bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hypoglycemic, antidyslipidemic, and antioxidant activities of methanol extract of Struchium sparganophora leaves in alloxan-induced oxidative stress-mediated diabetes in rats
Authors: Adeosun A. M. , Asejeje F. O. , Ighodaro O. M. , Oluwole B. A. , Akinloye O. A. 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Background
Diabetes mellitus is clinically underlined by hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. In view of this, the current study assessed the glycemic and lipidemic control potentials of methanol extract of Sruchium sparganophora leaves (SPA) in the alloxan-induced diabetic model using male Wistar rats. Experimental diabetes was induced through a single intraperitoneal injection of 120 mg/kg freshly prepared alloxan. Thirty-six rats were randomly assigned into six groups of normoglycemic control, untreated diabetic group, and diabetic treated with (i) metformin (12 mg), (ii) metformin 12 mg + SPA 300 mg/kg, (iii) SPA 300 mg/kg, and (iv) SPA 600 mg/kg per os twice at 9.00 and 18.00 h daily for 10 days. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) level and markers of dyslipidemia, and oxidative stress markers were determined.

Results
SPA at selected doses decreased fasting blood glucose which was significantly (p < 0.05) raised by alloxan. Increase in plasma total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) concentrations and decrease in HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) concentration (p < 0.05) caused by alloxan were significantly moderated by SPA at selected doses. Glutathione-s-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activities reduced by alloxan (p < 0.05) in both the liver and pancreas were reversed by SPA 300 and 600, and its combination with metformin. Decreased reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration in alloxan diabetic rats was also reversed by the extract, while the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) exacerbated by alloxan (p < 0.05) in the tissues was decreased by the extracts.

Conclusion
Struchium sparganophora possesses considerable antihyperglycemic, antidyslipidemic, and antioxidant potentials without compromising organ functionality.
Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy for Pituitary Somatotroph Adenomas
Authors: Lian Xin , Shen Jing , Gu Zhaoqi , Yan Junfang , Sun Shuai , Hou Xiaorong , You Hui , Xing Bing , Zhu Huijuan , Shen Jie , Zhang Fuquan 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

Objective
To summarize our experience in the treatment of pituitary somatotroph adenomas by fractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), describe the treatment outcomes, and determine predictors.

Methods and Materials
Patients with pituitary somatotroph adenoma treated by IMRT in our institution from August 2009 to January 2019 were reviewed. A total of 113 patients (37 male) were included in this study. The median age was 33 years (range 12-67 years). A total of 112 patients had not achieved complete remission after surgery, and 1 patient was treated by radiotherapy (RT) alone because she refused to surgery. The median growth hormone level was 8.6 ng/mL (range 2-186 ng/mL) and the median insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 level was 732 ng/mL (range 314-1485 ng/mL) pre-RT. The radiation doses to clinical target volume were usually 50-56 Gy in 25 to 30 fractions and to gross tumor volume were 60.2 Gy in 28 fractions while simultaneous integrated boost-IMRT used. After RT, the patients were followed up with endocrine testing every 6 to 12 months and magnetic resonance imaging annually. Endocrine complete remission was deﬁned as a normal sex- and age-adjusted IGF-1 level without any pituitary suppressive medications. The outcomes including endocrine remission and new hypopituitarism after RT were recorded. The median follow-up time was 36 months (range 6-105.5 months).

Results
The endocrine complete remission rates of IGF-1 at 1, 2, 3, and 5 years were 6%, 22.8%, 48.6%, and 74.3%, respectively. The median time to complete remission was 36.2 ± 3.8 months. The tumor control rate was 99% during the follow-up. The overall incidence of RT-induced hypopituitarism was 28.3% at the last follow-up. Univariate and multivariate analysis demonstrated that tumor sizes before RT, pre-RT IGF-1 level, and age significant predicted the endocrine remission.

Conclusions
IMRT is a highly effective treatment for pituitary somatotroph adenoma. Endocrine remission rate, tumor control rate, the median time to remission and hypopituitarism incidence are similar to stereotactic radiosurgery. Age and IGF-1 level before RT were significant predictive factors in endocrine remission.
Long-Term Results of Treating With Ethanol Ablation 15 Adult Patients With cT1aN0 Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma
Authors: Hay Ian D , Lee Robert A , Kaggal Suneetha , Morris John C , Stan Marius N , Castro M Regina , Fatourechi Vahab , Thompson Geoffrey B , Charboneau J William , Reading Carl C 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

Background
Currently acceptable management options for patients with adult papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (APTM) range from immediate surgery, either unilateral lobectomy or bilateral lobar resection, to active surveillance (AS). An alternative minimally invasive approach, originally employed for eliminating neck nodal metastases, may be ultrasound-guided percutaneous ethanol ablation (EA). Here we present our experience of definitively treating with EA 15 patients with APTM.

Patients and Methods
During 2010 through 2017, the 15 cT1aN0M0 patients selected for EA were aged 36 to 86 years (median, 45 years). Tumor volumes (n = 17), assessed by sonography, ranged from 25 to 375 mm3 (median, 109 mm3). Fourteen of 15 patients had 2 ethanol injections on successive days; total volume injected ranged from 0.45 to 1.80 cc (median, 1.1 cc). All ablated patients were followed with sonography and underwent recalculation of tumor volume and reassessment of tumor perfusion at each follow-up visit.

Results
The ablated patients have now been followed for 10 to 100 months (median, 64 months). There were no complications and no ablated patient developed postprocedure recurrent laryngeal nerve dysfunction. All 17 ablated tumors shrank (median 93%) and Doppler flow eliminated. Median tumor volume reduction in 9 identifiable avascular foci was 82% (range, 26%-93%). After EA, 8 tumors (47%) disappeared on sonography after a median of 10 months. During follow-up no new PTM foci and no nodal metastases have been identified.

Conclusions
Definitive treatment of APTM by EA is effective, safe, and inexpensive. Our results suggest that, for APTM patients who do not wish neck surgery and are uncomfortable with AS, EA represents a well-tolerated and minimally invasive outpatient management option.
Engin
Authors: Morton Jonathan 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe main texts under consideration in this article are two French-language Alexander romances written in the second half of the twelfth century, discussed in relation to the Latin historical, romance, and naturalist traditions that form the backbone of the medieval tradition of Alexander the Great in medieval Europe, and in particular in relation to the literary tradition that starts with Pseudo-Callisthenes’s Greek Romance of Alexander. The aim is to show how Alexander was used not simply as an icon of secular or military power but also as an important figure for understanding the relationship between the imagination, technological invention, and discovery of new knowledge, which necessarily entails questions of prestige and power. Alexander’s ingenuity, which manifests both as verbal trickery and in the invention of new machines, is shown to be fundamental for a certain model of knowledge-acquisition that sees natural truths as hidden and in need of tools to be extracted. This ingenuity is shown, also, to be closely connected to the inventions of writers of romance, and the article suggests the specific importance of the Alexander material in the history of medieval romance literature.
COVID-19 consent and return to elective orthopaedic surgery
Authors: Clough Timothy M. , Shah Nikhil , Divecha Hiren , Talwalkar Sumedh 
Published: September 2020

Aims The exact risk to patients undergoing surgery who develop COVID-19 is not yet fully known. This study aims to provide the current data to allow adequate consent regarding the risks of post-surgery COVID-19 infection and subsequent COVID-19-related mortality. Methods All orthopaedic trauma cases at the Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust from ‘lockdown’ (23 March 2020) to date (15 June 2020) were collated and split into three groups. Adult ambulatory trauma surgeries (upper limb trauma, ankle fracture, tibial plateau fracture) and regional-specific referrals (periprosthetic hip fracture) were performed at a stand-alone elective site that accepted COVID-19-negative patients. Neck of femur fractures (NOFF) and all remaining non-NOFF (paediatric trauma, long bone injury) surgeries were performed at an acute site hospital (mixed green/blue site). Patients were swabbed for COVID-19 before surgery on both sites. Age, sex, nature of surgery, American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) grade, associated comorbidity, length of stay, development of post-surgical COVID-19 infection, and post-surgical COVID-19-related deaths were collected. Results At the elective site, 225 patients underwent orthopaedic trauma surgery; two became COVID-19-positive (0.9%) in the immediate perioperative period, neither of which was fatal. At the acute site, 93 patients underwent non-NOFF trauma surgery, of whom six became COVID-19-positive (6.5%) and three died. A further 84 patients underwent NOFF surgery, seven becoming COVID-19 positive (8.3%) and five died. Conclusion At the elective site, the rate of COVID-19 infection following orthopaedic trauma surgery was low, at 0.9%. At the acute mixed site (typical district general hospital), for non-NOFF surgery there was a 6.5% incidence of post-surgical COVID-19 infection (seven-fold higher risk) with 50% COVID-19 mortality; for NOFF surgery, there was an 8.3% incidence of post-surgical COVID-19 infection, with 71% COVID-19 mortality. This is likely to have significance when planning a resumption of elective orthopaedic surgery and for consent to the patient. Cite this article: Bone Joint Open 2020;1-9:556–561.
Observation of vertical wind profiling with lidar based on correction of sensitivity
Authors: Shao Jiangfeng , Hua Dengxin , Wang Li 
Published: September 2020

A high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) for simultaneously detecting vertical wind, temperature, and the backscattering ratio in the troposphere is developed. The atmospheric temperature and vertical wind are determined by the Rayleigh scattering spectrum width and Mie scattering spectrum Doppler shift, respectively. The influence of temperature and the backscattering ratio on vertical wind measurement accuracy is also analyzed. The temperature and backscattering ratio affect the wind measurement, which produces the vertical wind offset. A correction considering the effects of the method is conducted considering real-time and on-site temperature profiles and the backscattering ratio to correct wind measurement sensitivity. Measurements of HSRL taken under different weather conditions (fine and hazy days) are demonstrated. Good agreement between the HSRL and the radiosonde measurements was obtained considering lapse rates and temperature inversions. The maximum temperature offsets were 1.3 and 4 K at a height of 1.5 km on fine and hazy days, respectively. Then, real-time and on-site temperature profiles and backscattering ratios were applied to correct the real-time and on-site wind. The corrected wind profiles showed satisfactory agreement with the wind profiles acquired from the calibrated wind lidar. The maximum detection offsets of the retrieved wind speed were reduced from 1 m/s to 0.55 m/s and from 1 m/s to 0.21 m/s, respectively, which were decreases of 0.45 and 0.79 m/s in fine and hazy days after correction of sensitivity. It is evident that the corrected wind method can reduce the influence of temperature and the backscattering ratio on the wind measurement and the offset of vertical wind. The reliability of the method is also proven.
Cryogenic operation of silicon photonic modulators based on the DC Kerr effect
Authors: Chakraborty Uttara , Carolan Jacques , Clark Genevieve , Bunandar Darius , Gilbert Gerald , Notaros Jelena , Watts Michael R. , Englund Dirk R. 
Published: September 2020

Reliable operation of photonic integrated circuits at cryogenic temperatures would enable new capabilities for emerging computing platforms, such as quantum technologies and low-power cryogenic computing. The silicon-on-insulator platform is a highly promising approach to developing large-scale photonic integrated circuits due to its exceptional manufacturability, CMOS compatibility, and high component density. Fast, efficient, and low-loss modulation at cryogenic temperatures in silicon, however, remains an outstanding challenge, particularly without the addition of exotic nonlinear optical materials. In this paper, we demonstrate DC-Kerr-effect-based modulation at a temperature of 5 K at GHz speeds, in a silicon photonic device fabricated exclusively within a CMOS-compatible process. This work opens up a path for the integration of DC Kerr modulators in large-scale photonic integrated circuits for emerging cryogenic classical and quantum computing applications.
Editorial: God's Nature and Attributes
Authors: Lévi Ide , Pérez Alejandro 
Published: September 2020

In Western theism, different attributes have classically been ascribed to God, such as omnipotence, omniscience, wisdom, goodness, freedom and so on. But these ascriptions have also raised many conceptual difficulties: are these attributes internally coherent? Are they really compossible? Are they compatible with what we know about the world (e.g. the existence of evil, human freedom, the laws of nature etc.). These traditional questions are part of the inquiry on God’s nature as it is carried out in contemporary philosophy of religion. Another part of this inquiry is constituted by theological and philosophical questions raised by more precise or particular religious conceptions of God – e.g. the doctrine of Trinity in Christianity, or other specific credentials about the right way to understand God’s perfection and absolute transcendence in Judaism, Christianity or Islam.
In this issue, we propose to follow these two directions of the inquiry about God’s nature and attributes through historical and systematic studies, in the perspective of contemporary philosophy of religion and analytical theology. While the three papers specifically dedicated to the problem of the Trinity pertain mainly to the second part of the examination (the conceptual analysis of specific credentials and theological doctrines), the three others offer new perspectives and arguments on traditional questions about God, like the problem of evil, perfect goodness, or the problem of divine perfection and God’s freedom.
Credo in unam sanctam…
Authors: Zafeiropoulos Alejandro 
Published: September 2020

Is the Church of Christ the Roman Catholic Church? Could it be argued in parallel that the Church of Christ is the Orthodox Church? And could one accept a positive answer to these first two questions and still affirm that the Roman Catholic Church is not the Orthodox Church, and all this avoiding both a logical and a metaphysical contradiction? In this article I shall respond positively to each of these questions, avoiding the possible contradiction that such responses might involve. Taking as a starting point the philosophical and theological discussion of the Trinity within the analytical mainstream, I shall present the outline of an ecumenical ecclesiology based on the metaphysical relation of constitution. Thanks to this strategy, it is possible to think of a universal ecclesiology capable of explaining better not the diversity but the unity of the Church of Christ.
Resumen: ¿La Iglesia de Cristo es la Iglesia católica romana? ¿Podría defenderse paralelamente que la Iglesia de Cristo es la Iglesia ortodoxa? Y, ¿se podría aceptar una respuesta positiva a estas dos primeras preguntas y afirmar que la Iglesia católica romana no es la Iglesia ortodoxa, y todo esto evitando tanto una contradicción lógica como metafísica? En el presente artículo se desea responder de manera positiva a cada una de estas preguntas, evitando la posible contradicción que dicha respuesta podría involucrar. Para esto y tomando como punto de partida las discusiones filosóficas y teológicas sobre la Trinidad dentro de la corriente analítica, presentaremos el bosquejo de una eclesiología ecuménica basada en la relación metafísica de constitución. Gracias a esta estrategia, se puede pensar una eclesiología universal capaz de explicar mejor, no la diversidad sino la unidad de la Iglesia de Cristo.
Avifauna del centro forestal tropical Pedro Antonio Pineda, cuenca baja del río Calima (Buenaventura, Colombia)
Authors: Patiño Forero Stefanny , Martínez Páez Camila , Quimbayo Cardona Miguel Ángel , Loaiza Hernández Nelson 
Published: September 2020

El Centro Forestal Tropical (CFT) Pedro Antonio Pineda (Buenaventura, Colombia) es el principal centro rural de formación académica de la Facultad de Ingeniería Forestal de la Universidad del Tolima, el cual se ubica en territorio del consejo comunitario de comunidades afrodescendientes. Entre 2013 y 2017 se realizaron observaciones en siete localidades asociadas a tres tipos de hábitat (áreas abiertas, borde de bosque e interior de bosque), principalmente en abril y septiembre para aportar al conocimiento de las aves del bosque húmedo tropical del CFT. Se registraron 166 especies (20 órdenes y 40 familias taxonómicas); el orden con mayor abundancia relativa fue Passeriformes (62.6 %) y las familias con mayor abundancia relativa fueron Thraupidae (17.3 %) y Tyrannidae (8.9 %). Se registraron 22 especies casi endémicas y 31 con estatus migratorio; desde un contexto regional la mayoría de las aves fueron registradas en áreas abiertas (44 especies) seguidas por especies de borde de bosque (42 especies).
RADIO-ULNAR PRONATION VS FOREARM EXTENSION: WHICH THE BEST TO REACH THE MAXIMAL BADMINTON RACKET VELOCITY?
Authors: Phomsoupha M , Jeuvrey J , Laffaye G 
Published: September 2020

Aim. Forearm extension and radio-ulnar pronation are two common components of the final movement during each badminton smash stroke. By coordinating the forearm to produce both extension and pronation at the same time, racket head velocity can be increased. Thus, this study examined maximal velocity and racket deflection during both movements in regard with skill level. Materials and methods. Twenty-two players (8 experts and 14 novices) participated in this study. Wrist, handle and racket head velocity were recorded using high speed cameras (Vicon V8i at a frequency of 250 Hz). Results. The racket head velocity with radio-ulnar pronation was 16 % higher than with forearm extension. This higher velocity resulted from an 8 % higher acceleration and a 70 % higher maximal angular velocity of the end points of the forearm segments during radio-ulnar pronation. In each movement, experts’ maximal velocity was higher than that of novices (p < .001).The maximal velocity of the racket for novices was obtained with elbow extension (20.9 ± 4.8 m/s), with a gain of 47 %, whereas for experts, it was obtained with radio-ulnar pronation (33.9 ± 5.8 m/s), with a gain of 53 %. Conclusion. The difference between the best velocities in both samples is 39 %, obtained respectively by radio-ulnar pronation for experts and an elbow extension for novices. Forearm extension and radio-ulnar pronation acceleration on the handle led to an increase in racket head velocity.
Využití metody Delphi pro identifikaci klíčových témat vzdělávací politiky
Authors: Pazour Michal , Straková Jana 
Published: September 2020

Cílem příspěvku je popsat postup, výsledky a zkušenosti aplikace metody Delphi v projektu „Identifikace prioritních témat ve vzdělávání“, který byl realizován na jaře roku 2019. Metoda Delphi se zpravidla využívá k vytváření konsenzu mezi experty, k analýze a lepšímu porozumění určité oblasti či ke generování návrhů opatření souvisejících s realizací konkrétních veřejných nebo firemních politik. V tomto konkrétním případě byla využita jako nástroj pro získání hlubšího vhledu do postojů a názorů vzdělávací komunity na nedostatky současného vzdělávacího systému v ČR.Metody. Šetření metodou Delphi probíhalo elektronicky ve dvou kolech, v nichž bylo hodnoceno 39 výroků o nedostatcích systému vzdělávání z pohledu míry souhlasu či nesouhlasu a z hlediska významnosti pro pozitivní změnu ve vzdělávání. Šetření se zúčastnilo celkem 275 respondentů v prvním kole a 151 ve druhém kole. Tito respondenti reprezentovali velmi rozmanité spektrum aktérů systému vzdělávání v ČR.Výsledkem šetření byl soubor námětů na témata a problematické oblasti, kterými by se měla zabývat současná a budoucí vzdělávací politika v ČR. Významným výstupem šetření je také soubor více než 10 000 komentářů k jednotlivým hodnoceným výrokům, které vysvětlují postoje respondentů k posuzovaným tématům.Závěry. Šetření potvrdilo a kvantitativně doložilo hlavní závěry o nedostatcích v systému vzdělávání v ČR, které jsou v odborné komunitě dlouhodobě diskutovány. Současně přineslo širokou informační bázi o postojích ve vzdělávací komunitě. Z metodického hlediska jsou získané zkušenosti bezesporu příspěvkem do diskuse o přínosech a limitech metody Delphi uplatněné pro získání vhledu do postojů odborné komunity při formulaci veřejných politik.
Když potenciálně rozvíjející situace nerozvíjí: kritické didaktické incidenty v problémově orientované výuce
Authors: Češková Tereza 
Published: September 2020

Ukazuje se, že pro učitele jsou kompetence stále nesrozumitelné a ve výuce obtížně uchopitelné a že jejich rozvíjení u žáků je tím potenciálně omezeno. Tato studie se zaměřuje na kompetenci k řešení problémů, konkrétně pak na situace, které mají potenciál tuto kompetenci u žáků rozvíjet (tj. na problémově orientované situace, v jejichž jádru stojí problémově orientované úlohy). To, že učitel ve výuce využije problémově orientované učební úlohy, automaticky neznamená, že tím u žáků kompetenci k řešení problémů rozvíjí.Cílem článku je proto popsat, co způsobuje, že přestože výuka obsahuje úlohy nesoucí potenciál danou kompetenci rozvíjet, tento potenciál není využit.Metody. Zkoumáno je 19 výukových situací identifi kovaných v 10 vyučovacích hodinách přírodovědy, které stavěly na problémově orientovaných úlohách, avšak zároveň nebyly hodnoceny jako rozvíjející. Pomocí mikroanalytického přístupu metodou analýzy kritických didaktických incidentů jsou ukázány konkrétní podoby průběhu problémově orientovaných situací ve výuce s cílem pojmenovat opakující se jevy, kvůli nimž jejich potenciál není využit.Výsledky. Dominantní skupinou incidentů bylo přílišné vztahování aktivity na učitele, které se projevovalo tím, že učitel natolik žáky provázel řešením úlohy, že ji de facto řešil sám. Ve studii jsou podrobně ukázány mechanismy, jak a za jakých okolností k tomuto a dalším incidentùm docházelo. Pojmenování některých jevů, které oslabují rozvíjení klíčových kompetencí ve výuce, může pomoci ukázat, čeho se v praxi vyvarovat.