu Alekhya , Eltonsy Sherif
Published: July 2024

Background: Third generation antiseizure medications (ASMs) are currently used for seizure control as well as several other indications, including pain management and psychiatric disorders. As a result, maternal exposure to third generation ASMs during pregnancy has become increasingly prevalent. The current systematic review aimed to summarize the published evidence on third generation ASMs and their effect on preterm birth, cesarean section (c-section) and fetal loss. Methods: The following databases were searched: Medline, Embase, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, Cochrane Library and Scopus until September 2022. Results: We screened 2987 studies, and identified 32 studies or case reports for inclusion, however only one study utilized a control group. Narrative systematic evidence synthesis was conducted for brivaracetam, eslicarbazepine, fosphenytoin, lacosamide and perampanel. Conclusion: Due to the scarcity and quality of published studies, drawing clear-cut conclusions regarding third generation ASMs and the outcomes of interest is challenging. More comparative safety studies focusing on neonatal safety of third generation ASMs in pregnancy are essential.
Macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the effects of moisture content and dry density on the strength of loess
Authors: Bao Liangliang , Wei Feng
Published: July 2024

To clarify the impact of moisture content and dry density on the strength of loess, the remolded loess samples with different moisture content and dry density were prepared, and the influence of moisture content and dry density on loess strength was explored from the macro level by direct shear test without suction control. On this basis, the mechanism of the influence of moisture content and dry density on loess strength was explored from the micro level by nuclear magnetic resonance method. The research results indicate that: In the case of low water content, there are peak points in the stress–strain curve of remolded loess, exhibiting strain softening characteristics. In the case of high water content, there is no obvious peak in the stress–strain curve, exhibiting strain hardening characteristics. Moisture has a significant impact on the shear strength of remolded loess. As the moisture content of the soil sample increases, the cohesion decreases significantly, and the change in internal friction angle is not obvious. As the moisture content continues to increase, the free water content continues to increase. Free water will continuously soften the soil particle structure, reduce the bonding force between soil particles, and cause the cohesion to decrease with the increase of moisture content. The change in dry density also has a significant impact on the shear strength parameters of remolded loess. As the dry density of the soil sample increases, the cohesion increases. The smaller the dry density, the larger the pore ratio, and the looser the contact between soil particles, weakening the bonding effect. The larger the pore ratio, the more bound water is converted to free water, and the strong bonding force between the water film and soil particles disappears. Both of these microscopic factors can lead to a decrease in cohesion with a decrease in dry density.
Day-to-day variability of stress biomarkers during a music intervention in people living with dementia and their family caregivers
Authors: Emami Azita , Jun Jeehye , Theorell Töres , Engström Gabriella , Berglund Lars
Published: July 2024

Examination of the variability of stress biomarkers among people living with dementia and their family caregivers can provide evidence of stress reactions and corresponding self-regulation capacities, but no such research has been conducted to date. The aim of this study was to examine day-to-day variability patterns of salivary biomarkers in dyads of people living with dementia and their family caregivers and to investigate differences in variability patterns between music intervention and control groups. This study involved secondary analysis of data collected during a two-group, non-randomized open trial examining the effects of an 8-week music intervention on physiological stress markers. A total of 5791 salivary samples from 34 dyads were used to analyze the variability of morning and evening cortisol and of morning dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S). The variability indices employed were the intra- and inter-individual standard deviation, coefficient of variation, and intra-class correlation coefficient. We found that family caregivers in the music intervention group had significantly greater coefficients of variation for all three biomarker endpoints than those in the control group. Our findings provide evidence that stress biomarkers in family caregivers with functional self-regulation capacities may be more likely to respond to music intervention. However, stress biomarkers in people living with dementia may not be responsive to music intervention, possibly due to their dysfunctional self-regulation capacities. Future stress biomarker studies involving dyads of people living with dementia and family caregivers should consider biomarker variability patterns in determining the effectiveness of behavioral interventions.
Histopathological features of idiopathic portal hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Malik Adnan , Malik Sohira , Farooq Ahsan , Malik Muhammad Imran , Javaid Sadia
Published: July 2024

Background

Portal hypertension (PH) is a clinically significant entity that could present with life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding. Cirrhosis is the most common cause of PH, with well-documented histopathology and etiology. However, in idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH), no single histopathologic finding is associated with PH. Our systematic review aims to identify and summarize the prevalence of the common histological findings of IPH.

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science, and Scopus till 1ST March 2022 for studies describing the histopathological features of IPH. Data were extracted from eligible studies and pooled as events rate and 95% confidence interval (CI) using binary random-effects model by open meta-analyst software.

Results

We included 23 retrospective studies with a total sample size of 813 patients. The overall incidence of nodular regenerative hyperplasia was 38.6%, 59.8% for portal fibrosis, 51.3% for periportal fibrosis, 39.3% for perisinusoidal fibrosis, 89.8% for portal vein sclerosis, 42.2% for portal inflammation, 53.3% for mega-sinusoids, 39.5% for thickening of portal vein branches, 93.8% for narrowing of portal veins, 53.3% for hepatic veins/venous outflow obstruction, 51.4% for aberrant portal/periportal vessels, 42.4% for shunt vessel, 50.9% for ductular proliferation, and 16.3% for steatosis.

Conclusion

Due to the relatively non-pathognomonic and non-specific nature of IPH, a combination of different histological features such as the portal and periportal fibrosis, portal vein sclerosis, mega-sinusoids, narrowing of portal veins, hepatic venous outflow obstruction, aberrant portal or periportal vessels, and ductular proliferation may be of value in diagnosing IPH as the incidence rate of these features was at approximately 50%.
Identifying Diversity for Promoting Unity: A Liturgical and Systematic Theological Exploration of Involved Risks
Authors: Scott Hilton Robert
Published: July 2024

Risk denotes uncertainty; something that cannot be controlled or planned for. Such uncertainties can be opportunities or threats that positively or negatively affect an intended outcome. Therefore, there is the question: what are the risks involved when identifying difference, and marking it as “diversity” for the purpose of promoting “unity”—ecumenically and in worship? This article intends to explore the risks of identifying difference(s) and/or acknowledging diversity when promoting unity (as well as inclusivity and equality) in liturgy, worship, and liturgical renewal. Furthermore, this article explores the terminology unity and diversity from the fields of liturgical studies and systematic theological ecclesiology with the aim of developing a deeper understanding of what is meant by “unity in diversity,” which includes understanding the concept of the visible and invisible church in relation to ecumenism and unity from a liturgical perspective, as well as the marks of the church.
From Interdenominational to Interreligious Ecumenism at Taizé and Le Jour du Seigneur
Authors: Hegy Pierre
Published: July 2024

The ecumenical community of Taizé and the weekly television program, Le Jour du Seigneur, illustrate the tendency to move away from interdenominational ecumenism towards interreligious dialogue. This trend is evident in the yearly interreligious discussions of Le Jour du Seigneur, and the content of its weekly programs centered on major cultural issues. This Sunday television production was conceived as a dialogue with the secular and de-Christianized public in France. Does this mean the end of ecumenism as practiced since Vatican II? The method of synodality promoted by Pope Francis suggests that all churches must listen to the needs of their members in relation to their environment; hence ecumenism will be practiced differently throughout the universal church.
Effects of washing on the mechanical properties of medical compression stockings
Authors: Li Qing , Li Chulin , Dong Dongdong , Sun Guangwu , Hu Hongyan , Hu Wenfeng , Xie Hong , Li Yanmei , Wang Yudong
Published: July 2024

The performance of medical compression stockings can undergo notable changes after washing. This study aimed comprehensively to evaluate how the mechanical properties of medical compression stockings would be changed after undergoing washing under different conditions. We further investigated the effect of washing parameters on medical compression stockings. By subjecting medical compression stockings to washing under varying conditions, and measuring the mechanical properties (including the tensile properties, bending property, friction property, and bagging property) of medical compression stockings from the knee to the thigh, distinct alterations were observed. Notably, it was concluded that the elongation, the tension, and the bending rigidity of medical compression stockings increased. In addition, the residual rate of bagging was reduced after washing. In addition, the washing temperature was the most significant factor affecting the mechanical properties of medical compression stockings. Meanwhile, the mechanical actions of the washing machine, such as drum speed and washing time, also exerted varying degrees of influence on the mechanical properties of different medical compression stockings. Furthermore, this study not only provides essential guidance for consumers regarding effective washing practices for medical compression stockings, but also contributes valuable insights towards optimizing the mechanical properties of medical compression stockings to maintain their key properties.
Black Sons to Mothers: Memory, Mothering, and Masculinity “in the Wake”
Authors: Files Martez , Dancy T. Elon , Perry Tonya B. , Dancy Gwendolyn Eskridge
Published: July 2024

In this study, two Black sons engage with their mothers’ memories as educational life practice. Using endarkened feminist methodology and BlackCrit feminist theory, we explore the impact of Black mothers’ lives and educational journeys on the constructions of Black sons’ masculinities. We examine Black mother/son relationships within the context of slavery's afterlife, particularly how these relationships map knowledges of structural suffering and insurgent possibilities. Drawing upon the transformative power of Black motherwit, this scholarship emphasizes the need for revolutionary scripts in either cultivating a Black liberatory masculinity or abandoning masculinity projects altogether toward Black freedom aims.
Redefining Vygotsky’s early works as a theory of aesthetics
Authors: Medvedeva Stella
Published: July 2024

The paper critically examines Lev Vygotsky’s art-related texts from 1915 to 1924, challenging interpretations based in Psychology by asserting that his aesthetic framework transcends outdated objectivist references, offering a nuanced philosophical perspective. Situating this within post-1917 Revolutionary Russia, the study explores its alignment with the visions of a ‘Revolutionary’ theatre for the ‘new human being’ in the Russian Futurist movement. It underscores Vygotsky’s pursuit of empirical evidence for understanding theatre’s impact on individuals and society, highlighting Marxist dialectics as the backbone of his aesthetic thought. Moreover, it establishes a connection between Vygotsky’s thought and Formalism, rooted in their shared emphasis on art’s structural features and links his ideas with Futurism, exploring their shared belief in the transformative power of form as a crucial element in provoking social change. The paper defines Vygotsky’s aesthetics, focusing on integral aspects of artistic reception, particularly emotion and imagination. It traces the shifts in Vygotsky’s understanding of these terms from his early reliance on psychoanalysis to the incorporation of dialectic and, later, cultural-historical perspectives, thus integrating Vygotsky’s later theories on human psychology into his aesthetic theory. The paper concludes by exploring the resonance between Vygotsky’s redefined aesthetics and contemporary Cognitive Theatre Studies. It draws attention to methodological convergence and shared insights on the interplay between natural and cultural influences, such as image schemas and conceptual blending, emphasising the enduring relevance of Vygotsky’s perspective on artistic structure and theatre’s transformative socio-political impact.
Berlin in English: The German capital in recent Anglophone fiction
Authors: Anderson David
Published: July 2024

This article examines the representation of Berlin in a cluster of recent English-language novels by writers including Amit Chaudhuri, Adrian Duncan, Helon Habila, Hari Kunzru, Lauren Oyler, Chris Power, Bea Setton and Matthew Sperling. Showing how the use of English in Berlin has been at the centre of contemporary German debates about migration and cultural identity and explaining how the image of Berlin in English literature has often been balanced between pulp and literary fiction, it asks if this body of contemporary Anglophone writing amounts to something more than literary tourism. Examining its representation of Berlin as both a mnemonic and touristic space, the acuity of its depiction of the city three decades after reunification, and the ways in which it represents different forms of migration to the city, the article contends that these novels do have valuable things to say, particularly concerning the ways in which an urban literary imaginary is being reconfigured for a digital age.
The Impact of Recommender Type on Tourist Price Sensitivity to Travel Plans
Authors: Xu Jiaqi , Tang Xiaofei , Lin Hongxia , Luo Yong (Eddie)
Published: July 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) has increasingly replaced humans in providing travel recommendations to tourists. Previous research has predominantly focused on investigating tourists’ willingness to adopt AI. Given the perceived differences in recommendation capabilities between AI and human service providers, tourists may react differently to the prices of AI- and human-recommended travel plans. This study, therefore, examines how tourist price sensitivity to travel plans is influenced by each recommender. The study hypotheses were tested through four experiments. The results show that tourists have lower price sensitivity to travel plans recommended by AI (vs. human). This effect is mediated by tourists’ illusion of understanding, wherein they perceive themselves to be more capable of understanding humans than AI. Furthermore, tourists’ sense of uniqueness of travel needs moderates the effect of recommender type on price sensitivity, whereby the effect diminishes with an increase in tourists’ sense of uniqueness. This study contributes to the reconsideration of tourist responses to AI recommendations from a price sensitivity perspective. By further exploring the shaping mechanism of tourists’ different price sensitivities to AI and human recommendations, we also contribute to the understanding of tourists’ comprehension processes regarding AI.
Book review: Chanchal B. Dadlani. 2018. From Stone to Paper: Architecture as History in the Late Mughal Empire
Authors: Latif Riyaz
Published: July 2024

Chanchal B. Dadlani. 2018. From Stone to Paper: Architecture as History in the Late Mughal Empire. New Haven: Yale University Press. 232 pp. Notes, select bibliography, index, 114 colour and 11 b/w illustrations. £ 27.50 (hardback—ISBN 9780300233179).
Book review: Camillo A. Formigatti (with a foreword by Amartya Sen). 2019. A Sanskrit Treasury: A Compendium of Literature from the Clay Sanskrit Library
Authors: Gomez Kashi
Published: July 2024

Camillo A. Formigatti (with a foreword by Amartya Sen). 2019. A Sanskrit Treasury: A Compendium of Literature from the Clay Sanskrit Library. Oxford: Bodleian Library Publishing. 288 pp. Plates, notes, references, index. $80 (hardback—ISBN: 9781851245314).
Book review: Sanjeev Routray. 2022. The Right to Be Counted: The Urban Poor and the Politics of Resettlement in Delhi
Authors: Mehra Diya
Published: July 2024

Sanjeev Routray. 2022. The Right to Be Counted: The Urban Poor and the Politics of Resettlement in Delhi. Stanford: Stanford University Press. 368 pp. Tables, figures, glossary, notes, references, index. $30 (paperback— ISBN: 9781503632134).
Book review: Chandra Mallampalli. 2023. South Asia’s Christians: Between Hindu and Muslim
Authors: Visvanathan Susan
Published: July 2024

Chandra Mallampalli. 2023. South Asia’s Christians: Between Hindu and Muslim. New York: Oxford University Press. 351 pp. Notes, glossary, bibliography, index. $29.95 (paperback—ISBN: 9780190608910).
Book review: Ashish Avikunthak. 2021. Bureaucratic Archaeology: State, Science and Past in Postcolonial India
Authors: Visvanathan Meera
Published: July 2024

Ashish Avikunthak. 2021. Bureaucratic Archaeology: State, Science and Past in Postcolonial India. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. xxxiv + 328 pp. Figures, bibliography, index. ₹1,095 (hardback—ISBN: 9781316512395).
Archives as the Infrastructure of Anti-Muslim Violence in India
Authors: Chatterjee Moyukh
Published: July 2024

Through a reading of over 100 police First Information Reports (FIR) of the anti-Muslim pogrom in Gujarat in 2002, I suggest a compositional approach to legal archives of violence that goes beyond the binaries of absence/presence and success/failure in the court of law. Such an approach focuses on forms—repetition, aggregation and trace—that lie on the surface of police documents. Focusing on what is aggregated, repeated and even left blank, this article describes how archives comprise the infrastructure of anti-minority violence in India. I describe how police archives attach themselves to colonial categories of the riot, transform public attacks against Muslims into spontaneous outbursts of ‘Hindu anger’ and produce a space-time when collective violence against minorities becomes natural destruction: anonymous violence without agency or legal culpability.
Book review: Camelia Dewan. 2021. Misreading the Bengal Delta: Climate Change, Development, and Livelihoods in Coastal Bangladesh
Authors: Sharma Arjun
Published: July 2024

Camelia Dewan. 2021. Misreading the Bengal Delta: Climate Change, Development, and Livelihoods in Coastal Bangladesh. Seattle: University of Washington Press. xxiii + 239 pp. Glossary, notes, references. (eBook, open access—ISBN: 9780295749624).
Book review: Mayur Suresh. 2023. Terror Trials: Life and Law in Delhi’s Courts
Authors: Kannabiran Kalpana
Published: July 2024

Mayur Suresh. 2023. Terror Trials: Life and Law in Delhi’s Courts. Hyderabad: Orient Blackswan. 253 pp. Notes, references, index, photographs b/w, tables. ₹1,135 (paperback—ISBN: 9789354426018).
Book review: Malini Sur. 2023. Jungle Passports: Fences, Mobility and Citizenship at the Northeast India-Bangladesh Border
Authors: Chakrabarti Antara
Published: July 2024

Malini Sur. 2023. Jungle Passports: Fences, Mobility and Citizenship at the Northeast India-Bangladesh Border. New Delhi: Yoda Press. x+215 pp. Notes, bibliography, index, figures. ₹695 (paperback— ISBN: 9789382579083).
Bureaucratic Technologies and Political Subjects: Records in Indian Police Procedure and Corporate Customer Service
Authors: Hull Matthew S.
Published: July 2024

In 2013, the Indian state of Punjab contracted with a corporation to operate a new police phone helpline. The corporation call centre not only electronically logged complaints, but also monitored, directed and reported police responses to them. We can see in this arrangement two parallel tensions.The first tension is between two different forms of human and technological mediation: the paper-based records of police and the voice and electronic database records of the call centre. This parallels a tension between two constructions of a political subject in bureaucratic practices: (a) the first requires that a person be represented by an authoritative official of the state and is codified in police law, and (b) the second, enacted in customer service practices, requires that a person represent him or herself, that is, with minimal agential involvement of another person.
Book review: G. Kanato Chophy. 2021. Christianity and Politics in Tribal India: Baptist Missionaries and Naga Nationalism
Authors: Pachuau Joy L. K.
Published: July 2024

G. Kanato Chophy. 2021. Christianity and Politics in Tribal India: Baptist Missionaries and Naga Nationalism. Ranikhet: Permanent Black. xviii + 478 pp. Illustrations, maps, bibliography, index. ₹795 (paperback—ISBN: 9788178246536).