Digital Commons Network^™

Multiple Sclerosis: An Ethnically Diverse Disease With Worldwide Equity Challenges Accessing Care, Victor M Rivera

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects approximately 2.9 million people in the world, exerting a significant economic and societal burden. The disease is increasingly identified among populations considered as uncommonly affected. MS is reported in all regions of the World Health Organization (WHO) member states in Africa, the Americas, South-East Asia, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Western Pacific, affecting all ethnicities while exhibiting substantially variable prevalences. Countries with high MS prevalence and some with moderate frequencies generally have economically better structured healthcare systems. Nevertheless, health disparities in these countries are accentuated by suboptimal accessibility of care for their minorities, immigrants and …

Creating A Collaborative And Impactful Research Environment: Community Partner Reflections On The Destress-Ii Study, Jane Horrell, Alison Mcloughlin, Felicity Thomas, Kathryn Berzins, Susanne Hughes, Keith Guppy, Phillip Perkins, Ralph Corkhill, Debbie Sherlock, Saiqa Ahmed, Saima Gul, Keith Holt, Karen Coombes, Farheen Yameen, Oliver Hamer, Katrina Wyatt

Peninsula Medical School

Background: Patient and public involvement and engagement can improve the relevance and impact of research yet ‘impact’ is often framed narrowly around study findings rather than the experiences of those involved. Understanding how involvement affects individuals is important, particularly in areas such as mental health where there is significant potential for power differentials within the research process. The DeStress-II project co-developed a training resource to help primary care practitioners support people experiencing poverty-related mental distress. Community Partners with lived experience were integral to the project, contributing to training delivery, online resource co-production, and implementation analysis. This paper explores what supported …

Acl Injuries In Major League Soccer: A 10-Year Analysis Of Injury Rate And Return To Play, And Performance Metrics By Player Position, Brian Forsythe, Catherine Hand, Camden Bohn, Francis Hand, Vahram Gamsarian, Daanish Khazi-Syed, Joshua Chang, Vikranth Mirle, Eric Giza, Robert Brophy, Danyal Nawabi, Bert Mandelbaum

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most debilitating injuries in professional soccer, often leading to extended recovery times and performance impacts. While much is known about ACL injury outcomes in European leagues, data specific to the Major League Soccer (MLS) remains limited.

PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: This study aimed to assess the return to play (RTP) times, RTP rates, and performance outcomes after ACL reconstruction in MLS athletes. It was hypothesized that RTP times would improve over the study period and that player performance would stabilize by the third post-injury season, consistent with findings from other professional soccer leagues.

STUDY …

Clair3-Rna: A Deep Learning-Based Small Variant Caller For Long-Read Rna Sequencing Data, Zhenxian Zheng, Xian Yu, Lei Chen, Yan-Lam Lee, Cheng Xin, Angel On Ki Wong, Miten Jain, Rupesh K Kesharwani, Fritz J Sedlazeck, Ruibang Luo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Variant calling with long-read RNA sequencing (lrRNA-seq) helps to analyze full-length isoforms and gene expression but is complicated by high error rates, transcript diversity, RNA editing events, etc. Here, we propose Clair3-RNA, the first deep learning-based variant caller tailored for lrRNA-seq data. Building upon Clair series' pipelines, Clair3-RNA enhances lrRNA-seq variant calling using optimized techniques, such as uneven coverage normalization, refined training data, editing site discovery, and haplotype phasing to enhance performance. Clair3-RNA supports various platforms, including PacBio, ONT complementary DNA sequencing (cDNA), and ONT direct RNA sequencing (dRNA). Clair3-RNA achieved a ~ 91% SNP F1-score on the ONT platform …

Full Issue, Kritika Kultura

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Siláng, Joel M. Toledo

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

On An Island, Somewhere, Neal Amandus Gellaco

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

New Arrival, Efmer E. Agustin

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Killing Manong Johnny, Lakan Umali

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Ekphrasis By Sand, Buwan Sayajon

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Saranghae, Monina Morales!, Kaisa Aquino

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

The Little Mermaid, Alpine Christopher Patio Moldez

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Practical Applications And Theoretical Possibilities On The Study Of Kapres Of The Sociedad Científica, Christian Jil Benitez

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Mga Praktikal Na Aplikasyon At Teoretikal Na Landasin Ng Mga Pag-Aaral Sa Kapre Ng Sociedad Cientifica, Alvin Yapan

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

A Rose In The Rubble, Francezca Kwe

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Toward Somewhere Livable: Contemporary Filipino Fiction Against Primers Of Values, Edgar Calabia Samar

Kritika Kultura

This introduction to the Kritika Kultura special issue positions contemporary Filipino fiction as a counter-practice to state-driven moral discourses that flatten history, depoliticize crisis, and naturalize inequity. Reading against the NCCA’s Filipino Values for the Common Good, the essay argues that literary work in Filipino refuses the primer’s rhetoric of timeless virtues by foregrounding structural violence, decolonial epistemologies, and the uneven terrains of translation. Through close attention to the nine selected works written originally in Filipino— and to the English translations that accompany them—the introduction shows how fiction enacts a literacy of refusal that interrupts the coercive demands of state, …

In The Trenches: The Value Of Value In Contemporary Philippine Fiction, Glenn Diaz

Kritika Kultura

In this critical introduction, I investigate the possibilities in as well as the potential limits of the notion of “halaga” or value in thinking about the works that are part of this Kritika Kultura special literary section on contemporary Philippine fiction. I argue that the value of value as a critical paradigm is simultaneously formal, political, thematic, and practical, as much an aesthetic curiosity as it is a discursive dilemma, and that any inquiry into what is valued in Philippine fiction today necessarily inquires into how one lives at a fraught historical moment marked by persistent structural violence. I situate …

Exploring K-Pop Fandom As A Space Of Support: The Case Of Lgbtq+ Fans From Australia And The Philippines During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Thomas Baudinette, Kelsey Scholes

Kritika Kultura

This article draws upon qualitative interviews with seventeen LGBTQ+ individuals to explore the role of K-pop fandom in providing support to queer communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article adds a new critical perspective into academic and journalistic accounts of K-pop fandom to insist on K-pop consumption as a practice that fundamentally improves fans’ mental health. Beginning by establishing how K-pop fandom spaces, particularly on social media, were considered to already support LGBTQ+ fans’ attempts to make sense of their gendered and sexual identities under societal heteronormativity, the article details specific benefits that LGBTQ+ fans experienced with regard to their …

Red Flag In The Pearl Of The Orient?: The Image Of China In The Philippine Periodical La Solidaridad (1889-1895), Lois Mauri Anne Liwanag, Tiffany Ritz Mendoza, Sophia Marie Enriquez, Vianca Jamyla Joven, Leslie Anne Liwanag, Michael Charleston "Xiao" Chua

Kritika Kultura

This paper attempts to deduce how certain articles in La Solidaridad that specifically discussed China present a general image of the said Celestial Empire. Its significance lies in the fact that it can provide further knowledge of how Filipino intellectuals of that time perceive the Philippines in relation to its neighbors in Asia as well as the dynamics of the region’s political situation. This article is also important due to its potential to provide a Filipino perception of China before it was altered by the Philippine-Chinese territorial conflict that emerged during the latter part of twentieth century. This paper has …

Symbolism In Liu Yichang’S Inside The Temple, Lingshuang Lai, Yue Zhang

Kritika Kultura

Liu Yichang’s (刘以鬯, 1918–2018) novella Inside the Temple (Sinei; 寺内), has been widely regarded, along with The Drunkard (Jiutu; 酒徒) and Intersection (Duidao; 对倒), as one of the best representatives of Liu’s work due to its narrative completeness and unique literary style. This article explores the symbols that Liu adopts in Sinei as he merges Western stream-of-consciousness techniques with Chinese poetic language. Liu’s synthesis offers fresh insight into humanity, life, and society from two perspectives: “abstract” and “concrete.” Certain images in the novella carry an “abstract” geometric quality and can be categorized as either symbols of the “straight line” (zhixian; …

Towards A Trans-Ethnic Representation Of Survival: Illness And Medical Writing In The Rag Doll Plagues, Qianqian Xu, Baojie Li

Kritika Kultura

As a peculiar condition affecting the body or mind, illness is an inescapable aspect of human existence. While intimately connected to the body, it does not belong solely to the domain of natural science. Instead, illness is a phenomenon inherently embedded in power relations and cannot be understood without the influence of external factors such as politics, religion, ideology, and economics. In Alejandro Morales’s historical novel The Rag Doll Plagues, the diachronic histories of different geographic spaces intersect synchronically due to the pervasive presence of human disease. Morales invites readers to explore the interplay between illness— particularly epidemic and pandemic …

Whose Story Is It? Postcolonial Racialization, Social (Im)Mobility, And Crony Capitalism In Tash Aw’S Five Star Billionaire, Chi Miao

Kritika Kultura

Malaysian Chinese author Tash Aw’s novel Five Star Billionaire narrates the stories of five Malaysian Chinese individuals striving to establish themselves in Shanghai by seeking opportunities for advancement, economic prosperity, and personal transformation. Drawing from Dan Shen’s narratological theory of dual narrative dynamics, which states how texts can have overt and covert narrative progressions, this article elucidates the novel’s hidden agenda by exploring how the characters’ experiences in contemporary China are intricately connected to their past in Malaysia. If interpreted according to the narrative’s overt progression, Five Star Billionaire depicts individuals who are enticed and ensnared by the forces of …

Restoring A Cultural Wetland With Poetry: How Huahai Writes And Acts With A Chinese Environmental Conscious, Qingqi Wei

Kritika Kultura

My translation of Huahai—a Chinese ecological poet who is both an artist and activist—has revealed his environmental insights that are meant to be ecocritical, cross-cultural, and practically constructive. His “Twenty-Four Solar Terms”1 sound structurally at a natural pace with the seasonal changes, tune the poetic rhythms with those of the solar terms, and exude the essence of national culture without preaching archaic and complex moralities. Equally important is the poet’s anxieties based on a broader context of climate change in that he critically emphasizes excessive human activities. His concerns with global warming explicitly strike a chord with contemporary readers during …

Pilosopiko-Hermeneutikong Pagbasa Sa Mga Kaisipan Nina Bonifacio P. Sibayan, Ernesto A. Constantino, At Andrew B. Gonzalez, Fsc Hinggil Sa Wikang Panturo Sa Sistemang Pang-Edukasyon Ng Pilipinas, Jay Israel De Leon

Kritika Kultura

Pinag-aralan sa papel na ito ang kaisipan ng tatlong Pilipinong lingguwista na sina Bonifacio P. Sibayan (1916-2005), Ernesto A. Constantino (1930-2016), at Andrew B. Gonzalez, FSC (1940-2006) hinggil sa wikang panturo sa sistemang pang-edukasyon ng Pilipinas. Sa pangkalahatan, nilayon ng pag-aaral na tukuyin ang mga pagkakasundo at di-pagkakasundo ng mga pananaw ng tatlong lingguwista mula sa isang diyalohikong pagbasa sa lente ng pilosopikal na hermeneutika ni Hans-Georg Gadamer. Ipinalagay ni Gadamer na ang bawat isang inidibidwal ay may sariling “abot-tanaw” o saklaw ng paningin mula sa isang partikular na punto de bista, kabilang na ang kaniyang mga kaalaman, damdamin, at …

Introduction, Vincenz Serrano

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Kritika Kultura

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Belliphonic Tolkien: Listening To The Wars In Middle-Earth, Ali Mirzabayati

Journal of Tolkien Research

This paper explores the belliphonic—the sonic dimension of warfare—in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, focusing on the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. While modern warfare studies emphasize the sounds of mechanized combat, the acoustic landscapes of ancient and medieval battles remain understudied. Drawing on recent scholarship by Clauss, Lummer, Potthoff, and Pretzer, this study situates Tolkien’s soundscapes within both historical and mythological traditions. Tolkien’s immersion in classical, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse literature, combined with his experience of World War I, enabled him to create richly layered battle sounds in which horns, cries, silence, and environmental …

Judicial Discretion And Ultra Petita In Employment Termination Cases: Lessons From Dutch Arbitration System, Laode Muhammad Sabur, Abdul Razak, Hamzah Halim, Jamhur

Hasanuddin Law Review

The principle of ex aequo et bono occupies a unique position within Indonesia’s legal landscape: although not expressly codified, it is increasingly invoked by judges to pursue substantive justice in employment termination disputes. This judicial practice, however, raises concerns regarding legal certainty and the boundaries of judicial authority, especially when decisions extend beyond the parties’ claims and risk violating the ultra petita doctrine. This article examines the application of ex aequo et bono in Indonesian labor courts through a normative legal analysis, using both comparative and conceptual approaches. A focal point of the study is Supreme Court Decision No. 223 …

Sharenting In Malaysia: Balancing Parental Rights And Children’S Privacy In The Digital Age, Siti Zaharah Jamaluddin, Mohammad Abu Taher, Iman Syamil Ahmad Rujhan

Hasanuddin Law Review

This study explores the phenomenon of “sharenting,” the widespread practice of parents sharing information, photos, and videos of their children online, within the Malaysian context. As social media becomes deeply embedded in daily life, sharenting serves as a common means for parents to document and share their parenting journey. However, this practice raises significant concerns about striking a balance between parental rights and children’s rights to privacy, consent, and protection from long-term digital exposure. While Malaysian parents often view sharenting as an expression of their rights, it may inadvertently infringe upon the child’s autonomy and digital footprint, which is permanent …

Energetics And Kinetics Of Alkali Ion Exchange In Analcime, Jinyi Liu, An T. Ta, R. Seaton Ullberg, Jean Wilfried Hounfodji, Michael Badawi, Hans Conrad Zur Loye, Simon R. Phillpot

Faculty Publications

We employ density functional theory calculations to investigate the energetics and diffusion mechanisms of alkali metal ions (Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, and Cs⁺) within the analcime framework. While Na⁺preferentially adsorbs at the center of the 8-member ring, DFT calculations show that larger ions, such as Cs⁺, occupy the center of the cage due to steric constraints. The computed exchange energies indicate that exchange of Na⁺by Cs⁺is thermodynamically favorable. Migration energy barriers, determined using the climbing image nudged elastic band method, show that Na⁺is …