The Protection of Right of Minors to Express Their Opinions in Family Litigations

The right of minors to express their opinions in family litigations refers to minors,who have a certain degree of mental capacity and assertiveness,having the right to express their opinions on the arrangements or decisions related to themselves when the courts handle familial litigation cases involving their interests,and to request the courts hear their opinions.In essence,the right of minors to express their opinions in family litigations belongs to the basic procedural rights of minors as well as judicial beneficiary rights.As for the protection of the right of minors to express their opinions in family litigations,recognizing the status of minors as independent subjects of rights is the logical premise,the procedural guarantee for the rights of the substantive parties involved is the direct cause,and ensuring the best interests of children is the fundamental reason.In order to protect the right of minors to express their opinions in family litigations,China should standardize the mechanisms for judges to hear the opinions of minors directly,improve the mechanisms for family investigators,and establish mechanisms for representing the interests of minors.

Perpetrators of Sexual Violence against Minors in Casamance (Senegal)

Introduction: The causes of sexual delinquency against children are multifactorial and the motivations that drive the perpetrators of sexual assault are diverse. Nowadays, there is still no consensus on a single portrait of child sex offenders and studies that focus on sex offenders are still rare in Senegal and Africa. Objectives: To determine the profile of the perpetrators and to identify the circumstances of sexual violence against minors in Casamance. Materials and Methods: A retrospective descriptive and analytical study from April 1, 2014 to October 31, 2019 was conducted. The study population was made up of perpetrators of sexual violence against minors whose legal proceedings were dealt with at the Ziguinchor High Court. The data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet and then analyzed using Epi InfoTM 7 software. Results: A total of 106 cases of sexual violence against minors were collected for 113 aggressors and 106 victims. Rape accounted for 66.03% of sexual violence. Male aggressors were 98.23%. Female victims accounted for 95.28%. The average age of the attackers was 32.52 years (±13.68). Offenders over the age of 35 committed the most rape (p = 0.043). The average age of the victims was 12.62 years (±3.42). Victims aged ten and over (p = 0.015) and who had a low level of education (p = 0.016) were more exposed to rape. The assault took place during the day (65.71%) and at the home of the aggressor (62.26%). Victims knew their attackers (84.47%). Victims were assaulted more than once by the same assailant (40.57%). Those aged 10 years and over (p = 0.0037) and who knew their attackers (p = 0.014) were more at risk of being repeatedly sexually abused. Conclusion: In Senegal, sexual violence against minors is perpetrated by young adult men, single, with little or no education and exercising low-income professions. Rape is the type of aggression preferred by perpetrators, most of whom were known to their victims. The policy to fight sexual violence against children must integrate sex education at school and community level, public awareness, monitoring of child sex offenders and possibly, their medico-psychological care.

Maternal-Fetal Pregnancy Complications of in Minors Raped with or without Physical Restraint in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Introduction: Pregnancy resulting from rape is a public health and sexual and reproductive health issue, especially among minors. Rape can be perpetrated with or without physical restraint. The objective of the present study is to highlight the prevalence of physical coercion leading to pregnancy and the associated maternal-fetal complications. Methodology: This was a comparative descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study of complications associated with post-rape pregnancy by physical restraint among minors who were treated at the General Reference Hospital of Panzi over a two-year period from June 2020 to June 2022. A total of 140 minor survivors of violence with pregnancy were included in the study. Data were collected using a questionnaire, coded and analyzed in Excel and XLSTAT version 2014. Results: The prevalence of physical constraints was 65%. After mulltivariate analyses, denial of pregnancy (ORa: 9.64 95% CI: 1.1 - 81.2;p-value: 0.0370), attempted abortion (ORa: 56.1 95% CI: 1.5 - 2027.6;p-value: 0.0278) and agitation during delivery (ORa: 88.7 95% CI: 4.5 - 1715;p-value: 0.0030) were the complications associated with pregnancy in minors who experienced physical restraint rape. In addition, BMI was a factor in reducing the risk of physical restraint rape at the ORa of 0.5054 [0.3;0.8];p 0.006). Conclusion: Pregnancy among minors is a reality and occurs in a situation of physical coercion in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. These pregnancies are often associated with complications that require an intensive management system since they can jeopardize the maternal-fetal prognosis of minors.

Achievements Outstanding In Protecting Minors——Report on enforcement of Law on the Protection of Minors (excerpts)

The Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors and the Law ofthe People's Republic of China on the Prevention of Juvenile Crimes were passed on September 4, 1991 and June 28,1999 and came into force on January 1, 1992 and November 1, 1999. Over the past decades, China has scoredoutstanding achievements in implementing the two laws. In order to strengthen supervision of the implementationof the two laws and better protect the lawful rights and interests of the under-aged, the National People's CongressStanding Committee set up a Law Enforcement Check Group in July 2003, which carried out a nationwidecheck of the implementation of the two laws. On August 25, NPC Vice-Chairperson Gu Xiulian reported on theresult of the check to the fourth meeting of the Tenth NPC standing committee. She described the generalsituation in the implementation of the two laws as 'good' and also identified some problems and put forwardsome recommendations with regard to the enforcement and implementation of the two laws.The following are the excerpts of the report:

Turning into a “Godparent”: How adult volunteers negotiate their personal life to become a mentor for “Unaccompanied Refugee Minors”

This article looks into how volunteers deal with their biographies and social embeddedness to make sense of their engagement in mentoring before they are matched. It draws on a qualitative investigation on a community-based pilot youth mentoring program for “unaccompanied refugee minors” in Austria. This article reveals how already trained, local adults actively relate to “family,”“migration” and “previous activities” in their meaning-making. It shows how they negotiate their personal life and existing relationships in the process of turning into a future “godparent.” The discussion of findings against the state of the art leads the way to two heuristic claims: firstly, the study provides grounded arguments for an extension of the conventional mentoring concept on the side of the mentor. Secondly, for a more relational and processual approach towards the mentors’ side, both biographical and social network dimensions need to be integrated in methods and designs of youth mentoring research.

What Do Social Workers Think About Unaccompanied Foreign Minors＇ Family Fostering in Italy

In Italy, the unaccompanied foreign minors are a growing and heterogeneous group with ever changing origins, trajectories, and features. In November 2015, they were 10,952. This research focuses on their foster care and examines the point of view of social workers that have theoretical competences and fieldwork. The main objective of this paper is to present operational recommendations concerning the definition and organization of this instrument, starting from social workers＇ direct experiences. Main results： A friendly familiar setting is useful to overcome loneliness and social isolation coming from a new and unknown realiW during adolescence and permit a better social, school, and professional integration for the minor compared with residential care. For a successful outcome, the strengths consist in： The young migrant must not have behavioral nor psychiatric disorders and must be willing to integrate himself into a new family, recognize adult authoriW and share his life plan with family＇s adults; training all foster families included omo-cultural ones; the birth family involvement in the foster care＇s project. The ascertained criticalities concern on the low number of available families, the lack of standard operating procedures, guidelines, research, and literature on the topic.

Risk and benefit from clinical trials in minors:Making the case for transparent and consistent publications

Rationale, aim and objectives: The European (EU) regulation on medicinal products for pediatric use (EC 1901/2006), which became effective in 2007, aimed to stimulate the clinical testing of medications in minors in order to reduce off-label use. In consequence, the number of minors taking part in randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) is likely to increase. Clinical trials in minors require a complex methodological design, a careful consideration of risks and benefits and a high level of ethical reflection. Unfortunately, as to the quality of clinical trials and their publications in minors little is known. Therefore, we assessed published reports of randomized, controlled clinical trials in minors, focusing on a common disease (asthma) and a defined spectrum of lifethreatening diseases (malignant diseases). Method: In an exploratory design, we scanned the publications for methodological aspects as well as indicators of ethical soundness, e.g., statements that informed consent had been obtained before the start of the trial or that a Data and Safety Monitoring Board ensured the patients’ safety during the trial. We also looked for passages reflecting the debate on equipoise or other forms of weighing risks and benefits. Results: We found that many of these aspects, which according to the scientific literature and generally acknowledged guidelines are essential to ensure good-quality trials and trial reports, were not considered in the publications analyzed. Conclusion: Therefore, we call for a more transparent and consistent presentation of the trials, especially of safety aspects, relying on a more critical and transparent ethical reflection.

Minors' Rights:Right to Privacy vs. Right to Know

I. An Overview of the Right of Privacy for Minors and Relevant Obligee＇s Right to Learn Their Privacy The right to privacy has been recognized as an important personal right by China＇s practitioners and theorists of law although it is not an independent part of the Civil Law. In general, the right of privacy refers to the ＂right of the natural person to enjoy tranquility of private life and his or her right not to allow other persons to invade, learn, use, reveal or publish the kind of information relevant to his private life.＂

On China's Protection of Delinquent Minors'Rights

At the end of June 2011, China had 29 reformatories for delinquent minors, where 17,149 convicts aged 18 oryounger were serving their terms. These facilities have persistently followed the policy of ＂combining punishment with redemption, with redemption taken as the main objective＂ as well as a policy that calls for the integration of ＂educa- tion, persuasion and redemption＂ Good results have been achieved thanks to implementation of these policies, es- pecially since the People＇s Republic of China Law on the Protection of Minors was promulgated in September 1991.

Predictive modeling for postoperative delirium in elderly patients with abdominal malignancies using synthetic minority oversampling technique

BACKGROUND Postoperative delirium,particularly prevalent in elderly patients after abdominal cancer surgery,presents significant challenges in clinical management.AIM To develop a synthetic minority oversampling technique(SMOTE)-based model for predicting postoperative delirium in elderly abdominal cancer patients.METHODS In this retrospective cohort study,we analyzed data from 611 elderly patients who underwent abdominal malignant tumor surgery at our hospital between September 2020 and October 2022.The incidence of postoperative delirium was recorded for 7 d post-surgery.Patients were divided into delirium and non-delirium groups based on the occurrence of postoperative delirium or not.A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify risk factors and develop a predictive model for postoperative delirium.The SMOTE technique was applied to enhance the model by oversampling the delirium cases.The model’s predictive accuracy was then validated.RESULTS In our study involving 611 elderly patients with abdominal malignant tumors,multivariate logistic regression analysis identified significant risk factors for postoperative delirium.These included the Charlson comorbidity index,American Society of Anesthesiologists classification,history of cerebrovascular disease,surgical duration,perioperative blood transfusion,and postoperative pain score.The incidence rate of postoperative delirium in our study was 22.91%.The original predictive model(P1)exhibited an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.862.In comparison,the SMOTE-based logistic early warning model(P2),which utilized the SMOTE oversampling algorithm,showed a slightly lower but comparable area under the curve of 0.856,suggesting no significant difference in performance between the two predictive approaches.CONCLUSION This study confirms that the SMOTE-enhanced predictive model for postoperative delirium in elderly abdominal tumor patients shows performance equivalent to that of traditional methods,effectively addressing data imbalance.

Impact of comorbid subthreshold depressive symptoms on cancerrelated fatigue and complications in adults with leukemia

BACKGROUND Patients not only experience symptoms caused by cancer but also suffer from the accompanying psychological pain.Therefore,these patients do not have high quality of life.According to the World Health Organization,the incidence of leukemia in China in 2020 was 5.1/100000,the mortality rate was 3.3/100000,and the prevalence rate was 16.7/100000.Therefore,it is important to examine the influence of comorbid subthreshold depressive symptoms on leukemia patients.AIM To determine the impact of comorbid subthreshold depressive symptoms on cancer-related fatigue and complications in leukemia patients,thereby providing a basis for early diagnosis and treatment in clinical practice.METHODS A questionnaire survey was conducted among leukemia patients admitted to a tertiary hospital in Xi'an,Shaanxi Province,China,from August 2022 to December 2023.Patients with a score>16 on the Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders(CCMD-3)and a Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score of 8-17 were classified as the subthreshold depressive group(n=95),while 100 leukemia patients admitted during the same period were classified as the control group.Data were collected using Epidata 3.1 software,and comparisons were made between the two groups regarding general clinical data,the Piper Fatigue Scale(PFS),the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI),the Numeric Rating Scale for pain assessment,laboratory indicators,and the occurrence of complications.RESULTS In this survey,120 leukemia patients with depression were preliminarily screened,95 patients with subthreshold depression were ultimately selected as the subthreshold depression group,and 100 leukemia patients admitted during the same period were enrolled as the normal group.Comparison of basic clinical data between the two groups revealed no significant differences in age,sex,body mass index,cognitive function,or comorbidity with other chronic diseases.However,there were statistically significant differences in the use of radiotherapy and regular exercise between the two groups(P<0.05).Comparisons of scales and laboratory indicators revealed no significant differences in albumin or PSQI scores between the two groups,but there were statistically significant differences in pain scores,PSQI scores,PFS scores,hemoglobin levels,and C-reactive protein levels(P<0.05).Spearman’s correlation analysis indicated that cancer-related fatigue was correlated with age,hemoglobin levels,C-reactive protein levels,pain,and regular exercise among leukemia patients with subthreshold depression.Multivariate regression analysis revealed that advanced age,combined radiotherapy,pain,and low hemoglobin levels were risk factors for cancer-related fatigue in leukemia patients with comorbid subthreshold depression,while regular exercise was a protective factor against cancer-related fatigue.Follow-up comparisons revealed a significantly lower overall incidence of complications in the control group(4%)than in the depressive group(24.21%;P<0.001).CONCLUSION Leukemia patients with comorbid subthreshold depressive symptoms experience more severe cancer-related fatigue and a higher incidence of complications.These findings may be related to advanced age,combined radiotherapy,pain,and low hemoglobin levels,while regular exercise may effectively alleviate symptoms.

Simultaneous purification of minor components in natural products using twin-column recycling chromatography with a step solvent gradient

The isolation of minor components from complex natural product matrices presents a significant challenge in the field of purification science due to their low concentrations and the presence of structurally similar compounds.This study introduces an optimized twin-column recycling chromatography method for the efficient and simultaneous purification of these elusive constituents.By introducing water at a small flowing rate between the twin columns,a step solvent gradient is created,by which the leading edge of concentration band would migrate at a slower rate than the trailing edge as it flowing from the upstream to downstream column.Hence,the band broadening is counterbalanced,resulting in an enrichment effect for those minor components in separation process.Herein,two target substances,which showed similar peak position in high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)and did not exceed 1.8%in crude paclitaxel were selected as target compounds for separation.By using the twin-column recycling chromatography with a step solvent gradient,a successful purification was achieved in getting the two with the purity almost 100%.We suggest this method is suitable for the separation of most components in natural produces,which shows higher precision and recovery rate compared with the common lab-operated separation ways for natural products(thin-layer chromatography and prep-HPLC).

A Rendezvous Mission to the Second Earth Trojan Asteroid 2020 XL_5 with Low-Thrust Multi-Gravity Assist Techniques

As the second of Earth's Trojan asteroids, 2020 XL_(5) is worthy of rendezvous and even sample return missions in many aspects. In this paper, a rendezvous mission to Earth's second Trojan asteroid 2020 XL_(5) is proposed.However, due to its high inclination and large eccentricity, direct impulsive transfer requires large amounts of fuel consumption. To address this challenge, we explore the benefits of electric propulsion and multi-gravity assist techniques for interplanetary missions. These two techniques are integrated in this mission design. The design of a low-thrust gravity-assist(LTGA) trajectory in multi-body dynamics is thoroughly investigated,which is a complex process. A comprehensive framework including three steps is presented here for optimization of LTGA trajectories in multi-body dynamics. The rendezvous mission to 2020 XL_(5) is designed with this three-step approach. The most effective transfer sequence among the outcomes involves Earth–Venus–Earth–Venus-2020 XL_(5). Numerical results indicate that the combination of electric propulsion and multi-gravity assists can greatly reduce the fuel consumption, with fuel consumption of 9.03%, making it a highly favorable choice for this rendezvous mission.

Accelerating Asteroidal Period and Pole Inversion from Multiple Lightcurves Using Parallel Differential Evolution and Cellinoid Shape Model

Determining asteroid properties provides valuable physical insights but inverting them from photometric lightcurves remains computationally intensive.This paper presents a new approach that combines a simplified Cellinoid shape model with the Parallel Differential Evolution(PDE)algorithm to accelerate inversion.The PDE algorithm is more efficient than the Differential Evolution algorithm,achieving an extraordinary speedup of 37.983 with 64 workers on multicore CPUs.The PDE algorithm accurately derives period and pole values from simulated data.The analysis of real asteroid lightcurves validates the method’s reliability:in comparison with results published elsewhere,the PDE algorithm accurately recovers the rotational periods and,given adequate viewing geometries,closely matches the pole orientations.The PDE approach converges to solutions within 20,000 iterations and under one hour,demonstrating its potential for large-scale data analysis.This work provides a promising new tool for unveiling asteroid physical properties by overcoming key computational bottlenecks.

Emission and capture characteristics of deep hole trap in n-GaN by optical deep level transient spectroscopy

Emission and capture characteristics of a deep hole trap(H1)in n-GaN Schottky barrier diodes(SBDs)have been investigated by optical deep level transient spectroscopy(ODLTS).Activation energy(Eemi)and capture cross-section(σ_(p))of H1 are determined to be 0.75 eV and 4.67×10^(−15)cm^(2),respectively.Distribution of apparent trap concentration in space charge region is demonstrated.Temperature-enhanced emission process is revealed by decrease of emission time constant.Electricfield-boosted trap emission kinetics are analyzed by the Poole−Frenkel emission(PFE)model.In addition,H1 shows point defect capture properties and temperature-enhanced capture kinetics.Taking both hole capture and emission processes into account during laser beam incidence,H1 features a trap concentration of 2.67×10^(15)cm^(−3).The method and obtained results may facilitate understanding of minority carrier trap properties in wide bandgap semiconductor material and can be applied for device reliability assessment.

Photometric Analysis for Asteroid(81)Terpsichore using Convex Inversion and Phase Function Fitting Methods

The shapes and rotation states(periods and pole orientations)of main-belt asteroids are important for understanding their formation and evolution.In order to obtain sufficient photometric data covering different apparitions for asteroid(81)Terpsichore,ground-based photometric observations in 2020 and 2021 were carried out.By combining published and newly obtained photometric data,we calculated the shape and spin parameters for(81)Terpsichore using the convex inversion method.With this method,we have derived a best fitted pole orientation—(22.2±_(3.1)^(3.3°),17.5±_(5.5)^(10.8°))with a spin period of 10.94±_(0.01)^(0.01)h.Based on the derived convex shape of(81)Terpsichore,we have fitted the H,G+1,G_(2)phase function using the calibrated TESS data and Gaia data after accounting for the lightcurve amplitude correction.As a result,we have derived its absolute magnitude H=8.68±_(0.19)^(0.22)mag with corresponding phase function parameters G_(1)=0.82±_(0.10)^(0.09)and G_(2)=0.02±_(0.02)^(0.03).

Predictive modeling for post operative delirium in elderly

Delirium,a complex neurocognitive syndrome,frequently emerges following surgery,presenting diverse manifestations and considerable obstacles,especially among the elderly.This editorial delves into the intricate phenomenon of postoperative delirium(POD),shedding light on a study that explores POD in elderly individuals undergoing abdominal malignancy surgery.The study examines pathophysiology and predictive determinants,offering valuable insights into this challenging clinical scenario.Employing the synthetic minority oversampling technique,a predictive model is developed,incorporating critical risk factors such as comorbidity index,anesthesia grade,and surgical duration.There is an urgent need for accurate risk factor identification to mitigate POD incidence.While specific to elderly patients with abdominal malignancies,the findings contribute significantly to understanding delirium pathophysiology and prediction.Further research is warranted to establish standardized predictive for enhanced generalizability.

Postoperative delirium:A tragedy for elderly cancer patients

In this editorial,we comment on the article by Hu et al entitled“Predictive modeling for postoperative delirium in elderly patients with abdominal malignancies using synthetic minority oversampling technique”.We wanted to draw attention to the general features of postoperative delirium(POD)as well as the areas where there are uncertainties and contradictions.POD can be defined as acute neurocognitive dysfunction that occurs in the first week after surgery.It is a severe postoperative complication,especially for elderly oncology patients.Although the underlying pathophysiological mechanism is not fully understood,various neuroinflammatory mechanisms and neurotransmitters are thought to be involved.Various assessment scales and diagnostic methods have been proposed for the early diagnosis of POD.As delirium is considered a preventable clinical entity in about half of the cases,various early prediction models developed with the support of machine learning have recently become a hot scientific topic.Unfortunately,a model with high sensitivity and specificity for the prediction of POD has not yet been reported.This situation reveals that all health personnel who provide health care services to elderly patients should approach patients with a high level of awareness in the perioperative period regarding POD.

Pleomorphic adenoma(mixed tumor)of the upper lip:A case report

BACKGROUND Salivary gland tumors are relatively rare.Most minor salivary gland tumors are malignant with benign tumors accounting for 18%of the tumors.Pleomorphic adenoma(PA)is the most common salivary gland tumor.Lip PA is uncommon with 9.8%occurring in the upper lip.We are adding on the knowledge of the rare upper lip PA(benign mixed tumor).CASE SUMMARY We report an upper lip PA(benign mixed tumor)in a 28-year-old man.His complaint was a painless swelling on the upper lip.A painless,non-tender,well-circumscribed,slightly mobile,sessile,nodular,and rubbery(in consistency)tumor measuring 5.0 cm x 2.0 cm was noted on the left side of his upper lip.The overlying skin was not fixed and of normal color.There was no ulceration,and palpation did not elicit pain or bleeding.There was no history of trauma.Blunt dissection was used to completely excise the nodular,whitish,and encapsulated tumor.Microscopy showed a well-circumscribed and partly encapsulated biphasic lesion,with large lobules of myxo-chondroid stroma and intervening cellular nodules of basaloid cells,well-formed tubules containing eosinic secretion,and nests of myoepithelial cells.A diagnosis of PA(benign mixed tumor)was confirmed.CONCLUSION Blunt dissection is indicated to preserve the cosmesis and function of the upper lip.

Cardiovascular diseases in European ethnic minorities: Beyond the traditional cardiovascular risk factors

This editorial is intended to be a reflection on cardiovascular disease(CVD)burden in European ethnic minorities.In some European countries,ethnic minority realities,due to their recent appearance,are still to be studied in depth.The experience of several European countries,where the migration processes started earlier,even more than a century ago,can help by being an example.Many studies have shown that major differences in CVD burden exist not only between countries,but also within the same country when considering different social strata and ethnic groups.The CV risk factors underlying heart disease have been well established.Important epidemiological studies have helped us understand that the underlying causes of heart disease as well as the behaviors that can help prevent them are the same.We are now well aware that CVD should be treated by considering a holistic approach.This is why the social determinants(SDs)of health that may worsen the disease burden or that,vice versa,may improve the treatment,and even more significantly,the prognosis of a patient’s illness should be taken into consideration.For ethnic minority patients,this holistic,hermeneutic approach is of importance.Several SDs of health that influence CVDs have been identified but their relevance for the health of ethnic minorities has not yet been clearly defined.In some European countries,most ethnic minorities are largely also religious minorities.Only a few studies have evaluated the role of religion,which is an important SD that affects the probability of having CV risk factors and diseases.Adolescents,particularly those belonging to the second generation,seem to be the weak link.If we believe that these young people are really citizens of their country of birth,then a way of recognizing their belonging to the community starts from a will to better understand their condition,in order to assist them while they grow physically and mentally.Thinking about safeguarding the health of this population should be more than a health task,rather a goal of social justice.