bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PLEA BARGAINING IN THE FUNCTION OF EFFICIENCY OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE - STANDARDS AND PRACTICE IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA
Authors: Đukić Mirjana , Božić Vanda
Published: June 2023

The efficiency of criminal proceedings in conjunction with economy is an integral component of the principle of procedural economics. Its realization was first noticed in the law of the USA, then in the countries of continental Europe, through certain instruments that were implemented in our criminal procedure in due time. The need for more efficient criminal proceedings is a consequence of the longer duration of criminal proceedings or some of its stages, costs that sometimes exceeded the damage caused by crime, and the accumulation of cases before the courts, which did not affect any of the parties. Although he was criticized primarily for annulling the upper limit of the threatened sentence, and providing space to conclude on a crime of any gravity, the paper recognizes the plea bargaining as a kind of instrument for effective state response to crime. By comparing it with other consensual forms of criminal procedure, the efficiency of the judicial bodies of the Republic of Serbia, whose results were obtained by statistical analysis, is brought to the fore.
EXPERT ADVISOR IN CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS
Authors: Ćirić Zoran
Published: June 2023

The new provisions of the criminal procedure legislation of the RS have brought certain changes and novelties about the role of psychiatrists in criminal proceedings. Namely, in addition to appearing in the status of a court expert, the current legal solutions also enable the direct involvement of psychiatrists in criminal proceedings in the capacity of an expert advisor. In this way, preconditions have been created so that experts in the field of expertise can critically examine the expert's findings, which created preconditions for better professional control of expertise, confrontation of expert opinions, with the basic goal of providing the court with the most objective psychiatric truth in decision-making. judgments. The aim of this paper is to present the legal and practical position of psychiatrists as professional advisors in criminal proceedings, advantages and disadvantages, both in the legal solution and in practical work in individual court proceedings. The paper will also present some examples that will illustrate certain obstacles facing psychiatric counselors, both in providing professional assistance to the party that hired them, and in the most objective view of existing psychiatric circumstances in specific court proceedings. The paper contains the personal view of the author on the current codes in this area, as well as experiences from engaging in specific criminal proceedings, with the basic goal of creating better conditions for those who make legal decisions to better assess the facts in the field of psychiatry and pass objective and expertly reasoned judgments.
RESOCIALIZATION OF JUVENILE CRIMINALS IN EDUCATIONAL AND CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS
Authors: Macanović Nebojša
Published: June 2023

There are many causes that lead to juvenile delinquency, and sanctioning such deviant behavior is mostly reduced to alternative measures, police warning and making educational recommendations. If juveniles continue to commit criminal offenses, criminal sanctions in the form of educational measures, sentences of juvenile imprisonment and security measures shall be imposed. Unfortunately, many educational measures aimed at correcting the behavior of juveniles often fail to return the juvenile offender to the right path, but they opt for crime as a profession and look for role models in older and more experienced criminals, which greatly complicates the process of resocialization. Resocialization is a complex process whose success depends on the realization of institutional re-educational treatment. The aim of this paper is to point out how and in what way re-educational treatment is conducted with juvenile offenders and how much its effects are reflected in the success of the re-socialization of juvenile offenders who are in correctional facilities. In this paper, we will point out the numerous difficulties that hinder the implementation of institutional re-educational treatment, as well as the need for more efficient post-penal treatment in order for resocialization itself to be as successful as possible.
MISDEMEANOR PROCEDURE INSTRUMENTS OF THE STATE REACTION TO MISDEMEANORS IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA
Authors: Jeličić Mladen
Published: June 2023

The author analyzes the instruments of state reaction to misdemeanors as types of illegal acts in the Republic of Serbia. After introductory considerations where the prevalence of misdemeanors as penal delicts and the importance of misdemeanor law were pointed out, the author analyzed the modalities of the state reaction to misdemeanors. In the continuation of the paper, some misdemeanor procedural instruments are dealt with in important terms. The author analyzed the normative activity of the state, which is reflected in prescribing legal norms that provide for misdemeanors as penal delicts, made notes on authorized prosecutors in misdemeanor procedure, pointed out the importance and types of misdemeanor procedure, and considered the system of misdemeanor sanctions and execution of decisions. The author concludes that an important condition for the efficiency of the state response to misdemeanors through misdemeanor procedural instruments is adequate legal regulation of substantive and procedural misdemeanor legislation, and that in this segment in the Republic of Serbia it is necessary to make serious corrections and changes.
MANIFESTACIJA EVROPSKIH POSTULATA U BOSNI I HERCEGOVINI- PROCJENA UTICAJA I EVALUACIJA EFEKTIVNOSTI PRAVNIH PROPISA
Authors: Smajić Muhamed , Smajić Haris
Published: June 2023

Tranzicijski procesi kroz koje je Bosna i Hercegovina prolazila, i još uvijek prolazi, podrazumijevali su značajne promjene i poboljšanja u različitim oblastima. Jedna od ovih promjena manifestuje se kroz pripreme i usvajanja pravnih propisa koji definišu norme za funkcionalan, efikasan i racionalan rad i ponašanje državnih organa, civilnog društva, medija i samih građana. Sistematski pristup pripreme uređen je na različitim nivoima vlasti pravilima za izradu pravnih propisa. Pravila uključuju, ili ne, metodologiju procjene uticaja tokom izrade propisa, te evaluacijski okvir, ili su ista regulisana posebnim pravnim aktima. Procjena uticaja propisa, ili u praksi Evropske unije, ili drugih organizacija, Regulatory Impact Assesment (RIA) ima veoma važnu osnovu na efektivnost propisa. U fokusu tematskog okvira istraživanja su pravni okvir procjene uticaja propisa u Bosni i Hercegovini na različitim nivoimavlasti. To uključujue i dostignuća u ex ante procjeni uticaja propisa i ex post evaluaciji efektivnosti propisa, ali bez pretenzija za predstavljanje ocjena o dinamici i kvantitetu pravnih propisa koji se donose na različitim nivoima vlasti u Bosni i Hercegovini.
On vertex resolvability of a circular ladder of nonagons
Authors:   Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Sharma Sunny Kumar , Bhat Vijay Kumar ,   School of Mathematics, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University
Published: June 2023

Let $H=H(V,E)$ be a non-trivial simple connected graph with edge and vertex set $E(H)$ and $V(H)$, respectively. A subset $\mathbb{D}\subset V(H)$ with distinct vertices is said to be a vertex resolving set in $H$ if for each pair of distinct vertices $p$ and $q$ in $H$ we have $d(p,u)\neq d(q,u)$ for some vertex $u\in H$. A resolving set $H$ with minimum possible vertices is said to be a metric basis for $H$. The cardinality of metric basis is called the metric dimension of $H$, denoted by $\dim_{v}(H)$. In this paper, we prove that the metric dimension is constant and equal to $3$ for certain closely related families of convex polytopes.
A non-negative feedback self-distillation method for salient object detection
Authors: Chen Lei , Cao Tieyong , Zheng Yunfei , Yang Jibin , Wang Yang , Wang Yekui , Zhang Bo
Published: June 2023

Self-distillation methods utilize Kullback-Leibler divergence (KL) loss to transfer the knowledge from the network itself, which can improve the model performance without increasing computational resources and complexity. However, when applied to salient object detection (SOD), it is difficult to effectively transfer knowledge using KL. In order to improve SOD model performance without increasing computational resources, a non-negative feedback self-distillation method is proposed. Firstly, a virtual teacher self-distillation method is proposed to enhance the model generalization, which achieves good results in pixel-wise classification task but has less improvement in SOD. Secondly, to understand the behavior of the self-distillation loss, the gradient directions of KL and Cross Entropy (CE) loss are analyzed. It is found that KL can create inconsistent gradients with the opposite direction to CE in SOD. Finally, a non-negative feedback loss is proposed for SOD, which uses different ways to calculate the distillation loss of the foreground and background respectively, to ensure that the teacher network transfers only positive knowledge to the student. The experiments on five datasets show that the proposed self-distillation methods can effectively improve the performance of SOD models, and the average Fβ is increased by about 2.7% compared with the baseline network.
Identifying successful combinations by fertility index in old garden roses and hybrid tea roses crosses
Authors: Kılıç Tuğba
Published: June 2023

The success of rose breeding programs is low due to poor seed sets and germination rates. Determining fertile parents and cross combinations that show high compatibility could increase the effectiveness of breeding programs. In this study, three rose varieties belonging to Rosa × hybrida (Jumilia, First Red and Magnum), and two old garden rose species (Black Rose and Cabbage Rose) with known ploidy levels were reciprocally crossbred under controlled conditions to determine the successful crosses by checking fertility. The pollen germination rate (PG), crossability rate (CR), seed number per fruit (SNpF), seed production efficiency (SPE), seed germination rate (SGR), fruit weight (FW), seed weight (SW) and stigma number (SiN), etc. were recorded. Comprehensive fertility index value was calculated. Principal component analysis (PCA), correlation matrix, and hierarchical heat map were used to evaluate the data. The findings showed that old garden roses had more viable pollen than hybrid tea roses. The crossing success improved as pollen fertility increased. Also, female parent fertility improved crossing success just as much as pollen fertility. Although the pollen fertility and stigma numbers were low, some combinations had higher CR and SPE. The maximum SPE (from 8.67% to 19.46%) was determined in combinations where Black Rose was the female parent despite the lower stigma number and low pollen fertility. The highest CR was recorded in Black Rose × First Red (94.36%). All combinations in which Black Rose was used as the female parent had a more stable CR. The SNpF of combinations where hybrid rose varieties were female parents and old garden roses were pollen parents was higher than other combinations where hybrid rose varieties were both female and pollen parents. The SPE in intraspecific crosses was lower than that obtained from interspecific crosses. Moreover, the SGR decreased in combinations that produced heavier seeds. The results suggested that SPE is a more accurate parameter than SNpF in demonstrating combination success in breeding programs. Black Rose × First Red, Black Rose × Jumilia, Black Rose × Magnum and Black Rose × Cabbage Rose combinations can be used successfully as the PCA and heat map showed. Black Rose showed better performance as both seed and pollen parents according to the comprehensive fertility index. From the correlation matrix, it is understood that the number of stigmas cannot be an important criterion in parent selection. Old garden roses can be used as parents to increase the success of breeding programs. However, it is necessary to reveal how successful they are in transferring desired characteristics such as scent, petal number, and color.
fragilidad del cuerpo, de Chile y del soporte de la escritura: "Meditaciones físicas para un hombre que se fue" (1987) de Elvira Hernández
Authors: Ariz Castillo Yenny
Published: June 2023

El breve poemario Meditaciones físicas para un hombre que se fue (1987), de la escritora chilena Elvira Hernández (Lebu, 1951), se editó originalmente en un formato destinado a correspondencia postal, la carta tarjeta. El presente artículo indaga en las implicancias de utilizar este medio de comunicación como soporte de la escritura poética: brevedad, fragmentariedad, economía, empleo en periodos de guerras o durante viajes, relación con el humanismo, constatación de una ausencia, intención dialógica, entre otros. Además, se plantea que cada uno de los cuatro textos del poemario se refiere a un efecto de la dictadura sobre el cuerpo del sujeto de la enunciación, del de su pareja ausente y de los cuerpos de los habitantes de Chile: maltrato, despojo, hambre y desaparición. Esta percepción de los cuerpos como frágiles y vulnerables se evoca a partir de la fragilidad del soporte de la escritura. Las imágenes de menoscabo se presentan en los textos a través de recursos retóricos fónicos, sintácticos y semánticos, examinados en profundidad. Asimismo, se reflexiona sobre los vínculos entre el poemario y obras previas: Meditaciones metafísicas, de René Descartes, y la tradición de las meditaciones en la antigüedad clásica.
Autoridad y autofiguración desde una retórica afectiva en Úrsula Suárez y Madre Josefa del Castillo
Authors: Gayet Andrea
Published: June 2023

Las vidas escritas por Úrsula Suárez (1666-1749) y la Madre Josefa del Castillo (1671-1742), bajo mandato de sus confesores, se encuentran atravesadas por las emociones y por una retórica afectiva. Este trabajo demuestra cómo el registro afectivo lejos de reflejar una simple interioridad habilita en estas producciones textuales un abanico de posibilidades: cuestionar la doxa que asociaba a la mujer con lo pasional y la pasividad, autofigurarse dentro de la dinámica conventual, construir una autoridad para enunciar y desviarse del lugar que les había sido delimitado. El relevo de la retórica afectiva y los afectos para narrar la espiritualidad, el ejercicio de escritura y la convivencia dentro del convento, permitirá evidenciar la singularidad de estas autoras así como las tecnologías sociales y políticas que las determinaban.
Contar el horror
Authors: Simonetti Marcelo
Published: June 2023

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Poemas
Authors: Correa-Díaz Luis
Published: June 2023

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Poemas
Authors: Harris Thomas
Published: June 2023

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Valeria Tentoni. "Pirámide"
Authors: Montero Greta
Published: June 2023

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Julia Miranda. "Frenética armonía: vanguardias poéticas latinoamericanas en la guerra civil española"
Authors: Rodríguez María del Mar
Published: June 2023

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Ignacio López-Calvo (ed.). "A History of Chilean Literature"
Authors: Soto Andrés
Published: June 2023

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Validación de la Escala de Liderazgo Destructivo y del Cuestionario de Conductas Negativas-Revisado en Chile
Authors: González-Santa Cruz Andrés , Ansoleaga Elisa
Published: June 2023

La violencia laboral y los liderazgos destructivos acaparan un alto interés en el mundo, sin embargo, en Chile no existen procesos de validación para los instrumentos más utilizados globalmente. La evidencia muestra que la exposición a violencia laboral en Chile se asocia con distrés. El objetivo de este estudio fue proveer evidencia de validez del Cuestionario de Conductas Negativas (NAQ-R) y la Escala de Liderazgo Destructivo (CDLS), basada en la estructura interna y en relaciones con otras variables. Se aplicó una encuesta a una muestra multiocupacional de 1995 trabajadores(as) civiles asalariados(as) de las tres principales áreas metropolitanas de Chile: Gran Santiago, Valparaíso y Concepción. Se utilizó estadística descriptiva, análisis factorial confirmatorio para estructura interna y regresiones logísticas utilizando el distrés como criterio y ajustando por confusores. La prueba CDLS sólo obtuvo índices aceptables eliminado un ítem (WLSχ2(64, N= 1847) = 642, p<.0,001; CMIN/gl= 10,0; CFI= 0,966; GFI= 0,993; aGFI= 0,987; RMSEA = 0,070; 90% IC [0,065, 0,075] NNFI= 0,959), diferenciando entre liderazgos destructivos (CR [fiabilidad compuesta]= 0,81) y constructivo (CR= 0,91). La prueba NAQ-R presenta evidencia que hace factible su aplicación como una prueba unidimensional (WLSχ2(206, N= 1927) = 648, p<.0,001; CMIN/gl= 3,1; CFI= 0,969; GFI= 0,994; aGFI= 0,990; RMSEA = 0,033; 90% IC [0,030, 0,036] NNFI= 0,965; CR= 0,98). Se constató una mayor prevalencia de distrés en presencia de acoso (RP [Razón de Prevalencia]=1,03, 95%IC [intervalo de confianza] 1,02, 1,04) o liderazgos destructivos (RP= 1,09, 95%IC 1,06, 1,13). Se sugiere que estudios futuros utilicen métodos de clasificación empíricos de prevalencia.
Rutinas, Conductas y Ansiedad en la Infancia durante la Pandemia por COVID-19: Un Estudio Transcultural
Authors: Meléndez-Pál Beatrix , Felipe-Castaño Elena , Chivo Moreno José Francisco
Published: June 2023

El objetivo de este estudio fue describir y comparar las rutinas y conductas en una muestra de menores de tres países durante la cuarentena obligatoria de la pandemia del COVID-19 y analizar su relación con la ansiedad. Participaron 335 menores de España, Argentina y Estados Unidos, con edades entre 3 y 7 años. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron la Escala de Rutinas y Conductas (ERC) y la Escala de Ansiedad Preescolar (PAS). Utilizando un muestreo por redes mediante cuestionarios online en español e inglés, los resultados mostraron diferencias en las rutinas y conductas en los participantes de países bajo confinamiento, así como puntuaciones más elevadas en ansiedad. Las repercusiones negativas del confinamiento pueden afectar al bienestar infantil. Los estudios transculturales pueden ayudar la detección de síntomas psicopatológicos y promover los programas de prevención e intervención.
Cervical Length Measurement at Term Pregnancy as a Predictor of Time of Onset of Labour and Mode of Delivery: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Chandrasekaran Shanmugapriya , Prabhu J Karthiga , Senthilvadivu A
Published: June 2023

Introduction: Cervical assessment has moved from digital examination to sonographic evaluation in recent years. Predicting the time of onset of labour and mode of delivery at term is a great concern for both the pregnant woman and her relatives. Aim: To predict the time of onset of labour and mode of delivery by Transvaginal sonographic measurement of cervical length at term. Materials and Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Kattankalathur, Tamil Nadu, India, from March 2021 to August 2021. All low-risk singleton pregnancies between 38-40 weeks of gestation were included. Cervical length (in mm) was measured transvaginally by the principal investigator between 38 and 40 weeks. When the labour sets in the duration between cervical length measurement and the onset of labour, duration of labour and mode of delivery were noted. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to quantify the association between cervical length and time of onset of labour and duration of labour. Results: In the study, 164 low-risk patients (143 Primigravida patients+21 Multigravida patients) between 38-40 weeks were included. In patients with spontaneous onset of labour, 45 (70.3%) had labour onset within 120 hours (5 days) when cervical length was ≤30 mm, when compared with 7 (22.58%) when cervical length was >30 mm (p=0.001). In patients with cervical length ≤30 mm, vaginal delivery occurred in 47 (73.43%) (p=0.019). In women with induced labour with cervical length ≤30 mm, 13 (61.9%) had labour onset within 120 hours when compared to 15 (30.6%) in women with cervical length >30 mm (p=0.02). Vaginal delivery occurred in 5 (29.41%) of women when cervical length was ≤30 mm compared to 32 (65.30) in women when cervical length >30 mm which may be attributed to other causes. There was a significant positive correlation between cervical length and time of onset of labour (Correlation coefficient=0.221, p-value=0.004). There was a negative correlation between cervical length and duration of labour which was not statistically significant (Correlation coefficient=-0.108, p=0.25). There was no significant difference in mean cervical length measurement between vaginal delivery and caesarean section. Conclusion: Transvaginal cervical length measurement at term positively correlates with time of onset of labour but not with duration of labour and mode of delivery
Development of Cooperative Learning Model to Improve Mathematic Generalization Ability of Junior High School Students
Authors: Nirfayanti  , Gani Hamsu Abdul , Mustafa
Published: June 2023

This study aims to: 1) describe the needs of junior high school teachers and students in learning mathematics; 2) obtain comprehensive information in designing cooperative learning models that can improve junior high school students' mathematical generalization abilities; 3) produce cooperative learning models in improving the mathematical generalization abilities of junior high school students that are valid, practical, and effective. This research is research and development by adopting the Plomp model design which consists of five phases, namely initial investigation, design, realization/construction phase, test phase, evaluation, and revision and implementation phase. Data collection was carried out using several instruments in the form of needs analysis questionnaires, validation questionnaires, observation sheets, teacher response questionnaires, and tests of mathematical generalization ability. The data collected was then analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods. The results of the study show that: (1) Both teachers and junior high school students really need to develop learning models that can improve students' mathematical generalization abilities; (2) The cooperative learning model can improve the mathematical generalization ability of junior high school students which includes 3 stages of learning, namely the active stage, the collaborative stage, and the inductive stage; and (3) The results of the validation test show that the model book and learning tools are declared valid based on the judgment of the experts. Furthermore, the results of the practicality test also state that the model is practical based on the results of observations of the implementation of learning, learning management, and teacher response questionnaires. While the results of the effectiveness test through the n-gain test from the pretest and posttest data indicate that this learning model is declared effective for increasing the mathematical generalization abilities of junior high school students.
Effect of Crop Establishment Methods and Fertility Management on Growth Parameters of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
Authors: Baboo Kaptan , Nand Vishuddha
Published: June 2023

An experiment was conducted at Agronomy Research Farm of Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) during Kharif season 2021 -22 in order to study the effect of crop establishment methods under fertility management on growth parameters of rice. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications. The treatment consisted of four crop establishment methods i.e., (M1) Transplanting rice (Conventional) (M2) Direct seeded rice by line sowing (Conventional) (M3) Drum seeded method under puddled condition (M4) System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method kept in main plots .However,  four nitrogen levels viz, (N1) 100%  RDF  (150: 60:40  kg  N:P:K  ha -1), (N2) 75%  RDF +25%   RDN through  FYM,  (N3) 75 % RDF + 25% RDN through Vermi-compost, (N4) 50 %  RDF + 25 %  RDN through V.C. + 25% RDN through  FYM allotted  the in sub plots. This way there was made 16treatment combinations. As per the results the values of growth parameters viz. plant height (cm), number of tillers m-2, dry matter accumulation (m-2) and leaf area index of rice were increased significantly with system of rice intensification (SRI) method followed by transplanting method. However, in fertility management the application of 100% RDF (150: 60:40 N: P: K kg ha -1)) recorded the maximum plant height, dry matter accumulation, no of tillers, leaf area index, CGR, RGR, NAR, AGR and LAR, which was at par with the application of 75 % RDF + 25% RDN through Vermi- compost  and significantly superior over rest of the treatments.
Influence of NPK Levels in Conjugation with FYM on Soil Health Properties at Maize Field in Prayagraj District (Zea mays L.)
Authors: Fageria Basant , Bharose Ram , David Arun Alfred , Thomas Tarence , Pratihar A. K. S.
Published: June 2023

This field experiment aimed to assess the "Influence of NPK Levels in Conjugation with FYM on Soil Health properties at Maize field in Prayagraj District (Zea mays L.)" at the Crop Research Farm of the Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Naini Agricultural Institute (SHUATS), Prayagraj (U.P.) during the Zaid season 2022. The outcomes demonstrated a considerable impact of NPK and FYM application on the physico-chemical characteristics of the soil. At a depth of 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm, the maximum bulk density (1.26 and 1.37 Mg m-3), particle density (2.65 and 2.71 Mg m-3) and pH (7.36 and 7.44) were recorded in NPK0FYM0, while the minimum bulk density (1.16 and 1.25 Mg m-3), particle density (2.60 and 2.65 Mg m-3) and pH (7.16 and 7.24) were found in NPK100FYM100. Similarly, the maximum EC (0.29 and 0.42 dS m-1), organic carbon (0.74 and 0.52%), percentage pore space (48.52 and 46.31%), water holding capacity (45.28 and 42.60%) and available nitrogen (252.03 and 184.03 kg ha-1), phosphorus (32.65 and 25.83 kg ha-1) and potassium (315.62 and 241.52 kg ha-1) were recorded in NPK100FYM100, while the minimum EC (0.21 and 0.31 dS m-1), organic carbon (0.44 and 0.34%), percentage pore space (44.76 and 40.79%), water holding capacity (39.41 and 36.47%) and available nitrogen (224.52 and 156.52 kg ha-1), phosphorus (22.62 and18.46 kg ha-1) and potassium (273.32 and 189.67 kg ha-1) were recorded in NPK0FYM0. However, the physico-chemical characteristics of the soil were significantly influenced by the application of NPK with FYM.
Molecular Detection of Plasmid-Mediated Quinolone Resistance Genes (qnrA and aac(6′)-Ib-cr) in Drug Resistant Escherichia coli, Sudan
Authors: Tageldin Mohamed , Babier Adel Mergani , Elhasan Omer Abu , Yousif Mirghani , Ahemir Seitelbanat Yasin , Hussien Hajir Mohammed , Yousif Sanaa Mohammed , Ibrahim Salma Omer , Mirgani Hadeel Omer , Mohamed Hind Elhaj , Gamar Tarig A , Ahmed Elhadi Abdalla
Published: June 2023

Background: The quinolone group, a synthetic antimicrobial, is widely used worldwide to treat many diseases, including those caused by Gram-negative bacteria. Escherichia coli and others are among the bacteria that produce quinolone resistance genes (qnr) such as qnrA and aac(6′)-Ib-cr. 

Objective: The present study aimed to the isolate Escherichia coli from patients attending some Hospitals in Wad Medani city, identification of drug resistance patterns and detection of the frequency of quinolones resistance genes; qnrA and aac(6′)-Ib-cr among isolated strains.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive, hospital-based study included 119 Escherichia coli strains was conducted. A designed questionnaire used for demographic data collection and the attitude toward antimicrobials usage. Clinical specimens were processed for aerobic bacterial isolation and identification. Antimicrobial sensitivity performed by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion technique according to the CLSI guidelines. Presence of qnrA and aac(6′)-Ib-cr genes was assessed by multiplex PCR.

Results: Most strains of Escherichia coli originated from urine 53.8% (64/119) and wounds 42.9% (51/119) specimens. Meropenem had the best effect against tested strains with susceptibility of 85% (101/119). Multiplex PCR assay, using specific primers, demonstrated that 41.2% (49/119) and 37.8% (45/119) of isolated Escherichia coli possessed qnrA and aac(6′)-Ib-cr genes respectively.

Conclusion: The high rate of qnrA and aac (6)-Ib-cr genes among Escherichia coli necessitate the usage of molecular tools in detecting the genetic determinants of drug resistance microorganisms in countries such as Sudan.
Identification and pathogenicity of multidrug-resistant Elizabethkingia miricola isolated from farmed American bullfrogs Rana catesbeiana in China with in vitro screening of herbal antimicrobial agents
Authors: Liu Fangyuan , Hou Jiahao , Yu Fang , Gu Zemao , Hu Ruixue
Published: June 2023

Objective

In 2021, an outbreak of an infectious disease characterized by torticollis, cataracts, and neurological disorders caused massive mortality in farmed American bullfrogs Rana catesbeiana in Hubei province, China. We identified the causal agent in this outbreak, characterized its pathogenicity, and screened candidate antimicrobial agents for future disease control.

Methods

Bacterium was isolated from the diseased American bullfrogs and identified based on biochemical tests, sequence analyses (16S ribosomal RNA; DNA gyrase subunit B), and experimental challenge. Furthermore, antibiotic sensitivity of the isolated strain was detected with Kirby–Bauer paper diffusion method, and the antibacterial activity of 60 traditional Chinese herbal extracts against the isolated strain was evaluated by agar disc diffusion and broth dilution assays.

Result

We identified Elizabathkingia miricola strain FB210601 as the causative agent of this disease. The isolated E. miricola strain FB210601 exhibited extensive antibiotic resistance to all tested quinolones, β-lactam antibiotics, and aminoglycosides. Eight herbal extracts exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against E. miricola FB210601, especially Caesalpinia sappan and Rhus chinensis, with minimal inhibitory concentrations less than 0.2 mg/mL. Additionally, the combined effects of two-component herbal mixtures containing C. sappan or R. chinensis were greater than those of the individual extracts.

Conclusion

Our results provide a reference for understanding the pathogenesis of Elizabethkingia infection in frogs. Furthermore, this study will aid in the application of herbal extracts for protection against infections caused by multidrug-resistant Elizabathkingia in the future.
Establishing a quality assurance program for photon counting detector (PCD) CT: Tips and caveats
Authors: Ahmed Zaki , Ferrero Andrea , Ren Liqiang , Vrieze Thomas J. , Rajendran Kishore , Favazza Christopher P. , Yu Lifeng , Bruesewitz Michael R. , McCollough Cynthia H. , Leng Shuai
Published: June 2023

Purpose

To determine the suitability of a quality assurance (QA) program based on the American College of Radiology's (ACR) CT quality control (QC) manual to fully evaluate the unique capabilities of a clinical photon‐counting‐detector (PCD) CT system.

Methods

A daily QA program was established to evaluate CT number accuracy and artifacts for both standard and ultra‐high‐resolution (UHR) scan modes. A complete system performance evaluation was conducted in accordance with the ACR CT QC manual by scanning the CT Accreditation Phantom with routine clinical protocols and reconstructing low‐energy‐threshold (T3D) and virtual monoenergetic images (VMIs) between 40 and 120 keV. Spatial resolution was evaluated by computing the modulation transfer function (MTF) for the UHR mode, and multi‐energy performance was evaluated by scanning a body phantom containing four iodine inserts with concentrations between 2 and 15 mg I/cc.

Results

The daily QA program identified instances when the detector needed recalibration or replacement. CT number accuracy was impacted by image type: CT numbers at 70 keV VMI were within the acceptable range (defined for 120 kV). Other keV VMIs and the T3D reconstruction had at least one insert with CT number outside the acceptable range. The limiting resolution was nearly 40 lp/cm based on MTF measurements, which far exceeds the 12 lp/cm maximum capability of the ACR phantom. The CT numbers in the iodine inserts were accurate on all VMIs (3.8% average percentage error), while the iodine concentrations had an average root mean squared error of 0.3 mg I/cc.

Conclusion

Protocols and parameters must be properly selected on PCD‐CT to meet current accreditation requirements with the ACR CT phantom. Use of the 70 keV VMI allowed passing all tests prescribed in the ACR CT manual. Additional evaluations such an MTF measurement and multi‐energy phantom scans are also recommended to comprehensively evaluate PCD‐CT scanner performance.
A novel multi‐modality imaging phantom for validating interstitial needle guidance for high dose rate gynecological brachytherapy
Authors: Eckroate Brett , Ayala‐Peacock Diandra , Venkataraman Rajesh , Campelo Sabrina , Chino Junzo , Stephens Sarah Jo , Kim Yongbok , Meltsner Sheridan , Raffi Julie , Craciunescu Oana
Published: June 2023

Purpose

To design, manufacture, and validate a female pelvic phantom for multi‐modality imaging (CT, MRI, US) to benchmark a commercial needle tracking system with application in HDR gynecological (GYN) interstitial procedures.

Materials and Methods

A GYN needle‐tracking phantom was designed using CAD software to model an average uterus from a previous patient study, a vaginal canal from speculum dimensions, and a rectum to accommodate a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) probe. A target volume (CTVHR) was designed as an extension from the cervix‐uterus complex. Negative space molds were created from modeled anatomy and 3D printed. Silicone was used to cast the anatomy molds. A 3D printed box was constructed to house the manufactured anatomy for structural integrity and to accommodate the insertion of a speculum, tandem, needles, and TRUS probe. The phantom was CT‐imaged to identify potential imperfections that might impact US visualization. Free‐hand TRUS was used to guide interstitial needles into the phantom. The commercial tracking system was used to generate a 3D US volume. After insertion, the phantom was imaged with CT and MR and the uterus and CTVHR dimensions were verified against the CAD model.

Results/Conclusions

The manufactured phantom allows for accurate visualization with multiple imaging modalities and is conducive to applicator and needle insertion. The phantom dimensions from the CAD model were verified with those from each imaging modality. The phantom is low cost and can be reproducibly manufactured with the 3D printing and molding processes. Our initial experiments demonstrate the ability to integrate the phantom with a commercial tracking system for future needle tracking validation studies.
Social Determinants of Health Documentation Among Individuals With Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Conditions in an Integrated Care Management Program
Authors: Ulysse Sciaska N. , Chandler Mia T. , Santacroce Leah , Cai Tianrun , Liao Katherine P. , Feldman Candace H.
Published: June 2023

Objective

Social determinants of health (SDoH), such as poverty, are associated with increased burden and severity of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. This study was undertaken to study the prevalence and documentation of SDoH‐related needs in electronic health records (EHRs) of individuals with these conditions.

Methods

We randomly selected individuals with ≥1 International Classification of Diseases, Ninth/Tenth Revision (ICD‐9/10) code for a rheumatic/musculoskeletal condition enrolled in a multihospital integrated care management program that coordinates care for medically and/or psychosocially complex individuals. We assessed SDoH documentation using terms for financial needs, food insecurity, housing instability, transportation, and medication access according to EHR note review and ICD‐10 SDoH billing codes (Z codes). We used multivariable logistic regression to examine associations between demographic factors (age, gender, race, ethnicity, insurance) and ≥1 (versus 0) SDoH need as the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI).

Results

Among 558 individuals with rheumatic/musculoskeletal conditions, 249 (45%) had ≥1 SDoH need documented in EHR notes by social workers, care coordinators, nurses, and physicians. A total of 171 individuals (31%) had financial insecurity, 105 (19%) had transportation needs, 94 (17%) had food insecurity; 5% had ≥1 related Z code. In the multivariable model, the odds of having ≥1 SDoH need was 2.45 times higher (95% CI 1.17–5.11) for Black versus White individuals and significantly higher for Medicaid or Medicare beneficiaries versus commercially insured individuals.

Conclusion

Nearly half of this sample of complex care management patients with rheumatic/musculoskeletal conditions had SDoH documented within EHR notes; financial insecurity was the most prevalent. Only 5% of patients had representative billing codes suggesting that systematic strategies to extract SDoH from notes are needed.
First‐Aid Hydrogel Wound Dressing with Reliable Hemostatic and Antibacterial Capability for Traumatic Injuries
Authors: Cheng Junyao , Wang Hufei , Gao Jianpeng , Liu Xiao , Li Ming , Wu Decheng , Liu Jianheng , Wang Xing , Wang Zheng , Tang Peifu
Published: June 2023

First‐aid for severe traumatic injuries in the battlefield or pre‐hospital environment, especially for skin defects or visceral rupture, remains a substantial medical challenge even in the context of the rapidly evolving modern medical technology. Hydrogel‐based biomaterials are highly anticipated for excellent biocompatibility and bio‐functional designability. Yet, inadequate mechanical and bio‐adhesion properties limit their clinical application. To address these challenges, a kind of multifunctional hydrogel wound dressing is developed with the collective multi‐crosslinking advantages of dynamic covalent bonds, metal−catechol chelation, and hydrogen bonds. The mussel‐inspired design and zinc oxide‐enhanced cohesion strategy collaboratively reinforce the hydrogel's bio‐adhesion in bloody or humoral environments. The pH‐sensitive coordinate Zn2+‐catechol bond and dynamic Schiff base with reversible breakage and reformation equip the hydrogel dressing with excellent self‐healing and on‐demand removal properties. In vivo evaluation in a rat ventricular perforation model and Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)‐infected full‐thickness skin defect model reveal excellent hemostatic, antibacterial and pro‐healing effectiveness of the hydrogel dressing, demonstrating its great potential in dealing with severe bleeding and infected full‐thickness skin wounds.
Protein/Polysaccharide Composite toward Multi‐in‐One Toxin Removal in Blood with Self‐Anticoagulation and Biocompatibility
Authors: Li Mengjie , Chen Mengmeng , Yang Facui , Qin Rongrong , Yang Qingmin , Ren Hao , Liu Han , Yang Peng
Published: June 2023

Biocompatible adsorbents play an essential role in hemoperfusion. Nevertheless, there are no hemoperfusion adsorbents that can simultaneously remove small and medium toxins, including bilirubin, urea, phosphor, heavy metals, and antibiotics. This bottleneck significantly impedes the miniaturization and portability of hemoperfusion materials and devices. Herein, a biocompatible protein‐polysaccharide complex is reported that exhibits “multi‐in‐one” removal efficacy for liver and kidney metabolism wastes, toxic metal ions, and antibiotics. Through electrostatic interactions and polysaccharide‐mediated coacervation, adsorbents can be prepared by simply mixing lysozyme (LZ) and sodium alginate (SA) together in seconds. The LZ/SA absorbent presented high adsorption capacities for bilirubin, urea, and Hg2+ of up to 468, 331, and 497 mg g−1, respectively, and the excellent anti‐protein adsorption endowed LZ/SA with a record‐high adsorption capacity for bilirubin in the interference of serum albumin to simulate the physiological environment. The LZ/SA adsorbent also has effective adsorption capacity for heavy metals (Pb2+, Cu2+, Cr3+, and Cd2+) and multiple antibiotics (terramycin, tetracycline, enrofloxacin, norfloxacin, roxithromycin, erythromycin, sulfapyrimidine, and sulfamethoxazole). Various adsorption functional groups exposed on the adsorbent surface significantly contribute to the excellent adsorption capacity. This fully bio‐derived protein/alginate‐based hemoperfusion adsorbent has great application prospects in the treatment of blood‐related diseases.
Phonon Polaritonics in Broad Terahertz Frequency Range with Quantum Paraelectric SrTiO3
Authors: Xu Rui , Lin Tong , Luo Jiaming , Chen Xiaotong , Blackert Elizabeth R. , Moon Alyssa R. , JeBailey Khalil M. , Zhu Hanyu
Published: June 2023

Photonics in the frequency range of 5–15 terahertz (THz) potentially open a new realm of quantum materials manipulation and biosensing. This range, sometimes called “the new terahertz gap”, is traditionally difficult to access due to prevalent phonon absorption bands in solids. Low‐loss phonon–polariton materials may realize sub‐wavelength, on‐chip photonic devices, but typically operate in mid‐infrared frequencies with narrow bandwidths and are difficult to manufacture on a large scale. Here, for the first time, quantum paraelectric SrTiO3 enables broadband surface phonon–polaritonic devices in 7–13 THz. As a proof of concept, polarization‐independent field concentrators are designed and fabricated to locally enhance intense, multicycle THz pulses by a factor of 6 and increase the spectral intensity by over 90 times. The time‐resolved electric field inside the concentrators is experimentally measured by THz‐field‐induced second harmonic generation. Illuminated by a table‐top light source, the average field reaches 0.5 GV m−1 over a large volume resolvable by far‐field optics. These results potentially enable scalable THz photonics with high breakdown fields made of various commercially available phonon–polariton crystals for studying driven phases in quantum materials and nonlinear molecular spectroscopy.
High‐Resolution, Highly Transparent, and Efficient Quantum Dot Light‐Emitting Diodes
Authors: Luo Chengzhao , Zheng Zhishuai , Ding Yanhui , Ren Zhenwei , Shi Hengfei , Ji Huifeng , Zhou Xin , Chen Yu
Published: June 2023

Aiming at next‐generation displays, high‐resolution quantum dot light‐emitting diodes (QLEDs) with high efficiency and transparency are highly desired. However, there is limited study involving the improvements of QLED pixel resolution, efficiency, and transparency simultaneously, which undoubtedly restricts the practical applications of QLED for next‐generation displays. Here, the strategy of electrostatic force‐induced deposition (EF‐ID) is proposed by introducing alternating polyethyleneimine (PEI) and fluorosilane patterns to synergistically improve the pixel accuracy and transmittance of QD patterns. More importantly, the leakage current induced by the void spaces between pixels that is usually reported for high‐resolution QLEDs is greatly suppressed by substrate‐assisted insulating fluorosilane patterns. Finally, high‐performance QLEDs with high resolution ranging from 1104 to 3031 pixels per inch (PPI) and a high efficiency of 15.6% are achieved, among the best performances of high resolution QLEDs. Notably, the high resolution QD pixels greatly enhance the transmittance of the QD patterns, thus prompting an impressive transmittance of 90.7% for the transparent QLEDs (2116 PPI), which represents the highest transmittance of transparent QLED devices. Consequently, this work contributes an effective and general approach for high‐resolution QLEDs with high efficiency and transparency.
Real‐world effectiveness of intensive chemotherapy with 7&3 versus venetoclax and hypomethylating agent in acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Matthews Andrew H. , Perl Alexander E. , Luger Selina M. , Gill Saar I. , Lai Catherine , Porter David L. , Skuli Sarah , Bruno Ximena Jordan , Carroll Martin P. , Freyer Craig W. , Carulli Alison , Babushok Daria V. , Frey Noelle V. , Hexner Elizabeth O. , Martin Mary Ellen , McCurdy Shannon R. , Stadtmauer Edward A. , Loren Alison W. , Paralkar Vikram R. , Maillard Ivan P. , Pratz Keith W.
Published: June 2023

Intensive chemotherapy with cytarabine and anthracycline (7&3) remains the standard therapy for patients medically fit for induction, but the assessment of fitness remains controversial. Venetoclax and hypomethylating agent (ven/HMA) combination therapy has improved outcomes in unfit patients but no prospective study has assessed ven/HMA versus 7&3 as initial therapy in older, fit patients. Given no studies and expectation of ven/HMA use in patients outside of trial criteria, we evaluated retrospective outcomes among newly diagnosed patients. A nationwide electronic health record (EHR)‐derived database and the University of Pennsylvania EHR identified 312 patients receiving 7&3 and 488 receiving ven/HMA who were 60–75 years old without history of organ failure. Ven/HMA patients were older and more likely to have secondary AML, adverse cytogenetics, and adverse mutations. Median overall survival (OS) for patients receiving intensive chemotherapy was 22 versus 10 months for ven/HMA (HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.40–0.60). Controlling for measured baseline characteristic imbalances reduced survival advantage by half (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.53–0.94). A sub‐group of patients with equipoise, likelihood at least 30%–70% of receiving either treatment, had similar OS outcomes (HR 1.10, 95% CI 0.75–1.6). Regarding safety outcomes, 60‐day mortality was higher for ven/HMA (15% vs. 6% at 60 days) despite higher documented infections and febrile neutropenia for 7&3. In this multicenter real‐word dataset, patients selected for intensive chemotherapy had superior OS but a large group had similar outcomes with ven/HMA. Prospective randomized studies, controlling for both measured and unmeasured confounders, must confirm this outcome.
Evolving trends and outcomes in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia including allogeneic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Bazinet Alexandre , Kantarjian Hagop , Arani Naszrin , Popat Uday , Bataller Alex , Sasaki Koji , DiNardo Courtney D. , Daver Naval , Yilmaz Musa , Abbas Hussein A. , Short Nicholas J. , Issa Ghayas , Jabbour Elias , Pierce Sherry A. , Chen Julianne , Garcia Ricky , Konopleva Marina , Garcia‐Manero Guillermo , Alousi Amin , Shpall Elizabeth J. , Champlin Richard E. , Borthakur Gautam , Ravandi Farhad , Kadia Tapan
Published: June 2023

Outcomes in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have historically been poor. Given advances in low‐intensity therapy (LIT) and stem cell transplantation (SCT), we performed a retrospective single‐center study to evaluate the contemporary outcomes of this population. We reviewed all patients ≥60 years with newly diagnosed AML between 2012 and 2021 and analyzed treatment and SCT‐related trends and outcomes. We identified 1073 patients with a median age of 71 years. Adverse clinical and cytomolecular findings were frequent within this cohort. In total, 16% of patients were treated with intensive chemotherapy, 51% with LIT alone, and 32% with LIT plus venetoclax. The composite complete remission rate with LIT plus venetoclax was 72%, which was higher than with LIT alone (48%, p < .0001) and comparable to intensive chemotherapy (74%, p = .6). The median overall survival (OS) with intensive chemotherapy, LIT, and LIT plus venetoclax was 20.1, 8.9, and 12.1 months, respectively. 18% of patients received SCT. SCT rates were 37%, 10%, and 22% in patients treated with intensive chemotherapy, LIT, and LIT plus venetoclax, respectively. The 2‐year OS, relapse‐free survival (RFS), cumulative incidence (CI) of relapse, and CI of treatment‐related mortality with frontline SCT (n = 139) were 59%, 52%, 27%, and 22%, respectively. By landmark analysis, patients undergoing frontline SCT had superior OS (median 39.6 vs. 21.4 months, p < .0001) and RFS (30.9 vs. 12.1 months, p < .0001) compared with responding patients who did not. Outcomes in older patients with AML are improving with more effective LIT. Measures should be pursued to increase access to SCT in older patients.