bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Notes on Noctiluca
Authors: Allman
Published: December 2023

The occurrence some years ago of Noctiluca miliaris in great abundance during the autumn months on the southern shores of Ireland afforded me an opportunity of studying the structure of this singular little animal. The following paper contains an account of the observations then made. These are for the most part confirmatory of the results arrived at by other observers, while in some respects they serve to supplement the researches of those zoologists who have already made Noctiluca a subject of study.
Relationship between baseline mean platelet volume (MPV) and prognosis of patients with acute mild cerebral infarction undergoing intravenous thrombolysis with Alteplase
Authors: Wang Yanhao , Wei Xiaoqing , Du Wei , Yuan Congcong
Published: December 2023

Objective: To investigate the relationship between baseline, mean platelet volume (MPV) and prognosis of patients with acute mild cerebral infarction undergoing intravenous thrombolysis with alteplase.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of clinical imaging and laboratory data of patients with acute mild cerebral infarction who received intravenous thrombolytic therapy with alteplase in Baoding No.1 Central Hospital between March 2018 and March 2021. According to mRS scores after three months, a total of 140 patients were divided into the good prognosis group(n=115) (mRS score <two) and the poor prognosis group(n=25) (mRS score ≥two). Logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate MPV and other factors that may affect the prognosis. The ROC curve of subjects was used to predict the prognosis of influencing factors. Possible influencing factors of early neurological deterioration (END) were also analyzed.

Results: Logistic regression analysis showed that 24 hour NIHSS score after thrombolysis and baseline MPV were independently correlated with 3-month prognosis. The ROC curve indicated an optimal cutoff value of 9.65 fl for MPV in predicting poor prognosis. The study also found that the increase of baseline MPV had a close bearing on the risk increase of END.

Conclusion: Baseline MPV is an independent risk factor for early neurological deterioration and three months poor prognosis in patients with acute mild cerebral infarction undergoing intravenous thrombolysis.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.3.7493

How to cite this: Wang Y, Wei X, Du W, Yuan C. Relationship between baseline mean platelet volume (MPV) and prognosis of patients with acute mild cerebral infarction undergoing intravenous thrombolysis with Alteplase. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(3):---------.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.3.7493

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Three-dimensional measurement and analysis of Mandibular Molar Distalization assisted by micro-implant anchorage combined with clear aligner
Authors: Lin Gengbing , Chen Mengwei , Guo Nan , Shi Xie
Published: December 2023

Objective: To investigate the effect of micro-implant anchorage combined with a clear aligner on the efficiency of mandibular molar distalization and the protection of anterior teeth anchorage, provide reference for clinical scheme design.

Methods: This is a prospective study. Seventeen patients who were treated in the Orthodontics Department of the Hospital of Stomatology affiliated to Fujian Medical University from 2019 to 2021 and used Invisalign clear aligners to move mandibular molars distally were included and divided into two groups according to anchorage types: Group-A and Group-B. Group-A (ten cases) were treated without micro-implant anchorage, while Group-B (seven cases) were treated with micro-implant anchorage nails for enhanced anchorage. The effect of micro-implant anchorage on crown and root distal movement of mandibular molars and the difference in three-dimensional movement between mandibular molars and mandibular central incisors were analyzed.

Results: The crown distalization efficiency of mandibular first and second molars in Group-B was 68.66% and 71.02%, respectively, which were higher than those in Group-A(p<0.05). The mandibular central incisors in Group-A showed labial displacement and a small amount of elongation, while those in Group-B showed less anchorage loss(p<0.05). In Group-A, the crown was tilted in the distal direction and moved in the buccal direction during mandibular molar distalization(p<0.05). While in Group-B, the crown was tilted in the distal directio (p<0.05) and the mandibular second molar was depressed(p<0.05).

Conclusion: In the process of mandibular molar distalization assisted by micro-implant anchorage combined with a clear aligner, better protects the anchorage of the mandibular central incisor and improves the efficiency of the molar crown distalization.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.3.7759

How to cite this: Lin G, Chen M, Guo N, Shi X. Three-dimensional measurement and analysis of Mandibular Molar Distalization assisted by micro-implant anchorage combined with clear aligner. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(3):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.3.7759

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Effects of flunarizine combined with ginkgo leaf extract and dipyridamole injection on hemorheology in elderly patients with vertigo
Authors: Liu Xinlei , Shu Lingyu , Zheng Junxia
Published: December 2023

Objective: To investigate the effect of flunarizine combined with ginkgo leaf extract and dipyridamole injection (GDI) on hemorheology of elderly patients with vertigo.

Methods: Clinical data of 105 elderly patients with vertigo who were treated in The First People’s Hospital of Lin’an District from June 2019 to December 2022 were retrospectively selected. Of them, 54 patients received flunarizine combined with GDI (Study group) while 51 patients received flunarizine treatment alone (Control group). The treatment effect and adverse reactions of the two groups, functional rehabilitation before and after treatment, including the Simplified Vertigo Symptom Score Scale (VSS-SF), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) were measured. Hemodynamics including blood flow velocity (Vm) of basilar artery (BA), left vertebral artery (LVA), and right vertebral artery (RVA) before and after treatment were also assessed.

Results: The total efficacy of the treatment in the study group was higher than that in the control group (94.4 % vs. 75.9%; P<0.05). After the treatment, the Vm of the BA, LVA, and RVA was increased in both groups compared to before treatment, and the increase was greater in the study group than in the control group (P<0.05). In addition, the BBS scores of the two groups after the treatment were higher than before the treatment, while the DHI and VSS-SF scores were lower than before the treatment. BBS scores of the study group were higher than those of the control group, while the DHI and VSS-SF scores were lower than those of the control group (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the study group (5.6%) and the control group (2.0%; P>0.05).

Conclusions: The combination of flunarizine and GDI in elderly patients with vertigo can effectively regulate hemodynamics of the patient, reduce the degree of vertigo, improve balance, and have a significant overall therapeutic effect without increasing the risk of adverse reactions.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.3.8456

How to cite this: Liu X, Shu L, Zheng J. Effects of flunarizine combined with ginkgo leaf extract and dipyridamole injection on hemorheology in elderly patients with vertigo. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(3):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.3.8456

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Centralized healthcare database for ensuring better healthcare: Are we lagging behind?
Authors: Tariq Sundus , Tariq Saba , Shoukat Ahmad Adnan
Published: December 2023

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.3.9084

How to cite this: Tariq S, Tariq S, Shoukat AA. Centralized healthcare database for ensuring better healthcare: Are we lagging behind? Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(3):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.3.9084

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Socio-Economic Development of the Territory as the Main Object of Territory Management in Relation to the Levels of Municipal Formation
Authors: Bifov B.
Published: December 2023

This article defines the role and importance of socio-economic development of territories. Based on the research of scientific views, the analysis of the concept itself is carried out, the main blocks of indicators for assessing the effectiveness of development are formulated. the role of municipalities is shown. The considered data allowed us to propose a new approach to understanding the socio-economic development of municipalities with an emphasis on the most significant aspects based on the prevailing financial and economic conditions and formulate the author's definition.
Development of a corporate identity for a construction company in a competitive environment in the region
Authors: Karnauhova Alena , Sannikova Tatiana
Published: December 2023

The article analyzes the features of the use of corporate identity by construction companies in the regional market of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), identifies the main approaches to developing a corporate identity, and provides recommendations for its creation for construction companies. A completed project to develop a corporate identity for the construction company "Osnova" is described.
Improving Retail Supply Chains Using Integrated Logistics Planning Technologies
Authors: Starkina E. , Slepenkova E. , Sobolev D.
Published: December 2023

The article discusses the main technologies of logistics integration in the con-text of the functioning of retail trade networks. The main aspects of the introduction of the ECR concept and CPFR technology into the activities of the retail chain and its counterparties are considered, the key problems of supply chains that will be solved when implementing logistics integration are described. A positive effect on leveling the risks of supply chains is formulated.
Principles of Transformation of the Public Procurement Mechanism and Their Application in the Russian Federation
Authors: Berdnikov D.
Published: December 2023

The research is devoted to the identification, identification and study of the principles of transformation of the public procurement mechanism in modern Russian practice under the influence of current public demands and systemwide challenges. The empirical base of the study is based on the previously obtained results of the study of the functioning of the sphere of public procurement, implemented on the basis of the federal law No. 44-FZ "On the Contract System in the Field of procurement of goods, Works, services for State and Municipal Needs", their place in the state economic Mechanism and quantitative indicators of their impact on achieving the goals of state economic policy. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the differentiation and characterization of various groups of framework restrictions that affect the functioning and transformation of the mechanism of public procurement, as well as determining the directions of functional relationships between these groups. A component of the scientific novelty of the study is also the formulation of the rules (principles) recommended by the author for the transformation of the public procurement mechanism with their subject-descriptive justification and the formation of a systematic representation of their application in relation to the process of sequential transformation of the public procurement mechanism. The scientific contribution of the author to the study of the processes of improvement of the modern sphere of public procurement consists in the application of the method of formal logic in relation to the identification of objective grounds for the constant transformation of the mechanism of public procurement and its sequential transition from one state to another. The result of the study was the author's recommendations on the practical application of the principles of transformation of the public procurement mechanism in order to improve the scope of public procurement activities and increase the effectiveness in achieving the goals of state economic policy through public procurement.
Analysis of the Current Model of Taxation of Personal Income in the Russian Federation
Authors: Staroverova O.
Published: December 2023

The article is devoted to the main instruments of tax incentives for investment activities in the Russian Federation; the analysis of the main mechanisms of tax incentives for investment activity is given; the instruments of tax incentives for investment activities in foreign countries are analyzed, ways of improvement are proposed within the framework of state support for tax incentives for investment activities
La mirada mediática. Una revisión de la actualidad desde las teorías de la comunicación
Authors: Teso Gemma
Published: December 2023

Reseña de la obra titulada "La mirada mediática. Una revisión de la actualidad desde las teorías de la comunicación".
The Con and the Primal Horde
Authors: Godley J. Asher
Published: December 2023

Abstract: The ancient problem of the tyrant's seductiveness remains as timely as ever in present-day democracies, despite long established knowledge of his spurious charm. Indeed, such intransigence signals the insufficiency precisely of criticism that focuses solely on knowledge rather than a structural analysis of the paradoxes of enjoyment whereby authoritarian leaders maintain their rapport with the people. Ahead of our time, Melville's 1854 novel The Confidence-Man provides prescient insight into the specific dialectical impasses that fuel the contemporary tyrant's "confidence game." Together with Lacan's revisioning of Freud's myths of sovereignty in Totem and Taboo , this article presents how the contemporary authoritarian masquerade both obfuscates the tragedy of democracy's downfall and remains vulnerable to insurgent truths.
Literature Now and Democracy to Come: Jacques Derrida, Ben Lerner, and Leaving the Atocha Station
Authors: Coughlan David
Published: December 2023

Abstract: On March 11, 2004, Madrid was hit by devastating train bombings. The attacks and the resulting protests play an important part in Ben Lerner's Leaving the Atocha Station (2011), but the novel is not simply about them. Instead, Lerner addresses the relationship between literature and politics. Discussing the influence of John Ashbery's and Allen Grossman's work on Lerner, this article shows how the novel develops an understanding of literature as an immediate mediation between the virtual and the actual. Responding to Lerner's challenge to consider "literature now," and drawing on Jacques Derrida's work on democracy to come, the article then explores how an experience of reading is, for Lerner, an experience of temporality and of exposure to an event to come that requires a decisive, improvised response. Concluding with the novel's recontextualization of the Spanish government's response to the Madrid bombings, the article argues that an experience of literature is an experience of deciding the meaning of what is happening here and now, mirroring an experience of democratic politics.
Rural Revolt: The Scale Problem in Houellebecq and Norris
Authors: Cooke Roderick
Published: December 2023

Abstract: This article discusses the implications of farmers' insurrections suppressed by state power in Michel Houellebecq's Sérotonine (2019) and Frank Norris's The Octopus (1901). In both cases, the disparity in scale between the farmers' organization and the larger forces set against them (the European Union and the French police, for Houellebecq; the railroad trust and U.S. marshals, for Norris) not only dictates the narrative outcome but also animates a set of questions around globalization, masculinity, the sociological meaning of place, and the relationship between the natural and mechanized worlds. Both novels' conclusions can be read as a surrender to scale, although the two authors' perspectives treat that surrender with ostensibly opposed reactions.
Evagrius the Cappadocian: Redating the Kephalaia gnostika
Authors: Kalvesmaki Joel
Published: December 2023

Abstract: The three works Praktikos, Gnostikos , and Kephalaia gnostika ( KG ) are traditionally dated to the late 380s, when Evagrius Ponticus was a monk in Egypt. The trilogy is commonly seen as a unified, gradated curriculum for monks. In this article, I argue that this paradigm is deficient. Evagrius wrote the KG largely in the 370s, before he ever became a monk, and well before he even started the Praktikos and Gnostikos , which were written later, as a pair of companion pieces, to attempt to repackage the KG as part of a monastic trilogy. Redating the KG to the middle years of Evagrius's life significantly changes our interpretation of his entire corpus. It reveals a layer of his writings that originally had nothing to do with monks and monasticism, but were turned to that purpose late in life. An early KG opens up an important and poorly documented part of Evagrius's writing career, when, in company with the Cappadocians, he had already developed a sophisticated exegesis and metaphysics, long before he became a monk.
Speaking for and against the Imperial Portrait Statue in Late Antiquity: Libanius's Orations 19–22 and John Chrysostom's Homilies on the Statues (387 C.E.)
Authors: Leatherbury Sean V.
Published: December 2023

Abstract: In the city of Antioch-on-the-Orontes in 387 c.e., statues of the emperor Theodosius I and his family were destroyed by a crowd angered by a recent tax increase, resulting in a series of imperial punishments enacted upon the city. In the months after the event, two prominent residents, the pagan author Libanius and the Christian priest John Chrysostom, wrote (in the case of Libanius) and preached (in the case of Chrysostom) in response to the destruction of the statues and the ensuing punishments. This article focuses on the varied understandings of the power and presence of imperial portraits written into Libanius's and Chrysostom's texts. In contrast with Libanius's traditional understanding of the statue as a surrogate for the venerable subject it represented, Chrysostom instead argues that the living human is superior to the lifeless statue, as we are created "in the image of God" by the supreme artist himself. By marshaling Neoplatonic ideas and pagan critiques of statuary, as well as Christian doctrine, Chrysostom seeks to convince his congregants and later readers still attached to the imperial statue cult that the faithful, rather than graven images, are what matter. Writing in a period in which Christianity was ascendant, and in which some cult statues of the pagan gods were targeted for destruction, Chrysostom's homilies provide a unique window into late fourth-century conceptions of portrait statues, which though different from statues of divine subjects were potentially problematic sites of animation and veneration. Read closely against each other, Libanius's and Chrysostom's texts supplement our understanding of the factors behind the subsequent decline in the production and display of portrait statues, as well as changing ideas about three-dimensional representation in a Christian empire.
As We Sit in a Circle on the Grass, and: 环 Circle, and: Untamed Tongue 母语
Authors: Zhou Huiyin
Published: December 2023

Abstract: "Circle" and "untamed tongue" are from 离离草 Chinese Artists and Organizers (CAO) Collective's poetry writing workshops in 2022. The poems were originally written in Chinese using the Exquisite Corpse method, where workshop participants continued after each other's lines under a tight time limit to co-author collective languages and narratives. They were translated into English by CAO Collective members fran yu 嚼嚼 and huiyin zhou 徽音 in collaboration. These poems and their translations engage with the affective experiences of Chinese queer feminists in the diaspora. These collaborative processes, whether as a group or as a duet, rebuild our own lifeworlds that traverse national, geographic, and generational borders. As we call and respond to one another, and murmur tTHERE IS A HOUSEo queer/feminist ancestors and family members who seem out of reach, we reimagine what it means to be with each other, to stand with arrested feminist activists and victims of lockdowns from afar.
Presumption of Paternity, But Not Equality
Authors: Junior Nicole Shawan
Published: December 2023

Abstract: Through recollection, Junior, a lawyer who has spent a decade prosecuting intimate partner violence, is faced with the biases inherent to legal presumption when she finds herself having to prove to the Pennsylvania Superior Court that the child she brought into the world with her wife can legally be declared hers. In the context of family law, a child born of a married couple is presumed to be the husband's, regardless of biological relation. However, this presumption only applies to cis-men. It does not apply to cis-women wives who, though not biologically or gestationally related to a child, have taken on the full breadth of financial responsibilities, emotional devotion, and medical actions necessary to bring that child into the world. With queer women's rising reliance on ART, cases like Junior's are happening more and more.
Unsung Women
Authors: Nixon Vivian D.
Published: December 2023

Abstract: In this essay, Nixon, a formerly incarcerated woman, reflects on Angela Y. Davis, one of history's unsung women, and her own thoughts surrounding prison abolition. She discusses her desire for a reimagined and responsive system that promotes human dignity, healing, and restoration by addressing behaviors that harm oneself or others, arguing that any such system must be accountable to those whom it governs. The prose is interspersed with Nixon's poetry.
Activist Scholarship and Borderland Feminism: Resisting Coloniality in Liminal Internationalization
Authors: Mendoza Pilar
Published: December 2023

Abstract: Using an international research center initiative, the purpose of this article is to illustrate how activist research can be fertile ground for academic theorization and provide a framework for those interested in activist scholarship, especially for women faculty of Latin American origins in U.S. institutions. I elaborate on how activist scholarship can resist coloniality through an example of critical internationalization work in higher education using borderland feminism as a lens. In doing so, I show the interconnections between borderland feminism, coloniality, and liminal internationalization. Finally, based on this theoretical development, I applied Davis et al.´s interpretive criteria (2019) to my activist scholarship in liminal internationalization.
Acute Alcohol-Induced Pancreatitis After Transcoronary Alcohol Ablation
Authors: Cubillan Mark Patrick , Raphael Kara
Published: December 2023

Alcohol-induced pancreatitis typically presents as acute nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, typically seen as a complication of chronic alcoholism or binge drinking alcoholic beverages. Here, we present a case of alcohol-induced pancreatitis from an unusual source: alcohol used in a catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation. This is the first case in current literature that has identified this adverse effect of alcohol catheter ablation.
Acute Cholangitis Masquerading Biliary Neuroendocrine Carcinoma: A Rare Twist to a Typical Presentation
Authors: Nagi Talwinder , Suarez Zoilo K. , Haider Muhammad Adnan , Vallejo Charles , Hernandez Oscar , Doukides Theodore
Published: December 2023

Biliary neuroendocrine carcinoma (BNEC) develops in the biliary tract and is characterized by the presence of neuroendocrine cells and account for less than 1% of all malignancies. We present a patient with no significant risk factors of BNEC who presented with abdominal pain and jaundice. An endoscopic ultrasound with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was concerning for neoplasm and less likely Mirizzi syndrome. Pathology revealed well-differentiated grade 3 large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the common bile duct. BNEC has a poor prognosis with a reported 5-year survival rate of less than 20%, which is worse than other biliary tract malignancies such as cholangiocarcinoma. Additional cases and further studies of multimodal treatment are required in the future to improve prognosis. Providers should be aware of the risk factors of BNEC and consider the diagnosis when evaluating patients with the symptoms above.
Refractory Cytomegalovirus Colitis Followed by De Novo Inflammatory Bowel Disease Post-Orthotopic Liver Transplantation
Authors: Selvan Bharathi , Pendse Avani A. , Zhang Cecelia , Cauthen Jeffriann , Kappus Matthew R. , Messina Julia A.
Published: December 2023

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are both immune-mediated complications that affect orthotopic liver transplantation patients. In this report, we present a 60-year-old man who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation for cryptogenic cirrhosis with serologies notable for CMV-seropositive donor and seronegative recipient. His post-transplant course was initially complicated by probable refractory CMV colitis. However, his gastrointestinal symptoms persisted, eventually leading to a diagnosis of post-transplant de novo IBD. The discussion highlights theories regarding the association between CMV and IBD, a topic that has been widely debated for decades.
Autoimmune Polyendocrinopathy-Candidiasis-Ectodermal Dystrophy–Associated Hepatitis
Authors: Mesbah Zhubene , Tiwari Nishant , Sacco Keith
Published: December 2023

Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) is an inborn error of immunity, resulting from variation in the autoimmune regulator gene (AIRE). Pathogenic variants in the AIRE gene result in autoimmunity typically involving endocrine organs with nonendocrine organs less commonly affected. Hepatitis associated with APECED has emerged as a potentially fatal complication with higher reported prevalence in the Americas. We describe a case of a 3-year-old boy presenting with hepatitis from APECED without classical clinical diagnostic criteria. This case highlights the importance of APECED in the evaluation of hepatitis given response to immunomodulator treatment and risk of fulminate liver failure.
Product Quality and Product Compatibility in Network Industries
Authors: Buccella Domenico , Fanti Luciano , Gori Luca
Published: December 2023

Using an appropriate game-theoretic approach, this article develops a non-cooperative two-stage game in a Cournot duopolistic network industry in which firms strategically choose whether to produce compatible goods in the first decision-making stage. Quality differentiation affects the sub-game perfect Nash equilibrium (SPNE): (i) the network effect acts differently between low- and high-quality firms, depending on their compatibility choice; (ii) if the network externality is positive (resp. negative), to produce compatible (resp. incompatible) goods is the unique SPNE; however, this equilibrium configuration leads the high-quality firm to be worse off; (iii) there is room for a side payment from the high- to the low-quality firm to deviate toward incompatibility (resp. compatibility) under positive (resp. negative) network externality. This payment represents a Pareto improvement on the firm side but not from a societal perspective, as consumers would be worse off. The article also pinpoints the social welfare outcomes corresponding to the SPNE.
Effects of plant density on alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) seed yield in western Heilongjiang areas
Authors: Wang Xiaolong , Zhong Peng , Yang Zhao , Lai Yongcai , Li Shasha , Chai Hua , Xu Yanxia , Wu Yue , Wang Jianli
Published: December 2023

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is known as the “king of forages”. The aim of the current study is to determine the optimum planting density as the key cultivation technique for high yield of alfalfa seed. Alfalfa variety (Longmu 801) was planted in experimental fields from 2014 to 2017. In the planting density test, the row spacing was 65, 80, and 95 cm, and the plant spacing was 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 cm. The seed yield and yield components in the row spacing and plant spacing tests were measured. On the basis of 3 years average of the experimental data, the highest seed yield of 225.49 kg ha−1 was obtained with row spacing vs plant spacing of 65 and 60 cm, respectively. Correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation between the racemes per stem, pods per raceme, pods per stem, seeds per pod, and the seed yield. These results suggested that Longmu 801 should be cultivated with 65 cm row spacing and 60 cm plant spacing to maximize seed yields in western Heilongjiang areas.
Daily load curve prediction for Jordan based on statistical techniques
Authors: Momani Mohammad Awad , Alhmoud Lina
Published: December 2023

The article proposes a mathematical prediction model for daily load curves (DLCs) in Jordan from 2023–2050. The historical hourly peak loads based on the growth rate statistical method in 1994–2020 and the annual forecasted peak loads during the morning and evening periods taken from the long-term load forecast (LTLF) study of National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) during 2022–2050 are employed in the prediction model. The results show that the actual hourly growth rates, the annual forecasted growth rates, and the hourly peak loads in the reference year 2022 are the main input variables used in the prediction formula. The LTLF study conducted by NEPCO employs various sophisticated methods depending on the end-user sectorial electricity consumption that imply an econometric approach, market survey, and Gomprtz extrapolation techniques. The peak load in Jordan relies upon several climatic and nonclimatic variables, implying the ambient temperature, gross domestic product, income, demographic, urbanization, electricity tariff, average oil prices, and other factors related to technology and new aspects of energy saving and space heating/cooling systems, the DLC in Jordan is variable and changing from year to year. The proposed model considers a variation in the future DLC and suggests three different scenarios of DLC’s prediction based on the time occurrence of the peak load: the first is the daytime peak occurrence scenario, the second is the evening peak occurrence scenario, and finally is the daytime and evening peaks may be close to each other.
Variation and change in the Swedish periphrastic passive: a constructional approach
Authors: Skrzypek Dominika
Published: December 2023

This paper examines the development of the periphrastic passive voice construction in Swedish between 1300 and 1750, from the point of view of constructional change. The development involves the rise of a new auxiliary, bliva ‘remain’, originally a lexical loan from Middle Low German, which after a period of variation replaces the older auxiliary varda ‘become’. The findings reveal that the origins of the periphrastic passive construction may be found in mutative constructions with varda and adjectival complements, and the same development is then found with the loanword bliva, delayed by some hundred years. The results of quantitative analysis place the turning point in the development between 1450 and 1550. The paper relates the variation and change in passive auxiliaries to Diachronic Construction Grammar.
Walkaway vertical seismic profiling first-arrival traveltime tomography with velocity structure constraints
Authors: Cai Lu , Chunlong Zhang , Zhibin Zhang
Published: December 2023

Walkaway vertical seismic profiling (WVSP) is known for its high level of credibility in obtaining the relationship between first-arrival traveltime and detector depth through first-arrival picking. This relationship can be utilized for seismic velocity model inversion to improve velocity model accuracy and rationality. Here, we present a WVSP first-arrival velocity model with velocity structure constraints, by utilizing layer and fault data interpreted by ground seismic structure technique. We constructed a geological structure and layer sequence models based on sedimentary patterns to obtain complex velocity structures. Furthermore, we introduced a smooth regularization term based on the velocity structure into the inversion model to enhance its consistency with geological laws and compensate for the reduced inversion accuracy owing to the regularization term based on flat structures. This approach addressed the limitations of the regularization term based on flat structures, resulting in more accurate and reliable inversion results. Through simulation analysis, the proposed method realized the WVSP first-arrival velocity inversion, with results being closer to those of the real velocity model.
Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Saccharum officinarum leaf extract for antiviral paint
Authors: Noppradit Benjaporn , Chaiyosburana Setsiri , Khupsathianwong Nutthaphol , Tapachai Weena Aemaeg , Wattanakanjana Yupa , Phengdaam Apichat
Published: December 2023

In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized via an eco-friendly approach using an extract from sugarcane leaves (Saccharum officinarum). The optimal synthesis conditions were determined to be a pH of 10, yielding AgNPs with an average size of 11.7 ± 2.8 nm. This was substantiated by UV-vis spectral analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and field emission transmission electron microscope coupling with selected area electron diffraction. The synthesized AgNPs exhibited notable antibacterial efficacy against two prominent pathogens, namely Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, with minimum inhibitory concentration values of 20 and 2.5 ppm, respectively. Further extending the applications of AgNPs, they were successfully integrated into architectural paints at varying concentrations to create antiviral coatings. The addition of AgNPs influenced several properties of the paints, including viscosity, hiding power, and color characteristics. Notably, our findings revealed that the antiviral paint containing 80 ppm of AgNPs effectively hindered virus propagation, exhibiting a remarkable reduction of over 90% when compared to the control, measured by 50% tissue culture infectious dose.
Possibility of metallic cobalt formation in the oxide scale during high-temperature oxidation of Co-27Cr-6Mo alloy in air
Authors: Wongpromrat Patthranit , Tunthawiroon Phacharaphon , Bumrungthaichaichan Eakarach , Ponpo Phisan , Nilsonthi Thanasak , Chandra-ambhorn Somrerk , Chandra-ambhorn Walairat
Published: December 2023

Co-based alloys are known to be high oxidation-resistant material and used in several high temperature applications. During high temperature oxidation, duplex oxides containing Co and Cr were formed. It was thermodynamically elucidated that when the growing scale was thick enough, the partial pressure of O2 in the scale dropped. Then, the reduction of CoO occurred for promoting O2 which was responsible for Cr2O3 production. This work experimentally proved this point by in situ characterising Co-27Cr-6Mo at high temperatures in air by X-ray diffractometer in a grazing incident mode and metallic Co was confirmed to be formed by the reduction of CoO consistent with the image taken and analysed by field emission scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray, and electron backscatter diffraction. Furthermore, the change in lattice parameter and the phase transition were observed when the temperature was altered.
Endovascular repair of the aortic arch
Authors: Kursch Florian , Doukas Panagiotis
Published: December 2023

Objectives

The gold standard for the treatment of pathologies of the aortic arch remains the open surgical reconstruction of the affected segments. However, endovas-cular treatment options have emerged that eliminate the need for invasive open surgery. Several endograft devices – with fenestrations or branches for the supraaortic vessels – are currently available to address different pathologies and anatomical variations. Parallel-graft techniques and in situ fenestrations expand the treatment options for emergent cases. In this selective review of the literature of 2020 and 2021, we summarize the current chances and challenges of endovascular aortic repair.

Content

Reported mortality rates range from 0 to 13.2 %. Although technical success rates for fenestrated and branched devices are promising (98 %), stroke rates remain a relevant issue (10 and 3 % for BTEVAR and FTEVAR respectively). The reported technical success rate for in situ fenestrations is also encouraging (94 %) and the stroke rates acceptable (5 %). Parallel-graft techniques are associated with high early and late endoleak rates (early 76 %; late 31 %), but still hold a valuable place in the treatment of emergent cases or in bail-out situations.

Summary and Outlook

The endovascular repair of the aortic arch expands the range of patients with pathologies of the arch eligible for treatment to those unfit for open surgery offering a minimally invasive, yet technically challenging procedure. More data and meta-analyses are needed to define the benefits and drawbacks of this promising treatment option in an aging population with increasing co-morbidities.
On the influence of the fourth order orientation tensor on the dynamics of the second order one
Authors: Papenfuss Christina
Published: December 2023

The consequences of introducing the fourth order orientation tensor as an independent variable in addition to the second order one are investigated. In the first part consequences of the Second Law of Thermodynamics are exploited. The cases with the second order alignment tensor in the state space on one hand and with the second and fourth order alignment tensors on the other hand are analogous. In the latter case differential equations for the second and fourth order tensors result from linear force-flux relations with a coupling arising due to coupling terms in the free energy. In the second part the differential equations for the second order orientation tensor or the second and fourth order orientation tensors, respectively are given explicitly in the special case of a rotation symmetric orientation distribution. The Folgar-Tucker equation with a quadratic closure relation leads to a Riccati equation for the second order parameter. In comparison the Folgar-Tucker equation and the differential equation for the fourth order parameter are considered. The fourth order parameter is eliminated later. The resulting equation for the second order parameter is a Duffing equation with a behavior of solutions completely different from the solutions of the Riccati equation.
Effect of particle size on the properties of avocado pear wood fiber/low-density polyethylene composite enhanced by pretreatment
Authors: Government Rabboni Mike , Okeke Edozie Thompson
Published: December 2023

The work entailed the influence of particle size on the characteristics and water absorption resistance of avocado pear wood fiber/low-density polyethylene (APWF/LDPE) composite enhanced by pretreatment. The fiber particle of 100, 80, 60, 40, and 20 mesh (150, 180, 250, 425, and 850 µm) for the avocado wood fiber (APWF) was infused in the resin. Each particle of the fiber with fiber content of 5–25 wt% for the untreated, pretreated with NaOH, NaOH + CH3COOH, and NaOH + CH3COOH + MAPE was intermixed in the resin to produce the APWF/LDPE composites, respectively. The APWF/LDPE composites were analyzed on the properties, water absorption resistance, Fourier transform infra-red, and scanning electron microscopy. The study exhibited that mechanical properties and water absorption resistance of the APWF/LDPE composite were improved at lower particle of the fiber triggered by treatment. The best properties were confirmed at 150 µm of APWF pretreated with NaOH + CH3COOH + MAPE when compounded with the resin. These were proportional to 15.92 MPa, 0.867 GPa, 41.39 MPa, 0.662 GPa, 683 Pa, 84.04 kJ m−2, and 2.44 % for tensile strength, elastic modulus, flexural strength, bending modulus, Brinell hardness, impact strength, and water absorption resistance, respectively. The APWF/LDPE composite for NaOH + CH3COOH + MAPE pretreated is recommended for interior cabinet of an automobile.
Abnormal evolution of resistivity and microstructure of annealed Ag nanoparticles/Ag–Mo films
Authors: Li Saibo , Liang Shihao , Han Chao , Sun Haoliang , Wang Guangxin
Published: December 2023

Ag–Mo films with different thicknesses were prepared on polyimide substrate by magnetron sputtering and annealed at different temperatures. The effects of film thickness and annealing temperatures on the resistivity and microstructure of Ag–Mo alloys were investigated. Results show that many Ag nanoparticles were self-formed on Ag–Mo films’ surface. As the thickness of the Ag–Mo film increased from 163 to 409 nm, there was a significant decrease in its resistivity, dropping from 485.44 to 237.12 μΩ cm. Resistivity of the Ag–Mo film is dependent on the annealing temperature. When temperature rises from room temperature to 180℃, the resistivity decreases from 390.62 to 339.37 μΩ cm, with little change. After annealing above 270℃, a sudden increase of resistivity of the Ag–Mo film was attributed to the growth of Ag particles on the film surface contributing to the increase in surface roughness, which hindered electron transport and caused severe surface scattering. High-resistivity Ag–Mo films are expected to be candidates for high-resistivity thin-film devices.
Development of graphene and graphene quantum dots toward biomedical engineering applications: A review
Authors: Handayani Murni , Hendrik  , Abbas Aumber , Anshori Isa , Mulyawan Rahmat , Satriawan Ardianto , Shalannanda Wervyan , Setianingsih Casi , Pingak Charline Tiara Rehuellah , Zahro Qurriyatus , Rurisa Ayu Candra Sekar , Setiawan Iwan , Khotimah Khusnul , Sunnardianto Gagus Ketut , Rahmayanti Yosephin Dewiani
Published: December 2023

Research on the application of graphene (G) and graphene quantum dots (GQDs) for biomedical engineering has attracted much attention over the last decade. Graphene and its derivatives have shown great biocompatibility, solubility, selectivity, large surface area, high purity, biofunctionalization, high drug loading capacity, and cell membrane penetration capability potential to be applied in biomedical engineering areas. The unique physical and chemical properties of GQDs, including small size, chemical inertness, high photoluminescence stability, low cytotoxicity, and good biocompatibility, made them a promising candidate for biomedical engineering applications. The recent progress related to the development of G and GQDs toward biomedical engineering applications is presented in this work. This study reviews and discusses the development of G and GQDs, both top-down and bottom-up synthesis methods, for biomedical engineering applications, such as biosensing, tissue engineering, drug delivery, bioimaging, antibacterial, and antiviral.
Frequency of prototypical acronyms in American TV series
Authors: Imre Attila
Published: December 2023

This article aims at studying acronyms found in captions of six American TV series, as most scholarly articles only discuss abbreviations and acronyms in specialized texts, including their titles and abstracts as well. Hence, in the introductory part, we present reasons to use shortened forms (both abbreviations and acronyms), and then we offer a very brief summary of major types of shortenings, differentiating shorter forms originating from one-word or multi-word phrases, enabling us to separate acronyms, initialisms, and alphabetisms from standard abbreviations and its similar terms (truncation and clipping). After arguing that acronym may be used as the umbrella term for initialisms and alphabetisms as well, we define prototypical acronyms, which are traced in the first seasons of the six TV series with the help of a specifically designed algorithm. Acronym frequency in three medical TV series is compared to their frequency in political, legal, and military series, concluding that at least twice more acronyms were found in medical captions compared to non-medical ones, which means that an acronym is bound to appear within every other minute of the storyline. The conclusion section reiterates the idea that acronym use should be restricted, knowing that guidelines on captioning and subtitling have little impact on the creators.
Overwhelming Complexities: Between Rome and Jerusalem
Authors: Duarte de Oliveira Manuel
Published: December 2023

In the search for an understanding of the complexities that could have led such a “banal” man as Adolf Eichmann, to stand trial in Jerusalem for crimes against Humanity – in the humanity of the Jewish People – one ought to go beneath the surface of contemporary events into the roots of an overwhelming hatred that enslaved Europe for far too long and with consequences beyond what imagination could have conceived within the limits of reason alone. In the pursuit for the “black hole” that brought European nations to a virtual ethical collapse, seriously damaging the capacity to exercise judgment, this article approaches one of the background dimensions of anti-Semitism which enabled the actions of men to structure evil in all but a “banal” manner. The second part of this study seeks alternative ways to conceive a relation between Judaism and Christianity.
Reconfiguring the strategic/non-strategic binary in im/politeness research
Authors: Terkourafi Marina
Published: December 2023

In this article, I explore the potential of the strategic/non-strategic distinction to link im/politeness with recent developments in pragmatics more generally. My point of departure is the claim that the binary between strategic/non-strategic politeness, as drawn in previous research starting with the distinction between discernment and volition, leaves a blind-spot when it comes to established ways of achieving politeness that do not rely on recognition of the speaker’s intention, yet go beyond a pre-defined repertoire of forms. To shed light on this blind spot, I recruit the notions of first-order (S1) and higher-order (S2) polite speakers from Rational Speech Act models, which distinguish between different types of speakers depending on the degree to which they reason not just about their own goals but also about what the hearer thinks of them. However, contrary to the standard RSA model, I propose to think of such reflexive reasoning as a matter of degree, which can be used to explain a continuum of uses from strategic to non-strategic politeness. This move highlights points of contact between theoretical traditions that have developed independently and helps to reinstate im/politeness as a driver of pragmatics research broadly conceived.