Unique Thread Research Articles

Novel wellbeing and repair peptide use in the UK: Netnographic findings

Recently, there has been an explosion of interest in synthetic peptides hormones promoted for wellbeing enhancement purposes, including BPC-157, TB-500 and CJC-1295. With these drugs increasingly accessible through online platforms such as e-commerce sites, this research seeks to understand user experiences of taking these drugs, and the ways in which digital forum spaces facilitate the development of a shared folk pharmacology and further indigenous harm reduction.Data is drawn from a netnography of peptide-related forum posts, encompassing 493 unique threads totalling almost 15,000 posts. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.Findings are split into two major sections, encompassing motivations for peptide use, and online folk pharmacology. In the first of these sections, findings explored include: Peptide use for the purposes of injury rehabilitation, including post-surgery recovery; Everyday wellbeing use of peptides, including for anti-ageing, with a particular focus on older men wishing to return to gym training for aesthetic and general health purposes; And the relationship between seeking black market peptides following negative experiences with healthcare providers for wellbeing-related issues.In the second section, key themes relate to: Community knowledge exchange regarding use, including community distribution of harm reduction information; Community understandings of the limits to utility of peptides, and experiences of product not working as anticipated; And information sharing regarding product quality, and potential harms relating to ‘scam’ sellers and substituted or poor-quality product.Conclusions show that an emergent folk pharmacology relating to peptides has developed in forum spaces, which informs and encourages use. Many older men appear to be taking peptides for everyday wellbeing purposes, suggesting a need for specific focus on this population in public health work. Issues with healthcare providers appeared to lead users to accessing black market peptides, suggesting specific education for healthcare practitioners around peptides may be important to pursue.

Threads of heritage: Intricate patterns of Indonesia and Kazakhstan

Indonesia and Kazakhstan have a rich cultural heritage expressed through intricate patterns and unique threads of art.Indonesia, a country with a rich history and diverse ethnic composition, is known for its unique traditions in textile arts. The richness and variety of Indonesian fabrics such as batik, as well as techniques and patterns that show the cultural characteristics of different regions of Indonesia is very significant in the heritage of Indonesian culture. Particular attention is paid to the symbolism and historical significance of the patterns, as well as their role in rituals and holidays. On the other hand, Kazakhstan, which located in central Eurasia, also has a rich cultural heritage, including unique textile traditions. The features of Kazakh national patterns that show various aspects of the life of this nation are very important. Particular attention is paid to the symbolism of animals and plants in patterns, as well as their role in preserving cultural identity.Overall, the heritage threads of Indonesia and Kazakhstan represent not only artistic expressions, but also important elements of the cultural and historical heritage of these countries. Studying these patterns helps to better understand and appreciate the diversity and richness of the cultural traditions of these peoples.This study aims to understand how the threads of heritage connected into the patterns of Indonesia and Kazakhstan reflect the cultural, historical and religious aspects of these societies.

Epidemics In The 21st Century: A Multifaceted Challenge

In the intricate tapestry of human history, the 21st century stands as a chapter marked by the recurring emergence of epidemics, each weaving its unique thread into the fabric of global health. From the haunting reappearances of familiar adversaries like influenza to the unexpected onslaught of novel viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, this era has borne witness to a diverse array of health crises that have tested the resilience of societies worldwide. The canvas of epidemics in the 21st century encompasses a spectrum of formidable adversaries. Changes in host population ecology, genetic mutations in pathogen reservoirs, the lack of disease control, the growing population, overcrowded urban areas, climate change, and globalization have resulted in the development of several epidemics and pandemics. The intermittent waves of influenza, with their ability to swiftly mutate, present an enduring challenge to containment and mitigation efforts. The advent of novel viruses like SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and most notably, the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, underscores the unpredictability and rapid global spread inherent in emerging infectious diseases. Monkeypox, yet another disfiguring and deadly infection, is reported in 20 countries and carries the potential to become another pandemic. Dengue is yet another significant challenge for the healthcare system of many under-developed countries, especially Pakistan, affecting many people each year. Pakistan is experiencing major public health threats in the face of the current massive flood that facilitates the transmission of this deadly disease. Almost one-third of Pakistan’s population is suffering from life-threatening infections, including cholera, malaria, typhoid, etc., due to flood consequences. The silent yet pervasive threat posed by antimicrobial resistance looms large, rendering conventional treatments ineffective and elevating the urgency for novel therapeutic strategies. The surge in non-communicable diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular ailments, amplifies the burden on healthcare systems and demands multifaceted preventive measures. Amidst the convoluted landscape of epidemics, medical professionals confront an amalgamation of challenges. The imperative for robust preparedness, encompassing early detection, rapid response mechanisms, and efficient resource allocation, forms the cornerstone of epidemic management. Strengthening public health infrastructure remains pivotal, advocating for improved surveillance systems, enhanced laboratory capacities, and a resilient healthcare workforce. Addressing health disparities and ensuring equitable access to healthcare resources, especially in underserved communities, emerges as a fundamental tenet in epidemic management. The interconnectedness of our world mandates cohesive international collaborations, fostering information-sharing, research partnerships, and coordinated responses to combat epidemics transcending geographical boundaries. The crucible of epidemics in the 21st century compels us to acknowledge the imperativeness of collective resilience and concerted efforts. As we navigate the uncharted territories of emerging infectious threats and persisting health challenges, the amalgamation of scientific innovation, proactive policy interventions, and unwavering global solidarity becomes indispensable. In the pursuit of a healthier, more resilient future, the role of medical professionals stands as a beacon of hope, steering us through the turbulent seas of epidemics with unwavering dedication and expertise. Let us, as a global community, harness our collective strength and fortitude to confront these challenges, transcending boundaries, and fostering a world where health equity and preparedness prevail.

A Golden Braid:* Weaving Terry Wood’s unique threads of humanity in theory and practice

ABSTRACT While reading, in other articles, about the authors’ experiences with and perspectives on the work of Terry Wood, I have been struck by the many facets of Terry’s work as a mathematics educator (researcher, teacher, mentor, and friend) that emerge article after article. Having agreed to write some synthesis of the articles, I have chosen the metaphor of a braid, woven in different ways by different authors (co-researchers, doctoral students, colleagues, and friends). All speak of Terry’s basic humanity (my words) as they have appreciated her contributions, both personal and professional, to their lives and work. From this, I draw many threads and diverse weavings. Not least, I weave my own experiences of and with Terry in contributing to my own life and work. I borrow (from Hofstadter, 1999) the term “golden braid,” as I believe this special issue reflects, repeatedly, a “golden” braiding in our relationships with Terry.

Outcomes of Distal Femur Fractures Treated with Retrograde Indigenous Intramedullary Supracondylar (IMSC) Nailing

Introduction Fractures of the distal femur are complex injuries that pose a challenge to orthopaedic surgeon. Significant advances have been made in treatment of these fractures. Out of various options for surgical treatment, retrograde intramedullary nailing has several benefits compared to other methods of fixation. Amongst the routinely available IMSC nails which have a specific design, we used an indigenous IMSC nail with unique design. Materials And Methodology We conducted a retrospective study among 40 patients with distal femur fractures treated with this indigenous IMSC nail in our institute from May 2019 to October 2021. The patients were followed up in outpatient department till June 2022. Data was retrieved from case record forms and hospital information computer software. The study was conducted after obtaining permission from institutional review board. Results All the patients in our study were assessed using knee society score and functional knee score. Average knee society score at final follow up was 88.75/100 and average functional knee score at final follow up was 86.50/100 which showed excellent results. The results were better for extra-articular fractures. Average operative time, blood loss, time for radiological union and rate of complications were considerably less. Discussion Retrograde intramedullary nailing has been developed in order to address previous problems associated with distal femur fracture fixation. It has several advantages over plate fixation. Indigenous IMSC nail used in our study has added benefits over the routine IMSC nail due to its structure, number of screw holes in the distal part of nail, alignment of screw holes inside nail and unique thread design of the screws. Thus, it provides multi-planar fixation of fracture rather than in only one plane as achieved by routine IMSC nail giving excellent rotational stability to bone-implant construct.

Songs of school abolition

In this article, I theorize school abolition as a shift needed to unsettle education within current times of ecological precarity. As a practice and horizon, abolition reorganizes schooling’s ruling episteme by articulating humanity as a collective performance beyond the pedagogical paradigms of western man. Because racial capitalist schooling produced the political and economic subjects enacting socioecological destruction, even a progressive reformation of the school into a socially just institution will not save the planet. Disruptive pedagogy and insurgent curriculum are now an existential necessity, and school abolition offers a foundation for building liberatory alternatives. In this article, I consider school abolition by way of Gumbs’s experimental M Archive, which grounds three interrelated lines of speculation. First, I theorize schooling and extraction as two interrelated forms of violence, utilizing the work of Hartman, Ferreira da Silva, and Wynter to argue that both constitute material transformations essential to western humanism. Second, I suggest that school abolition is a natural consequence of climate catastrophe, drawing on Butler’s Parable of the Sower to illustrate the importance of learning and teaching forms of knowledge while surviving ecological precarity. Third, I speculate on the role of music, working with Jordan’s “The Talking Back of Miss Valentine Jones” to think more about collective and everyday forms of school abolition. These unique threads are connected by their account of how school and its abolition (dis)organizes collective definitions of humanity and its relationship with the environment.

Book Review: Hip Hop around the World: An Encyclopedia

This encyclopedia consists of over 450 A–Z entries focusing on “Artists,” “Concepts,” “Countries,” and “Styles,” as well as finer aspects of cultures within the international hip hop scene. The work is not entirely unique in all of its content. For instance, Rigg’s St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture (St. James, 2018) focuses on the United States and makes a cursory foray into the international hip hop sphere. However, the work under review appears to be the only encyclopedia dedicated to highlighting interrelations and unique threads within hip hop globally, albeit with copious US coverage.

Screenomics: A Framework to Capture and Analyze Personal Life Experiences and the Ways that Technology Shapes Them

Digital experiences capture an increasingly large part of life, making them a preferred, if not required, method to describe and theorize about human behavior. Digital media also shape behavior by enabling people to switch between different content easily, and create unique threads of experiences that pass quickly through numerous information categories. Current methods of recording digital experiences provide only partial reconstructions of digital lives that weave – often within seconds – among multiple applications, locations, functions, and media. We describe an end-to-end system for capturing and analyzing the “screenome” of life in media, i.e., the record of individual experiences represented as a sequence of screens that people view and interact with over time. The system includes software that collects screenshots, extracts text and images, and allows searching of a screenshot database. We discuss how the system can be used to elaborate current theories about psychological processing of technology, and suggest new theoretical questions that are enabled by multiple timescale analyses. Capabilities of the system are highlighted with eight research examples that analyze screens from adults who have generated data within the system. We end with a discussion of future uses, limitations, theory, and privacy.

Penile strangulation by a metal ring: an easy and unique thread method for removal of the ring

Penile incarceration is a rare but serious problem. Rapid treatment is necessary to prevent penile infarction. Glass bottles, metal rings, steel nuts and bull rings have been reported as constricting agents. Depending on the type of material, various tools such as diamond drills, bolt cutters and glass saws have been used to remove the objects. Penile strangulation by metal ring is a rare surgical emergency situation which requires urgent intervention to avoid vascular and urethral injury. It is usually associated with an attempt to improve sexual act and/or to prolong erection, psychosexual disorder. It is difficult to cut a metal ring as the edema was out of proportion and metal ring had made pressure ulcer at pen scrotal junction. The treatment of penile strangulation is decompression of the constricted penis to facilitate free blood flow and micturition. It requires no particular skill but does require resourcefulness to perform the removal simply and effectively, and with as little discomfort for the patient as possible. Here, author presented a case of penile strangulation in which metal ring was removed by silk thread.

For an epistemology of mathematical contents: Albert Lautman

Albert Lautman was an attentive observer of modern mathematics from Riemann to the Bourbakist movement in the 1930s and developed his thought within that unique thread of philosophy of science that was the philosophie mathematique in France during the early twentieth century. He gave a coherent form to the philosophical concerns of mathematicians such as Hilbert, Weyl and Godel, highlighting the unity of mathematics and their dynamic and creative character. He developed a philosophy of mathematics that differed from standard 1930s philosophy of science, and focussed on the analysis of the “contents” of mathematical thought, not considered only as a formal language. Thanks to this historical-epistemological choice, as claimed by Jean Dieudonne who knew him personally, Lautman was able to anticipate the themes and problems of the subsequent mathematical thought, and to provide some tools that allow us to better understand the complex figure of Grothendieck. His “epistemology of mathematical contents” also represents an important moment in French philosophy of the sciences, which even today in France does not receive adequate critical attention.

Reliability of Strip Line Method for Determination of Conductivity for Lossy Conductive Materials

Designing electro-textile antenna requires complex analysis as the material cannot be simply modeled as a conventional antenna with perfect metallic surface. Electro-textile has relatively lower conductivity compared with an ideal conductor. Due to its inhomogeneous and unique thread structure, exact conductivity, $\sigma _{c}$ , is difficult to be determined, which will result in inaccurate modeling during antenna designing. Significant deterioration in antenna efficiency can be observed when low conductivity element is used, and thus, accurate determination of bulk conductivity for customized electro-textile shall be performed. Previously, a strip-line method was proposed, and however, the reliability of the technique in correlation with material’s loss characteristics was not clarified. Furthermore, the practicality of the technique for higher frequency, such as ISM band, was not demonstrated. In this paper, the validity of the technique for lossless, low-loss, and high-loss materials for 2.45-GHz wearable application is clarified. A more practical and straightforward equation to calculate electro-textile’s bulk conductivity is derived, and the accuracy and reliability range of the equation is demonstrated through comprehensive electromagnetic simulation. Through analysis, the correlation between $\sigma _{c}$ , dielectric loss and attenuation loss is shown. For validation, two samples that consist of two conductors, namely copper and SHIELDIT, are fabricated on a low-loss RO5880 substrate. The $\sigma _{c}$ values of the conductors are calculated from transmission loss (S21) measurement. Good agreement of $\sigma _{c}$ is obtained for both cases, particularly when the actual $\sigma _{c}$ is within the threshold range of around 107 S/m.

The burden of inbox-messaging systems and its effect on work-life balance in dermatology

The burden of inbox-messaging systems and its effect on work-life balance in dermatology

Energy-Efficient Compilation of Irregular Task-Parallel Loops

Energy-efficient compilation is an important problem for multi-core systems. In this context, irregular programs with task-parallel loops present interesting challenges: the threads with lesser work-loads ( non-critical -threads) wait at the join-points for the thread with maximum work-load ( critical -thread); this leads to significant energy wastage. This problem becomes more interesting in the context of multi-socket-multi-core (MSMC) systems, where different sockets may run at different frequencies, but all the cores connected to a socket run at a single frequency. In such a configuration, even though the load-imbalance among the cores may be significant, an MSMC-oblivious technique may miss the opportunities to reduce energy consumption, if the load-imbalance across the sockets is minimal. This problem becomes further challenging in the presence of mutual-exclusion, where scaling the frequencies of a socket executing the non-critical-threads can impact the execution time of the critical-threads. In this article, we propose a scheme (X10Ergy) to obtain energy gains with minimal impact on the execution time, for task-parallel languages, such as X10, HJ, and so on. X10Ergy takes as input a loop-chunked program (parallel-loop iterations divided into chunks and each chunk is executed by a unique thread). X10Ergy follows a mixed compile-time + runtime approach that (i) uses static analysis to efficiently compute the work-load of each chunk at runtime, (ii) computes the “remaining” work-load of the chunks running on the cores of each socket at regular intervals and tunes the frequency of the sockets accordingly, (iii) groups the threads into different sockets (based on the remaining work-load of their respective chunks), and (iv) in the presence of atomic-blocks, models the effect of frequency-scaling on the critical-thread. We implemented X10Ergy for X10 and have obtained encouraging results for the IMSuite kernels.

Scheduling algorithm for parallel real-time tasks on multiprocessor systems

The purpose of this paper is to study the task scheduling problem of task sets on multiprocessor systems. In the task sets there are parallel tasks and sequential tasks. Parallel tasks can not meet their deadlines if they are executed by one unique thread. However, a parallel task has several parallelization options. A good parallelization level for a parallel task can make it meet its deadline and result in the addition of extra execution time due to parallelization overhead. We propose the Best-Fit based on Equal Slack (BEES) algorithm for deadline setting and task assignment. To derive a feasible task assignment, we must select a proper parallelization level from the available parallelization options for each parallel task. Then each parallel task will be split into several subtasks. Finally, sequential tasks and generated subtasks for parallel tasks are assigned to processors. A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the proposed algorithm. From the experimental results, we can observe that the proposed algorithm had better performance the compared algorithms. The experimental results demonstrate that the performance of the algorithms using the Equal Slack strategy is better than that using the Equal Flexibility strategy.

Whole Brain Emulation Requires Enhanced Theology, and a “Handmaiden”

Providing a theological assessment of whole brain emulation, also called “uploading,” I argue that there is no insurmountable theological objection to the idea that uploading can transfer and preserve personal identity. However, from a philosophical perspective, the duplication argument (a copy cannot be identical to the original) presents a serious problem. So, uploading cannot be viewed as preserving identity, at least until we have an explanation of how uploading can be limited to a single, unique thread of personality. An alternative, which would require theological response, is to treat an upload as a related but not strictly identical person.

A Content Analysis of Social Media Interactions in the Facebook Band Directors Group

Abstract The authors examine the interactions of music educators within an online social media community, the Band Directors Group on Facebook. Using a quantitative content analysis approach to examine 1,656 unique threads, the authors explore the frequencies of posted topics and general topic interest as measured by user responses. Among the 54 different codes used to categorize topics, repertoire selection, instrument recommendations, and rehearsal strategies emerged as the most frequent topics of discussion. Additionally, the authors explored the application of Wenger, McDermott, and Snyder’s (2002) community of practice theory and found that the group is a functioning community of practice that exhibits many of the common characteristics associated with the theory.

Fast and scalable rendezvousing

In an asymmetric rendezvous system, such as an unfair synchronous queue or an elimination array, threads of two types, consumers and producers, show up and are matched each with a unique thread of ...

SU-GG-I-24: Improving IGRT Efficiency Using GPU-Based Ultrafast Reconstruction of DTS/CBCT and DRR

Purpose: One challenge of on‐line image‐guidedradiation therapy is requirement of immediate availability of reconstructed 3D or 4D images for evaluation. This study is to develop a highly data‐parallel version and platform of accelerating reconstruction for digital tomosynthesis (DTS)/Cone‐Beam CT (CBCT) and digitally‐reconstructed radiographs(DRR) based on ray‐tracing algorithm. Method and Materials: A modified FDK algorithm of tomographic image reconstruction is being implemented on a CUDA‐based commercial graphics processing unit (GPU). This algorithm is developed to address time‐consuming process of reconstructing DTS/ CBCT, and DRR. The original projection images are first allocated to the textures on the graphic card. Based on the cone‐beam geometry, the projection matrix for each gantry rotation is generated from the ray intersection and overlaid to the GPU memory. A unique thread ID will be assigned to each voxel volume for further computation. Global computation kernel of FDK processing is called from shared memory of each block on GPU. The reconstructed 3D data is then transferred back to CPU after synchronization. Image quality of the reconstructed images with both hardware and software techniques is compared using differential contrast‐to‐singal ratio (CNR) and pixel signal‐to‐noise ratio (PSNR) for various clinical sites including lung, pelvis and head&neck. Results: With the new algorithm, the times for reconstructing DTS and DRR are improved by a factor of 100 using Quadro FX5800 and 30 using GT9600, respectively, over the conventional software method. The DTS/CBCT for a lung patient can be reconstructed and rendered with 4 to 51 seconds dependent on the number of projections. Consistency comparison of imagesreconstructed using both hardware and software techniques shows greater than both consistancy and image resolution increasing. Conclusion: A GPU‐accelerated ultra‐fast reconstruction allows real‐time on‐board imaging process to be completed within a minute to improve the efficiency of IGRT applications.

La producció discursiva de Martí Domínguez i Barberà (1908-1984) i els seus registres expressius

Summary: Martí Domínguez i Barberà (Algemesí, 1908 – València, 1984) is one of the most outstanding figures of 20th century Valencian journalism. Though he is mainly known for his journalistic work, his discursive production also comprises other, more literary genres: poetry, narrative, theatre and essay writing. Journalism turned out to be an extraordinary training and promotional springboard for him, as it was where he found the stage from which he was able to fulfil his vocation for literature and the arts. One can detect his work from his diversity of expression, which webs a unique thread across various registers. [Keywords: Discourse production, expressive features, journalistic discourse, Valencian journalistic history, literary genre, discourse analysis].

Type-safe higher-order channels with channel locality

AbstractAs a means of transmitting not only data but also code encapsulated within functions, higher-order channels provide an advanced form of task parallelism in parallel computations. In the presence of mutable references, however, they pose a safety problem because references may be transmitted to remote threads where they are no longer valid. This paper presents an ML-like parallel language withtype-safehigher-order channels. By type safety, we mean that no value written to a channel contains references, or equivalently, that no reference escapes via a channel from the thread where it is created. The type system uses a typing judgment that is capable of deciding whether the value to which a term evaluates contains references or not. The use of such a typing judgment also makes it easy to achieve another desirable feature of channels,channel locality, that associates every channel with a unique thread for serving all values addressed to it. Our type system permits mutable references in sequential computations and also ensures that mutable references never interfere with parallel computations. Thus, it provides both flexibility in sequential programming and ease of implementing parallel computations.