Contemporary Literature Research Articles

Differential proteomic expression in non-functional pituitary neuroendocrine tumours and pituitary glands.

Pituitary neuroendocrine tumours (PitNETs) are common accounting for 10 to 25 % of all intracranial tumours. This project describes the feasibility of developing a novel membrane-based biomarker that could be used for fluorescent guided surgery. The aim was to catalogue the differential expression of membrane proteins between non-functional PitNETs and pituitary glands. Ten pituitary gland tissue specimens were obtained from the National Institute of Health (NIH) NeuroBio-Bank and twenty non-functional PitNETs were obtained from the Northwestern University Nervous System Tumour Bank. Mass spectrometry analysis using an Orbitrap Fusion Lumos Tribrid Mass Spectrometer linked to a Dionex Ultimate 3000 UPLC system was undertaken. Data Dependent Acquisition Mass Spectrometry and Data Independent Acquisition Mass Spectrometry was then completed. Pathway enrichment analysis was performed using clusterProfiler v4.6.0. Functional enrichment analysis was conducted using Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways. Differential expression analysis between the two groups revealed a total of 2110 significant differently expressed proteins (DEPs), with 1387 of these also having a Log2 fold change either greater than 1, or less than -1. Of the 2110 DEPs, 925 were upregulated in tumours compared to control, while 1185 were downregulated. We have demonstrated a proteomic comparison between non-functional PitNETs and normal pituitary glands. These results demonstrate differences consistent with contemporary literature but shows that NOTCH3 and PTPRJ are up-regulated in non-functional PitNETs compared to pituitary glands.

Advancements in Pediatric Audiological Assessments Using Wideband Acoustic Immittance: A Review.

This study's objectives were to explore the potential of wideband acoustic immittance (WAI) as a diagnostic tool, examining its accuracy and efficiency in pediatric audiology. A narrative review of the contemporary literature was conducted, focusing on studies that assessed the use of WAI in diagnosing pediatric auditory conditions. Key variables such as diagnostic accuracy, efficiency, and clinical outcomes were considered. This review highlighted that WAI offers a broader range of test frequencies and more comprehensive diagnostic information compared with traditional tympanometry. The studies indicated that WAI has the potential to improve diagnostic accuracy and efficiency in pediatric audiology. Distinct patterns of wideband absorbance were identified, enabling more detailed and accurate diagnostic evaluations. WAI shows substantial potential as a diagnostic tool in pediatric audiology, offering improvements in diagnostic accuracy and efficiency over traditional methods. While the initial findings are promising, further research is needed to fully understand its applicability and benefits across different pediatric populations. Future studies should aim to validate the clinical utility of WAI to ensure its widespread adoption in pediatric audiological assessments.

Toward Sustainable Development: Exploring the Value and Benefits of Digital Twins

The complexity and number of data streams generated by internal processes exceed the capabilities of most current simulation environments. Consequently, there is a need for the development of more advanced solutions that can handle any number of simultaneous simulations. One of the most promising ideas to address these and other challenges is the concept of a Digital Twin (DT), which refers to a digital representation or a virtual model designed to accurately reflect an intended or actual physical product, system, or process (i.e., a physical twin). As a Digital Twin spans the life-cycle of its physical twin, its development and application can bring considerable benefits to organizations seeking to improve existing processes as well as implement new ones. However, few studies have comprehensively examined the value and benefits of Digital Twins. To fill this gap, this study aims to provide a better understanding of this technology by reviewing the contemporary literature, with a particular focus on the documented case studies, as well as reported business and industrial deployments. The results obtained show that Digital Twins have proven beneficial for maintenance, cost reduction, optimization, simulation performance, monitoring, product life-cycle understanding, assessment validation, performance evaluation, product design, and safety and risk mitigation. In addition, when considering the human factor, DTs can facilitate education and training, team collaboration, and decision making. Undeniably, Digital Twins are a game changer for safer, faster, and more sustainable development.

Three Faces of Heroism: An Empirical Study of Indirect Literary Translation Between Chinese-English-Portuguese of Wuxia Fiction

Abstract This paper conducts an empirical study using digital humanities to explore the indirect translation of Chinese contemporary literature, focusing on a Portuguese version of Jin Yong’s A Hero Born: The Legend of the Condor Heroes derived from its English translation. Employing BERTopic modeling, it quantifies thematic changes related to heroism in the translation process from Chinese through English to Portuguese. This study examines how Chinese concepts of heroism are adapted or rewritten in translation, exploring the notion of intermediate translations as “secondhand” and “distorted” from digital humanities perspective. By applying the zero-shot BERTopic model, the research allows for a quantitative comparative analysis of topic distribution across the original, intermediate, and final translation texts. The findings aim to enrich translation studies by demonstrating how Chinese cultural concepts are transformed and circulated through indirect translation, providing a data-driven insight into the global dissemination and reception of Wuxia literature.

Coping trauma with tolerance! A dyadic approach to investigate the relationship between social rejection and work-deviant behavior

PurposeBased on the conservation of resources and emotional regulation theories, this research seeks to examine the relationship between social rejection and work-deviant behavior with a moderated mediation effect of emotional tolerance and psychological trauma.Design/methodology/approachA three-wave multi-sourced (dyad) data were collected from the professionals and respective supervisors of state-managed services sector organizations operating in Pakistan (n1 = 252, n2 = 126) selected through snowball sampling technique.FindingsThe results reflected that socially excluded employees indulge in work-deviant behaviors and psychological trauma perform a partial transmitting link. Further, an ability to be emotionally tolerant buffers the detrimental aspects effects of social rejection on psychological trauma but might not be an effective tool while one moves to the trauma stage. Further, the conditional effect confirms that a high level of emotional tolerance weakens the moderated mediation relationship between social rejection and work-deviant behavior via psychological trauma.Practical implicationsThe present study provides guidelines to carefully identify and tackle the incidences of social rejection in the workplace and develop tolerance capabilities of employees to tackle the trauma and reduce work deviance.Originality/valueThis is a novel attempt to link the emotional regulation theory with the conservation of resources theory in order to minimize the deviance-related issues provoked by social rejection by introducing emotional tolerance as a coping mechanism which was paid less attention in the contemporary literature.

An Analysis of the Works of Fazıl İskender and Narine Abgaryan from Contemporary Caucasian Literature in Terms of Cultural Commitment

This article explores the intersection of mythology and modernity in contemporary Caucasian literature, focusing on how contemporary writers from the Caucasus region integrate traditional mythological elements into modern narratives. The study examines selected works of prominent writers such as Fazıl İskender and Narine Abgaryan. It investigates how these writers reflect their commitment to their culture in their works and how they benefit from mythological elements while doing this. For this purpose, Fazıl İskender's Sandro of Chegem and Narine Abgaryan's Three Apples Fell from The Sky were examined, and the way cultural symbols and mythological elements were reflected in these works were supported by quotations from the works. In addition, the cultural and social effects of these works within and outside the Caucasus region were evaluated, and their role in preserving and revitalizing cultural heritage in the globalization environment was emphasized. The study aims to show how regional literary works can be renewed and developed by benefiting from their cultural background, and thus to contribute to a better understanding of contemporary Caucasian literary works.

L’ús pòstum de les figures literàries en l’esfera pública: pràctiques i processos commemoratius en la cultura catalana contemporània

This special issue brings together a series of in-depth case studies of commemorative discourses and practices dedicated to some of the most important figures in contemporary Catalan literature from the beginning of the 19th century onwards, which contributed to transform selected writers (including Antoni Capmany, Jaume Balmes, Jacint Verdaguer, Àngel Guimerà and Josep Maria de Sagarra, as well as female authors, such as Josepa Massanés, Mercè Rodoreda, Anna Murià, Maria Aurèlia Cap-many and Montserrat Roig) into collective memory sites for the Catalan community. It aims to contribute critically to the burgeoning international scholarship on “cultural saints”, that is, the (generally male) writers, artists and intellectuals marked out as representative of cultural-national community identities in the age of consolidation of the nation-state. The bodies and corpora of the symbolic figures and cultural icons examined across the nine articles commissioned and collected here both served to confer legitimacy on diverse projects and agents in the public sphere and were the site of sometimes heightened debate over contested cultural memory narratives. In other words, they show the ways in which Catalan commemorative practices and processes are both a vehicle for the construction of a distinctive community imaginary as well as reflecting the divisions and dissensus between different agents and sub-groups, according to social, political, geographical, linguistic, generational and gender affiliation, among other factors.

The Harp and the Eagle: teaching Irish Poetry in Mexico

Ireland and Mexico share a long tradition of intercultural relationships. The Latin American nation has received significant influence from the mind-frames and oeuvre of Irish or Irish-descended thinkers, and authors. In the field of literature, the presence of Irish writers in Mexico has been equally relevant. A number of them are constantly referenced in middle- to higher-education institutions as paradigmatic examples of the Anglophone belles lettres. Nevertheless, and with the possible exception of Yeats, limited academic and pedagogic attention has been paid to Irish poetry, almost exclusively in English, until comparatively recent times. As of the mid-2000s, the School of Philosophy and Literature (FFyL) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) has witnessed a surge in academic efforts to promote the verse production of Anglo-Irish poets in the country. With the publication in 2003 of the anthology Una lengua injertada [A Grafted Tongue] and, more recently, with the establishment of the Contemporary Anglo-Irish Literature Research Project, FFyL-UNAM have inaugurated a new era for the study of (Anglo-) Irish verse in Mexico and Spanish-speaking America. This article will explore the critical and pedagogical approaches with which FFyL-UNAM have tackled the teaching of (Anglo) Irish poetry over at least one decade.

Using Spheroids as Building Blocks Towards 3D Bioprinting of Tumor Microenvironment.

Cancer still ranks as a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Although considerable efforts have been dedicated to anticancer therapeutics, progress is still slow, partially due to the absence of robust prediction models. Multicellular tumor spheroids, as a major three-dimensional (3D) culture model exhibiting features of avascular tumors, gained great popularity in pathophysiological studies and high throughput drug screening. However, limited control over cellular and structural organization is still the key challenge in achieving in vivo like tissue microenvironment. 3D bioprinting has made great strides toward tissue/organ mimicry, due to its outstanding spatial control through combining both cells and materials, scalability, and reproducibility. Prospectively, harnessing the power from both 3D bioprinting and multicellular spheroids would likely generate more faithful tumor models and advance our understanding on the mechanism of tumor progression. In this review, the emerging concept on using spheroids as a building block in 3D bioprinting for tumor modeling is illustrated. We begin by describing the context of the tumor microenvironment, followed by an introduction of various methodologies for tumor spheroid formation, with their specific merits and drawbacks. Thereafter, we present an overview of existing 3D printed tumor models using spheroids as a focus. We provide a compilation of the contemporary literature sources and summarize the overall advancements in technology and possibilities of using spheroids as building blocks in 3D printed tissue modeling, with a particular emphasis on tumor models. Future outlooks about the wonderous advancements of integrated 3D spheroidal printing conclude this review.

What's the Situation With Intelligent Mesh Generation: A Survey and Perspectives.

Intelligent Mesh Generation (IMG) represents a novel and promising field of research, utilizing machine learning techniques to generate meshes. Despite its relative infancy, IMG has significantly broadened the adaptability and practicality of mesh generation techniques, delivering numerous breakthroughs and unveiling potential future pathways. However, a noticeable void exists in the contemporary literature concerning comprehensive surveys of IMG methods. This paper endeavors to fill this gap by providing a systematic and thorough survey of the current IMG landscape. With a focus on 113 preliminary IMG methods, we undertake a meticulous analysis from various angles, encompassing core algorithm techniques and their application scope, agent learning objectives, data types, targeted challenges, as well as advantages and limitations. We have curated and categorized the literature, proposing three unique taxonomies based on key techniques, output mesh unit elements, and relevant input data types. This paper also underscores several promising future research directions and challenges in IMG.

Anti‐Exceptionalism about Logic (Part I): From Naturalism to Anti‐Exceptionalism

AbstractAccording to anti‐exceptionalism about logic (AEL), logic is not as exceptional in terms of its epistemology and subject matter as has been conventionally thought. Whereas logic's epistemology has often been considered distinct from those of the recognised sciences, in virtue of being both non‐inferential and a priori, it is in fact neither. Logics are justified on the basis of similar mechanisms of theory‐choice as theories in the sciences, and further the sources of evidence which inform these theory choices are (at least) not wholly a priori. In this first part of a two‐part entry on AEL, we trace these epistemological elements of AEL back to Quine's naturalism and evidential holism, but then highlight important differences between the motivations and commitments of Quine's version of AEL and those within the contemporary literature. This demonstrates the need to assess contemporary anti‐exceptionalist positions on their own merits, rather than treating them as mere reincarnations of Quine's evidential holism.

Odborné školstvo a technické vzdelávanie dievčat na Slovensku v rokoch 1918–1945 (optikou štúdia dievčat na priemyselných školách)

The study focuses on researching the possibilities of education for women and girls at technical schools in Slovakia from 1918 to 1945. With the aim of equal representation of eastern, central and western Slovakia, materials from three technical schools (Košice, Banská Štiavnica and Bratislava) were used in the research, because the technical schools in question existed throughout the period under review. The article was prepared based on school annual reports, statistical yearbooks, archival materials, contemporary literature, as well as professional literature related to the subject under investigation. The conclusions of the study provide summary findings on the number of girls in schools in the individual historical periods as well as an explanation of the socio-political conditions influencing the girls’ education.

Long-Duration Energy Storage—A Literature Review on the Link between Variable Renewable Energy Penetration and Market Creation

The relationship between a region’s dependency on variable renewable energy (VRE) and the viability of long-duration energy storage (LDES) technologies is recognised through various electricity grid modelling efforts in the contemporary literature. Numerous studies state a specific VRE penetration level in total electricity generation as an indicator of the emergence of an LDES market. However, there is considerable variability across studies when comparing VRE penetration levels in conjunction with LDES technology utilisation, and significant diversity exists in electricity grid modelling approaches. This review aims to highlight these inconsistencies by offering an overview of disparate findings and dissecting the influencing variables. Sixteen parameters are identified from reviewed studies, complemented by an additional five recognised through in-depth analysis. This comprehensive examination not only sheds light on critical aspects overlooked in previous reviews, requiring further investigation, but also provides novel insights into the complexity of this correlation, elevating the understanding of LDES market creation by unravelling the factors that influence the technology adoption across various contexts. Furthermore, it provides clarity in LDES research terminology by rectifying ambiguous language in the existing literature. Altogether, seven databases were explored to produce a trustworthy foundation for the study.

Research on the Translation and Influence of LiaoZhai ZhiYi in 20th Century Russia

With the accelerated exchange of different civilizations in the context of globalization, the overseas dissemination of Chinese classic literature is also playing an increasingly important role in shaping national cultural confidence. Since the beginning of the 21st century, cultural exchanges between China and Russia have become increasingly close, and the two countries have also invested key attention in the relationship between Russian literature and Chinese literature. In the past, research on the Russian translation of Chinese literature was mostly limited to the field of translation and cultural customs, while there was a lack of attention to the phenomenon of Chinese literature entering the creation of Russian writers. This leads to a lack of concrete and clear experience and theory in exploring the overseas dissemination of Chinese classic literature and promoting mutual learning and learning among different civilizations in the new situation of cultural exchange. Liaozhai Zhiyi represents the highest achievement of ancient Chinese classical short stories and is also an outstanding representative of Chinese supernatural and legendary novels. This article intends to provide an overview of the dissemination process of Pu Songling's " LiaoZhai ZhiYi " in 20th century Russia from a historical perspective, using a literature review method; On this basis, comprehensively accepting theories, comparative literary principles, etc., this study analyzes the influence of "LiaoZhai ZhiYi" on contemporary Russian literature in the 20th century, as well as the reasons and motivations behind this phenomenon. Research has found that since the beginning of the 20th century, the motivation to seek a national way out and reshape national values has driven Russia to turn its attention to China, and the characteristics of legendary supernatural novels have garnered a lot of attention; As a result, "LiaoZhai ZhiYi" formed a continuous and tumultuous process of dissemination in Russia, with Alexeyev's translation having the greatest impact; On this basis, 20th century Russian literature has formed a phenomenon of displacement or displacement in terms of characters, cultural symbols, philosophical ideas, etc., providing specific references for mutual learning and mutual learning between different cultures.

Regulation and production of contemporary literature: An examination of literary evolution in the digital age

Regulation and production of contemporary literature: An examination of literary evolution in the digital age

Gender Performativity and Unstable Identity in Contemporary Queer Romanian Prose

Despite its importance in the analysis of gender in various research fields, Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity circulates in rather restricted academic spaces in Romania, as her gender studies is not yet a wide field of research. The importation and particularization of the discussion of gender as a social construct is influenced by various factors: from the persistent patriarchal structure of a society in which the post-communist legacy is still felt, to the simultaneity of theoretical receptions of works authored by Butler and several other types of feminist discourse, such as Rosi Braidotti’s posthumanist approach. This paper analyses to what extent these theories produce effects in contemporary Romanian literature, especially in prose with queer issues at its core. The paper further examines the way in which the category of socially constructed gender can be used as a tool for analysing the configurations of the human subject as a sexualised Other in contemporary Romanian literature.

Serial Verb Constructions in Three Tibetan Languages

This paper presents a description of the serial verb construction (henceforth SVC) in three Tibetan languages- Gyalsumdo, Nubri and Tsum, spoken in Nepal focusing mainly on two verb constructions. The data is collected with the native speakers in different periods and analysed based on the contemporary literatures of SVC. In three selected languages, they share the same arguments (mainly the subject). Temporal and motion verbs are attested in the final position in an SVC in these languages. All of these languages have a closed set of verbs that appear as V2 in SVC. The ordering of most of the verbs participating in SVC is consistent in their occurrence. The three verb serialization is attested only in Nubri.

Bone Tissue Changes in Individuals Living with HIV/AIDS: The Importance of a Hierarchical Approach in Investigating Bone Fragility.

Skeletal alterations and their complications can significantly impact the quality of life and overall prognosis of patients living with HIV (PLWHIV). Considering skeletal alterations are often asymptomatic and unapparent during routine clinical evaluation, these conditions are frequently overlooked in the clinical management of PLWHIV. However, since the use of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) has increased life expectancy in PLWHIV effectively, osteopenia, osteoporosis, and bone fragility are now considered to have a major health impact, with a substantial increase in healthcare costs. This narrative literature review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the contemporary literature related to bone changes in PLWHIV, focusing on the importance of taking a multi-scale approach in the assessment of bone hierarchical organization. Even though a low bone mineral density is frequently reported in PLWHIV, numerous ambiguities still remain to be solved. Recent data suggest that assessment of other bone properties (on various levels of the bone structure) could contribute to our understanding of bone fragility determinants in these individuals. Special attention is needed for women living with HIV/AIDS since a postmenopausal status was described as an important factor that contributes to skeletal alterations in this population. Further research on complex etiopathogenetic mechanisms underlying bone alterations in PLWHIV may lead to the development of new therapeutic approaches specifically designed to reduce the health burden associated with skeletal disorders in this population. A major challenge in the clinical management of PLWHIV lies in the adverse skeletal effects of some frequently prescribed cART regimens (e.g., regimens containing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), which may require a switch to other pharmacological approaches for maintained HIV infection (e.g., regimens containing tenofovir alafenamide). Taken together, the findings are indicative that the HIV/AIDS status should be taken into consideration when designing new guidelines and strategies for individualized prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of increased bone fragility.

The Role of Communication in Nation-Building: A Theoretical Framework for South African National Unity

Communication plays a crucial role in the formation of a nation and its identity. It is apparent that the government of South Africa has previously started nation-building initiatives, but it is unclear how much the public is involved in the design and implementation of these campaigns. In this study, the contemporary literature on communication in the context of nation-building was critically engaged to clarify the role that communication plays in nation-building. The study concludes that the two-way symmetrical model is the best as it emphasises honest information exchanges between the public and the government through interactive communication. In order to effectively communicate with both internal and external target audiences and advance the agenda for nation-building, the South African government should employ communication techniques that will create and maintain enduring relationships with the public based on mutual trust by implementing participatory communication approaches to nation-building.

“Original sufferhead”: The boy-child and masculine sufferings in Ahmadou Kourouma’s Allah n’est pas obligé and Les Soleils des Indépendances

Revered as one of the principal figures of contemporary African literature and one of the greatest francophone writers, the celebrated Ivorian author; Ahmadou Kourouma, is renowned for his criticism of colonial machination, Africa's political and social structure, and satirical writings. In his selected works for this study—“Allah n’est pas obligé” and “Soleils des indépendances,” he profoundly explores and examines the arduous journey of the boy-child and manhood and how they grapple with societal pressures, expectations, challenges, exploitations, and conflicts. More so, he expounds the complexities of masculinity and the challenges of being a “man” in an African society. Thus, this study comprehensively explores the narratives of Kourouma and punctiliously investigates how they illume the intricacies of masculinity and the course of the boy-child. By adopting literary analysis, this study anatomizes the plotlines and characters within the selected works of the Ivorian prodigy and elucidates how the tribulations of the boy-child and the man are vividly depicted. It probes the societal expectations, identity crises, and emotional turmoil linked to these characters who struggle to navigate the turbulent pathway to manhood. Additionally, it spills the allegorical significance of “original sufferhead,” a musical piece from the legendary Fela Anikulapo Kuti, serving as a puissant metaphor that captures the struggles of the boy and the man in a failing society.