Progress Research Articles

Capitalism, Education and Social Mobility: Critical Approach Based on Scientific Literature

Education is a key factor for human development and social progress. However, in the context of capitalism, education is also influenced by economic inequalities and power structures. Scientific information selected through a critical review has identified the main theories and findings regarding education conceived within the capitalist model and inherent social mobility. The results demonstrate that in more egalitarian states, wage increases associated with education vary only slightly based on socioeconomic status. However, significant class disparities exist in states with moderate to high levels of inequality. While some argue that education can be a tool for upward mobility, others emphasize how capitalism and pre-existing inequalities can limit such mobility. Understanding this relationship is crucial for addressing issues of equity and social justice in capitalist societies.

Mitochondrial complex I promotes kidney cancer metastasis.

Most kidney cancers are metabolically dysfunctional1-4, but how this dysfunction affects cancer progression in humans is unknown. We infused 13C-labelled nutrients in over 80 patients with kidney cancer during surgical tumour resection. Labelling from [U-13C]glucose varies across subtypes, indicating that the kidney environment alone cannot account for all tumour metabolic reprogramming. Compared with the adjacent kidney, clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) display suppressed labelling of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates in vivo and in ex vivo organotypic cultures, indicating that suppressed labelling is tissue intrinsic. [1,2-13C]acetate and [U-13C]glutamine infusionsin patients, coupled with measurements of respiration in isolated human kidney and tumour mitochondria, reveal lower electron transport chain activity in ccRCCs that contributes to decreased oxidative and enhanced reductive TCA cycle labelling. However, ccRCC metastases unexpectedly have enhanced TCA cycle labelling compared with that ofprimary ccRCCs, indicating a divergent metabolic program during metastasis in patients. In mice, stimulating respiration or NADH recycling in kidney cancer cells is sufficient to promote metastasis, whereas inhibiting electron transport chain complex I decreases metastasis. These findings in humans and mice indicate that metabolic properties and liabilities evolve during kidney cancer progression, and that mitochondrial function is limiting for metastasis but not growth at the original site.

New perspectives on fighting violence against women.

Gender-based violence (GBV) and, more specifically, violence against women (VAW) are commonly considered a consequence of a patriarchal structure-a social system granting the senior male absolute authority over the family and the community as a whole. Anthropologists have documented that human male dominance is rooted in evolution, with male violent behavior observed among the great apes. Given that evolution is a continuous process, human progress over millennia has modified pre-existing behavior, demonstrating that humans can move beyond ancestral ways of life over time. Precisely because of the imperative to change and improve, at the global international level as well as in individual countries, strong movements are in action to eliminate GBV/VAW. FIGO has been and continues to be at the forefront of the battle for equality, with initiatives that cover many aspects of this, including the imperative to involve men, who-in the majority of cases-are the perpetrators. Since men are often the root of the problem, they must also be at the forefront of the battle to eradicate it. GBV/VAW comprises many facets, including selective female abortion, infanticide, femicide, honor killing, female genital mutilation, and child marriage. These deeply rooted forms of violence continue to perpetuate gender inequalities, remain major obstacles to health and societal progress, and violate the most basic human rights.

Brain organoids: A new tool for modelling of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Neurodevelopmental disorders are mostly studied using mice as models. However, the mouse brain lacks similar cell types and structures as those of the human brain. In recent years, emergence of three-dimensional brain organoids derived from human embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells allows for controlled monitoring and evaluation of early neurodevelopmental processes and has opened a window for studying various aspects of human brain development. However, such organoids lack original anatomical structure of the brain during maturation, and neurodevelopmental maturation processes that rely on unique cellular interactions and neural network connections are limited. Consequently, organoids are difficult to be used extensively and effectively while modelling later stages of human brain development and disease progression. To address this problem, several methods and technologies have emerged that aim to enhance the sophisticated regulation of brain organoids developmental processes through bioengineering approaches, which may alleviate some of the current limitations. This review discusses recent advances and application areas of human brain organoid culture methods, aiming to generalize optimization strategies for organoid systems, improve the ability to mimic human brain development, and enhance the application value of organoids.

Research on Benefit Evaluation and Optimization Strategy of Rural Ecological Products Value Realization

As the cornerstone of human existence and progress, ecological products indispensably support the sustainable development of society. In order to deeply discuss the benefits and achievements of eco-product value realization in various regions, this paper sorts out the research status of the evaluation system and method of rural eco-product value realization in Pukou District, and constructs an evaluation system of eco-product value realization benefit including 11 indicators of three subsystems: ecological benefit, economic benefit and social benefit. Using entropy weight method to measure the value realization benefit of rural ecological products. The results show that: (1) the overall development level of Pukou District is relatively high, and the work of promoting the realization of the value of rural ecological products is in good condition, and the overall development is in the growth stage; (2) From 2017 to 2022, the comprehensive benefits of ecological products in Pukou District have been steadily improved, and the comprehensive benefits have increased from 0.385 to 0.642; (3) Ecological benefits increased significantly, followed by economic benefits, and social benefits increased in a downward trend.

Deep learning based assembly process action recognition and progress prediction facing human-centric intelligent manufacturing

With the breakthroughs in cutting-edge technologies and the growing demand for personalized services, the approach of full automation alone is no longer sufficient to meet rapidly changing production needs. In light of this, a new human-centric manufacturing (HCM) paradigm has been put forward. Industrial human action recognition, as one of the key means of realizing HCM, has received widespread attention and research in recent years. In this paper, an end-to-end deep learning-based action recognition and progress prediction model was built, which can not only recognize action classes in real-time, but also accurately predict action completion times, to improve the efficiency and safety of HCM systems. First, a non-contact data acquisition system based on Azure Kinect sensor, MediaPipe and You-Only-Look-Once V5 (Yolo V5) algorithm was constructed, achieving comprehensive perception of human and objects in manufacturing system. Second, an Auto-encoder model was established to learn and compress high-dimensional human joint and object data into low-dimensional space to achieve efficient representation of the operation process. Finally, the human action recognition and progress prediction model was built and evaluated in a reducer assembly line, with an accuracy rate for action recognition of 99 %, and a time error for progress prediction of less than 6.9 %. This research aims to provide guidance for improving the level of intelligence in manufacturing and the application of AI technology in the industrial field.

Environmentally relevant concentration PFNA promotes degradation of SMAD7 to drive progression of ovarian cancer via TGF-β/SMADs signaling pathway

Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), an acknowledged environmental endocrine disruptor, is increasingly utilized as a substitute for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Despite its growing use, limited research has been conducted to investigate its potential impact on tumorigenesis and progression, and the potential molecular mechanisms. Earlier studies linked perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure to breast and gynecological cancer progression in humans, lacking a clear understanding of the underlying mechanisms, notably in ovarian cancer. Our investigation into PFNA's effects at environmental concentrations (0.25–2 mM) showed no significant impact on cell proliferation but a notable increase in invasion and migration of ovarian cancer cells. This led to alterations in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, including Claudin1, Vimentin, and Snail. Notably, PFNA exposure activated the TGF-β/SMADs signaling pathway. Crucially, SMAD7 degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome system emerged as PFNA's pivotal molecular target for inducing EMT, corroborated in mouse models. In summary, this study presented evidence that environmentally relevant concentrations of PFNA could induce SMAD7 degradation via the proteasome pathway, subsequently activating the TGF-β/SMADs signaling pathway, and promoting EMT in ovarian cancer. These results illuminated the association between PFNA exposure and metastasis of ovarian cancer.

Nurses' perspectives on privacy and ethical concerns regarding artificial intelligence adoption in healthcare

BackgroundWith the increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into healthcare systems, there is a growing emphasis on privacy and ethical considerations. Nurses, as frontline healthcare professionals, are pivotal in-patient care and offer valuable insights into the ethical implications of AI adoption. ObjectivesThis study aimed to explore nurses' perspectives on privacy and ethical concerns associated with the implementation of AI in healthcare settings. MethodsWe employed Van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenology as the qualitative research approach. Data were collected through purposive sampling from the December 7, 2023 to the January 15, 2024, with interviews conducted in Bengali. Thematic analysis was utilized following member checking and an audit trail. ResultsSix themes emerged from the research findings: Ethical dimensions of AI integration, highlighting complexities in incorporating AI ethically; Privacy challenges in healthcare AI, revealing concerns about data security and confidentiality; Balancing innovation and ethical practice, indicating a need to reconcile technological advancements with ethical considerations; Human touch vs. technological progress, underscoring tensions between automation and personalized care; Patient-centered care in the AI era, emphasizing the importance of maintaining focus on patients amidst technological advancements; and Ethical preparedness and education, suggesting a need for enhanced training and education on ethical AI use in healthcare. ConclusionsThe findings underscore the importance of addressing privacy and ethical concerns in AI healthcare development. Nurses advocate for patient-centered approaches and collaborate with policymakers and tech developers to ensure responsible AI adoption. Further research is imperative for mitigating ethical challenges and promoting ethical AI in healthcare practice.

The dual role of cellular senescence in human tumor progression and therapy.

Cellular senescence, one of the hallmarks of cancer, is characterized by cell cycle arrest and the loss of most normal cellular functions while acquiring a hypersecretory, proinflammatory phenotype. The function of senescent cells in cancer cells varies depending on the cellular conditions. Before the occurrence of cancer, senescent cells act as a barrier to prevent its development. But once cancer has occurred, senescent cells play a procancer role. However, few of the current studies have adequately explained the diversity of cellular senescence across cancers. Herein, we concluded the latest intrinsic mechanisms of cellular senescence in detail and emphasized the senescence-associated secretory phenotype as a key contributor to heterogeneity of senescent cells in tumor. We also discussed five kinds of inducers of cellular senescence and the advancement of senolytics in cancer, which are drugs that tend to clear senescent cells. Finally, we summarized the various effects of senescent cells in different cancers and manifested that their functions may be diametrically opposed under different circumstances. In short, this paper contributes to the understanding of the diversity of cellular senescence in cancers and provides novel insight for tumor therapy.

YouTube Social Media in the Development of Online Da'wah for the Millennial Generation in Makassar City

One of the most crucial aspects of Islam's overall teachings is da'wah. Through da'wah, people can learn about, live out, and apply the principles of Islam from generation to generation. In the modern era of information globalization and the inevitable progress of technology, da'wah is essentially an endeavor to cultivate a predisposition and interest in calling someone to the teachings of Islam. Nothing can be hidden; everything is available, even things that are banned. If the missionaries don't quickly adjust to these developments, they will become obsolete. It's necessary for missionaries to be adept in social media. Islam is no longer the domain of clerics in this millennium. People can learn Islam in a variety of methods and places at any time. Modernization is a necessary step on the journey through space and time that all people must take. A shift in the dai's method of preaching ought to counterbalance this amazing shift in society. Da'wah shouldn't be conducted in a certain location or with just traditional means (lectures). Da'wah needs to be innovative, forward-thinking, and energetic. Da'wah and Islamic communication are two examples of the many patterns of scientific progress that have arisen from the world's rapid flow of knowledge and technology.

Immunogenic cell death (ICD) genes predict immunotherapy response and therapeutic targets in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Numerous studies have demonstrated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the malignancies with high mortality worldwide. Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a form of cell death that is specialised in that it triggers the body's immune response, particularly the adaptive immune response. Recent evidence has confirmed that pseudogenes are implicated in multiple human tumorigenesis and progression although lacking the function of coding protein. However, the roles of ICD-associated genes in AML remain largely unascertained. TCGA-AML and GSE71014 cohorts were picked out and we combined them into a merged dataset by removing the batch effect using the sva package in the R project. A consensus clustering analysis of the ICD genes in AML was performed to define subgroups. Based on the expression of 15 prognostic-related pseudogenes, we developed a prognostic model and categorized AML samples into low and high-risk groups. AML was differentiated into two subgroups (C1 and C2 clusters). Most ICD-related genes were significantly up-regulated in the C2 cluster. The single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) revealed that the immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint gene expression of the C2 cluster was strongly high, suggesting that the C2 population responded well to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy and had better survival. The C1 group was sensitive to chemotherapy, including Cytarabine, Midostaurin, and Doxorubicin. On the other hand, 15 ICD-related pseudogenes were identified to be associated with AML prognosis. The receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis and nomogram manifested that our prognostic model had high accuracy in predicting survival. However, the high-risk group was sensitive to ICB therapy and chemotherapy such as Methotrexate, Cytarabine, and Axitinib while the low-risk group benefited from 5-Fluorouracil, Talazoparib, and Navitoclax therapy. In summary, we defined two subgroups relying on 33 ICD-related genes and this classification exerted a decisive role in assessing immunotherapy and chemotherapy benefit. Significantly, a prognostic signature identified by critical ICD-related pseudogene was created. The pseudogene prognostic signature had a powerful performance in predicting prognosis and therapeutic efficacy, including immunotherapy and chemotherapy to AML. Our research points out novel implications of ICD in cancer prognosis and treatment approach choice.

LncRNA LINC00969 modified by METTL3 attenuates papillary thyroid cancer progression in an m6A-dependent manner.

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) LINC00969 is involved in human disease progression, and n6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification of lncRNAs in cancer has been proven to be a key regulatory mechanism. However, our understanding of its effects and mechanisms of action in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) remains limited. This study aimed to elucidate the role of methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3)-induced m6A modification of LINC00969 in PTC tumorigenesis. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to analyze LINC00969 and METTL3 mRNA levels in PTC. The regulation of LINC00969 by METTL3 was confirmed using cell function experiments, molecular biology assays and bioinformatics analysis. LINC00969 stabilization analysis was performed to verify the regulatory roles of METTL3 and LINC00969. LINC00969 expression was downregulated in PTC tissues. Increased LINC00969 expression inhibited the invasion, growth and migration of PTC cells. METTL3 downregulation in PTC mediated the m6A modification of LINC00969, increasing its stability. Furthermore, METTL3 levels were downregulated in PTC, and its silencing partially reversed the inhibitory effect of LINC00969 overexpression on PTC cell malignancy. LINC00969 overexpression inhibits PTC cell malignancy via METTL3-mediated m6A modification. These findings suggest that METTL3-m6A-LINC00969 is a promising therapeutic target for PTC.

Functional implications of glycans and their curation: insights from the workshop held at the 16th Annual International Biocuration Conference in Padua, Italy.

Dynamic changes in protein glycosylation impact human health and disease progression. However, current resources that capture disease and phenotype information focus primarily on the macromolecules within the central dogma of molecular biology (DNA, RNA, proteins). To gain a better understanding of organisms, there is a need to capture the functional impact of glycans and glycosylation on biological processes. A workshop titled "Functional impact of glycans and their curation" was held in conjunction with the 16th Annual International Biocuration Conference to discuss ongoing worldwide activities related to glycan function curation. This workshop brought together subject matter experts, tool developers, and biocurators from over 20 projects and bioinformatics resources. Participants discussed four key topics for each of their resources: (i) how they curate glycan function-related data from publications and other sources, (ii) what type of data they would like to acquire, (iii) what data they currently have, and (iv) what standards they use. Their answers contributed input that provided a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art glycan function curation and annotations. This report summarizes the outcome of discussions, including potential solutions and areas where curators, data wranglers, and text mining experts can collaborate to address current gaps in glycan and glycosylation annotations, leveraging each other's work to improve their respective resources and encourage impactful data sharing among resources. Database URL: https://wiki.glygen.org/Glycan_Function_Workshop_2023.

BUILDING AN AI COMPACT TO UPHOLD ARTIFICIAL INTEGRITY

AbstractThe author is Group Vice President of Digital Marketing and Digital Transformation at Thales, and a Lecturer at INSEAD and elsewhere. He discusses a concept he originated, Artificial Integrity. This involves how society can build fair, just, and equitable principles into the fabric of artificial intelligence, as the latter continues to move and evolve at lightning speed, in ways most people cannot understand. He describes his holistic framework of principles “for continuous vigilance and collaborative efforts in shaping AI’s role in society, ensuring it contributes positively to human progress.” He details 17 different principles, which “provide a framework aimed at establishing a global, constitution‐like foundation to govern AI.” They are, in his words: Protection of Human Identity and Dignity, Safety and Well‐being, Obedience to Human Orders, Transparency and Explainability, Confidentiality and Data Protection, Regulation and Human Decision‐Making, Responsibility in Case of Failure, Self‐protection and Updating, Shared Responsibility, Fairness and Inclusion, Protection of Meaningful and Significant Jobs, Ethical and Cultural Respect, Environmental Impact, International Collaboration, Respect for State Sovereignty, Economic Incentive for Societal Development, and Education and Awareness.

ANALISIS FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI INDEKS PEMBANGUNAN MANUSIA DI INDONESIA MENGGUNAKAN MODEL REGRESI LOGISTIK BINER

The primary tool for assessing the extent of human development progress in a country is the Human Development Index (HDI). There are three components of Indonesia's Human Development Index (HDI). The method used to characterize the quality of human existence is based on these foundational aspects of HDI. The three elements include the role of economic advancement in human progress, as well as health, knowledge, and a decent standard of living. The objective of this research is to conduct binary logistic regression modeling to identify the key aspects that influence the Human Development Index of Regencies and Cities in Indonesia. If the response variable is binary and the predictor factors consist of one or more continuous or categorical variables, binary logistic regression is the statistical technique used to model the categorical response variable. The research results indicate that the percentage of Life Expectancy (X1), Average Length of Schooling (X2), Expected Years of Schooling (X3), and Per Capita Expenditure (X4), both partially and simultaneously, are independent variables that have the most significant impact on HDI at a real level of α = 5%. A balanced accuracy rating of 91.83% was achieved from the model evaluation, indicating that the model is useful

An Overview of Theoretical Connections between the Rhetoric of Modernity and Postmodernity

This paper explores the thematic convergences and departures within the rhetoric of modernity and postmodernity. In doing so, it explores some of their key themes such as language and meaning, reality and truth, autonomy and human progress, and reason concerning the works of Jurgen Habermas, John Locke, Jacques Derrida, Ferdinand de Saussure, Immanuel Kant and Jean Francois Lyotard. This paper employs a methodology of comparative textual analysis of the aforementioned authors’ selected texts and their themes in their historical/temporal positions within the discourse of the rhetoric of modernity and postmodernity. It fulfills two objectives: to explore what recurrent themes of modernity and postmodernity appear in the canonical theorists’ works, and to assess how they simultaneously overlap and differ from each other. Stepping on this comparative analysis, this paper brings together the thematic and theoretical connections between the rhetoric of modernity and postmodernity to conclude that the similarities and differences in the rhetoric of modernity and postmodernity among the selected theorists can be revisited through a thematic lens rather than the historical-temporal paradigms.

Marriage Practice: A Comparative Analysis between Chinese and Ethiopian People

Marriage has been crucial to maintaining human reproduction, social progress, and cultural continuity. Countries have distinctive wedding traditions that reflect social life, morals, religion, values, sexual consciousness, and national psychology's development trends. The article evaluates and compares the variations between Chinese and Ethiopian wedding cultures from the perspectives of traditional values, religion, and wedding processes to understand the variances and similarities of marriage cultures in the process of cultural globalization. The approach adopted in this study is an integrative or narrative review which enables us to capture the practice of marriage culture in Ethiopian and Chinese people. The article revealed that Chinese and Ethiopian marriage practice is similar in terms of pride price, Wedding Ring, wedding banquet, wedding gift, and Wedding ceremony, but have different practice in dressing clothes color and Marriage Sense. But, the impact of cultural globalization is melting both countries’ wedding traditions into Western style.

Ferritin light chain as a potential biomarker for the prognosis of liver hepatocellular carcinoma

High expression of the ferritin light chain (FTL) in cancer promotes its onset and progression and is associated with tumour evolution. However, the significance of FTL in pan-cancer progression and prognosis in humans remains unclear. Therefore, we selected various bioinformatics databases to perform a pan-cancer analysis on a public dataset. Our results showed that FTL was differentially expressed in pan-cancer tissues compared to normal tissues. High FTL expression significantly correlated with the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). The subsequent validation experiments confirmed these observations. Notably, our study found for the first time that FTLs are closely associated with LIHC and that FTLs have important clinical diagnostic and prognostic value for patients with LIHC. We confirmed that FTL expression was closely associated with altered DNA cycles and immune infiltration in LIHC. In conclusion, high levels of FTL expression are associated with poor prognosis in LIHC patients and are expected to be a potential prognostic and immune marker for LIHC.

A Phenotypic Approach to the Discovery of Potent G-Quadruplex Targeted Drugs.

G-quadruplex (G4) sequences, which can fold into higher-order G4 structures, are abundant in the human genome and are over-represented in the promoter regions of many genes involved in human cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis. They are plausible targets for G4-binding small molecules, which would, in the case of promoter G4s, result in the transcriptional downregulation of these genes. However, structural information is currently available on only a very small number of G4s and their ligand complexes. This limitation, coupled with the currently restricted information on the G4-containing genes involved in most complex human cancers, has led to the development of a phenotypic-led approach to G4 ligand drug discovery. This approach was illustrated by the discovery of several generations of tri- and tetra-substituted naphthalene diimide (ND) ligands that were found to show potent growth inhibition in pancreatic cancer cell lines and are active in in vivo models for this hard-to-treat disease. The cycles of discovery have culminated in a highly potent tetra-substituted ND derivative, QN-302, which is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial. The major genes whose expression has been down-regulated by QN-302 are presented here: all contain G4 propensity and have been found to be up-regulated in human pancreatic cancer. Some of these genes are also upregulated in other human cancers, supporting the hypothesis that QN-302 is a pan-G4 drug of potential utility beyond pancreatic cancer.

Cortactin: A major cellular target of viral, protozoal, and fungal pathogens.

Many viral, protozoal, and fungal pathogens represent major human and animal health problems due to their great potential of causing infectious diseases. Research on these pathogens has contributed substantially to our current understanding of both microbial virulence determinants and host key factors during infection. Countless studies have also shed light on the molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions that are employed by these microbes. For example, actin cytoskeletal dynamics play critical roles in effective adhesion, host cell entry, and intracellular movements of intruding pathogens. Cortactin is an eminent host cell protein that stimulates actin polymerization and signal transduction, and recently emerged as fundamental player during host-pathogen crosstalk. Here we review the important role of cortactin as major target for various prominent viral, protozoal and fungal pathogens in humans, and its role in human disease development and cancer progression. Most if not all of these important classes of pathogens have been reported to hijack cortactin during infection through mediating up- or downregulation of cortactin mRNA and protein expression as well as signaling. In particular, pathogen-induced changes in tyrosine and serine phosphorylation status of cortactin at its major phospho-sites (Y-421, Y-470, Y-486, S-113, S-298, S-405, and S-418) are addressed. As has been reported for various Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, many pathogenic viruses, protozoa, and fungi also control these regulatory phospho-sites, for example, by activating kinases such as Src, PAK, ERK1/2, and PKD, which are known to phosphorylate cortactin. In addition, the recruitment of cortactin and its interaction partners, like the Arp2/3 complex and F-actin, to the contact sites between pathogens and host cells is highlighted, as this plays an important role in the infection process and internalization of several pathogens. However, there are also other ways in which the pathogens can exploit the function of cortactin for their needs, as the cortactin-mediated regulation of cellular processes is complex and involves numerous different interaction partners. Here, the current state of knowledge is summarized.