bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparative Study on Iron Content Detection by Energy Spectral CT and MRI in MDS Patients
Authors: Zhang Yao , Xiao Chao , Li Jing , Song Lu-xi , Zhao You-shan , Han Shuang , Li Zhao-wei , Guo Cha , Zhao Jun-gong , Chang Chun-kang 
Published: March 2021

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the difference between dual energy spectral computed tomography (DECT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) used to detect liver/cardiac iron content in Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients with differently adjusted serum ferritin (ASF) levels.Method: Liver and cardiac iron content were detected by DECT and MRI. Patients were divided into different subgroups according to the level of ASF. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was applied in each subgroup. The correlation between iron content detected by DECT/MRI and ASF was analyzed in each subgroup.Result: ROC curves showed that liver virtual iron content (LVIC) Az was significantly less than liver iron concentration (LIC) Az in the subgroup with ASF &lt; 1,000 ng/ml. There was no significant difference between LVIC Az and LIC Az in the subgroup with 1,000 ≤ ASF &lt; 2,500 ng/ml and 2,500 ≤ ASF &lt; 5,000 ng/ml. LVIC Az was significantly higher than LIC Az in the subgroup with ASF &lt;5,000 and 5,000 ≤ ASF ng/ml. In patients undergoing DECT and MRI examination on the same day, ASF was significantly correlated with LVIC, whereas no significant correlation was observed between ASF and LIC. After removing the data of ASF &gt; 5,000 mg/L in LIC, LIC became correlated with ASF. There was no significant difference between the subgroup with 2,500 ≤ ASF &lt; 5,000 ng/ml and 5,000 ng/ml ≤ ASF in LIC expression. Furthermore, both LIC and liver VIC had significant correlations with ASF in patients with ASF &lt; 2,500 ng/ml, while LVIC was still correlated with ASF, LIC was not correlated with ASF in patients with 2,500 ng/ml ≤ ASF. Moreover, neither cardiac VIC nor myocardial iron content (MIC) were correlated with ASF in these subgroups.Conclusion: MRI and DECT were complementary to each other in liver iron detection. In MDS patients with high iron content, such as ASF ≥ 5,000 ng/ml, DECT was more reliable than the MRI in the assessment of iron content. But in patients with low iron content, such as ASF &lt; 1,000 ng/ml, MRI is more reliable than DECT. Therefore, for the sake of more accurately evaluating the iron content, the appropriate detection method can be selected according to ASF.
The TRPA1 Channel Mediates Mechanical Allodynia and Thermal Hyperalgesia in a Rat Bone Cancer Pain Model
Authors: Liu Qiangwei , Feng Long , Han Xiujing , Zhang Weidong , Zhang Hong , Xu Longhe 
Published: March 2021

Background: Bone cancer pain (BCP) significantly affects patient quality of life, results in great bodily and emotional pain, and creates difficulties in follow-up treatment and normal life. Transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) is an essential transduction ion channel related to neuropathic and inflammatory pain. However, the role of TRPA1 in BCP remains poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the relationship between TRPA1 and BCP.Methods: A BCP model was induced by Walker256 cells to the left tibia. The sham group was induced by normal saline to the left tibia. Thereafter, pain behaviors and TRPA1 expression between the BCP group and the sham group were observed on the 14th day of modeling. The TRPA1 antagonist A967079 (10 mg/kg) was injected via tail vein. TRPA1 antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (AS-ODN, 5 nmol/10 μl) and missense oligodeoxynucleotide (MS-ODN, 5 nmol/10 μl) were intrathecally delivered via a mini-osmotic pump for 5 consecutive days to assess the effect of TRPA1 on BCP. Behavioral tests were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively. Real-time quantitative PCR and western blot analyses were used to measure TRPA1 levels among the different groups.Results: The BCP model was successfully established via X-ray and pathological sections at 14 days. Compared to the sham group, the BCP group was more sensitive to mechanical stimuli, cool stimuli and hot stimuli. Intravenously injected A967079 can relieve paw mechanical withdrawal threshold and paw withdrawal thermal latency in rats with BCP. Moreover, AS-ODN can relieve paw mechanical withdrawal threshold and paw withdrawal thermal latency in rats with BCP. Additionally, relative mRNA and protein expression of TRPA1 in the BCP group were much higher than those in the sham group (14.55 ± 1.97 vs. 1 ± 0.04, P &lt; 0.01). Compared to the BCP group, the relative mRNA and protein expression of TRPA1 in the BCP+AS-ODN group was reduced (14.55 ± 1.97 vs. 2.59 ± 0.34, P &lt; 0.01).Conclusions: The TRPA1 channel mediates mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in a rat BCP model.
Construction and Performance Testing of a Fast-Assembly COVID-19 (FALCON) Emergency Ventilator in a Model of Normal and Low-Pulmonary Compliance Conditions
Authors: White Luke A. , Mackay Ryan P. , Solitro Giovanni F. , Conrad Steven A. , Alexander J. Steven 
Published: March 2021

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has revealed an immense, unmet and international need for available ventilators. Both clinical and engineering groups around the globe have responded through the development of “homemade” or do-it-yourself (DIY) ventilators. Several designs have been prototyped, tested, and shared over the internet. However, many open source DIY ventilators require extensive familiarity with microcontroller programming and electronics assembly, which many healthcare providers may lack. In light of this, we designed and bench tested a low-cost, pressure-controlled mechanical ventilator that is “plug and play” by design, where no end-user microcontroller programming is required. This Fast-AssembLy COVID-Nineteen (FALCON) emergency prototype ventilator can be rapidly assembled and could be readily modified and improved upon to potentially provide a ventilatory option when no other is present, especially in low- and middle-income countries.HypothesisWe anticipated that a minimal component prototype ventilator could be easily assembled that could reproduce pressure/flow waveforms and tidal volumes similar to a hospital grade ventilator (Engström CarestationTM).Materials and MethodsWe benched-tested our prototype ventilator using an artificial test lung under 36 test conditions with varying respiratory rates, peak inspiratory pressures (PIP), positive end expiratory pressures (PEEP), and artificial lung compliances. Pressure and flow waveforms were recorded, and tidal volumes calculated with prototype ventilator performance compared to a hospital-grade ventilator (Engström CarestationTM) under identical test conditions.ResultsPressure and flow waveforms produced by the prototype ventilator were highly similar to the CarestationTM. The ventilator generated consistent PIP/PEEP, with tidal volume ranges similar to the CarestationTM. The FALCON prototype was tested continuously for a 5-day period without failure or significant changes in delivered PIP/PEEP.ConclusionThe FALCON prototype ventilator is an inexpensive and easily-assembled “plug and play” emergency ventilator design. The FALCON ventilator is currently a non-certified prototype that, following further appropriate validation and testing, might eventually be used as a life-saving emergency device in extraordinary circumstances when more sophisticated forms of ventilation are unavailable.
A Self-Compassion and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Mobile Intervention (Serene) for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress: Promoting Adaptive Emotional Regulation and Wisdom
Authors: Al-Refae Mohamed , Al-Refae Amr , Munroe Melanie , Sardella Nicole A. , Ferrari Michel 
Published: March 2021

Introduction: Many individuals and families are currently experiencing a high level of COVID-19-related stress and are struggling to find helpful coping mechanisms. Mindfulness-based interventions are becoming an increasingly popular treatment for individuals experiencing depression and chronic levels of stress. The app (Serene) draws from scholarly evidence on the efficacy of mindfulness meditations and builds on the pre-existing apps by incorporating techniques that are used in some therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to a 4-week mindfulness and self-compassion-based cognitive smartphone intervention (Serene) or a wait-list control group. They were instructed to engage in self-compassion and mindfulness practices and a cognitive restructuring task. They also completed measures that evaluated their levels of depression, stress, anxiety, self-compassion, wisdom, psychological well-being, and subjective well-being. The intervention group was also instructed to track their weekly engagement with the app. Standardized effect sizes for between-group differences were calculated using Cohen's d for complete case analyses.Results: Complete case analyses from baseline to the end of this randomized controlled trial demonstrated significant moderate between-group differences for depressive symptoms (d = −0.43) and decisiveness (d = 0.34). Moderate between-group differences were also found for self-compassion (d = 0.6) such that significant improvements in self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness and decreases in self-judgement, isolation, and overidentification were observed. A small between-group difference was found for emotional regulation (d = 0.28). Moreover, a significant moderate within-group decrease in stress (d = −0.52) and anxiety symptoms (d = −0.47) was also observed in the intervention group.Conclusions: Serene is an effective intervention that promotes increased levels of self-compassion and emotional regulation. Engaging with Serene may help reduce depressive symptoms through mindfulness, self-compassion, and cognitive restructuring which help reduce overidentification with one's negative emotions. As individuals rebalance their thinking through cognitive restructuring, they can identify the varying stressors in their life, develop action plans and engage in adaptive coping strategies to address them. Serene may promote greater self-understanding which may provide one with a more balanced perspective on their current upsetting situations to positively transform their challenges during the pandemic.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Male Strength Athletes Who Use Non-prescribed Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids
Authors: Zoob Carter Barnaby N. , Boardley Ian D. , van de Ven Katinka 
Published: March 2021

Background: One sub-population potentially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are strength athletes who use anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS). We examined links between disruption in AAS use and training due to the pandemic and mental health outcomes in this population, hypothesising: (a) the pandemic would be linked with reduced training and AAS use; and (b) athletes perceiving greater impact on their training and AAS use would report increases in detrimental mental health outcomes.Methods: Male strength athletes using AAS (N = 237) from 42 countries completed an online questionnaire in May 2020. A sub-sample (N = 90) from 20 countries participated again 4 months later. The questionnaire assessed pre-pandemic and current AAS use and training, alongside several mental health outcomes.Results: At Time 1, most participants perceived an impact of the pandemic on AAS use (91.1%) and/or training (57.8%). Dependent t-tests demonstrated significant reductions in training frequency (t = 7.78; p &lt; 0.001) and AAS dose (t = 6.44; p &lt; 0.001) compared to pre-pandemic. Linear regression showed the impact of the pandemic on training was a significant positive predictor of excessive body checking (B = 0.35) and mood swings (B = 0.26), and AAS dose was a significant positive predictor of anxiety (B = 0.67), insomnia (B = 0.52), mood swings (B = 0.37). At Time 2, fewer participants perceived an impact of the pandemic on AAS use (29.9%) and/or training (66.7%) than at Time 1. Training frequency (t = 3.02; p &lt; 0.01) and AAS dose (t = 2.11; p &lt; 0.05) were depressed in comparison to pre-pandemic. However, AAS dose had increased compared to Time 1 (t = 2.11; p &lt; 0.05). Linear regression showed the impact of the pandemic on training/AAS use did not significantly predict any mental-health outcomes. However, AAS dose was a significant negative predictor of depressive thoughts (B = −0.83) and mood swings (B = −2.65).Conclusion: Our findings showed impact of the pandemic on the training and AAS use, reflected in reduced training frequency and AAS dose. However, whilst we detected some short-term consequential effects on mental health, these did not appear to be long-lasting.
A Survey to Evaluate the Association of COVID-19 Restrictions on Perceived Mood and Coping in Australian Community Level Athletes
Authors: Fox-Harding Caitlin , Harris Sarah Ann , Rogers Shane L. , Vial Shayne , Beranek Philipp , Turner Mitchell , Cruickshank Travis 
Published: March 2021

Highlights:No differences in coping or well-being in Australian community athletes based on the level of support received during COVID-19 restrictions.Community level athletes had better coping when a training program was provided.No difference between individual or team community athletes for well-being or coping scores.
Australian community level athletes faced unprecedented changes to their training and competition options as the global COVID-19 pandemic took a stronghold. This disruption was predicted to have a negative impact on emotional well-being as communities braced through periods of social isolation and physical distancing requirements. This study provides an Australian perspective on the emotional well-being of community level athletes and the extent to which they coped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emotional well-being and coping were measured using the Brief Emotional Experience Scale and the 28-item Brief Cope Scale. Both instruments were administered along with other questions pertaining to participant demographics and training status via an online survey between April and June 2020. The survey was disseminated to community athletes through word-of-mouth and social media platforms. No significant differences in emotional well-being were observed between athlete groups as a result of COVID-19 and its associated restrictions. Coping scores also appeared to be preserved in Australian community athletes, which contrasts the impact expected as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While tentative, the observed preservation in coping may have buffered potential declines in emotional well-being, which has been documented in professional and semi-professional athletes and the general population. These unexpected findings and tentative suppositions warrant further investigation and highlight the importance of conducting a country- or region-specific approach to examining the impact of COVID-19 on community athletes, as responses to COVID-19 are undoubtedly not consistent throughout the world.
Controlling Tsetse Flies and Ticks Using Insecticide Treatment of Cattle in Tororo District Uganda: Cost Benefit Analysis
Authors: Okello Walter O. , MacLeod Ewan T. , Muhanguzi Dennis , Waiswa Charles , Welburn Susan C. 
Published: March 2021

Background: The endemic vector-borne diseases transmitted by tsetse and ticks impose heavy burdens on the livestock keepers in Africa. Applying deltamethrin to the belly, legs, and ears of cattle offers a possibility of mitigating these losses at a cost affordable to livestock keepers. Although studies have quantified the impacts of individual diseases on livestock productivity, little is known about the dual economic benefits of controlling both tsetse and ticks, nor about the number of cattle that need to be treated to confer these benefits. Alongside an epidemiological study in south-east Uganda, a farm level assessment was done to investigate the benefits and costs of spraying different proportions of the village cattle population using this restricted application protocol.Methods: A study comprising 1,902 semi-structured interviews was undertaken over a period of 18 months. Financial data on household income and expenditure on cattle was collected, and cost-benefit analysis was done pre- and post-intervention and for different spraying regimes. The total cost of the intervention was obtained from the implementation costs of the epidemiological study and from expenses incurred by participating farmers enabling examination of benefit-cost ratios and incremental benefit-cost ratios for each treatment regime.Results: The benefit-cost analysis of spraying 25%, 50%, and 75% of the cattle population yielded average benefit-cost ratios of 3.85, 4.51, and 4.46. The incremental benefit-cost ratios from spraying each additional 25% of the cattle population were 11.38, 3.89, and 0.79, showing a very high return on investment for spraying 50% of the population, with returns reducing thereafter.Conclusion: Comparing the gross margins per bovine, the study found that increasing the proportion of cattle sprayed yielded increasing benefits to the farmers, but that these benefits were subject to diminishing returns. From a practical viewpoint, this study recommends spraying only draft cattle to control trypanosomiasis and tick-borne diseases in this area as they make 38.62% of the cattle population, approaching the 50% threshold. In areas with a lower proportion of draft males, farmers could be advised to also include cows.
A 50 años del Alegato Ruda.
Authors: Troncoso Marcelo , Rolandi Maria Lis 
Published: March 2021

En el siguiente ensayo se propone analizar la situación de las Islas Malvinas, Georgias del Sur, Sándwich del Sur y los Espacios Marítimos Circundantes (en adelante “Cuestión Malvinas”), con el objetivo de realizar una reflexión acerca de los procesos de descolonización, a través de la Resolución 2065 de la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas, expuesta por el Embajador argentino José Ruda, donde se fundamenta el legítimo derecho de la Argentina sobre las islas, basado en razones históricas, jurídicas y geográficas, conjuntamente se indaga sobre la importancia de las islas Malvinas en el espacio latinoamericano y organismos multilaterales.
La “Cuestión Malvinas” es para la Argentina una política de Estado, además a lo largo de estos años de legítimo reclamo ha recibido el apoyo de los países latinoamericanos, así como de la comunidad internacional en general y de importantes organismos internacionales que bregan por la resolución pacífica del diferendo.
En la presente investigación se analizará la “Cuestión Malvinas” desde la complejidad, basada en la intervinculación de un conjunto de disciplinas y temáticas, intentando realizar un abordaje integral donde se visualicen los ejes político, recursos naturales, aspectos geopolíticos, marco jurídico, económico e integración y apoyo regional.
Discursividades en disputa en la territorialidad universitaria:
Authors: Aminahuel Aime 
Published: March 2021

El presente trabajo se asienta en una investigación ya finalizada sobre las universidades argentinas en la década de 1970, específicamente, sobre el caso de la Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto durante la coyuntura 1973-1974. La particularidad de los estudios sobre las disputas gestadas en el escenario universitario durante la década del 70 es que en su mayoría, se centran en los acontecimientos que se produjeron en las grandes universidades. En ese sentido, se observa una ausencia en estudios que indaguen en profundidad sobre lo sucedido en las instituciones del interior del país. Es por ello que este trabajo se centra en los debates y discusiones que se gestaron en la Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, a partir de la asunción del Licenciado Augusto Klappenbach, reconocido militante de la Juventud Peronista y nuevo rector de esa casa de estudios. Así, en las siguientes páginas se aborda la coyuntura a partir de un análisis socio-semiótico de los discursos del joven rector y de quienes interpelaron su proyecto de universidad en tanto contra destinatarios del discurso.
Institutos Confucio: Herramienta de poder blando y penetración cultural.
Authors: Alcalde María Celeste 
Published: March 2021

Las reformas económicas introducidas en China a partir del liderazgo de Deng Xiaoping trajeron como consecuencia cambios sociales profundos así como el resurgimiento de los valores confucianos como fundamento de las prácticas sociales imperantes. La revalorización de estos principios y valores reverberó en la configuración de nuevas doctrinas por parte del Partido Comunista Chino. De esta manera, la política interna y externa china en el Siglo XXI se verá atravesada por un conjunto de conceptos de raíz confuciana, pero reinterpretados para su adaptación a los tiempos modernos. Es así que el ámbito externo de la política china se verá representado por conceptos tales como ascenso pacífico o mundo armonioso que servirán de base para la consolidación de su poder blando, afianzando así la posición china en el sistema internacional. Una de las consecuencias más visibles de este nuevo poder blando constituye el programa incentivado por la dirigencia china para establecer Institutos Confucio con el objetivo de difundir la cultura e idioma chinos. Sin embargo, la instalación de estos centros en Argentina – en un complejo escenario en el que la educación pública debe adaptarse a nuevos y constantes desafíos – pone en jaque los objetivos nacidos de la Reforma Universitaria de 1918. Por ello, el objetivo de este trabajo es analizar a los Institutos Confucio como una herramienta de poder blando chino y el efecto de su instalación en las universidades argentinas.
Espacio urbano y sociedad:
Authors: Zamboni Virginia 
Published: March 2021

El artículo discute la espacialidad y las configuraciones urbanas en la contemporaneidad. Se analiza no sólo la configuración física de las ciudades sino las prácticas sociales y los comportamientos que las atraviesan, partiéndose de la concepción del espacio como construcción social dada por el intercambio simbólico y recíproco entre los sujetos y por su convergencia con la materialidad. La hipótesis que se trabaja sostiene que las transformaciones en los espacios urbanos son concomitantes a las mutaciones que transita el capitalismo y al tipo de sociedad que se comienza a configurar. En vistas a esta cuestión se oponen dos “modelos-tipos” de configuración del espacio urbano tomando como marco las concepciones de régimen disciplinar y sociedad de control ofrecidas por Michel Foucault y Guilles Deleuze.