bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Infezione da HBV in PLWH in terapia con tenofovir e inibitori delle integrasi nella coorte SCOLTA: prevalenza e durabilità ...
Authors: Ambra Nicolini et al. Laura
Published: March 2024

Il rischio atteso di infezione da HBV in persone che vivono con infezione da HIV (PLWH) è più alto rispetto alla popolazione generale. In questo studio abbiamo valutato la prevalenza di Antigene HBs in PLWH in terapia con tenofovir (disoproxil o alafenamide) e inibitori delle integrasi (INI), come parte della terapia antiretrovirale (ART), arruolati nelle coorti prospettiche dello studio SCOLTA. Abbiamo inoltre valutato la durabilità della ART in PLWH con co-infezione da HBV e le cause di interruzione.
In totale, 1338 PLWH sono stati valutati per gli obbiettivi di questo studio. Di questi, 92 ((6.9%, 95%CI 5.6%-8.3%) presentavano coinfezione HBV. Di questi, il 25% era precedentemente naive a ART. Per 88 PLWH risultava registrata una visita di follow up successiva all’inizio della terapia con INI; di questi il follow up mediano è stato di 33 (IQR 20-40) mesi.
In 4 casi sono stati registrati eventi avversi che hanno portato alla modificazione della ART in corso. Non sono stati riportati fallimenti virologici. La prevalenza dell’infezione da HBV in PLWH nella nostra coorte è risultata simile a quanto precedentemente riportato in Europa Occidentale. Il regime contenente INI e tenofovir è risultato sicuro ed efficace. Il rischio di aderenza alle visite di controllo rimane un motivo di preoccupazione in questo setting.
Os Appri’s e o novo modelo regulatório do Brasil
Authors: de Galiza Fernandes Luppi Dávila Teresa
Published: March 2024

O presente artigo intenciona abordar o processo de formação dos Acordos de Promoção e Proteção Recíproca de Investimentos estrangeiros (APPRI’s) realizando um confronto com o novo modelo de Acordo de Cooperação e Facilitação de Investimentos (ACFI) criado pelo Brasil em 2015, especialmente no que tange às peculiaridades da cláusula de solução de controvérsias. O ACFI, enquadrando-se como modelo alternativo no cenário de reformas do tradicional sistema internacional de proteção dos investimentos, priorizou os mecanismos de governança institucional para cooperação e solução de controvérsias, apostando nas instâncias de prevenção de litígios com a exclusão da arbitragem do tipo investidor-Estado. A pergunta que se faz é se referida escolha traduz avanço ou anacronismo diante do atual panorama do Direito Internacional de Investimentos.
Un paso más para la eficacia internacional de la venta forzosa de buques
Authors: Fuentes Gómez Julio Carlos 
Published: March 2024

El 7 de diciembre de 2022, la Asamblea General de la Comisión de las Naciones Unidas para el Derecho Mercantil Internacional (UNCITRAL) adoptó la conocida como Convención de Beijing sobre la Venta Judicial de Buques, ciudad en la tuvo lugar la firma el 5 de septiembre de 2023. El nuevo convenio supone un paso adelante en el reconocimiento de los efectos internacionales de las ventas forzosas de buques. Para su correcta aplicación el convenio tendrá que aplicarse de manera coherente tanto con las legislaciones nacionales como otros convenios que también se ocupan de esta materia. Este artículo profundiza en la relación entre estos niveles normativos a partir de la regulación española, entre los que existe un alto grado compatibilidad, sin perjuicio de que también serán necesarias algunas reformas.
¿Y a la tercera va la vencida?... El nuevo marco transatlántico de privacidad de datos UE-EE.UU.
Authors: Ortega Giménez Alfonso
Published: March 2024

El nuevo Marco de Privacidad de Datos UE-EE.UU. introduce nuevas garantías vinculantes al objeto de dar respuesta a cada uno de los motivos de inquietud puestos de manifiesto por el TJUE, en su día, en las Sentencias «Schrems I» y «Schrems II». Entre estas garantías se encuentran la limitación del acceso por parte de los servicios de inteligencia estadounidenses a los datos de la UE y el establecimiento de un Tribunal de Recurso en Materia de Protección de Datos, al que los ciudadanos de la UE tendrán acceso. Esperemos que con la aprobación de este nuevo Marco de Privacidad de Datos se pueda no sólo «cerrar», definitivamente, la falta de garantías señalada por el TJUE y que provocó la invalidez de los dos marcos de privacidad anteriores (Safe Harbor y Privacy Shield) sino, sobre todo, establecer un nuevo marco seguro y duradero, mediante el que se puedan realizar las transferencias de datos personales necesarias UE-EE.UU. Este trabajo se centra en el estudio de los diferentes esfuerzos llevados a cabo a nivel jurídico para establecer un marco regulatorio satisfactorio para las transferencias internacionales de datos de carácter personal UE-EE.UU., haciendo especial hincapié en el nuevo Marco transatlántico de Privacidad de Datos, recientemente aprobado.
Factor jurisprudencial y evoluciones en la reglamentación sobre insolvencia transfronteriza de la Unión Europea
Authors: Puerta Domínguez Enrique Manuel
Published: March 2024

El Derecho Internacional Privado producido en el seno de la UE se remonta a fechas recientes mediante las nuevas bases habilitantes recogidas en los Tratados constitutivos, con las que se han adoptado un amplio número de Reglamentos, entre ellos el de insolvencia transfronteriza, en dos versiones de promulgadas en 2000 y 2015. En éstos asistimos a su subsiguiente matización, mediante la jurisprudencia del Tribunal de Justicia de la UE operada mediante la cuestión prejudicial. Se analizará la influencia de dicha labor jurisprudencial en el perfeccionamiento del régimen normativo europeo, tanto actualmente como de cara a sus mejoras en el futuro, labor que, en clave típicamente europea, nunca deja de lado la labor unificadora de la alta jurisdicción de la Unión.
Errores y aciertos en la aplicación de la ley reguladora de la constitución de la adopción internacional de mayores de edad ante las autoridades españolas
Authors: Sánchez Cano  María Jesús
Published: March 2024

A la vista de las limitaciones que establecen el art.175.Cc y el art.235-33 del Código de Derecho Civil de Cataluña, cabe preguntarse si las normas de Derecho Internacional privado que regulan la adopción incluyen la adopción de mayores de edad o emancipados. La cuestión no es pacífica y presenta una serie de ambigüedades y lagunas de las cuales derivan cuestiones controvertidas, en particular, por lo que respecta a la constitución por las autoridades españolas de una adopción internacional de mayores de edad. El presente trabajo abordará la cuestión, analizando el AAP Barcelona núm. 134/2023, de 26 de abril.
I. Lorente Martinez. Daños punitivos y Derecho internacional privado
Authors: Calvo Caravaca Alfonso-Luis
Published: March 2024

Este artículo reseña:

I. Lorente Martinez. Daños punitivos y Derecho internacional privado. Cizur Menor, Thomson Reuters Aranzadi, 2021. ISBN: 9788413454870.
J. Carrascosa González. Reflexiones creativas, heterodoxas, críticas y divertidas sobre cuestiones de Derecho internacional privado
Authors: Calvo Caravaca Alfonso-Luis
Published: March 2024

Este artículo reseña:

J. Carrascosa González. Reflexiones creativas, heterodoxas, críticas y divertidas sobre cuestiones de Derecho internacional privado. Murcia, Ed. Derecho y Letras - Rapid Centro Color, 2022. ISBN 978-84-09-44040-5 (504 páginas).
Pedro A. de Miguel Asensio. Manual de Derecho de las Nuevas Tecnologías. Derecho digital.
Authors: Paredes Pérez José Ignacio
Published: March 2024

Este artículo reseña:

Pedro A. de Miguel Asensio. Manual de Derecho de las Nuevas Tecnologías. Derecho digital. Thomson Reuters Aranzadi, Cizur Menor. 2023, 443 pp. ISBN: 978-84-1163-069-6
Difference Between Franchisers with and without Direct Retail Stores
Authors: Lee Jin Hyung
Published: March 2024

The new regulation was introduced to the franchise market of South Korea in that an applicant who wants to be a franchiser must set up direct retail stores and run them for at least one year before recruiting franchisees. Considering the purpose of the regulation, it is inferred that once franchisers run their own stores, their franchisees would be better off than otherwise. This paper addresses one reason that the Korea Fair Trade Commission has no choice but to introduce the regulation. Along the line, this paper investigates whether franchisees would have the more likelihood to make profit in the case of that franchisers operate their own stores. The result demonstrates that this case could be true since the operation of franchiser owned stores could be helpful in reducing cost of franchisees.
King Carol II’s Authoritarian Regime as a Precursor of the Communist Totalitarian Regime in Romania
Authors: Florin Grecu
Published: March 2024

The present article seeks to analyse the period 1938-1940, when the Romanian interwar democracy was suspended through the promulgation of the anti-liberal Constitution of 27 February 1938. The Constitution abolished the political parties and trade unions, replacing them with new institutions established according to royal decrees: the royal single party, known as the National Renaissance Front (Frontul Renaşterii Naţionale, FRN) and corporations of workers and employers, respectively. Starting from that moment, the regime, through its representatives, made recourse to a nationalist rhetoric directed against the democratic parliamentary system. Moreover, a cult of personality of the monarch can be identified in the speeches of the royal corporatist ‘parliament’, as well as in the doctrine of FRN and the Nation’s Party (its successor), but also in the regime’s youth organisation, ‘The Country’s Sentinel’ (Straja Ţării), whose First Sentinel was the authoritarian monarch himself. Thus, the cult of personality of Carol II represented one of the sources of inspiration for the dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu and for the leaders of this totalitarian regime.
Experiencias de procesos de despojo y acaparamiento de tierras indígenas en el norte argentino
Authors: Castelnuovo Biraben Natalia
Published: March 2024

Las comunidades indígenas del departamento San Martín se encuentran en una de las zonas del país más afectadas por procesos de desposesión y acaparamiento de tierras. Lo anterior –conocido por su expresión en inglés land grabbing– está asociado con el fenómeno denominado “grandes transacciones de tierra” que supone operaciones de compra, arrendamiento y concesión y que, en el caso bajo estudio, son protagonizadas por corporaciones y empresas relacionadas con cadenas agroalimentarias. Este proceso acelerado y reciente de adquisición de grandes extensiones de tierra asume ciertas características que la diferencian de otros tipos de acaparamiento y concentración de la tierra.
Portada Desarrollo Humano
Authors: Pittavino Sebastián
Published: March 2024

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El Plan de Adecuación Semipresencial desde el Desarrollo Humano
Authors: Meneses Carro Fabiana Alexandra
Published: March 2024

En el presente artículo se presentan avances de la investigación realizada sobre el Plan de Adecuación Curricular Semipresencial, Plan que posibilita la culminación del clcio básico de educación media a estudiantes adultos. Su modalidad semipresencial torna especialmente relevante su análisis dado el actual contexto de confinamiento por COVID-19 que hace imperativo el estudio de formatos de aprendizaje en entornos virtuales. El estudio de caso posee un corte cualitativo y se basa en el enfoque de las capacidades desarrollado por Sen (2000). Mediante el trabajo se analizó el impacto en las capacidades de los estudiantes que posibilitaba el Plan, considerando los diferentes roles de la educación: intrínseco, instrumental no económico e instrumental económico.Se arribó a la conclusión de que el mismo posibilita dicha expansión, aunque con limitantes en la equidad en en acceso debido a la falta de algunos recursos necesarios. Respecto al entorno virtual de aprendizaje los entrevistados lo destacan como algo muy positivo debido a la flexibilidad horaria y a los aprendizajes de herramientas informáticas que les han permitido adaptarse con mayor éxito a las condiciones actuales, concluyendo que se trata de una modalidad beneficiosa en ese sentido.
Portada Reseñas
Authors: Pittavino Sebastián
Published: March 2024

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Trabajo social: temas para la reflexión, investigación e intervención en la complejidad social
Authors: Cangas Arreola Omar
Published: March 2024

En el contexto del covid-19, Trabajo social: temas para la reflexión, investigación e intervención en la complejidad social es un libro que permite dimensionar la importancia del Estado, la familia y el mercado en el ámbito de la intervención social con personas, grupos y comunidades.
Estudiantes universitarios en situación de discapacidad en contexto de pandemia
Authors: Pinato Galbarini Cristian Matías
Published: March 2024

Antes de adentrarnos en cómo el contexto de pandemia ha afectado el tránsito educativo de los estudiantes en situación de discapacidad en la Universidad de la República (UdelaR) de Uruguay, concretamente en el Centro Universitario Regional Litoral Norte (CenURLN), debemos ingresar en algunos aspectos conceptuales vinculados a la discapacidad.
Sociabilidad, aprendizajes escolares y empatía en pandemia
Authors: Estrada Ruiz Marcos Jacobo , Pérez Gálvez Cynthia
Published: March 2024

Pretendemos en este texto analizar varias de las dimesiones educativas que consideramos han sido poco exploradas en estos meses de producción académica sobre los impactos de la pandemia. Así, ponemos el foco en las desigualdades en el acceso a la conectividad y el redimensionamiento de los espacios, la sociabilidad y la cuestión tan debatida entre los distintos actores educativos, principalmente estudiantes, acerca de los aprendizajes en pandemi
Transmodernidad: emergencia de lo virtual como mecanismo de integración con alteridad.
Authors: Reyes Vasquez Eduardo Ismael , Gómez García Leslye Valeria
Published: March 2024

El siguiente ensayo tiene como intención reflexionar sobre los modelos hegemónicos de interpretación de la realidad enmarcada en un contexto pandémico de transformación social partir del concepto Transmodernidad; analizaremos, desde un punto de vista crítico, las posturas con las que esta categoría ha circulado y asimilado desde los planteamientos de Rodríguez Magda y Enrique Dussel, dos proyectos disímiles que en ciertas coordenadas confluyen en los conceptos de telepresencia[1] como medio de integración con la periferia[2] en la nueva realidad derivada de la pandemia; no obstante, aunque la emergencia de lo virtual se establece como una de las principales soluciones y no resuelve la desigualdad social, así como la brecha digital excluyente, sí nos proporciona pautas para la integración de la alteridad con una prominente proyección.
Case Study: Edge Computing Solutions for Well Performance Monitoring and Asphaltene Detection in Deep Carbonate Reservoir, Greater Burgan Oilfield
Authors: Al-Shammari A. , Al-Azmi N. , Sinha S. , Agarwal S. , Al-Mutairi H. , Al-Rashidi H. , Al-Shamali A. , Al-Nasheet A. , Harami K. , Abdulrahim K. , Robert H. , Sharfuddin A. , Biya A. , Hernandez M.
Published: March 2024

A huge amount of sensors data is daily being generated from a single well site, posing challenges for data transmission, storage and analysis. Marrat reservoir is deep carbonate reservoirs in Greater Burgan Oilfield and is prone to asphaltene deposition. The present study leverages Edge computing technology which may revolutionize data processing, analysis, and algorithm-based decision making to enhance well performance in a cost-effective manner.

This case study illustrates a pilot project of an on-prem edge computing infrastructure. The project particularly focuses on monitoring well performance and tackling asphaltene problems. The utilization of edge computing in this context introduces two outstanding solutions: the virtual flow meter (VFM) and asphaltene problem detection module. The VFM solution is based on a combination of data-driven and physics workflows. While the Asphaltene module quantifies the asphaltene risk by utilizing fluid data and asphaltene precipitation envelope for well operating conditions. Numerous physical well tests and fluid sampling have been carried out to validate both the solutions.

The data-driven Virtual flow meter (VFM) has demonstrated a very high model accuracy over the test period, which signifies the reliability and potential of edge computing in the field. This solution seeks to estimate flow rates without the need for conventional flow meters, resulting in optimizing the frequency of wells production measurements and operating expenses. Through the estimation of real-time flow rates and asphaltene risk, a proactive wellbore clean-out jobs could be run to prevent any production losses due to asphaltene blockages. This study shows an opportunity of field scale implementation, which potentially will help in managing and optimizing reservoir performance.

The edge computing technology provides an innovative approach which enables a real-time access to all the pertinent well information. The developed modules can be reliably used to identify potential well issues for early resolution and avoid significant production deferral. Asphaltene detection module will not only reduce the downtime but also deliver insights for production assurance, reservoir management and field development planning.
Real-Time Well Constraint Detection Using an Intelligent Surveillance System
Authors: Sinha R. , Songchitruksa P. , Ambade A. , Ramachandran S. , Ramanathan V.
Published: March 2024

Engineering resources are stretched in a field with large-scale operations. Well performance issues are often overlooked, given the high number of wells generating a large volume of data. We developed an advanced intelligent surveillance system to detect common field problems and constraints faster, thereby reducing the time to analyze and diagnose events contributing to well underperformance and reducing the overall time for field engineers to act.

Combining industry expertise with data science techniques and machine learning, a series of workflows were constructed to detect well constraints proactively. The well constraints included hydrate formation, crown valve issues, water-cut increase, flowline blockage, wellhead valve malfunction, scale formation, and nonflowing wells. A detection rate of at least 88% and an accuracy of at least 80% were achieved for all the constraint categories for which the models were built. Most labeled events were detected successfully, and the models also produced several new events in the historical data that were not documented through regular manual analysis, later verified to be genuine well constraints. The underperformance conditions in the study were identified as small changes in well behavior that occur through time and are difficult to detect with a non-digital process, even in trained teams, with human surveillance limitations and errors. The system drastically reduced the response time for taking action in the field, giving operators considerable reduction in well downtime and hydrocarbon production.

Several machine learning classification models were evaluated, including regression-based and tree-based techniques to detect real-time operational constraints. A logistic classification model was selected for its strength in interpretability, feature evaluation using statistical confidence, real-time execution efficiency, and robust model implementation. Clues in data patterns assisted in the data labeling process by analyzing the historical time-series data and iteratively verifying with the subject matter experts. Feature engineering techniques were used in both time and frequency domains in a machine learning technique that generates output in terms of event probabilities.
Chemical Tracing Diagnostic Application for Monitoring Flow Contribution in Unstimulated Open Hole Multi-Lateral Wells Utilizing An Engineered Solid Carrier
Authors: Mombourquette C. , Martinez A.
Published: March 2024

The oil and gas industry approaches field development in many ways. One approach is to drill and produce unstimulated open-hole horizontal multilateral (also referred to as multileg) wells. The Clearwater formation, among others in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) is an excellent example of this strategy. A method to positively determine flow contribution from each leg has been historically lacking. An innovative approach, using existing tracer technology is now available to provide these insights.

As drilling is completed for each lateral leg, a unique oil soluble tracer, chemically bonded to a resin (sand-like) solid carrier is displaced out the drilling string while pulling out of hole. This tracer is normally spotted in the toe region to provide toe flow monitoring; Occasionally, a second unique tracer is spotted halfway through the same leg for mid leg flow monitoring. Volumetric calculations estimate required volumes for displacement. This process is repeated with unique tracers for each displacement. Hydrocarbon samples collected at surface upon initial production are analyzed for the presence of these tracers to assess contribution from each traced section.

Over the last three (3) years, oil tracers have been utilized in approximately two hundred (200) multilateral wells to monitor hydrocarbon contribution of each drilled/traced leg. On average these wells have six (6) legs but can range from two (2) to more than ten (>10). Approximately one thousand two hundred (1,200) individual lateral legs have been traced and monitored. Oil sample analyses results have provided indication of which legs contribute initial flow, or present partial or total leg integrity concerns.

While sampling schedules are typically designed for three (3) months of monitoring, oil soluble tracers are detectable in produced hydrocarbon for periods ranging from weeks to months, depending mainly on production rates. Tracer concentrations provide a relative productivity assessment of each leg over time. Overall, the deployment of oil tracers with a solid carrying mechanism in unstimulated open hole multilateral wells has provided operators with an efficient strategy to verify hydrocarbon contribution from each individual leg.

Future work to increase value of this diagnostic application aims to integrate tracer characteristic performance of each multilateral well with its production, drilling, and subsurface datasets, to identify patterns and correlations between datasets to assist operators in their development plans. Additionally, future work aims to extend the tracer detection window to allow for monitoring multilateral wells that present elevated borehole collapse risk beyond the initial months of flow.
Mining a Liquid: Case Study for Resource Evaluation Methodology in a Confined Saline Aquifer, Bashaw District, Central Alberta, Canada
Authors: Pugh K. , Kennedy J. , Morris N. , Haluszka A. , Abbey D.
Published: March 2024

Confined saline aquifers, often associated with hydrocarbon production, are an emerging source of lithium in the global market. They represent a new type of deposit, and there is a need to develop standards and guidelines for resource and reserve estimation to account for the unique characteristics and challenges of these deposits.

This case study demonstrates the application of a new methodology for estimating resource volumes for confined saline aquifers, drawing on technical reports completed for the purposes of Canadian securities and exchange regulations in 2022-2023. As confined saline aquifers are often associated with hydrocarbon production, this methodology is of value for both existing oil and gas companies (who may have mineral resource present in their associated water production) and emerging mineral companies seeking to develop brine-hosted lithium projects.
Developing A ChatGPT for PDO Standard Specification
Authors: Al Kalbani F. K. , Al Faraei S. , Al Mashani A.
Published: March 2024

The advancement of digital platforms and natural language processing technologies has led to the development of innovative solutions aimed at enhancing access to information. This abstract introduces PDO ChatGPT, a system designed to facilitate streamlined access to international standards, procedures, guidelines, and specifications through a user-friendly interface. Leveraging Streamlit as the frontend and OpenAI's Language Model (LLM) as the backend, PDO ChatGPT offers users an interactive platform where they can upload PDF specification files. Upon upload, the system extracts text content, segments it into manageable chunks, and employs embedding techniques to create a semantic index within a knowledge base. When users raise inquiries through the Streamlit portal, their queries undergo embedding and initiate a search in the semantic index. The system retrieves the most relevant embedded chunks based on similarity scores, compiles coherent responses, and presents them within the Streamlit chat interface. This methodology combines PDF processing, semantic indexing, and real-time query processing to deliver immediate and accurate information tailored to user queries. PDO ChatGPT stands as an innovative tool bridging the gap between complex documentation and accessible, on-demand knowledge retrieval for users seeking specific information from extensive standards and guidelines.
Mobilization and thinning of cratonic lithosphere by a lower mantle slab
Authors: Hua Junlin , Grand Steve , Becker Thorsten , Janiszewski Helen , Liu Chujie , Trugman Daniel , Zhu Hejun
Published: March 2024

Continental cratons are characterized by thick lithospheric roots that remain intact for billions of years. However, some cratonic roots appear to have been thinned or completely removed, with the reasons for such thinning being debated. In this study, we obtain a high-resolution full-waveform seismic tomographic model for North America which newly illuminates ongoing craton-thinning. Extensive drip-like transport of lithosphere is imaged from the base of the craton beneath the central United States to the mantle transition zone. Geodynamical modeling suggests that such dripping may be mobilized by the sinking of the deep Farallon slab, whose associated mantle flow can drag material at the base of the craton from afar to the dripping location. There, lithospheric material can descend within the ambient downward mantle flow, even though the slab is presently in the lower mantle. Dripping lithosphere could be further facilitated by prior lithospheric weakening such as due to volatiles released from the slab. Our findings show how cratonic lithosphere can be altered by external forces, and that subduction can play a key role in craton mobilization and thinning even when slabs are at great depths in the mantle.
Prevalence of defects and fractures in nickel-titanium instruments after single use in patients
Authors: Oliveira Patrícia Santos , Pereira Kamyla Costa , Dourado Letícia Gomes , Grazziotin-Soares Renata , Bauer José , Carvalho Edilausson Moreno , Maia-Filho Etevaldo Matos , Ferreira Meire Coelho , Carvalho Ceci Nunes
Published: March 2024

We investigated defects and fractures in nickel-titanium, engine-driven, endodontic instruments/files that had been single-used in patients` mandibular and maxillary molars. A total of 169 instruments [n = 113 ProTaper Next® (PTN) (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland), and n = 56 Reciproc® (R) (VDW, Munich, Germany)] were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. A single operator had used the instruments under a standardized protocol in one patient`s molar. Two trained and calibrated evaluators analysed three locations for each instrument. For non-fractured instruments, each location/third (apical/medium/coronal) received one of the classifications: i) intact (no plastic deformation/no defect), or ii) crack and/or deformation/unwinding. For fractured instruments, the area of fracture was classified in: i) cyclic fatigue mode, or ii) shear mode (torsional fatigue). Chi-square test calculated frequency of defects. PTN and R presented the same low frequency of defects after one clinical use in patients` molars by the same dentist. Defects appear equally in apical, medium, and coronal – except for X3 PTN that had more defects in the coronal part. Only one clinical fracture occurred, with an X3 PTN instrument: a torsional fatigue fracture originated in a crack. It is appropriate to use either PTN or R, in a single use, to treat root canals of patients` molars.
Non-reciprocal phase transition enables swarming motility in biological active matter
Authors: Kocabas Askin , Ozdemir Sahin , Basaran Mustafa , Yüce Tevfik , Kecebas Ali , Altın Baha , Yaman Yusuf , Demir Esin , Kocabas Coskun
Published: March 2024

Nonreciprocal interactions break action-reaction symmetry in systems of interacting bodies. This process inevitably introduces non-Hermitian dynamics which with its hallmark signature called exceptional points (EPs) has been a subject of intense research across different disciplines ranging from photonics to metamaterials. Whether non-Hermiticity and EPs are a fundamental property of nature and if so, how nature utilizes them to gain competitive advantage have remained largely unanswered. Although biological systems feature many examples of non-reciprocal interactions with the potential to drive non-Hermitian dynamics, these are often theoretically overlooked and not experimentally investigated. Here, we demonstrate in an active matter composed of social animal Caenorhabditis elegans and bacteria, non-Hermitian dynamics, and the emergence of EPs owing to the nonreciprocal nature of oxygen sensing, nonequilibrium interfacial current, and bacterial consumption. We observed that when driven through the EP, the system collectively breaks parity-time (PT) symmetry leading to traveling waves and arrested phase separation. We further find that these features enable the collective ability to localize interfaces between broken and exact PT-phases. Remarkably, this ability provides a strong evolutionary advantage to animals living in soil. Altogether our results provide mechanistic insights into the detailed symmetries controlling the collective response of biological systems; answer a long-standing problem; and give an example of the EP-enabled dynamics in a biological system.
Knowledge and Attitudes of Personalized Medicine, Genetic Testing, and Health Data Sharing: A Comprehensive Survey in the general public of the European Union
Authors: Causio Francesco Andrea , Beccia Flavia , Calabrò Giovanna Elisa , Kreeftenberg Loes Lindiwe , Pastorino Roberta , El Carla , Boccia Stefania
Published: March 2024

Personalized medicine, leveraging genetic, environmental, and lifestyle data, has transformed healthcare by tailoring prevention, diagnosis, and treatment to individual patients. The successful implementation of personalized approaches relies on the public's awareness and proficiency in personalized medicine, enabling access to innovative techniques and fostering a willingness to share health-related data. During two weeks in April 2023, we distributed an online survey to 6,581 respondents from 8 EU countries, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Poland, Hungary, and Romania. The survey investigated the general public’s knowledge of personalized medicine, support for implementing genetic testing in their healthcare system, and willingness to share health data. We built three indicators from survey questions and investigated their association with each other and the respondent’s gender, age, geographical area of origin, and education level. 52.5% of respondents were female (n = 3,458), with a mean age of 48.5 years (range 18–89 years, median = 49 years, SD = 15.96), and 37.91% of the participants reported achieving tertiary education. 12.11% of respondents had a high compound knowledge of the topics. Knowledge levels, however, vary among the included countries (highest in the Netherlands at 18.87%, lowest in France at 7.44%). 81.5%, instead, supported the implementation of diagnostic or therapeutic applications of genetic testing in their healthcare systems, and nuanced differences in acceptance were observed based on testing purposes. Over half of the respondents (52.35%) reported willingness to share health data for altruistic use. Both support for implementing genetic testing and the desire to share health data correlated positively with knowledge and education levels. Geographical differences within the EU highlighted variations in attitudes toward personalized medicine and data sharing, with respondents from Southern Europe displaying higher odds than their peers in Central and Eastern Europe. The results emphasize the need for targeted communication and education strategies to enhance public understanding and trust in personalized medicine and health data sharing.
Radiomics Models Identifying Dementia in Patients with Normal Age-Related Hippocampal Atrophy: A study based on Machine Learning
Authors: Yang Xiao-Li , Huang Sheng-Wen , Luo Yu-Fan , Li Chen , Wang Yuan-Yuan , Huang Huang-Huang , Wang Meng-Xiang , Lu Wen-Mei , Zong Ping-Ping , Zeng Hu-Lie , Wu Dan-Hong
Published: March 2024

Background: Our study aimed to employ a machine learning models based on radiomics for automated dementia identification in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) patients with normal age-related hippocampal atrophy (HA).
Methods: CSVD patients were divided randomly into training and validation sets in a 6:4 ratio. Bilateral hippocampus segmented based on T2 and FLAIR were used for radiomics. Dementia radiomics models (T2 model, T2FLAIR model, T2-T2FLAIR model) were developed in the training sets and was further verified in the validation sets. The rad_score from the best models, along with clinical factors, was integrated to construct clinic-radiomics models for dementia through multifactor logistic regression analysis.
Results: 116 CSVD patients were recruited, 30 patients were dementia and 86 patients were non-dementia. In predicting dementia in the training and validation sets, the area under curves (AUC) were 0.811 and 0.779 for the T2 model, 0.807 and 0.755 for the T2FLAIR model, and 0.864 and 0.801 for the T2-T2FLAIR model. In the overall 116 patients, the AUCs were 0.801 for of the T2 model, 0.783 for the T2FLAIR model, and 0.840 for the T2FLAIR model. No statistical differences were found among the three models. Given the highest AUC value in the T2-FLAIR model, converting the rad-score into binary T2-FLAIR (No, Yes) revealed a correlation between a 'Yes' response and dementia (OR = 13.21, 95% CI 3.487−59.922, p < 0.001) after adjusting for risk factors.
Conclusion: Radiomic analysis of the hippocampus in T2-FLAIR images can effectively identify dementia in CSVD patients with normal age-related HA.
Considering the importance of ‘Communities of Practice’ and Health Promotion Constructs for Upstream Suicide Prevention
Authors: Wexler Lisa , Ginn Joel , White Lauren , Schmidt Tara , Rataj Suzanne , Wells Caroline C. , Schultz Katie , Kapoulea Eleni A. , McEachern Diane , Habecker Patrick , Laws Holly
Published: March 2024

Background
Suicide is a serious and growing health inequity for Alaska Native (AN) youth (ages 15–24), who experience suicide rates significantly higher than the general U.S. youth population. In low-resourced, remote communities, building on the local and cultural resources found in remote AN communities to increase uptake of prevention behaviors like lethal means reduction, interpersonal support, and postvention can be more effective at preventing suicide than a risk-referral process. This study expands the variables we hypothesize as important for reducing suicide risk and supporting wellbeing. These variables are: 1) perceived suicide prevention self-efficacy, 2) perceived wellness self-efficacy, and 3) developing a ‘community of practice’ (CoP) for prevention/wellness work.
Method
With a convenience sample (N = 398) of participants (ages 15+) in five remote Alaska Native communities, this study characterizes respondents’ social roles: institutional role if they have a job that includes suicide prevention (e.g. teachers, community health workers) and community role if their primary role is based on family or community positioning (e.g. Elder, parent). The cross-sectional analysis then explores the relationship between respondents’ wellness and prevention self-efficacy and CoP as predictors of their self-reported suicide prevention and wellness promotion behaviors: (1) working together with others (e.g. community initiatives), (2) offering interpersonal support to someone, (3) reducing access to lethal means, and (4) reducing suicide risk for others after a suicide death in the community.
Results
Community and institutional roles are vital, and analyses detected distinct patterns linking our dependent variables to different preventative behaviors. Findings associated wellness self-efficacy and CoP (but not prevention self-efficacy) with ‘working together’ behaviors, wellness and prevention self-efficacy (but not CoP) with interpersonal supportive behaviors; both prevention self-efficacy and CoP with higher postvention behaviors. Only prevention self-efficacy was associated with lethal means reduction.
Conclusions
The study widens the scope of suicide prevention. Promising approaches to suicide prevention in rural low-resourced communities include: (1) engaging people in community and institutional roles, (2) developing communities of practice for suicide prevention among different sectors of a community, and (3) broadening the scope of suicide prevention to include wellness promotion as well as suicide prevention.
Survey on nurse-physician communication gaps: diagnostic concerns and reasons for silence
Authors: Miyagami Taiju , Watari Takashi , Nishizaki Yuji , Sekine Miwa , Shigetomi Kyoko , Miwa Mamoru , Chopra Vineet , Naito Toshio
Published: March 2024

Diagnosis improvement requires physician-nurse collaboration. This study explored nurses’ concerns regarding physicians’ diagnoses and how they were communicated to physicians. This cross-sectional study, employing a web-based questionnaire, included nurses registered on Japan’s largest online media site from June 26, 2023, to July 31, 2023. The survey inquired whether participants felt concerned about a physician’s diagnosis within a month, if they communicated their concerns once they arose, and, if not, their reasons. The reasons for not being investigated were also examined. The nurses’ frequency of feeling concerned about a physician’s diagnosis and the barriers to communicating these concerns to the physician were evaluated. Overall, 430 nurses answered the survey (female, 349 [81.2%]; median age, 45 [35–51] years; median years of experience, 19 [12–25]). Of the nurses, 61.2% experienced concerns about a physician’s diagnosis within the past month; 52.5% felt concerned but could not communicate this to the physician. The most common reasons for not communicating included concern about the physician’s pride, being ignored when communicating, and the nurse not believing that a diagnosis should be made. Our results highlight the need to foster psychologically safe workplaces for nurses and create educational programs encouraging nurse involvement in diagnosis.
Cosmic-ray arrival time (CAT) indoor navigation in the World Geodetic System
Authors: Tanaka Hiroyuki K.M.
Published: March 2024

Indoor positioning system (IPS) technologies have a wide range of applications; however, three major limitations associated with currently used IPS technologies are: (1) weak penetration strength of signals to penetrate building materials, inhibiting seamless connection of outdoor coordinates to indoor coordinates; hence these technologies rely on local coordinates, making them incompatible with the world geodetic system (WGS84) and universal traceability, (2) active source signals that require beacons to transmit navigation signals. In contrast, the muometric positioning system utilizes naturally abundant cosmic-ray muons signals to compensate for some of these setbacks. However, its main practical challenges are: (1) the low signal rate (~1 per 10 days for laptop-sized receivers horizontally located 50 m apart from each other) and (2) the requirement for large reference detectors (> 4 m2) above the receiver to track cosmic ray precipitation. In this work, an alternative concept called CAT navigation, which relies on the extended air shower time structure for higher rate positioning (without requiring reference detectors) is first proposed and demonstrated; it located receivers placed on the ground floors of multiple buildings (within WGS84) in conditions where other IPS methods are difficult to apply. The resultant positioning accuracy was 3-4 m (at 50 m apart), which is reasonably accurate for GPS -IPS seamless bridging, and with a laptop sized receiver the averaged positioning signal update rate was (683 s)-1 which can be improved to (170 s)-1 with a future upgrade of the data gathering electronics. By integrating CAT receivers into GPS equipped smartphones, it is anticipated that this GPS -CAT hybrid method will seamlessly connect multi-users’ coordinates from outdoor to indoor environments.
Beneficial effect of synbiotic combination of Limosilactobacillus fermentum FS-10, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Lp1-IC and short-chain Fructooligosaccharides in colitis murine model
Authors: Pujari Radha , Jadhav Deepak , Angal Ashvini , Syed Jaserah , Dubey Ashok Kumar
Published: March 2024

Therapies targeting gut-microbiota are being extensively researched for colitis patients. In this study, we have tested the efficacy of indigenously isolated strains Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Lp1-IC and Limosilactobacillus fermentum FS-10 and their combination with short chain fructooligosaccharides (sc-FOS) in mice models of DSS-induced colitis. For a desired efficacy, a synbiotic should be very meticulously formulated with the right choice of prebiotic and probiotic. Therefore, the ability of Lactobacilli to selectively utilize scFOS for growth was first tested by culturing the strains in a specially designed minimal media supplemented with scFOS as carbon source. The bacteria utilized scFOS and produced metabolites such as acetate and lactate. Thereafter, the in vitro anti-inflammatory effect was tested on markers such as TNF-alpha (TNF-α), Nitric Oxide and IL-10 in human monocyte (THP-1) and mouse macrophage (Raw 264-7) cell lines. The in vivo efficacy was studied in mice model of DSS-induced colitis and the effect on the systemic and localized inflammatory markers were assessed in serum and colon tissues samples respectively. Administration of DSS elicited predominant clinical signs of weight loss, diarrhoea, fecal occult blood, increase in inflammatory markers and extensive damage of colon tissue. These symptoms were significantly reversed in all the treatment groups, however the combination of lactobacilli and scFOS performed better than the individual ingredients. The study highlights the potential of the indigenous lactobacilli strains, scFOS and their combination for management of gut-inflammation in colitis patients.
Emergency department use in the postpartum period: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Reische Elijah , Santillan Mark , Cunningham Victoria , Blocklinger Kelsey , Hunter Stephen , Faro Elissa , Davis Heather , Knosp Boyd , Santillan Donna
Published: March 2024

Background:
Visits to the emergency room (ED) by women in the postpartum period may reflect gaps in postpartum care and disparities in access to obstetric and primary care services. This study aimed to characterize the patients who visited the ED in the first year after delivery, their reasons for coming to the ED, and the care they received.
Methods:
The electronic health record was reviewed for all patients who delivered at University of Iowa Health Care between 2009 and 2023 and visited the ED within 365 days after delivery. Data drawn directly from the EHR included patient demographics and medical history, pregnancy and delivery information, and newborn characteristics. The charts were then reviewed manually for information regarding ED visits including time from delivery, chief complaint, diagnosis, and disposition.
Results:
555 pregnancies had ED visits within one year of delivery, with a total 814 ED visits across the study sample. 46.7% of ED visits occurred in the first 30 days following delivery, and 35% of ED visits for obstetric complaints occurred in the first 2 weeks after delivery. Black patients visited the ED more often (mean=1.84 visits, SD=1.30) than white (mean=1.34, SD=0.92, p<0.001) or Hispanic patients (mean=1.35, SD=0.67, p = 0.004). The most common categories of chief complaint were obstetric (34.6%) and gastrointestinal (18.8%), while the most common categories of diagnosis were obstetric (31.8%) and immune/infectious (28.1%).
Conclusions:
Visits to the ED are common in the year following delivery. Almost half of these visits occur in the first 30 days after birth. The plurality of postpartum ED visits are due to obstetric complaints, especially in the first few weeks. Black women are more likely to use the ED during this period, potentially due to disparities in healthcare access. These findings suggest that some of these ED visits may be preventable, and that there is room for improvement in post-delivery follow-up, communication between patients and the obstetrics team, and access to outpatient obstetric care.
The importance of Evaluation of microorganisms in raw sewage sludge intended for agriculture
Authors: BOUCHAALA Laid , GRARA Nedjoud , CHARCHAR Nabil , NOURINE Heidar , DAHDAH Kamal , DRIOUCHE Youssouf , Atoki Ayomide Victor
Published: March 2024

The present study was conducted to determine the microbiological characteristics of sewage sludge from five waste-water treatment plants (WWTPs) in eastern Algeria and to assess the efficiency of drying beds in lowering the microbial load in this sludge, which is typically used in agricultural fields. We chose the five most significant waste-water treatment facilities in Algeria's Eastern area to carry out this study. Where we have counted harmful microorganisms (Salmonella, Clostridium), and examined parasites. Total coliforms, fecal "E. coli" and fecal streptococci were used as indicators of fecal contamination. The obtained results indicate that the examined sewage sludge is a rich source of microorganisms, particularly bacteria of fecal origin, especially during the months of high temperature (Spring, Summer), and moor particular in the sludge of medium age (more than 1 month). As a result, we have reported a significant presence of anaerobic sulfate-reducingria (ASR), Salmonella spp., and E. coli. We also observed that this sludge included parasites, ranging from protozoa to helminth eggs. We may draw the conclusion that even if the microbiological load in the sewage sludge significantly decreased after treatment in the drying beds, the hazards associated with the spread of this sludge must be managed by adherence to a set of exact guidelines. This study allowed us to determine the microbiological properties of sewage sludge, through which we can reduce the risks or definitively eliminated, which allows the possibility of valued them in the agricultural sector by avoiding all possible environmental risks and even on health public.