bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
432 Comparative treatment persistence of different advanced-therapies in patients with atopic dermatitis
Authors: Sanfilippo Eric , Iyer Sneha , Silverberg Jonathan I
Published: June 2023

Multiple advanced therapies are used to treat atopic dermatitis (AD), each with different efficacy, safety, tolerability, accessibility and treatment success that can affect treatment persistence. Little is known about how treatment persistence rates compare between different therapies. We compared treatment persistence for subcutaneous dupilumab, oral cyclosporine, mycophenolate, and upadacitinib, and narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) treatment of AD. A retrospective observational study was performed of patients with physician-diagnosed atopic AD from a large metropolitan tertiary care medical center. Medical records were reviewed for race, ethnicity, disease severity and use of therapies from 10/01/2015 to 10/1/2021. The AD cases were identified using Hanifin–Rajka criteria. Drug persistence was assessed using proportion of patients who discontinued therapy and median time to discontinuation. Chi-square tests were used to assess if there were differences in drug discontinuation rates by advanced therapy. Overall, 766 patients with AD were identified, including 139 (18.1%) prescribed dupilumab, 10 (1.3%) cyclosporine, 21 (2.7%) mycophenolate, 5 (0.7%) upadacitinib and 64 (8.4%) NB-UVB; no patients were treated with methotrexate. Drug persistence was highest for upadacitinib (100%), followed by dupilumab (86.3%), mycophenolate (38.1%), cyclosporine (30.0%) and NB-UVB (12.5%) (Chi-square, P < 0.0001). Highest median (days) time to discontinuation was observed with dupilumab (638), followed by cyclosporine (539), mycophenolate (274) and NB-UVB (167). Lack of efficacy was the most common reason for discontinuation of dupilumab, cyclosporine, mycophenolate and NB-UVB alike. Discontinuation due to adverse-events was highest for cyclosporine (42.9%), followed by dupilumab (31.6%), mycophenolate (30.8%) and NB-UVB (16.1%). Dupilumab had the most patients who discontinued due to disease improvement and no longer requiring advanced-therapy (21.1%). Our data suggest that drug persistence varies substantially across different advanced therapies for AD. Recently approved advanced therapies, including dupilumab and upadacitinib, showed the highest proportion of drug persistence.
A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind, Comparator-Controlled Study to Evaluate Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of V114, a 15-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients (PNEU-STEM)
Authors: Wilck Marissa , Cornely Oliver A , Cordonnier Catherine , Velez Juan Diego , Ljungman Per , Maertens Johan , Selleslag Dominik , Mullane Kathleen M , Nabhan Samir , Chen Qiuxu , Dagan Ron , Richmond Peter , Daus Caroline , Geddie Kateasha , Tamms Gretchen , Sterling Tina , Patel Shrita M , Shekar Tulin , Musey Luwy , Buchwald Ulrike K ,   for the V114-022 (PNEU-STEM) Study Group
Published: June 2023

Background

Individuals who receive allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (allo-HCT) are immunocompromised and at high risk of pneumococcal infections, especially in the months following transplant. This study evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of V114 (VAXNEUVANCE; Merck, Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA), a 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), when given to allo-HCT recipients.

Methods

Participants received 3 doses of V114 or PCV13 (Prevnar 13; Wyeth LLC) in 1-month intervals starting 3–6 months after allo-HCT. Twelve months after HCT, participants received either PNEUMOVAX 23 or a fourth dose of PCV (if they experienced chronic graft vs host disease). Safety was evaluated as the proportion of participants with adverse events (AEs). Immunogenicity was evaluated by measuring serotype-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) and opsonophagocytic activity (OPA) geometric mean titers (GMTs) for all V114 serotypes in each vaccination group.

Results

A total of 274 participants were enrolled and vaccinated in the study. The proportions of participants with AEs and serious AEs were generally comparable between intervention groups, and the majority of AEs in both groups were of short duration and mild-to-moderate intensity. For both IgG GMCs and OPA GMTs, V114 was generally comparable to PCV13 for the 13 shared serotypes, and higher for serotypes 22F and 33F at day 90.

Conclusions

V114 was well tolerated in allo-HCT recipients, with a generally comparable safety profile to PCV13. V114 induced comparable immune responses to PCV13 for the 13 shared serotypes, and was higher for V114 serotypes 22F and 33F. Study results support the use of V114 in allo-HCT recipients.

Clinical Trials Registration. clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03565900) and European Union at EudraCT 2018-000066-11.
Sustained Viral Suppression With Dolutegravir Monotherapy Over 192 Weeks in Patients Starting Combination Antiretroviral Therapy During Primary Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection (EARLY-SIMPLIFIED): A Randomized, Controlled, Multi-site, Noninferiority Trial
Authors: West Emily , Zeeb Marius , Grube Christina , Kuster Herbert , Wanner Katrin , Scheier Thomas , Neumann Kathrin , Jörimann Lisa , Hampel Benjamin , Metzner Karin J , Kouyos Roger D , Braun Dominique L , Günthard Huldrych F
Published: June 2023

Background

Starting combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) during primary human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection results in a smaller HIV-1 latent reservoir, reduced immune activation, and less viral diversity compared to starting cART during chronic infection. We report results of a 4-year study designed to determine whether these properties would allow sustained virological suppression after simplification of cART to dolutegravir (DTG) monotherapy.

Methods

EARLY-SIMPLIFIED is a randomized, open-label, noninferiority trial. People with HIV (PWH) who started cART <180 days after a documented primary HIV-1 infection with suppressed viral load were randomized (2:1) to DTG monotherapy with 50 mg daily or continuation of cART. The primary endpoints were the proportion of PWH with viral failure at 48, 96, 144, and 192 weeks; noninferiority margin was 10%. After 96 weeks, randomization was lifted and patients were permitted to switch treatment groups as desired.

Results

Of 101 PWH randomized, 68 were assigned to DTG monotherapy and 33 to cART. At week 96 in the per-protocol population, 64/64 (100%) showed virological response in the DTG monotherapy group versus 30/30 (100%) in the cART group (difference, 0.00%; upper bound of 95% confidence interval 6.22%). This demonstrated noninferiority of DTG monotherapy at the prespecified level. At week 192, the study end, no virological failure occurred in either group during 13 308 and 4897 person weeks of follow-up for the DTG monotherapy (n = 80) and cART groups, respectively.

Conclusions

This trial suggests that early cART initiation during primary HIV infection allows sustained virological suppression after switching to DTG monotherapy.
Workplace Sexual Harassment in China: A Comparative Inquiry into the Personality-Based Paradigm
Authors: Duan Jiahui
Published: June 2023

Western researchers have produced significant insight into sexual harassment in Western contexts, but sexual harassment in Chinese society remains largely unexplored. To address this comparative inquiry, this article explores the development of an understanding of workplace sexual harassment and the legal regulation thereof in China—a State with a socialist legal system that has characteristics specific to its context. Through a thorough review of the historical foundations, legislative change over time, and judicial practice, I explore two questions: (i) how do Chinese laws define sexual harassment and (ii) how do Chinese lawmakers perceive the wrong done by sexual harassment? This article reveals that, over two decades of legislation, a sexual harassment legal system has gradually taken shape in China. This system is based on a paradigm distinct from the two major paradigms in the Western world: the American-style discrimination approach and the Continental employee dignity approach. Notwithstanding some attempts to use the American approach, the Chinese legal authorities are developing an alternative personality paradigm where sexual harassment is framed as a tortious infringement on an individual’s right to personality. I argue that the personality paradigm, though strategic and advantageous in terms of expanding the scope of protection to victims, is inadequate in addressing workplace sexual harassment as well as protecting women as the most vulnerable class of victims, which calls for further legal reform to rectify the deviation. In light of this, I offer concrete proposals for China’s sexual harassment legal reform in the future.
Reconciling theories on why employees of small firms are more likely to become entrepreneurs
Authors: King Benjamin , Ganco Martin , Starr Evan
Published: June 2023

A common finding in the literature on heterogeneity in entrepreneurial entry is that workers of small firms relative to large firms are more likely to become entrepreneurs (i.e., the “small firm effect”). Researchers disagree, however, on how to interpret this relationship, and in which contexts. A traditional argument is that work experience in small firms facilitates the acquisition of knowledge relevant to entrepreneurship, which, in turn, facilitates transitions into entrepreneurship. An alternative explanation argues that, at least in technical domains, the small firm effect derives from the potential for large firms to better integrate ideas internally (i.e., intrapreneurship). We inform this debate by leveraging a unique, nationally representative survey that provides rich details about the emergence of entrepreneurial ideas and their potential implementation inside vs. outside of firms. Consistent with the former explanation of the small firm effect, for the average worker, we find strong evidence that small firms (relative to large firms) are better at providing an environment that facilitates transitions to entrepreneurship. However, we also find that technical workers are more likely to attempt to implement ideas in larger firms relative to non-tech workers. Our results thus imply that while the traditional mechanism drives the small firm effect for non-tech workers, both mechanisms contribute to the effect for the tech workers, thus helping to reconcile competing explanations in prior studies. In addition to unpacking the drivers of the small firm effect, our study has broader implications for the recent discussion on the drivers of entrepreneurial dynamism.
Adaptive FEM with quasi-optimal overall cost for nonsymmetric linear elliptic PDEs
Authors: Brunner Maximilian , Innerberger Michael , Miraçi Ani , Praetorius Dirk , Streitberger Julian , Heid Pascal
Published: June 2023

We consider a general nonsymmetric second-order linear elliptic partial differential equation in the framework of the Lax–Milgram lemma. We formulate and analyze an adaptive finite element algorithm with arbitrary polynomial degree that steers the adaptive meshrefinement and the inexact iterative solution of the arising linear systems. More precisely, the iterative solver employs, as an outer loop, the so-called Zarantonello iteration to symmetrize the system and, as an inner loop, a uniformly contractive algebraic solver, for example, an optimally preconditioned conjugate gradient method or an optimal geometric multigrid algorithm. We prove that the proposed inexact adaptive iteratively symmetrized finite element method leads to full linear convergence and, for sufficiently small adaptivity parameters, to optimal convergence rates with respect to the overall computational cost, i.e., the total computational time. Numerical experiments underline the theory.
A case of anaplastic carcinoma of the pancreas with intrasplenic huge mass formation
Authors: Miyata Takashi , Nishiki Hisashi , Shinden Yuki , Motoyama Shota , Sannomiya Yuta , Tamezawa Hozumi , Nagayama Taigo , Hashimoto Akifumi , Kaida Daisuke , Miyashita Tomoharu , Fujita Hideto , Ueda Nobuhiko , Takamura Hiroyuki
Published: June 2023

Anaplastic carcinoma of the pancreas (ACP) is an aggressive pancreatic tumor that grows rapidly, and its clinical characteristics are poorly defined because of its rarity. Thus, preoperative diagnosis is difficult and most definitive diagnoses are generally made by surgery, highlighting the importance of collecting more cases of ACP. We report a case of a 79-year-old woman with ACP that was difficult to diagnose preoperatively. Abdominal enhanced computed tomography revealed a large and expansive tumor in the spleen containing multilocular cystic and solid components. The first preoperative diagnosis was splenic angiosarcoma, and the tumor could be resected by distal pancreatectomy, total gastrectomy and partial transverse colectomy. ACP was first diagnosed based on postoperative histopathological findings. ACP that spreads to the spleen and forms an intrasplenic mass is rare. However, ACP should be included in the differential diagnosis of such patients, and further research of ACP is essential for a favorable prognosis.
Delayed development of basal spikelets in wheat explains their increased floret abortion and rudimentary nature
Authors: Backhaus Anna Elisabeth , Griffiths Cara , Vergara-Cruces Angel , Simmonds James , Lee Rebecca , Morris Richard J , Uauy Cristobal
Published: June 2023

Large differences exist in the number of grains per spikelet across an individual wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) spike. The central spikelets produce the highest number of grains, while apical and basal spikelets are less productive, and the most basal spikelets are commonly only developed in rudimentary form. Basal spikelets are delayed in initiation, yet they continue to develop and produce florets. The precise timing or the cause of their abortion remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated the underlying causes of basal spikelet abortion using shading applications in the field. We found that basal spikelet abortion is likely to be the consequence of complete floret abortion, as both occur concurrently and have the same response to shading treatments. We detected no differences in assimilate availability across the spike. Instead, we show that the reduced developmental age of basal florets pre-anthesis is strongly associated with their increased abortion. Using the developmental age pre-abortion, we were able to predict final grain set per spikelet across the spike, alongside the characteristic gradient in the number of grains from basal to central spikelets. Future efforts to improve spikelet homogeneity across the spike could thus focus on improving basal spikelet establishment and increasing floret development rates pre-abortion.
Milliarcsecond structure and variability of methanol maser emission in three high-mass protostars
Authors: Aberfelds A , Bartkiewicz A , Szymczak M , Šteinbergs J , Surcis G , Kobak A , Durjasz M , Shmeld I
Published: June 2023

The variability study of 6.7 GHz methanol masers has become a useful way to improve our understanding of the physical conditions in high-mass star-forming regions. Based on the single-dish monitoring using the Irbene telescopes, we selected three sources with close sky positions. We imaged them using the European very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) Network and searched available data on VLBI archives to follow detailed changes in their structures and single maser spot variability. All three targets show a few groups of maser cloudlets of a typical size of 3.5 mas and the majority of them show linear or arched structures with velocity gradients of order 0.22 km s−1  mas−1. The cloudlets and overall source morphologies are remarkably stable on time-scales of 7–15 yr, supporting a scenario of variability due to changes in the maser pumping rate.
Infrared spectra of solid indene pure and in water ice: implications for observed IR absorptions in TMC-1
Authors: Maté Belén , Tanarro Isabel , Timón Vicente , Cernicharo José , Herrero Victor J
Published: June 2023

Experimental and theoretical infrared spectra, between 4000 and 500 cm−1 (2.5–20 μm), and infrared band strengths of two solid phases of indene, amorphous, and crystalline, are given for the first time. The samples were generated via vapour deposition under high vacuum conditions on a cold surface. Density functional theory was employed for the calculations of the infrared (IR) spectra. For lack of previous information, a monoclinic symmetry is suggested for the theoretical crystalline phase of indene, based on the comparison of the calculated and experimental IR spectra. Assignments, based on the calculations, are given for the main indene IR absorptions. The infrared spectra of highly diluted mixtures of indene in amorphous solid water at 10 K are also provided, evidencing that the indene spectrum is not much altered by the water ice environment. These data are expected to be useful for the search of this species in the solid phase in astrophysical environments with the JWST.

With the band strengths obtained in this work, and applying a simple literature model, we find that indene could represent at most 2–5 per cent of the intensity of a weak absorption feature at 3.3 μm recently reported for Elias 16. A column density of (1.5–0.6) × 1016 cm−2 is estimated for indene in the ice mantles of TMC-1. It would correspond to ≈ (2–0.8) × 10−2 of cosmic carbon, which is probably too high for a single small hydrocarbon.
Constraining interacting dark energy models with the halo concentration–mass relation
Authors: Zhao Yu , Liu Yun , Liao Shihong , Zhang Jiajun , Liu Xiangkun , Du Wei
Published: June 2023

The interacting dark energy (IDE) model is a promising alternative cosmological model that has the potential to solve the fine-tuning and coincidence problems by considering the interaction between dark matter and dark energy. Previous studies have shown that the energy exchange between the dark sector components in this model can significantly affect the dark matter halo properties. In this study, by utilizing a large set of cosmological N-body simulations, we analyse the redshift evolution of the halo concentration–mass (c–M) relation in the IDE model, and show that the c–M relation is a sensitive proxy of the interaction strength parameter ξ2, especially at lower redshifts. Furthermore, we construct parametrized formulae to quantify the dependence of the c–M relation on ξ2 at redshifts ranging from z = 0 to z = 0.6. Our parametrized formulae provide a useful theoretical tool in constraining ξ2 with the observational c–M relation. As a first attempt, we use the data from X-ray, gravitational lensing, and galaxy rotational curve observations and obtain a tight constraint on ξ2, i.e. ξ2 = 0.071 ± 0.034. Our work demonstrates that the halo c–M relation, which reflects the halo assembly history, is a powerful probe to constrain the IDE model.
The variable stars in the field of NGC 6139: a critical approach to their reddening and membership
Authors: Yepez M A , Arellano Ferro A , Bustos Fierro I , Luna A
Published: June 2023

We present a CCD VI time-series analysis of the globular cluster NGC 6139 and its variable star population. Using the astrometric data available in Gaia-DR3, we performed a membership analysis that enabled the construction of a clean colour–magnitude diagram (CMD). Variable stars in the field of the cluster reported by Gaia-DR3 and newly discovered ones in this paper are classified and their membership is critically evaluated. We report two cluster members RRc (V12, V15) and four SR (V13, V14, V17, V18) not previously detected and assign variable names to V11 and V16 detected by Gaia as they proof to be cluster members. Light curves and periods for non-member Gaia eclipsing binaries, semiregular variables, and newly detected RR Lyrae stars are provided. Fourier decomposition of the light curves of the cluster member RRab and RRc stars leads to the values [Fe/H] = −1.63 dex, and distance of 9.63 ± 0.68 kpc. The Oosterhoff type II nature of the cluster is confirmed. We adopted the mean reddening E(B − V) = 0.786 mag and performed a differential reddening analysis based on the dispersion of the red giant branch. The differential map allowed a mild correction of the CMD.
The Covid-19 app that lasted two weeks: how technology may embody controversial public policies for health care and why we should worry about it
Authors: Pagliari Claudia , Klafke Guilherme Forma , Camelo Ana Paula , da Silveira Victor Doering , Evans Jay
Published: June 2023

This paper describes the case of a Brazilian government app (TrateCov) that was deployed for only 2 weeks during the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Gamma variant. TrateCov was intended as a decision support tool to assist health care professionals with the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. After the tool was inadvertently released on a public Web site, it became accessible to anyone with an Internet connection, raising the risk of inappropriate self-management. Moreover, experts and journalists quickly spotted that almost all symptoms entered into the app resulted in a diagnosis of COVID-19, along with a recommendation to use the same ‘Covid kit’ of unproven drugs favored by leading politicians, and in the same doses for adults, children, and pregnant women. The institutional and social backlash was immediate, forcing the Brazilian Ministry of Health to take TrateCov offline. The case illustrates the potential for weak evidence and ideological bias to infiltrate digital health technologies, creating risks for patient safety and diversion of resources, thus emphasizing the importance of good governance at all stages of the innovation lifecycle. The speed of public health crises presents particular challenges for managing this phenomenon, calling for anticipatory steps to avoid such risk as part of responsible pandemic prevention strategies
Just a Catchy Title?
Authors: Legowski Aris
Published: June 2023

Ancient Egypt has widely caused fascination across different time periods and various cultures. Its reception can be traced back to antiquity and has never ceased since. The most recent modern outbursts of “Egyptomania” took place around key events such as the decipherment of the hieroglyphic script in 1822 and the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb a hundred years later. The main difference between the reception of ancient Egypt in general and the Book of the Dead is that, even before the decipherment of the hieroglyphs, the ancient Egyptian visual culture offered many subjects to be referenced in modern culture. As the chapters of the Book of the Dead are one of the most attested sources of the ancient Egyptian language, it is not surprising that they have received a fair amount of attention within the modern resurgence of interest in Egypt known as “Egyptomania.” However, this applies to only a few aspects of the corpus. Nevertheless, this text and its illustrations have experienced some obscure and, in some cases, even unintended reception in Western visual and performing arts (including movies) as well as in belles-lettres which this chapter aims to unravel.
Writing Book of the Dead Manuscripts Tasks and Traditions
Authors: Verhoeven Ursula
Published: June 2023

How was a Book of the Dead manuscript ordered and designed? What do we know about the writing techniques and traditions? Who were the scribes and where did they work? Which different Egyptian handwriting systems were used and how did these change throughout time? Answering such questions is difficult because systematic research on the material and manual aspects of writing is still rare until now. This contribution can only deal with some examples and will concentrate on manuscripts which are written in ink on papyrus, mummy bandages, and a few other writing materials. Main subjects are the choice of material and the organization of longer manuscripts, the different habits of producing on personal order or on stock, the question of workshops and master copies, and the role of the scribes as individuals, skilled workers, and also reviewers. Concerning the layout, the various combinations of text lines or columns and large or small vignettes, as well as the writing styles of Hieratic and cursive hieroglyphs and the reading directions of the latter are important aspects within the following contribution.
Production and Layout of New Kingdom Book of the Dead Papyri
Authors: Goelet Ogden
Published: June 2023

The standard New Kingdom Books of the Dead dating in the period between the Eighteenth and Twentieth Dynasties were written on normal, uninscribed papyrus rolls that were turned so that the start of the roll was on the scribe’s left. The scribe used two pieces of wood, one of which was a T-square or L-square, to mark off evenly spaced vertical columns for the text and small rectangles for the vignettes. When the script form adopted changed from cursive hieroglyphs to hieratic during the Third Intermediate Period, the layout underwent considerable changes, but the carefully written text always strove for a calligraphically attractive work.
Book of the Dead on TissuesShrouds and Mummy Bandages
Authors: Gasse Annie
Published: June 2023

The Book of the Dead was not only written on papyri, tomb walls, and coffins, but also on other supports, in particular on funerary fabrics. The only fabric used is linen. The first occurrences of Book of the Dead excerpts on fabric appear on shrouds from the very end of the Middle Kingdom (Seventeenth Dynasty) or the very beginning of the New Kingdom. Particularly in later times, mainly between the fourth and the second centuries BCE, mummy bandages were used. Their height varies between about. 10 and 25 centimeters, and the text differs from one piece to another, with Chapters 17 and 18 from the Book of the Dead being the most frequently copied. Other chapters of the Book of the Dead appear, as well as texts that do not traditionally belong to this corpus. Hypocephali, circles of cloth bearing Chapter 162 of the Book of the Dead that were placed under the heads of the deceased, must be added to the shrouds and mummy bandages. Studies of the Book of the Dead on fabric are currently attracting renewed interest, and recent publications are witnessing this. Furthermore, unpublished documents have appeared on the art market and allow us to refine our knowledge on this type of document. Finally, in this article I will discuss the artistic quality of these fabric pieces, which has been ignored until now although they have nothing to envy to the Books of the Dead papyri.
Gods and Demons in the Book of the Dead
Authors: Lucarelli Rita
Published: June 2023

In this article, the main figures of divine and demonic beings mentioned in the Book of the Dead spells and vignettes are listed and discussed in light of the current studies on the ancient Egyptian funerary religion and beliefs. The function that major and minor deities and supernatural beings play in relation to the deceased, to her/his wish for protection and divine transfiguration in the netherworld will especially be examined. The ontological difference between divine and demonic agency in the ancient Egyptian religion, in particular in relation to the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, is also discussed in the final section of the article.
The Book of the Dead as a Source for the Study of Ancient Egyptian ReligionMethodology, Problems, Prospects
Authors: Stadler Martin Andreas
Published: June 2023

Egyptology uses the Book of the Dead for its research chiefly along four lines: (a) textual criticism to reconstruct a hypothetical archetype, (b) the edition of entire scrolls of the Book of the Dead, sometimes including full translations, but quite often without, (c) in-depth-studies of individual spells or phenomena that appear in a series of spells, and finally (d) as a mine of information for various ideas, concepts, and beliefs in ancient Egyptian religion. Starting with a critical review of these approaches, the chapter endeavors to outline how Egyptologists can fruitfully use the Book of the Dead for the study of Egyptian religion in general. It will also determine the limits of such an approach. By briefly studying the audience of the Book of the Dead—those who wrote, read, and used the Book of the Dead or rather its contents—we can gain insights into the position of the Book of the Dead within the corpus of ancient Egyptian religious texts in general.
The Book of the Dead in the Eighteenth Dynasty
Authors: Munro Irmtraut
Published: June 2023

The study is based on more than 160 BD sources. Apart from those manuscripts dated through text-external evidence, only text-internal criteria can date the majority of documents. After the first occurrences of Book of the Dead spells in the Thirteenth Dynasty and the Formative Phase, the reign of Hatshepsut/Thutmosis III marks an increase in the number and spread of Book of the Dead manuscripts. The cursive hieroglyphs are predominantly used in retrograde writing, while manuscripts written in hieratic are of minor importance. Two main text sequences are attested in manuscripts of the Formative Phase until the reign of Thutmosis III, but are no longer strictly applied afterward. There is no canon or ideal composition of a Book of the Dead scroll; the selection and arrangement of spells strongly depended on their customers’ wishes and financial means. The transformation spells represent the most popular group of spells and are not absent from any Book of the Dead manuscript; new transformation spells were even created. The Amarna Period saw the suspension of the Book of the Dead production, but it was soon revived and enriched by new spells and newly created solar hymns.
The Ramesside Book of the Dead and the Deir el-Medina Tradition
Authors: Lüscher Barbara
Published: June 2023

The first part of this chapter deals with some of the general problems in dating and distinguishing different styles and local traditions within the New Kingdom Book of the Dead material, with a special focus on the Ramesside era. The second part is devoted to the special case of Deir el-Medina, where it can be shown that this rather closed community not only developed its own specific iconographic tradition, which is quite obvious in the decorational program of their subterranean burial chambers with mainly Book of the Dead themes, but also a textual one. In other words, the versions of Book of the Dead texts and illustrations found on tomb walls, as well as those on papyri and other items of funerary equipment from Deir el-Medina, differ significantly from comparative versions produced outside this particular community, even within the Theban necropolis. These variants clearly point to a specific editing center for the Book of the Dead in Ramesside Deir el-Medina. Such factors can therefore also provide new criteria for more accurate dating and establishing a provenance for New Kingdom Book of the Dead papyri.
The Book of the Dead in the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods and the Contemporary Funerary Texts
Authors: Kucharek Andrea
Published: June 2023

In the Greco-Roman Period, several hitherto unknown funerary compositions appeared, at first alongside the long-serving Book of the Dead, but increasingly superseding it. A considerable number of individual compositions as well as ritual texts originating in the cult of Osiris are further hallmarks of the funerary literature of the period. Book of the Dead spells and vignettes were occasionally incorporated into these texts. This chapter presents two case studies aimed at illustrating continuities and modifications: the first is an inquiry into the central tenets of mortuary religion, exemplified by the declarations of purpose, passages summarizing the intended effect of a spell. In the second, the judgment of the dead, in both its written and iconographic forms, is traced from its all-important Book of the Dead manifestation in BD 125 and its elaborate vignette to the final allusions on Roman-Period mummy shrouds.
Illustrations in Saite through Ptolemaic Books of the Dead
Authors: Mosher Malcolm
Published: June 2023

Regarding the illustrations that accompanied the spells in New Kingdom and Third Intermediate Books of the Dead, a comprehensive study of all illustrations found in these documents has not been systematically done covering the entire timespan. With the exception of Allen’s 1960 study primarily involving the texts of two documents at the Oriental Institute in Chicago, the Saite through Ptolemaic Books of the Dead were largely overlooked until the last decade of the twentieth century, but a comprehensive study of the texts and illustrations in scores of said documents is now two-thirds completed. This chapter is focused on the illustrations in those documents, covering various topics such as the relationship between the illustrations and the texts; the orientation, styles, and versions of illustrations; the magical power of an illustration to provide the magic of a spell by itself; spells that did not have illustrations; spells that were represented only by illustrations; and artistic creativity and individuality.
The Art of Forgery in the Manuscript Culture in Antiquity
Authors: Lucarelli Rita , Choat Malcolm
Published: June 2023

Forgeries of the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead are frequently discovered in museums and private collections around the world. They are especially well attested on mummy bandages, strips of linen, and papyri, on which the forger attempts to imitate the ancient script and vignettes. In order to identify a forgery of the Book of the Dead, one needs to compare the script and the vignettes with the original and, in many cases, find the model from which the text and accompanying images have been copied. This is sometimes not an original papyrus or mummy bandage, but a published facsimile of one.
Introduction
Authors: Lucarelli Rita , Stadler Martin Andreas
Published: June 2023

This introduction provides an overview of the topics that will be presented in the book’s chapters and that characterize the history of study, the textual production and reproduction as well as the iconographical motives characterising the so-called ancient Egyptian “Book of the Dead”. The editors’ individual approach to the corpus is also outlined and contextualized within the wider field of study of the ancient Egyptian religion, of which the Book of the Dead is a major source of knowledge and understanding.
The Time of the Pioneers (Seventeenth to Nineteenth Centuries)
Authors: Lüscher Barbara
Published: June 2023

This chapter deals with the early history of scholarly research in the field of the Book of the Dead and its protagonists. While the names of Jean-François Champollion, Karl Richard Lepsius, and Édouard Naville are usually associated with early studies and first scholarly editions of the Book of the Dead, there were first attempts in this field as well as partial publications and early depictions even before their time. The books of the famous seventeenth-century polymath Athanasius Kircher contained several illustrations of mummy bandages and other items along with Book of the Dead texts. Other early works from the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries also include first facsimiles of papyrus fragments and mummy bandages, which not only represent an essential contribution to the early research history of the Book of the Dead, but also gave the first impetus to the deciphering of the ancient Egyptian script. The monumental volumes of the Napoleonic “Description de l’Égypte” from the beginning of the nineteenth century, which include the first complete Book of the Dead facsimiles, are another important early source. After the successful deciphering of the hieroglyphs by Champollion, the first real scholarly editions of Books of the Dead—a term that was introduced by Karl Richard Lepsius with his publication of the Turin papyrus of Iufankh—could follow. These include first publications of individual documents in the form of handwritten copies or color facsimiles, a first synoptic text edition (by Édouard Naville), as well as first translations, vocabularies, and word indexes.
The Book of the Dead in Temples
Authors: Kockelmann Holger
Published: June 2023

The paper analyzes the relation between the so-called BD and temple decoration. Though known predominantly from funerary contexts, a limited number of spells and vignettes also occur on the walls of New Kingdom and Greco-Roman Temples. Both corpora, BD and temple decoration, are two sides of the same coin: Like the temple inscriptions, a considerable proportion of the BD spell corpus is of non-mortuary origin. Text-internal evidence suggests that numerous spells have a non-Osirian cultic background and were used in rituals for the living. Like the contents of the temple decoration, the “Book of the Dead” seems to have been part of the all-encompassing pool of priestly knowledge, collected and codified in the temple archives. In the House of Life, a selection of this material was compiled as the BD for equipping the dead, while a part of the same multi-functional spells and images was also integrated into the epigraphic and theological system of the temple. The article highlights the affinities between the two corpora, “Book of the Dead” and “temple decoration,” in terms of layout and form, religious topics, and function. Moreover, it considers the factors which may have promoted the reciprocal use of the so-called BD spells both for funerary purposes and in the reliefs of the temple.
Female Owners of Book of the Dead Papyri
Authors: Töpfer Susanne
Published: June 2023

Although we know of more copies produced for men than for women, the Book of the Dead was not a funerary composition produced exclusively for the male Egyptian elite. Copies of the Book of the Dead written for or adapted by women are known from the end of the Second Intermediate Period to the Roman Period. There are about 2300 manuscripts of the “Book of the Dead” with known owners; however, this is only a small sample of the total number of manuscripts of the Book of the Dead that must have been produced throughout Egyptian history. The majority of those original produced are most likely lost, and there are a most certainly numerous manuscripts in private collections, which are unknown to the scientific public. This chapter reviews 81 known female owners of the Book of the Dead, with respect to their titles and possible family ties, as well as the quality and content of their copies, from the beginning to the end of the tradition.
Freedom through Bildung
Authors: Smith John H.
Published: June 2023

A key for isolating elements of Hegel’s political theory that have contemporary relevance involves understanding Hegel’s modernization of “Sittlichkeit,” usually translated as “ethical life,” which forms the major third section of the lectures on The Philosophy of Right (1821). In Sittlichkeit, individuals find their identity only within an objectively existing structure of cultural meaning. This chapter argues that this fundamental aspect of Hegel’s political theory needs to be understood in terms of classical and humanist rhetorical Bildung; that is, a conception of transformative education that leads individuals into a world of foreign discourse that they learn to take on as their own. The chapter concludes by differentiating Hegel’s “hermeneutical political theory” from Rosen’s critique of “hermeneutics as politics” and connecting it with John McDowell’s philosophy of mind that likewise envisions a process of human maturation into a “space of reasons” that is a kind of second nature.
Cicero’s Orator
Authors: Connolly Joy
Published: June 2023

Contemporary political discourse enshrines concord as an ideal at the same time that it treats politics as a contest producing winners and losers. This chapter argues for a clearer normative account of the play of concord and discord in the republic that arises from the experience of oratory as a key element in citizens’ understanding of and engagement in politics. Cicero’s rhetorical dialogues and speeches show how the drive to achieve concordia or consensus thrives within a framing of politics as conflict free from physical violence. Cicero’s texts knit together productive instabilities even as the parts fail to cohere. His citizen is a virtuosic speaker actively mediating the collective will to harmony and acknowledged multiplicity—a person whose patterns of action and thought should have consequences for how we evaluate and design deliberative and judicial institutions. Drawing connections with the civic thinking of Hannah Arendt, this chapter shows that Cicero’s republican citizen is a paradoxical unity of multiple possibilities, habituated to and expressive of the irreducible plurality of the world.
International Efforts to Minimize the Use of HEU
Authors: Dalnoki-Veress Ferenc , Pomper Miles A.
Published: June 2023

The chapter highlights global efforts to reduce highly enriched uranium (HEU) use in the civilian sector, focusing on the success achieved and the challenges that remain. In recent decades, the United States and Russia have successfully shut down, or converted to low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel, nearly 100 research reactors that formerly used HEU. The chapter explores the progress in converting high-performance reactors in Europe and the US, as well as other HEU-fuelled reactors in Russia, South Africa, Kazakhstan, and Japan. The chapter also examines the global success of LEU-based molybdenum-99 production where all major suppliers have shifted to producing the isotope using LEU-based targets. Molybdenum-99 is a life-saving isotope used to diagnose heart disease, cancer, and other fatal diseases. Finally, the authors analyse the current interest in HEU-based space reactors, which could complicate worldwide efforts to reduce HEU use.
Alternative Technologies for Radioactive Sealed Sources
Authors: Englefield Chris
Published: June 2023

The use of alternative technologies in place of radioactive sealed sources are typically presented as a way of reducing radiation risks, waste management costs, and attractiveness to malicious adversaries, with net benefit to states upon their adoption. However, these premises should be examined, taking into account the broader threat context, the health economy, and other geopolitical, infrastructure, and security issues. The chapter reviews the key types of radioisotopic and alternative technologies that are currently on the market, providing examples of each. Alternative technologies cover the various medical applications of teletherapy, brachytherapy, and blood irradiation, as well as industrial applications such as non-destructive testing and process control for road building. It considers the scope and limitations of each as replacements for radioactive sealed sources. While alternative technologies may offer advantages in certain contexts, they are not yet a panacea and may never be when applied to developing countries.
Removal of Gamma Blood Irradiators in Norway
Authors: Hustveit Styrkaar , Øvergaard Sindre , Sjømoen Tone-Mette , Sollund Håvar A.
Published: June 2023

Blood irradiators employing caesium chloride sources pose a unique radiological risk due to the high activity, solubility, dispersibility and long half-life of the sources, and because they typically are installed in hospitals situated in major population centres. In Norway, all gamma-based blood irradiators were substituted with X-ray based alternatives in the years 2012–2015, resulting in a significant reduction in the risk of radiological terrorism. While some of the domestic factors leading to the successful removal of gamma-based blood irradiators are not easily transferred (e.g. the focus on security triggered by the 2011 domestic terrorist attack and the ownership structure of Norwegian hospitals and blood banks), there are several key elements in the strategy adopted in Norway that could provide valuable experience to other countries. These include an initial assessment of available alternatives through international surveys, a risk-based inspection approach, cooperation between relevant authorities, and implementation of a necessary regulatory framework. In particular, the principle of substitution in the Norwegian Radiation Protection Regulations is highlighted, which requires X-ray-based alternatives to be used rather than radioactive sources when practically achievable.
Insider Threats to Nuclear Security
Authors: Bunn Matthew
Published: June 2023

Threats from insiders—individuals with authorized access to protected locations, materials, and information—represent the most serious threats to nuclear organizations around the world. Insider threats are rare but can be devastating. Nearly all the cases of nuclear theft in which the circumstances of the theft are known were perpetrated either by insiders or with the help of insiders, as were nearly all the known cases of sabotage of nuclear facilities. Insiders pose substantial threats because they have access inside many of the layers of an organization’s security; they may understand the security system and its vulnerabilities; they are able to plan, collect intelligence from inside the facility, and recruit for months at a time; and they are known and trusted individuals, which often makes the organization slow to detect and react to possible indicators of a threat. The chapter describes several illustrative cases of devastating insider threats, outlines the categories of insider actions and motivations, and describes some of the organizational challenges of mitigating the threat. The chapter also highlights how nuclear organizations must find ways to protect against insider threats while building internal trust and cooperation needed for their success. It discusses some of the recent steps the international community has taken to address the insider issue, as well as the good practices organizations are already implementing.
The Fergana School of Poetry
Authors: Korchagin Kirill
Published: June 2023

The Fergana School is one of the most remarkable phenomena in post-Soviet poetry. Its representatives (Shamshad Abdullaev, Hamdam Zakirov, and Hamid Ismailov, closely associated with the school) proposed a project to recreate Uzbek literature in the early 1990s. This project involved inventing a new type of subjectivity akin to postcolonial subjectivity in many of its features. This chapter examines three modes of constructing this new subject: a process of rethinking Uzbek literature as part of world literature, elaborating a particular regime of visuality that distinguishes Fergana School texts, and searching for a new linguistic identity more cosmopolitan than what Uzbek language and literature could offer. This chapter examines these three themes as they appear in the Tashkent-based journal Zvezda Vostoka (Star of the East); Shamshad Abdullaev edited the journal’s poetry section from 1991 to 1996.
Understanding the Social Context of NSSI
Authors: Pollak Olivia H. , Clayton Matthew G. , Nelson Benjamin W. , Prinstein Mitchell J.
Published: June 2023

This chapter assesses recent research examining social and interpersonal factors in relation to nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), with a focus on peer relationships and peer influence processes, particularly among adolescents. It begins by discussing several domains of peer-related experiences that have been shown to cross-sectionally or longitudinally predict NSSI engagement in adolescents. These include romantic relationships, peer friendships, and experiences of peer victimization. The chapter then reviews emerging work on biophysiological responses to socially themed stress that may characterize those who engage in NSSI, and which may shed light on intraindividual mechanisms linking peer-related experiences of stress and NSSI. It also considers how exposure to others’ engagement in NSSI, particularly in peer networks, may be a potent environmental-level factor within adolescents’ social milieu that may moderate risk for NSSI. Finally, the chapter describes social—including family, peer, and romantic partner—protective factors, with important clinical implications for prevention and treatment of NSSI.