bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding diarrhoeal diseases in response to climate variability and drought in Cape Town, South Africa: a mixed methods approach
Authors: Lee Tristan Taylor , Dalvie Mohamed Aqiel , Röösli Martin , Merten Sonja , Kwiatkowski Marek , Mahomed Hassan , Sweijd Neville , Cissé Guéladio
Published: August 2023

Background

The climate of southern Africa is expected to become hotter and drier with more frequent severe droughts and the incidence of diarrhoea to increase. From 2015 to 2018, Cape Town, South Africa, experienced a severe drought which resulted in extreme water conservation efforts. We aimed to gain a more holistic understanding of the relationship between diarrhoea in young children and climate variability in a system stressed by water scarcity.

Methods

Using a mixed-methods approach, we explored diarrhoeal disease incidence in children under 5 years between 2010 to 2019 in Cape Town, primarily in the public health system through routinely collected diarrhoeal incidence and weather station data. We developed a negative binomial regression model to understand the relationship between temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity on incidence of diarrhoea with dehydration. We conducted in-depth interviews with stakeholders in the fields of health, environment, and human development on perceptions around diarrhoea and health-related interventions both prior to and over the drought, and analysed them through the framework method.

Results

From diarrhoeal incidence data, the diarrhoea with dehydration incidence decreased over the decade studied, e.g. reduction of 64.7% in 2019 [95% confidence interval (CI): 5.5–7.2%] compared to 2010, with no increase during the severe drought period. Over the hot dry diarrhoeal season (November to May), the monthly diarrhoea with dehydration incidence increased by 7.4% (95%CI: 4.5–10.3%) per 1 °C increase in temperature and 2.6% (95%CI: 1.7–3.5%) per 1% increase in relative humidity in the unlagged model. Stakeholder interviews found that extensive and sustained diarrhoeal interventions were perceived to be responsible for the overall reduction in diarrhoeal incidence and mortality over the prior decade. During the drought, as diarrhoeal interventions were maintained, the expected increase in incidence in the public health sector did not occur.

Conclusions

We found that that diarrhoeal incidence has decreased over the last decade and that incidence is strongly influenced by local temperature and humidity, particularly over the hot dry season. While climate change and extreme weather events especially stress systems supporting vulnerable populations such as young children, maintaining strong and consistent public health interventions helps to reduce negative health impacts.
Unsupervised seismic random noise attenuation by a recursive deep image prior
Authors: Zhang Yun , Wang Benfeng
Published: August 2023

The presence of random noise in field data significantly reduces the precision of subsequent seismic processing steps. As a result, random noise suppression is essential to improve the quality of field data. Because most traditional algorithms characterize seismic data linearly, the denoising accuracy is still open to be improved. As an unsupervised deep-learning method, the deep image prior (DIP) algorithm can characterize seismic data nonlinearly. The DIP uses randomly generated noise as input and noisy seismic data as desired output for random noise attenuation over several rounds of training epochs. However, determining the optimal training epoch for obtaining the final denoised result of unlabeled noisy data remains a challenge. To terminate the DIP training in time and obtain the denoised result, we design an improved quality control criterion (IQCC) based on adjacent estimations of seismic signal. To further improve the denoising accuracy, a recursive strategy is developed that uses the previous desired output as the new input and the previous denoised result as the new desired output. To obtain the optimal denoised results using the suggested recursive algorithm, a convergence condition also is established. Numerous examples of synthetic prestack and poststack data demonstrate the effectiveness of the designed IQCC and our recursive strategy with a convergence condition in protecting the effective signal, especially when compared with the curvelet thresholding algorithm and the original DIP. Furthermore, the denoising accuracy is on par with that of the supervised learning algorithm, demonstrating the adaptability of our recursive DIP under the convergence condition. Its superiority is further supported by field poststack seismic data processing, which uses the local similarity for performance assessments.
Fam-Trastuzumab Deruxtecan in HER2/Neu-Expressing Serous Endometrial Cancer
Authors: Rose Peter G. , Kelley Johanna A. , Feldman Myra , Krivanek Kevin
Published: August 2023

Trastuzumab deruxtecan treatment of 3 patients with HER2/neu-expressing serous endometrial cancer resulted in objective response
Executive Dysfunction in Klinefelter Syndrome: Associations With Brain Activation and Testicular Failure
Authors: Foland-Ross Lara C , Ghasemi Elnaz , Lozano Wun Vanessa , Aye Tandy , Kowal Karen , Ross Judith , Reiss Allan L
Published: August 2023

Context

Executive dysfunction is a well-recognized component of the cognitive phenotype of Klinefelter syndrome (KS), yet the neural basis of KS-associated cognitive weaknesses, and their association with testicular failure is unknown.

Objective

We investigated executive function, brain activation, and pubertal development in adolescents with and without KS.

Methods

Forty-three adolescents with KS (mean age 12.3 ± 2.3 years) and 41 typically developing boys (mean age 11.9 ± 1.8 years) underwent pubertal evaluation, behavioral assessment, and completed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as they performed an executive function task, the go/no-go task. Group differences in activation were examined. Associations among activation, executive function, and pubertal development measures were tested in secondary analyses.

Results

Boys with KS exhibited reduced executive function, as well as lower activation in brain regions subserving executive function, including the inferior frontal gyrus, anterior insula, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and caudate nucleus. Secondary analyses indicated that the magnitude of activation differences in boys with KS was associated with severity of pubertal developmental delay, as indexed by lower testosterone (t(36) = 2.285; P = .028) and lower testes volume (t(36) = 2.238; P = .031). Greater parent-reported attention difficulties were additionally associated with lower testicular volume (t(36) = −2.028; P = .050).

Conclusion

These findings indicate a neural basis for executive dysfunction in KS and suggest alterations in pubertal development may contribute to increased severity of this cognitive weakness. Future studies that examine whether these patterns change with testosterone replacement therapy are warranted.
Insulin Signaling Through the Insulin Receptor Increases Linear Growth Through Effects on Bone and the GH–IGF-1 Axis
Authors: Okawa Marinna C , Tuska Rebecca M , Lightbourne Marissa , Abel Brent S , Walter Mary , Dai Yuhai , Cochran Elaine , Brown Rebecca J
Published: August 2023

Context

Childhood overnutrition is associated with increased growth and bone mineral density (BMD) vs the opposite for undernutrition. The role of insulin receptor (InsR) signaling in these phenotypes is unclear. Rare disease patients with hyperinsulinemia and impaired InsR function (homozygous [−/−] or heterozygous [+/−] INSR pathogenic variants, type B insulin resistance [TBIR]) model increased InsR signaling, while patients with intact InsR function (congenital generalized lipodystrophy, CGL) model decreased InsR signaling.

Objective

This work aimed to understand mechanisms whereby InsR signaling influences growth.

Methods

A cross-sectional comparison was conducted of CGL (N = 23), INSR−/− (N = 13), INSR+/− (N = 17), and TBIR (N = 8) at the National Institutes of Health. Main outcome measures included SD scores (SDS) for height, body mass index, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, and BMD, and IGF binding proteins (IGFBP)-1 and -3.

Results

INSR-/− vs CGL had higher insulin (median 266 [222-457] vs 33 [15-55] mcU/mL), higher IGFBP-1 (72 350 [55 571-103 107] vs 6453 [1634-26 674] pg/mL), lower BMI SDS (−0.7 ± 1.1 vs 0.5 ± 0.9), lower height SDS (−1.9[−4.3 to −1.3] vs 1.1 [0.5-2.5]), lower BMD SDS (−1.9 ± 1.4 vs 1.9 ± 0.7), and lower IGFBP-3 (0.37 [0.19-1.05] vs 2.00 [1.45-2.67] μg/mL) (P < .05 for all). INSR +/− were variable. Remission of TBIR lowered insulin and IGFBP-1, and increased IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 (P < .05).

Conclusion

Patients with hyperinsulinemia and impaired InsR function exhibit impaired growth and lower BMD, whereas elevated InsR signaling (CGL) causes accelerated growth and higher BMD. These patients demonstrate that insulin action through the InsR stimulates direct anabolic effects in bone and indirect actions through the growth hormone (GH)–IGF-1 axis. TBIR patients exhibit abnormalities in the GH axis that resolve when InsR signaling is restored, supporting a causal relationship between InsR and GH axis signaling.
Metal-azolate Framework-derived Porous Carbons for Removal of Sulfamethoxazole from Aqueous Solution
Authors: Konno Hiroki , Hanaka Yusuke , Koizumi Daiki , Ogawa Mihina
Published: August 2023

In recent years, water contamination by pharmaceutical compounds and personal care products (PPCPs) has become increasingly severe. This study synthesizes and evaluates the efficacy of three metal-azolate frameworks as precursors for porous carbon materials to remove pharmaceuticals from aqueous solutions. The synthesized MAF-derived porous carbons (MDPCs) were tested as adsorbents for sulfamethoxazole and other pharmaceuticals in aqueous solutions. Kinetic analysis showed that all MDPCs fit the pseudo-second-order reaction model. The adsorption isotherm was analyzed using the Langmuir adsorption model, suggesting monolayer adsorption in micropores. Additionally, MDPCs demonstrated effective adsorption capacity for PPCPs such as not only sulfamethoxazole, but also metronidazole, oxybenzone-4, and ibuprofen.
Using Biomechanics to Optimize Mobility
Authors: Leong Chee-Hoi
Published: August 2023

Apply It!

This article explores the use of biomechanics to optimize mobility and includes case studies demonstrating the approaches to performing biomechanical analyses. By reading this article, exercise professionals will receive the following takeaways:

• Biomechanics involves the application of mechanics to investigate the structure and function of biological systems, including the human body, by describing the body's motion and explaining the causes of motion.

• Mobility is fundamental to having the capacity to maintain functional independence while performing activities of daily living leading to an increased quality of life.

• Learn how to perform biomechanical (quantitative and qualitative) analysis by following a sequence of steps beginning with the need for the exercise professional to possess a prerequisite knowledge of mechanics and anatomy to enable the client/patient to consolidate, automate, and retain a skill or movement pattern once it has been determined to be within an acceptable range.
Simple Strategies to Get Your Clients and Athletes Moving Better Without Sacrificing Fitness
Authors: Boland Michelle , Cahill TJ
Published: August 2023

Apply It!

By reading this article, you will learn how to:

• Challenge your clients' stability and mobility by incorporating exercises with offset positions and/or offset loading.

• Improve your clients' ability to rotate by using exercises with alternating grips and/or alternating repetitions.
Case Report: Orbital cellulitis with panophthalmitis during pregnancy: a rare case in Bangladesh
Authors: Iqbal Md Iftekher , Osman Fariah
Published: August 2023

Background:  It is uncommon to develop vision-threatening orbital cellulitis with panophthalmitis during pregnancy. Typically, the reasons are trauma-related or endogenous. It requires immediate diagnosis and treatment, but this has proven difficult because of local and systemic medications’ safety and adverse effects during pregnancy. Globe salvage has a poor prognosis, with most patients undergoing enucleation or evisceration of the diseased eye.

Case presentation:  We presented a 22-year-old woman in her third trimester of pregnancy who encountered orbital cellulitis with panophthalmitis caused by methicillin-positive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). Despite rigorous intravenous and topical antibiotics, she underwent evisceration of the affected eye. However, the pregnancy, progressed without incident, with the delivery of a healthy baby at full-term.

Conclusion: Bacterial infection is uncommon during pregnancy, but may cause endogenous panophthalmitis and orbital cellulitis, especially in immunosuppression and anemia, with a poor visual outcome.
Muscle activity and emotional behavior changes in rats with chronic brain ischemia via comprehensive pathogenetic correction
Authors: Kirchev V.
Published: August 2023

Cerebrovascular pathology has evolved from a medical concern to a social issue, with the efficacy of secondary neuroprotection remaining a pertinent question. While some investigations have been conducted to elucidate the effectiveness of a comprehensively grounded pharmacological correction scheme under conditions of experimentaly induced chronic brain ischemia, further refinement is necessary to understand the behavioral effects of animals, dosages, routes of administration of pharmacological agents, and analysis of obtained data. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of applying Semax and hopantenic acid in the comprehensive treatment of motor disorders and established neurological impairments in rats with experimentally induced chronic brain ischemia. We determined that rats with chronic brain ischemia exhibit muscular dysfunctions and experience pronounced disturbances in emotional behavior from the first day. It has been demonstrated that the separate and combined application of Semax and hopantenic acid contributes to the restoration of muscle activity, normalization of coordination, and emotional behavior in rats with chronic brain ischemia. The most significant neuroprotective effect in rats with chronic brain ischemia was observed with the combined administration of Semax and hopantenic acid, starting from the 3rd day of the trial. The subsequent in the series of anti-ischemic effectiveness is the impact of Semax from the 3rd day of the experiment. The least pronounced neuroprotective effect was exhibited by hopantenic acid, starting from the 5th day of the experiment. We consider these findings to be an experimental foundation supporting the feasibility of clinically testing the effects of combined Semax and hopantenic acid administration, capable of restoring functional disorders caused by chronic brain ischemia. In conclusion, the observed effectiveness of the developed pathogenetically justified complex for the correction of post-ischemic muscle dysfunction and disorders indicates the development of an anti-ischemic effect, as well as the fundamental possibility of improving the treatment for patients with chronic brain ischemia  through clinical intranasal administration of Semax, either alone or in combination with hopantenic acid. However, for a more comprehensive understanding of the temporal and dose-dependent effects of this complex pathogenetic correction scheme on other disorders and dysfunctions related to chronic brain ischemia  and to formulate final conclusions, it is essential to conduct separate series of experimental studies.
Toxic substances in the household - cases of poisoning, therapy, complications
Authors: Wilk Joanna , Kubicka Magdalena , Dębiec Paweł , Szydłowski Przemysław , Makarewicz Magdalena , Porzak Mikołaj , Szyłkajtis Natalia
Published: August 2023

There are many toxic substances used in our houses. Rodent poisons are not the most common group of substances, but cases of poisoning still occur. Long-acting anticoagulant rodenticides, also called superwarfarins, are known for their greater potency, longer half-life and delayed onset of symptoms. Cases of superwarfarin poisoning can pose a diagnostic and clinical challenge due to a wide array of presentations and prolonged severe coagulopathy requiring months of high-dose oral vitamin K therapy. The most common presentation of long-acting anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning is mucocutaneous bleeding, with other common presentations including haematuria, gingival bleeding, epistaxis and gastrointestinal bleeding.We discuss a case of self-poisoning with long-acting anticoagulant rodenticides with a little presentation of sympthoms and disscus about another cases based on the found articles.
Detergents - useful or dangerous. Discussion of the toxic effects of detergents based on studies
Authors: Tkaczyk Rafał , Tchórz Michał , Świątek Gabriela , Sosnowska Weronika , Brzozowska Aleksandra , Tomkiewicz Maria , Tomczyk Jakub , Tomkiewicz Maciej , Trusz Kornelia , Wanat Iwona
Published: August 2023

Introduction and purpose:

Soap is an everyday, much-needed, widely available product that helps prevent the spread of infectious diseases due to its bactericidal and bacteriostatic properties. Despite the positive qualities, soap and detergents contribute to damage of the skin barrier, cause inflammation and other serious consequences. The purpose of this work is to draw attention to the dangers of improper use of household detergents and to educate how to prevent negative consequences from them through preventive measures or rapid response in an exposure situation.

Material and methods: The study was retrospective in nature. It used an analysis of the records of 11707 intoxications in patients hospitalized from 01.01.2013 to 31.12.2022 in the Clinical Department of Toxicology and Cardiology of the Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski Regional Hospital in Lublin, from which the group of people poisoned by soap and detergents (T55) was distinguished, consisting of 36 cases.

Results: The study population consisted of 18 (50%) women and 18 (50%)men. The largest group consisted of patients between the ages of 21 and 30, with 7 patients (19.44%), and between the ages of 31 and 40, also with 7 patients (19.44%), with a male predominance of 71.43%. In most cases (61.11%), people poisoned by soap suffered from chronic diseases. The average duration of hospitalization was 85.09h (3.54 days).

Conclusions: Soap, despite its many positive features, can contribute to poisoning. Particularly vulnerable groups are children and the elderly. In order to reduce the number of complications in the community, there should be increased funding for prevention, education of families, school children and GPs on how to deal with poisoning situations.
Teplizumab - current state of knowledge on the effects of teplizumab in preventing the development of type 1 diabetes in people at risk
Authors: Białek Justyna , Nitka Karolina , Więckowska-Deroń Marta , Leszcz Monika , Ćwik-Błotnicka Dominika , Borczyk Joanna , Lewkowicz Martyna
Published: August 2023

Background and Purpose: Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease from the group of metabolic disorders, where the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells of the pancreas, leading to hyperglycemia and the need for lifelong exogenous insulin supplementation. This results in increased morbidity, life threatening complications, shortened lifespan and quality of life. So there is an urgent need to develop prevention and treatment for people at risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
Current state of knowledge: Recently, there has been significant progress in the field of immunotherapy with therapeutic strategies that focus on stopping the disease in the presymptomatic stage by preserving residual beta-cell function. Randomized, double-blind clinical trials of teplizumab were conducted in relatives of patients with established type 1 diabetes who had not yet been diagnosed with the disease, but were at high risk of developing clinical disease, based on these studies The FDA has approved teplizumab, under trade name Tzield, as a treatment to delay the onset of type 1 diabetes.

Conclusion: The reviewed research papers present strong evidence that teplizumab halts the severe decline in beta cells and possibly improves their function after treatment in a high-risk population. In addition, the effect persists.
EDITORIAL - DOI: 10.12818/P.0304-2340.2022v81p11
Authors: Carlos Lima Lucas , Cristina Sorice Baracho Thibau Tereza
Published: August 2023

O falecimento do professor Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade, em Brasília, no dia 29 de maio de 2022 privou, para além de seus familiares, a Vetusta Casa de Afonso Pena da convivência de um de seus mais insignes egressos. Por consequência, também a Revista da Faculdade de Direito da UFMG perdeu um de seus mais profícuos colaboradores e membros do seu Conselho Editorial. Prestar a devida homenagem ao Professor é um gesto, apesar de singelo, científico simbólico que esta edição pretende realizar.
DIREITO INTERNACIONAL ECONÔMICO HETERODOXO: UMA PROPOSTA DE MATRIZ ANALÍTICA DE TRÊS NÍVEIS PARA OS INVESTIMENTOS CHINESES NO SETOR DE ENERGIA ELÉTRICA BRASILEIRO - DOI: 10.12818/P.0304-2340.2022v81p161
Authors: Costa Morosini Fábio , Ratton Sanchez Badin Michelle
Published: August 2023

Este artigo visa a analisar os instrumentos jurídicos mobilizados para investimentos chineses em economias de renda média, grupo este ainda pouco analisado na literatura do Direito Internacional Econômico. Para desenvolver a análise, escolhemos a maior operação de investimentos chineses no Brasil: a aquisição da Companhia Paulista de Força e Luz (“CPFL”) pela chinesa State Grid, no setor de energia elétrica. Esta análise avalia a estruturação desses investimentos, a partir de três níveis de análise: o macronível, relativo à coordenação bilateral Brasil-China; o mesonível, que considera a estrutura regulatória nacional; e o micronível, relativo à estrutura da governança corporativa na operação. As duas principais questões que orientam a análise são: quais instrumentos jurídicos sustentam essas interações econômicas? Quais deles podem ser qualificados como disruptivos do padrão normativo do direito internacional econômico? Concluímos que, em comparação com grandes e pequenas economias, os investimentos chineses têm sido muito menos disruptivos para economias de renda média, como a brasileira, devido (i) aos instrumentos jurídicos empregados para regular as relações econômicas internacionais; (ii) a um ambiente econômico e jurídico anterior mente exposto a investimentos estrangeiros diretos em setores estratégicos; e (iii) à não observação de interferência direta, também conhecida como “administração nos bastidores” (shadow administration), do Partido Comunista Chinês nas operações diárias da empresa investida.
MECANISMOS NACIONAIS DE IMPLEMENTAÇÃO DAS DECISÕES DO SISTEMA INTERAMERICANO - DOI: 10.12818/P.0304-2340.2022v81p191
Authors: Piovesan Flávia , Barbosa Borges Bruno
Published: August 2023

O presente artigo parte do estudo comparado dos marcos constitucionais latino-americanos, com destaque ao princípio da dignidade humana e às cláusulas de abertura, que permitem a interação e o diálogo com o Direito Internacional dos Direitos Humanos e especialmente com o Sistema Interamericano. Tendo o princípio da dignidade humana e as cláusulas de abertura do constitucionalismo regional latino-americano como promovedores da ampliação do bloco de constitucionalidade, objetivou-se desenvolver a análise dos mecanismos nacionais existentes na Argentina, Bolívia, Brasil, Chile, Colômbia, Equador, México, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguai, Peru e Uruguai, com o fim de oferecer uma contribuição atinente a diretrizes básicas aos mecanismos nacionais de implementação visando ao fortalecimento da efetividade da justiça interamericana.
CONTRIBUIÇÕES DE CANÇADO TRINDADE PARA O DESENVOLVIMENTO DOS DIREITOS INDÍGENAS - DOI: 10.12818/P.0304-2340.2022v81p213
Authors: Cristina Braga Navarro Gabriela
Published: August 2023

Este artigo analisa as contribuições do jurista Cançado Trindade para a construção de direitos indígenas no âmbito da Corte Interamericana de Direitos Humanos. Para atingir o objetivo proposto, foram analisadas todas as decisões em que o eminente juiz proferiu uma opinião separada em casos indígenas decididos no período em que ele esteve na CorteIDH (1994 a 2008). Trata-se de pesquisa qualitativa tendo por base fontes primárias, encontradas através de consulta no site da Corte Interamericana de Direitos Humanos. Foram estabelecidas cinco categorias centrais de contribuições: proteção do território tradicional, direito a uma vida digna, identidade cultural, direitos pós-morte, e direitos procedimentais. Ao final, conclui-se afirmando a importante influência das considerações em votos separados para o fortalecimento de um dos mais importantes desenvolvimentos normativos da Corte Interamericana, a construção de direitos indígenas.
A RESPONSABILIDADE EXTRATERRITORIAL DOS ESTADOS EM MATÉRIA DE DIREITOS HUMANOS: AS CONTRIBUIÇÕES DO COMITÊ DE DIREITOS ECONÔMICOS, SOCIAIS E CULTURAIS DAS NAÇÕES UNIDAS - DOI: 10.12818/P.0304-2340.2022v81p407
Authors: Zerbini Ribeiro Leão Renato
Published: August 2023

O artigo identifica e analisa o regime da reponsabilidade extraterritorial dos Estados derivado do Pacto Internacional dos Direitos Econômicos, Sociais e Culturais (PIDESC) à luz da prática decisória do Comitê de Direitos Econômicos, Sociais e Culturais (CDESC), o seu órgão oficial de supervisão. A base normativa do PIDESC, em conjunto com as declarações, observações gerais, preocupações e recomendações do CDESC, será o cerne da análise. A existência de tudo isso gera um padrão de conduta nos Estados Partes do PIDESC materializando um verdadeiro regime, afiançando- o como um dos mais efetivos na aplicação, consagração, rendição de contas e responsabilidade dos Estados em matéria de suas obrigações extraterritoriais na senda dos direitos humanos. Dado a contemporaneidade do assunto e prática recente do CDESC na causa em exame, trata-se de um trabalho original, de importância capital para a compreensão e consolidação do tema, fincado em fontes primárias principais e documentos oficiais, muitos ainda não apreciados pela comunidade acadêmica. Evidenciou-se três categorias de situações ocasionadoras das obrigações extraterritoriais dos Estados Partes do PIDESC: os atos ou omissões capazes de causar efeitos previsíveis no desfrute dos direitos econômicos, sociais e culturais (DESC); o exercício da autoridade ou controle efetivo pelo Estado Parte; e, o seu posicionamento para uma influência decisiva. Finalmente, reconhece-se o papel fundamental da cooperação e da assistência internacionais, ademais da adoção de medidas, conjuntas ou individuais, para o pleno exercício dos direitos humanos no âmbito da responsabilidade extraterritorial dos Estados Partes do PIDESC.
PROFESSOR ANTÔNIO AUGUSTO CANÇADO TRINDADE: UM MINEIRO AO MUNDO - DOI: 10.12818/P.0304-2340.2022v81p57
Authors: Vilchez Guerrero Hermes
Published: August 2023

No início de meu curso, no começo dos anos 80, assisti a uma palestra do Professor Antônio Augusto, na sala da Congregação da Faculdade de Direito da UFMG. Recordo que fiquei impressionado pela sua elegância, conhecimentos jurídicos, sua cultura humanista e por ser muito jovem ainda, pois na época ele tinha então dez anos de formado.
Improved Online Contention Resolution for Matchings and Applications to the Gig Economy
Authors: Pollner Tristan , Roghani Mohammad , Saberi Amin , Wajc David
Published: August 2023

Motivated by applications in the gig economy, we study approximation algorithms for a sequential pricing problem. The input is a bipartite graph [Formula: see text] between individuals I and jobs J. The platform has a value of vj for matching job j to an individual worker. In order to find a matching, the platform can consider the edges [Formula: see text] in any order and make a one-time take-it-or-leave-it offer of a price [Formula: see text] of its choosing to i for completing j. The worker accepts the offer with a known probability pijw; in this case, the job and the worker are irrevocably matched. What is the best way to make offers to maximize revenue and/or social welfare? The optimal algorithm is known to be NP-hard to compute (even if there is only a single job). With this in mind, we design efficient approximations to the optimal policy via a new random-order online contention resolution scheme (RO-OCRS) for matching. Our main result is a 0.456-balanced RO-OCRS in bipartite graphs and a 0.45-balanced RO-OCRS in general graphs. These algorithms improve on the recent bound of [Formula: see text] and improve on the best-known lower bounds for the correlation gap of matching, despite applying to a significantly more restrictive setting. As a consequence of our online contention resolution scheme results, we obtain a 0.456-approximate algorithm for the sequential pricing problem. We further extend our results to settings where workers can only be contacted a limited number of times and show how to achieve improved results for this problem via improved algorithms for the well-studied stochastic probing problem.

Funding: This work was supported by the National Science Foundation [Grant CCF2209520] and a gift from Amazon Research.
Incidence of wound dehiscence in patients undergoing laparoscopy or laparotomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Gillespie Brigid M , Harbeck Emma L , Sandy-Hodgetts Kylie , Rattray Megan , Thalib Lukman , Patel Bhavik , Andersson Annette Erichsen , Walker Rachel M , Latimer Sharon , Chaboyer Wendy P
Published: August 2023

Surgical wound dehiscence (SWD) is a serious complication—with a 40% estimated mortality rate—that occurs after surgical intervention. Since the implementation of advanced recovery protocols, the current global incidence of SWD is unknown. This systematic review and meta-analysis estimated the worldwide incidence of SWD and explored its associated factors in general surgical patients. Eligible full-text cross-sectional, cohort and observational studies in English, between 1 January 2010 to 23 April 2021, were retrieved from MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library. Data extraction and quality appraisal were undertaken independently by three reviewers. Random effects meta-analytic models were used in the presence of substantial inconsistency. Subgroup, meta-regression and sensitivity analyses were used to explore inconsistency. Publication bias was assessed using Hunter's plots and Egger's regression test. Of 2862 publications retrieved, 27 studies were included in the final analyses. Pooled data from 741,118 patients across 24 studies were meta-analysed. The 30-day cumulative incidence of SWD was 1% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1–1%). SWD incidence was highest in hepatobiliary surgery, at 3% (95% CI: 0–8%). Multivariable meta-regression showed SWD was significantly associated with duration of operation and reoperation (F=7.93 (2–10); p=0.009), explaining 58.2% of the variance. Most studies were retrospective, predated the agreed global definition for SWD and measured as a secondary outcome; thus, our results likely underestimate the scope of the problem. Wider uptake of the global definition will inform the SWD surveillance and improve the accuracy of reporting.
The Compass Rose Names: Portuguese Data from Early Dictionaries and Textual Sources
Authors: Villalva Alina , Cardeira Esperança
Published: August 2023

ABSTRACT: This paper explores the origins and evolution of cardinal point names in Portuguese. The authors draw on historical dictionaries and corpora to hypothesize that the shift from Latin to Germanic names was due to the changing paradigm of navigation across the Atlantic Ocean. The text discusses the history of the compass rose and the succession of borrowings in nautical terminology, as well as the importance of studying early dictionaries and corpora to understand lexical change over time. Ultimately, the authors conclude that the adoption of Germanic names was necessary due to the inadequacy of the old names for a new world.
“Fact” versus “Fancy” among Victorian Professionals in Hard Times
Authors: Hasegawa Masayo
Published: August 2023

Abstract: Mid-19th-century England saw the expansion and growth of professionalism. Read in this context, Hard Times (1854) can be construed as a critique of both Victorian professionals in general and literary professionals in particular, specifically novelists. Thomas Gradgrind emerges as a representative of contemporary fact-oriented professionals, and fiction writers turn out to be their antithesis. The novel defines fiction writers as both agents of morality and informants of essential facts necessary to the social reform of Victorian society, while disqualifying other factualist professionals from such roles. These views imply that Dickens believed his profession had special merits and advantages compared to others. However, they also reflect his anxieties about the unstable and increasingly feminized condition of novelists; in other words, the threat to his own professional and masculine identity. In Hard Times , Dickens was attempting to enhance the respectability of his profession and legitimize its masculinity.
Echoes of Ovid? Memories of the Metamorphoses in Philostratus’s Imagines
Authors: MacDonald Carolyn
Published: August 2023

Abstract: This paper explores the cultural-ideological dimensions of Philostratus’s Imagines , a series of prose descriptions of paintings purportedly on display in a third-century CE Neapolitan villa. Taking a reader-response perspective, I argue that reminiscences of Ovid’s Metamorphoses complicate the avowed Hellenism of the text and its audience, transforming the Imagines into a series of reflecting pools that mirror back to readers their own images of Second Sophistic paideia . After analyzing the significance of the text’s setting in Roman Naples, I examine two types of Ovidian echoes in the Imagines : first, instances of physical metamorphosis in the fictive paintings described by the Philostratean ekphrast (Section 1); and second, constellations of ekphrases that evoke comparable thematic and narrative clusters in the Metamorphoses (Section 2). The paper concludes by reflecting on how Philostratus thematizes subjective projection as a key component of viewer-reader response (Section 3). This combines with the possible echoes of Ovid to entangle readers in the negotiation of Greek and Roman culture signaled by the text’s Neapolitan setting.
Post-Pandemic War Narratives: Case studies of Quo
Vadis Aida? (2020), All Quiet on the Western Front
(2022) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Authors: Brereton Pat
Published: August 2023

War tends to polarise national and global conflicts as encapsulated by the phrase, ‘you are either with us or against us’. There is further danger of knee jerk reactions at such times, including the present, towards unconditionally funding long-term military security hardware and dedicating scarce resources that are badly needed for more benevolent projects, including equitable redistribution of resources, not to mention the challenge to move away from fossil fuels in our climate crisis. These tensions are evident on recognising European dependence on Russian oil and gas,
which unfortunately is helping to fund the ongoing Ukrainian war. This paper will explore how a sample of more contemporary wars and national conflicts have been dramatised on film since the pandemic. Focusing specifically on three contrasting approaches to the tragedy of war and its effects on citizens and soldiers: from an insider’s personal response to the massacre in the Balkans during the 1990s in Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020), to the reworked conventional World War One classic All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), before finally coming full circle with the big budget Hollywood celebration of aerial war heroics in the sequel Top Gun: Maverick (2022). Sample textual and contextual analysis will be used to explore how such war narratives have become repurposed, both from an insider soldier’s perspective and also through a rejuvenated cinematic war framework, as contemporary audiences strive to cope with ever-increasing crises and conflicts facing the planet, having recently endured a global pandemic.
Mary at Mar Saba: The Late Ancient Origins of the Orthodox “Life of The Virgin” Tradition
Authors: Shoemaker Stephen J.
Published: August 2023

ABSTRACT: Renewed attention to the manuscript tradition of the Georgian Life of the Virgin attributed to Maximus the Confessor reveals that this earliest Marian biography was almost certainly composed before the ninth century, most likely at the monastery of Mar Saba. Moreover, certain features of the narrative suggest the influence of the liturgical traditions of late ancient Jerusalem. This is particularly so with regard to the Virgin’s lamentations at the Cross in this Life of the Virgin , the first known example of this genre. The Life ’s close connections with the piety and liturgies of late ancient Jerusalem (among other features) add further confirmation of this earliest Marian biography’s production in Palestine sometime during the seventh century, or, at the absolute latest, in the eighth century.
(Un)Expected Soviet Nostalgia? Complex Memory of the Soviet Past and the Improbable Democratic Discourse in Russian Orthodoxy
Authors: Agadjanian Alexander
Published: August 2023

ABSTRACT: This article examines the current ethos of Russian Orthodox culture in terms of its correspondence to democratic values by analyzing the structure of memory of the Soviet past in the Orthodox milieu and among the Church’s leadership. The premise is that collective memory of this kind can be a criterion in assessing the political ethos of a community. The memory of the Soviet past includes such elements as hagiography of the martyrs who died in the Soviet anti-religious terror; the issue of the Church’s strategy of loyalty toward the repressive regime; the hermeneutics of trauma as providential sacrifice; and attitudes toward the Soviet past in view of Orthodox sociopolitical ideals. This article shows ambiguities in Orthodox assessment of the Soviet regime; but even the direct rejection of the Soviet past rarely translated into an engagement with a democratic agenda. This attitude is in line with the official endorsement by the Church leadership of Putin’s authoritarian regime and of the Russian war in Ukraine started in 2022.
Deification in Nicholas Kabasilas and Reading The Life In Christ
Authors: Stauffer Daniel
Published: August 2023

ABSTRACT: Scholarship on Nicholas Kabasilas has not fully explained the interplay between the sacraments and ethics in his approach to deification. This article will demonstrate the harmony between the two, showing how each informs and completes the other. First, one must understand his anthropology and theology of humanity’s second creation, which is begun on the Cross and creates humanity out of Christ’s Body and Blood. This allows for humanity’s eschatological incorporation into Christ’s Body, which, I suggest, should be taken as the paradigm for humanity’s union with God in Kabasilas. Also fundamental is Kabasilas’s insight that one can become a “dead member” of Christ, which must be avoided through the practice of Christ’s commandments. This reading of Kabasilas relies on his vision of the correction of the human will based on memory and contemplation of Christ’s love mediated to humanity in the sacraments, which has gone hitherto unexplored.
Hebrew Gomel: Space, Genre, Modernity
Authors: Gordinsky Natasha , Tsirkin-Sadan Rafi
Published: August 2023

Abstract: This article explores the understudied role of Gomel as an important center of literary production during the emergence of Hebrew modernism at the turn of the twentieth century. Prominent writers such as Gershon Shofman, Yosef Haim Brenner, and Uri Nissan Gnessin fostered personal and literary dialogues in and with the city. By combining various methodological approaches—New Historicism, literary cartography, and regional history—we analyze the unique spatial dynamics that sparked Gomel's transformation into a laboratory of Hebrew modernism. While grounding our readings of Shofman, Brenner, and Gnessin in the spatial turn in literary theory, we argue that these three canonical Hebrew writers created literary texts that captured the urban experience of this eastern European Jewish metropolis. We trace the evolution of Hebrew texts written in Gomel from a synchronic perspective and construct a detailed description of the town's literary-cum-cultural history. At the same time, we focus on Gomel's broader historical and geographical status within the Pale of Settlement and demonstrate how each of the three writers used a different literary genre—the urban miniature, the novel, and the novella—to create a unique representation of Gomel's urban space. Furthermore, by focusing on the chronotope of Gomel, our readings of Shofman, Brenner, and Gnessin underscore that these texts are grounded in Gomel's urban fabric through particular forms of local belonging, rather than an abstract notion of "uprooted" existence.
Ya'qūb al-Qirqisānī's Twenty-Fifth through Thirty-Seventh Exegetical Principles
Authors: Habib Joseph
Published: August 2023

Abstract: In the introduction to his commentary on the book of Genesis, the early tenth-century Karaite Yaqub al-Qirqisani enumerated thirty-seven principles of biblical exegesis. Up until now, only the first twenty-four principles had been published, and only ten of those translated into a modern language. The purpose of this essay is to present the text of the twenty-fifth through thirty-seventh principles, critically edited, accompanied by an annotated English translation. The text is prefaced by a brief discussion of al-Qirqisani, his works, and the relationship of the exegetical principles to his other compositions.
Deep learning for isolated attosecond pulse reconstruction with the all-optical method
Authors: Meng Lihui , Liang Shiqi , He Lixin , Hu Jianchang , Sun Siqi , Lan Pengfei , Lu Peixiang
Published: August 2023

The characterization of attosecond pulses is crucial for attosecond metrology. In this work, we investigate the isolated attosecond pulse reconstruction with the all-optical method. The results show that this method can characterize isolated attosecond pulses with a duration shorter than 50 attoseconds. Moreover, we develop a deep learning scheme to characterize isolated attosecond pulses. Through supervised learning, the deep neural network learns the mapping from the photon spectrograms to attosecond pulses. It allows complete characterization of the amplitude and phase of isolated attosecond pulses. Compared to the conventional principal component generalized projections algorithm, the reconstruction with our neural network shows superior quality and robustness to noise. Also, the reconstruction computation time is significantly reduced to a few seconds.
Minimum structure of high-order harmonic spectrum from molecular multi-orbital effects involving inner-shell orbitals
Authors: Fu Ting-Ting , Zhou Shu-Shan , Chen Ji-Gen , Wang Jun , Guo Fu-Ming , Yang Yu-Jun
Published: August 2023

The spectral features of high-order harmonic spectra can provide rich information for probing the structure and dynamics of molecules in intense laser fields. We theoretically study the high harmonic spectrum with the laser polarization direction perpendicular to the N2O molecule and find a minimum structure in the plateau region of the harmonic spectrum. Through analyzing the time-dependent survival probability of different electronic orbitals and the time-dependent wave packet evolution, it is found that this minimum position is caused by the harmonic interference of HOMO a, HOMO-1, and HOMO-3 a orbitals. Moreover, this interference minimum is discovered over a wide frequency range of 0.087 a.u. to 0.093 a.u., as well as a range of driving laser intensities with peak amplitudes between 0.056 a.u. and 0.059 a.u.. This study sheds light on the multi-electron effects and ultrafast dynamics of inner-shell electrons in intense laser pulses, which are crucial for understanding and controlling chemical reactions in molecules.
Broadband dual-chirp FMCW laser source based on DSB-SC modulation and cascaded FWM
Authors: Xiao Zhenzhen , Wu Zhengmao , Xia Guangqiong
Published: August 2023

Based on dual-sideband suppressed-carrier (DSB-SC) modulation and two-stage cascaded four-wave-mixing (FWM), a scheme of broadband dual-chirp frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) laser source is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. First, via a Mach-Zehnder modulator biased at its null point, an original DSB-SC FMCW signal with 4.0 GHz swept-frequency range and 0.2 GHz/μs sweep rate is generated. Next, the original DSB-SC FMCW signal is sent to a 1 km dispersion compensation fiber for implementing first-stage FWM, a dual-chirp FMCW signal with 12.0 GHz swept-frequency range and 0.6 GHz/μs sweep rate is acquired and used as the pump for second-stage FWM. Finally, via second-stage FWM in a 200 m highly nonlinear fiber, a dual-chirp FMCW signal with a swept-frequency range of 36.0 GHz and sweep rate of 1.8 GHz/μs is generated. Taking the FMCW signal generated at different stages as the emitted signal, we evaluate the ranging resolution through fiber-based distance measurement, and the results demonstrate that the achieved ranging resolutions are 5.31 cm, 2.04 cm, and 1.18 cm, respectively. Through equalizing the optical power of generated FMCW signal over the swept-frequency range, the ranging resolution can be further improved.
Reduction of depolarization loss in a Tm-doped sesquioxide ceramic laser using a ring-shaped pump beam
Authors: Zhou Jingjing , Zheng Changsheng , Du Tianyi , Zhang Ning , Chen Bin , Wang Jun , Wang Zhanxin , Zhao Yongguang
Published: August 2023

We report on a simple method for reduction of the depolarization loss in an end-pumped Tm:Y2O3 ceramic laser by using a near-field ring-shaped pump beam. Initially, we theoretically derive the expression of the depolarization loss in a bulk laser end-pumped with a near-field flat-top-hat or ring-shaped beam, where a significant reduction of depolarization loss in the latter case is presented. Experimental verification is thereafter carried out with a Tm:Y2O3 ceramic laser employing these two different pump configurations. It shows that the experimentally measured depolarization losses are close to the simulated values; the loss in the case of the annular-beam pump is almost 18 times lower than that with a quasi-top-hat beam at a same absorption pump power of 7.4 W. This work, as a proof-of-principle study, indicates that depolarization loss in the end-pumped bulk lasers can be significantly reduced simply by using a ring-shaped pump beam.