China as data coloniser? rethinking cultural production, cultural mediation, and consumer agency on Kenyan and Chinese e-commerce platforms.

Has China become a neo-colonizer, exporting its cultural and economic power to the world based on its agenda of building soft power? Existing scholarship on neocolonialism and data colonialism largely focuses on how China's infrastructural expansion and increasingly platformised cultural sectors can achieve its ambitious platformised cultural sectors overseas. Yet, how China's cultural power is manifested, negotiated, or resisted in people's daily lives in a South-South setting remains under-researched and under-theorised. This article uses everyday fashion in Kenya as a case study to investigate China's cultural and economic power expansion in the Global South.

Investigation of growth and sporulation during larval rearing.

Insects are increasingly used as an alternative protein source for feed and food production. One of the main biological hazards associated with edible insects is the bio-accumulation of foodborne pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, the interaction of larvae of the black soldier fly (BSFL, (L.

Genetic Variation in MiRNA Processing Machinery Genes and Susceptibility to Colorectal Cancer in the Iranian Population.

Background: We aimed to elucidate the potential correlation between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNA machinery genes and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk in an Iranian cohort.

Methods: We conducted a robust case-control study involving 507 participants, which included 213 patients diagnosed with CRC and 294 healthy controls at Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases in Tehran Province, Iran in 2018. The study focused on genotyping four specific SNPs, (rs14035), (rs197412), (rs2740348), and (rs3742330), using advanced ARMS-PCR and Tetra-primer ARMS-PCR techniques.

Biometric Technology at the Borders of Citizenship: Identifying Technical Standards for Introducer-Based Remote Onboarding in Global Contexts of Statelessness, Nomadism, Displacement, and Refuge.

All throughout the so-called "Global South", hundreds of millions of individuals from entire communities in the rural, poorer, or most peripheral areas are not officially recorded by the States they are citizens of or they habitually reside in. This is why several of such States are resorting to extensive and purportedly "universal" digital remote onboarding programs, pioneered by India's Aadhaar, whereby individuals are centrally recorded onto a public database with their identity (and possibly citizenship) confirmed. Whenever paper documents are obsolete, inaccurate, deteriorated, or inexistent, individuals may have their identity confirmed through an "introducer", who mediates between marginalised communities and central authorities and is entrusted by both with this delicate task.

Research team diversity impacts scientific output in allergy and immunology programs.

Background: This study examined the relationship between the disciplinary diversity of research teams and research output (RO) in allergy and immunology programs funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States, Medical Research Council (MRC) in the United Kingdom, and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

Methods: Using a dataset containing 1243, 3645, and 1468 articles funded by the NIH, MRC, and JSPS, respectively, we analyzed the correlation between disciplinary diversity and RO in allergy and immunology programs that received grants from 2017 to 2021. Diversity was measured using All Science Journal Classification codes counts, Shannon-Wiener index, and newly developed Omnidisciplinary index (o-index).

Dichroism-sensitive photoacoustic imaging for in-depth estimation of the optic axis in fibrous tissue.

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is a developing image modality that benefits from light-matter interaction and low acoustic attenuation to provide functional information on tissue composition at relatively large depths. Several studies have reported the potential of dichroism-sensitive photoacoustic (DS-PA) imaging to expand PAI capabilities by obtaining morphological information of tissue regarding anisotropy and predominant orientation. However, most of these studies have limited their analysis to superficial scanning of samples, where fluence effects are negligible.

Impact of Native and Nonnative Study Partners on Medical Students' Confidence and Collaborative Strategies in Second Language Medical Dutch Learning.

Objective: This study explored how native and nonnative study partners impact medical students' confidence, learning strategies, and perceptions of learning experiences in second language (L2) medical Dutch learning using Kolb's experiential learning framework.

Methods: Twelve third-year international bachelor medical students participated in a mixed-methods pre-post quasi-experimental design. Four students were paired with highly proficient native Dutch partners in a mixed group, and eight nonnative students formed pairs in a homogeneous group.

Paths to Autonomous Motivation and Well-being: Understanding the Contribution of Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction in Health Professions Students.

Background: Undergraduate students enrolled in Health Professions (HP) programs may experience challenges related to motivation and well-being. According to Self-Determination Theory, learning environments that support the three basic psychological needs (needs for autonomy, relatedness, competence) foster students' autonomous motivation and well-being. Little is known about the associations between basic psychological needs satisfaction, autonomous motivation, and well-being in the HP domain and how they relate to one another in an integrative model.

School autonomy with accountability as a cross-national policy model: diverse adoptions, practices and impacts.

This special issue examines the policy model of School Autonomy with Accountability (SAWA) and its diverse configurations . The focus is on understanding how SAWA reforms shape governance practices and influence educational systems in different educational settings. Drawing on a range of theoretical perspectives, the issue explores how political factors, administrative traditions, and local professional frameworks shape the adoption and evolution of these policies.

Exploring Quality of Life in Adults Living With Late-onset Pompe Disease: A Combined Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Patient Perceptions from Australia, France, Italy, and the Netherlands.

Late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) is a rare, autosomal recessive metabolic disorder that is heterogeneous in disease presentation and progression. People with LOPD report a significantly lower physical, psychological, and social quality of life (QoL) than the general population. This study investigated how individuals' self-reported LOPD status (improving, stable, declining) relates to their QoL.

Prevalence of lower extremity edema following inguinal lymphadenectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Lower extremity lymphedema (LEL) can develop because of inguinal lymph node dissection in the treatment of gynecologic, genitourinary, and dermatological malignancies. To optimize patient counseling and patient selection for microsurgical interventions aimed at preventing or treating LEL, its prevalence and associated patient characteristics must be accurately documented. This systematic review and meta-analysis provides a comprehensive overview of literature on the reported prevalence of LEL in patients undergoing inguinal lymphadenectomy.

Massive weight loss may facilitate otherwise impossible flap designs in phalloplasty: The first description of a tube-in-tube design of a pedicled SCIA-based flap.

Introduction: Phalloplasty with urethral lengthening (UL) is a complex procedure with a high complication rate.

Case: A 44-year-old transgender man with a surgical history of mastectomy, hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy, colpectomy and metadoioplasty with UL wished to undergo phalloplasty with UL. He had lost 50 kgs of weight for this procedure.

Higher physical activity levels are related to faecal microbiota diversity and composition in young adults.

Increasing physical activity (PA) is recognised as an efficacious approach for preventing and treating cardiometabolic diseases. Recently, the composition of microorganisms living within the gut has been proposed as an important appropriate target for treating these diseases. Whether PA is related to faecal microbiota diversity and composition in humans remains to be ascertained.

Fixing the earth: whole-systems thinking in Silicon Valley's environmental ideology.

Today, American tech actors express optimistic ideas about how to fix the Earth and halt climate change. Such "green" initiatives have in common that they capture the world in systems and propose large systemic, and mostly technological, solutions. Because of their reliance on techno-fixes, representatives of Silicon Valley express an ideology of ecomodernism, which believes that human progress can be "decoupled" from environmental decline.

The Associations Between Temperament and Self-Oriented, Other-Oriented, and Dual-Harmful Behaviors in Emerging Adults.

Self- and other-oriented harmful behaviors are common among emerging adults. Individuals who engage in both forms of behavior, termed dual-harm, experience more adverse outcomes in comparison to individuals who engage in either. This study examines temperamental traits, defined as reactive and regulative temperament, as transdiagnostic factors underlying engagement in self-oriented, other-oriented, and dual-harmful behaviors.

DNA Methylation Associates With Sex-Specific Effects of Experimentally Increased Yolk Testosterone in Wild Nestlings.

Maternal hormones can profoundly impact offspring physiology and behaviour in sex-dependent ways. Yet little is known about the molecular mechanisms linking these maternal effects to offspring phenotypes. DNA methylation, an epigenetic mechanism, is suggested to facilitate maternal androgens' effects.

Surgical Management of Intracerebral Hemorrhage: New Light on the Horizon?

After 30 years of disappointment, 2 randomized controlled trials investigating the effect of neurosurgical treatment on functional outcome in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage were published in 2024. The ENRICH trial (Early Minimally Invasive Removal of Intracerebral Hemorrhage) studied the efficacy of early minimally invasive hematoma removal in patients with lobar or anterior basal ganglia intracerebral hemorrhage, whereas the SWITCH trial investigated the effect of decompressive craniectomy without hematoma removal in severe deep intracerebral hemorrhage. In this critique article, we will discuss the main findings of these trials, their implications and future perspectives.

Predicting Antidepressant Treatment Response From Cortical Structure on MRI: A Mega-Analysis From the ENIGMA-MDD Working Group.

Accurately predicting individual antidepressant treatment response could expedite the lengthy trial-and-error process of finding an effective treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). We tested and compared machine learning-based methods that predict individual-level pharmacotherapeutic treatment response using cortical morphometry from multisite longitudinal cohorts. We conducted an international analysis of pooled data from six sites of the ENIGMA-MDD consortium (n = 262 MDD patients; age = 36.

Epidemiology of invasive disease in adults in England, 2013-2017.

Extraintestinal pathogenic (ExPEC) causes invasive disease (IED), including bacteraemia and (uro)sepsis, resulting in a high disease burden, especially among older adults. This study describes the epidemiology of IED in England (2013-2017) by combining laboratory surveillance and clinical data. A total of 191 612 IED cases were identified.

The Impact of Chemotherapy and Body Mass Index on Cancer-Related Fatigue in Colon Cancer Patients: A PROFILES-Registry Study.

Background: Inflammation has been reported to drive cancer-related fatigue (CRF). As both obesity and chemotherapy promote inflammatory responses, obese cancer patients may be at risk of more severe CRF, especially when receiving chemotherapy.

Methods: We analysed data of 333 colon cancer patients from four hospitals in the Netherlands (data derived from the PROCORE study).

Consensus findings of an International Workshops on Genotoxicity Testing workshop on using transcriptomic biomarkers to predict genotoxicity.

Gene expression biomarkers have the potential to identify genotoxic and non-genotoxic carcinogens, providing opportunities for integrated testing and reducing animal use. In August 2022, an International Workshops on Genotoxicity Testing (IWGT) workshop was held to critically review current methods to identify genotoxicants using transcriptomic profiling. Here, we summarize the findings of the workgroup on the state of the science regarding the use of transcriptomic biomarkers to identify genotoxic chemicals in vitro and in vivo.

Development and Feasibility Study of a Triage Tool for Early Referral to Spinal Cord Stimulation for Patients With Chronic Low Back and Leg Pain.

Background: In recent years, delayed elective care and growing waiting lists increasingly resulted in postponed surgeries for patients with chronic back and leg pain.

Objective: To develop, implement, and evaluate the feasibility of a triage tool for patients with chronic back and/or leg pain to identify those eligible for referral to spinal cord stimulation (SCS) consultation.

Methods: A triage tool was developed, based on Dutch SCS guidelines, literature review and expert panel consultation.

Asymmetric Microgels with Tunable Morphologies by Assembly-Guided Polymerization of Liquid Crystalline Monomers.

Understanding and controlling the morphology of microgels is crucial for optimizing their properties and functions in diverse areas of application. The fabrication of microgels that exhibit both structural and chemical anisotropy using a template-free approach faces significant challenges. Existing approaches toward such microgels are typically limited to templating methods with low throughput.