bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Total knee arthroplasty post-high tibial osteotomy, results of an early experience from a North African arthroplasty unit, and a comprehensive review of the literature
Authors: Abdelaal Ahmed M. , Khalifa Ahmed A.
Published: September 2023

Purpose

To report an early experience after converting HTO to TKA by reporting the incidence of functional, radiological, and complications in a single surgeon case series from a North African specialized arthroplasty unit.

Methods

Between 2010 and 2020, 33 knees in 31 patients (two bilateral) were operated upon, 24 females and seven males, had a mean age of 65 ± 4.5 years; 17 (51.5%) knees had medial wedge opening (WMO), while 16 (48.5%) had lateral wedge closure (LWC) osteotomies. The mean time from HTO to TKA was 8.1 ± 3.3 years. A posterior stabilized (PS) implant was used in 31 (93.9%), while in 2 (6.1%), a varus–valgus constrained (VVC) implant was used. A tibial stem was needed in 13 (39.4%) knees. The functional assessment was performed according to the Knee Society Scoring System (KSS). The radiographic assessment included the anatomical femorotibial angle (aFTA) for alignment, the medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA), and the tibial slope (TS).

Results

After a mean follow-up of 4.3 ± 1.1 years, the KSS knee and function sub-scores improved from a preoperative mean of 41 ± 8.9 (26 to 57) and 37.7 ± 9.2 (25 to 55) points to 91.3 ± 3.8 (81 to 94) and 85.5 ± 5 (80 to 95) points at the last follow-up, respectively (P < 0.05). The preoperative knee flexion improved from a mean of 84.5° ± 15.9 (55 to 110) to 110.6° ± 9.3 (95 to 125) (P < 0.05). The aFTA improved from a preoperative mean of 182.2° ± 10.3 (164 to 205) to a postoperative mean of 186° ± 2.6 (179 to 190) (P < 0.05). The MPTA changed from a preoperative mean of 88.4° ± 6.7 (77 to 102) to a postoperative (tibial component alignment) mean of 90° ± 1.7 (85 to 94) (P < 0.05). The mean preoperative TS changed from 80.9° ± 7.3 (68 to 96) to a mean postoperative of 86.9° ± 1.3 (83 to 89) (P < 0.05). Non-progressive radiolucent lines were detected at the tibial component in four (12%) knees. Complications were reported in seven (21.2%) knees; no revision was needed in any knee.

Conclusions

The authors’ early experience showed improved functional and radiological outcomes; however, the complication incidence was relatively high, but no knees required revision. A longer follow-up is mandatory to prove the consistency of the results.
Scoliosis in osteogenesis imperfecta: identifying the genetic and non-genetic factors affecting severity and progression from longitudinal data of 290 patients
Authors: Chen Peikai , Zhou Yapeng , Tan Zhijia , Lin Yunzhi , Lin Daniel Li-Liang , Wu Jingwei , Li Zeluan , Shek Hiu Tung , Wu Jianbin , Hu Yong , Zhu Feng , Chan Danny , Cheung Kenneth Man-Chee , To Michael Kai-Tsun
Published: September 2023

Background

Scoliosis is widely prevalent among osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) patients, and is progressive with age. However, factors affecting scoliosis in OI are not well known.

Methods

We retrospectively retrieved longitudinal radiographic and clinical records of consecutive OI patients seeking treatments at our hospital from 2014 to 2022, graded their pre-operative spinal conditions into four outcome groups, estimated their progression rates, and descriptively and inferentially analyzed the genetic and non-genetic factors that may affect the outcomes and progression rates.

Results

In all, 290 OI patients met the inclusion criteria, where 221 had genetic records. Of these 221, about 2/3 had mutations in COL1A1 or COL1A2, followed by mutations in WNT1 (9.0%), IFITM5 (9.0%) and other OI risk genes. With an average age of 12.0 years (interquartile range [IQR] 6.9–16.1), 70.7% of the cohort had scoliosis (Cobb angle > 10°), including 106 (36.5%) mild (10°–25°), 40 (13.8%) moderate (25°–50°), and 59 (20.3%) severe (> 50°) scoliosis patients. Patients with either COL1A1 and COL1A2 were strongly biased toward having mild or no scoliosis, whereas patients with mutations in IFITM5, WNT1 and other recessive genes were more evenly distributed among the four outcome grades. Lower-limb discrepancy, bone mineral density (BMD) and age of first drug used were all significantly correlated with severity outcomes. Using multivariate logistic regression, we estimated that each year older adds an odds ratio of 1.13 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07–1.2) in progression into advanced stages of scoliosis. We estimated a cohort-wide progression rate of 2.7 degrees per year (95% CI 2.4–3.0). Early-onset patients experienced fast progressions during both infantile and adolescent stages. Twenty-five of the 59 (42.8%) patients with severe scoliosis underwent spinal surgeries, enjoying an average Cobb angle reduction of 33° (IQR 23–40) postoperatively.

Conclusion

The severity and progression of scoliosis in osteogenesis imperfecta were affected by genetic factors including genotypes and mutation types, and non-genetic factors including age and BMD. As compared with COL1A1, mutations in COL1A2 were less damaging while those on IFITM5 and other recessive genes conferred damaging effects. Progression rates were the fastest in the adolescent adult age-group.
Effect of chamomile intake on blood coagulation tests in healthy volunteers: a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial
Authors: Schwartz Jonathon A. , Romeiser Jamie L. , Kimura Reona , Senzel Lisa , Galanakis Dennis , Halper Darcy , Mena Shayla , Bennett-Guerrero Elliott
Published: September 2023

Background

Chamomile is consumed worldwide for enjoyment and its potentially desirable properties. Widespread patient resource websites, however, discourage preoperative chamomile intake, lest bleeding could worsen. This precaution, though, stems largely from indirect evidence in one case report. To evaluate if chamomile ingestion impacts coagulation assays via coumarin-like substances, we designed a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study.

Materials and methods

Healthy volunteers were randomized to three interventions in a cross-over-design spanning 5 weeks per subject. Interventions included 7-day consumption of chamomile tea (3 tea bags × 3 times daily = 9 tea bags daily), a chamomile extract capsule (3 times daily), or a placebo capsule (3 times daily). A 7-day washout period elapsed between intervention periods. The primary outcome was the change in prothrombin time (PT) before vs. after each intervention. Secondary outcomes included changes in the international normalized ratio (INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), thrombin time (TT), reptilase time (RT), and fibrinogen (FG) surrounding each intervention.

Results

All 12 enrolled subjects were randomized and completed the study. The primary outcome of PT change (mean ± SD) was similar across interventions (chamomile tea =  − 0.2 ± 0.4 s, extract capsule =  − 0.2 ± 0.4 s, and placebo capsule = 0.1 ± 0.5 s; p = 0.34). INR change was 0 s (p = 0.07) for each intervention. The aPTT, TT, RT, and FG, did not change significantly across interventions (p = 0.8, p = 0.08, p = 0.8, and p = 0.2 respectively).

Conclusions

Chamomile intake by tea or capsule does not prolong PT. These findings challenge the notion to avoid perioperative chamomile intake in patients not taking warfarin.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05006378; Principal Investigator: Jonathon Schwartz, M.D.; Registered August 16, 2021.
How social media usage affects psychological and subjective well-being: testing a moderated mediation model
Authors: Zhang Chang’an , Tang Lingjie , Liu Zhifang
Published: September 2023

Background

A growing body of literature demonstrates that social media usage has witnessed a rapid increase in higher education and is almost ubiquitous among young people. The underlying mechanisms as to how social media usage by university students affects their well-being are unclear. Moreover, current research has produced conflicting evidence concerning the potential effects of social media on individuals' overall well-being with some reporting negative outcomes while others revealing beneficial results.

Methods

To address the research gap, the present research made an attempt to investigate the crucial role of social media in affecting students’ psychological (PWB) and subjective well-being (SWB) by testing the mediating role of self-esteem and online social support and the moderation effect of cyberbullying. The data in the study were obtained from a sample of 1,004 college students (483 females and 521 males, Mage = 23.78, SD = 4.06) enrolled at 135 Chinese universities. AMOS 26.0 and SPSS 26.0 as well as the Process macro were utilized for analyzing data and testing the moderated mediation model.

Results

Findings revealed that social media usage by university students was positively associated with their PWB and SWB through self-esteem and online social support, and cyberbullying played a moderating role in the first phase of the mediation process such that the indirect associations were weak with cyberbullying reaching high levels.

Conclusion

These findings highlight the importance of discerning the mechanisms moderating the mediated paths linking social media usage by young adults to their PWB and SWB. The results also underline the importance of implementing measures and interventions to alleviate the detrimental impacts of cyberbullying on young adults’ PWB and SWB.
Relationship between gamer profiles, gaming behavior, sociodemographic characteristics, and big five personality traits among French law students
Authors: Vera Cruz Germano , Barrault-Méthy Anne-Marie , Bove Marion Del , Nauge Michael
Published: September 2023

Background

Over the past 10 years, gamer profiles have been developed to understand the reason underlying players’ intrinsic motivation. While the research undertaken has led to the creation of distinct models (e.g., BrainHex and Hexad typologies), there is a lack of studies on the prevalence of these profiles among a specific population and the association between the target population’s profiles and their personality traits, gaming behavior, and sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods

Thus, the present study aimed to (a) establish the gamer profiles of French undergraduate law students, (b) examine the relationships between the participants’ profiles and their personality traits, gaming behavior, and sociodemographic characteristics, with a view to the development of serious games specifically intended for this population. In total, 753 French undergraduate students participated in the study, completing an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), chi-square, and ANOVA.

Results

The main findings show that among participants, the two most prevalent gamers’ profiles are Mastermind (45%) and Seeker (22.7%); followed by three less represented archetypes: Conqueror (12.9%), Daredevil (9.7%), and Achiever (9.7%). These archetypes are associated with the participants’ Big Five personality traits. Specifically, Daredevils, Masterminds, and Seekers have high mean scores on Extraversion (p < .001); Achievers and Seekers have high mean scores on Agreeableness (p < .001); Seekers and Achievers have high mean scores on Neuroticism (p < .001); and Seekers, Masterminds, and Achievers have high mean scores on Openness (p < .001). The unveiled profiles are also significantly associated with the participants’ gaming behavior including their playing frequency (p < .001), game types (p = .031), and sociodemographic characteristics (p < .001). For example, Masterminds are more likely to be female than the other four profiles (p < .001), while Conquerors and Daredevils are more likely to have a low socio-economic status compared to those with intermediate and high socio-economic status (p = .49).

Conclusion

These findings can be used to design serious/educational games tailored to the studied population.
Real-World Survival of First-Line Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment Versus Chemotherapy in Older Patients With Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer and Synchronous Brain Metastases
Authors: Mahashabde Ruchira , Bhatti Sajjad A. , Martin Bradley C. , Painter Jacob T. , Rodriguez Analiz , Ying Jun , Li Chenghui
Published: September 2023

1st-line checkpoint inhibitors boost survival in older patients with NSCLC & brain mets over chemo
Coupling between atoms and localized modes in a defect-free quasiperiodic photonic crystal
Authors: Xu Xing-Sheng , Gao Yong-hao
Published: September 2023

In this study, the evolution spectrum and emission dynamics of atoms in a defect-free quasiperiodic photonic crystal are studied. Quasiperiodic photonic crystal have advantages over periodic photonic crystal in terms of abundant and strong localized modes due to the quasiperiodic and self-approximation structures of quasiperiodic photonic crystal. The localized modes exhibit extremely large local density of states and high-quality factors in the quasiperiodic photonic crystal. The frequencies of the large local density of states of the localized modes do not depend on the polarization and the position in a particular area in the quasiperiodic photonic crystals. Due to the extremely large local density of states in the defect-free quasiperiodic photonic crystal, strong coupling between the atom and the localized mode in the quasiperiodic photonic crystal can easily occur. Correspondingly, the population of the excited state displays Rabi oscillation, and the emission spectrum of the atom splits into two peaks. Moreover, the Rabi oscillation and the evolution spectrum of the dressed atom depend on the radiation linewidth.
On the Andrew J. Kappel Prize Essay
Authors: Foley Barbara
Published: September 2023

The winner of this year’s prize is Conrad Steel’s “Standard Forms: Modernism, Market Research, and ‘Howl.’” The judge is Barbara Foley, Emerita Distinguished Professor of English at Rutgers University-Newark. Foley’s chief scholarly and political interests are in the fields of African American literature, US literary radicalism, and Marxist literary criticism. Her most recent book is Marxist Literary Criticism Today (2019). She is past president of the Radical Caucus of the Modern Language Association and currently serves on the editorial board and manuscript collective of Science & Society.
A Sense of Displacement: Stuart Hall’s Art of Living
Authors: Scott David
Published: September 2023

This essay reflects on the sources of Stuart Hall’s sensibility, in particular the sense of displacement that pervaded much of his work.
Widening Horizons
Authors: Warner-Lewis Maureen
Published: September 2023

The transformation of Maureen Warner-Lewis’s intellectual career from colonial to postcolonial shaping was gradual and sometimes fortuitous. It involved a bifurcation in disciplines, evolving from English literary developments into Afro-Caribbean social and linguistic history. Linguistic fieldwork further led into concerns with religious, culinary, and musical folkways, as well as biographical investigation. Outlines of Warner-Lewis’s writings on the Caribbean and on Caribbean cultures inspired by Yoruba, Igbo, and Kongo matrices are presented.
Haitian Mawonaj, the “Picaroons,” and Re-centering the Maritime Dimensions of Maroon History
Authors: Gonzalez Johnhenry
Published: September 2023

The memory and language of colonial marronage shape the zeitgeist and the wider history of Haiti as nation. This essay takes as its point of departure the recent use of small boats by armed gangs in Haiti to revisit the shipboard dimensions of marronage and the country’s history of “picaroon” warfare. Attempting to consider the condition of instability and ungovernability and the current crises of Haiti in light of Maroon histories poses the question of whether the concept of “social banditry” has any value when generalized banditry comes to permeate an entire country amid the widespread breakdown of society itself.
“Touching the Author's Mind”: Judgment and Intention in Jasper Heywood's Translations of Seneca
Authors: Durdel Patrick
Published: September 2023

This essay draws on the prefatory material in Jasper Heywood's translations of three Senecan tragedies—Troas (1559), Thyestes (1560), and Hercules Furens (1561)—to show that a focus on judgment helps to expound Heywood's theory of translation. The judgments envisioned in these prefatory texts, namely, the evaluative judgments of others and the philological judgments required of the translator, highlight Heywood's understanding of Seneca's original intention as the only true measure of the English translations. For Heywood, there can be no “intentional fallacy” because intention is the only remedy against the difficulties of translation (complexity of the Latin original, deficient sources, unreliability of the printed text). Ultimately Heywood's efforts to approximate Seneca's original “sense,” culminating in the creation of a fictional Seneca, endow the translator with an authorial intention.
The writing of intimacy
Authors: Φαλαγκάς Νικόλαος
Published: September 2023

Τα ελληνικά προσωπικά ημερολόγια που έχουν έως τώρα δημοσιευτεί δεν έχουν αποτελέσει αντικείμενο συστηματικής μελέτης και τα ιδιαίτερα χαρακτηριστικά του είδους αυτού της νεοελληνικής γραμματείας παραμένουν σε μεγάλο βαθμό αδιερεύνητα. Σε θεωρητικά κείμενα που αφορούν το προσωπικό ημερολόγιο έχουν επισημανθεί τρία βασικά χαρακτηριστικά αυτού του είδους γραφής: η ύπαρξη ημερομηνιών που χωρίζουν το ημερολογιακό κείμενο σε εγγραφές, η ποικιλομορφία του περιεχομένου και η παρουσία του χαρακτηριστικού της οικειότητας (intimité). Τα χαρακτηριστικά αυτά μπορούν να βρεθούν και στα νεοελληνικά προσωπικά ημερολόγια τα οποία εξετάζονται, δηλαδή στα Φύλλα ημερολογίου (1895-1920· πρώτη έκδοση 1985-1988) του Ίωνος Δραγούμη, τις Μέρες (1925-1960· πρώτη έκδοση 1973-1990) του Γιώργου Σεφέρη και τα Τετράδια ημερολογίου (1939-1953· πρώτη έκδοση 1987) του Γιώργου Θεοτοκά. Το στοιχείο της οικειότητας, η οποία είναι το αποτέλεσμα της έμφασης στην εσωτερική ζωή του ημερολογιογράφου, μοιάζει να είναι το βασικό χαρακτηριστικό των τριών αυτών ελληνικών προσωπικών ημερολογίων. Επηρεάζει το αντικείμενο του ημερολογιακού λόγου, δηλαδή το θέμα των εγγραφών, αλλά και τη διατύπωσή τους, ενώ ευθύνεται ακόμη για μια ιδιότυπη διάδραση, η οποία παρατηρείται σε ορισμένες εγγραφές, μεταξύ του ημερολογιογράφου και του ημερολογιακού κειμένου. Η οικειότητα μπορεί να εντοπιστεί όχι μόνο σε εγγραφές που συνδέονται με τον εαυτό, αλλά και σε εγγραφές που αφορούν άλλους ανθρώπους ή ακόμα και την εξωτερική πραγματικότητα. Η συχνότητα των εγγραφών που εμφανίζουν το στοιχείο της οικειότητας και οι πολλοί και συχνά απροσδόκητοι τρόποι με τους οποίους το στοιχείο αυτό επηρεάζει, διαμορφώνει και καθορίζει τη γραφή και το περιεχόμενο των τριών προσωπικών ημερολογίων καταδεικνύουν πως η οικειότητα είναι ένα θεμελιώδες χαρακτηριστικό τους.
Moral injury and the four pillars of bioethics
Authors: Heston Thomas F , Pahang Joshuel A
Published: September 2023

Health care providers experience moral injury when their internal ethics are violated. The routine and direct exposure to ethical violations makes clinicians vulnerable to harm. The fundamental ethics in health care typically fall into the four broad categories of patient autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and social justice. Patients have a moral right to determine their own goals of medical care, that is, they have autonomy. When this principle is violated, moral injury occurs. Beneficence is the desire to help people, so when the delivery of proper medical care is obstructed for any reason, moral injury is the result. Nonmaleficence, meaning do no harm, has been a primary principle of medical ethics throughout recorded history. Yet today, even the most advanced and safest medical treatments are associated with unavoidable, harmful side effects. When an inevitable side effect occurs, the patient is harmed, and the clinician is also at risk of moral injury. Social injustice results when patients experience suboptimal treatment due to their race, gender, religion, or other demographic variables. While minor ethical dilemmas and violations routinely in medical care and cannot be eliminated, clinicians can decrease the prevalence of a significant moral injury by advocating for the ethical treatment of patients, not only at the bedside but also by addressing the ethics of political influence, governmental mandates, and administrative burdens on the delivery of optimal medical care. Although clinicians can strengthen their resistance to moral injury by deepening their own spiritual foundation, that is not enough. Improvements in the ethics of the healthcare system as a whole are necessary to improve medical care and decrease moral injury.
Validación de una escala del Modelo Ampliado de Aceptación de la Tecnología en el contexto dominicano
Authors: Rodríguez-Sabiote Clemente , Valerio-Peña Ana Teresa , Batista-Almonte Roberto
Published: September 2023

El fin del presente artículo ha sido adaptar y validar una Escala del Modelo Ampliado de Aceptación de la Tecnología para su utilización en el contexto universitario de República Dominicana. La muestra ha ascendido a 327 estudiantes pertenecientes a diversas instituciones de educación superior de carácter público y privado de la República Dominicana. Se han aplicado sendos análisis factoriales, exploratorio (AFE) y confirmatorio (AFC), análisis de fiabilidad e invarianza factorial para comprobar la equivalencia por género. El AFE reveló la pentadimensionalidad de la escala confirmada posteriormente por el AFC implementado. La fiabilidad como consistencia interna también ha resultado muy alta. Finalmente, la invarianza fac­torial denota que la estructura factorial es similar en hombres vs mujeres. Podemos concluir, que la escala es consistente, valida e invariante para determinar el aprendizaje percibido en entornos virtuales de enseñanza-aprendizaje dentro del modelo ampliado de aceptación de la tecnología en el contexto dominicano.
Associação entre violência e prática de atividades físicas: uma análise bibliométrica da produção científica na Web of Science
Authors: Rodrigues Phillipe Ferreira , Mendonça Vanessa Souza , Azevedo-Ferreira Maxwel de , Palma Alexandre
Published: September 2023

Estudos bibliométricos na área da educação física ainda são relativamente raros, especialmente tratando-se das relações entre atividades físicas e violência. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi realizar uma análise bibliométrica da produção científica relacionada à associação entre violência e prática de atividades físicas. Foi realizada uma pesquisa na base de dados Web of Science, através de busca com palavras-chave adequadas e extração de dados a partir do software VantagePoint V.8. Trabalhou-se, ao final, com um total de 2.163 artigos. Os autores que mais produziram a respeito do tema foram James F. Sallis (EUA), Ester Cerin (Austrália), Billie Giles-Corti (Austrália). O primeiro autor aparece, ainda, como o mais citado. Os Estados Unidos aparecem como o país com maior produção científica, enquanto a University of California como a instituição que lidera as pesquisas sobre o tema. A área de pesquisa mais frequente nas publicações sobre o tema foi a Public, Environmental & Occupational Health. Foi possível concluir que existe uma rede de pesquisadores organizados, sendo James F. Sallis o pesquisador central. Os estudos ocorrem predominantemente, em países mais desenvolvidos e com menores taxas de homicídios, enquanto os países da América Latina, com as maiores taxas de homicídios, desenvolveram poucas pesquisas sobre o tema.
Efficient Decentralized Multi-agent Learning in Asymmetric Bipartite Queueing Systems
Authors: Freund Daniel , Lykouris Thodoris , Weng Wentao
Published: September 2023

New Algorithm Enables Efficient Decentralized Learning in Bipartite Queueing Systems

Bipartite queueing systems, where agents with individual job queues request service from a pool of heterogeneous servers, are standard models for service applications like data networks and call centers. Traditionally, a central controller schedules agent requests with full knowledge of system parameters. However, emerging applications require decentralized operation without this central coordination or complete system information. This presents challenges as agents lack the global knowledge needed to efficiently route jobs. Recent research into efficient decentralized learning algorithms for such systems faces limitations in nonoptimal throughput, demanding computations, or degrading efficiency with exponential queue growth. In contrast, this paper introduces an algorithm that enables queues to efficiently learn decentralized scheduling policies while ensuring throughput optimality. The approach is computationally lightweight, achieving queue length bounds that scale polynomially rather than exponentially in system size. Experiments demonstrate faster convergence and robustness of our algorithm compared with prior decentralized algorithms.
Sulphur Treatments Influence the Yield and its Components in Brassica campestris Linn. Cv. Pusa Gold
Authors: Iqbal Arshid , Ahmad Dar* Fayaz
Published: September 2023

Sulphur dioxide is one of the critical phytotoxic air pollutant in some areas with low rainfall and irrigated agriculture. It is the most significant gaseous pollutant in some countries, based on its mass emissions, impact area and toxicity. Therefore, the present study as a field trial was conducted to assess the effect of sulphur (S) on the yield and its components of Brassica campestris Linn. cv. Pusa Gold. During the present study, five different treatments of sulphur (150, 300, 450, 600 and 750 µg mL-1) were used and compared against the control (0 µg mL-1) at three developmental stages of crop growth. The nutrient sulphur was provided in the form of sodium meta-bisulphite (Na2S2O5). Three replications of each treatment were administered in a randomized block design for the treatments. The following variables were examined at various time intervals: the number of siliquae per plant, the number of seeds per siliquae, the seed yield, the biological yield, the harvest index, the N: S ratio in seeds, the oil content and the oil yield. The effect of the foliar-applied sulphur pollutant on the yield and its components of B. campestris Linn. cv. Pusa Gold revealed that lower concentrations of foliar-applied sulphur were conducive for the growth and yield of the crops, as rapeseed is a crop species with high sulphur demand. Still, with the increase in the concentration of sulphur, a reduction in the number of siliquae per plant, the number of seeds per siliquae, the seed yield, the biological yield, the harvest index, the N: S ratio in seeds, the oil content and the oil yield was noticed.
In Vitro Evaluation of Botanicals Against Fusarium Oxysporum Causing Wilt of Cumin
Authors: Jagani Bhavna , Parmar Minaxi , Patel V N , Prakash Vishwakarma* Nutan
Published: September 2023

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L), known as Zeera or Jill, belongs to the Apiaceae family. Cumin is an essential seed herb in India. The most feared disease of cumin plants is Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum, and it is a significant production constraint for growing cumin crops in Gujarat as in India. Seven different plant species have been used for the environmentally friendly treatment of this disease. Crude plant extracts were prepared with water, acetone, and cow urine as solvents at different concentrations (5%, 10%, and 15%). The in vitro antifungal activity of these plant extracts was determined by the poisoned food method. The highest inhibition was recorded with plant extracts prepared in acetone followed by cow urine. All plants showed significant antifungal activity. The highest inhibition was found with Senna alexandrina (85.53%) extract with acetone followed by Azadirachtaindic (82.72%) extract with acetone and 77.70% by Psidium guajava prepared with cow urine (at p ≤ 0.01). The lowest inhibition was recorded for Aloe barbadensis miller (35.49%) and Asparagus racemosus 48.74% with water extract. This study might be the first report of Fusarium oxysporum as a causal agent of cumin wilt in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat in India. A plant extract prepared with cow urine may be the first report of this study.
Antibacterial Activity and Phytochemical Screening of Tagetus erecta L. and Pelargonium Graveolens Against Xanthomonas Axonopodis Pv. Punicae
Authors: Aruna* G. L.
Published: September 2023

The antibacterial activity of selected medicinal plants namely Tagetus erecta L. and Pelargonium graveolens extracts was studied against Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. Punicae, the causative agent of Bacterial blight of Punica granatum. The plants are selected based on their traditional use as medicinal plants.The water, ethanol and methanol extracts of Tagetusr erecta L. and Pelargonium graveolens were used for antibacterial activity assay by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Among these extracts, only methanol extract of Taget erecta L.has showed substantial antibacterial activity against Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. Punicaeand all other extracts showed less antibacterial activity.The phytochemical constituents such asalkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, proteins, resins, proteins, saponins, terpenoids, steroids, and glycosides were found to be present in selected plant extracts as per preliminary phytochemical investigation. Only methanol extract showed maximum inhibition zone and all other extracts of Tagetus erecta and extracts of Pelargonium graveolens have showed less inhibition activity against Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. Punicae. The Minimum inhibitory Concentration and Minimum bacteriocidal concentration of Tagetus erecta L. methanol extract was found to be 25mg/ml and 25mg/ml respectively. Our study revealed the possible application of Tagetus erecta L. methanol extract in the management of Bacterial blight of Punica granatum.
Impact of Cymbidium mosaic virus on Native and Cultivated Orchids in Western Ghat - Kerala.
Authors: M M* Safeer , S. Thara Susha
Published: September 2023

Cymbidium mosaic virus (CymMV) and Odontoglossum ringspot virus (ORSV) are two major orchid viruses detected in native and imported orchid plants of India. These viruses are growth debilitating with high stability and high spread rates. A survey was conducted in eight districts of Kerala for detecting the prevalence of CymMV and ORSV in native and cultivated orchid plants. DAC- ELISA technique using specific antibodies for CymMV and ORSV was used to detect viruses in collected orchid samples. The presence of CymMV was detected in all orchid nurseries surveyed, and the incidence varied from five to 100% in different areas. The coat protein of the CymMV strain was cloned and sequenced and its similar sequences were observed against the available database, and it was found to be more related to foreign strains. It was confirmed that the plants acquired the infection either during importation or later during close maintenance in the nurseries post-importation. Whereas the wild population of orchids surveyed from the Western Ghat of Kerala, did not test positive for CymMV, they were able to take up the infection upon artificial inoculation. CymMV is highly contagious and can easily transmit through infected plant sap, there is a greater possibility of spread of this virus to other orchids when kept in its vicinity. Even though CymMV was not a quarantined pathogen, there are possibilities of its spread to the native wild orchid population, and it may have unfavourable results, especially in the biodiversity hotspots like the Western Ghats of Kerala.
Efficacy of Inmpractices on Growth and Yield of Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum L.)
Authors: Saini Abhay , Pal* Krishan , Khanna Richa , Kumar Saini Hitesh , Singh Virendra
Published: September 2023

The present research work entitled “Efficacy of INM practices on growth and yield of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)” was carried out at Agricultural Research Farm, IFTM University, Moradabad during summer season of 2020 laid out in randomized block design consisting of fifteen treatment combinations with three replications. The experimental results revealed that treatment T10 (100 % RDF + Vermicompost + PSB Root dip) resulted in highest values of growth parameters such as plant height, number of primary branches and plant spread at 30, 45 and 60 days after transplanting. The significantly highest value of weight per fruit was recorded in treatment T10 (98.77 g) though it was found to be statistically at par with treatmentT11 (96.30 g) and statistically superior to all other treatments in the experiment. The treatment T10 being at par with treatment T11 recorded significantly highest value of number of fruits per plant (29.20 and 28.27, respectively), weight of fruits per plant (2.88 and 2.66 kg/plant, respectively), fruit yield of tomato (78.77 t/ha and 75.80 t/ha, respectively) as compared to all other treatments.
Personalising care for patients: implementing a treatment summary folder following cytoreductive surgery
Authors: Evans Victoria , Taher Rayan , Tzivanakis Alexios , Perkins Siân , Westbrook Samantha , Clarke Alison , Andrews Louisa , Stanford Sophia
Published: September 2023

Background:

A patient survey highlighted that patients treated with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) at one NHS trust lacked confidence with the transition of care between teams. A personalised folder of treatment information was designed and given to patients prior to discharge.

Aims:

To obtain patient feedback on the implementation and content of the folder.

Methods:

30 consecutive patients were given the folder at discharge. Participants completed an online questionnaire to determine whether the information in the folder was appropriate, given at the right time in the pathway and enhanced confidence on discharge.

Findings:

90% response rate was achieved. Of the respondents, 96% strongly agreed/agreed that the folder was helpful, 4% disagreed; 92% strongly agreed/agreed that the amount of information was right, 8% preferred more information, none less; 74% agreed/strongly agreed that the folder was provided at the right time; 96% said that the content met their expectations.

Conclusion:

Patients treated with CRS and HIPEC have specific needs related to their treatment. Implementation of the patient information folder at discharge increases patient confidence.
Chronic disease and economics
Authors: Winter George
Published: September 2023

With increasing numbers of people suffering from long-term conditions, George Winter asks to what extent medicine is grounded in humanitarian endeavour or merely the pursuit of cash
Present Status of the Effectiveness of the Patch Test Reagent for Titanium Hypersensitivity
Authors: Koike Mari , Susan Hummel , Hiraba Haruto , Shimoe Saiji
Published: September 2023

Titanium and titanium alloys have been used for dental implants, due to their excellent biocompatibility and suitable mechanical properties. The frequency in use of titanium and titanium alloys for dental applications has gradually increased. For example, in 2020, a Japanese insurance approved the use of pure titanium for posterior molars as a metallic cast crown. Titanium alloys have also been used for frameworks of removable partial denture. Allergic reactions to titanium and titanium alloys are rare but do occur. One theory of unexplained implant loss is that the patient is hypersensitive to titanium. The hypersensitivity causes an inflammatory reaction to the implant body and failure to osseointegrate, resulting in implant failure. The patch test for diagnosis of titanium hypersensitivity has been unreliable because the result of the patch test does not match the clinical symptoms. Standard titanium reagents for patch tests are needed for accurate diagnosis of titanium hypersensitivity to prevent the failure of implants.

The objective of this review was to evaluate literature reporting the status of allergic diagnosis for titanium hypersensitivity and analyze the results mentioned. Based on these results, a possible standardization of the titanium reagent for the patch test were discussed. These searched literatures indicated that further national and/or registry based studies will be needed to better inform clinical practice and to identify the scale of metal sensitivity, clear diagnostic criteria, and long-term clinical performance data on hypoallergenic implants.
Introduction
Authors: Griffin Patrick
Published: September 2023

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the impact of the age of revolution. After the New Yorkers tore down the statue of King George III in Manhattan, the spirit of liberty, almost like a current of electricity, coursed across America. It then traveled to France, throughout the Continent and the Caribbean, back to the British Isles, and eventually found its way to Latin America and Africa. The ensuing conflagration destroyed empires and saw a new understanding of the sovereign power of the state arise from these ashes. It would, in time, outlaw slavery, remake reigning ideas of political economy, refashion the status of women, and shake the political landscape. As monuments throughout Brazil, Spanish America, all of Europe, Britain and Ireland, North America, the Caribbean, and West Africa attest, the Atlantic was turned upside down in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The chapter explains that the focus of the book is on the first society to experience revolutionary tumult, British North America. The American case illustrates how an age of empire became an era of revolution because of a crisis of connection.
Epilogue
Authors: Griffin Patrick
Published: September 2023

This epilogue reflects on the debates on when the age of revolution really ended. Those who cut out Latin America could argue for 1799, with the rest being “climax and denouement,” or, perhaps, 1804 with the end of the Haitian Revolution. There is even a case for the very beginning of the twentieth century, after the last republics in the Americas, Brazil and Cuba, came into being. In the United States, the cause of the American Revolution lived on even if revolution had ostensibly ended. For Europe, the case proves more fraught; the age echoed beyond those places that had emerged from the crucible of revolution. Ultimately, the age continued to inspire and could occasion new instances of violence, liberation, and state formation.
Early Botany
Authors: Flannery Maura C.
Published: September 2023

In the mid-sixteenth century, the Italian botanist Luca Ghini was among the first to create an herbarium and spread the practice among his students and colleagues. Ghini was also director of the first botanic garden at Pisa. This was a source of live plants to complement dried specimens, which had the advantage of being available for study all year. These tools were essential to early modern botany developing at the time, as were careful observations documented in written descriptions and drawings such as those of the Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner. Detailing the new interest in plants were the first printed herbals with good illustrations, beginning with Otto Brunfel’s 1530 work. By the end of the century, botanists like Carolus Clusius had gone beyond the earlier focus on medicinal plants and were describing new species being brought into Europe by explorers.
The Technology and Art of Herbaria
Authors: Flannery Maura C.
Published: September 2023

Paper was the tool most used by botanists in creating and using herbarium specimens: to dry and mount plants, to take notes, to publish ideas, to package specimens for transport when sharing their work. In the sixteenth century, printing was still a relatively new technology and an important one to botanists since not only could books communicate their ideas broadly, but woodcut illustrations provided accurate information about plants that was often difficult to convey in words. Botanical artists were influenced by the naturalistic art being produced at the time, and printing had the advantage of accurate replication of images in a way that hadn’t been possible earlier with manuscripts. Botanists also experimented with different ways of presenting specimens and images, sometimes arranging them next to each other on a page or even painting in missing portions of specimens.
Evolution and Botany
Authors: Flannery Maura C.
Published: September 2023

Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, the concept of descent with modification, was influenced by his interest in plants. He collected specimens during his five-year voyage around the world and sent them to his Cambridge University mentor, John Henslow. Later, the British botanist Joseph Hooker identified many as new species, some found on only one island in the Galapagos, much like the finches Darwin had collected. Since Darwin emphasized variation within species, pinning down a species’ defining characteristics became more significant. This heightened interest in type specimens, those used by the person who published the first description of the species. These became particularly important holdings in herbaria, as did vouchers, specimens used in research projects.
Origins
Authors: Chatonnet Françoise Briquel , Debié Muriel
Published: September 2023

This chapter explores the origins of the Syriac dialect. Syriac is a dialect of Aramaic, a Semitic language that is most notably related to Hebrew and Arabic but which is more precisely part of the Northwest Semitic language group. The culture that is known as “Syriac” is the heir to a millennium of Aramaic culture and history, which the chapter extrapolates at length. In particular, however, the chapter focuses on Edessa, the capital of a kingdom, Osrhoene, whose borders are still unknown. Osrhoene was a cosmopolitan region. To the old Aramaic population of the region were added settlers from Greece, Macedonia, and Syria, along with their families.
Diaspora and Encounters with the West
Authors: Chatonnet Françoise Briquel , Debié Muriel
Published: September 2023

This chapter recounts the upheavals for the Syriac Christians in the Near East after the dissolution of the Crusader kingdoms and the Islamization of the Mongol world. These events, at the end of the 13th century, resulted in an anti-Christian reaction by the Mamluks and marked the beginning of a decline among the churches. The establishment of the Ottoman Empire and its expansion into northern Mesopotamia at the beginning of the 16th century stabilized the situation. At around the same time, relations developed between the Syriac churches and Europe. Beginning in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the arrival and competition of Protestant and Catholic missionaries, the birth of nationalism, and European orientalism all combined to create a nationalist “awakening” among some Syriac-speaking Christians, who would henceforth call themselves Assyrians or Chaldeans. The creation of an identity-based memory reappropriated imagery from ancient Assyria together with the preservation of writing and classical language.
Theoderic In The Eyes Of Contemporaries
Authors: Wiemer Hans-Ulrich , Dillon John Noël
Published: September 2023

This chapter explores writings about Theoderic the Great from his time. It first considers literature as a historic source and the challenges that come with using sources whose context with which modern scholars are no longer familiar. More written sources survive for Theoderic and his Goths than for any other leader or state of his time, excepting the Roman Empire itself. Among these written sources, it is texts designated “literature” according to contemporary understanding that this chapter focuses on for their length and informational value. They are linguistic works of art that are influenced by both formal conventions and the individual creative will of their authors. After examining the writings of the authors Ennodius, Anonymus, and Procopius, the chapter turns inward from these authors' outside perspectives to more personal testimonies of Theoderic. Thus, it takes a look at texts written by a man who held several high offices under Theoderic and also played an important political part under his first successors—Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator.
THEODERIC’S DUAL STATE
Authors: Wiemer Hans-Ulrich , Dillon John Noël
Published: September 2023

This chapter examines aspects of Theoderic the Great's rule. It begins with an exploration of Theoderic's court, and in doing so, discusses the complicated basis of Theoderic's legitimacy as ruler, as multiple parties have multiple different expectations of him as a ruler, and he must be able to satisfy them all. After that, the chapter considers Theoderic's ruling style, including the empire's bureaucratic apparatus, and how his leadership style had fundamentally changed from his time as king of a Gothic army. Here, the central ministries of his kingdom, situated in Theoderic's preferred residence of Ravenna, are studied. From there, the chapter expands outward to the nuances of regional administration under Theoderic's rule. Finally, it considers Theoderic's administrative system within its historical context.
Theoderic The Great: Metamorphoses Of A Figure
Authors: Wiemer Hans-Ulrich , Dillon John Noël
Published: September 2023

This chapter turns to historical depictions of Theoderic the Great and how he was treated by scholars in various time periods. It starts with one of Theoderic's longtime chroniclers, Cassiodorus, and the historical milieu in which he lived, as well as the state of his manuscripts during his life and after his death. The chapter then jumps to the present—the twenty-first century—and how modern scholars interpret Theoderic. Afterward, Theoderic is explored in the Middle Ages and the Enlightenment period. Theoderic is also covered in European historiography of the nineteenth century. Finally, the chapter explores Theoderic as he is understood in Germany from its imperial period to the aftermath of the Third Reich.
The Conspiracy
Authors: Smith Geoffrey S. , Landau Brent C.
Published: September 2023

This chapter evaluates two scholars who have published book-length arguments in favor of the forgery hypothesis regarding the Secret Gospel of Mark and the Mar Saba manuscript. Although both of the authors are religious studies scholars, only one, Stephen Carlson, specializes in the field of early Christianity. Yet when Carlson published his 2005 book, The Gospel Hoax: Morton Smith's Invention of Secret Mark, he did not yet have any formal training in the academic study of religion. Nevertheless, Carlson's book is still cited as the most compelling case for Morton Smith's forgery of the Mar Saba letter and thus remains highly influential. Soon after publishing The Gospel Hoax, Carlson began doctoral studies in early Christianity at Duke University, where his dissertation was co-chaired by Bart Ehrman. The other book-length study of the Secret Gospel controversy is Peter Jeffery's The Secret Gospel of Mark Unveiled: Imagined Rituals of Sex, Death, and Madness in a Biblical Forgery, published by Yale University Press in 2007. Jeffery's academic specialty is not biblical studies but the history of Christian liturgy; it was his expertise in liturgical history that drew him to the Secret Gospel controversy.
Geographic Rules
Authors: Kardon Isaac B.
Published: September 2023

This chapter analyzes the geographic rules of the law of the sea, which regulate the spatial extent of state authority in the maritime domain. The contested geographic rules in China's maritime disputes concern entitlements, baselines, and maritime boundaries. The chapter also investigates the geographic rules as they manifest in People's Republic of China (PRC) to draw a preliminary conclusion about the consistency and uniformity with which the PRC promotes a particular interpretation or application of geographic rules. The chapter looks at the responses of the states most affected by China's practice, which determine whether China's preferred rule may be emerging as a legal norm in the region and beyond. It considers how the “specially affected states” may object, acquiesce, or adopt China's preferred rule.