Gordian Knot Research Articles

Cutting the Gordian Knot: Rare Presentation of Nodular Fasciitis as Supraclavicular Swelling with Muscular Involvement in 68Ga-FAPI-PET/CT

Background: Nodular fasciitis is a benign, singularly occurring nodular fibroblastic/myofibroblastic neoplasia. Due to the rapid growth and cellular atypia, this rare differential diagnosis in the head and neck region can be mistaken for malignant sarcomas. Methods: We present a 40-year-old female patient with an unclear, rough, and poorly displaceable supraclavicular swelling on the right as part of a medical check-up. Sonographically, the lump was poorly circumscribed with little vascularization. A consecutive core needle biopsy of the lesion yielded inconclusive results showing spindle-shaped tumor cells. 68Ga-FAPI-PET/CT showed an intensive uptake of the right supraclavicular lesion in addition to postoperative changes in the right tonsil. Subsequent operative partial excision of the lesion confirmed the histopathological diagnosis of nodular fasciitis. Results: Nodular fasciitis is the most prevalent pseudosarcoma found in soft tissues. This case is the first description of 68Ga-FAPI-PET/CT in nodular fasciitis. Surgical removal is advised; nevertheless, the tumor frequently diminishes on its own, and recurrence is rare. Extensive surgical therapy is not necessary. Conlcusions: The recognition of nodular fasciitis and its benign characteristics is crucial to prevent diagnostic errors and the subsequent unnecessary operative treatment of the patient.

Cutting the Gordian knot of the education ‘crisis’ with teacher testing. A blunt instrument that crushes marginalised pre-service teachers

ABSTRACT This paper offers a brief yet evocative glimpse into marginalised pre-service teachers’ (PST) experiences of teacher testing in Australia’s High-stakes Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students (LANTITE). Utilising Critical Disability Theory (CDT)in particular, Goodley’s (2016) concept of neoliberal-ableism, we problematise teacher testing as a gatekeeping tool for students undertaking teacher education. The article highlights how neoliberal education policies in Australia have disempowered and turned away talented and empathetic future teachers. By illuminating their embodied experiences of stress and anxiety, we interrogate neoliberal discourses of power and how teacher testing is used as a blunt instrument to solve complex problems and funnel public funding to private corporations. As part of a larger longitudinal research project, we offer four narrative portraits giving voice to vulnerable PSTs who have become unwitting victims of the high-stakes test juggernaut. This article focuses on five emergent themes from the research: (a) the embodied impact of stress and anxiety on test-takers, (b) withholding of information regarding testing processes and support, (c) the lack of differentiation available to PSTs (d) impacts of edu-businesses and the business of education on vulnerable participants and (e) a passion for differentiation.

Soft robotic artificial left ventricle simulator capable of reproducing myocardial biomechanics.

The heart's intricate myocardial architecture has been called the Gordian knot of anatomy, an impossible tangle of intricate muscle fibers. This complexity dictates equally complex cardiac motions that are difficult to mimic in physical systems. If these motions could be generated by a robotic system, then cardiac device testing, cardiovascular disease studies, and surgical procedure training could reduce their reliance on animal models, saving time, costs, and lives. This work introduces a bioinspired soft robotic left ventricle simulator capable of reproducing the minutiae of cardiac motion while providing physiological pressures. This device uses thin-filament artificial muscles to mimic the multilayered myocardial architecture. To demonstrate the device's ability to follow the cardiac motions observed in the literature, we used canine myocardial strain data as input signals that were subsequently applied to each artificial myocardial layer. The device's ability to reproduce physiological volume and pressure under healthy and heart failure conditions, as well as effective simulation of a cardiac support device, were experimentally demonstrated in a left-sided mock circulation loop. This work also has the potential to deliver faithful simulated cardiac motion for preclinical device and surgical procedure testing, with the potential to simulate patient-specific myocardial architecture and motion.

Untying my Gordian knots - Richard Gordon's forays into our speciality of Dermatology and Venereology.

Untying my Gordian knots - Richard Gordon's forays into our speciality of Dermatology and Venereology.

Key characteristics of carcinogens meet hallmarks for prevention-cutting the Gordian knot.

The complexity of cancer requires a comprehensive approach to understand its diverse manifestations and underlying mechanisms. Initially outlined by Hanahan and Weinberg in 2000 and updated in 2010, the hallmarks of cancer provide a conceptual basis for understanding inherent variability in cancer biology. Recent expansions have further elucidated additional hallmarks, including phenotypic plasticity and senescent cells. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has identified the key characteristics of carcinogens (KCCs) to evaluate their carcinogenic potential. We analyzed chemicals of concern for environmental exposure that interact with specific receptors to induce genomic instability, epigenetic alterations, immune suppression, and receptor-mediated effects, thereby contributing to chronic inflammation. Despite their varying degrees of carcinogenicity, these chemicals have similar KCC profiles. Our analysis highlights the pivotal role of receptor binding in activating most other KCCs, underscoring their significance in cancer initiation. Although KCCs are associated with early molecular or cellular events, they do not encompass processes directly linked to full cellular malignancy. Thus, there is a need to integrate clear endpoints that anchor KCCs to the acquisition of a complete malignant phenotype into chemical testing. From the perspective of toxicology and cancer research, an all-encompassing strategy that incorporates both existing and novel KCCs and cancer hallmarks is essential to enable the targeted identification of prevalent carcinogens and facilitate zone-specific prevention strategies. To achieve this goal, collaboration between the KCC and cancer hallmarks communities becomes essential.

Slicing the gordian knot of political extremism: Issues and potential solutions regarding its conceptualization and terminology

The main goal of the present work is to highlight the problems surrounding the current definition of political extremism and the misuse of this and other related terms like radicalism and radicalization. It is argued that these issues generate confusion and obscure research efforts regarding these phenomena. We identify four major problems regarding the terminology used to describe the phenomenon of political extremism: a polysemy problem, an inadequate equivalence between the terms extremism and radicalism, uncertainty about the role of violence in defining political extremism, and the fact that the term ‘radicalization’ is more closely associated with extremists rather than radicals. We describe how these problems affect both research on extremism and hinder its application and we propose potential solutions for such issues.

Cutting the Gordian knot of neutrophil extracellular traps research

Cutting the Gordian knot of neutrophil extracellular traps research

Efficient carbon flux allocation towards D-pantothenic acid production via growth-decoupled strategy in Escherichia coli

For industrial strain construction, rational allocation of carbon flux is of paramount importance especially for decoupling cell growth and chemical productions to get maximum titer, rate, yield (TRY), which become Gordian Knot. Here, a temperature-sensitive switch and genetic circuits was used for effectively decoupling cell growth from D-pantothenic acid (DPA) production, along with systematically metabolic engineering including blocking redundant pathways of pyruvate and enhancing DPA driving force. Afterwards, rapid biomass accumulation only happened during growth stage, and subsequent high-efficient DPA production was initiated with reducing fermentation temperature. Finally, 97.20 g/L DPA and 0.64 g/g glucose conversion rate were achieved in 5-liter fed-batch fermentation. These undisputedly represent a milestone for the biosynthesis of DPA. With using strategies for decoupling cell growth from chemical productions, it would serve as “Alexander’s sword” to cut Gordian Knot to get industrial chassis cells with excellent TRY for de novo biosynthesis of valuable chemicals.

Is There a Functional Role for the Knotted Topology in Protein UCH-L1?

Knotted proteins are present in nature, but there is still an open issue regarding the existence of a universal role for these remarkable structures. To address this question, we used classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations combined with in vitro experiments to investigate the role of the Gordian knot in the catalytic activity of UCH-L1. To create an unknotted form of UCH-L1, we modified its amino acid sequence by truncating several residues from its N-terminus. Remarkably, we find that deleting the first two N-terminal residues leads to a partial loss of enzyme activity with conservation of secondary structural content and knotted topological state. This happens because the integrity of the N-terminus is critical to ensure the correct alignment of the catalytic triad. However, the removal of five residues from the N-terminus, which significantly disrupts the native structure and the topological state, leads to a complete loss of enzymatic activity. Overall, our findings indicate that UCH-L1's catalytic activity depends critically on the integrity of the N-terminus and the secondary structure content, with the latter being strongly coupled with the knotted topological state.

Can tirzepatide untie the Gordian knot of eating disorders among individuals with type 2 diabetes and obesity?

Can tirzepatide untie the Gordian knot of eating disorders among individuals with type 2 diabetes and obesity?

Resurfacing of multiple adjacent defects with free multipaddle SCIAP flaps

BackgroundThe efficient resurfacing of multiple adjacent defects (MADs) requires precise reconstructive strategy. Various approaches (e.g., several flap transferring or prelamination of the recipient site) have been reported, but recipient-site impairments, pain, long hospitalization, and low cost-benefit results fatefully considered them as compromise approaches. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of MADs reconstruction with free multipaddle superficial circumflex iliac artery perforator (SCIAP) flaps. MethodsFrom Dec 2015 to Dec 2020, we enrolled patients with upper and lower extremity defects treated with various multipaddle SCIAP flaps (2-paddle, 3-paddle, and 4-paddle). Patient demographics and outcomes of each group were collected. ResultsThirty-two, 21, and 6 patients underwent 2-paddle, 3-paddle, and 4-paddle SCIAP flaps transfers, respectively. All multipaddle SCIAP flaps survived without vascular problems, and the donor sites were closed directly. Except for 3 cases of 2-paddle SCIAP flaps drained by superficial circumflex iliac vein venous return, most cases (n = 56) were drained by venae comitans. Minor complications, including partial flap necrosis (4 cases) and lateral femoral cutaneous nerve palsies (11 cases), were treated conservatively. All patients were satisfied with the reconstructive outcome. ConclusionMultiple adjacent defects reconstruction is still a Gordian knot and lacks a golden standard. The free multipaddle SCIAP flap was demonstrated as a promising alternative, not only enriching its versatility but also initially highlighting the “replace need with need” reconstructive demand.

Harnessing instability for work hardening in multi-principal element alloys

The strength–ductility trade-off has long been a Gordian knot in conventional metallic structural materials and it is no exception in multi-principal element alloys. In particular, at ultrahigh yield strengths, plastic instability, that is, necking, happens prematurely, because of which ductility almost entirely disappears. This is due to the growing difficulty in the production and accumulation of dislocations from the very beginning of tensile deformation that renders the conventional dislocation hardening insufficient. Here we propose that premature necking can be harnessed for work hardening in a VCoNi multi-principal element alloy. Lüders banding as an initial tensile response induces the ongoing localized necking at the band front to produce both triaxial stress and strain gradient, which enables the rapid multiplication of dislocations. This leads to forest dislocation hardening, plus extra work hardening due to the interaction of dislocations with the local-chemical-order regions. The dual work hardening combines to restrain and stabilize the premature necking in reverse as well as to facilitate uniform deformation. Consequently, a superior strength-and-ductility synergy is achieved with a ductility of ~20% and yield strength of 2 GPa during room-temperature and cryogenic deformation. These findings offer an instability-control paradigm for synergistic work hardening to conquer the strength–ductility paradox at ultrahigh yield strengths.

Confronting the Gordian Knot: Disentangling Gifted Education’s Major Issues

What are the key challenges facing the field of gifted education? In this qualitative study, we posed this question to some of the field’s eminent leaders and scholars. Overwhelmingly, our respondents mentioned problems of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). Respondents also discussed problems concerning identification, the limited use of research-based practices, and insufficient support from outside the field; they also touched upon larger theoretical issues like the lack of clarity surrounding our conceptions of giftedness and the purposes of gifted education. In this article, we trace a brief history of the problems and paradigms of our field, share our study’s results, some theoretical and practical connections among the most pressing issues, and implications for moving our field forward.

The myth of lesbian generation loss: Finding intergenerational solidarities in digital sexual selfhood projects

The contemporary preoccupation with lesbian’s potential obsolescence relies on implicit assumptions about the (ir)relevance of lesbian feminism to younger generations. In this article, we use the metaphor of “generation loss” to conceptualize the Gordian knot of affective and ideological ties that lie beneath this preoccupation. Contrary to the narrative of generation loss, we show how young people have begun to take up and share lesbian feminist concepts on social media platforms like TikTok. They do so in the name of resituating lesbian as a political project rather than an exclusionary demographic category. Instead of painting over lesbian feminism with the broad brushes of whiteness and trans-exclusivity, some young lesbians seek out other voices in the archive to debate whether and how this history might be recuperated as a challenge to white, cisnormative heteropatriarchy. Far from finding irrelevance, many revisiting lesbian feminism are excited to discover theories of gender, sexuality, and power that can be adapted to relocate lesbian to more durable and less essentializing territory than its current, narrowly biopolitical home. This presents a crucial opportunity to build bridges across generations and collectively resist the cooptation of lesbians as agents of white supremacist and transphobic political agendas.

Solving the Gordian knot: dealing with Spain’s unemployment crisis with a job guarantee program

Spain has experienced a history of chronically high and intractable unemployment. The Job Guarantee has been theorized as a policy proposal that aims to produce tight full employment and enhances macroeconomic and price stability. This paper provides an overview of some of the explanations to the causes of unemployment and the performance of traditional active labor management policies. A simulation of a job guarantee programme for the historic 1999–2019 period is provided using an econometric model of the Spanish economy. In addition to eradicating unemployment, we find that the job guarantee programme attenuates the economic cycle, sustains higher real incomes, and does not compromise price stability.

Study of factory settlements of the Perm region near the Kama river

The formation in the Urals of domestic factory production, which began with the salt industry, as a fundamental fishery in the territory, was considered, and was fully realized in mining industrial metallurgy, which received a whole direction called «Mining civilization». This period gave rise to the spread of new types of settlements City-plants, which were formed around the enterprise, and the territory developed as originally industrial. However, the problem of preservation of some factory settlements and as such enterprises arose for the authorities of the former Molotov region (1940-1957) «Gordian knot», due to the construction of the Kama hydroelectric power plant and the creation of a reservoir, As a result, not only agricultural land and pastures, but also historical settlements, factory areas and many unexplored archaeological sites were flooded. Therefore, in this article the historical, cartographic analysis of former factory settlements was also conducted and the damage of flooding and flooding of territories was revealed, as well as the preserved heritage of «factory civilization».

Study of factory settlements of the Perm region near the Kama river

The formation in the Urals of domestic factory production, which began with the salt industry, as a fundamental fishery in the territory, was considered, and was fully realized in mining industrial metallurgy, which received a whole direction called «Mining civilization». This period gave rise to the spread of new types of settlements City-plants, which were formed around the enterprise, and the territory developed as originally industrial. However, the problem of preservation of some factory settlements and as such enterprises arose for the authorities of the former Molotov region (1940-1957) «Gordian knot», due to the construction of the Kama hydroelectric power plant and the creation of a reservoir, As a result, not only agricultural land and pastures, but also historical settlements, factory areas and many unexplored archaeological sites were flooded. Therefore, in this article the historical, cartographic analysis of former factory settlements was also conducted and the damage of flooding and flooding of territories was revealed, as well as the preserved heritage of «factory civilization».

Untangling the gordian knot: The intertwining interactions between developmental hormone signaling and epigenetic mechanisms in insects

Hormones control developmental and physiological processes, often by regulating the expression of multiple genes simultaneously or sequentially. Crosstalk between hormones and epigenetics is pivotal to dynamically coordinate this process. Hormonal signals can guide the addition and removal of epigenetic marks, steering gene expression. Conversely, DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNAs can modulate regional chromatin structure and accessibility and regulate the expression of numerous (hormone-related) genes. Here, we provide a review of the interplay between the classical insect hormones, ecdysteroids and juvenile hormones, and epigenetics. We summarize the mode-of-action and roles of these hormones in post-embryonic development, and provide a general overview of epigenetic mechanisms. We then highlight recent advances on the interactions between these hormonal pathways and epigenetics, and their involvement in development. Furthermore, we give an overview of several ‘omics techniques employed in the field. Finally, we discuss which questions remain unanswered and possible avenues for future research.

The Arctic potential: cutting the Gordian knot of EU–Russia relations?

ABSTRACT The relationship between the European Union (EU) and Russia in the past 30 years has been complex, encompassing periods of hope, optimism and cooperation but also elements of competition, conflict and complicated geopolitical tensions. There is an omnipresent pattern of intertwined conflict and cooperation that has run through the core of the relationship, until reaching a stalemate following the 2022 Russian aggression in Ukraine. We identify the current state of EU–Russia relations to resemble a Gordian knot or a deeply entrenched and unsolvable problem. Nevertheless, a site where the EU and Russia meet face to face to pursue interests on a plethora of issues is the Arctic. We examine whether the EU–Russia relations have been qualitatively different there, and whether it might hold lessons for cutting the identified Gordian knot. We employ discourse analysis to the official EU documents on the Arctic from the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of the European Union, and examine how Russia has been presented in these documents – as a competitor or a cooperation partner. We discover more cooperation rather than conflict language, indicating the Arctic might hold some lessons about the future EU–Russia relations after a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine.

Untying the Gordian Knot of Early Language Screening and Improved Developmental Outcomes

Untying the Gordian Knot of Early Language Screening and Improved Developmental Outcomes