11 research outputs found
[[alternative]]Catching the Moment of Happiness: A Discourse on the Oil Painting Works of Yen, Shu-Mei
No full text[[abstract]] 筆者的創作主題主要在於透過回憶描繪捕捉幸福的感覺，例如： 求學歷程與同學們所共享的純真時光，以及轉換為人妻、人母，子女逐漸成為生活中的要角，小孩天真無邪的笑容、哭泣、撒嬌等不同表情，均成為值得珍藏的幸福瞬間。在研究方法上，筆者將以行動研究法、品質思考法，並透過其他經典畫作及相關文獻的觀摩與闡述探討，希望從創作中表現出幸福的內涵，使研究與創作達到互補的效果。本論文及創作成果如下三點：(1) 依據所制定創作主題「捕捉幸福的瞬間」，藉由對人生的經驗與週遭事物的觀察，以藝術創作來捕捉感動。(2) 完成相關藝術流派之研讀，以及透過藝術美學理論的省思，建立筆者創作理念，並確立油畫系列創作的理論架構基礎。(3) 達到以油畫記錄創作過程及確立創作風格，透過藝術創作肯定自我，在過程中完成油畫創作。[[abstract]] The paintings created by the author mainly capture the feeling of happiness within personal memory. For example, even young girls have grown up and married as ladies; the innocence and sweet flavor of girls in the period of school days still exist in memory of the author and her classmates as critical connections among each other. Then, new lives given birth by these women become the key players of their daily lives. Any expression, action of children, such as innocent smile, cry or whine, for the author always come with the feeling of happiness. The author wants these happy moments have been captured in paintings. Through action research and qualitative thinking with elaborate paintings and related literature review, the connotation of happiness is expected to show in the paintings to achieve the complementary effects within creation and research. The summary of this thesis and art creation is as following:1. According the topic of thesis: capturing the moment of happiness, I review personal experience and observe at environments to capture the touching moment by painting.2. Through the study of related art schools with reflection on aesthetic theories, the creative ideas for those painting are emerged.3. The process of painting helps the author to find personal art style. The self-affirmation is also enhanced by the works of art. Those paintings are completed in the cycle of creation and reflection
Lessons from Tanzania’s Marburg Outbreak Control: Implications for Regional Preparedness in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean
No full textThe role of heart rate variability in cardiac surgery: applications and innovations
No full text© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.Background
Heart rate variability, the physiological variation in time intervals between successive heartbeats, is a valuable marker used to index the functionality of the cardiac Autonomic Nervous System in healthy individuals and patients with cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular disorders. In cardiac surgery, heart rate variability can be a crucial tool for the operative management of patients. This manuscript reviews the role of heart rate variability in surgery, its current applications, and emerging trends in clinical settings.
Main body
Clinically, heart rate variability is used to evaluate surgical risk by identifying patients with impaired autonomic function who may be predisposed to complications such as arrhythmias or hemodynamic instability. During surgery, heart rate variability monitoring provides real-time insights into autonomic responses to anesthesia, fluid management, and surgical stress. Postoperatively, heart rate variability is instrumental in detecting early signs of sepsis, myocardial dysfunction, and autonomic dysregulation, thereby guiding timely interventions. Despite its clinical potential, heart rate variability analysis faces challenges, including variability in measurement techniques, limited standardization of interpretation, and the influence of confounding factors such as medications and mechanical ventilation. Additionally, real-time integration into surgical workflows remains underdeveloped.
Conclusions
Emerging trends in heart rate variability in cardiac surgery include the use of artificial intelligence for automated heart rate variability analysis, wearable biosensors for continuous monitoring, and tailored therapeutics. There are also new advances in machine-learning algorithms for heart rate variability interpretation, which are promising for enhancing ischemia detection and refining real-time decision-making during high-risk cardiac procedures. Thus, future research should focus on refining heart rate variability–based predictive models and integrating heart rate variability metrics into multimodal perioperative management strategies to improve surgical outcomes
Addressing the cryptosporidiosis outbreak in Devon, England: Urgent measures for public health and water safety
No full textAvaliação dos efeitos citotóxicos de cardenolídeos em células tumorais
No full textDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências da Saúde. Programa de Pós-Graduação em FarmáciaOs cardenolídeos são metabólitos secundários encontrados na natureza e assim denominados em razão de sua ação inibitória na bomba de Na+/K+ (Na+/K+ATPase) e decorrentes efeitos sobre o músculo cardíaco. Por esta razão, cardenolídeos, tais como digoxina, digitoxina e ouabaína, são clinicamente utilizados para o tratamento da insuficiência cardíaca congestiva e algumas arritmias atriais. Nos últimos anos, vários estudos relataram a potencial atividade citotóxica, antitumoral e anticâncer de alguns cardenolídeos. Mundialmente, o câncer de pulmão é um dos principais responsáveis pela alta taxa de mortalidade atribuída ao câncer. O tratamento atual deste câncer depende do estágio do paciente e são utilizadas abordagens combinadas ou individuais, tais como excisão cirúrgica, radioterapia e quimioterapia. A taxa de sobrevivência dos pacientes, no entanto, não é elevada, tornando a busca por novos agentes no combate a este câncer uma necessidade. Neste trabalho, foi realizada uma triagem citotóxica, em células tumorais humanas A549, com 64 cardenolídeos e um dos compostos mais citotóxicos (CI50<100 nM) foi selecionado para investigação do seu mecanismo de ação, através de vários ensaios. Este composto, que se apresentou mais tóxico e mais seletivo para células tumorais foi o glucoevatromonosídeo e para a avaliação de seu mecanismo de ação uma série de ensaios foi realizada. Inicialmente, ele provocou o bloqueio do ciclo celular na fase G2/M, o que foi atribuído à diminuição da expressão da proteína ciclina B1, necessária para a progressão do ciclo celular. A indução de morte celular, por ele causada, não ocorreu por apoptose ou necrose, sendo provavelmente por autofagia, processo observado com a marcação de partículas acídicas, características deste tipo de morte celular. O envolvimento deste composto em vias de sinalização de morte celular foi constatado por alterações na expressão de proteínas das vias AKT, MAPK e NF-?B. Por fim, a atividade anti-ATPásica detectada não mostrou correlação da inibição desta enzima com a atividade citotóxica apresentada pelos compostos selecionados na triagem. A citotoxicidade promissora do glucoevatromonosídeo foi investigada e confirmada sua indução de morte celular independente de apoptose em células A549.Cardenolides are secondary metabolites found in nature and named after their known inhibitory action on the sodium pump (Na+/K+ATPase), and effect on the heart muscle. For this reason cardenolides as digoxin, digitoxin and ouabain are used in the treatment of congestive heart failure and atrial arrhythmias. In the past years, many were the reports on the citotoxic, antitumoral and anticancer activities of cardenolides. Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death by cancer worldwide. Current treatment of lung cancer depends on the stage of the patient and both combined and individual approaches are used, such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, the observed survival rate is not high, which stimulates the search for new agents for the treatment of this cancer. In the present work a cytotoxic screening with 64 cardenolides was performed and the most cytotoxic compound selected (CI50<100 nM) to further investigate its mechanism of action. The most cytotoxic and selective compound for cancer cell lines was glucoevatromonoside and to evaluate its mechanism of action a series of assays was carried out. Initially, this compound was able to block phase G2/M of cell cycle, which was attributed to the decrease in the expression of cyclin B1 protein, essential to the cell cycle progression. The investigation of the cytotoxic effect of this compound showed that the induced cell death was not apoptosis or necrosis mediated, and so might be through autophagy, as observed with the acridine orange marked acidic particles, a characteristic event of this type of cell death. Involvement of this compound in signaling pathways was verified through its ability to trigger alterations in the expression of AKT, MAPK and NF-?B proteins. The detected anti ATPase activity did not show correlation of the enzyme inhibition with the cytotoxic activity presented by the compounds selected in the screening. Hereby, the promising cytotoxic activity of glucoevatromonoside was investigated and confirmed its apoptosis-independent cell death induction in A549 cells. It was suggested that cell death was caused by cell cycle arrest and autophagy induction with signaling pathways involved
Anifrolumab in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE): A Critical Appraisal of Clinical Trials and its Prospects for Elevating Patients' Quality of Life
No full textSystemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) presents a complex autoimmune challenge characterized by chronic inflammation and multi-organ involvement. This paper offers a comprehensive analysis of anifrolumab, a promising monoclonal antibody that targets type I interferon signaling, as a potential treatment for SLE. It also compares with existing therapies, namely belimumab and rituximab. Anifrolumab received FDA approval in 2021 based on evidence from clinical trials, such as MUSE and TULIP-2, demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing disease activity, glucocorticoid usage, and flares among SLE patients. However, concerns regarding its safety profile, particularly herpes zoster infections and immunosuppression, should be addressed. Comparative analysis of belimumab and rituximab reveals their distinct mechanisms of action and levels of clinical evidence. Belimumab, focusing on B-cell activity, has a longer history of reducing disease activity and flares. Rituximab, while promising, lacks direct comparative data. Challenges related to the long-term safety and efficacy of anifrolumab emphasize the need for personalized treatment strategies, patient selection, and real-world data integration. The paper discusses the importance of tailoring therapies based on biomarker profiles and clinical characteristics, involving patients in shared decision-making, and monitoring treatment responses over time. The paper highlights ongoing research and clinical trials exploring new therapeutic approaches for SLE, offering hope for improved outcomes. It underscores that anifrolumab, while promising, should be considered within the context of individual patient needs, with further studies necessary to refine treatment choices for SLE patients
The self-conscious chanson : creative responses to the art versus commerce debate
No full textThis thesis investigates self-consciousnessin chanson. It examines,in particular, French popular songs that question and problematise the chanson form and the role of the chanson artist. While certain forms of self-consciousnessc an be traced back to the troubadours, this thesis will argue that the specifically self interrogatory nature of self-consciousness found in modern French chanson can
be attributed to artists responding to the 'art versus commerce' debate. It is precisely through their responses that a particular conception of chanson is constructed. Chanson, in this self-conscious discourse, differs from both varieties and Anglo-American pop music as well as from governmental and institutional definitions of the genre. The thesis examines the diverse, and at times ambiguous,
effects of this self-consciousness. Moreover, it argues
that reading chanson from a self-conscious perspective suggests a redefinition of chanson's relationship to
cultural debates. It also provides a new interpretative grille for its analysis, and enables the researcher to find different and possibly deeper meanings than those revealed through an examination of overriding thematic preoccupations.
The thesis is in three parts. Part I comprises two introductory chapters: an Introduction and a Literature Survey and Methodology (Chapter 1). Part 11 consists of a thematic investigation of the guises self-consciousness takes in chanson. It focuses, in particular, on the conscious evolution of a chanson genre (Chapter 2); the constructed role of chanson (Chapter 3); and the figure of the chanson artist (Chapter 4). Part III comprises three case studies: Serge Gainsbourg, Renaud and MC Solaar. Each artist in Part III was chosen because, on the one hand, his work is especially self-conscious in nature, and, on the other, he makes an original contribution to the art versus commerce debate
Traditional Chinese Poems, “The White Blossom” and “Agony Unfurls,” as well as the Finished Parts in The Martyrdom of Chen Zi-Ang, a Film Screenplay, and “Shadows of Phoenixes” in Scarlet Tears on a Golden Branch, a Novel (華夏傳統詩〈素華〉與〈抽怨〉、電影劇本《陳子昂殉道記》已成之部、小說《金枝紅淚》中〈凰影〉已成之部)
No full textBook Description
Chen Zi-Ang (courtesy name Bo-Yu, 659–700 CE) was a medieval Chinese author, poet, scholar, twice-prisoner, and a martyr. It has been a devotion of the Daoist and the Chinese folk religions to venerate him as the Holy Land Patron of the Shu Area (Sichuan) and his hometown, Shehong. During his brief life, Chen reverently practiced the cultural-spiritual lineage of Confucianism and was a devout follower of the Daoist religion. He was also a long-term manifester of the Chinese cultural-spiritual archetype of the warrior. Earning his doctorate in 684 CE, he served in a number of minor official roles, including as an imperial librarian. With his spirit of “courage, fierceness, and frankness (West China Urban Daily), he declared that “I do not care even if I am to be killed ten thousand times,” and “the lonely and frank are subjected to the hatred from the massive evil,” while repeatedly risking torture and execution to express his disagreement with “the brilliant ruler and the tyrant” (Li Gu-Yin and Peng Hua-Jie) Empress Wu Zetian on such issues as torturers, the use of torture, the sufferings of the impoverished, the need for political reform, the excessiveness of religious construction programs, and the calling for the release of innocent prisoners. Falsely accused of having a political connection with those who were subverting the government, with his illness and infirmities he spent well over a year in a prison where he experienced “brutalities” (Zeng Jun) first-hand. Several years later, while severely ill, the effects of political persecution led to him being carried into several malicious interrogations and getting arrested again, resulting in him being “harmed to death” (Du Fu) in prison. As this book researches and indicates, his wife, Madam Gao, appeared to have passed away shortly after him, which seemed to have strong correlations with Chen’s martyrdom.
Like a Blossom, a Sword, and a Meteor: The Impassioned Battles, Incarcerations, and Martyrdom of Chen Zi-Ang is an interdisciplinary and intermedia book co-authored in Traditional Chinese by Chen Zi-Ang and Rivolia Chen Xiao-Yu (2000 CE–), a poet, as well as an author, a scholar, an English translator, and an organizer of cultural-spiritual China activities who also translates this entire book into English. While being enriched by the Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc, Jehanne d’Arc) studies, memorials, and cultural-spiritual embodiments in America and France, this book is divided into three main parts in its best attempt to present Chen Zi-Ang, a “tragic and heroic figure (Ou Li-chuan) whose soul lives on for eternity. The first part is a biography and a chronology of Chen Zi-Ang that prodigiously integrates the accomplishments of contemporary American psychology on such topics as physical appearance and psychology, physical appearance and society, and personality and developmental psychology. The second part chronologically offers all of Chen Zi-Ang’s 127 preserved poems, a prose-poem, a note, and selected prose in English translation and the Traditional Chinese original. According to Wen Yiduo, some of these poems are praised as “crystalline, limpid, pure, cool, and luminous”; some are “of the profundity and vastness of waters, the loftiness of mountains, and the coolness of autumn breezes”; and some are “transcendent, profound, extending to the remote, lofty, and archaic.” The third division presents the finished parts of Rivolia Chen Xiao-Yu’s film screenplay with Chen Zi-Ang as the protagonist, The Martyrdom of Chen Zi-Ang, as well as her novel, Scarlet Tears on a Golden Branch, with Madam Gao as the protagonist, in English translation and Traditional Chinese original. With his literary-intellectual sophistication and erudition, Chen Zi-Ang the martyr devotedly, passionately, and diligently combated against the absence of learning, the lack of skills, unfairness, injustices, and tyrannies. It has been one of Rivolia Chen Xiao-Yu’s crucial efforts to co-author this book with Chen Zi-Ang and to spread it massively around the whole world during her best endeavors to carry on the mission of Chen Zi-Ang.
Book Description in Traditional Chinese Original:
關於本書
陳子昂（字伯玉，公元659年－700年）乃中世華夏（英文：Medieval China；又稱中古中國等等）文人、詩人、學者、兩度入獄者、烈士。道教信仰與民間信仰之一，是尊陳子昂為射洪土神與蜀土神。在其短暫人生中，陳子昂奉儒學，而虔信道教，並長期演繹華夏文化與精神中，俠之原型。公元684年，陳子昂進士及第，為秘書省正字等小官。陳子昂秉「勇猛直率」（《華西都市報》語）精神，自云「不顧萬死」，宣告「孤直者，眾邪之所憎」，屢冒酷刑、殘殺之險，就酷吏酷刑、貧民生存危機、需要政治改良、宗教營建工程過量、請釋清白獄囚等等議題，諫「明主與暴君」（李古寅、彭華杰語）武則天。因受與「逆黨」政治有染之不實指控，陳子昂以病弱之軀，入獄年餘，親歷獄中「暴虐」（曾軍語）。數年後，陳子昂病重期間，再因政治迫害，數遭抬走惡意審問，再度被捕，在獄「遇害」（杜甫語）。如本書所考：不久，陳子昂妻高氏，像亦隨之而去，其身故之因，看來與陳子昂殉道，有重大關聯。
《如花如劍如流星：陳子昂之奮戰、被囚與殉道》乃綜合學科、綜合媒介之書，由陳子昂烈士與詩人、文人、學者、英譯者、華夏文化與精神活動組織者——陳瀟玉（公元2000年－）以傳統華文合著，並由陳瀟玉英譯全書。本書分三主體，又從美國、法國之貞德研究、紀念、文化與精神演繹中，汲取養分，以英譯文與傳統華文，勉力呈現「悲劇英雄」（歐麗娟語）陳子昂之永生精魂：其一，大量融入當代美國心理學，在形貌與心理、形貌與世情、人格與心理方面之成就，立陳子昂傳及年譜；其二，編年英譯現存一百二十七首陳子昂詩、並一賦、一帖、文選，又錄陳子昂之傳統華文原作；據聞一多所析，陳子昂詩有「晶瑩爽朗」者，有「泓崢蕭瑟」者，有「超曠高古」者；其三，陳瀟玉以陳子昂為主角之電影劇本《陳子昂殉道記》，並以高氏為主角之小說《金枝紅淚》，已成部分之英譯，與傳統華文原作。陳子昂烈士以其文采學問與勇毅，虔誠奮戰，抗擊不學、乏術、不公、不義、暴政；與陳子昂合著並在全世界廣傳此書，亦是陳瀟玉勉力繼承陳子昂之志業，關鍵努力之一
Brecht and China : a mutual response
No full textThis thesis deals with the cross-cultural relations between Brecht and China
through an analysis of how Brecht responded to the traditional Chinese theatre and
how his drama was received in turn by modern Chinese theatre. It attempts to
examine the respective socio-cultural or political contexts wherein such kind of crosscultural
contacts were needed, and the consequent aesthetic-theatrical as well as
socio-cultural or political changes brought about by these contacts that have produced
two distinctively independent yet related forms of theatre.
It is argued that Brecht's search for a theatre style of his own amidst the sociocultural
as well as political crises between the two world wars made him look to the
East for inspirations, and his direct encounter with Mei Lanfang enabled him to
interpret the latter's acting in such a way that he responded to it with his postulation of
the alienation effect and modification of a gestic performance style. His repudiation
of the well-made dramatic theatre brought his epic theatre closer to the traditional
Chinese theatre whose aesthetic principles he shared in constructing a non-
Aristotelian episodic form of drama. In his experimentations with new modes of
theatrical expressions, he did not simply borrow or copy the forms and content of
classical Chinese drama; he appropriated, transformed and renewed them, for
example, in The Caucasian Chalk Circle, for the particular purpose of instructing
audiences in a scientific age.
China! s reception of Brecht has had much to do with the country's changing
socio-cultural as well as political situations. Chinese theatre practitioners responded
to him because he was a politically, culturally and aesthetically suitable figure. His
epic drama provided an alternative style for the Chinese in their attempt to innovate
their realist spoken drama imported from the West, and was also introduced into local
forms of performing arts in hope that the traditional Chinese theatre could be
resurrected. Furthermore, he prompted Huang Zuolin to theoretically re-examine
Chinese operas, which the latter integrated with techniques of Brecht and
Stanislavsky into spoken drama to establish a new theatre style called Xieyi drama
