bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identifying the preserved network of irrigation canals in the Eridu region, southern Mesopotamia
Authors: Jotheri Jaafar , Rokan Mohammed , Al-Ghanim Ali , Rayne Louise , de Gruchy Michelle , Alabdan Raheem
Published: February 2025

The Eridu region in southern Mesopotamia was occupied from the sixth until the early first millennium BC, and its archaeological landscape remains well preserved. The present study has identified and mapped a vast, intensive, well-developed network of artificial irrigation canals in this region.
Trudna droga do polsko-litewskiego Traktatu – próba podsumowania
Authors:   Uniwersytet w Białymstoku – Filia UwB w Wilnie, Wołkonowski Jarosław
Published: February 2025

At the beginning of the 1990s, the Republic of Poland and the newly revived Republic of Lithuania found themselves in a new geopolitical space. Democratic post-political forces following the western value system came to power in both countries. Both countries made an effort to regulate the Polish-Lithuanian relations. In both countries, there were voices referring to the evaluation of historical events. In the new reality, the Polish side created a new political-legal model of bilateral agreements with neighbouring states by Prof. Krzysztof Skubiszewski, the Minister of the Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, called the Treaty on Friendly Relations and Good--Neighbourly Cooperation. It already contained new European solutions in state relations, as well as European legal norms and for national minorities, in this case for the Polish and the Lithuanian living in both countries. The Polish-Lithuanian Treaty was the last of this group, adopted on 26 April 1994 in Vilnius. Before it was signed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Presidents of the two countries and ratified by the parliaments of the Republic of Lithuania and the Republic of Poland, there were a number of shifts and tensions in the new Lithuanian-Polish relations. In 2024, it will be 30 years since this Treaty was signed. This significant anniversary is an opportunity to take a fresh look at the circumstances of the creation, negotiation and adoption of the Treaty by the two neighbouring countries, and to take stock of the implementation of its objectives.
Ewolucja odpowiedzialności karnej za sprzeniewierzenie urzędnicze na ziemiach polskich
Authors:   Uniwersytet Gdański, Szczepaniak Damian
Published: February 2025

Embezzlement is an aggravated form of appropriation. The latter involves an unauthorized person disposing of someone else’s movable item. This item must be in the possession of the perpetrator, who disposes of it as his or her own property, bypassing the authorized person. In the case of embezzlement, the situation requires an additional element of entrusting the perpetrator with a given item by an authorized person. In a situation whene the item constitutes public property and has been entrusted to an official in connection with the performance of his or her service, we can talk about public official embezzlement. This crime has been penalized in Polish lands since the Middle Ages and is still punishable today, although the issue of liability for it has been regulated in various ways over the centuries. The aim of the article is to show how the legal basis for criminal liability for public official embezzlement in Polish lands has evolved over time and how important a fundamental breakthrough that took place in this respect in the area in question in the interwar period was for judicial practice and research on the phenomenon of crime by public officials. The source material for the Old Polish period will mainly involve parliamentary constitutions, and for the 19th and 20th centuries, the penal codes in force in Poland at respective times. Moreover, the study will use court decisions and legal literature, and in the case of the interwar period, additional archival materials in the form of case files and court repertories, which are particularly important in terms of characterizing the indicated breakthrough. The author of the article used the historical, formaldogmatic, comparative and empirical methods.
Generał brygady Aleksander Tarnowski krytycznie o projekcie dekretu o odpowiedzialności za klęskę wrześniową i faszyzację życia państwowego z 22 stycznia 1946 roku
Authors:   Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach, Szczygieł Tomasz
Published: February 2025

The article aims to analyze an archival document constituting the opinion of General Aleksander Tarnowski regarding the draft decree on the responsibility for the September Defeat and Fascism of State Life, which was announced on January 22, 1946. The work will summarize proposals for changes to the so-called project – the decree on fascism. They will be presented in the form of tables to better highlight the difference between the solution proposed by the general and the one finally included in the current decree. On their basis, an attempt will be made to reconstruct the content of the project that has been reviewed, because the content of the reviewed project is not known. The aim of the work is also to draw attention to the possibility of preparing the opinion in question by a person other than Aleksander Tarnowski, who signed it. For this purpose, arguments regarding constructions from Makarewicz’s Penal Code will be emphasized. The article is also intended to assess the value of the proposed changes in the context of the final text of the decree announced in January 1946. It is worth considering whether they were intended to improve its regulations or perhaps to further emphasize its political character. The work primarily uses a source in the form of an archival document found in the archives of the Institute of National Remembrance in Warsaw. Moreover, it is derived on the basis of the doctoral dissertation by Dawid Zdrójkowski entitled “Decree on responsibility for the September Defeat and Fascism of State Life of January 22, 1946, in the Light of the Trials of Former Voivodes and Ministers of the Second Polish Republic”. In addition, the literature on the subject was cited.
Konstytucyjny status indywidualnych gospodarstw rolnych a stan wojenny
Authors:   Uniwersytet w Białymstoku, Koniecko Michał
Published: February 2025

The property regime – the dominant model of ownership – depends on the regime adopted in the constitution, or more broadly, on the political regime. In each of the regimes, however, there may be some exceptions made due to various domestic policy considerations. In the People’s Republic of Poland, State Farms had a formally dominant and privileged position. However, the communists did not succeed in fully collectivising the Polish agriculture along the lines of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. However, the protection of human freedoms and rights, including the protection of individual property contained in the Constitution of the time, was more propaganda than reality. For it could not violate the basis of the socialist (or rather communist) system. The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Poland, did not provide formal guarantees for the protection of civil rights. More emphasis was placed on material guarantees, i.e. entitlements of a social nature. The years 1980–1981 saw the development of the independent trade union, “Solidarity”. Its offshoot (albeit formally independent) was the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union of Individual Farmers, “Solidarity”. The introduction of martial law was intended to crush the freedom aspirations of the Polish society. This can be described as the so-called “stick approach”. The “carrot” approach, on the other hand, was aimed at a significant social group – individual farmers. In order to dissuade them from “counter-revolutionary” activity, party representatives proposed the adoption of an amendment to the Constitution, emphasising the protection of individual farms.
Tendencja do zawężania kategorii osób objętych pragmatyką zawodową – dyskusja wokół Karty Nauczyciela. Perspektywa społeczno-pedagogiczna oraz prawna
Authors:   Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu, Dejna Dagna
Published: February 2025

This study is interdisciplinary in nature, combining the author’s experiences and interests, which include issues related to labor law and broadly understood socio-pedagogical issues. It was at the intersection of two scientific disciplines (law and pedagogy) that a research problem was identified regarding the authorities’ developing tendency to exclude subsequent groups of employees from the Teacher’s Charter. Therefore, the research goal of this article is to reconstruct and describe the manifestations of the tendency in question to narrow down the categories of people performing teaching professions whose employment relationship is regulated by the provisions of the Teacher’s Charter and to outline the possible consequences of the tendency. The main problem axis of the study is the key aspect of the functioning of the teachers’ professional pragmatics of the Teacher’s Charter, which is omitted both in the scientific and journalistic works. In the scientific discourse on pedagogy and law, the problem of the tendency to narrow down the categories of people covered by professional pragmatics does not exist. This has consequences for pedagogical practice and for the broadly understood educational reality. The aim of this study is to draw attention to the changes in the basic education act that have already been made and to one of the draft changes that has not been introduced, but it is still being discussed and has gained considerable approval. Above all, the aim of this study is to draw the reader’s attention to the issues absent in legal and pedagogical circles, with particular emphasis on their social and educational consequences. The pretext of caring about staff shortages (which are currently very real and severe), was used as an effective way to reduce employee costs. At the same time, however, this method provokes a number of consequences that focus on reducing the quality of educational services: education, upbringing and care. The article presents a critical socio-pedagogical and legal perspective, thanks to which readers can gain a broader view of the problem. For the purposes of the text, the method of analyzing secondary sources was used, analyzing the legal texts that were the subject of the study. Journalistic texts and ethnographic threads, resulting from the author’s experience as an academic lecturer and a researcher of educational and social reality, were also included in the narrative.
Local treatments and TKI efficacy in radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid carcinoma patients: a single center experience
Authors: Saltiki Katerina , Karapanou Olga , Kantreva Kanella , Michalaki Marina , Koutsoukos Konstantinos , Paschou Stavroula A , Alevizaki Maria
Published: February 2025

A cohort of radioiodine-refractory differentiated-thyroid-cancer patients (RAI-R DTC) in a tertiary center underwent therapeutic interventions according to disease progression rate and metastases location. We evaluated the independent impact of local and/or systemic treatments on final outcomes in 122 RAI-R DTC patients (44.3% men, age-at-diagnosis 51.98±15.8yrs), who were followed-up for 9.5yrs (1.4-50). Patients were divided into 2 groups: those with only locoregional persistence disease: Group1, n=27 (22.1%),) and those with distant metastases: Group2, n=95 (77.9%). Patients from Group 1 underwent mainly local procedures. The final outcome was: 4/27(14.8%) partial-response (PR), 23/27(85.2%) stable-disease (SD). Of Group 2 patients, 10/95 underwent active surveillance for micrometastatic disease and the remaining received either only local treatments (40/95) or TKIs±local treatments (45/95). The final outcome was PR in 7/95(7.4%), SD in 38(40%), progressive-disease in 50(52.6%). Concerning Group 2 in Kaplan-Meier analysis, local metastases stabilization with local and/or systemic therapy had a favorable effect on survival (p<0.02). Those treated with TKIs+local procedures, despite having more aggressive tumors, achieved more frequently local stabilization and had similar outcome, compared to those treated with only TKI (p=0.007). For Group2, in Cox-proportional-hazard analysis, during the follow-up period, younger age-at-diagnosis and maintenance of tumor-differentiation are predictors of more favorable OS and cancer-specific-survival (CSS). In conclusion, the implementation of local procedures in RAI-R DTC management stabilizes metastatic lesions and potentially enhances survival. Further studies are warranted to validate these findings.
Transforming thyroid cancer management: the impact of neoadjuvant therapy
Authors: Califano Ines , Randolph Gregory W , Pitoia Fabian
Published: February 2025

The emerging role of neoadjuvant therapy in the management of locally advanced thyroid cancer marks a significant progress in the field. Recent developments in systemic therapies, particularly with the introduction of multikinase inhibitors and selective inhibitors, have demonstrated promising results. The objective of this review is to delve into the implications of these developments and their potential impact on the management of advanced thyroid cancers which initially present as borderline resectable or unresectable.

For DTC and PDTC, agents like lenvatinib have shown substantial tumor reduction, facilitating surgical resection. Similarly, for MTC, selpercatinib have exhibited interesting response rates, enhancing the feasibility of surgery with reduced morbidity in limited clinical case series of patients with RET mutations. In BRAF mutant ATC, the combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors, has significantly improved treatment protocols, providing a pathway to surgical intervention and significantly improving survival rates. The addition of immune checkpoint inhibitors to these regimens showed further extension of survival and reduced recurrence rates in retrospective studies that still need confirmation. Despite these preliminary favorable results, neoadjuvant therapies are not without challenges. The risk of adverse events, particularly related to the inhibition of the VEGF pathway, necessitates careful patient selection and management. The variability in tumor responses and the potential for serious complications underscore the need for continued research to refine these approaches in this difficult patient population.
Divergent PTEN-p53 interaction upon DNA damage in a human thyroid organoid model with germline PTEN mutations
Authors: Venegas Juan Andres , Onur Omer Enes , Kang Shin Chung , Hitomi Masahiro , Eng Charis
Published: February 2025

Germline mutation in the tumor suppressor phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) causes PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS). PHTS is characterized by elevated lifetime risks of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), with a 30 times higher risk than the general population. However, only 1 in 3 PHTS patients develop DTC, and it remains unknown if specific PTEN variants are associated with an increased risk of DTC. PTEN antagonizes the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT signaling pathway, a frequently affected pathway in sporadic DTC. PTEN also acts as a guardian of the genome by interacting with other tumor suppressors. Here, we report how ionizing radiation, an environmental tumorigenic contributor, modifies the DNA damage response based on the type of germline PTEN variants. We hypothesized that certain PTEN variants associated with DTC create a pro-oncogenic molecular signature upon radiation-induced DNA damage. DTC associated (PTENM134R) or non-associated (PTENG132D) germline PTEN mutant alleles were introduced into a human induced pluripotent cell (hiPSC) line derived from a healthy donor utilizing CRISPR-CAS9 gene editing technology. We determined radiation-induced transcriptomic changes in functional thyroid organoids induced from wildtype and both heterozygous PTEN mutant hiPSCs. Both bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing data indicated that radiation upregulated the p53 network more potently in the thyroid organoids with PTENWT/G132D than those with PTENWT/M134R, which could be mediated by AKT-dependent MDM2 inactivation and PTEN-p53 physical interaction. Our data suggest that the lack of p53 pathway activation through PTEN-p53 network interactions explains why PTENM134R is a DTC susceptible variant.
NITROGEN-CONTAINING CARBON NANOTUBES AS AN EFFECTIVE SUPPORT FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF STABLE SINGLE ATOM METAL CATALYSTS
Authors: PODYACHEVA O.YU. , ISMAGILOV Z.R.
Published: February 2025

The possibility of using nitrogen-containing carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) as a support for the synthesis of single atom palladium and platinum catalysts has been studied. The influence of metal content (0.2-2 wt%) and synthesis method (impregnation and deposition) on the dispersion of supported Pd and Pt was studied. The requirements for preparation of a 100 % single atom catalyst have been determined (use of a metal precursor in cationic form and a metal content of less than 0.5 wt%). It was established that the turnover frequency of the gas-phase formic acid decomposition reaction for hydrogen production increases by 4 times on single metal atoms stabilised on the pyridinic nitrogen centres of N-CNTs, compared to nanoparticles with a size of ~1 nm. Single atom metal catalysts exhibit higher selectivity to hydrogen and make it possible to decrease the concentration of carbon monoxide by more than 2 times. The stability of Pd and Pt atomic species in the course of the reaction occurring at elevated temperatures has been established.
CRYOGELS AND GELS FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN COAL INDUSTRY
Authors: FUFAEVA M.S. , ALTUNINA L.K. , KOZHEVNIKOV I.S. , NIKITENKO S.M. , KLISHIN V.I.
Published: February 2025

The rheological (structural-mechanical) properties of gel-forming compositions, gels and cryogels based on polyvinyl alcohol, as well as the compositions developed at the Institute of Petroleum Chemistry SB RAS, which are promising from the viewpoint of preventing endogenous fires and intensifying methane release during interval hydraulic fracturing of coal seams, have been studied. The amplitude and kinetic dependences of the elastic modulus (G′), loss modulus (G″) and complex viscosity were obtained in the oscillatory mode using the rheometer with controlled deformation for the compositions differing from each other in the ratio of components at different temperatures. It has been shown that the gel starts to form already at the moment of component mixing, and the elastic properties of the forming structure predominate (G′>G″). The values of gelation points were determined. It is found that with an increase in crosslinker concentration, the strength of the resulting structure increases, and the time of gel formation decreases. As the temperature decreases, the strength of the resulting structure also increases. In the static mode of sample deformation, it is established that the gel is further stabilised after the freeze-thaw cycle. The developed composition has strength properties and good adhesion to the surface of coal. It can be used to protect coal mine faces from spontaneous combustion and as a protection from coal dust on technological roads. The change of the deformation-compression dependence under constant load on time for gel and cryogel was studied. It has been established that under a constant stress of 7 kPa, gel deformation reaches 25 %, while cryogel deformation is 15 %, that is, the elastic properties of the composition increase after a freeze-thaw cycle. In this regard, it is preferable to carry out the work at sites in the autumn and spring time.
PROSPECTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NATURE-LIKE TECHNOLOGIES FOR THERMOHYDROLYTIC PROCESSING OF NON-CONVENTIONAL HYDROCARBON RESOURCES
Authors: ROKOSOV YU.V.
Published: February 2025

For the development of many regions of Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and other countries interested in using their non-conventional hydrocarbon resources (sapropelite coal and oil shale, microalgae biomass), a new strategy is being considered for the development of nature-like technologies for their processing, as well as exploration and production of hard-to-recover shale hydrocarbons through technologisation of the discovery of the regularity of hydrothermal naphthoidogenesis. The main thing in this discovery is that in hydrothermal fluids (sub- and supercritical aqueous media) it is possible to purposefully carry out molecular disassembling of the organic matter of sapropelite rocks and lipid-enriched microalgae into organic compounds that retain the structural features of the original fragments of organic mass and to a large extent are related to biomarker compounds. These biomarker compounds are reliably identified by modern chromatographic and spectral methods, so it becomes possible to monitor the information about the relationship between the genesis, composition and structure of the organic mass of sedimentary rocks and their properties. This information is important for the development of highly efficient methods for producing shale hydrocarbons. It is also applicable for molecular diagnostics of the hydrocarbon-generating potential of sedimentary basins by assessing the lithogenetic maturity of rock organic matter from the composition and content of biomarker compounds. It is expected to obtain technologically significant results in increasing the efficiency of processing non-conventional hydrocarbon resources due to the possibility of controlled selective cleavage of carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom cross-links in the organic mass of microalgae and oil shale rocks under oxidative hydrolytic conditions similar to those that occur in natural, environmentally pure processes of naphthoidogenesis. The need to expand and deepen the studies aimed at technologising the scientific discovery of the regularity of hydrothermal naphthoidogenesis, which is the basis for the development of nature-like technologies for processing non-conventional hydrocarbon resources into valuable chemical products (motor fuel components, surfactants, etc.) and materials (road construction bitumen) is substantiated.
A New Spider Species of the Genus Harpactea (Araneae, Dysderidae) from Türkiye
Authors: Kunt K. B. , Özkütük R. S. , Yağmur E. A.
Published: February 2025

Harpactea ulgen sp. n. is described based on both sexes from Türkiye. The new species belongs to the rubicunda species group as defined by Deeleman-Reinhold (1993) and is closely related to the Turkish endemic H. ballarini Kunt, Özkütük & Elverici, 2013.
Cytological Characterisation of Autosomes and Sex Chromosomes in Tephritid Fruit Flies Bactrocera zonata and Zeugodacus tau (Diptera, Tephritidae)
Authors: Yesmin F. , Haymer D. , Uddin M. N. , Hasanuzzaman M.
Published: February 2025

Two fruit fly species, Bactrocera zonata (Saunders, 1842) and Zeugodacus tau (Walker, 1849) (Diptera: Tephritidae) were studied with regard to their autosomes and sex chromosomes from mitotic metaphase spreads. Both species are native to South and South- East Asia and have major economic impacts in agriculture sectors of these areas. They are polyphagous, can easily adapt and spread. Both of them have the same diploid chromosome number of 2n = 12 (10 autosomes + heteromorphic sex chromosome pair XX/ XY). The male is heterogametic (XY) and the female is homogametic (XX). Chromosomes were classiﬁed into groups on the basis of centromere position and arranged in order of decreasing size. For B. zonata, chromosome formula is (3sm + 2m + Xm + Ydot-shape) and for Z. tau, the formula is (1sm + 4m + Xm + Ydot-shape). The results are analyzed and compared to chromosome studies done for other species of Tephritid fruit flies using chromosome morphometrics. Detailed images of mitotic chromosomes and measurements of various parameters relating to these chromosomes are provided. These cytological data are useful for systematics and contribute to a better understanding of the chromosomal evolution of these fruit fly species.
Nest Characteristics and Prey Selection of Sceliphron destillatorium (Apoidea, Sphecidae) on the Territory of the Rivnenskyi Nature Reserve
Authors: Pytel-Huta S. , Yanul V. , Franchuk M. , Zatushevsky A. , Tsaryk J.
Published: February 2025

The nesting behaviour and prey selection of Sceliphron destillatorium remains poorly studied in Ukraine. In the present study we analysed a total of 59 nests of S. destillatorium. The main morphometric parameters of S. destillatorium nests, especially cell length and width, were determined by measuring the nest cells. The spiders found in the nest cells were identified to determine the trophic relationships of the S. destillatorium larvae. The main prey of S. destillatorium were found to be terrestrial orb-weavers (Araneidae), crab-weavers (Thomisidae), tangle-weavers (Theridiidae), with a clear predominance of Araneidae. Six species of spiders previously undocumented in the Rivnenskyi Nature Reserve were discovered.
Single Bruise Characteristics Associated With Abusive vs Accidental Injury
Authors: Raut Audrey , Pierce Mary Clyde , Kaczor Kim , Lorenz Doug , Bertocci Gina , Bertocci Karen , Simonton Kirsten
Published: February 2025

OBJECTIVES

The TEN-4-FACESp bruising clinical decision rule (BCDR) is a validated screening tool utilizing information about a child’s body region bruised, age, and pattern of bruising to predict abuse in children younger than 4 years of age. Our objectives were to (1) evaluate the accuracy of the BCDR in predicting abuse when only 1 bruise was present and (2) identify other characteristics differentiating abusive from accidental injury in young children with a single bruise.

METHODS

Patients included in this secondary analysis were those from the BCDR validation study whose only skin finding was a single bruise (including petechiae, subconjunctival hemorrhage, or frenulum injury). Cases were previously classified as abuse, accident, or indeterminate by an expert panel. We compared demographics, clinical characteristics, bruising regions, and psychosocial risk factors (PRFs) between abuse and accident groups.

RESULTS

Of 349 patients with a single bruise, 27 were classified as abuse. The TEN-4-FACESp BCDR performed with 81.5% sensitivity and 87.6% specificity in this sample. Patients with abusive injuries were (1) younger and (2) less likely to present with an injury complaint but more likely to (3) have a bruise in a BCDR-positive region, (4) have a lower Glasgow Coma Score, and (5) have PRFs.

CONCLUSIONS

The TEN-4-FACESp BCDR is an effective screening tool for abuse among young children with a single bruise in the pediatric ED. Even 1 BCDR-positive bruise indicated increased risk for abuse. Negative BCDR results must be interpreted with caution given the higher rate of false negatives in this analysis compared with the validation study.
Drivers and barriers to the development of musculoskeletal advanced physiotherapy practitioner roles in New Zealand
Authors: Naik Leena , Reid Duncan , White Steve , Neville Stephen
Published: February 2025

Faced with the burden of musculoskeletal care in New Zealand, this study explores 19 participants’ views on the drivers and barriers to developing musculoskeletal advanced physiotherapy practitioner (APP) roles in New Zealand. An exploratory case study methodology was applied, and semi-structured interviews were conducted as one of the multiple data sources. A purposive sampling strategy was used. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. This publication primarily focuses on the results of the semi-structured interviews. The results of this research identify unique drivers for the APP role development in the New Zealand context, such as surgeon engagement, legislative requirements, and profession-led issues, in addition to global drivers. Interviewees identified that the barriers relate to New Zealand’s dual healthcare system and its nuances that impact patients and physiotherapists. Additional barriers include a lack of title and recognition, funding and career pathway, training, and inter-professional and intra-professional barriers. This research explores the reasons for the limited uptake of APP roles in the New Zealand context despite strong drivers. Interviewees advocate the development of APP roles as first-contact practitioners for patients presenting with musculoskeletal complaints to improve patient journey, streamline services, and provide timely, effective, and efficient care. They recommend that APP roles are tailored to meet New Zealand’s unique healthcare drivers.
Heraclius: A Byzantine Fault Tolerant Database System with Potential for Modern Payments Systems
Authors: Lovejoy James , Lovejoy James , Gollamudi Tarakaram , Kassis Jeremy , Pillai Narayanan , Brotherton Jeremy , Thompson Eric
Published: February 2025

Modern payments systems are critical infrastructure for the US and global economy, and they all utilize computing systems to facilitate transactions. These computing systems can be vulnerable to failures and an outage of a payment system could cause a serious ripple effect throughout the economy it supports.

Commonly used designs in existing distributed computer systems often lack a built-in defense against certain types of failures (e.g., malicious attacks and silent data corruption) and rely on preventing these failures from happening in the first place via techniques external to the system itself. These computer system failures can cause downtime in the systems (e.g., modern payments systems) that rely on them. Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) systems have the potential of improved resiliency and security. BFT systems can tolerate a larger range of failure modes than contemporary designs but suffer from performance challenges. Our work sought to design and evaluate a scalable BFT architecture and compare its properties to other database architectures used in payments infrastructure. This analysis is intended to better understand technical tradeoffs and is agnostic to broader policy or operational considerations.

In this paper, we present Heraclius, a parallelizable leader-based, BFT key-value store that could be extended for use in payment systems. Heraclius executes transactions in parallel to achieve high transaction volumes. We analyze the scalability of the protocol, bottlenecks and potential solutions to the bottlenecks. We ran the prototype implementation with up to 256 nodes and achieved a transactional volume of 110 thousand operations per second with a transaction latency 0.2 seconds
An Overview of ECG Artifact Detection in EEG Signals
Authors: Sema Yildirim
Published: February 2025

Electroencephalography (EEG) is an important technique for recording brain signals and is particularly used in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases such as epilepsy. However, due to the complex nature of EEG signals, their interpretation is difficult and time-consuming. In EEG recordings, physiological noises such as eye movements (EOG) and electrocardiography (ECG) can affect the signals and hinder accurate diagnosis. This study emphasizes the importance of removing noise from EEG signals, with a focus on the impact of ECG-induced noise. The detection of QRS complexes in the ECG signal plays a critical role in eliminating these noise components from EEG signals. The QRS-complex, a prominent marker of the heart’s electrical activity, helps in removing the corresponding noise components from EEG signals. As a result, removing noise from EEG signals is crucial for accurate diagnosis, and it is believed that future studies in this area could develop more precise methods.
Calidad ambiental y contaminantes emergentes: una mirada hacia la Ciénaga de
Mallorquín y Arroyo León
Authors: Guzmán Tordecilla María del Rosario , Elles Pérez Cindy , Ramos de la Hoz Yuliceth , Castillo Ramírez Margarita , Medina Altahona Jhorma Jose , Garzón Rodríguez Carolina , Burgos Nuñez Saudith , Paternina Uribe Roberth de Jesús , Enamorado Montes Germán , Jiménez Vergara Eylin , Urango Cardenas Iván , Escobar Delgado Lina Marcela , Ortega Pardo Katerine , Díaz Hernández Linda Viviany
Published: February 2025

La Ciénaga de Mallorquín se localiza en una posición estratégica al norte del
distrito de Barranquilla, en el departa- mento del Atlántico. Está delimitada por la
margen izquierda de la desembocadura del Río Magdalena, en la zona conocida como Bocas
de Ceniza, donde el río se encuentra con el Mar Caribe. Esta ubicación le otorga una
gran importancia ecológi- ca, ya que actúa como un ecosistema de transición entre el río
y el mar. Junto con la ciénaga de Manatíes forma un complejo de ciénagas debido a su
proximidad y similitud en sus caracte- rísticas ecológicas, florísticas, hidrológica y
ambientales (CRA, 2021b, 2021a). La biodiversidad de la Ciénaga de Mallorquín, junto con
la del complejo que integra con la ciénaga de Manatíes, ha experi- mentado
transformaciones significativas debido a la presión an- tropogénica. Estos factores han
alterado las dinámicas de los ecosistemas y los recursos hídricos (CRA, 2021b, 2021a).
Entre 1980 y 2010, la ciénaga perdió casi la mitad de su extensión, lo que representa
aproximadamente 650 hectáreas o el 43,18%. Durante este periodo se erosionaron las
anteplayas, la barra de arena y varios parches importantes de manglares. Además, la
línea de costa retrocedió 2.200 metros (CRA, 2012; CRA & Con- sorcio POMCA
Mallorquín., 2015). Es relevante destacar que la Ciénaga de Mallorquín recibe apor- tes
hídricos del Mar Caribe, del Río Magdalena y del Arroyo León, siendo este último su
principal afluente. (Páez, 2015). La subcuenca del Arroyo León, con un área aproximada
de 100 km² y un cauce de 24,7 km, nace en la loma de la sierra cerca de los cascos
urbanos de Galapa y Caracolí (CRA & Consorcio POM- CA Mallorquín., 2015).
Asociación de polimorfismos del gen del receptor de vitamina D y la gravedad de la psoriasis
Authors: Contreras Claudia Romina , Acosta Colman Isabel , Ayala Lugo Ana , Jolly Valerie , Martínez de Filártiga María Teresa , Acosta Maria Eugenia
Published: February 2025

Varios estudios han investigado la relación de la Vitamina D con enfermedades inmunomediadas y más recientemente, los polimorfismos de su receptor han sido relacionados con la susceptibilidad a padecer psoriasis y otras enfermedades inmunomediadas. Este estudio investigó la relación entre los polimorfismos del vitamin D receptor (VDR) y la gravedad de la psoriasis en 50 pacientes con psoriasis y 50 controles sanos en la Cátedra de Dermatología de la FCM_UNA durante mayo a noviembre del 2018. Se analizaron 3 polimorfismos del VDR (ApaI, TaqI y FokI) y se midieron los niveles de vitamina D. Aunque no se encontró asociación entre los polimorfismos y la gravedad de la psoriasis, sí se halló una asociación alélica en el polimorfismo TaqI en los pacientes con psoriasis. Se identificaron asociaciones significativas entre la insuficiencia de vitamina D y los polimorfismos TaqI y ApaI. También se encontró una relación entre estos mismos polimorfismos y pacientes con psoriasis que presentaban síndrome metabólico. Los niveles bajos de vitamina D fueron más comunes en pacientes con psoriasis moderada a severa y en aquellos con síndrome metabólico. Este fue el primer estudio de asociación genética realizado en Paraguay para la psoriasis, permitiendo la inclusión de los primeros 50 pacientes al biobanco de enfermedades inmunomediadas del país.
Pulmonary infarction with phlegmasia cerulea dolens: a sequelae of deep vein thrombosis
Authors: Bajpai Rashmi Gupta
Published: February 2025

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) can lead to severe complications such as pulmonary embolism and phlegmasia cerulea dolens (PCD), both of which are life-threatening conditions. The coexistence of infected pulmonary infarction and PCD is exceptionally rare, demanding timely diagnosis and multidisciplinary management. A 70-year-old male with diabetes and sepsis presented with fever, limb pain, and swelling. Investigations included Doppler ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) angiography, and positron emission tomography (PET) - CT scans, confirming DVT, pulmonary embolism, and Aspergillus flavus infection. The patient was managed with anticoagulation, antifungal therapy, and glycemic control. The left popliteal vein thrombus measured 3.5 cm, with thrombosis extending to the right superficial femoral vein. Blood glucose was 250 mg/dl, creatinine 1.5 mg/dl, and leukocyte count 18,000 cells/mm3. After treatment, leukocyte count normalized to 10.23×103 cells/mm3, and limb pain resolved. Follow-up revealed substantial clinical improvement by discharge on 11 January 2023. This case highlights the importance of early recognition and a multidisciplinary approach to managing infected pulmonary infarction and PCD in patients with DVT.
Heart’s secret encounter-extra skeletal Ewings sarcoma with cardiac involvement in adult: a case report
Authors: Thomas Arppana , Salahuddin Sameer , Rajendran Deepu , Legha R. , Thomas Chandni
Published: February 2025

Ewing sarcoma is a rare, aggressive malignant tumour predominantly arising from bone or soft tissue in adolescents and young adults. Primary cardiac involvement is exceedingly uncommon, usually occurring as a result of metastatic spread. Here, we present a case of 22-year-old male with an atypical primary cardiac presentation of Ewings sarcoma, posing significant diagnostic challenges. A detailed evaluation revealed disseminated malignancy, including cardiac and systemic involvement. This report underscores the importance of rare malignancies in atypical cardiac presentations and highlights the value of a multidisciplinary approach in diagnosis and treatment.
Clinical Effect of Teucrium polium Extract Ointment on Post Pilonidal Sinus Excision Wound Healing: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Hosseinpour Reza , Hosseini Nuruddin , Hekmatzadeh Seyedeh Fatemeh , Mehrabi Saadat , Mansourkhani Hossein Sadeghi , Mohammadshahi Marita
Published: February 2025

Background: Due to the critical importance of post-surgical care for pilonidal sinus wounds, particularly in managing edema, infection, and related complications, it is essential to promote rapid wound healing.
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Teucrium polium extract ointment as a wound repair agent for open pilonidal sinus surgery.
Methods: This randomized double-blind clinical trial was conducted from April 2021 to March 2022. A total of 132 participants admitted to public hospitals in Yasuj with pilonidal sinus disease were randomized into three groups: T. polium ointment, serum, and placebo. The primary outcomes were changes in wound size and wound recovery time after surgery, while secondary outcomes included changes in wound edema and wound exudate.
Results: The results indicated that the mean changes in wound size were statistically significant across all three groups over time (P < 0.001). Between-group comparisons showed that from weeks 4 to 8, differences between the three groups were statistically significant (P
< 0.001). Wound recovery time demonstrated a significant difference between the ointment and serum groups (P = 0.006) and between the ointment and placebo groups (P < 0.001). Wound edema and exudate improved over time for all three groups (P < 0.001), but follow-up results revealed a significant difference among the groups (P < 0.001).
Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study and the comparison of the effects of T. polium ointment, it can be concluded that this ointment positively impacts wound healing following pilonidal sinus surgery, enhancing the healing process in both short-term and long- term care.
Efficient Feature Selection and Hyperparameter Tuning for Improved Speech Signal-Based Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis via Machine Learning Techniques
Authors: Painuli Deepak , Bhardwaj Suyash , Kose Utku
Published: February 2025

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that progressively worsens with age, particularly affecting the elderly. Symptoms of PD include visual hallucinations, depression, autonomic dysfunction, and motor difficulties. Conventional diagnostic methods often rely on subjective interpretations of movement, which can be subtle and challenging to assess accurately, potentially leading to misdiagnoses. However, recent studies indicate that over 90% of individuals with PD exhibit vocal abnormalities at the onset of the disease. Machine learning (ML) techniques have shown promise in addressing these diagnostic challenges due to their higher efficiency and reduced error rates in analyzing complex, high-dimensional datasets, particularly those derived from speech signals.
This study investigates 12 machine learning models—logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM, linear/RBF), K-nearest neighbor (KNN), Naïve bayes (NB), decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), extra trees (ET), gradient boosting (GbBoost), extreme gradient boosting (XgBoost), adaboost, and multi-layer perceptron (MLP)—to develop a robust ML model capable of reliably identifying PD cases. The analysis utilized a PD voice dataset comprising 756 acoustic samples from 252 participants, including 188 individuals with PD and 64 healthy controls. The dataset included 130 male and 122 female subjects, with age ranges of 33 - 87 years and 41 - 82 years, respectively.
To enhance model performance, the GridSearchCV method was employed for hyperparameter tuning, alongside recursive feature elimination (RFE) and minimum redundancy maximum relevance (mRMR) feature selection techniques. Among the 12 ML models evaluated, the RF model with the RFE-generated feature subset (RFE-50) emerged as the top performer. It achieved an accuracy of 96.46%, a recall of 0.96, a precision of 0.97, an F1-score of 0.96, and an AUC score of 0.998, marking the highest performance metrics reported for this dataset in recent studies.
The Potential of Beeswax Coating in the Preservation of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Fruits
Authors: Banjo T. , Malomo R.
Published: February 2025

Background: Tomatoes are fruits that are highly prone to spoilage, making them vulnerable to microbial decay. This research aimed to explore the effectiveness of an edible coating, specifically beeswax, in prolonging the shelf-life of tomato fruits.
Methods: A total of twenty-four tomatoes were procured from the market in September 2021, washed, and subsequently treated with beeswax at varying concentrations of 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15%) (w/v). The tomatoes were then stored in well-ventilated baskets for 30 days, during which organoleptic, biochemical, and microbial assessments were conducted. The Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis of the beeswax samples was performed following standard procedures. The relative percentage of each component was determined by comparing its average peak area to the total area. The mean and standard deviation of the duplicated data were calculated, and significance was assessed using ANOVA at a 95% confidence interval (p-value<0.05) with the aid of the Statgraphics Plus (version 5.0) statistical package.
Results: The beeswax emulsion achieved an optimal preservation rate of 70%, significantly higher than the control group, which had a rate of 20%. Additionally, a mean preservation rate of 68% was noted with the 12% beeswax emulsion, compared to 20% for control after 30 days. Fungal isolates identified from the fruits included Aspergillus niger, Candida krusei, Fusarium oxysporum, Candida sp., A. fumigatus, Penicillium notatum, and A. terreus. The Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis of the beeswax indicated the presence of certain compounds that may contribute to its antimicrobial properties.
Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that beeswax emulsion effectively extends the shelf-life of tomato fruits, offering a potential solution to reduce waste and economic losses for farmers and the broader economy
Dietary Risk Assessment of Patulin in Cow Milk from Urmia of Iran
Authors: Tahmasebi R. , Saatloo N. Vakili , Sadighara P. , Abedini A. , Gheshlaghi M. , Limam I. , Zeinali T.
Published: February 2025

Background: Food contamination with mycotoxins is a global concern. Patulin, a mycotoxin secreted by molds, such as Penicillium expansum and Aspergillus clavatus, poses significant health risks. This study aimed to determine the presence of patulin in cow’s milk in Urmia, Iran, and to assess dietary intake of patulin and the associated Hazard Index.
Methods: A total of 30 individual cow milk samples were collected during the summer of 2020 from a village near Urmia, Iran. Patulin levels were measured using High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Diode Array. Data was analyzed through SPSS.
Results: Incidence rate of patulin in milk was 43.3%, with the mean of 0.34 µg/L. The Provisional Maximum Tolerable Daily Intake exceeded the estimated dietary intake, which ranged from 0.000063 for adults to 0.00086 µg/L for children. The Hazard Index was below one, indicating no non-carcinogenic health hazards.
Conclusion: Patulin contamination was quantified in milk samples from Urmia, Iran. Given the potential health implications of patulin contamination, it is essential for government authorities and regulatory agencies involved in milk production to monitor mycotoxin residues and implement hazard control measures throughout the food supply chain.
Metafizyka światła. Wstęp do panteistycznej ekofilozofii Henryka Skolimowskiego
Authors: Fligel Anna
Published: February 2025

Główną tezą artykułu jest założenie, że metafizyka światła Henryka Skolimowskiego stanowi oryginalną koncepcję metafizyczną, a także że mogła ona powstać tylko pod koniec XX w. i tylko spod pióra osobowości o nastawieniu głęboko interdyscyplinarnym. Skolimowski był niewątpliwym erudytą nie tylko w aspekcie historii filozofii zachodniej, jak i dalekowschodniej, ale też w naukach matematyczno-przyrodniczych. Z wykształcenia był filozofem, a w młodości uzyskał również magisterium z geodezji, co odcisnęło się piętnem w ten sposób, że pogłębiał swoją wiedzę w naukach matematyczno-przyrodniczych do końca swojego życia. Stąd jego umysłowość miała głęboko interdyscyplinarny charakter. Dla pełnego zrozumienia metafizycznej koncepcji światła Skolimowskiego kluczowe jest oderwanie się od tradycyjnych dualizmów metafizycznych, zwłaszcza tych zapoczątkowanych przez platońską tradycję i kontynuowanych przez tradycję judeo-chrześcijańską, których apogeum stanowi filozofia Rene Descartesa.
Dignity in mental healthcare: service user perspectives
Authors: Brooks Claire , Sunkel Charlene , Stewart Hannah L.N.
Published: February 2025

Dignity is widely recognized as a foundational concept in the provision of healthcare. Despite this, concepts of dignity are only vaguely described in the literature relating to mental health services, contributing to frequent violations of service users’ dignity. Notably, discussions of dignity in mental health services often do not include the service user perspective. We offer a narrative review of the literature to examine how service users and peer workers articulate the co-production of dignity within mental health services. Seven overarching dimensions of dignity emerge from the available evidence, spanning the social dignity that service users experience in relation with healthcare professionals, the mental health system itself, the physical settings in which mental health services are delivered, and the use of peers as valued members of the mental health workforce and co-creators of knowledge. To ensure that mental health service users are empowered by the mental healthcare they receive, it is imperative that concepts of dignity move beyond ‘vague’ moral and ethical concepts to operational guidelines for best practice in mental health service design and delivery which are grounded in service user perspectives. To this end, we make meaningful recommendations to improve how healthcare professionals are trained, to implement alternatives to coercion in mental healthcare and to explore how lived experience can be centered in mental health services, and we call for the recognition of service users as experts by experience in peer work and the co-creation of new knowledge and evidence.