bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of reliability and validity of the Persian version of Peters et al. delusions inventory (PDI-40) in iranian non-clinical and clinical samples
Authors: Hosseini Seyed Ruhollah , Nooripour Roghieh , Ghanbari Nikzad , Firoozabadi Abbas , Peters Emmanuelle
Published: September 2023

Background

Some individuals may manifest psychotic symptoms that do not fulfill the requisite clinical criteria for a formal diagnosis of psychosis. The assessment of susceptibility to delusions, encompassing both clinical and non-clinical cohorts, frequently makes use of the Peters et al. Delusions Inventory (PDI-40). This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Persian version of Peters et al. Delusions Inventory (PDI-40) in Iranian non-clinical and clinical samples.

Methods

The present study employed a cross-sectional, correlational design in 2020. A total of 1402 Iranian participants were recruited for the study, which consisted of three distinct stages. The first stage involved an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) conducted on a non-clinical sample of 512 participants. The second stage comprising different non-clinical sample 764 participants to perform a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). In the third stage, a clinical sample of 126 psychotic patients was compared to a non-clinical sample. All participants completed the PDI-40, the Community Assessment of Psychotic Experiences (CAPE-42), and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). The internal structure of PDI-40 was examined through the analysis of its factor structure using LISREL 8.8.

Results

The EFA analysis unveiled nine components within Persian version of PDI-40. The CFA analysis demonstrated an excellent fit of the nine-factor structure of Persian PDI-40 to the data. The total score exhibited high internal reliability, as indicated by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.92. Moreover, Persian PDI-40 exhibited satisfactory evidence of convergent validity, as significant correlations were observed between dimensions of PDI-40 and subscales of CAPE-42 and DASS-21. Lastly, findings indicated that psychotic participants scored higher than non-clinical participants in all components of the PDI-40(p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Persian version of the PDI-40 demonstrates strong reliability and validity for assessing delusion proneness in both non-clinical and clinical samples in Iran. The observed distinctions between psychotic and non-clinical participants underscore its potential as a valuable tool for discerning delusion proneness in diverse contexts.
The orchid seed coat: a developmental and functional perspective
Authors: Lee Yung-I. , Yeung Edward C.
Published: September 2023

Orchid seeds are 'dust-like.' The seed coat is usually thin, with only one to a few cell layers. It originates from the integuments formed during ovule development. In orchids, the outer integument is primarily responsible for forming a mature seed coat. The inner integument usually fails to develop after fertilization, becomes compressed, and collapses over the expanding embryo. Hence, the seed coat is formed from the funiculus, chalaza, and outer integumentary cells. The outermost layer of the seed coat, the testa, is lignified, usually at the radial and inner tangential walls. The subepidermal thin-walled layer(s), the tegmen, subsequently cold, resulting in seeds having only a single layer of seed coat cells. In some species, cells of the inner integument remain alive with the ability to synthesize and accumulate lipidic and or phenolic compounds in their walls covering the embryo. This cover is called the 'carapace,' a protective shield contributing to the embryo's added protection. A developmental and functional perspective of the integuments and seed coat during seed development and germination is presented in this review.
Improving image resolution using deabsorption prestack time migration with effective Q estimation: A back-propagation network approach
Authors: Wu Jizhong , Shi Ying , Wang Weihong , Li Songling , Yang Qianqian
Published: September 2023

The conventional time migration method does not consider the attenuation caused by the viscoelasticity of the underground media during the imaging process. Therefore, the final imaging amplitude and phase include inaccuracies caused by attenuation. In this study, we develop a migration scheme to compensate for absorption and dispersion using an effective quality factor ( Q) estimation based on a back-propagation (BP) neural network. We use BP neural network technology to automatically estimate the effective Q value from stacked imaging data, thereby avoiding manual Q estimation using conventional methods. Our scheme can be incorporated into conventional seismic data-processing workflows. Furthermore, synthetic and field data sets are used to validate our scheme, which is used to acquire high-resolution images with low noise levels. In addition to developing a completely data-driven Q-value estimation strategy, this study demonstrates close integration of artificial intelligence, data mining, and conventional geophysics; our approach is appropriate for estimating the effective Q and has strong industrial application value and significance.
Frequency of Adding Salt to Foods, Genetic Susceptibility, and Incident Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Zhao Yimin , Li Yueying , Zhuang Zhenhuang , Song Zimin , Jia Jinzhu , Huang Tao
Published: September 2023

Context

Excessive salt consumption is known to increase the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, but the association between salt intake and incident type 2 diabetes has not been extensively researched.

Objective

In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationships between the frequency of adding salt to foods and incident type 2 diabetes, as well as any potential interactions with genetic predisposition.

Methods

We included 368 137 eligible participants, aged 37 to 73 years, from the UK Biobank. The frequency of adding salt to foods was assessed via a food frequency questionnaire.

Results

During a median follow-up of 12.6 years, we documented 10 981 incident type 2 diabetes cases. After adjustment for major confounders, participants who sometimes, usually, and always added salt to foods had 7% (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.07; 95% CI, 1.03-1.12), 9% (HR: 1.09; 95% CI, 1.03-1.16), 28% (HR: 1.28; 95% CI, 1.19-1.38) higher risks of developing type 2 diabetes, respectively, than those that never/rarely added salt to foods (P for trend < .001). We found these associations to be consistent across stratified and sensitivity analyses. However, we did not observe any statistically significant multiplicative or additive interactions between the frequency of adding salt to foods and genetic predisposition regarding incident type 2 diabetes.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that consuming salt regularly, regardless of genetic susceptibility, may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Therefore, public health interventions aimed at reducing excessive salt consumption may help prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Material Methodologies in Early Modern Iberian Treatises
Authors: Matute Víctor Sierra
Published: September 2023

Early modern culture was most fully expressed in events where materiality and textuality are inextricably intertwined: theatrical spectacles, royal parades, triumphal arches, processions, poetic tournaments, and jousts. At the other end of the spectrum, mainstream trends of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Hispanic philology—a prism through which early modern texts have been used and read for years—are part of a genealogy of thought that privileges form over matter. As a result, the radical importance of materials is frequently overlooked in the study of early modern culture. However, if we pay attention to early modern poetic and philosophical treatises, we can clearly notice the anxiety to justify the medium in which texts themselves were produced and transmitted. This article stresses the importance of materiality in two types of treatises from early modern Iberia: three sensory treatises by Oliva Sabuco (1587), Lorenzo Ortiz (1687), and Diego Calleja (1700); and three manuals of textual production by Juan del Encina (1496), Francisco Lucas (1580), and Alonso Víctor de Paredes (1680). The article sets out an argument for a materialist practice of literary criticism, a way to read early modern texts in terms of their own material theory.
Bourgeois Accessories
Authors: Wolters Nicholas
Published: September 2023

In spite of middle-class men’s presumed absence from consumer culture during the nineteenth century, the role of consumerism in the articulation of patterns of masculinity is especially evident in the case of Catalonia. In industrial and metropolitan Barcelona, products often framed or thought of as “feminine”—such as clothing and fashion accessories—were also central to entrepreneurial masculinity and bourgeois men’s social mobility during the late nineteenth century. It is therefore unsurprising that the commercialization of menswear and masculine accessories was notable in the Catalan context, given what that region’s rapid urbanization owed to the manufacture, sale, and display of fashionable commodities ranging from jackets and shirts to walking sticks and home and office décor in small shops and department stores, particularly during the second half of the nineteenth century. By examining commercial ephemera produced and distributed in Barcelona, alongside theories of male homosociality and empire, this essay demonstrates how Spanish men—specifically Catalans—commercialized fantasies of bourgeois masculinity, thus contributing to the consolidation of cultures of consumption during the final decades of the nineteenth century. Visual representations of masculine accessories in department store catalogs, advertisements, and newspaper illustrations are analyzed to argue that bourgeois men, through their shared affective interactions with material accessories, branded Spain as a capitalist nation and, with their consumption of tobacco-related paraphernalia in particular, as an imperial power, even as that power was waning.
To See in the Dark
Authors: Mirzoeff Nicholas
Published: September 2023

Seeing with Palestine was a constitutive possibility in the anticolonial way of seeing from the moment of the Nakba, meaning “catastrophe,” the destruction of Palestinian society in 1948. This article traces this way of seeing in the genealogy of visual culture that emerged in Britain in dialogue with Black British cultural studies and art practice, based on the practices of Stuart Hall, George Lamming, John Berger, and Jean Mohr. It then discusses Palestinian artist Randa Maddah, whose work Berger described as “landswept.” The conclusion speculates on how to “see in the dark” via the Palestinian artists Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou Rahme.
Black Women Undertakers of the Early Twentieth Century Were Hidden in Plain Sight
Authors: Fletcher Kami
Published: September 2023

This essay foregrounds Black women in the very narrative of undertaking that they helped create and develop. It was the wives who helped start the country’s oldest undertaking firms, and it was the wives, sisters, and daughters who sustained and professionalized the funeral home legacy. The article follows women from the American South and mid-Atlantic regions, illustrating how, with their skills and capital, they labored not just as funeral directresses, embalmers, and undertakers but also as bookkeepers, hairdressers, accountants, caterers. These women were “race women,” college-educated Black women who were trained to uplift the race. And as race women in the death trade, they brought their skills and education to a field that created generational wealth and civic empowerment.
Cytological Studies of the Neurones of Locusta migratoria Part II. Cytoplasmic inclusions during the differentiation and growth of the nerve cells
Authors: Shafiq Saiyid Ahmad
Published: September 2023

1. The Golgi controversy as it applies to the nerve cells of Locusta is discussed with reference to the recent publications of Beams and others (1953) and Gatenby and others (1953). Further support has been obtained for the view that the ‘Golgi’ appearances are produced by reactions at the surface of the lipochondria.

2. Cytoplasmic inclusions during the differentiation and growth of the nerve cells are described. The early germ-band cells have two categories of inclusions— mitochondria (granular and filamentous) and lipochondria (osmiophil bodies). The neuroblasts and early ganglion-cells possess only granular mitochondria. The filamentous mitochondria and lipochondria appear again in the growing neurones, so that at the time of hatching of the embryo the nerve cells have attained the full development of their cytoplasmic inclusions. Thus, Gatenby’s three-phase theory for nerve cells does not apply to Locusta.

3. It is concluded that the lipochondria and filamentous mitochondria are not necessarily self-reproducing bodies.

4. Masson’s technique shows granules staining red with acid fuchsin in the growing neurones as well as in the different stages of the adult. These are shown to be lipochondria. No secretory cycle could be detected.
Simple and Quick Analysis for Mercury in Environmental Water Using Alkaline Reduction along with Enclosed Quartz Cell-cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrometry
Authors: Tsuboi Haruki , Uga Yuki , Okunishi Rushia , Watanabe Tomoaki , Sakamoto Koutarou , Kozaki Daisuke
Published: September 2023

A simple and quick analytical method for mercury in environmental water was developed by combining enclosed quartz cell cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (EQC-CV-AAS) and alkaline reduction pretreatment. The advantages of this method include reduction in the mercury measurement time from 3 h to 5 min and the possibility of on-site mercury monitoring for environmental water matrix such as river and sea water.
Η μοιχεία στο Βυζαντινό Δίκαιο
Authors: Βλάχου Ελένη
Published: September 2023

Το ρωμαϊκό δίκαιο τυποποιεί τη μοιχεία ως δημόσιο έγκλημα το πρώτον στο πλαίσιο του εκσυγχρονιστικού νομοθετικού προγράμματος του Αυγούστου για την εξυγίανση των ηθών και την αναμόρφωση του οικογενειακού δικαίου. Ο βυζαντινός νομοθέτης, υπό την επίδραση του χριστιανισμού και των δικαϊκών θεσμών του ανατολικού τμήματος της αυτοκρατορίας, συνεχίζει τη ρωμαϊκή νομική παράδοση, με σαφείς διαφοροποιήσεις, αναδεικνύοντας τον ιδιαίτερο χαρακτήρα του βυζαντινού δικαίου. Το κυρίως μέρος της διατριβής διαρθρώνεται στο τμήμα που αφορά στα ζητήματα ποινικού δικαίου (αντικειμενική και υποκειμενική υπόσταση του εγκλήματος της μοιχείας, θέματα διάκρισης και συρροής, έννομη θέση του συζύγου της μοιχαλίδας από πλευράς επιτρεπτών ορίων ανοχής και δικαιώματος αυτοδικίας, έγερση κατηγορίας, αποδεικτική διαδικασία και επιβολή ποινών) και στο τμήμα που αφορά στα ζητήματα αστικής φύσεως (λύση μνηστείας ή γάμου και συνέπειες αυτών σε προσωπικό και περιουσιακό επίπεδο, καθώς και σχέσεις γονέων και τέκνων με αμφισβητούμενη πατρότητα). Παράλληλα με τα νομοθετικά κείμενα εξετάζονται και οι έμμεσες (νομικές και μη) πηγές, με την έννοια των προϊόντων της νομικής συγγραφικής παραγωγής, του κανονικού δικαίου, των αγιολογικών κειμένων και της ιστοριογραφίας. Σε συνδυασμό με την ανάλυση της σχετικής νομολογίας, διαμορφώνεται, στο μέτρο του δυνατού, μία εικόνα της εν δυνάμει και της εν τοις πράγμασι πάταξης της μοιχείας στη βυζαντινή κοινωνία και συνάγονται συμπεράσματα που αφορούν κυρίως στον διαχρονικό χαρακτήρα της διασφάλισης της γνησιότητας των τέκνων ως προστατευόμενου εννόμου αγαθού, στην ανισότητα των φύλων τόσο στο πεδίο των νομικών ορισμών όσο και της ποινικής μεταχείρισης, αλλά και στις καινοτόμες ρυθμίσεις του βυζαντινού δικαίου σε όλους τους τομείς που άπτονται του υπό εξέταση θέματος.
ORGANIZATION OF MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING IN AGRICULTURAL HOLDING COMPANIES
Authors: Ermakova Mariya
Published: September 2023

The article gives the concept of agricultural holding, highlights the main features that affect the system of its financial accounting. The necessity of organizing a management accounting system in agricultural holding companies is substantiated. The information contained in the main sections of the management accounting policy of the agricultural holding is disclosed. Recommendations on the formation of methodological aspects of the management accounting policy of the integrated agricultural structure are proposed. The variants of the organization of management accounting in the accounting system used in international practice are considered. The options for generating information on costs for ordinary activities in agricultural holding companies are disclosed.
Problematyka mobbingu w medycynie na tle przestępstwa z art. 218 § 1a kodeksu karnego
Authors: Syroka-Marczewska Katarzyna
Published: September 2023

Mobbing jest zjawiskiem szeroko opisywanym w literaturze, ale przede wszystkim w sferze prawa cywilnego oraz prawa pracy. Niniejsza publikacja uzupełnia dotychczasowe piśmiennictwo dotyczące mobbingu o rozważania nt. prawnokarnej ochrony wynikającej z art. 218 § 1a kodeksu karnego. Przedmiotem artykułu jest w szczególności analiza obowiązujących w Polsce przepisów prawa dotyczących mobbingu oraz orzecznictwa w odniesieniu do pracowników sektora medycznego. Wybór tego sektora wynika, z faktu, iż w większości światowych badań pracownicy ochrony zdrowia są uznani za grupę zawodową, w której poziom narażenia na mobbing jest wysoki.
Experience of People with Severe Mental Illness in Using Community Mental Health Services: A Systematic Review of Exploratory Research Using Photovoice
Authors: Dong Hee-Ra , Seo Ji-Min
Published: September 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the experience of using community mental health services from the perspective of people with severe mental illness.Methods: The key research question was, "How was the experience of people with severe mental illnesses using community mental health services in studies using photovoice?" A systematic search was performed using seven core electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, RISS, KISS, and DBpia). Results: A total of nine studies out of 3,041 were included in the review. Seven central themes were identified through the thematic analysis: "growing hope," "continuing treatment with insight into the illness," "feeling a sense of achievement and improving self-esteem," "feeling joy, stability and connectedness," "pursuing a proactive life," "wanting to live a life that helps others," and "experiencing frustration." Conclusion: The experience of using community mental health services by people with severe mental illness was similar to the experience of recovery. The use of community mental health services and the expansion of the peer support program and supported housing services are needed to promote recovery and improve the quality of life of people with severe mental illness.
Factors associated with Suicidal Ideation among Older Adults in the Community Using Data from the 2021 Community Health Survey
Authors: Jun Hye Jung , Park Hye-Ryeon
Published: September 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to report the level of suicidal ideation in older Korean adults living in the community and identify the factors associated with suicidal ideation.Methods: A total of 73,326 older adults were selected and analyzed using the 2021 Community Health Survey. The collected data were analyzed using the Rao-scott test and logistic regression using SAS 9.4.Results: Among older adults, 9.2% had suicidal ideations. Life dissatisfaction was the factor most strongly associated with suicidal ideation, followed by depression, poor subjective health, high stress, cognitive disability, lower economic state, living alone, older age, smoking, low education, older women, and diabetes.Conclusion: When developing suicide preventive interventions for older adults, it is important to consider mental health indicators, such as life satisfaction, depression, and stress. In addition, active efforts to identify more vulnerable subgroups of older adults should consider older individual adult’s economic status, family structure, age, and education rather than taking a generalized approach.
Management of Fournier's gangrene: a practical guide for clinicians
Authors: Hughes Thomas , Bowen Daniel , Saeed Kordo , Juliebø-Jones Patrick , Somani Bhaskar
Published: September 2023

Fournier's gangrene is a localised form of necrotising fasciitis affecting the external genitalia, perineal and perianal regions. Although rare, it is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality, so clinician awareness is essential for prompt treatment. Risk factors include diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic alcoholism and immunosuppression. Perineal pain in patients with sepsis should be treated with a high level of suspicion and early surgical referral is required as prompt debridement can improve outcomes. Repeated surgical intervention and antimicrobial therapy are often needed and recovery can take a long time, with a long-term impact on quality of life. This article discusses the natural history of Fournier's gangrene, aetiology, risk factors, investigations and treatments with an algorithm to support clinical practice.
How to occupy oneself when not in lectures
Authors: Wyatt Dan
Published: September 2023

Being among the first to study within a new programme comes with both benefits and challenges—but having drive and a history at the university, as Dan Wyatt does, also comes with the opportunity to build something new for future cohorts…
The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway for England: an update
Authors: Russell James
Published: September 2023

The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway was introduced in 2023 as a consequence of changes to the model for state support for farming following the decision to leave the European Union. Vets have been at the heart of the design of the pathway and will remain core in the delivery, particularly in relation to the Annual Health and Welfare Review. The review provides an opportunity for the farmer and vet to discuss health and welfare issues specific to the farm and agree the most relevant actions. A fundamental principle of the pathway is that it should be for everybody, and should move the level of understanding, standard of biosecurity and health and welfare aspirations forward a step on every farm, regardless of the starting point.
How to: clinical examination of the goat
Authors: Dustan Benjamin H
Published: September 2023

This article sets out some approaches to the thorough clinical examination of the caprine patient, aiming to highlight species differences and providing helpful tips and pointers on how to maximise the diagnostic value of the examination process.
Five ways to use AI to prevent cyber attacks
Authors: Pearson Daniel
Published: September 2023

Artificial intelligence has the potential to plug the gaps in your website defences. At a time of limited budgets, constrained resources and a global skills shortage, AI is capable of taking over many previously labour-intensive tasks and of providing insight into threats and weaknesses. This article looks at five key ways in which AI offers a boost to your web security.
Archivo, intertextualidad y causalidad. Un programa para la teoría literaria
Authors: Mosquera Mariano Ernesto
Published: September 2023

El objetivo del artículo es desarrollar y proponer una línea de interrogación para la teoría literaria contemporánea alrededor de los conceptos de «archivo» e «intertextualidad». En primer lugar, se reconstruye el panorama actual de los estudios interdisciplinarios sobre la cuestión del archivo, para proponer un «giro archivístico» de la crítica artística contemporánea. En segundo lugar, se recupera la conceptualización de Juan José Mendoza alrededor de los «hiperarchivos», interrogando sus compromisos ontológicos (en particular, de la ontología orientada a objetos) y su relectura de la noción de «intertextualidad». Por último, continuamos tal importación teórica para afirmar que la intertextualidad es, en sus rasgos fundamentales, una relación de causalidad, por lo que cualquier interrogación sobre el archivo y la intertextualidad depende de la teoría de la causalidad que ella supone y pone en acto.
Cartooning Through Crisis: The Case of Abu in India’s Emergency Years 1975-77
Authors: Khurana Neha , Singh Reena
Published: September 2023

This paper is an attempt to understand the communicative potential of political cartoons in the face of censorship. The Emergency Years in India (1975-77) saw the most stringent censorship of mass media in the public sphere in independent India, and thus has been chosen as the period of study. The cartoonist Abu Abraham, who continued to draw cartoons for the national daily Indian Express throughout the period and claims to have not been disturbed much by censorious authorities becomes the axis of this analysis. Taking cues from theorists Judith Butler and Louis Althusser, the paper focusses on the techniques and strategies employed by Abraham in his cartoons that allowed most of his cartoons to pass through the censorship filters, and still make an impact on the general public.
Literatura testimonial e hibridez genérica: Sprinters. Los niños de Colonia Dignidad de Lola Larra
Authors: Fierro-Concha Marina , Avaca Avaca Ricardo
Published: September 2023

El presente trabajo analiza el vínculo entre la literatura testimonial y la hibridez genérica en la novela Sprinters. Los niños de Colonia Dignidad (2016) de la escritora chilena Lola Larra. En el artículo se actualiza el concepto del género testimonial y, a su vez, se devela el texto literario a partir de soportes textuales como la autoficción y la docuficción. El análisis del género testimonial y las técnicas narrativas dan cuenta, por un lado, de la construcción estética literaria y, por otro, de la denuncia que emerge en la novela, a partir de la reconstrucción de fragmentos de la historia que evidencian una nueva forma de articular la literatura testimonial en Chile. Así, se exponen fragmentos de la memoria de Colonia Dignidad y la denuncia de los vejámenes ocurridos allí, en un cruce entre el pasado dictatorial y el des-cubrimiento de un sistemático abuso.
Gentrificación ¿colonialismo cultural o urbanismo crítico? Una aportación al debate
Authors: Díaz Parra Ibán
Published: September 2023

El vocablo gentrificación lleva instalado desde los años noventa del pasado siglo en el ámbito castellanohablante. Durante las tres últimas décadas, no ha parado de atraer la atención de la investigación urbana, no obstante, sin llegar a ser plenamente aceptado dentro de los estudios urbanos. Reconocidos académicos críticos, tanto del Mediterráneo europeo como de América Latina, han cargado contra el término, acusándolo de ser una falsa generalización de un fenómeno particular del urbanismo anglosajón. Estas posiciones podrían ser alimentadas tanto por el carácter problemático del término, una adaptación grosera de un neologismo anglófono —frente a la que se intentó sin éxito plantear alternativas en castellano—, como por el uso no siempre preciso que se hace del mismo entre aquellos que lo han adoptado. El presente artículo se dedica a polemizar con las posiciones críticas frente al uso del término en América Latina y el Mediterráneo europeo, así como con algunos de los autores que lo utilizan en la actualidad dentro de ese ámbito. Frente a unos y otros, se propone que la gentrificación es un fenómeno de creciente importancia en el urbanismo latinoamericano y del sur de Europa, cuyo análisis necesita de un uso más preciso del concepto que no pierda de vista su origen en las dinámicas del mercado de suelo y vivienda del urbanismo capitalista.
On the Mazur-Tate conjecture for prime conductor and Mazur's Eisenstein ideal
Authors: Lecouturier Emmanuel
Published: September 2023

abstract: In 1995, Ehud de Shalit proved an analogue of a conjecture of Mazur-Tate for the modular Jacobian $J_0(p)$. His main result was valid away from the Eisenstein primes. We complete the work of de Shalit by including the Eisenstein primes, and give some applications such as an elementary combinatorial identity involving discrete logarithms of difference of supersingular $j$-invariants. An important tool is our recent work on the so called ``generalized cuspidal $1$-motive''.
Ascent to the Immaterial? Cosmology, Contemplation and the Self
Authors: Cloete Stephanie
Published: September 2023

abstract: In Kephalaia Gnostika , the third part of his great trilogy on the ascetic and contemplative life, the early Christian desert monk Evagrios of Pontus made a statement that resonates with the story told by the Buddha in the Aggañña Sutta . Evagrios declared that there had been a time when evil did not exist, and from this premise, he extrapolated that there will come a time when evil will not exist anymore. Both Evagrios and the Buddha, it seems, were essentially optimistic in their teaching, convinced that despite being subject to a "fall," human beings have agency and can work toward establishing virtue in their lives and experiencing the fruits of this labor. In order to do this, a sophisticated understanding of how the mind works is key, and the two teachers, within the lineaments of the thought worlds of their respective backgrounds, explore what contemplation and meditation offer to this end. They also discuss other qualities that contribute to the development of a "gentle warrior," a character recognizable in both traditions and notable for the level to which they have erased subjectivity and their dedication to the achievement of good outcomes. Evidence can be found in both Buddhist and Christian writings of the recognition of correlations between the structure of the cosmos and spiritual or religious experience.
Early Chinese Migrant Religious Identities in Pre-1947 Canada
Authors: Marshall Alison R.
Published: September 2023

abstract: Religion for many of Canada's earliest Chinese community was not about faith or belief in God, the Buddha, or the Goddess of Compassion (Guanyin). While the majority of Chinese migrants did not convert to Christianity or Buddhism before 1947, a very large number of them joined and became converted to Chinese nationalism (Zhongguo guomindang, aka KMT). This paper reflects on the findings of sixteen years of ethnographic and archival research to understand how sixty-two years of institutionalized racism in Canada, along with bioregionalism and the built environment, determined Chinese migrant religious identities and behaviors in Canada up to 1947. Different Canadian provinces not only had different race-based laws that restricted individual rights and freedoms, they also had varying bioregional characteristics that influenced experiences and interactions with the built environments of churches, temples, and clubhouses. Chinese migrants adapted to legislation that limited their personal rights and freedoms by being efficacious or ling by professing Christian identities in public settings. They might have made offerings to Buddhist deities and frequented Buddhist temples in their home village before migration. But in Canada, being Buddhist was associated with being Japanese, and it was efficacious to be a practicing Buddhist in private. For Canada's Chinese migrants, it was conversion to Chinese nationalism and the veneration of Sun Yat-sen that was the epitome of ling . Being a devoted member met important practical as well as spiritual needs.
Pregnancies, Births and Abortions in the United States, 1973–2016: National and State Trends by Age
Authors:   Guttmacher Institute, Maddow-Zimet Isaac , Kost Kathryn , Finn Sean
Published: September 2023

The Guttmacher Institute calculates comprehensive historical statistics on the incidence of pregnancy, birth and abortion for people of reproductive age in the United States (see Definitions). Our most recent release includes national statistics covering the period from 1973 to 2016, the most recent year for which comparable data are available; state-level statistics are available for selected years from 1988 to 2016 (see Note). We highlight a few patterns in these new demographic estimates and include a series of interactive figures for further data exploration. An accompanying appendix discusses the methodology and sources used.
Universal dynamics and deterministic motion control of decoherently seeded temporal dissipative solitons via spectral filtering effect
Authors: Li Zilong , Liu Huanhuan , Zha Zimin , Su Lei , Shum Perry Ping , Guo Hairun
Published: September 2023

Temporal dissipative solitons have been widely studied in optical systems, which exhibit various localized structures and rich dynamics, and have shown great potential in applications including optical encoding and sensing. Yet, most of the soliton states, as well as the switching dynamics amongst, were fractionally captured or via self-evolution of the system, lacking of control on the soliton motion. While soliton motion control has been widely investigated in coherently seeded optical cavities, such as microresonator-based dissipative solitons, its implementation in decoherently seeded systems, typically the soliton mode-locked lasers, remains an outstanding challenge. Here, we report the universal dynamics and deterministic motion control of temporal dissipative solitons in a mode-locked fibre laser by introducing a scanned spectral filtering effect. We investigate rich switching dynamics corresponding to both the assembly and the disassembly of solitons, revealing a complete and reversible motion from chaotic states to soliton and soliton-molecule states. Significant hysteresis has been recognized in between the redshift and blueshift scan of the motorized optical filter, unveiling the nature of having state bifurcations in dissipative and nonlinear systems. The active soliton motion control enabled by filter scanning highlights the potential prospects of encoding and sensing using soliton molecules.
Development and evaluation of PlasmoPod: A cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test for rapid malaria diagnosis and surveillance
Authors: Bechtold Philippe , Wagner Philipp , Hosch Salome , Gregorini Michele , Stark Wendelin J. , Gody Jean Chrysostome , Kodia-Lenguetama Edwige Régina , Pagonendji Marilou Sonia , Donfack Olivier Tresor , Phiri Wonder P. , García Guillermo A. , Nsanzanbana Christian , Daubenberger Claudia A. , Schindler Tobias , Vickos Ulrich
Published: September 2023

Malaria surveillance is hampered by the widespread use of diagnostic tests with low sensitivity. Adequate molecular malaria diagnostics are often only available in centralized laboratories. PlasmoPod is a novel cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test for rapid, sensitive, and quantitative detection of malaria parasites. PlasmoPod is based on reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) of the highly abundant Plasmodium spp. 18S ribosomal RNA/DNA biomarker and is run on a portable qPCR instrument which allows diagnosis in less than 30 minutes. Our analytical performance evaluation indicates that a limit-of-detection as low as 0.02 parasites/μL can be achieved and no cross-reactivity with other pathogens common in malaria endemic regions was observed. In a cohort of 102 asymptomatic individuals from Bioko Island with low malaria parasite densities, PlasmoPod accurately detected 83 cases, resulting in an overall detection rate of 81.4%. Notably, there was a strong correlation between the Cq values obtained from the reference RT-qPCR assay and those obtained from PlasmoPod. In an independent cohort, using dried blood spots from malaria symptomatic children living in the Central African Republic, we demonstrated that PlasmoPod outperforms malaria rapid diagnostic tests based on the PfHRP2 and panLDH antigens as well as thick blood smear microscopy. Our data suggest that this 30-minute sample-to-result RT-qPCR procedure is likely to achieve a diagnostic performance comparable to a standard laboratory-based RT-qPCR setup. We believe that the PlasmoPod rapid NAAT could enable widespread accessibility of high-quality and cost-effective molecular malaria surveillance data through decentralization of testing and surveillance activities, especially in elimination settings.
Food insecurity and its consequences in indigenous children and youth in Canada
Authors: Banerji Anna , Pelletier Veronique Anne , Haring Rodney , Irvine James , Bresnahan Andrew , Lavallee Barry
Published: September 2023

Food insecurity (FI) is at a crisis level in some Indigenous communities and impacts many of the half million First Nations Inuit and Métis (FNIM) children across Canada, particularly in isolated northern communities. This can lead to malnutrition and can have significant impacts on the physical, intellectual, emotional and social development of a child, often with lasting effects across the life course. This is a narrative review article with extensive search of the medical literature with input from the FNIM National organizations. The primary cause of FI is an imbalance between the high price of food relative to household income, where poverty is a driving factor. The cost and lack of availability to healthy foods has resulted in a transition to unhealthy market foods. Food security programs need to be prioritized, multi-faceted and multi-tiered within a framework of food sovereignty. Translational science, research, to practice is also important. The use of successful Indigenous based models of FI, towards food sovereignty using self-determination, Indigenous Knowledge, strength-based models, and ancestral sustainability are critical. Continued community-based evaluation of FI towards sustainable healthy food programs are important for communities to initiate track, evaluate, and grow robust community-based programs to counter-balance FI. Continued scientific research in the fields of FI, food sovereignty, and their relationship to co-occurring conditions related to healthy eating and beverage consumption are vastly important to the health of Indigenous Peoples. These are all part of many Indigenous connection to the earth, through food source, the maintenance of health through ancestral ways of living, set in the premise of looking forward multiple generations towards the continued resiliency through food, diet, relationship, and sovereignty. Food Security is a human right and needs to be urgently addressed for Indigenous children in Canada.
Subcutaneous mycoses: Endemic but neglected among the Neglected Tropical Diseases in Ethiopia
Authors: Enbiale Wendemagegn , Bekele Alemayehu , Manaye Nigus , Seife Fikre , Kebede Zeyede , Gebremeskel Filmon , van Griensven Johan
Published: September 2023

Background

Subcutaneous (deep) mycoses are a chronic infectious disease of the skin and underlying structures endemic in tropical countries. The disease has serious medical and socioeconomic consequences for patients, communities and health services in endemic areas. The inclusion of mycetoma and other subcutaneous mycoses in the list of Neglected Tropical Diseases by WHO highlights the need to assess the burden of these diseases and establish control programs where necessary. In Ethiopia no strategies can be devised because of a lack of epidemiologic information. To address this evidence gap, we performed a national rapid assessment of the geographic distribution of subcutaneous mycoses.

Methodology

We conducted a rapid retrospective assessment using hospital records to identify all suspected and confirmed cases of subcutaneous mycoses in 13 referral hospitals across the country between 2015 and 2022. In each hospital the logbooks were reviewed for diagnoses of subcutaneous mycosess, as diagnosed per routine practice. Descriptive analysis was done.

Result

From 13 hospitals we extracted 143 cases of subcutaneous mycoses, registered from July 2018 to September 2022. 118 (82.5%) patients were diagnosed as mycetoma, 21 (14.7%) as chromoblastomycosis and the remaining 4 (2.8%) as sporotrichosis. The mean age of patients was 35.8 years (SD = 14.5). 101 (70.6%) patients were male and 96 (67.1%) patients were farmers. 64 (44.8%) cases were from the Tigray regional state. 56 (65.9%) patients had information on diagnostic microscopic evaluation: for mycetoma histopathologic evaluation and fine needle aspiration cytology had a higher positivity rate while for chromoblastomycosis potassium hydroxide (KOH) staining had a better yield. The main clinical presentations were nodules, sinuses and infiltrative plaques on the skin. Radiologic findings of bone involvement was present in some.

Conclusions

Mycetoma and other subcutaneous mycoses are endemic in Ethiopia, with cases reported from almost all regions with the highest cases numbers reported from the northern part of the country. A routine program and systems should be developed to identify and document the burden of subcutaneous fungal infections in the country. Diagnosis and treatment guidelines should be developed.
TumorDetNet: A unified deep learning model for brain tumor detection and classification
Authors: Ullah Naeem , Javed Ali , Alhazmi Ali , Hasnain Syed M. , Tahir Ali , Ashraf Rehan
Published: September 2023

Accurate diagnosis of the brain tumor type at an earlier stage is crucial for the treatment process and helps to save the lives of a large number of people worldwide. Because they are non-invasive and spare patients from having an unpleasant biopsy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans are frequently employed to identify tumors. The manual identification of tumors is difficult and requires considerable time due to the large number of three-dimensional images that an MRI scan of one patient’s brain produces from various angles. Moreover, the variations in location, size, and shape of the brain tumor also make it challenging to detect and classify different types of tumors. Thus, computer-aided diagnostics (CAD) systems have been proposed for the detection of brain tumors. In this paper, we proposed a novel unified end-to-end deep learning model named TumorDetNet for brain tumor detection and classification. Our TumorDetNet framework employs 48 convolution layers with leaky ReLU (LReLU) and ReLU activation functions to compute the most distinctive deep feature maps. Moreover, average pooling and a dropout layer are also used to learn distinctive patterns and reduce overfitting. Finally, one fully connected and a softmax layer are employed to detect and classify the brain tumor into multiple types. We assessed the performance of our method on six standard Kaggle brain tumor MRI datasets for brain tumor detection and classification into (malignant and benign), and (glioma, pituitary, and meningioma). Our model successfully identified brain tumors with remarkable accuracy of 99.83%, classified benign and malignant brain tumors with an ideal accuracy of 100%, and meningiomas, pituitary, and gliomas tumors with an accuracy of 99.27%. These outcomes demonstrate the potency of the suggested methodology for the reliable identification and categorization of brain tumors.
Distribution and morphological variation of tree ferns (Cyatheaceae) along an elevation gradient
Authors: Merino Gabriel , Ramírez-Barahona Santiago , Olson Mark E. , Núñez-Farfán Juan , García-Oliva Felipe , Eguiarte Luis E.
Published: September 2023

Knowing how species and communities respond to environmental change is fundamental in the context of climate change. The search for patterns of abundance and phenotypic variation along altitudinal gradients can provide evidence on adaptive limits. We evaluated the species abundance and the variation in morphometric and stomatal characters in five tree ferns species (Cyathea fulva, C. divergens, C. myosuroides, Alsophila firma and Gymnosphaera salvinii) distributed along an elevation gradient in a well-preserved Mexican cloud forest. Variation at the community and species level was assessed using exploratory and multivariate data analysis methods. We wanted to explore if the species abundance is environmentally determined, to determine the degree of variation along the elevation gradient, to test for differences between zones and associations with elevation, humidity and soil nutrients, and to assess contribution of the intra- and interspecific variation to the community response to elevation and soil nutrients. The studied fern community showed strong species turnover along the elevation gradient, with some influence of soil nutrient concentration, supporting environmental determinism. All measured characters displayed variation along the gradient. Stomatal characters (size and density) had significantly less variation than morphometric characters (trunk diameter, stipe length and blade length), but stomatal density also shows interesting intraspecific patterns. In general, patterns within the fern community suggest a strong influence of species identity, especially of species inhabiting the lower edge of the cloud forest, which showed the clearest morphometric and stomatal patterns, associated to contrasting environments rather than to changes in elevation. The coincidence between morphometric and stomatal patterns in this area suggest hydraulic adjustments in response to contrasting environments. Our results provide evidence that tree ferns species respond to environmental changes through adjustments of morphometric plasticity and stomatal density, which is relevant to predict possible responses to variation in environmental conditions resulting from climate change.
ShinyLUTS—A Shiny web application for structured data management and analysis for patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)
Authors: von Klot Christoph-Alexander Joachim , Köpp Cornelius , Kuczyk Markus Antonius , Wolters Mathias
Published: September 2023

Objectives

Clinical, time-dependent, therapeutic and diagnostic data of patients with LUTS are highly complex. To better manage these data for therapists’ and researchers’ we developed the application ShinyLUTS.

Material and methods

The statistical programming language R and the framework Shiny were used to develop a platform for data entry, monitoring of therapy and scientific data analysis. As part of a use case, ShinyLUTS was evaluated for patients with non-neurogenic LUTS who were receiving Rezum™ therapy.

Results

The final database on patients with LUTS comprised a total of 8.118 time-dependent parameters in 11 data tables. Data entry, monitoring of therapy as well as data retrieval for scientific use, was deemed feasible, intuitive and well accepted.

Conclusion

The ShinyLUTs application presented here is suitable for collecting, archiving, and managing complex data on patients with LUTS. Aside from the implementation in a scientific workflow, it is suited for monitoring treatment of patients and functional results over time.
Morquio's Disease
Authors: Pramuljo Hariarti S. , Tamaela L. A. , Karyomanggow W.T.
Published: September 2023

Morquio's disease belongs to the group of mucopolysaccharidosis which causes deformities of the bones. The diagnosis is made by radiological examinations and others such as biochemical examination.

Four cases of Morquio's disease are presented, which are the first reported in the Indonesian literature. All cases are of Chinese origin.

Cervical fusion had been done in one of the cases to prevent the complication of neurologic sequelae and sudden death. The symptoms, diagnosis and therapeutic measures to prevent sequelae have been discussed.
Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Alrasyid Harun , Suhadi Suhadi , Sutaryo Sutaryo , Ridho Rosyid , Wahab A. Samik , Ismangoen Ismangoen
Published: September 2023

This paper reports 54 cases of congenital heart disease which were diagnosed by simple methods, without cathetherisation and Angiocardiography.

These consisted of : 1). 37% Ventricular septal defect. 2). 24% Atrial Septal defect, second type. 3). 11,11% Patent Ductus Arteriosus Botalli. 4). 9% Tetralogy of Fallot. 5). 7,5% Stenosis pulmonalis. 6). 3,7% Atrial septal defect primary type. 7). 1,85% Aorta stenosis. 8). 2% Others.

Early signs and symptoms were: frequent cough, growth retardation, dyspnoe d'effort, Electrocardiographic and Rontgenologic abnormalities.

With simple examinations we can almost accurately diagnose congenital heart disease.

We suggest to build up more cardiac centres to overcome congenital heart disease problems.