bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Χορήγηση φαρμακολογικών δόσεων λεβοθυροξίνης σε ασθενείς με κλινικά σοβαρή παχυσαρκία, πριν και μετά από βαριατρικές επεμβάσεις
Authors: Γκοτσίνα Μαργαρίτα
Published: September 2021

Levothyroxine (LT4) has a narrow therapeutic window so that slightly changes in the treatment dosecould have significant clinical consequences. Suppressive or replacement doses of LT4 are affected bythe rate and extend of the active ingredient absorbed, as well as by the lean body mass. Concerningthe absorption sites of levothyroxine, the data are limited and our knowledge based on studies of radioisotopic thyroxin in intestinal tract. Aim of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetic parameter ofLT4 in severely obese individuals, compare them with similar data in lean control subjects, as well as tostudy the consequences of bariatric surgery on the pharmacokinetic parameters of LT4 and to identifythe parts of the gastrointestinal tract implicated in its absorption. Method. We studied 62 euthyroidsubjects, who had negative tests for anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies. Thirty eight of these wereseverely obese but otherwise healthy (SOS-group). Twenty four were healthy controls subjects (controlgroup). Thirty two subjects of the SOS group, underwent sleeve gastrectomy (SG; n=10); Roux-en-Ygastric bypass (RYGBP;n=7) or biliopancreatic diversion with gastric bypass and long limbs (BPDLL;n=15).Subjects received 600mcg oral solution of sodium LT4 after an overnight fast. Serum T4 andT3 were measured 0; 0.5; 1; 1.5; 2; 2.5; 3 and 4 hours after LT4 administration. The same procedurewas repeated 35 days after surgery. Results. The Area Under the Curve (AUC) and the peak plasmaConcentration (Cmax) of T4 after LT4 administration were lower; whereas the Time to reach Cmax(Tmax) from the baseline was higher in the SOS than in the control group. Following surgery; in the SGgroup; the mean AUC was higher (p<0.01); whereas Cmax and Tmax were similar to pre surgery. Inthe RYGBP group; mean AUC; Cmax und Tmax were similar. In the BPD-LL group; mean AUC andCmax were higher 35 days after surgery than before (p<0.001); whereas Tmax was similar.Conclusions. Severely obese individuals may need higher LT4 suppressive or replacement doses thannormal weight individuals due, among other factors, impaired LT4 pharmacokinetic parameters. Thepharmacokinetic parameters of LT4 absorption are improved following bariatric procedures that resultin malabsorption.T4 is absorbed primarily from lower part of the jejunum and from the ileum, whereasstomach and duodenum are not involved directly in the absorption of LT4.
Εμβιομηχανική ανάλυση βάδισης σε ασθενείς με χρόνια οσφυαλγία πριν και μετά την εφαρμογή ειδικών φυσιοθεραπευτικών τεχνικών
Authors: Κρεκούκιας Γεώργιος
Published: September 2021

Εισαγωγή: οι ασθενείς που πάσχουν από χρόνια οσφυαλγία ως συνέπεια της νόσου του εκφυλισμένου δίσκου, εκτός από πόνο εμφανίζουν επίσης και διαταραχή της βάδισής τους. Ο σκοπός της μελέτης είναι η αξιολόγηση τόσο των κλινικών δεδομένων με την χρήση κλινικών κλιμάκων αξιολόγησης, όπως Oswestry Disability Index Greek version (ODI), Visual Analog Scale for low back pain and leg pain (VAS) και το Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire Greek Version, όσο και των κινητικών και κινηματικών χαρακτηριστικών κατά την ανάλυση βάδισης σε ασθενείς με χρόνια οσφυαλγία συνεπεία της νόσου του εκφυλισμένου δίσκου (Disc Degenerative Disease), πριν και μετά την εφαρμογή των ειδικών φυσιοθεραπευτικών τεχνικών (τεχνικών θεραπείας δια χειρός).Μεθοδολογία: για τις ανάγκες της μελέτης 75 ασθενείς που έπασχαν από χρόνια οσφυαλγία, χωρίστηκαν τυχαία σε 3 ομάδες των 25 η καθεμιά. Η κάθε ομάδα δέχθηκε 5 συνεδρίες που για την πρώτη ομάδα ήταν φυσικοθεραπευτικές τεχνικές δια χειρός, για τη δεύτερη ήταν εικονική θεραπεία και για την τρίτη ήταν κλασική φυσικοθεραπεία (διατατικές ασκήσεις, T.E.N.S. και μάλαξη). Προκειμένου να αξιολογηθεί η αποτελεσματικότητα της κάθε θεραπείας χρησιμοποιήθηκε η οπτική αναλογική κλίμακα του πόνου, 2 ερωτηματολόγια (Oswestry και Roland Morris) και επίσης ένα οπτικοηλεκτρονικό σύστημα καταγραφής και ανάλυσης της βάδισης (κινητικά και κινηματικά δεδομένα)Αποτελέσματα: η ομάδα που δέχθηκε τεχνικές δια χειρός εμφάνισε στατιστικά σημαντική μείωση του πόνου και των επιπέδων δυσλειτουργίας. Σε παρόμοια αποτελέσματα οδήγησε και η εφαρμογή κλασικής φυσικοθεραπείας, αλλά η ελάττωση ήταν σαφώς μικρότερη σε σχέση με την ομάδα των τεχνικών δια χειρός. Η ομάδα που δέχθηκε εικονική θεραπεία, δεν είχε κάποια στατιστικά σημαντική διαφορά στα επίπεδα πόνου και δυσλειτουργίας. Σχετικά με την αξιολόγηση της βάδισης, οι ασθενείς στο σύνολό τους, παρουσίασαν διαταραγμένη βάδιση με διαφορά στα κινητικά και κινηματικά δεδομένα μεταξύ δεξιάς και αριστερής πλευράς. Μετά την εφαρμογή των θεραπειών, μόνο η ομάδα που δέχθηκε τεχνικές δια χειρός έδειξε τάση προς συμμετρία μεταξύ δεξιάς και αριστερής πλευράς.Συμπεράσματα: σε περιπτώσεις ασθενών που πάσχουν από χρόνια οσφυαλγία συνεπεία της νόσου του εκφυλισμένου δίσκου, η εφαρμογή 5 συνεδριών τεχνικών δια χειρός δείχνει να βελτιώνει τόσο τα επίπεδα πόνου όσο και δυσλειτουργίας, καθώς επίσης και παρουσιάζει τάση προς συμμετρία στη βάδιση.
Method and history in classical political economy
Authors: Μανιούδης Εμμανουήλ
Published: September 2021

H διατριβή επιχειρεί να απαντήσει σε ένα εναργές ερώτημα: με ποιόν τρόπο το ιστορικό, το κοινωνικό και το μεθοδολογικό στοιχείο μπορούν να θεωρηθούν ως οργανικά συστατικά της οικονομικής θεώρησης. Το διακριτικό της γνώρισμα συνίσταται στην εστίαση της στην περίοδο της κλασικής πολιτικής οικονομίας όπου η σχέση μεταξύ θεωρίας, ιστορίας και μεθόδου φθάνει στο απόγειο της. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, επιχειρείται να ανασυσταθούν οι τρόποι μέσω των οποίων οι Adam Smith και John Stuart Mill ενέταξαν το ιστορικό, κοινωνικό και μεθοδολογικό τεκμήριο – σε όλες του τις μορφές- ως έναν επιστημολογικό και μεθοδολογικό πυλώνα οικονομικής ανάλυσης. Η αφήγηση αναπτύσσεται διφυώς. Στο πρώτο μέρος, παρουσιάζεται η σμιθιανή θεωρία για την ιστορία ενώ επιχειρείται, μέσω του Πλούτου των Εθνών, να ανασυσταθούν οι τρόποι με τους οποίους ο Smith χρησιμοποίησε την ιστορία ως αρμό οικονομικής ανάλυσης. Στο δεύτερο μέρος εξετάζεται το έργο του John Stuart Mill ως το ‘κύκνειο άσμα’ της κλασικής περιόδου. Επιπρόσθετα εγγράφεται μια ‘εξαθεματική’ προσέγγιση των τρόπων με τους οποίους ο Mill χρησιμοποίησε το ιστορικό στοιχείο ως σύστοιχη διάσταση της πολιτικής του οικονομίας.
Ο Ηλίας Μηνιάτης και οι θέσεις του έναντι της Ρωμαιοκαθολικής Εκκλησίας
Authors: Μάλλιαρης Αλέξιος
Published: September 2021

Η εργασία μελετά τα δύο έργα του Ηλία Μηνιάτη (1669-1714), ορθοδόξου θεολόγου, αντιρρητικού, ιεροκήρυκα, επισκόπου Κερνίτσης και Καλαβρύτων Πέτρα Σκανδάλου και Διδαχαί και Λόγοι υπό το πρίσμα των θέσεων του Μηνιάτη έναντι της Ρωμαιοκαθολικής Εκκλησίας, των αντιλήψεών του και των επιρροών του από τη θεολογία της. Στο αντιρρητικό έργο Πέτρα Σκανδάλου εξετάζονται οι Πέντε Διαφορές ορθοδόξων και ρωμαιοκαθολικών: το παπικό πρωτείο, η εκπόρευση του αγίου Πνεύματος και εκ του Υιού (Filioque), το Καθαρτήριο, η μακαριότητα και θεοπτία των αγίων προ της Τελικής Κρίσεως και η χρήση αζύμου άρτου στη λατινική λειτουργία. Η εξέταση στην παρούσα εργασία γίνεται συγκριτικά με τις ανάλογες θέσεις των ορθοδόξων αντιρρητικών, καθώς και εκείνες των ενωτικών-ρωμαιοκαθολικών αντιρρητικών, από τον 16ο ώς το πρώτο μισό του 18ου αιώνα, ώστε να προκύψουν ομοιότητες ή διαφοροποιήσεις με τις αντιλήψεις του Ηλία Μηνιάτη. Στο κηρυκτικό έργο Διδαχαί και Λόγοι ερευνώνται θεολογικές θεματικές, όσες προκύπτουν από τα κηρύγματα του Μηνιάτη, ρωμαιοκαθολικής εκπορεύσεως, όπως η Άσπιλη Σύλληψη της Θεοτόκου, η θεωρία για την ικανοποίηση της θείας δικαιοσύνης, η θεϊκή οργή, η Μετουσίωση κ.α. Παράλληλα, στην παρούσα εργασία ανιχνεύονται οι επιδράσεις στον Ηλία Μηνιάτη από δυτικούς θεολόγους, όπως π.χ. ο ιησουίτης Denis Petau (1583-1652), καθώς και οι σχέσεις του με σημαίνοντα πρόσωπα της Ορθοδόξου Εκκλησίας, όπως οι πατριάρχες Ιεροσολύμων Δοσίθεος και Χρύσανθος Νοταράς και ακόμα οι διασυνδέσεις του με τους ηγεμόνες Βλαχίας και Μολδαβίας. Ο Ηλίας Μηνιάτης εμφανίζεται ως ένα ορθόδοξος θεολόγος με δυτικά επιστημονικά εργαλεία, ο οποίος κινείται μεταξύ δύσεως και ανατολής, με σαφή όμως ορθόδοξη αυτοσυνειδησία.
Numerical Solution of Asymmetric Auctions
Authors: Au Timothy C. , Banks David , Guo Yi
Published: September 2021

We propose the backward indifference derivation (BID) algorithm, a new method to numerically approximate the pure strategy Nash equilibrium (PSNE) bidding functions in asymmetric first-price auctions. The BID algorithm constructs a sequence of finite-action PSNE that converges to the continuum-action PSNE by finding where bidders are indifferent between actions. Consequently, our approach differs from prevailing numerical methods that consider a system of poorly behaved differential equations. After proving convergence (conditional on knowing the maximum bid), we evaluate the numerical performance of the BID algorithm on four examples, two of which have not been previously addressed.
Copper-induced Haemolytic Anaemia
Authors: Azevedo Carvalho Joana , Boavida Leonor , Ferreira Ricardo , Favas Catarina , Delgado Alves José
Published: September 2021

Acute copper toxicity is uncommon in Western countries and is often the result of accidental consumption or a suicide attempt. We report the case of a 65-year-old man presenting to the accident and emergency department after a suicide attempt with ingestion of Bordeaux mixture, ibuprofen, acetaminophen and bleach. Primary evaluation showed caustic oesophagitis, toxic hepatitis and acute renal injury, which were treated with supportive care. During admission, he developed a non-immune haemolytic anaemia associated with high levels of copper in urine and blood. Chelation treatment with penicillamine was started and evolution was favourable after 1 month of treatment. Copper poisoning can be lethal. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are key for a favourable prognosis.
Artificial Sweeteners and their Health Implications: A Review
Authors: More Tejashree Anil , Shaikh Zoya , Ali Ahmad
Published: September 2021

Background: Sugar is an inevitable part of our diet. Since ages, sweeteners have been used to enhance the flavour and appearance of food products. Sweeteners may be natural or synthetically produced. Those that are synthetic, as a whole, are referred to as artificial sweeteners. This review aims at highlighting the characteristics and health implications of artificial sweeteners. Methodology: In this review, the physical and chemical characteristics of artificial sweeteners are highlighted. Also, the impact of artificial sweeteners on human health is discussed in detail. The data has been collected using standard search engines like PubMed, Google scholar and websites of publishing houses like Elsevier and springer. Results and Discussion: Today, due to high calorie content, natural sweeteners are getting replaced by artificial ones. The US Food and Drug Administration(USFDA) has approved utilization of five artificial sweeteners namely, saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, neotame and cyclamate. However, artificial sweeteners should be consumed carefully and in limited quantities. This is because the consumption of artificial sweeteners is controversial owing to their effects on health ranging from mild headache to dreadful cancer risks. Conclusion: Hence, long term study of these sweeteners for further safety evaluation on health risks is essential.
Genetic and Biochemical Characterization Underpinning the Development of Floral Features that Influence Pollination – A Review
Authors: Venkatesan S. Venkatesan , Masilamani P. Masilamani , Janaki P. , Eevera T. , Sundareswaran S. Sundareswaran , Rajkumar P.
Published: September 2021

In the process of sexual reproduction in angiosperms, making viable pollen grain to land on the surface of the receptive stigma of the same flower or other flower is the key process. Major factors like both biotic and abiotic play a crucial role in the process of making pollen to reach stigma during sexual mode of reproduction in angiosperms. In nature, some of the plants pollination take place without the support of any of the above said two factors, in some of the cases transfer of pollen aided by the biotic factors viz., insects, birds, animals etc., Particularly in the process of insect or bird aided pollen transfer, secretion of volatile compound in view of attracting pollinators have multiple role. In addition to above, flower with variety of colour also play a huge role in attraction of pollinators and its aid in timely occurrence of pollination. Further, due to climate change some of the pollinator population also become extinct, under that condition through evolutionary changes plant change their phenotypic expression by that way they attract other group of pollinator in the process of sexual mode of reproduction. Only the plant able to change their adaptation through the evolutionary process or through the event of mutation based on their requirement alone able to survive. This review discusses some of the important strategy adopted by the flowering plants in view of attraction of pollinators.
Effect of Carob Pulp (Ceratonia Siliqua L.) on Fattening Performance, Carcass Characteristics and Meat Quality of Moroccan Breed Deroua Lambs
Authors: Mohammed Benbati , Abdelhafid Keli , Abdelmajid Haddioui , Wiam Boufarik , Kaoutar ElFazazi , Hanane Azzouzi , Mohammed El Hansali
Published: September 2021

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of incorporating different levels of carob pulp (CP) on fattening performance, carcass characteristics and meat qualityof the Moroccan sheep breed Deroua. Thirty-six entire maleMoroccan breed Deroua lambs with aninitial body weight of 23.5±3.1 kg and age 120±10 days, were randomly divided into three diet’streatmentsof 12 animals: T0(0%CP), T1(10%CP) and T2(20%CP) containing 0, 10 and 20 % of CP, respectively. The experiment lasted 80 days, including 5 days of adaptation to different diets. Lambs were weighed every 15 days, while feed intake was determineddaily. At the end of the experiment, 27 lambs (9per treatment) were slaughtered to determinecarcass characteristics and meat quality. Final body weight and average daily gain (P<0.05) were affected by treatment diet. The inclusion of 10% CP led to a decrease in feed conversion ratio and feeding costs. Carcass characteristics were not affected by diets (P>0.05),except, in case of mesenteric fat (P<0.05) with superiority recorded in treatment diet T1(10%CP). Meat quality parameters were not affected by diets. The meat of lambs feddiets T1 and T2 tended to be lighter in color and less red than those fed diet T0. The results of this work showed that carob pulp can be used as an alternative feedstuff from fattening lambs to reduce feeding costs without affecting fattening performance.
Approach to Determine Crystalluria Influencing Factors in the Beni Mellal-Khenifra Area in Morocco, by Data Analysis
Authors: Bouha Mohamed , Echajia Malika , Mojahidi Souad , Aassem Younes , Oubenali Mustapha , Ouafy Tarik El , Berkani Mohamed
Published: September 2021

Urolithiasis presents an ascending prevalence in several countries around the world. The purpose of the present work is to achieve a fast and robust approach to the multiple factors influencing the chemical profile of human crystalluria and therefore in promoting the development of urinary calculi. From February to July 2018, 148 morning urine samples have been collected from 148 patients at the BeniMellal Regional Hospital Center in Morocco. An observation by Polarizing Light Microscopy allowed us to detect the chemical profile of crystalluria.A classification by the Principal Components Analysis (PCA) method has been applied to the individuals that are 148 crystalluria samples and to nine factors that are: ''gender'', ''age'', '' geographical area '', '' water quality'', ''water amount per day '', ''personal and family history'', ''urinary pH'', ''presence of crystals'' and ''chemical profile''. The first results of the principal components analysis (PCA) method shows that there are similarities between crystalluria samples and more or less strong correlations, between some of the nine factors that can influence crystalluria. The frequency of majority constituents in crystalluria is age dependent and oxalic-calcium is the frequent chemical species for both genders. The study of crystalluria would be an excellent laboratory test that brings many benefits for the diagnosis and management of renal pathologies of crystalline origin.One can conclude that urolithiasis is multifactorial, various factors may increase the risk of urinary stone formation.
Various Material Development Strategies for Suitable Catalysts of Photo Catalytic Water Splitting to Green Fuel H2:A Critical Review
Authors: Uddin Sahab , Salam Abdus , Habib Shehan , Ahmed Kawsar , Hossain Tareq , Papri Nasrin
Published: September 2021

Fossil fuels are the most substantial & extensively used sources of energy for today’s world. Simultaneously, the unconscious exposure of toxic pollutants and green-house gases allied with fossil energy is not viable with contexture. Solar energy were treated as an auspicious source of energy from ancient age because of its richness & cleanness. But problem arises in its capture, storage, transformation, and distribution. That’s why scholars are trying to convert this renewable light energy to a user friendly and viable form of energy. By analyzing recent studies on H2 fuel it is considered as most lucrative choice for clean and sustainable fuel with high calorific value & zero pollution. This review offers an overview of most recent advancement in development of photo-catalyst for solar water splitting which is treated as a promising Green-Harvesting technique among all H2 generation techniques. Here we discussed about various catalyst development techniques especially about doping techniques, reactor design and light scattering/trapping systems.We found that among all doping is a promising technique and a lots of study have been done on this technique than others like as Hetero junction, Dye sensitization, modification of surface or nanostructure formation. Hence we concluded with the decision that, more research are needed on hetero junction and nanostructure formation along with elemental doping.
A Review on Significance of Identifying an Appropriate Solid Form Duringdrug Discovery and Product Development
Authors: Patel Nishadh A.
Published: September 2021

In recent years, solid form screening has become an integral and mandatory part of drug development. Solid form screening typically involves producing and characterizingmaximum possible solid forms of a potential drug candidate. Different types of solid forms for future drug product development includes salt screening, co-crystal screening, crystallization process development, polymorph screening as well as amorphous solid dispersion screening.Screening studies of a solid form is a set of carefully designed experiments that requires use of advanced analytical techniques to collect analytical data followed by a thoughtful data analysis.This solid form screening studies guide an important decision-making of lead solid form whichis likely to play a vital role during the pharmaceutical product development lifecycle. The selection criteria include pharmaceutically relevant properties, such as therapeutic efficacy and processing characteristics as well as role of physicochemical properties (i.e. solubility, dissolution rate, hygroscopicity, physical stability and chemical purity) in drug product development. A selected solid form, if thermodynamically unstable, it may undergo solid form changes upon exposure to environmental conditions such as temperature and relative humidity as well as manufacturing stress during the pharmaceutical unit operations. In thepresent work, fundamentals of solid form screening are discussed, including the experimental screening methodologies as well as characterization and analysis of solid forms. The importance of drug product risk assessment pertaining to the desired solid form are also discussed here.
The role of Vitamin D in orthopaedic infection: a systematic literature review
Authors: Zargaran Alexander , Zargaran David , Trompeter Alex J.
Published: September 2021

Aims

Orthopaedic infection is a potentially serious complication of elective and emergency trauma and orthopaedic procedures, with a high associated burden of morbidity and cost. Optimization of vitamin D levels has been postulated to be beneficial in the prevention of orthopaedic infection. This study explores the role of vitamin D in orthopaedic infection through a systematic review of available evidence.

Methods

A comprehensive search was conducted on databases including Medline and Embase, as well as grey literature such as Google Scholar and The World Health Organization Database. Pooled analysis with weighted means was undertaken.

Results

Pooled analysis of four studies including 651 patients found the mean 25(OH)D level to be 50.7 nmol/l with a mean incidence of infection of 70%. There was a paucity of literature exploring prophylactic 25(OH)D supplementation on reducing orthopaedic infection, however, there was evidence of association between low 25(OH)D levels and increased incidence of orthopaedic infection.

Conclusion

The results indicate a significant proportion of orthopaedic patients have low 25(OH]D levels, as well as an association between low 25(OH)D levels and orthopaedic infection, but more randomized controlled trials need to be conducted to establish the benefit of prophylactic supplementation and the optimum regimen by dose and time. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2021;2(9):721–727.
Telemedicine in orthopaedic surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Yakkanti Ramakanth R. , Sedani Anil B. , Baker Lauren C. , Owens Patrick W. , Dodds Seth D. , Aiyer Amiethab A.
Published: September 2021

Aims

This study assesses patient barriers to successful telemedicine care in orthopaedic practices in a large academic practice in the COVID-19 era.

Methods

In all, 381 patients scheduled for telemedicine visits with three orthopaedic surgeons in a large academic practice from 1 April 2020 to 12 June 2020 were asked to participate in a telephone survey using a standardized Institutional Review Board-approved script. An unsuccessful telemedicine visit was defined as patient-reported difficulty of use or reported dissatisfaction with teleconferencing. Patient barriers were defined as explicitly reported barriers of unsatisfactory visit using a process-based satisfaction metric. Statistical analyses were conducted using analysis of variances (ANOVAs), ranked ANOVAs, post-hoc pairwise testing, and chi-squared independent analysis with 95% confidence interval.

Results

The survey response rate was 39.9% (n = 152). The mean age of patients was 51.1 years (17 to 85), and 55 patients (38%) were male. Of 146 respondents with completion of survey, 27 (18.5%) reported a barrier to completing their telemedicine visit. The majority of patients were satisfied with using telemedicine for their orthopaedic appointment (88.8%), and found the experience to be easy (86.6%). Patient-reported barriers included lack of proper equipment/internet connection (n = 13; 8.6%), scheduling difficulty (n = 2; 1.3%), difficulty following directions (n = 10; 6.6%), and patient-reported discomfort (n = 2; 1.3%). Barriers based on patient characteristics were age > 61 years, non-English primary language, inexperience with video conferencing, and unwillingness to try telemedicine prior to COVID-19.

Conclusion

The barriers identified in this study could be used to screen patients who would potentially have an unsuccessful telemedicine visit, allowing practices to provide assistance to patients to reduce the risk of an unsuccessful visit. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2021;2(9):745–751.
Perspective: Agricultural Aerial Application with Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Current Regulatory Framework and Analysis of Operators in the United States
Authors: Rodriguez Roberto
Published: September 2021

Highlights

The FAA has used two exemptions (17261 and 18009) as precedents for approval of numerous agricultural operations for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

While many operators have received exemptions, a significant portion have not received an agricultural aircraft operator certificate (AAOC), despite the need for both to operate UAS in agricultural operations.

Operators who have both an exemption and an AAOC tend to be clustered in geographic areas, with many states without a single such operator.

Abstract. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have seen rapid growth in many industries in the U.S. since the introduction of small UAS regulations (14 CFR § 107). However, adoption of UAS for agricultural aerial application has been limited. Two landmark regulatory exemptions by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have laid the foundation for commercial agricultural aerial application with UAS. Since the initial introduction of these exemptions, the pace of new exemptions for agricultural aerial application with UAS has remained steady. By the end of 2019, 64 operators had received exemptions in which the FAA cited one of the two landmark exemptions as a precedent. This study analyzed these exemptions to determine geographic distribution, aircraft manufacturer, number of employees, and time to operator certification. Results indicate that less than half of operators who received an exemption from the FAA became certified for aerial application. Additionally, certified operators were not evenly distributed throughout the U.S. despite the broader distribution of exemption holders. Two UAS manufacturers dominated the market, with over 80% of exemptions requesting UAS from one or both manufacturers. While regulatory hurdles for agricultural aerial application with UAS have been substantially reduced through the introduction of standardized exemptions, this has not resulted in the anticipated influx of certified operators. There are additional impediments preventing operator certification, including technological limitations of currently available UAS, which need to be addressed to improve the rate of UAS integration into agricultural aerial application. Keywords: Chemical applications, Drone, Precision agriculture, UAS, UAV, Unmanned aerial vehicle, Unmanned aircraft systems.
Beobachtungen zur diachronischen Entwicklung der Verbal-periphrase GEHEN + PARTIZIP PERFEKT im italienisch-spanischen Sprachvergleich
Authors: Mayr Paul
Published: September 2021

The verbal periphrases constitute a typological feature of the Romance languages and they are especially frequent in the Iberoromanic languages. In the context of this paper the diachronic evolution of the Italian periphrase andare + participio passato, which has a diathetic, modal and resultative function, and its formal, but not functional equivalent in Spanish, ir + participio pasado, will be analysed. The study will focus on the analysis of semantic and functional values of these verbal constructions in different historical phases of the Italian and (European) Spanish language in order to investigate the convergences and divergences which arise between the two languages. In addition, some equivalent constructions in other Romance languages, e. g. Catalan and Portuguese, will occasionally be taken in consideration.
«La historia de la edición ante sus desafíos» Reseña de La historia de la edición ante sus desafíos, de Fernando Larraz, Josep Mengual y Mireia Sopena (eds.)
Authors: Garrido Violeta
Published: September 2021

Pliegos alzados. La historia de la edición, a debate pretende llenar un hueco significativo, insuficientemente tratado hasta el momento, en la investigación aún escasa relacionada con la historia de la edición, concretamente la que atiende al contexto iberoamericano y, todavía más, español: el abordaje multidisciplinar, esto es, la inclusión de enfoques diversos y no jerarquizados sobre el objeto de estudio. Ello con el fin último de dialogar críticamente con otras obras sobre esta materia producidas previamente —en particular con la Historia de la edición española de Jesús A. Martínez Martín— y, así, poder extraer marcos generales y orientaciones útiles para estudios futuros. Esa es, en esencia, la propuesta distintiva que nos hacen llegar los editores en la Introducción, donde se precisa también el origen del proyecto, que se ubica en unas jornadas de debate organizadas en la Universidad de Alcalá en noviembre de 2016. Los más de veinte autores que comparten su experiencia profesional e investigadora a lo largo de sus páginas, apadrinados por Gonzalo Pontón —cuyo prefacio hace las veces de capitulo inicial celebratorio de la necesidad de convocar el concurso de los diferentes campos de conocimiento que se dan cita en el mundo editorial, por alejados o incluso arbitrarios que puedan parecer—, parten de puntos distintos para converger al final, cada cual a su manera, en el mismo lugar: el reconocimiento del valor que posee la edición en cuanto que variable imprescindible para la adecuada comprensión de la historial cultural contemporánea. Así pues, las seis partes diferenciadas que organizan el contenido teórico del libro aspiran a considerar la práctica totalidad de sectores a los que le concierne la cuestión planteada: la metodología indispensable para disponer una historia de la edición consistente, las fuentes utilizadas en su análisis, la historiografía editorial como práctica, el mercado editorial como espacio en el que convergen el diseño, la publicidad y otros elementos paratextuales que, sin embargo, resultan imprescindibles para entender mejor las condiciones de producción y de circulación de los libros; las políticas estatales relativas al libro y, por último, las redes transnacionales que, a nivel editorial, median muy claramente en la circulación de las ideas.
Después de la nación: crisis y reinvención de lo común
Authors: Sánchez Idiart Cecilia
Published: September 2021

A partir de la elaboración de un lenguaje ambiguo y expansivo, la novela El aire (1992), del escritor argentino Sergio Chejfec, explora algunos efectos devastadores de la modernización neoliberal sobre el territorio urbano, la subjetividad y la vida social. Avanzando al ritmo de una crisis tan indefinida como irreversible, la narración interroga también la potencia de prácticas y lenguajes colectivos que permiten imaginar alternativas frente a los imperativos del capital. La temporalidad, la ciudad, los hábitos cotidianos y los cuerpos se desintegran y reconfiguran en el espacio de una escritura que hace de la indeterminación su motor narrativo.
“My Proof of Life”: HIV as Reification of Black Metaphysics in Danez Smith’s Homie
Authors: Juncosa Toni R.
Published: September 2021

Since its onset in the 1980s, literature has responded to the HIV/AIDS pandemic with works that testify to the devastating loss imposed on millions of people worldwide. After the implementation of effective antiretroviral treatment (ART) in the mid-90s, however, contemporary experiences of HIV might be expected to diverge their attention from grief and mourning to more “positive” emotions. The aim of this paper is to consider such a potential paradigm shift among new generations of HIV+ people with access to ART. To do so, it explores Danez Smith’s lyric approach to a 21st-century racialized experience of HIV, attempting to read it as constructive rather than destructive, without leaving intersectionality aside, in light of both Afropessimism and Queer Optimism.
Hybrid nanowires for phase-matching of third-harmonic generation in hyperbolic metamaterial
Authors: Wicharn Surawut , Buranasiri Prathan
Published: September 2021

We propose a phase-matching technique for third-harmonic generation, called hyperbolic phase matching, that possibly can be achieved by optimal designing and engineering dispersion of hybrid-nanowire hyperbolic metamaterial. We demonstrate phase-matched conditions for two different third-harmonic interacting configurations, which can be created at two optimal incident angles of the pump field. Moreover, each composed hybrid nanowire can enhance third-harmonic generation by using strong field confinement along the metal/dielectric interface due to plasmonic resonance. Finally, conversion efficiencies of transmitted and reflected third-harmonic pulses as a function of incident angle and input pulse intensity are examined by numerical integration of nonlinear birefringent coupled-mode equations. The numerical results validate the idea that, using a combination of phase-matched conditions and pump field confinement, we can achieve a dramatic enhancement of conversion efficiencies of third-harmonic generation.
Improving particle detection and size estimation accuracy in digital in-line holography using autoregressive interpolation
Authors: Ghosh Anik , Kulkarni Rishikesh
Published: September 2021

The accuracy of particle detection and size estimation is limited by the physical size of the digital sensor used to record the hologram in a digital in-line holographic imaging system. In this paper, we propose to utilize the autoregressive (AR) interpolation of the hologram to increase pixel density and, effectively, the quality of hologram reconstruction. Simulation studies are conducted to evaluate the influence of AR interpolation of a hologram on the accuracy of detection and size estimation of single and multiple particles of varying sizes. A comparative study on the performance of different interpolation techniques indicates the advantage of the proposed AR hologram interpolation approach. An experimental result is provided to validate the suitability of the proposed algorithm in practical applications.
Polarization and Orbital Angular Momentum of Light in Biomedical Applications: feature issue introduction
Authors: Meglinski Igor , Novikova Tatiana , Dholakia Kishan
Published: September 2021

In the last decade, consistent and successful innovations have been achieved in the field of lasers and optics, collectively known as ‘photonics’, founding new applications in biomedicine, including clinical biopsy. Non-invasive photonics-based diagnostic modalities are rapidly expanding, and with their exponential improvement, there is a great potential to develop practical instrumentation for automatic detection and identification of different types and/or sub-types of diseases at a very early stage. While using conventional light for the studies of different properties of objects in materials science, astrophysics and biomedicine already has a long history, the interaction of polarized light and optical angular momentum with turbid tissue-like scattering media has not yet been ultimately explored. Since recently this research area became a hot topic. This feature issue is a first attempt to summarize the recognitions achieved in this emerging research field of polarized light and optical angular momentum for practical biomedical applications during the last years.
Unsupervised feature learning and clustering of particles imaged in raw holograms using an autoencoder
Authors: Liu Zonghua , Thevar Thangavel , Takahashi Tomoko , Burns Nicholas , Yamada Takaki , Sangekar Mehul , Lindsay Dhugal , Watson John , Thornton Blair
Published: September 2021

Digital holography is a useful tool to image microscopic particles. Reconstructed holograms give high-resolution shape information that can be used to identify the types of particles. However, the process of reconstructing holograms is computationally intensive and cannot easily keep up with the rate of data acquisition on low-power sensor platforms. In this work, we explore the possibility of performing object clustering on holograms that have not been reconstructed, i.e., images of raw interference patterns, using the latent representations of a deep-learning autoencoder and a self-organizing mapping network in a fully unsupervised manner. We demonstrate this concept on synthetically generated holograms of different shapes, where clustering of raw holograms achieves an accuracy of 94.4%. This is comparable to the 97.4% accuracy achieved using the reconstructed holograms of the same targets. Directly clustering raw holograms takes less than 0.1 s per image using a low-power CPU board. This represents a three-order of magnitude reduction in processing time compared to clustering of reconstructed holograms and makes it possible to interpret targets in real time on low-power sensor platforms. Experiments on real holograms demonstrate significant gains in clustering accuracy through the use of synthetic holograms to train models. Clustering accuracy increased from 47.1% when the models were trained only on the real raw holograms, to 64.1% when the models were entirely trained on the synthetic raw holograms, and further increased to 75.9% when models were trained on the both synthetic and real datasets using transfer learning. These results are broadly comparable to those achieved when reconstructed holograms are used, where the highest accuracy of 70% achieved when clustering raw holograms outperforms the highest accuracy achieved when clustering reconstructed holograms by a significant margin for our datasets.
Pose-varied swing arm profilometer test for off-axis aspheric surfaces with strong asphericity
Authors: Xiong Ling , Luo Xiao , Zhang Xuejun , Qi Erhui , Hu Haixiang , Liu Zhenyu , Zhang Feng
Published: September 2021

The swing arm profilometer (SAP) has been widely used to test large aspheric optics by measuring the asphericity from its best-fitting sphere (BFS). To further improve the test accuracy, we propose a pose-varied test mode for the SAP with a shorter-range probe to measure off-axis aspheric surfaces with stronger asphericity. In contrast to the classical SAP mode in which the air-table is fixed in a stationary position during measurement, we adjust the pose of each scan arc to match the local BFS and the measurement range of the probe decreases to half that of the global asphericity. To verify the effectiveness, we conduct experiments on an off-axis asphere with a diameter of 3 and 2 m. Compared with a classical SAP mode, it achieved an improved performance of 50% higher repeatability and 32% higher accuracy.
On-chip optical levitation with a metalens in vacuum
Authors: Shen Kunhong , Duan Yao , Ju Peng , Xu Zhujing , Chen Xi , Zhang Lidan , Ahn Jonghoon , Ni Xingjie , Li Tongcang
Published: September 2021

Optical levitation of dielectric particles in vacuum is a powerful technique for precision measurements, testing fundamental physics, and quantum information science. Conventional optical tweezers require bulky optical components for trapping and detection. Here, we design and fabricate an ultrathin dielectric metalens with a high numerical aperture of 0.88 at 1064 nm in vacuum. It consists of 500-nm-thick silicon nano-antennas, which are compatible with an ultrahigh vacuum. We demonstrate optical levitation of nanoparticles in vacuum with a single metalens. The trapping frequency can be tuned by changing the laser power and polarization. We also transfer a levitated nanoparticle between two separated optical tweezers. Optical levitation with an ultrathin metalens in vacuum provides opportunities for a wide range of applications including on-chip sensing. Such metalenses will also be useful for trapping ultracold atoms and molecules.
Ascension of Chlamydia is moderated by uterine peristalsis and the neutrophil response to infection
Authors: Callan Torrington , Woodcock Stephen , Huston Wilhelmina May
Published: September 2021

Chlamydia trachomatis is a common sexually transmitted infection that is associated with a range of serious reproductive tract sequelae including in women Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), tubal factor infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. Ascension of the pathogen beyond the cervix and into the upper reproductive tract is thought to be necessary for these pathologies. However, Chlamydia trachomatis does not encode a mechanism for movement on its genome, and so the processes that facilitate ascension have not been elucidated. Here, we evaluate the factors that may influence chlamydial ascension in women. We constructed a mathematical model based on a set of stochastic dynamics to elucidate the moderating factors that might influence ascension of infections in the first month of an infection. In the simulations conducted from the stochastic model, 36% of infections ascended, but only 9% had more than 1000 bacteria ascend. The results of the simulations indicated that infectious load and the peristaltic contractions moderate ascension and are inter-related in impact. Smaller initial loads were much more likely to ascend. Ascension was found to be dependent on the neutrophil response. Overall, our results indicate that infectious load, menstrual cycle timing, and the neutrophil response are critical factors in chlamydial ascension in women.
ReFeaFi: Genome-wide prediction of regulatory elements driving transcription initiation
Authors: Umarov Ramzan , Li Yu , Arakawa Takahiro , Takizawa Satoshi , Gao Xin , Arner Erik
Published: September 2021

Regulatory elements control gene expression through transcription initiation (promoters) and by enhancing transcription at distant regions (enhancers). Accurate identification of regulatory elements is fundamental for annotating genomes and understanding gene expression patterns. While there are many attempts to develop computational promoter and enhancer identification methods, reliable tools to analyze long genomic sequences are still lacking. Prediction methods often perform poorly on the genome-wide scale because the number of negatives is much higher than that in the training sets. To address this issue, we propose a dynamic negative set updating scheme with a two-model approach, using one model for scanning the genome and the other one for testing candidate positions. The developed method achieves good genome-level performance and maintains robust performance when applied to other vertebrate species, without re-training. Moreover, the unannotated predicted regulatory regions made on the human genome are enriched for disease-associated variants, suggesting them to be potentially true regulatory elements rather than false positives. We validated high scoring “false positive” predictions using reporter assay and all tested candidates were successfully validated, demonstrating the ability of our method to discover novel human regulatory regions.
Assessing the supply for a basic urban service demand-with a focus on water-energy management in Addis Ababa city
Authors: Kitessa Bedassa Dessalegn , Ayalew Semu Moges , Gebrie Geremew Sahilu , Teferi Solomon T/mariam
Published: September 2021

The demand for water-energy (WE) should be addressed with their sustainable supply in the long-term planning. The total energy demand was estimated to be around 14,000000 and 53,000000 MWh for 2030 and 2050 years respectively. These years’ predicted water demand was 0.4 and 0.7 billion-cubic-meter. Based on the estimated energy and water demand, sustainable supply through WE management were determined. In 2030 and 2050 the water supply-demand balance index is around 1, showed water demand will be met for respective years, whereas the energy supply-balance after the intervention become around 0.9 and 0.7. The study results clearly predicted future WE demand of Addis Ababa city and have been put their quantified supply suggestion.
U.S. dog importations during the COVID-19 pandemic: Do we have an erupting problem?
Authors: Pieracci Emily G. , Williams Cara E. , Wallace Ryan M. , Kalapura Cheryl R. , Brown Clive M.
Published: September 2021

Dog importation data from 2018–2020 were evaluated to ascertain whether the dog importation patterns in the United States changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically with regard to denial of entry. Dog denial of entry reports from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2020, stored within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Quarantine Activity Reporting System (QARS), were reviewed. Basic descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Reason for denial, country of origin, and month of importation were all examined to determine which countries of origin resulted in the largest number of denials, and whether there was a seasonal change in importations during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020), compared to previous years (2018 and 2019). During 2020, CDC denied entry to 458 dogs. This represents a 52% increase in dogs denied entry compared to the averages in 2018 and 2019. Dogs were primarily denied entry for falsified rabies vaccination certificates (56%). Three countries exported 74% of all dogs denied entry into the United States, suggesting that targeted interventions may be needed for certain countries. Increased attempts to import inadequately vaccinated dogs from countries with canine rabies in 2020 may have been due to the increased demand for domestic pets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Educational messaging should highlight the risk of rabies and the importance of making informed pet purchases from foreign entities to protect pet owners, their families, and the public.
SARS-CoV-2 infections among Australian passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Walker Liz J. , Codreanu Tudor A. , Armstrong Paul K. , Goodwin Sam , Trewin Abigail , Spencer Emma , Colquhoun Samantha M. , Stephens Dianne M. , Baird Rob W. , Douglas Nicholas M. , Cribb Danielle , Owen Rhonda , Kelly Paul , Kirk Martyn D.
Published: September 2021

Background

Prolonged periods of confined living on a cruise ship increase the risk for respiratory disease transmission. We describe the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Australian passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship and provide recommendations to mitigate future cruise ship outbreaks.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of Australian passengers who travelled on the Diamond Princess from 20 January until 4 February 2020 and were either hospitalised, remained in Japan or repatriated. The main outcome measures included an epidemic curve, demographics, symptoms, clinical and radiological signs, risk factors and length of time to clear infection.

Results

Among 223 Australian passengers, 56 were confirmed SARS-CoV-2 positive. Forty-nine cases had data available and of these over 70% had symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Of symptomatic cases, 17% showed signs and symptoms before the ship implemented quarantine and a further two-thirds had symptoms within one incubation period of quarantine commencing. Prior to ship-based quarantine, exposure to a close contact or cabin mate later confirmed SARS-CoV-2 positive was associated with a 3.78 fold (95% CI, 2.24–6.37) higher risk of COVID-19 acquisition compared to non-exposed passengers. Exposure to a positive cabin mate during the ship’s quarantine carried a relative risk of 6.18 (95% CI, 1.96–19.46) of developing COVID-19. Persistently asymptomatic cases represented 29% of total cases. The median time to the first of two consecutive negative PCR-based SARS-CoV-2 assays was 13 days for asymptomatic cases and 19 days for symptomatic cases (p = 0.002).

Conclusion

Ship based quarantine was effective at reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2 amongst Australian passengers, but the risk of infection was higher if an individual shared a cabin or was a close contact of a confirmed case. Managing COVID-19 in cruise ship passengers is challenging and requires enhanced health measures and access to onshore quarantine and isolation facilities.