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What explains the regionally varying electoral outcomes of Islamist parties in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim democracy? By employing a three-stage approach inspired by Evan Lieberman's nested analysis, this article aims to gain a better understanding of how adaptability to local political contexts matters in determining the vote share of the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) at the sub-provincial level. It uncovers that PKS' electoral mobilisation in non-Javanese regions depends more on whether the party leverages a strong predisposition towards personal votes underpinned by pre-existing clientelistic ties. In contrast, the PKS support base in Java tends to be embedded in specific milieus shaped by deep-seated sociocultural cleavages. The findings thus not only demonstrate the limitations of programmatic, institutionalised parties like PKS in the Indonesian context, but also resonate with a larger body of broader literature on politics in the Muslim world, indicating strategic considerations of local political conditions as an important factor in electoral support for political Islam., The mainstreaming of Islam in party politics followed by decades-long Islamisation is one of the most significant consequences of the democratisation process in post-Suharto Indonesia. (1) The Prosperous Justice Party [...]

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy is an effective method for obtaining tissue samples from various organs; however, challenges such as inadequate specimens persist. This study compared a newly designed Tricore needle with a Franseen needle for endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy of porcine liver. Both needles were tested on four male Yorkshire pigs. Specimens were obtained with an 100% (36/36) success rate with no procedure-related adverse effects. The Tricore needle experienced significantly less resistance during puncture than Franseen needle (3.83 vs. 5.97 N, P < 0.001) and better ultrasound visibility (168.97 vs. 125.04, P = 0.004). The Tricore needle also achieved faster specimen acquisition time (48.94 vs. 59.90 s, P = 0.038), larger total specimen area (6.67 vs. 4.68 mm2, P = 0.049), fewer fragments (23.94 vs. 31.94, P = 0.190), lager fragment area (0.28 vs. 0.15 mm2, P < 0.001), and more the number of complete portal tracts (15.44 vs. 9.33, P = 0.017) compared to the Franseen needle. The newly designed Tricore needle showed enhanced procedural performance and specimen quantity and quality compared to commercially available Franseen needle. Although further clinical studies are required, the Tricore needle may represent a favorable option for endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports the effects of changes in the waveform and frequency of radio frequency (RF) energy on the tissue ablation range. We developed a 70-watt RFA generator that provides sine and square waves and allows frequency control between 10 Hz and 500 kHz. The changes in the ablation range according to the waveform and frequency were observed using the developed generator. In the waveform variation test, the distance between the electrodes and the electrode type were changed for both waveforms with the frequency set to 500 kHz. In the frequency variation test, the waveform and electrode type were changed with the frequency set to 10, 100, and 500 kHz, while the distance between the electrodes was set to 20 mm. A fixed 45 voltage was applied using the bipolar method. RF energy was applied for 90 s in vitro. The temperature was regulated to not exceed 70°C. The ablation range was calculated using ImageJ software. The analysis results showed that the ablation range was larger with the square wave than with the sine wave and at 10 kHz than at 500 kHz. The developed generator can advance research on ablation area and depth in RF ablation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decoupling dynamic touch signals in the optical tactile sensors is highly desired for behavioral tactile applications yet challenging because typical optical sensors mostly measure only static normal force and use imprecise multi-image averaging for dynamic force sensing. Here, we report a highly sensitive upconversion nanocrystals-based behavioral biometric optical tactile sensor that instantaneously and quantitatively decomposes dynamic touch signals into individual components of vertical normal and lateral shear force from a single image in real-time. By mimicking the sensory architecture of human skin, the unique luminescence signal obtained is axisymmetric for static normal forces and non-axisymmetric for dynamic shear forces. Our sensor demonstrates high spatio-temporal screening of small objects and recognizes fingerprints for authentication with high spatial-temporal resolution. Using a dynamic force discrimination machine learning framework, we realized a Braille-to-Speech translation system and a next-generation dynamic biometric recognition system for handwriting. A sensitive upconversion nanocrystal-based biometric optical tactile sensor instantaneously and quantitatively decomposes dynamic touch signals into individual components of vertical normal and lateral shear force from a single image in real-time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Duodenal mucosal resurfacing (DMR) by thermal ablation of the duodenal mucosa is a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure for controlling metabolic syndrome (MS). However, thermal energy can cause adverse effects due to deep mucosal injury, necessitating an additional mucosal lifting process, which complicate the procedures. Therefore, we aimed to develop a similar procedure using non-thermal photodynamic therapy (PDT) for DMR using a highly functional metal stent covered with photosensitizers (PSs) to minimize the potential risks of thermal ablation injury. We developed a novel PS stent enabling the controlled release of radical oxygen species with specific structures to prevent stent migration and duodenal stricture after ablation and performed an animal study (n = 8) to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of PDT for DMR. The stents were placed for 7 days to prevent duodenal strictures after PDT. To confirm PDT efficacy, we stained for gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) and glucose transporter isoform 1. The PS stents were deployed, and PDT was applied without evidence of duodenal stricture, pancreatitis, or hemorrhage in any of the pigs. Microscopic evaluation indicated apoptosis of the mucosal cells in the irradiated duodenum on days 7 and 14, which recovered after day 28. Immunohistochemistry revealed suppressed GIP expression in the mucosal wall of the irradiated duodenum. Endoscopic PDT for DMR using PS stents could be applied safely in a porcine model and may result in decreased GIP secretion, which is a crucial mechanism in MS treatment. Further clinical studies are required to explore its safety and efficacy in patients with MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Using the case of the Indonesian Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), I seek to measure the actual impact of Islamist parties' moderation on their electoral performances and voter bases. Statistical [...]

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of combining EW-7197 with irreversible electroporation (IRE) for improving wound healing, 16 male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups of four rats each after dorsal excisional wound induction: sham control group; oral administration of EW-7197 for 7 days group; one-time application of IRE group; and one-time application of IRE followed by oral administration of EW-7197 for 7 days group. Measurement of wound closure rate, laser Doppler scanning, histological staining (hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome), and immunohistochemical analyses (Ki-67 and α-SMA) were performed to evaluate the efficacy. Fifteen of 16 rats survived throughout the study. Statistically significant differences in wound closure rates were observed between the combination therapy group and the other three groups (all P < 0.05). The degrees of inflammation, α-SMA, and Ki-67 were reduced in the EW-7197 and IRE monotherapy groups; however, not statistically significant. The fibrosis score exhibited significant reduction in all three treatment groups, with the most prominent being in the combination therapy group. This study concludes that oral administration of EW-7197 combined with IRE demonstrated effectiveness in improving skin wound in a rat excisional model and may serve as a potential alternative for promoting healing outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]