bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Examining the Perceived Efficacy of Professional Learning in Gifted and Talented Education
Authors:   , Lockhart Kari Beth
Published: December 2023

This research aims to examine current practices in gifted and talented educator professional learning, as well as teacher attitudes, beliefs, and experiences towards gifted education in order to explore opportunities to further develop and improve professional learning structures. Through a qualitative methodology following the constructivist-interpretivist paradigm, this research utilizes a phenomenological interview design in which data from educator interviews are examined through thematic analysis. To support and further extrapolate on the feedback from the interviews, this research also includes a document analysis of the published descriptions of 30-hour educator training required for those providing GT services in the state of Texas. The thematic analysis of interviews identified three major themes and two minor themes after engaging in a deep analysis of the interview transcriptions. These major themes are the (1) utility of professional learning, (2) shared control of learning, and (3) understanding the whole student. Minor themes are (i) long-term career growth and (ii) role of professional support networks and connections. Results of the document analysis illustrate that the most frequent descriptions are associated with the abilities participants will take from the learning. Within this descriptive code, most of the language focused on learner competence, while few of the descriptions included references to self-efficacy, which is integral to adult learning and motivation. Implications and further areas for study provide guidance on future work in developing effective professional learning coursework.
The Question Concerning Endocrinology: Judith Butler's Gender Theory and Transgender Hormone Therapy
Authors:   , Toole Violet Ann
Published: December 2023

For such a vexing topic as gender identity, this dissertation asks a rather straightforward question: If gender identity is—as Judith Butler has asserted—socially constructed and discursively mediated, then why does transgender hormone therapy (THT) work? This is the question concerning endocrinology that I ask Butler, and their answer is, if requiring of delicate assessment and interpretation, clear: it doesn't. Butler's work reveals an admonishing view that the efficacity of THT is due to placebo effect, in turn brought on by the bewitchment of the trans* who seeks medical transition. In a logic similar to sin and salvation, if only the trans* had not believed in gender dysphoria, then there would be no (putative) efficacity to THT whatsoever. With our answer, we begin a perilous adventure of discovering just why such a preeminent gender theorist (and trans* themselves) with no experience of gender dysphoria, and no desire to medically transition, would say this. We examine Butler's gender theory, their concept of desire, their views on the self, on transsexuality, their rarely discussed philosophies of science and nature, and their dearth of citations of transsexual voices. Due to this lack, I lend my own, relying upon my experience with gender dysphoria, THT, and medical transitioning. Unfortunately, in the times we live with attacks against *trans people and their healthcare, these questions could not be less theoretical, and more practical. In my view, Butler simply does not believe in the physical validity and medical exigency of gender dysphoria—the primary reason that we transsexuals pursue THT. Thus, in a dissertation that addresses questions of existential urgency and indisputable suffering, I show that Butler's gender theory lacks explanatory power and conceptual coherency, at a time when medically transitioning trans* could not need it more.
Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 29 (1917): A Performance Guide based on Interpretations by György Sándor and Boris Berman
Authors:   , Cho Soyoung
Published: December 2023

One of the famous Russian composers and a pianist himself, Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953) composed a vast quantity of piano music. His nine piano sonatas represent well how he projected his musical individuality and the principles that he addressed in his autobiography: classical line, modern trend, toccata line, lyrical line, and grotesque line. However, even though Prokofiev's piano sonatas are considered one of the important collections in the piano repertoire, not all of them have gained popularity and only a few tend to be frequently performed by pianists today. For this reason, this dissertation focuses on one of his less-performed piano sonatas, No. 4 in C minor, Op. 29. The pianists György Sándor and Boris Berman were chosen as specialists in Prokofiev's piano works, and their performance editions and recordings are analyzed and compared as main references. This study provides analysis and a performance guide to this piano sonata. This guide discusses pedaling, fingering, phrasing, touch, voicing, tempo suggestion, articulation, hand distribution, and expression.
Sustainable Healthcare Provider OUD Assessment and Management in Rural Native American Communities (RNACs): Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Approaches
Authors:   , Mincer Wendy Faye
Published: December 2023

In the US, rural Native American communities (RNACs) experience excess morbidity in mental health disorders and mortality from opioid use disorder (OUD). This study used mixed methods to evaluate and analyze the primary data from 76 healthcare providers (HPs) from 24 states across the US (physicians = 7%), to identify HP knowledge and training regarding available prevention, treatment, and recovery (PTR) programs in treating OUD, assessment and management skills, and networking and collaboration capacity among the RNACs they serve. The HP completed the Opioid Survey for Health Care Providers online. A majority of HPs reported a need for knowledge and training regarding OUD treatments (92%). Less than half of the HPs provide intensive outpatient treatment; 40% contracted out for medication assisted treatment/medications for opioid use disorder (MAT/MOUD) services. Recovery support was low at 33% for adults and 38% for youth. HPs reported use of Narcan to be effective in reversing overdose (87%). Qualitative responses supported survey findings and described barriers, including lack of resources, inadequate staffing, insufficient funding, lack of training and OUD knowledge, stigma, and lack of tribal involvement and support. The study findings indicate HPs' need for information and training about OUD and networking and collaboration of healthcare settings to meet the needs of the RNAC they serve. Efforts are needed to improve on recovery programs with an emphasis on the youth. Culturally adapted MAT/MOUD approaches are needed to sustain long-term recovery care.
Devotio Moderna and Erasmus: Transforming Piety
Authors:   , Kuplack Ian
Published: December 2023

The relationship between Erasmus of Rotterdam and the religious movement called the Devotio Moderna, especially the latter's relevance to Erasmian piety, has been a somewhat contentious historiographical issue. This thesis examines that relationship, and asserts that the Devotio Moderna was a crucial formative aspect of Erasmus' religiosity. However, its relevance ought not be overstated, due to the humanist's significant developments away from his spiritual forerunners.
Structural Design and Its Impact on Thermal Efficiency and Corrosion of All-Aluminum Microchannel Heat Exchangers
Authors:   , Ahmed Hossain
Published: December 2023

In this study, high-fidelity conjugate heat transfer simulations are used to model a micro-channel heat exchanger (MCHE) in a crossflow to study its thermal-hydraulic performance. This study considers three different microchannels (internal flow) geometries (circular, triangular, and square) with louver-shaped fins. The local flow field showed a strong coupling between the microchannel flow, solid domain, and crossflow. The flow separation and wake regions formed near MCHE resulted in a large variation in the velocity field and temperature in the crossflow. The wake region had a significant spanwise variation due to its interaction with fins, which also causes variations in the thermal boundary layer. The heat conduction in the solid structure provided a non-uniform temperature field with a higher temperature near the microchannel and a slightly lower temperature near the surface exposed to the crossflow. The microchannel flow analysis showed that the internal geometry affects the pressure drop, which is highest for the triangular MCHE and lowest for the circular MCHE. However, the microchannel flow temperature change was relatively similar for all microchannels. Results showed that for the same volume of the microchannel, the circular shape microchannel has a higher performance index value than the triangular and square shapes. This study also considers three different fin (external flow/crossflow) geometries (louver, step, and saw) with the same tube and circular shape microchannel and identifies the corrosion hot spot. Crossflow shows higher temperatures near the boundary layer of the tube, which results in higher corrosion rates. A predicted flow field also identifies crevices between fins and tube surfaces as critical corrosion hot spots often associated with low-velocity regions. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis was done on AA3102 (Alloy used in the circular channel and louver fin) alloy in corrosive environments containing low and high concentrations of the combination of sodium chloride and ammonium sulfate. Electrolytes used in this research have pH values ranging from 4.0 to 5.8, closer to nearly neutral environments encountered in many atmospheres. EIS results are presented, including Rsol, Rpore, and Rct of AA3102 with very thin arc evaporated porous Zinc film on AA 3102 along with their equivalent circuit.
Identification and Characterization of Genes Required for Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in Medicago truncatula Tnt1 Insertion Mutants
Authors:   , Cai Jingya
Published: December 2023

In this dissertation I am using M. truncatula as a model legume that forms indeterminate nodules with rhizobia under limited nitrogen conditions. I take advantage of an M. truncatula Tnt1 mutant population that provides a useful resource to uncover and characterize novel genes. Here, I focused on several objectives. First, I carried out forward and reverse genetic screening of M. truncatula Tnt1 mutant populations to uncover novel genes involved in symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Second, I focused on reverse genetic screening of two genes, identified as encoding blue copper proteins, and characterization of their mutants' potential phenotypes. Third, I further characterized a nodule essential gene, M. truncatula vacuolar iron transporter like 8 (MtVTL8), which encodes a nodule specific iron transporter. I characterized the expression pattern, expression localization and function of MtVTL8. Additionally, I characterized several residues predicted to be essential to function using a model based on the known crystal structure of Eucalyptus grandis vacuolar iron transporter 1 (EgVIT1), a homologous protein to MtVTL8. I identified several potential essential residues of the MtVTL8 protein, mutagenized them, and through complementation experiments in planta and in yeast assessed functionality of the resulting protein. This helped us to better understand the potential mechanism by which MtVTL8 functions.
Adoption of Innovation in a Community College Environment: User Perceptions of Virtual Reality (VR) Technology among Students Studying Emergency Medical Service (EMS)
Authors:   , Das Anila
Published: December 2023

This research study examined the implementation of an extended reality (XR) lab on a community college campus to facilitate student and faculty access to immersive learning resources. The study, conducted during one skills day, involved 46 students and was designed to understand if integrating immersive VR into emergency medical technician (EMT) education could enhance learner confidence and motivation, develop problem-solving and analytical thinking skills, and thus connecting the classroom learning with real-world application. The majority of participants reported increased motivation and engagement, alongside improvements in learning outcomes like knowledge retention and skill development. Applying the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model revealed performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions as key determinants of VR adoption in EMT education. While no significant overall performance enhancement was observed, VR training showed potential to boost motivation, confidence, and specific performance aspects. Furthermore, student perceptions towards VR in EMT education were largely positive, thereby suggesting its utility in immersive scenario training, skill acquisition in a risk-free environment, enhancing learner engagement, and real-world situational preparedness. VR demonstrated promise as a transformative tool in EMT education, necessitating further research to fully exploit its potential in diverse learning environments.
Deep Learning Approaches to Radio Map Estimation
Authors:   , Locke IV William Alexander
Published: December 2023

Radio map estimation (RME) is the task of predicting radio power at all locations in a two-dimensional area and at all frequencies in a given band. This thesis explores four deep learning approaches to RME: dual path autoencoders, skip connection autoencoders, diffusion, and joint learning with transmitter localization.
Artificial intelligence in sleep medicine: Present and future
Authors: Verma Ram Kishun , Dhillon Gagandeep , Grewal Harpreet , Prasad Vinita , Munjal Ripudaman Singh , Sharma Pranjal , Buddhavarapu Venkata , Devadoss Ramprakash , Kashyap Rahul , Surani Salim
Published: December 2023

Artificial intelligence (AI) has impacted many areas of healthcare. AI in healthcare uses machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing to analyze copious amounts of healthcare data and yield valuable outcomes. In the sleep medicine field, a large amount of physiological data is gathered compared to other branches of medicine. This field is primed for innovations with the help of AI. A good quality of sleep is crucial for optimal health. About one billion people are estimated to have obstructive sleep apnea worldwide, but it is difficult to diagnose and treat all the people with limited resources. Sleep apnea is one of the major contributors to poor health. Most of the sleep apnea patients remain undiagnosed. Those diagnosed with sleep apnea have difficulty getting it optimally treated due to several factors, and AI can help in this situation. AI can also help in the diagnosis and management of other sleep disorders such as insomnia, hypersomnia, parasomnia, narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorders, periodic leg movement disorders, etc. In this manuscript, we aim to address three critical issues about the use of AI in sleep medicine: (1) How can AI help in diagnosing and treating sleep disorders? (2) How can AI fill the gap in the care of sleep disorders? and (3) What are the ethical and legal considerations of using AI in sleep medicine?
Venous adventitial cystic disease is a very rare disease that can cause deep vein thrombosis: A case report
Authors: Bae Miju , Huh Up , Lee Chung Won , Kim Jong Won
Published: December 2023

BACKGROUND

Venous adventitial cystic disease (VACD) is a rare disease characterized by cysts, filled with a gelatinous mucous substance similar to joint fluid, in the adventitia of blood vessels adjacent to the joints. It is often misdiagnosed as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), femoral varices, venous tumors, or lymphadenopathy.

CASE SUMMARY

A 69-year-old woman visited our hospital with a complaint of swelling in the right lower extremity. The patient was diagnosed with DVT and prescribed apixaban at an outpatient clinic. After 3 wk, the patient was hospitalized again because of sudden swelling in the right lower extremity. We diagnosed VACD and performed surgery for cyst removal as well as patch angioplasty and thrombectomy of the right common femoral vein. The patient received anticoagulants for 6 mo and has been doing well without recurrence for 1 year postoperatively.

CONCLUSION

Recurrent VACD requires complete removal of the connections to the joint cavity to prevent recurrence.
Bilateral snapping triceps syndrome: A case report
Authors: Cho Chul-Hyun , Lim Kyung-Hwan , Kim Du-Han
Published: December 2023

BACKGROUND

Snapping triceps syndrome (STS) is a rare disease, while occurrence of bilateral STS is extremely rare. It is usually accompanied by dislocation of the ulnar nerve and double snapping is a clinically important feature. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no report of bilateral STS in young active patient.

CASE SUMMARY

A 23-year-old male presented with a complaint of discomfort and snapping on the medial side of both elbows while performing push-ups. On physical examination, two distinct snaps that were both palpable and audible were detected on additional clinical examination. Dynamic ultrasonography showed that the ulnar nerve and the medial head of the triceps were dislocated anteriorly over the medial epicondyle of the elbow during flexion motion. Finally, he was diagnosed as dislocation of the ulnar nerve and STS. Staged anterior subcutaneous transposition of the ulnar nerve combined with partial resection of the snapping portion of the triceps was performed. The patient’s pain and snapping symptoms were resolved immediately after surgery. Three months later, the patient was completely asymptomatic and returned to normal activity.

CONCLUSION

STS should be included in the differential diagnosis for active young patients who present with painful snapping on the medial side of the elbow joint, particularly when dislocation of the ulnar nerve is detected. Dynamic sonography is used to assist in accurate diagnosis and differentiation between isolated dislocation of the ulnar nerve and STS.
Important, not impotent: Russia and the exercise of agency through the war in Ukraine
Authors: Heller Regina
Published: December 2023

Russia’s open military aggression against Ukraine is a matter of agentic misrecognition rather than of classic rationalist considerations. Through the war in Ukraine, Russia exercises neglected agency and tries to reverse the feeling of marginalisation, irrelevance and status degradation in world politics. Russia’s war in Ukraine allows the current Russian leadership to escape from the stigma of an impotent power and to stabilise its identity as an important one, independent of Western norms and rules. Looking at Russia’s revisionism from the perspective of agentic misrecognition has some advantages. First, it helps in filling gaps that conventional interpretations and explanations of the war, found prominently in both public and academic discourses, leave open. These are problematic because they are too entrenched in positivist thinking and construct the world along essentialist concepts. Second, it allows room to understand the war as the result of a contingent process. In this process, it is not only the agency expectations of Russia’s leadership that play an important role but also the relational dynamics between Russia and the West and their impact on the further transformation of Russian identity constructions and self-descriptions.
Irish Mouths and English Tea-pots: Orality and Unreason in “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether”
Authors: Percich Aaron Matthew
Published: December 2023

Edgar Allan Poe’s “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether” has generally been read as a comedy or commentary on issues of mental illness in antebellum America. Recent scholarly appraisals have further noted the story’s rebellious contexts and connections to antebellum slavery debates. This essay pushes beyond those boundaries and offers a transatlantic reading in which cunning “lunatics” and a clueless narrator formulate a critique of Anglo-American colonial responses to the Irish. Published in 1845 and coincident with the beginnings of Ireland’s Great Famine, “The System” engages with antebellum America’s response to mass Irish migration: mass institutionalization. The famished Irish entering America during this period swiftly became the single largest population in a rapidly expanding mental asylum system. Justifying this institutionalization were Anglo-American cultural and colonial assumptions premised on reason as a dividing line between fit Anglo-Saxons and incurably “insane” Irish. In this essay I use theoretical conceptions of Irish oral identity or orality to recast Poe’s oral tropes—singing, eating, drinking, and speaking—and read his lunatics as Irish subjects. Irish orality is posited within the first-person narrator’s clueless and unreasoned narrative, which testifies both to colonial agency and the fallacious limits of colonizing reason.
Low-loss plasmonic resonance using surface Bloch waves in photoplasmonic metamaterials
Authors: Rajkumar Shilpa , Thiruvadigal D. John , Mudachathi Renilkumar
Published: December 2023

We present a method for the suppression of the radiative loss of plasmonic resonant modes by efficiently coupling them with the nonradiative Bloch surface waves in photoplasmonic metamaterials, comprised of a 2D array of plasmonic resonators deposited on the low-index termination layer of a 1D photonic crystal. The number of photonic crystal bilayers plays a crucial role in the plasmonic radiative loss, with Q-values increasing with incrementing photonic crystal bilayers reaching values of ∼580 in the UV-Vis regime. We also show that the fundamental plasmonic mode of the metamaterial split into different energy levels corresponding to surface Bloch waves associated with each bilayer of the photonic crystal.
Image scanning microscopy: a vectorial physical optics analysis
Authors: Hung Shih-Te , Kalisvaart Dylan , Smith Carlas
Published: December 2023

Image scanning microscopy (ISM) achieves resolution beyond the diffraction limit by a factor of 2. However, prior ISM research predominantly employs scalar diffraction theory, neglecting critical physical effects such as polarization, aberrations, and Stokes shift. This paper presents a comprehensive vectorial ISM point spread function (PSF) model that accounts for these phenomena. By considering the effect of polarization in emission and excitation paths, as well as aberrations and Stokes shift, our model provides a more accurate representation of ISM. We analyze the differences between scalar and vectorial theories in ISM and investigate the impact of pinhole size and aberration strength on resolution. At a numerical aperture of 1.2, the full width half maximum (FWHM) discrepancy between scalar and vectorial ISM PSFs can reach 45 nm, representing a 30% deviation from the vectorial model. Additionally, we explore multiphoton excitation in ISM and observe increased FWHM for 2-photon and 3-photon excitation compared to 1-photon excitation. The FWHM of the 2-photon excitation ISM PSF increases by 20% and the FWHM of the 3-photon excitation ISM PSF increases by 28% compared to the 1-photon excitation ISM. In addition, we found that the optimal sweep factor for 2-photon ISM is 1.22, and the optimal sweep factor of 3-photon ISM is 1.12 instead of the 2 predicted by the one-photon scalar ISM theory. Our work improves the understanding of ISM and contributes to its advancement as a high-resolution imaging technique.
Ultra-stable control near the EP in non-Hermitian systems and high-precision angular rate sensing applications
Authors: Tao Yu , Liu WenYao , Wang ShiXian , Nan Chaoming , Liu Lai , Bai Yu , Zhou YanRu , Xing EnBo , Tang Jun , Liu Jun
Published: December 2023

In non-Hermitian systems, enhancing sensitivity under exceptional point (EP) conditions offers an ideal solution for reconciling the trade-off between sensitivity and size constraints in sensing applications. However, practical application is limited by undesired sensitivity to external fluctuations, noise, and errors in signal amplification synchronization. This paper presents a precisely controlled EP tracking and detection system (EPTDS) that achieves long-term rapid tracking and locking near the EP by constructing a second-order non-Hermitian optical sensing unit, employing an optical power adaptive control method, and utilizing a combinatorial demodulation-based dual-loop cascaded control (CDCC) technique to selectively suppress traditional noise at different frequencies. The system locking time is 10 ms, and in room temperature conditions, the output frequency error over 1 hour is reduced by more than 30 times compared to before locking. To assess its sensing capabilities, the EPTDS undergoes testing in a rotational experiment based on the Sagnac effect, with the output bias instability based on Allan deviation measured at 0.036 °/h. This is the best result for EP-enhanced angular rate sensing that we are aware of that has been reported. The EPTDS method can be extended to various sensing fields, providing a new path for transitioning non-Hermitian sensing from the laboratory to practical applications.
Mode multicasting without parasitic wavelength conversion
Authors: Huang Xiaoshan , Fu Songnian , Xiang Meng , Zhou Gai , Zhang Cong , Lin Di , Qin Yuwen
Published: December 2023

Optical multicasting, which involves delivering an input signal to multiple different channels simultaneously, is a key function to improve network performance. By exploiting individual spatial modes as independent channels, mode-division-multiplexing (MDM) can solve the capacity crunch of traditional standard single-mode fiber (SSMF) transmission system. In order to realize mode multicasting with high flexibility in future hybrid wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) and MDM networks, we propose a mode multicasting scheme without parasitic wavelength conversion, based on the inter-modal four-wave mixing (FWM) arising in the few-mode fiber (FMF). The operation mechanism including nonlinear phase shift for efficient mode multicasting is analytically identified. Then, based on the derived operation condition, we numerically investigate the impact of the dual-pump power and the FMF length on the performance of mode multicasting. By properly setting the pump wavelength and the dual-pump power, mode multicasting performance, in terms of mode multicasting efficiency, 3-dB bandwidth, and destination wavelength, can be tuned according to various application scenarios. After the performance optimization, mode multicasting of 25-Gbaud and 100-Gbaud 16-quadratic-amplitude modulation (16-QAM) signals is numerically demonstrated. The proposed reconfigurable mode multicasting is promising for future WDM-MDM networks.
Fast digital refocusing Fourier ptychographic microscopy method based on convolutional neural network
Authors: Liu Mingdi , Wu Ruofei , Luo Zicong , Zhen Junrui , Zhang Haiqi , Luo Jiaxiong , Yan Lisong , Wu Yanxiong
Published: December 2023

Fourier ptychographic microscopy (FPM) is used to achieve high resolution and a large field of view. However, traditional FPM image reconstruction methods often yield poor image quality when encountering out-of-focus issues during reconstruction. Therefore, this study proposes a defocus-distance regression network based on convolutional neural networks. In an experimental validation, the root-mean-square error calculated from 1000 sets of predicted and true values was approximately 6.2 µm. The experimental results suggest that the proposed method has good generalization, maintains high accuracy in predicting defocus distances even for different biological samples, and extends the imaging depth-of-field of the FPM system by a factor of more than 3.
Modelling the impact of JNJ-1802, a first-in-class dengue inhibitor blocking the NS3-NS4B interaction, on in-vitro DENV-2 dynamics
Authors: McCormack Clare P. , Goethals Olivia , Goeyvaerts Nele , Woot de Trixhe Xavier D. , Geluykens Peggy , Borrenberghs Doortje , Ferguson Neil M. , Ackaert Oliver , Dorigatti Ilaria
Published: December 2023

Dengue virus (DENV) is a public health challenge across the tropics and subtropics. Currently, there is no licensed prophylactic or antiviral treatment for dengue. The novel DENV inhibitor JNJ-1802 can significantly reduce viral load in mice and non-human primates. Here, using a mechanistic viral kinetic model calibrated against viral RNA data from experimental in-vitro infection studies, we assess the in-vitro inhibitory effect of JNJ-1802 by characterising infection dynamics of two DENV-2 strains in the absence and presence of different JNJ-1802 concentrations. Viral RNA suppression to below the limit of detection was achieved at concentrations of >1.6 nM, with a median concentration exhibiting 50% of maximal inhibitory effect (IC50) of 1.23x10-02 nM and 1.28x10-02 nM for the DENV-2/RL and DENV-2/16681 strains, respectively. This work provides important insight into the in-vitro inhibitory effect of JNJ-1802 and presents a first step towards a modelling framework to support characterization of viral kinetics and drug effect across different host systems.
Palaeopathological and demographic data reveal conditions of keeping of the ancient baboons at Gabbanat el-Qurud (Thebes, Egypt)
Authors: Van Neer Wim , Udrescu Mircea , Peters Joris , De Cupere Bea , Pasquali Stéphane , Porcier Stéphanie
Published: December 2023

Since predynastic times, baboons (Papio hamadryasandPapio anubis) were important in ancient Egypt for ritual and religious purposes. These species did not occur naturally in Egypt and therefore had to be imported, but little is known about their exact provenance and the conditions in which they were kept through time. Here, we analyse the skeletal remains of a collection of baboon mummies coming from Thebes (Egypt), representing a minimum of 36 individuals, from a palaeopathological and demographic point of view. The pathological cases are described, figured where relevant, and the discussion attempts to understand their aetiology. The prevalence of the different types of deformations and pathologies is compared with that of other captive baboon populations from more or less contemporary (Tuna el-Gebel and Saqqara) or older (predynastic Hierakonpolis) sites. This is combined with observations on the age and sex distribution and the proportion of hamadryas and anubis baboons to draw conclusions about the conditions of keeping, possible breeding on-site, provenance of the animals and the trade routes used for import. As in Tuna el-Gebel and Saqqara, the baboons from Gabbanat el-Qurud suffered from numerous metabolic diseases due to chronic lack of sunlight and an unbalanced diet. This and the demographic data suggest that there was a local breeding population derived from animals captured downstream from the Sudanese Nile Valley (for anubis) and from the Horn of Africa or the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula (for hamadryas). A new series of radiocarbon dates is provided, placing the baboons from Gabbanat el-Qurud between the end of the Third Intermediate Period and the beginning of the Late Period.
Evolution of HIV-1 envelope towards reduced neutralization sensitivity, as demonstrated by contemporary HIV-1 subtype B from the United States
Authors: Wieczorek Lindsay , Sanders-Buell Eric , Zemil Michelle , Lewitus Eric , Kavusak Erin , Heller Jonah , Molnar Sebastian , Rao Mekhala , Smith Gabriel , Bose Meera , Nguyen Amy , Dhungana Adwitiya , Okada Katherine , Parisi Kelly , Silas Daniel , Slike Bonnie , Ganesan Anuradha , Okulicz Jason , Lalani Tahaniyat , Agan Brian K. , Crowell Trevor A. , Darden Janice , Rolland Morgane , Vasan Sandhya , Ake Julie , Krebs Shelly J. , Peel Sheila , Tovanabutra Sodsai , Polonis Victoria R.
Published: December 2023

Subtype B HIV-1 has been the primary driver of the HIV-1 epidemic in the United States (U.S.) for over forty years and is also a prominent subtype in the Americas, Europe, Australia, the Middle East and North Africa. In this study, the neutralization profiles of contemporary subtype B Envs from the U.S. were assessed to characterize changes in neutralization sensitivities over time. We generated a panel of 30 contemporary pseudoviruses (PSVs) and demonstrated continued diversification of subtype B Env from the 1980s up to 2018. Neutralization sensitivities of the contemporary subtype B PSVs were characterized using 31 neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) and were compared with strains from earlier in the HIV-1 pandemic. A significant reduction in Env neutralization sensitivity was observed for 27 out of 31 NAbs for the contemporary as compared to earlier-decade subtype B PSVs. A decline in neutralization sensitivity was observed across all Env domains; the NAbs that were most potent early in the pandemic suffered the greatest decline in potency over time. A meta-analysis demonstrated this trend across multiple subtypes. As HIV-1 Env diversification continues, changes in Env antigenicity and neutralization sensitivity should continue to be evaluated to inform the development of improved vaccine and antibody products to prevent and treat HIV-1.
Yannis Ritsos’s Fourth Dimension: The making of a metamodernist masterpiece
Authors: Russello Claudio
Published: December 2023

Regarded as the masterpiece of the large poetic production of Yannis Ritsos (1909–90), Tetarti diastasi (Fourth Dimension) (1972) is the result of a long creative process that engaged the poet for almost twenty years. This article draws from unpublished material from the Ritsos archive to retrace the history of the collection. What emerges from this reconstruction is that the development of Fourth Dimension was marked by three specific moments: the radical ideological shifts in 1956, following the death of Stalin and Nikos Zachariadis’s expulsion from the leadership of the Communist Party of Greece, the ‘mythological turn’ in 1963 in correspondence with Ritsos’s critical work on C. P. Cavafy and Vladimir Mayakovsky, and his political confinement and exile in 1967 after the military coup. All these moments show how Ritsos’s poetic project was in dialogue with the vibrant cultural context of the Greek ‘long 1960s’, becoming emblematic of a climate that I refer to as ‘metamodernist’, a moment in which modernism had still considerable influence while the awareness of being at the boundary, in a cultural transitional space, was already deeply felt.
The Alternative in Somatic within the South Korean Context
Authors: Kim Jae Lee
Published: December 2023

The article discusses how the phenomenon of somatics in South Korea produces practices, knowledge, and criticism within the institutional and cultural context. Over the past decade, somatic methodologies have been applied in the fields of the contemporary dance scene, with choreographers using somatics for developing dance techniques, and as a tool for choreography. However, there is no precise Korean translation for the term ‘somatics’. As a result, various dance forms that incorporate principles and concepts from Western countries, such as Body-Mind Centering® and Feldenkrais, as well as holistic styles of movement, are often loosely referred to as ‘somatics’. On the other hand, interest in somatics is influenced by the trend of new materialism, which approaches movement and subjectivity in a more microscopic way through the conceptual infusion of materiality/immateriality. Rather than just adopting global trends in dance methodologies and seeking formal alternatives, this discussion aims to explore the phenomenon of somatics within South Korea’s dance institutions and cultural context, as well as its potential in choreography.
From Tigers and Chameleons: A Dialogue Text about Somatic Practices within Dance with Ellen Söderhult and Thiago Granato
Authors: Söderhult Ellen , Granato Thiago
Published: December 2023

The introduction of somatic practices to the contemporary dance field and education serves as a starting point for this dialogue around how dance can be practiced, taught as well as created. In this textual conversation, Ellen Söderhult and Thiago Granato dive into the topic of possible somatic approaches within dance, and unfold it in different directions. Through shared and individual experiences, they bring up future expectations, present questions and past experiences through reflections, references, speculations, metaphors and provocations.
Captivating. And a Captor.
Authors: Pernarčič Radharani
Published: December 2023

This text is a reflection of participant Radharani Pernarčič to the workshop led by Snježana Premuš and Zrinka Simčič Mihanović that took place between 7th and 8th of June 2023 at the Old Power Station in Ljubljana.
Girls, Fight!
Authors: Dobvšek Zala
Published: December 2023

The author writes about the performance series Spolna vzgoja II (Sexual education II) by Tjaša Črnigoj, more precisely about the fifth performance Borba (Fight) and the theatre performance Punce (Girls) and thinks about the bonds that tie the past, the present and the future on the field of the struggle for women’s reproductive rights and their sexual lives.
Biodiversity of epiphytic cyanobacteria and algae in conditions of road pollution in Ufa
Authors: Dubovik I. E. , Sharipova M. Yu.
Published: December 2023

Studies of epiphytic cyanobacterial-algal cenoses along the highways of Ufa were carried out on five species of woody plants: deciduous (Betula verrucosa Ehrh., Populus nigra L., Tilia cordata Mill., Sorbus aucuparia L.) and coniferous (Picea obovata Ledeb.). A large species diversity of algoepiphytes from 5 divisions, 7 classes, 12 orders, 30 families, 48 genera and 85 species and intraspecific taxa was revealed. Epiphytes of the divisions Chlorophyta and Cyanobacteria dominated (41 and 38 species and intraspecific taxa, respectively), leading families - Oscillatoriaceae and Chlorococcaceae, genera - Phormidium, Leptolyngbya, Nostoc, Chlorococcum.The ecological analysis made it possible to identify six morphotypes. The predominance of colonial-coccoid algae was shown, which made up 31 taxa (36.5 % of the total). Trichal forms take the second place - 26 species (30.6 %), coccoid immobile - 22 species (25.9 %). The spectrum of ecobiomorphs of epiphytic cyanoprokaryotes and algae included 11 life forms: Ch32P16C11CF6aer6H4X4PF3hydr1B1аmph1. Oligoatmophytes have the highest species representation -77 %, mesoatmophytes - 17 %, the group of polyatmophytes is sharply depleted - 6 %. Comparison of the obtained results with the control in ecologically clean habitats showed no difference in the taxonomic and ecological composition of cyanobacterial-algal growths, the number of living cells.
Intraspecies variation of reproductive phenology in Pinus sibirica ex situ
Authors: Zhuk E. A.
Published: December 2023

The analysis of the phenology of the development of female cones and male shoots in 25-year-old clones from 4 latitudinal and 4 altitudinal ecotypes of Siberian stone pine (Pinus sibirica) in the clone archive was carried out. The period from the female cone breakout to the formation of the cone with completely closed scales after pollination was 10 days for all ecotypes. The northern and high-altitudinal ecotypes began “flowering” 2 days earlier with the accumulation of the sum of active temperatures of 290 °С than the southern and low-altitudinal ecotypes, which needed an accumulation of 400 °С for this. The greatest contribution to the ecotype differentiation in female reproductive phenology was made by differences in the timing of the receptive cone stages. The transition to the receptivity stage in the northern ecotypes occurred 3 days earlier than in the southern ones, and in the high-altitudinal ones 2 days earlier than in the low-altitudinal ones. In latitudinal ecotypes, cones were receptive for 2-3 days, in high-altitude ecotypes 1.5-2 times longer. The peak of pollen shedding in each ecotype basically corresponded to the timing of the beginning of the female cone scale opening, sometimes it was slightly ahead of it.
Distribution of Rhaponticum serratuloides in Kazakhstan
Authors: Mamyrova S.
Published: December 2023

The distribution of Rhaponticum serratuloides on the territory of Kazakhstan has been studied. Rh serratuloides is a typical steppe species with a Pontic-Kazakh-Altai type of habitat. In Kazakhstan, it grows in the steppe zone with a rare occurrence in the northern deserts (Balkhash-Adakol floral district), where it occurs in saline and saline meadows, banks and bottoms of drying salt lakes and rivers. As a result of field research and viewing materials of herbariums AA, LE, MW, KUZ, KG, NUR, the species was found in 13 floristic districts and subdistricts of Kazakhstan. The species was found for the first time in the Tarbagatai floristic district.
Medicinal plants of the Far East in the Botanical Garden of VILAR
Authors: Minyazeva Yu. M.
Published: December 2023

The study of the already established introduction populations of medicinal plants in the conditions of the Botanical Garden is relevant for understanding the prospects for further work on the introduction of plants and increasing their species composition. The analysis of the success of the introduction of 75 species of 43 families of 67 genera of the Far Eastern flora was carried out. Of the species represented, 55 % (41 species) are protected at the local level and included in the regional Red Data Books of Rare and Endangered Plant Species of the Russian Far East, 15 % (11 species) are also protected at the state level and included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation. All the types presented are medicinal and used in folk medicine; 4 are pharmacopeial. Groups of plants have been identified that, in addition to medicinal, also have food (11 species from 9 families), honey (10 species from 8 families) and decorative value (67 species from 37 families). In the conditions of the Botanical Garden, all the presented species are long-lived, according to the duration of the existence of introduced populations, they are part of the biocollection for more than 10 years; most of the species are 30-40 years old; 69 species (92 %) exhibit introduction resistance, go through all phenological phases of development, form seeds.
Sharing Maternal Fantasies
Authors: Pauwels Frauke
Published: December 2023

Adult characters in children’s literature often remain in the “blind space”, Vanessa Joosen observes (Adulthood). Whereas this is true for a lot of children’s books, there are also picturebooks that focus on mothers, often designed as tributes to motherhood. Within this array of books on mothers, however, some offer a more nuanced portrayal of motherhood than others. Samtidigt i min låtsasvärld (Meanwhile in My Imaginary World, 2018) by Lisa Bjärbo and Emma AdBåge shares a mother’s imagination with the readers. The mother’s inner world is connected to shared pleasures, which are easily considered to be “childlike”. By using a mother’s perspective in a picturebook intended for children and adults Bjärbo and AdBåge create an intergenerational experience. Building on concepts and insights from sociology, age studies and children’s literature studies and the textual and visual analysis of Samtidigt i min låtsasvärld, I reflect on the way picturebooks have the affordances to create an intergenerational understanding of daily situations and, by doing so, could contribute to breaking the good mom myth.
Possibilities to measure the concentration of sodium dithionite in textile applications by means of amperometric sensors
Authors: Westbroek P. , Govaert F. , Gasana E. , Temmerman E. , Kiekens P.
Published: December 2023

By using linear sweep voltammetry and chronoamperometry at a rotating disc electrode it was found that sodium dithionite can be oxidised at several electrode materials. At platinum, palladium, glassy carbon and gold an oxidation reaction was observed that showed promising characteristics for analytical purposes and sensor development. The limiting current signal at a potential of +0.3 V vs. SSE is proportional to the concentration of sodium dithionite, the electrode reacts almost immediately on a change of concentration of sodium dithionite and experimental proof is given that the electrode is stable for at least 3 days without recalibration. The electrode can be calibrated by a one point calibration because the calibration curve is linear and goes through the origin.
BUBBLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF FOAM
Authors: Warmoeskerkenc M.M.C.G. , Engelsena C.W. den , Isarinb J.C. , Gooijera H. , Groot Wassink J.
Published: December 2023

A procedure based upon image analysis has been adopted to study the influence of several physical parameters on bubble size in foam. A procedure has been described to account for the distribution of bubble size. Foam was generated in a rotor-stator mixer. In the present research, the nature of the surfactant, liquid viscosity, solid phase content, and rotational speed of the mixer were varied. All parameters were found to influence the bubble size and its distribution to a certain extent. These effects were qualified experimentally.
NON-WOVENS FROM COTTON FIBRES FOR ABSORBENT PRODUCTS OBTAINED BY THE NEEDLE-PUNCHING PROCESS
Authors: Kiekens Paul , Zamfir Maria
Published: December 2023

The use of non-wovens as absorbent products is increasing, as is the consumption of cotton fibres as raw materials for these products. This paper presents some results concerning the obtaining of absorbent non-woven products made from cotton fibres. A fibrous web was formed by the superposition of cotton bands as a short layer. Special needle types supplied by SINGER Spezialnadelfabrik GmbH & Co. KG were used during the needle-punching process. Equations of variation of liquid absorption speed and surface weight have been analysed in order to optimise the needle-punching process of the cotton fibrous webs.
SMART TEXTILES FOR WEARABLE MOTION CAPTURE SYSTEMS
Authors: Mazzoldi A. , De Rossi D. , Lorussi F. , Scilingo E. P. , Paradiso R.
Published: December 2023

The implementation of truly wearable instrumented garments capable of recording biomechanical variables is crucial to several fields of application, from multi-media to physical rehabilitation, from sporting to artistic fields. Here we report on wearable devices which are able to read and record the posture and movements of a subject wearing the system. The sensory function of the garments is achieved by fabric strain sensors, based on threads coated with polypyrrole or carbonloaded rubbers. The presence of conductive elements gives these materials piezoresistive properties, enabling the detection of local strain on the fabric. Strips of strain fabrics are applied together with conductive tracks at strategic points in a shirt and a glove in order to detect the movements of the principal joints. The ‘smart shirt’-sensing architecture can be divided into two parts: a textile platform, where a wearable device acquires biomechanical signals, and a hardware/software platform, to which a wireless communication system sends the acquired data after electrical conditioning.
ASPECTS REGARDING FINISHING OF LYOCELL WOVEN FABRICS
Authors: Drambei Petronela , Popescu Alina , Ciocoiu Mihai
Published: December 2023

Lyocell fibres have made a special impact on the worldwide textile market since their appearance. The trends in the field of textile fibres and the necessity of increasing the competitiveness of textile articles motivated an analysis of lyocell fibres’ potential for the garment sector, and especially for fashion. To this end, some different finishing experiments on lyocell woven fabrics have been conducted. The technological experiments had the primary fibrillation effect-enzymatic defibrillation-secondary fibrillation in view. For obtaining these effects, rope finishing with/without woven fabrics causticising was carried out, followed by defibrillation (biopolish treatment) before or after dyeing, using different cellulasic enzymes such as Bactosol CA (Clariant), Perizym 2000 and Perizym LYO (Textil Chemie GmbH Dr. Petry). The experiments considered the evidence of the influence of these technological stages on the surface modification that appears in finishing lyocell textile materials.