Search Results (53)

In remote alpaca breeding regions, access to advanced sperm analysis laboratories is limited. This study validates a practical cytometric method for evaluating sperm viability and acrosomal integrity in epididymal alpaca sperm using early fluorochrome staining, formaldehyde fixation, and intermediate storage. Thirty-two testes were transported at 5 °C, and spermatozoa were collected from the cauda epididymis. After morphometric screening, 26 samples were included. Aliquots were stained with Zombie Green (viability) and FITC–PSA (acrosomal integrity), at time zero. Each aliquot was divided for cytometric analysis at T0 (immediately), T24 (24 h after formaldehyde fixation) and T1w (1 week post-fixation). Fixed samples showed higher viability and acrosomal integrity values (T24: 70.75%, 97.24%; T1w: 71.80%, 97.21%) than T0 (67.63%, 95.89%). This may reflect fluorescence alterations associated with fixation. Strong correlations and Bland–Altman analysis confirmed consistency across time points. This method enables accurate sperm quality evaluation up to one week after collection, offering a useful tool for reproductive monitoring in field conditions without immediate analysis. Further research on ejaculated semen and field protocols is recommended. Full article

When cells remain permanently trapped in a particular cell cycle stage, they are in senescence. This also occurs in the liver. Such cells are often referred to as “zombie cells”, and an entire organ filled with these “zombie cells” is said to be in a “zombie-like” state, characterized by a lack of function. The senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) encompasses the substances these “zombie cells” release, which can significantly affect nearby cells and tissues. While cellular senescence and SASP are related concepts, they are distinct. This scoping review aims to clarify the role of hepatocyte senescence and hepatocyte SASP in the administration of pharmaceuticals, as well as their relevance to medico-legal practice, disability claims, and insurance coverage. In this context, the effects of pharmaceuticals on senescent hepatocytes are discussed, particularly regarding the medico-legal implications of substances likely to be abused. In conclusion, hepatocyte senescence may be relevant in clinical or medico-legal work because it sheds a new light on interpreting clinical findings and expert witness statements. Full article

With the advancement of economic globalization, market integration has become a critical contributing factor for sustainable economic development. However, the persistence of zombie firms continues to undermine fiscal sustainability, creating a critical policy challenge. The core purpose of this article is to propose novel policy directions for emerging economies to foster domestic market integration (DMI) and sustainable development. Based on panel data from 297 cities in China from 2008 to 2020, this paper employs a two-way fixed effects model to empirically test the impact of subsidies allocated to zombie firms on DMI. The results indicate that targeted subsidies provided by local governments to zombie firms exacerbate regional market segmentation and hinder the process of DMI. The analysis reveals several key mechanisms underlying this phenomenon: on the one hand, local governments may shift expenditure burdens to enterprises located outside their jurisdiction, leading to higher institutional trade costs and lower fiscal sustainability; on the other hand, the persistence of zombie firms crowds out the resources available to healthy enterprises and distorts the allocation of factor resources, thereby impeding the ability of local products to compete effectively in intercity markets. However, enhancing the business environment and upgrading the industrial structure can effectively mitigate the market fragmentation induced by such inefficient subsidies. This research offers a novel perspective for quantifying local protectionism and provides important implications to improve DMI as well as sustainable economic development. Full article

Xylazine, commonly called “tranq” or “sleep cut”, is a strong α2-adrenergic agonist used in veterinary practice as a sedative, analgesic, and muscle-relaxing agent. It has never been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for human use, but its use by people is on the rise. In the last decades, due to its low cost and ease of availability, it has often been illicitly used due to its abuse potential as a drug for attempted sexual assault and intended poisoning. In addition, xylazine’s presence in the human body has also been related to domestic accidental events. Generally, it is combined with multiple other drugs, typically by intravenous injection, potentiating the doping effects. Xylazine’s mechanism of action is different from that of other illicit opioids, such as heroin and fentanyl, and it has no known antidote approved for use in humans. The combination with fentanyl prolongs the euphoric sensation and may heighten the risk of fatal overdose. Furthermore, it may cause adverse effects, including central nervous system (CNS) and respiratory depression, bradycardia, hypotension, and even death. Recent reports of xylazine misuse have risen alarmingly and describe people who become “zombies” because of the drug’s harmful effects on the human body, including serious wound formation that could even lead to limb amputation. This paper is an extensive review of the existing literature about xylazine and specifically deals with the chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamic, and toxicological aspects of this compound, highlighting the most recent studies. Full article

Background/Objectives: The widespread phenomenon of “brain rot”, named the Oxford Word of the Year 2024, refers to the cognitive decline and mental exhaustion experienced by individuals, particularly adolescents and young adults, due to excessive exposure to low-quality online materials, especially on social media. The present study is exploratory and interpretative in nature, aiming to investigate the phenomenon of “brain rot”, with a focus on its key pillars, psychological factors, digital behaviors, and the cognitive impact resulting from the overconsumption of low-quality digital content. Methods: This study employs a rapid review approach, examining research published between 2023 and 2024 across PubMed, Google Scholar, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science. It explores the causes and effects of brain rot, focusing on the overuse of social media, video games, and other digital platforms. Results: The findings reveal that brain rot leads to emotional desensitization, cognitive overload, and a negative self-concept. It is associated with negative behaviors, such as doomscrolling, zombie scrolling, and social media addiction, all linked to psychological distress, anxiety, and depression. These factors impair executive functioning skills, including memory, planning, and decision-making. The pervasive nature of digital media, driven by dopamine-driven feedback loops, exacerbates these effects. Conclusions: The study concludes by offering strategies to prevent brain rot, such as controlling screen time, curating digital content, and engaging in non-digital activities. Given the increasing prevalence of digital engagement, it is essential to explore a variety of strategies, including mindful technology use, to support cognitive health and emotional well-being. The results can guide various stakeholders—policymakers, practitioners, researchers, educators, and parents or caregivers—in addressing the pervasive impact of brain rot and promoting a balanced approach to technology use that fosters cognitive resilience among adolescents and young adults. Full article

The theoretical literature on credit reallocation has yielded conflicting predictions on both the extent and the efficiency of reallocations during economic downturns. We borrowed the methodology of measuring job reallocation to measure credit reallocation and examine which predictions are consistent with the data. We reported the following findings: (1) the extent of credit reallocation is smaller in recessions than in expansions, which is attributable to the decreasing extent of credit creation; (2) this tendency was more pronounced during the Lost Decade of the 1990s; (3) credit reallocation generally is efficiency-enhancing, but at a lower rate in recessions and turns to efficiency-reducing during the Lost Decade, possibly due to financial assistance by banks to large but low-quality firms (e.g., through zombie lending). These findings indicate that the inefficient credit reallocation during the Lost Decade was characterized by efficiency-reducing reallocation to large firms. Full article

We investigate whether the machine learning technique helps to identify zombie firms. We also analyze the differences in zombie indicators proposed by previous research.revious studies successfully classified firms as zombies by focusing on whether they receive subsidized credits. However, when the policy interest rate is low, it becomes more challenging to identify zombies, because low-interest payments by firms can be caused by lenders’ support to zombies and by low policy interest rates. According to our machine learning approach, we show that we can predict zombie firms from financial information that is publicly available even when the policy interest rate is low. We also find that the financial accounts important for predicting zombie firms differ for every zombie indicator, suggesting that these indicators reflect different aspects of firms’ status. Full article

As the opioid crisis continues to wreak havoc on a global scale, it is increasingly critical to develop methodologies to detect the most dangerous drugs such as fentanyl and its derivatives, which have orders of magnitude higher potency than morphine. The scientific challenge for chemical detection of fentanyl and its derivatives is complicated by both the constantly increasing synthetic variations of the drug as well as the expanded use of adulterants. One tragically consequential example is the nocuous street drug known as “Tranq”, which combines fentanyl or a fentanyl derivative with the veterinary sedative Rompun^®, chemically identified as xylazine (XYL). This pervasive street cocktail is exacerbating the already staggering number of fentanyl-related deaths as its acute toxicity poses a danger to medical first-responders and complicates their initial assessment and treatment options for overdose victims. Given the widespread use of XYL as an adulterant, an electrochemical XYL sensor capable of on-site operation by non-experts as a fast-screening tool is a notable goal. This work presents a voltammetry-based sensor featuring carbon electrodes modified with carboxylic-acid functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes layered with cyclodextrin and polyurethane membranes for sensitivity and selectivity enhancements. The sensor has critical and robust fouling resistance while providing sensitivity at 950 μA/mM∙cm², a low limit of detection (~5 ppm), and the ability to detect XYL in the presence of fentanyl and/or other non-fentanyl stimulants like cocaine. The demonstrated sensor can be applied to promote public health with its ability to detect and indicate XYL in the presence of opioids, serving to protect drug-users, first responders, medical examiners, and on-site forensic investigators from exposure to these dangerous mixtures. Full article

This article contextualises the history of kaijū scholarship and looks particularly at the swell of publishing that has emerged in the last decade. It argues that the release of a series of new Godzilla films has led to a greater focus on the kaijū film, but that there is recurrence of critical themes that have persisted throughout scholarship on giant monster movies since the 1960s. This provides a literature review to understand how kaijū media has been critiqued, defined and challenged in response to the near three-quarter century history of kaijū cinema to consider if studies of the kaijū media provide the impetus to look at the kaijū as deserving of its own field of study. If zombie studies and vampire studies can occupy their own emerging fields of study, why not the kaijū? If the figure of the kaijū asks the biggest questions of our cultures, then do the giant monsters not deserve their own field? But, if this is an emerging field of study, the article poses, it needs to be more than kaijū film studies. Full article

From Night of the Living Dead (1968) to The Walking Dead (2010–2022), zombie media offers a consistent refrain, namely to avoid becoming a zombie. This refrain makes intuitive sense. Why would anyone welcome becoming a member of a roaming, mindless, and often violent undead horde symbolizing humanity’s destruction? However, zombification has affirmative, emancipatory possibilities. In “Epidemiology,” from Season 2 of the NBC sitcom Community (2009–2015), we see the zombie’s affirmative and emancipatory potential. In this essay, I argue zombification enlivens Community by provoking the show to rethink its relationship to its nominal protagonist, Jeff Winger, and to itself as a piece of avant-garde comedy television produced during the “Golden Age of Television,” what media scholars also call, “Peak” or “Prestige TV.” In this episode, Community evolves its understanding of its central protagonist by shifting, in some respects, from a conventional and historically predictable character to a character far less conventional. Full article

By examining a broad range of companies from both developed and developing nations from 2015 to 2021, we gather evidence on the occurrence and factors contributing to the existence of zombie firms. Approximately 10% of our observations are identified as zombie firms, and there is significant variability in the proportion of zombie firms across different countries. We find that countries with more efficient corporate insolvency rules tend to have a lower incidence of zombie firms. We also establish that a nation’s culture plays a vital role in determining the prevalence of zombie firms. More specifically, our findings indicate that countries with higher levels of individualism culture tend to have lower numbers of zombie firms. Full article

This article takes the supply-side structural reform launched in 2016 as a quasi-natural experiment and uses the “DID” method to analyze the relationship between the policy effects of supply-side reform and the labor income share. Firstly, the basic conclusion is that the “supply-side reform policy” can reduce the labor income share of enterprises in the “six major industries”. The correctness of the benchmark regression results was verified through a series of robustness tests. The results of the main regression were validated based on three different heterogeneity analysis perspectives: firm ownership, firm region, and government intervention. Secondly, two mediation mechanisms were examined, and the results showed that increasing operating income can positively enhance the “supply-side structural reform” in reducing the labor share of income in all enterprises, while increasing R&D investment can negatively enhance the effect of the “supply-side structural reform” on the reduction of the labor share of income in all enterprises. The heterogeneity of the two intermediary effects indicates that state-owned enterprises and private enterprises have different performances. The research results of this article indicate that the “supply-side reform policy” can effectively reduce the labor income share of target enterprises, reduce the proportion of excess employees, and enhance the vitality of target enterprises. The policy suggestion is to continue promoting supply-side structural reform, a policy which is in line with the requirements of the high-quality and sustainable development of Chinese enterprises. Full article

Resilient necrocapitalism and the zombie genre of representations of current dystopias are persistent in their political purpose in producing changes in the social order to benefit plutocracies around the world. It is through a thanatopolitical lens that we should view the successive losses of life, and this zombie genre has come to represent a dystopia that, for political purposes, is intended to produce changes in societies which have tolerated the violent deaths of women. This article focuses on contemporary Greece and proposes a theoretical framework where femicide is understood as a social phenomenon that reflects a global gendered necropolitical logic which equals genocide. Such theoretical assemblages have to be situated within intersectional imperatives and tacitly as the result of the capitalist terror state performed in an expansive and direct immediate death, exacerbated by the lingering slow social death of the welfare state. The article contends that the scripted hetero-patriarchal social order of the necrocapitalist state poses a unique political threat to societies. With the silence of the complicity of the state, what is necessary is the creation and spread of new political knowledge and new social movements as resilient political tactics of resistance. This article foregrounds an ecofeminist perspective on these issues and considers ways through which new pedagogies of hope can counter the gendered necropolitics of contemporary capitalism in Greece. Full article

In 2009, Seth Grahame-Smith published Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, sparking a subgenre that situates itself within multiple genres. I draw from the rebellious nature of nineteenth-century proto-feminists who tried to reclaim the female monster as an initial methodology to analyze Grahame-Smith’s Elizabeth Bennet. I argue that the (white) women in this horror rewriting inadvertently become the oppressors alongside contextualized zombie theory. This article also explores Grahame-Smith’s Charlotte Lucas as a complex female monster, as she is bitten and turned into a zombie, which reflects in part Jane Austen’s Charlotte’s social status and (potential) spinsterdom. It is the mythos of the zombie that makes Grahame-Smith’s Elizabeth Bennet’s feminist subversion less remarkable. And it is Charlotte’s embodiment of both the rhetorical and the religio-mythic monster that merges two narratives: the Americanized appropriated zombie and the oppressed woman. Grahame-Smith’s characters try to embody the resistance of twenty-first feminist sensibilities but fail due to the racial undertones of the zombie tangentially present in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Full article

Utilizing panel data from listed Chinese manufacturing companies spanning the period from 2011 to 2018, this paper investigates the impact of industrial-robot applications on the resurgence of zombie firms. The fixed-effects-estimation results reveal that a 1% increase in industrial-robot utilization corresponds to a 0.49% rise in the revival rate of financially distressed entities. The paper underscores the instrumental role of industrial robots in fostering the sustainable development of zombie firms, emphasizing improvements in capital returns, labor productivity, and overall factor productivity. Heterogeneity analysis further highlights the varied influences of geographical location, capital intensity, and pollution emissions on this relationship. This paper contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the crucial role played by industrial automation in revitalizing struggling enterprises within the Chinese manufacturing landscape. Full article