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The climb of Gasherbrum IV's (7,925 m) 'Shining Wall' in 1985 by Voytek Kurtyka and Robert Schauer is considered one of the greatest mountaineering achievements in the twentieth century, even though the two climbers did not reach the summit. The article explores three ways of understanding mountaineering without the objective of reaching the summit. I start with a game-playing approach and then a view on mountaineering that takes its inspiration from deep ecology and argue that while both have the potential for explaining important aspects of mountaineering, neither will fully account for the value of climbing mountains without summiting. Finally, I argue that we can supplement either of these two views with a radically different way of understanding mountaineering, which involves creating and appreciating a work of art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Decentralized human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a model adopted to improve access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) within communities and mitigate the burden of HIV treatment and care on health care facility. In Ethiopia, these services help HIV clients fully benefit from ART as they are able to access ART within their catchment areas. However, HIV clients still travel out of their catchment areas to commence the ART. Thus, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of out-of-catchment area ART initiation and its associated factors among people living with HIV (PLWHIV) in Western Ethiopia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 423 PLWHIV from November 25 to December 30, 2025, at Nekemte Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. A systematic sampling method was used to recruit the study participants. Epi Data 3.1 and STATA 14.0 were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was computed to identify factors associated with out-of-catchment ART initiation among PLWHIV. Variables with a P value <.25 from the bivariable analysis were entered into the multivariable analysis. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and P value <.05 were used to determine a significant association. Results: A total of 423 PLHIV were included in the study. The mean age of study participants was 33.43 ± 9.79 years. One-fifth (22%) of the participants-initiated ART out of their catchment area with 95% (CI: 18.28-26.20). Participants who did not disclose their HIV (AOR = 4.39, 95% CI = 2.45-7.87), tested through voluntary counseling and testing (AOR = 3.99, 95% CI = 2.21-7.19), knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS (AOR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.18-3.93), using traditional healing (AOR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.03-3.55), being female (AOR = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.36-4.32), and perceived stigma (AOR = 3.41, 95% CI = 1.88-6.18) were significantly associated with out-of-catchment ART initiation. Conclusion and Recommendation: A substantial number of PLWHIV in study area had initiated ART outside their designated catchment areas. To address this, it is crucial to enhance HIV serostatus disclosure, combat discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, and promote decentralized HIV care and ART services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite their ubiquity across sub-Saharan Africa, private pharmacies are underutilized for HIV service delivery beyond the sale of HIV self-test kits. To understand what uptake of HIV prevention and treatment services might look like if private pharmacies offered clients free HIV self-testing and referral to clinic-based HIV services, we conducted a pilot study in Kenya. Methods: At 20 private pharmacies in Kisumu County, Kenya, pharmacy clients (≥ 18 years) purchasing sexual health-related products (e.g., contraception) were offered free HIV testing. Based on their test result and recent self-reported behaviors associated with HIV risk, clients were encouraged to consider pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), or antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation, informed where they could access free services, and issued a referral. We called clients three months after study completion to see if they had initiated the recommended service. Among clients who reported PrEP referral, we used Poisson regression models to examine characteristics associated with PrEP initiation and calculated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs). Results: From March to June 2022, 1500 pharmacy clients completed HIV testing and were referred to clinic-based HIV services; in October 2022, 1178 (79%) were reached and meet our criteria for follow-up. Among those reached, the majority (63%, 742/1178) were women, the median age was 26 years (IQR 22–31), and few (4%, 51/1178) reported any prior PrEP use. At the pharmacy, most clients (96%, 1136/1178) tested HIV-negative and reported PrEP (95%, 1122/1178) or PEP (1%, 14/1178) referral; the remainder (4%, 42/1178) tested HIV-positive and reported ART referral. The uptake of ART (90%, 38/42) and PEP (86%, 12/14) among clients referred was high. The uptake of PrEP was only 9% (101/1122) among those referred and prior PrEP use was the only characteristic significantly associated with initiation (aPR 2.45, 95% confidence interval 1.19 to 5.07). Conclusions: Although offering free HIV testing at private pharmacies led to the identification and referral of clients who could benefit from HIV services, additional interventions (e.g., incentives, patient navigators) may be needed to support PrEP referral follow-through. Alternatively, new delivery models that circumvent the need for referrals, such as same-day PrEP initiation at pharmacies, should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic served as a call to action for scientists to find new and creative ways to prevent future pandemics. Because value-based emotions underly human behavior, scientific facts alone have proven to be a poor motivator to change the behaviors that increase zoonotic spillover risk. Emotions can translate in psychological stances such as biophobia, the fear of or aversion to nature, and biophilia, the appreciation of nature. Educating the public about species that may pose a zoonotic risk can have the unintended effect of inducing biophobia into the public psyche. This can lead to increased zoonoses risk. In this Perspective, I make the case that strategically employing art can be an effective method to communicate zoonotic risk while promoting biophilia. Using art as a method of communication has been explored by various scientific fields but has not been sufficiently applied to infectious disease messaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite significant advances in HIV treatment, a definitive cure remains elusive. The first-in-human clinical trial of Excision BioTherapeutics' CRISPR-based HIV cure, EBT-101, demonstrated safety but failed to prevent viral rebound. These outcomes may result from the interplay of several factors. Growing evidence indicates that intricate epigenetic modifications play a major role in the persistence of HIV latency, presenting a significant barrier to eradication efforts and causing viral rebound after ART discontinuation. Current strategies to purge the latent reservoir involve LRAs that reactivate latent proviruses. However, their clinical success is hindered by the heterogeneity of HIV reservoirs and the virus's diverse pathways. Additionally, RNA modifications like N6-methyladenosine (m^6 A) methylation influence HIV biology beyond transcriptional control, affect RNA stability, splicing, and translation, which could enhance therapeutic efficacy. The regulatory framework of chromatin dynamics is also key to understanding viral latency and reactivation, such as Vpr's role in reactivating latent HIV by targeting HDACs. Sex-specific factors were also shown to play an important role with females, showing stronger early immune responses and higher representation among elite controllers. This review addresses the multifaceted challenges of HIV cure research, focusing on genetic diversity, epigenetic regulation, RNA modifications, chromatin remodeling, and sex-specific factors. By integrating insights into these aspects, this paper aims to advance our understanding of HIV cure strategies and highlight directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Silk is the property of Zhejiang Sci-Tech University Magazines and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

School-age children experience sensory processing challenges, especially among children living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As the modern classroom strives to be an inclusive environment, more schools are adopting measures to provide sensory processing support. School nurses can be at the forefront to spearhead this initiative and are well-positioned to promote support and inclusivity for students through increased education for this population, including their peers. This article explores a collaboration between local school health services and a college of nursing to provide school-age children the opportunity to learn about the challenges faced by children living with sensory processing challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the notion of loneliness as lack of solidarity in relations to Palestinians living in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Israel, and the diaspora. Loneliness as lack of solidarity is defined as lacking someone to identify with and/or lacking someone who is willing to assist while carrying a burden. We describe the mechanism of lack of identification using the concept of epistemic injustice. The paper suggests that art may serve as a way to mitigate this kind of loneliness, and focus on the Freedom Theater, which was operating in Jenin Refugee Camp until recently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the benefits of an arts-based mindfulness program called Holistic Arts-Based Program (HAP), which has been studied for nearly 20 years across various populations. Topics include the program's effectiveness with marginalized children, women leaving abusive relationships, and adults with mental health challenges, as well as its ability to foster creativity, growth, and healing in diverse age groups.

College campuses are sites of institutional betrayal and interpersonal harm for too many survivors of gender-based violence. In pursuit of change aligned with empowerment frameworks and feminist epistemologies, many of us create spaces for impacted students to engage in participatory action research and learning. This article describes a mindfulness, arts-based embodied practice for transforming settings and positioning participants as visionaries and experts on safety, power, and well-being. Through intentional dyadic and collective discussion, the Sacred Containers form the foundation for a coconstructed community. This article describes the rationale, process, impact, and recommendations via student and faculty reflections across four cohorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a digital environment, this study tested how setting (museum vs. street), reputation (established vs. unestablished), and style (abstract vs. representational) affected people's aesthetic perception of art. Art novices, quasi-experts, and experts were randomly assigned to rate paintings that varied in setting, reputation, and style. Although there was no significant main effect of setting, follow-up pairwise comparisons showed that novices gave higher aesthetic judgment to paintings in street settings. There was a significant interaction between reputation, style, and expertise, such that the greater the expertise, the greater the differences in ratings between established and unestablished paintings, and the smaller the differences between abstract and representational style paintings. Quasi-experts and experts gave higher ratings to established rather than unestablished paintings, and all groups preferred representational over abstract style; however, the expert preferences reversed with unestablished paintings. The study found that the effect of reputation and expertise persisted after controlling for painting familiarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research revealed that meaning in life is related positively to psychological engagement with art (i.e., aesthetic engagement), such as interest in art, knowledge about art, awe around art, and supernatural attributions for art experiences. We extended this work by considering the relevance of dispositions toward aesthetics (i.e., aesthetic dispositions), such as openness to experience, creativity in general and in art, and religious belief salience. Specifically, we proposed a conceptual model relating aesthetic dispositions, aesthetic engagement, and meaning in life. We tested hypotheses derived from the model with an online sample of N = 696 artists. Correlational results supported our hypotheses and replicated previous findings. Path analytic results showed that interest in art mediated associations between aesthetic dispositions and meaning in life. The results contribute to empirical work on aesthetic cognitivism, the philosophical stance that art can lead to understanding, by shedding light on factors associated with meaningful interactions with art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides new perspectives on the transitions of children from military families. It examines the experiences and agency of a group of UK primary‐school Service children who were undergoing far‐reaching transitions while participating in an arts‐based research project. Transitions are conceived here not as events, such as school moves, but as processes of changing, the dialogical interplay between ever‐changing socio‐cultural and physical environments and the psychological work individuals undertake in response to change. This reconceptualisation of transitions shifts attention away from children's resilience, or lack thereof, and towards unique, nuanced understandings of their subjective experiences and priorities. Presenting multimodal pieces created by three children as they explored the question, 'What's it like to be a Service child in this school?', I describe their diverse and agentic responses to their changing circumstances, as they sought to mitigate anticipated and past losses and perceived disadvantage and to use their transitions as positive opportunities for self‐development. Although punctuated by observable moments of change, this transition work happened over an indefinite timescale, highlighting a need for long‐term support informed by understandings of children's agency and priorities. Such support and insight may be achieved through developing spaces for multimodal dialogue with Service children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on what the author has termed children's 'dark pictures' to explore how children' and young people express themselves visually and verbally about difficult issues—such as violence, death and trafficking. Two pictures created by children and young people about the UNCRC, and the interviews accompanying these pictures, are analysed as examples of the commonness of 'dark' issues emerging even when they are given assignments emphasising 'lighter' issues. The potential of children's and young people's dark pictures to comment on and challenge, how difficult issues are communicated with children by adults and society is explored with the help of socio‐cultural and relational approaches to pictures. The article proposes the notion of dark visuality to highlight the critical potential of children's and young people's engagement with darkness through visual means and propose that their expressions can be understood as societal critique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Praehistorische Zeitschrift is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

To explore differences among the elderly people (aged over 50 years old) living with HIV (PLWH) who are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), we collected and analyzed data using cross-sectional research methods. Among 520 elderly PLWH on ART, those over 60 years old, compared to those aged 50–60, had lower levels of education, more retirees in occupation distribution, a lower rate of active consultation, a higher proportion of heterosexual transmission, and more complications. Additionally, this study demonstrated a greater incidence of severe disease symptoms and a higher rate of ART failure. These findings underscore the importance of prioritizing targeted nursing care and interventions for elderly PLWH in future healthcare strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to observe and interpret images and clinical information is essential for veterinarians in clinical practice. The purpose of this study is to determine the utility of a novel teaching method in veterinary medicine, the incorporation of art interpretation using the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), on students' observational and clinical interpretation skills when evaluating radiographs and patient charts. Students were asked to observe and interpret a set of radiographs and a patient chart, subsequently involved in art interpretation using VTS, and then asked to observe and interpret a different set of radiographs and a different patient chart. Qualitative and quantitative analysis was performed, including scoring of observations and interpretations by a radiologist and emergency and critical care resident. For radiographs, observation and interpretation scores increased significantly after VTS. There was no change in patient chart observation or interpretation scores after VTS. Broadly, VTS provided creative thinking and visual literacy exercises that students felt pushed students them to think more openly, notice subtleties, use evidential reasoning, identify thinking processes, and integrate details into a narrative. However, its impact on clinical reasoning, as assessed by chart observation and interpretation scores, was uncertain. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal way to incorporate art interpretation in the veterinary medical curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rising spread of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), it becomes imperative to understand the determinants of resource utilization in ART versus spontaneous pregnancies to enhance policies directed to pregnancy care. The focus of our study is to examine the costs associated with ART from the perspective of the Italian NHS and to investigate in depth the contributing social and clinical factors. Using the healthcare informative system of Lombardy, a Region of Northern Italy, we gathered individual-level information for a cohort of women who experienced either spontaneous pregnancies or pregnancies following ART from 2007 until 2020. The information covered multiple healthcare services, and we used a propensity score matching technique to match couples of ART/No ART women based on a comprehensive set of confounders. We then applied statistical tests and regression models to identify the impact of ART on the reported cost differences. Our cohort was composed of 44652 women and results revealed significantly higher costs for ART pregnancies, especially in terms of hospital admissions (additional 1611€, 95% CI 1558-1666) and drug prescriptions (additional 216 €, CI 95% 204-228) occurring before delivery. In-depth analysis showed for ART pregnancies, i) a higher likelihood of incurring expenses related to complications and ii) higher costs associated with two established clinical practices that lack scientific evidence supporting their efficacy. Our study sheds light on the complex interplay of clinical and social factors influencing the ART burden, emphasizing the importance of tailored support and evidence-based practices in optimizing outcomes and resource allocation. Key points: • From the NHS perspective, ART pregnancies, compared to spontaneous pregnancies, mainly result in higher costs (especially in terms of hospital admissions and drug prescriptions occurring before delivery), even though they correspond to lower specialistic visits; • The probability of spending for services related to complications is higher for ART pregnancies compared to spontaneous pregnancies, thus confirming the higher risk, regardless of single or twin pregnancy, of several obstetric and perinatal complications; • The higher costs in pregnancies following ART due to two consolidated clinical practices not supported by scientific evidence (aspirin and progestogen prescriptions) call for reflection on the unmet need of women experiencing ART in terms of emotional and psychological support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS) is a neurological condition characterized by perceptual distortions, most of which are visual in nature (metamorphopsias). Over the past decade there has been a movement in contemporary figurative painting away from strict mimesis toward depicting distortions of the painting's subject, called disrupted realism. In certain cases the similarities between the distortions in those paintings and those characteristic of AIWS are so striking that we suspect that artists may have experienced distorted perceptions themselves and used them for creative inspiration. Methods: To empirically test this hypothesis we interviewed 20 painters who frequently use distortions in their work, using the SIntAD, a tailor-made, semi-structured questionnaire. We then carried out a phenomenological analysis of the perceptual phenomena reported on, and compared them with those in their paintings. Results: Of the artists interviewed, 85% reported on having experienced positive disorders of perception in general (comprising hallucinations, perceptual distortions and other perceptual phenomena), with 55% reporting on a total number of 15 metamorphopsias. Most artists had not been aware of having these distortions to their perception. Nonetheless, most did not use these specific distortions in their work, but rather different types. Conclusion: Symptoms of AIWS and other positive disorders of perception are common among contemporary painters who frequently use distortions in their figurative work, although perhaps not more common than in the general population. Artists in the disrupted-realism movement tend not to mimic their own perceptual distortions in their work, although they do feel inspired to distort their work in different ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The pervasive denial of death in modern society has created an unbalanced relationship with death that gets in the way of living a full life. To address this problem, the Lancet Commission on the Value of Death recently proposed principles of a healthier scenario for the future. In this 'realistic utopia', death is recognized as having value, and conversations about death and dying have become common. The present research examined if art could help to decrease death denial and increase life appreciation. Methods: An art installation invited visitors to confront thoughts of their own death in a guided meditation by visualizing the decay of their own dead body. Visitors' responses were compared to those of a standard death reflection group and a neutral control group (N =229) at two time points. Feelings of being moved, connectedness to a higher power, and life appreciation were assessed immediately (T1); death reflection and life appreciation were assessed two weeks later (T2) (N=105). Results: At T1, the art installation induced higher levels of being moved and connectedness to a higher power than the two control groups. At T2, the art installation induced more lingering reflection than the two control groups. Lingering reflection, in turn, increased appreciation of life. Discussion: We show that art can be harnessed to promote a more balanced relationship with death, and greater appreciation of life. The art installation provided individuals with concrete, and more encompassing simulations of what death could be like. By placing death in this bigger perspective, the art installation encouraged conscious death reflection. Such a connected perspective is often lacking, but direly needed, in healthcare and in larger society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovative technologies in reproductive medicine are radically changing approaches to the treatment of infertility, genetic diseases and reproductive health problems. Modern methods such as assisted reproductive technologies (ART), including in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo cryopreservation, have significantly increased the chances of successful conception. Key achievements have also included preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), which allows identifying genetic abnormalities in embryos before they are transferred to the uterus, and genome editing technologies (such as CRISPR), which offer the prospect of correcting genetic defects at an early stage of development. In addition, stem cell research is actively developing, which in the future may make it possible to create artificial gametes, which will be a solution for people who lack functional germ cells. Another significant breakthrough is uterine transplantation, which gives a chance to bear a child to women who do not have their own functional uterus. These advances not only increase the success of reproductive procedures, but also open up new horizons in the field of personalized medicine and raise important ethical questions related to reproductive technologies. Innovative developments in reproductive medicine are aimed at improving the quality of life of people and expanding opportunities to overcome barriers to parenthood, making them an important component of modern healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The majority of people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Increased risky sexual practice puts people living with the human immune virus at higher risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections other than the human immune virus and unplanned pregnancies. Sexually transmitted infections, particularly viral hepatitis (B and C), significantly impair antiretroviral therapy and the clinical outcome of the co-infected individual, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of risky sexual practices among antiretroviral therapy (ART) attendees in public health facilities within the Wolaita Zone of South Ethiopia. Methods: From September to October 2023, a facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among adult people living with HIV on ART in the Wolaita zone. Data was collected through a pretested and structured questionnaire. Six diploma nurses were trained to collect data. Systematic sampling techniques were used to select a total of 398 ART patients. Data were collected by Open Data Kit (ODK) and analyzed with SPSS Version 25. Binary and multiple logistic regression analyses were used. All the variables with a P -value of 0.25 associated with risky sexual practices are considered candidate variables. Multicollinearity was checked. The fitness of the model was tested by the Hosmer-Lemshow goodness of fit test. Finally, statistical significance was declared at a p -value of 0.05. Result: A total of 398 respondents took part in this study. The prevalence of risky sexual practices in the past six months was 174 (43.7%) at 95% of the CI (38.9–48.7). The result of multiple logistic regression analysis showed that not disclosing HIV status (AOR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.1–3.31), alcohol drinking (AOR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.66–0.023), and poor social support (AOR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.75–3.9) were statistically significantly associated with risky sexual practices. Conclusion: This study revealed that the risky sexual practice among ART clients was high and disclosure status, social support, and alcohol use were factors associated with risky sexual practice. The governmental and non-governmental bodies have to strengthen social support for ART clients, disclosure status for ART clients, and counseling to avoid alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the absence of an effective vaccine or curative treatment for HIV, the global HIV/AIDS epidemic continues despite significant advances in treatment and prevention. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) drugs have transformed HIV from a terminal illness to a manageable chronic condition. Likewise, pre-exposure prophylaxis treatment (PrEP) has dramatically reduced transmission in some of the highest risk populations. However, quality of life and life expectancy in people living with HIV (PWH) still lag significantly behind the general population. The mechanisms that reduce the efficacy of PrEP and ART are multifaceted, but one factor that warrants additional attention is the impact of the microbiome on ART and PrEP efficacy, as well as pharmacokinetics more broadly. In this review, we assess the current state of research on the HIV-associated microbiome, how this impacts treatment efficacy, and how microbiome states can alter HIV susceptibility. We also explore how the mechanisms we propose could extend to the efficacy of other drugs and identify promising areas of research that remain understudied. 96-86NP6eG5MrMGBqL51qV Video Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Anadolu University Journal of Art & Design / Sanat & Tasarım is the property of Anadolu University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: Postovulatory aging (POA) of oocytes is clinically significant as it mirrors the degeneration observed in maternally aged oocytes, leading to substantial impairments in oocyte quality and the success rates of artificial reproductive technology (ART). The molecular alterations associated with POA, such as the degeneration of the first polar body, an increase in perivitelline space, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, energy depletion, and chromosomal and DNA damage, underscore the urgency of finding interventions to mitigate these effects. This study aims to identify whether nicotinamide riboside (NR) can prevent POA during the process of in vitro culture and raise the success rates of ART. Method: Taking advantage of an in vitro postovulatory oocyte aging model, we examined the morphological integrity and NAD+ levels of ovulated mouse MII oocytes after 24 h of culturing. Following in vitro fertilization, we assessed the embryonic developmental potential of oocytes affected by POA. Using immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy, we measured the levels of ROS, mitochondrial function, and γH2AX. We also evaluated spindle assembly and chromosome alignment. Additionally, we detected the distribution of cortical granules to assess the metabolic and quality changes in POA oocytes with the supplementation of NR. To further our analysis, quantitative real-time PCR was conducted to measure the mRNA expression levels of antioxidant enzymes Sod1 and Gpx1 in the oocytes. Results: With 200 μM NR supplementation during in vitro culture for 24 h, the oocytes from POA demonstrated reduced signs of aging-related decline in oocyte quality, including reduced ROS accumulation, improved mitochondrial function, and corrected mis-localization of cortical granules. This improvement in oocyte quality is likely due to the inhibition of oxidative stress via the NAD+/SIRT1 signaling pathway, which also helped to restore normal spindle assembly and chromosome alignment, as well as reduce the elevated levels of γH2AX, thereby potentially enhancing the embryonic development potential. Conclusion: Current research provides evidence that NR is an efficient and safe natural component that prevents the process of POA and is thus a potential ideal antiaging drug for raising the success rates of ART in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This creative visual design investigation explores the integration of traditional Dai shadow puppetry with contemporary art to engage younger audiences and revitalize an ancient cultural heritage in Yunnan, China. Inspired by the full moon worship and its significance in Dai culture, the study addresses the declining interest in traditional shadow play among the youth, attributed to the prevalent use of digital devices. By employing innovative electronic lighting, transparent materials, and LED technology alongside traditional craft and painting techniques, the thesis aims to bridge the gap between traditional and contemporary visual design practices. The research culminates in the creation of five mixed media installations, representing a novel approach to showcasing Dai culture. These works evolve from the initial full moon shadow visuals to more complex themes encompassing the daily life, religious beliefs, and historical narratives of the Dai people, thereby offering a continuum of cultural evolution through visual design. The project demonstrates a developmental journey from conventional life scenes to representations of sacrifice, culture, and history, highlighting the rich source of inspiration drawn from Yunnan's history. The findings suggest that the fusion of traditional visual arts with modern technologies and materials can significantly enhance the appeal of cultural heritage among younger demographics. This synergy not only preserves but also enriches traditional arts, suggesting an ongoing evolution of visual culture in response to technological advancements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines an immersive audiovisual installation created by Paris-based Japanese composer and visual artist Ryoji Ikeda, who conjures micro/macro datascapes and their embodied experience, opening a new realm at the intersection of art and data, or data art. Ikeda interfaces his sound compositions with light, visuals, numerical data, and data visualization, bringing audible/inaudible and visible/invisible data into viewers' fields of perception. Focusing on his exhibition the transfinite at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City in 2011, I examine Ikeda's approach to temporal articulation in forging the viewer's spatiotemporal immersion into the datascapes in his signature large-scale screen-centric installation work. Ikeda's data composition—which evolved from his music composition—articulates a multi-substance of data from the infinitesimal to the infinite according to sonic media's micro-temporality, formulating a new sensibility of our world enmeshed in unfathomable data at the threshold of the viewer's perception. Given that Ikeda's body of art is integral to his music, I trace the expansion of the arc of his work from music to visual art, discussing his composition of glitch microsound and his early sound-light installation spectra II (2002). Finally, I highlight that Ikeda's screen-centric installations, stemming from his audiovisual performances and his association with the Japanese experimental collective Dumb Type's intermedia production, have shaped a new kind of installation art with a distinct temporal dimension, immersing viewers into the constantly instantiated presence of datascapes rather than into the images on the screen as the direct representation of reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conceptual paper seeks to unravel the processes of assigning rights to nature (RoN) in the polar context through recognising how current efforts of assigning these are steeped in property relations and express an inherent anthropocentrism. The paper critically synthesises ideas from across the disciplines of environmental law, geography and cultural theory to understand how the process of assigning rights to nature takes place – or effectively how rights of nature makes for Antarctic geographies today and into the future. The Antarctic is currently promoted, depicted and popularly imagined as a pristine wilderness. As such, it represents the final frontier of techno industrial capitalism on the planet. In this context, the wilderness qualities of the region need to be confronted as places of our making. This calls for a radical realignment of the assignation of rights to nature, whereby any diminutive apprehensions of nature or objective measures of wilderness need to be countered. Any assignation of rights needs to be informed by how values and representations are continually relationally constituted and have a planetary dimension. This reframing implies that places do not possess some inherent or authentic value, or rights. The way they are valued is made here and now, there and then, in the moments we make sense of and relate to place. In this frame of ongoing valuing, this paper explores how RoN takes place in the polar regions, revealing the Antarctic as a planetary hydrocommons. Underpinned by notions of geopower and sympoietic earth jurisprudence these planetary hydrocommons are illustrated through ice and the question posed is how our ongoing relation configuration to place can feature in Antarctic policy and governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista 180 is the property of Revista 180 and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista 180 is the property of Revista 180 and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of University Research / Üniversite Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of Journal of University Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Simulations are interactive, lively models of material events. Working with simulations that require the consideration of mass, gravity, and texture becomes an embodied experience. Much like video games, simulations imitate the physics of the material world and, as such, engage us corporeally. This dynamic between interactive model and user is particularly generative when the content of a simulation is inanimate, or inorganic materials. Digital models of static matter in motion offer the user a unique opportunity to relate to things that are typically understood as inert or nonliving. While empathy with the nonliving is a complex relationship to authentically construct, the ecological implications of this interaction are significant. This paper uses critical tools from video game studies and media theory to study simulations in experimental architecture and contemporary fine art practice. The essay posits a thesis informed by ecocriticism that users can build a tactile, bodily understanding of material behaviors by designing and interacting with tools built into animation, gaming, and visual coding platforms. A series of case-studies in art and design are examined with particular emphasis on their use of digital physics engines and code libraries that imitate natural behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the increasing pressure of urbanization and the diversity of social preferences have led to the loss of human peace and the disconnection between man and nature. One of the ways to reconnect people with nature is to pay more attention to green and blue spaces (rivers, streams, and green areas) through planned architectural and urban design solutions. Therefore, this study aims to determine the relationship between nature (view and access to nature) and Sanandji citizens' mental health and use ART and SRT theories to find a solution to revitalize the landscape of the Qeshlaq River. The current research is based on the nature of practical objectives and follows a quantitative-qualitative approach. According to the research objectives, 254 questionnaires, including scales of contact time, frequency of visits, and the short form of mental health scale (WHO-5), were distributed to the target population in two periods based on the available population samples. In addition to the questionnaire, a structured interview was used to substantiate the results of the questionnaire and to highlight the problems of the Qeshlaq River environment. To analyze the data according to the type of variables, statistical tests were used in SPSS software version 27. The results of this study showed a significant but inverse relationship between the contact time/frequency of visits and the level of mental health. The most common reasons cited were lack of amenities and services, environmental issues, and lack of access to riverscapes. However, the relationship between mental health and access to nature was significant and positive. Finally, the results of this study provide guidelines for revitalizing riverscapes using two theories, ART and SRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the intersections between flow art, critical play, and wellbeing in urban contexts in Finland. Flow art as an art form sits at the intersection of several movement-based creative disciplines, including contemporary circus, dance, and the underground electronic music scene. It is based on DIY in terms of making one's own props and choreographies and peer teaching/learning. The flow artists make use of several props familiar to the circus arts, including contact sticks, poi, hula hoops, diabolos, dragon staffs, and fans. The article explores how urban artistic take-overs can be understood as critical play, including the potential for political subversion and changing the meanings of urban spaces. Further, the article discusses how wellbeing is understood holistically, relationally, and interconnected to the concept of flow. The article is a result of ethnographic research conducted with flow art communities in 2021–2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tackling the question of cloud seeding from an environmental and legal point of view provides a plethora of challenges involving international law and sovereign state interests. For Catalan artist Maxime Berthou, the creation of Paparuda.cloud is a form of answer, involving community involvement through blockchain mechanisms and Decentralized Autonomous Organisations (DAO), creating tools for concerned individuals to shape the question through community-driven financial instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing loosely from a recent exhibition of the same name curated by Josephine Mills, Everything We Have Done is Weather Now, shares a collection of works by artist Lisa Hirmer that explore changing human relationships with weather, particularly as it entangles with lived experiences and understandings of climate change. Climate change is of course often associated with dramatic weather events and disruptions of seasonal norms; at the same time daily weather is often a site for locating and making sense of the material and cultural conditions of climate change. The photo-based works in this piece consider the ways in which climate change is registered, understood, shared, recorded through weather. The essay also considers how the works (which span from 2016-2022) act as a personal record of how understandings of climate change have themselves shifted alongside the rapidly changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this introduction to PUBLIC 70: The Weather, guest editor Joel Ong explores the recent turn toward the meteorological in art and culture alongside climate crisis and unrelenting technological advancement and situates the entries in the issue as thoughtful invitations towards a more embodied and expansive understanding of weather. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 17th century small animals were connected with the Sámi noaidi – religious specialist and artist – with regard to the practice of noaidivuohta (shamanism) and other tasks he performed. Some of these animals were peculiar species of birds that varied in setting making them significant as assistants. Birds as such are illustrated on historical Sámi drums, particularly those from Swedish Sápmi. The value of birds within Sámi tradition means that some contemporary Sámi artists reuse early illustrations as sources of inspiration for new types of drum, meaning that noaidi power is manifest through their work. Moreover, one can suggest that these drums play a role in the on-going spiritual significance of birds within different settings, thus helping to perpetuate their merit today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how Italian visual artists are now structurally encouraged to be proficient in performing activities unrelated to field-specific criteria, or – to use the words of one respondent – why they are supposed to "be good at being incredibly good at doing stuff they don't know how to do." Drawing on qualitative data (N = 135), four dimensions of unartistic yet binding concerns are explored: networking relationality, bureaucratic "callification," systemic politics, and outward visibility. To analyze this dynamic, the concept of "Matryoshka roles" is introduced. Although uncharacteristic of artists' work and nested inside its surface depiction (Matryoshka), each dimension entails a set of injunctions and sanctioned behavior (roles) that reconfigure the reality of contemporary visual artists and vitiate the separation between internal vs. external principles of hierarchization. Reflecting on the autonomy of the field of visual art as a transitory historical phase, mechanisms of fields' heteronomization are addressed. By considering a series of factors (e.g., differences among early- and late-career artists, presence on social media, perception of heteronomous practices, most distinctive accomplishments, career junctions), the increasing pressure of meta-fields of economics, power, and state is detailed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because library music is made with the specific goal of future media use, its consideration might seem incongruous with broader histories of popular music or irrelevant to challenges facing the popular music industries. Yet both popular music and library music are defined against a shared set of cultural and commercial values, and both have adapted to shifts in media production, circulation, and consumption. In this article, I consider how popular music and library music have engaged with notions of art, responded to digitalisation, and revealed assumptions about the cultural and economic value of music. A side-by-side comparison reveals similarities and differences between popular music and library music that help us better understand changes affecting them both, as well as how we listen to music and how musicians make money from music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Health Care Education in Practice is the property of Padova University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has troubled humankind for many years. The rate of new HIV cases is decreasing steadily, mostly because of safer sexual practices and scientific advances in medicine. However, the number of HIV-related trials has significantly increased, as the search for a definite cure for HIV is still fruitless. Our current treatment options involve antiretroviral therapy (ART) with various drug combinations that lower the patients' viral load in order for the immune system to reconstitute itself. This way, adherent patients achieve a life expectancy similar to the general population. Besides the established treatment protocols, the focus has currently shifted towards secondary pharmaceutical regimen programs that enhance a patient's immune system and response to opportunistic infections. Vitamins C and D are easily obtainable even in the developing world and are known to improve an individual's daily life, with vitamin D enhancing the human immune response and vitamin C having an assisting role in both the immune response and as an important antioxidant. Recently, many studies assessing the effect of these vitamins on the progression of HIV have been performed. We aimed to collect and review these studies in order to determine the necessity of the supplementation of these vitamins in HIV-infected patients, which might complement the existing ART. To this day, the scientific community is conflicted, and more studies must be conducted before a definite conclusion about these vitamins' effects on HIV patients can be reached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV causes intense polyclonal activation of B cells, resulting in increased numbers of spontaneously antibody-secreting cells in the circulation and hypergammaglobulinemia. It is accompanied by significant perturbations in various B cell subsets, such as increased frequencies of immature/transitional B cells, activated memory B cells, atypical memory B cells, short-lived plasmablasts and regulatory B cells, as well as by decreased frequencies of resting memory and resting naïve B cells. Furthermore, both memory and antigen-inexperienced naïve B cells show exhausted and immune-senescent phenotypes. HIV also drives the expansion and functional impairment of CD4+ T follicular helper cells, which provide help to B cells, crucial for the generation of germinal center reactions and production of long-lived plasma and memory B cells. By suppressing viral replication, anti-retroviral therapy reverses the virus-induced perturbations and functional defects, albeit inadequately. Due to HIV's lingering impact on B cells, immune senescence and residual chronic inflammation, people with HIV (PWH), especially immune non-responders, are immunocompromised and mount suboptimal antibody responses to vaccination for SARS-CoV-2. Here, we review how functionally and phenotypically distinct B cell subsets are induced in response to a vaccine and an infection and how HIV infection and anti-retroviral therapy (ART) impact them. We also review the role played by HIV-induced defects and perturbations in B cells in the induction of humoral immune responses to currently used anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in PWH on ART. We also outline different strategies that could potentially enhance the vaccine-induced antibody responses in PWH. The review will provide guidance and impetus for further research to improve the immunogenicity of these vaccines in this human population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-determination enhances a person's quality of life and is a fundamental human right. According to self-determination theory, autonomy is one of three basic psychological needs that must be met to experience self-determination. The overarching aim of this exploratory study was to learn about autonomy from the perspective of autistic adults with intellectual disability, including what autonomy meant and how participants wanted to be supported to be autonomous. Participants (n = 8; median age = 24) engaged in a variety of participatory methods (e.g. discussions, arts and crafts, games) during weekly sessions. These sessions took place over 7–16 weeks and were each informed by a guiding question related to autonomy. Artifacts, video or audio recordings from each session, and reflexive journals were thematically analyzed. The results support an overarching meaning of autonomy as being able to be themselves. Participants identified (1) choice and control, (2) communicating their way, and (3) safe environments as important and showed us how they wanted to be supported in each of these three areas. We also identified having autistic facilitators as an overarching strategy. These results provide a foundation for implementing change to enhance autonomy for autistic adults with intellectual disabilities. Autistic young adults with intellectual disabilities want to be autonomous but are less autonomous than other people. However, they can be autonomous with appropriate support. We wanted to learn how we can support autistic adults with intellectual disabilities to be more autonomous. We designed our study with help from five autistic community partners to make sure the research was relevant to autistic people and would improve their lives. We talked with eight autistic young adults with intellectual disabilities about autonomy. We defined "talk" as verbal language, as well as non-verbal cues such as body language, facial expressions, vocalizations, and laughter. We did art projects and played games while we talked. We met in small groups over multiple sessions. Our participants told us that being autonomous meant being able to be themselves. They told us three main ways to support their autonomy: (1) having choice and control, (2) being able to communicate in their own way, and (3) being in a safe environment. Families, support staff, and caregivers can use this information to help autistic young adults with intellectual disabilities to be autonomous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Text-guided synthesis of images has become enormously popular and online communities dedicated to text-to-image generation and art generated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) have emerged. While deep generative models can synthesise high-quality images and artworks from simple descriptive text prompts, practitioners of text-to-image generation typically seek to control the generative model's output by adding short key phrases ('modifiers') to the prompt. This paper identifies six types of prompt modifiers used by practitioners in the online text-to-image community based on a 3-month ethnographic study. The novel taxonomy of prompt modifiers provides researchers a conceptual starting point for investigating the practice of text-to-image generation, but may also help practitioners of AI generated art improve their images. We further outline how prompt modifiers are applied in the practice of 'prompt engineering.' and discuss research opportunities of this novel creative practice in the field of Human–Computer Interaction (HCI). The paper concludes with a discussion of broader implications of prompt engineering from the perspective of Human-AI Interaction (HAI) in future applications beyond the use case of text-to-image generation and AI generated art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]