bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quando um vírus toma lugar: algumas reflexões geográficas sobre a pandemia de Sars-Cov-2
Authors: Lussault Michel , Legroux Jean , Smalley Cláudio
Published: December 2021

A pandemia de Sars-Cov-2 parece ter surpreendido a maioria das autoridades políticas e sanitárias, em razão da velocidade da difusão do vírus e da necessidade de controlá-la por medidas estritas de confinamento, sem precedentes em tempo de paz na escala planetária. Como apreender o “sucesso” do patógeno em termos geográficos? Este artigo objetiva mostrar que a pandemia se construiu a partir das próprias características do sistema-Mundo urbanizado. Com efeito, só as condições da urbanização global podem explicar a cinética e a exaustividade geográfica da epidemia de Covid-19. O texto visa também compreender como se estabelecem as diferenciações espaciais locais e regionais de tal fenômeno global e propõe, finalmente, uma leitura da pandemia à luz do paradigma do antropoceno.
Cinquenta anos de vida dedicados à literatura infato-juvenil: entrevista com a escritora portuguesa Luísa Ducla Soares
Authors: Mundim Maria Célia Bruno
Published: December 2021

Neste ano Luísa Ducla Soares celebra 50 anos de vida literária, sendo grande parte da sua obra dedicada à crianças e jovens. Até o momento publicou 180 livros, dentre poesias, contos, trava-línguas e lengalengas. A escritora nos concedeu esta entrevista, pessoalmente, em sua residência em Lisboa, nos possibilitando conhecer seu vasto e precioso trabalho.
Presença, estrutura, morte: Derrida leitor de Husserl
Authors: Guilhermino Daniel
Published: December 2021

O artigo tematiza a interpretação da doutrina da significação de Husserl que Derrida elabora em A Voz e o Fenômeno e a contrasta com a doutrina semiótica das Investigações Lógicas. Para tanto, dois argumentos são levantados com respeito à análise de Derrida sobre a relação entre signo e coisa e entre signo e morte. O objetivo é mostrar que as conclusões de Derrida não se seguem das premissas de Husserl. Com isso, pretendese, minimamente, não só problematizar a “desconstrução” enquanto modelo de leitura de textos filosóficos, como também trazê-la ao debate propriamente filosófico.
Evaluating the Accuracy of Dental Restorations Manufactured by Two CAD/CAM Milling Systems and Their Prototypes Fabricated by 3D Printing Methods: An In Vitro Study
Authors: Alenezi Ali , Yehya Mohammed
Published: December 2021

Purpose: This in vitro study was conducted to evaluate the marginal accuracy of all-ceramic onlay restorations and prototypes fabricated using additive and subtractive methods. Materials and Methods: Ten typodont first molars were prepared and scanned two times using two different scanners: ARCTICA AutoScan (KaVo Dental) and CEREC Omnicam (Dentsply Sirona). The two groups of virtual models were used to design two groups of virtual onlay restorations using two different CAD software (n = 10 each group) and exported in STL files. Each group of STL files was converted to physical onlay restorations and prototypes by using three different methods; these included two additive manufacturing techniques, stereolithography apparatus (SLA) and digital light processing (DLP), and one subtractive technique, e.max milling using the KaVo Everest system and the Dentsply Sirona inLab MC X5. A digital microscope was used to evaluate the marginal fit around the onlay restorations or prototypes on the typodont teeth. Results: All evaluated groups showed mean marginal gaps between 59 and 84 μm. No statistically significant differences were found when comparing the marginal accuracy of onlay restorations fabricated by the subtractive method and onlay prototypes from the two additive methods, SLA (P = .70) and DLP (P = .21). Conclusion: All the models evaluated produced marginal gaps within the reported acceptable clinical range. Thus, these subtractive and additive methods may be considered suitable for onlay restoration production.
Visitors to Leuke Island
Authors: Abramzon Mikhail , Tunkina Irina
Published: December 2021

This article is the publication of the plates compiled by N.N. Murzakevich, secretary of the Odessa Society for History and Antiquities. It contains tracings of 241 Classical coins and lists of coin finds from the island of Fidonisi (known as Leuke in antiquity), which had been excavated in the 1840s and early 1850s. Recent data have led to a doubling of the list of Greek centres (up to 202) and the rulers of a number of states and peoples, whose coins made their way to the island. Details of these finds and the dates of the emissions illustrate clearly the development and chronological framework of the religious and economic ties between the northern coast of Pontus with the various regions of the Classical oikumene. The geographical range of the coin finds (from Magna Graecia, Sicily and the Levant to the Aegean, the Balkans, the Pontic region and Asia and as far away as Mesopotamia) demonstrates that the sanctuary of Achilles on the island of Leuke situated at a meeting point of Black Sea trade routes, enjoyed enormous popularity in the Classical world. The publication of these plates compiled by N.N. Murzakevich makes available new information on the maritime trade in the Pontus area between the 5th century BC and the 5th century AD.
Early Franciscans in England: Sickness, Healing and Salvation
Authors: Jones Peter Murray
Published: December 2021

From their first arrival in England in 1224, the Franciscans were concerned with the treatment of ill-health for both practical and spiritual reasons. Many brothers fell sick, and their illnesses required both interpretation and treatment. Some friars practised healing on their brethren and on lay patients. This article will focus on the question of the relationship between the religious vocation of the friars and the exigencies of sickness. Little evidence survives in England in the form of administrative records. But two early Franciscan writings (Tractatus de adventu fratrum minorum in Angliam, and the letters of Adam Marsh OFM, d. 1259) throw significant light on attitudes to illness and practical responses.
From New Spain to Damascus: Ottoman Religious Authorities and the Making of Medical Knowledge on Tobacco
Authors: Gürbüzel Aslıhan
Published: December 2021

This article examines the translation, circulation, and adaptation of the medical opinion of Spanish physician Nicolas Monardes (d. 1588) on tobacco in the Ottoman Empire. In addition to medical and encyclopedist authors, the spread of new medical knowledge in learned and eventually popular registers was the result of the efforts of religious authorities. These latter authorities, namely jurists, Sufis, and preachers, took an interest in the bodily and mental effects of smoking for its moral implications. In forming their medical-moral discourse, they sought and studied contemporary medical works of both Ottoman and European provenance. Challenging the strict division between learned and popular medicine, this article argues that Ottoman religious authorities, while often excluded from the history of medicine, played significant roles in the circulation, adaptation, and localization of medical knowledge.
Nemesius of Emesa on Desire, Pleasure, and Sex
Authors: de Wet Chris L.
Published: December 2021

This article investigates the views of Nemesius, the bishop of Emesa in Roman Syria at the end of the fourth century CE, on desire, pleasure, and sex, mainly from his work, De natura hominis, asking specifically how Nemesius’s account represents what we might term the “medical making” of an early Christian sexual culture. Nat. hom. was most likely composed at the end of the fourth century CE, and represents the first full and formal Christian anthropology, incorporating views from Christian and non-Christian philosophy (especially Plato and Aristotle) and, of course, extensively utilising (and often even quoting verbatim) ancient medical literature (especially Galen). The study commences by providing a descriptive account of Nemesius’s framework on the dynamics of desire, pleasure, and sex, and then draws some conclusions on how these views of Nemesius translate into a very particular Christian sexual culture in late antique Syria.
Indirect Governance of Transnational Crises
Authors: Zamudio González Laura
Published: December 2021

Intergovernmental, regional, and international organizations play an active role in the governance of transnational crises. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America, the World Health Organization and the Pan-American Health Organization have been linked with multiple actors and levels of decision-making, putting into practice what the literature on global governance refers to as indirect governance by orchestration. This article shows that, in practice, the mechanisms of orchestration have established heterogeneous models of coordination and action that, in situations of transnational crisis, allow these organizations to bring together resources, capacities, and authority.
Discretionary Governance
Authors: Garsten Christina , Sörbom Adrienne
Published: December 2021

Built on the exclusive funding of 1,000 large transnational corporations, the World Economic Forum is a not-for-profit Swiss foundation, aiming to shape the direction of globalization. Its events are characterized by low degrees of formality and transparency. Research on what this organization does is scarce. This article suggests the term discretionary governance to capture the precarious, yet existing, social order that the organization shapes. By discretionary governance, we mean a set of discreet practices based on the organization’s judgement in ways that escape established democratic controls. Drawing on ethnographic data the paper demonstrates how selection, secrecy, and status form key components of this tenuous ordering. Selection processes and secrecy contribute to status elevation of the individuals and organizations chosen to participate. Upon them and the organization itself is bestowed a symbolic capital that is practical and possibly profitable in the world of global governance.
The ‘Infodemic’: Is International Law Ready to Combat Fake News in the Age of Information Disorder?
Authors: Nasu Hitoshi
Published: December 2021

This article considers the readiness of international law to protect States from information operations that are launched as the means of disrupting government response to the spread of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. It examines both the external- and internal-facing dynamics for international regulation of misinformation, with the focus on the principle of non-intervention as an external regulation of misinformation under general international law and freedom of expression guaranteed under human rights treaties for internal regulation.
International Law of State Responsibility and COVID-19: An Ideology Critique
Authors: Knox Robert , Tzouvala Ntina
Published: December 2021

Despite minimal prospects of success, international lawyers spent the first few months of the global pandemic discussing whether the rules of state responsibility could be invoked against states, especially China, for their acts and omissions regarding COVID-19. In this piece, we take these debates seriously, if not necessarily literally. We argue that the unrealistic nature of these debates does not make them irrelevant. Rather, we propose an ideology critique of state responsibility as a legal field. Our approach is two-fold. First, we argue these debates need to be situated within the rise of geopolitical competition between the US and its allies on the one hand and China on the other. In this context, state responsibility is always laid at the feet of one’s opponents. Secondly, we posit that my emphasising the role of states, recourse to state responsibility renders invisible the role of transnational processes of capitalist production and exchange that have profound effects on nature and set the stage for the emergence and spread of infectious diseases. Drawing from the work of the geographer Neil Smith, we argue against the ‘naturalisation’ of disasters performed much of the international legal discourse about COVID-19.
Towards a regolith mineralogy map of the Australian continent: a feasibility study in the Darling-Curnamona-Delamerian region
Authors: Caritat P. de , Troitzsch U.
Published: December 2021

Bulk quantitative mineralogy of regolith is a useful indicator of lithological precursor (protolith), degree of weathering, and soil properties affecting various potential landuse decisions. To date, no national-scale maps of regolith mineralogy are available in Australia. Catchment outlet sediments collected over 80% of the continent as part of the National Geochemical Survey of Australia (NGSA) afford a unique opportunity to rapidly and cost-effectively determine regolith mineralogy using the archived sample material. This report releases mineralogical data and metadata obtained as part of a feasibility study in a selected pilot area for such a national regolith mineralogy database and atlas. The area chosen for this study is within the Darling-Curnamona-Delamerian (DCD) region of southeastern Australia. The DCD region was selected as a ‘deep-dive’ data acquisition and analysis by the Exploration for the Future (2020-2024) federal government initiative managed at Geoscience Australia. One hundred NGSA sites from the DCD region were prepared for X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis, which consisted of qualitative mineral identification of the bulk samples (i.e., ‘major’ minerals), qualitative clay mineral identification of the <2 µm grain-size fraction, and quantitative analysis of both ‘major’ and clay minerals of the bulk sample. The identified mineral phases were quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar, calcite, dolomite, gypsum, halite, hematite, goethite, rutile, zeolite, amphibole, talc, kaolinite, illite (including muscovite and biotite), palygorskite (including interstratified illite-smectite and vermiculite), smectite (including interstratified illite-smectite), vermiculite, and chlorite. Poorly diffracting material (PDM) was also quantified and reported as ‘amorphous’. Mineral identification relied on the EVA® software, whilst quantification was performed using Siroquant®. Resulting mineral abundances are reported with a Chi-squared goodness-of-fit between the actual diffractogram and a modelled diffractogram for each sample, as well as an estimated standard error (esd) measurement of uncertainty for each mineral phase quantified. Sensitivity down to 0.1 wt% (weight percent) was achieved, with any mineral detection below that threshold reported as ‘trace’. Although detailed interpretation of the mineralogical data is outside the remit of the present data release, preliminary observations of mineral abundance patterns suggest a strong link to geology, including proximity to fresh bedrock, weathering during sediment transport, and robust relationships between mineralogy and geochemistry. The mineralogical data generated by this study are presented in Appendix A of this report and are downloadable as a .csv file. Mineral abundance or presence/absence maps are shown in Appendices B and C to document regional mineralogical patterns.
The first Nocticola Bolivar 1892 (Blattodea: Nocticolidae) from New Guinea
Authors: LUCAÑAS CRISTIAN C. , BLÁHA MARTIN , RAHMADI CAHYO , PATOKA JIŘÍ
Published: December 2021

A new species of highly troglobitic cockroach, Nocticola baumi n. sp., is described from limestone caves of Papua Province, Indonesia. The new species is the first Nocticola reported in New Guinea island and differs from other known Nocticola spp. by the combination of the following characters: compound eyes and ocelli absent, tegmina fully developed extending beyond the abdomen, hind wings absent, legs extremely long. The discovery of the genus on New Guinea bridges the gap between Oriental and Australian distribution of the genus and stresses the unknown diversity of the genus.
The Boundary Layer Air Quality-Analysis Using Network of Instruments (BAQUNIN) Supersite for Atmospheric Research and Satellite Validation over Rome Area
Authors: Iannarelli Anna Maria , Di Bernardino Annalisa , Casadio Stefano , Bassani Cristiana , Cacciani Marco , Campanelli Monica , Casasanta Giampietro , Cadau Enrico , Diémoz Henri , Mevi Gabriele , Siani Anna Maria , Cardaci Massimo , Dehn Angelika , Goryl Philippe
Published: December 2021

The Boundary layer Air Quality-analysis Using Network of Instruments (BAQUNIN) supersite is presented. The site has been collecting pollutant concentrations and meteorological parameters since 2017. Currently, BAQUNIN consists of three observation sites located in the city center of Rome (Italy), and in the neighboring semirural and rural areas. To the best of our knowledge, BAQUNIN is one of the first observatories in the world to involve several passive and active ground-based instruments installed in multiple locations, managed by different research institutions, in a highly polluted megacity affected by coastal weather regimes. BAQUNIN has been promoted by the European Space Agency to establish an experimental research infrastructure for the validation of present and future satellite atmospheric products and the in-depth investigation of the planetary and urban boundary layers. Here, the main characteristics of the three sites are described, providing information about the complex instrumental suite and the produced data. The supersite adopts a policy of free sharing of its validated dataset with the community. Finally, the BAQUNIN potential is demonstrated with a case study involving a major fire that occurred in a waste treatment plant near the urban center of Rome, and the consequent investigation of the plume properties revealed by different instruments.
Potential Predictability of Southwest U.S. Rainfall: Role of Tropical and High-Latitude Variability
Authors: Peings Y. , Lim Y. , Magnusdottir G.
Published: December 2021

This study explores the potential predictability of Southwest U.S. (SWUS) precipitation for the November–March season in a set of numerical experiments performed with the Whole Atmospheric Community Climate Model. In addition to the prescription of observed sea surface temperature and sea ice concentration, observed variability from the MERRA-2 reanalysis is prescribed in the tropics and/or the Arctic through nudging of wind and temperature. These experiments reveal how a perfect prediction of tropical and/or Arctic variability in the model would impact the prediction of seasonal rainfall over the SWUS, at various time scales. Imposing tropical variability improves the representation of the observed North Pacific atmospheric circulation, and the associated SWUS seasonal precipitation. This is also the case at the subseasonal time scale due to the inclusion of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) in the model. When additional nudging is applied in the Arctic, the model skill improves even further, suggesting that improving seasonal predictions in high latitudes may also benefit prediction of SWUS precipitation. An interesting finding of our study is that subseasonal variability represents a source of noise (i.e., limited predictability) for the seasonal time scale. This is because when prescribed in the model, subseasonal variability, mostly the MJO, weakens the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) teleconnection with SWUS precipitation. Such knowledge may benefit S2S and seasonal prediction as it shows that depending on the amount of subseasonal activity in the tropics on a given year, better skill may be achieved in predicting subseasonal rather than seasonal rainfall anomalies, and conversely.

Significance Statement

Subseasonal and seasonal predictability of precipitation over the Southwest United States (SWUS) during the wet season is challenging, and long-range forecasts from climate models still exhibit poor skill over this region. In this study we use numerical experiments with constrained tropical and/or Arctic atmospheric variability to explore how climate processes in these two regions impact the SWUS precipitation. Our results highlight how much forecast skill in SWUS precipitation may be gained from better predictions in tropical and high latitudes, from subseasonal to multiyear time scales.
Reinforcement learning assisted oxygen therapy for COVID-19 patients under intensive care
Authors: Zheng Hua , Zhu Jiahao , Xie Wei , Zhong Judy
Published: December 2021

Background

Patients with severe Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) typically require supplemental oxygen as an essential treatment. We developed a machine learning algorithm, based on deep Reinforcement Learning (RL), for continuous management of oxygen flow rate for critically ill patients under intensive care, which can identify the optimal personalized oxygen flow rate with strong potentials to reduce mortality rate relative to the current clinical practice.

Methods

We modeled the oxygen flow trajectory of COVID-19 patients and their health outcomes as a Markov decision process. Based on individual patient characteristics and health status, an optimal oxygen control policy is learned by using deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) and real-time recommends the oxygen flow rate to reduce the mortality rate. We assessed the performance of proposed methods through cross validation by using a retrospective cohort of 1372 critically ill patients with COVID-19 from New York University Langone Health ambulatory care with electronic health records from April 2020 to January 2021.

Results

The mean mortality rate under the RL algorithm is lower than the standard of care by 2.57% (95% CI: 2.08–3.06) reduction (P < 0.001) from 7.94% under the standard of care to 5.37% under our proposed algorithm. The averaged recommended oxygen flow rate is 1.28 L/min (95% CI: 1.14–1.42) lower than the rate delivered to patients. Thus, the RL algorithm could potentially lead to better intensive care treatment that can reduce the mortality rate, while saving the oxygen scarce resources. It can reduce the oxygen shortage issue and improve public health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusions

A personalized reinforcement learning oxygen flow control algorithm for COVID-19 patients under intensive care showed a substantial reduction in 7-day mortality rate as compared to the standard of care. In the overall cross validation cohort independent of the training data, mortality was lowest in patients for whom intensivists’ actual flow rate matched the RL decisions.
Development of a consortium-based microbial agent beneficial to composting of distilled grain waste for Pleurotus ostreatus cultivation
Authors: Wu Sibao , Zhou Rongrong , Ma Yuting , Fang Yong , Xie Guopai , Gao Xuezhi , Xiao Yazhong , Liu Juanjuan , Fang Zemin
Published: December 2021

Background

Pleurotus ostreatus is an edible mushroom popularly cultivated worldwide. Distilled grain waste (DGW) is a potential substrate for P. ostreatus cultivation. However, components in DGW restrict P. ostreatus mycelial growth. Therefore, a cost-effective approach to facilitate rapid P. ostreatus colonization on DGW substrate will benefit P. ostreatus cultivation and DGW recycling.

Results

Five dominant indigenous bacteria, Sphingobacterium sp. X1, Ureibacillus sp. X2, Pseudoxanthomonas sp. X3, Geobacillus sp. X4, and Aeribacillus sp. X5, were isolated from DGW and selected to develop a consortium-based microbial agent to compost DGW for P. ostreatus cultivation. Microbial agent inoculation led to faster carbohydrate metabolism, a higher temperature (73.2 vs. 71.2 °C), a longer thermophilic phase (5 vs. 3 days), and significant dynamic changes in microbial community composition and diversity in composts than those of the controls. Metagenomic analysis showed the enhanced microbial metabolisms, such as xenobiotic biodegradation and metabolism and terpenoid and polyketide metabolism, during the mesophilic phase after microbial agent inoculation, which may facilitate the fungal colonization on the substrate. In accordance with the bioinformatic analysis, a faster colonization of P. ostreatus was observed in the composts with microbial inoculation than in control after composting for 48 h, as indicated from substantially higher fungal ergosterol content, faster lignocellulose degradation, and higher lignocellulase activities in the former than in the latter. The final mushroom yield shared no significant difference between composts with microbial inoculation and control, with 0.67 ± 0.05 and 0.60 ± 0.04 kg fresh mushroom/kg DGW, respectively (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

The consortium-based microbial agent comprised indigenous microorganisms showing application potential in composting DGW for providing substrate for P. ostreatus cultivation and will provide an alternative to facilitate DGW recycling.
Pythium insidiosum keratitis reported in China, raising the alertness to this fungus-like infection: a case series
Authors: Hou Hongyan , Wang Yue , Tian Lei , Wang Feng , Sun Ziyong , Chen Zhongju
Published: December 2021

Background

The objective of this study is to report typical clinical and laboratory characteristics of three cases of keratitis caused by Pythium insidiosum in China.

Case presentation

Three Chinese patients of Han nationality diagnosed with Pythium keratitis from 2017 to 2019 were included. One 45-year-old female and one 55-year-old male were exposed to river water, and one 51-year-old female was burned by ash in the eyes. All of them are of Han ethnicity. Upon slit-lamp examination, subepithelial and superficial stromal opacities were observed in a reticular pattern. After conventional treatment with antifungal agents, the clinical status worsened and therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty was performed. Unfortunately, enucleation was performed to remove all infected tissue and relieve pain. Pythium insidiosum was identified in culture and confirmed by internal transcribed spacer ribosomal RNA gene sequencing analysis. Following the systemic and local antibiotic regimens, the patients were cured ultimately and no regression of infection was observed.

Conclusions

It is significant for ophthalmologists and microbiologist to be alert to this eye-threatening infection, especially in patients who are resistant to antifungal treatments and with water-related exposure.
New entropic bounds on time scales via Hermite interpolating polynomial
Authors: Ansari Iqrar , Khan Khuram Ali , Nosheen Ammara , Pečarić Ðilda , Pečarić Josip
Published: December 2021

Hermite’s interpolation is utilized to establish a new generalization of an inequality for higher order convex functions containing Csiszár divergence on time scales. New entropic bounds in q-calculus and h-discrete calculus are also deduced. Some estimates for Zipf–Mandelbrot entropy are also given.
Establishment of a quantitative RT-PCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus
Authors: Jiang Yushen , Zhang Shanming , Qin Hong , Meng Shuai , Deng Xuyi , Lin He , Xin Xiaoliang , Liang Yuxin , Chen Bowen , Cui Yan , Su YiHeng , Liang Pei , Zhou GuangZhi , Hu Hongbo
Published: December 2021

Background

The outbreak of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a public health emergency of international concern. Quantitative testing of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) virus is demanded in evaluating the efficacy of antiviral drugs and vaccines and RT-PCR can be widely deployed in the clinical assay of viral loads. Here, we developed a quantitative RT-PCR method for SARS-CoV-2 virus detection in this study.

Methods

RT-PCR kits targeting E (envelope) gene, N (nucleocapsid) gene and RdRP (RNA-dependent RNA polymerase) gene of SARS-CoV-2 from Roche Diagnostics were evaluated and E gene kit was employed for quantitative detection of COVID-19 virus using Cobas Z480. Viral load was calculated according to the standard curve established by series dilution of an E-gene RNA standard provided by Tib-Molbiol (a division of Roche Diagnostics). Assay performance was evaluated.

Results

The performance of the assay is acceptable with limit of detection (LOD) below 10E1 copies/μL and lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) as 10E2 copies/μL.

Conclusion

A quantitative detection of the COVID-19 virus based on RT-PCR was established.
Do alterations in pulmonary vascular tone result in changes in central blood volumes? An experimental study
Authors: Vos Jaap Jan , Wietasch J. K. Götz , Hoeft Andreas , Scheeren Thomas W. L.
Published: December 2021

Background

The effects of selective pulmonary vascular tone alterations on cardiac preload have not been previously examined. Therefore, we evaluated whether changing pulmonary vascular tone either by hypoxia or the inhalation of aerosolized prostacyclin (PGI2) altered intrathoracic or pulmonary blood volume (ITBV, PBV, respectively), both as surrogate for left ventricular preload. Additionally, the mean systemic filling pressure analogue (Pmsa) and pressure for venous return (Pvr) were calculated as surrogate of right ventricular preload.

Methods

In a randomized controlled animal study in 6 spontaneously breathing dogs, pulmonary vascular tone was increased by controlled moderate hypoxia (FiO2 about 0.10) and decreased by aerosolized PGI2. Also, inhalation of PGI2 was instituted to induce pulmonary vasodilation during normoxia and hypoxia. PBV, ITBV and circulating blood volume (Vdcirc) were measured using transpulmonary thermo-dye dilution. Pmsa and Pvr were calculated post hoc. Either the Wilcoxon-signed rank test or Friedman ANOVA test was performed.

Results

During hypoxia, mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) increased from median [IQR] 12 [8–15] to 19 [17–25] mmHg (p < 0.05). ITBV, PBV and their ratio with Vdcirc remained unaltered, which was also true for Pmsa, Pvr and cardiac output. PGI2 co-inhalation during hypoxia normalized mean PAP to 13 (12–16) mmHg (p < 0.05), but left cardiac preload surrogates unaltered. PGI2 inhalation during normoxia further decreased mean PAP to 10 (9–13) mmHg (p < 0.05) without changing any of the other investigated hemodynamic variables.

Conclusions

In spontaneously breathing dogs, changes in pulmonary vascular tone altered PAP but had no effect on cardiac output, central blood volumes or their relation to circulating blood volume, nor on Pmsa and Pvr. These observations suggest that cardiac preload is preserved despite substantial alterations in right ventricular afterload.
Bewildered and alone: supporting people with cognitive impairment on COVID isolation wards
Authors: Finnegan Martha , Greene Elaine
Published: December 2021

Managing isolation protocols for distressed, cognitively impaired COVID-19-positive patients presented a range of new challenges to our liaison psychiatry for the elderly service. In this article we present some of the scenarios we have experienced, our own reflections on the needs of this specific group and how this has challenged us in terms of tolerating risk, prescribing off-label, collaborating with distressed colleagues, professional boundaries and being creative in non-pharmacological interventions.
Prevalence of adult sexual abuse in men with mental illness: Bayesian meta-analysis
Authors: Zarchev Milan , Ruijne Roos E. , Mulder Cornelis L. , Kamperman Astrid M.
Published: December 2021

Background

Sexual abuse is a broad category of traumatic experiences that includes rape and any unwanted sexual contact with a body part or foreign object, whether penetrative, oral or otherwise. Although patients with mental illness have a higher risk of becoming victims of sexual abuse in adulthood, few studies investigate the proportion of male victims in this population. Their underrepresentation in research is a barrier to understanding the negative outcomes associated with sexual abuse in men.

Aims

We estimated the prevalence of recent (past year) and adulthood sexual abuse perpetrated by any perpetrator and separately by intimate partners in males diagnosed with a mental illness.

Method

To model the prevalences and heterogeneity arising from reports, we used Bayesian multilevel models. Prevalences were estimated for mixed-diagnosis, substance misuse, intellectual disability and post-traumatic stress disorder samples, and studies reporting specifically on intimate partner violence. This review was registered through PROSPERO (CRD42020169299)

Results

Estimated adult sexual abuse was 5.3% (95% Credibility Interval 1.6–12.8%) for past-year abuse and 14.1% (95% Credibility Interval 7.3–22.4%) for abuse in adulthood. There was considerable heterogeneity of prevalence between studies and diagnosis groups.

Conclusions

Our analyses show that the prevalence of sexual abuse of males diagnosed with a mental illness was much higher than for men in the general population. This has important implications regarding the proportion of undetected or untreated sexually abused men in clinical practice.
Primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy and bilateral transient lateral patellar dislocation in an adolescent
Authors: Jeyabaladevan Sharenja , Astrinakis Emmanouil , Callan Margaret , Sookur Paul Anthony
Published: December 2021

This case report is of the index case of bilateral transient patellar dislocation in a patient with primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy. Primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy is a rare complex disorder with variable presentation and thus frequently delayed diagnosis. Notably, this disease has multiple skeletal manifestations and, of relevance to this case, a proportion of patients suffer from osteitis. Our patient had serial imaging of the knee joints demonstrating osteitis and associated alteration of the femoral trochlea morphology, predisposing to bilateral transient lateral patellar dislocation. The patient’s clinical presentation, diagnosis and management are discussed. Classification of the disease and its diagnostic parameters are summarised along with key imaging features amongst various imaging modalities.
X-ray versus computerized tomography (CT) images for detection of COVID-19 using deep learning
Authors: Siddeshappa Nandish , Varur Tejashri , Subramani Krithika , Puranik Siddhi , Sampathila Niranjana
Published: December 2021

Background: The recent outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease corresponding to it (coronavirus disease 2019; COVID-19) has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. COVID-19 has become a global crisis, shattering health care systems, and weakening economies of most countries. The current methods of testing that are employed include reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), rapid antigen testing, and lateral flow testing with RT-PCR being used as the golden standard despite its accuracy being at a mere 63%. It is a manual process which is time consuming, taking about an average of 48 hours to obtain the results. Alternative methods employing deep learning techniques and radiologic images are up and coming.

Methods: In this paper, we used a dataset consisting of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 folders for both X-Ray and CT images which contained a total number of 17,599 images. This dataset has been used to compare 3 (non-pre-trained) CNN models and 5 pre-trained models and their performances in detecting COVID-19 under various parameters like validation accuracy, training accuracy, validation loss, training loss, prediction accuracy, sensitivity and the training time required, with CT and X-Ray images separately.

Results: Xception provided the highest validation accuracy (88%) when trained with the dataset containing the X- ray images while VGG19 provided the highest validation accuracy (81.2%) when CT images are used for training.

Conclusions: The model, VGG16, showed the most consistent performance, with a validation accuracy of 76.6% for CT images and 87.76% for X-ray images. When comparing the results between the modalities, models trained with the X-ray dataset showed better performances than the same models trained with CT images. Hence, it can be concluded that X-ray images provide a higher accuracy in detecting COVID-19 making it an effective method for detecting COVID-19 in real life.
Current Trends in Targeted Radionuclide Therapy Development
Authors: Vorontsova M. , Karmakova T. , Pankratov A. , Kaprin A.
Published: December 2021

Introduction

1. Features of Targeted Delivery of Therapeutic Radionuclides

2. Design of Pharmaceuticals for Targeted Radionuclide Therapy (TRT)

2.1. Radionuclides

2.2. Synthesis of Radioconjugates

2.3. Targeting Carriers

4. Subcellular Targeting of Radionuclides

5. TRT Dosimetry

Conclusion
Total Brain Irradiation for Metastatic Lesions in Breast Cancer Patients
Authors: Balkanov A. , Metelin V. , Vasilenko I.
Published: December 2021

Purpose: Brain metastasis (BM) has a significant negative impact on the survival of breast cancer patients. An intensive search is underway for a multi-modal approach to identify the most effective methods of treating such patients.

Material and methods: The study included 40 patients with breast cancer who were diagnosed with BM on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. Total brain irradiation (TBI) up to 30 Gy (3 Gy) was used as the main treatment method. The median age was 48 (31–70) years. In 75 % of cases, a nonluminal subtype of breast cancer was found, in 57.5 % of cases–T2 breast cancer, in 70 % of cases–N0-1.

Results: The median survival after TBI was 12 months, 6-month survival rate was 70 %, and 12 – month survival rate was 47.5 %. The risk of death was significantly increased (HR=3.309; 95 % CI: 1,184 – 9,250, p=0.023) in patients whose time interval from the manifestation of 1 relapse to BM was ≤24 months. In these patients, the survival was only 9.5 months and was significantly lower (p=0.0136) than in the patients with the same time interval was >24 months – 30 months.

Conclusions: It was found that the effectiveness of total brain irradiation in patients with breast cancer brain metastasis is the highest if the time interval from the moment of manifestation of first relapse to brain metastasis is more than 24 months.
How Do the Probabilities Arise in Quantum Measurement?
Authors: Bhaumik Mani L.
Published: December 2021

A satisfactory resolution of the persistent quantum measurement problem remains stubbornly unresolved in spite of an overabundance of efforts of many prominent scientists over the decades. Among others, one key element is considered yet to be resolved. It comprises of where the probabilities of the measurement outcome stem from. This article attempts to provide a plausible answer to this enigma, thus eventually making progress toward a cogent solution of the longstanding measurement problem.Quanta 2021; 10: 65–74.
The ‘plebs contionalis’ – a perfect popular assembly participant?
Authors: Appel Hanna
Published: December 2021

The writings of Cicero refer in various ways, often critically, to citizens who participated in contiones. Contemporary researchers refer to them as plebs contionalis, coined by Christian Meier. Although this term does not occur in the sources, many historians have concluded that it perfectly describes the citizens who regularly attended popular gatherings. The problem, however, is that the issues raised during the contiones were so varied, and these assemblies were held so often that it is hard to imagine that the average citizen could afford to attend them regularly. The author of the article analyses various aspects of this issue and confronts them with the views of other researchers, in order to reach a more general conclusion about the participants in these contiones. W pismach Cycerona można znaleźć bardzo różne sformułowania, nierzadko krytyczne, odnoszące się do tych obywateli, którzy uczestniczą w contiones. Współcześni badacze określają ich mianem plebs contionalis, ukutym przez Christiana Meiera. Wprawdzie termin ten nie pojawia się w źródłach, ale wielu historyków uznało, że doskonale charakteryzuje on  właśnie tych obywateli, którzy regularnie pojawiali się na zgromadzeniach ludowych. Problem polega jednak na tym, że sprawy poruszane podczas contiones były tak różne, a owe zgromadzenia odbywały sie tak często, że trudno wyobrazić sobie, by przeciętny obywatel mógł sobie pozwolić na regularne w nich uczestniczenie. Autorka artykułu analizuje różne aspekty tego zagadnienia i konfrontuje je z poglądami innych badaczy zmierzając do ogólniejszej konkluzji na temat uczestników owych contiones.
Between Marius, Cinna and Sulla. The role of the Valerii Flacci in the Roman Republic in the eighties of the 1st century BC
Authors: Ładoń Tomasz
Published: December 2021

Abstract: Valerii Flacci was one of the most influential families in Rome in the first two decades of the 1st century BC. Cicero called them a nobilissima familia, while they themselves were the apple of the Roman aristocracy and were perceived as the best citizens (optimi cives). During the First Civil War, they were initially associated with the Marian camp. L. Valerius Flaccus (consul of 100 BC) acted as princeps senatus since 86 BC, and his cousin, also L. Valerius Flaccus was consul suffectus in 86 BC, after the death of C. Marius. The brother of L. Valerius Flaccus, Caius, consul of 93 BC, during the reign of Cinna in Rome was the governor of Spain for many years, and later of Transalpine Gaul too. It is known that Valerii Flacci wanted to reach a compromise between Sulla and the Marian camp, and when their efforts failed, they opted for Sulla.Despite the significant role Valerii Flacci played in the Republic, their activities remain overshadowed by other figures of that period. Also, their switch to the Sulla camp in the memory of the ancients was quite poorly recorded, especially when compared with the publicity of the transition of figures such as Metellus Pius, Pompeius or Crassus to Sulla’s side. The author of the presented paper will attempt to coax Valerii Flacci out of the shadows of history, examine the genesis of their defection to the Sulla camp and determine the role they played in this camp in the initial period of Sulla’s dictatorship. Abstrakt: Valerii Flacci byli jednym z bardziej wpływowych rodów w Rzymie w pierwszych dwóch dekadach I wieku przed Chr. Cicero określał ich mianem nobilissima familia, sami zaś stanowili kwiat arystokracji rzymskiej i postrzegani byli jako najlepsi obywatele (optimi cives). W okresie pierwszej wojny domowej początkowo związani byli z obozem mariańskim. L. Valerius Flaccus (konsul 100 roku przed Chr.) od 86 roku przed Chr. występował jako princeps senatus,  zaś jego kuzyn, również L. Valerius Flaccus, po śmierci C. Mariusa zastąpił go na stanowisku konsula (jako consul suffectus w 86 roku przed Chr.). Rodzony brat tego ostatniego, C. Valerius Flaccus, konsul 93 roku przed Chr., w okresie rządów Cynny w Rzymie był wieloletnim namiestnikiem Hiszpanii, a później także Galii Zaalpejskiej. Wiadomo, że Valerii Flacci chcieli doprowadzić do kompromisu między Sullą a obozem mariańskim, a gdy ich starania zakończyły się fiaskiem, opowiedzieli się za Sullą.Mimo znaczącej roli, jaką Valerii Flacci odgrywali w Republice, ich działalność pozostaje w cieniu innych postaci owego okresu. Także ich akces do obozu sullańskiego w pamięci starożytnych został odnotowany dość słabo, zwłaszcza jeśli zestawi się go z nagłośnieniem przejścia na stronę Sulli takich postaci jak Metellus Pius, Pompeius czy Crassus. Autor prezentowanego artykułu wydobywa Valerii Flacci z cienia historii, bada genezę ich dołączenia do obozu sullańskiego oraz określa ich znaczenie w tym obozie w początkowym okresie dyktatury Sulli.
Publius Crassus - "optimus adulescens" and his unfortunate career
Authors: Łuć Ireneusz
Published: December 2021

Abstract: In the light of the presented findings, it is clear how briefly Publius Licinius Crassus, the younger son of Marcus Crassus, could not only enjoy the offices granted to him, but also the status of being Kornella’s spouse. As for his career, in total it lasted less than six years when, upon coming of age, he began to exercise his first military command, and two years before his tragic death, he was nominated for civil offices – vide triumwir monetalis (55 BC) and augur (between 55 and 53 BC). Contrary to certain hypotheses put forward, he was never allowed to hold the office of quaestor. Although the start of his career was undoubtedly influenced by the protection of Marcus Crassus, his father, contrary to appearances, was a well-educated and eloquent person. Participation in the expedition against the Parthians that ended in tragedy – as Marcus Cicero clearly suggested – prematurely ended the life and career of a gifted and promising young man, who was perhaps one of the most talented of his generation.Abstrakt:W świetle zaprezentowanych ustaleń można dostrzec jak krótko było dane cieszyć się Publiuszowi Licyniuszowi Krassusowi, młodszemu synowi Marka Krassusa, nie tylko przyznawanymi mu urzędami, ale i statusem bycia małżonkiem Kornelli. Jeśli chodzi o jego karierę to był to w sumie okres niespełna sześciu lat, kiedy ze względu na osiągnięty wiek zaczął on sprawować najpierw dowództwo wojskowe a na dwa lata przed tragiczną śmiercią, otrzymał nominacje na urzędy cywilne - vide triumvir monetalis (55 r. p.n.e.) i augur (między 55 a 53 r. p.n.e.). Wbrew wysuwanym hipotezom nigdy nie było mu dane sprawować urzędu kwestora. I choć wpływ na rozpoczęcie jego kariery miała niewątpliwie protekcja Marka Krassusa, jego ojca, to wbrew pozorom był on jednak osobą znakomicie wykształconą i elokwentną. Udział w tragicznie zakończonej wyprawie przeciwko Partom przedwcześnie - a wyraźnie sugerował to Marek Cyceron - zakończył życie i karierę uzdolnionego, oraz dobrze zapowiadającego się młodzieńca, który był, być może, jednym z najzdolniejszych ze swego pokolenia.
Piękna cesarzowa… Elżbieta Bawarska (Sisi) i jej performanse
Authors: Hołda Renata
Published: December 2021

The Beautiful Empres... Elizabeth of Bavaria (Sisi) and her Performances The article presents Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) – the wife of Franz Josef I. She went down in history as a beautiful and unhappy woman. „Beautiful Empress” would be the role that the heroine constructed for herself. Sisi had consistently performed her role by producing a series of public performances and actively creating and directing her own public image. In doing so, she took advantage of the opportunities afforded by her position, finances and influence as empress. Ultimately, the image she created and sought to control overshadowed the historical figure of the empress’s wife, and elements of this image still continue to function in culture today.
„Kopciuszek”, „Amant”, „Brzydkie kaczątko”. Reprezentacje płci w telenowelach latynoskich
Authors: Wójtowicz Grzegorz
Published: December 2021

„Cinderella", „The Cupid", „The Ugly Ducking". Gender Representations in Latin American Telenovelas The aim of the article is to present typical representations of women and men in Latin American telenovelas, shaped on the basis of images of femininity and masculinity in the local culture. A standard scheme of a poor woman and a wealthy man is presented, with strongly exposed ideological elements of marianismo, machismo and malinchismo. A typology of characters has been proposed in relation to the character and conduct of the screen characters. The female characters discussed are: „Cinderella”, „The Ugly Duckling”, and in the male case, „The Amant”. This categorization is subjective in nature, and its purpose is to draw the reader’s attention to the way in which female and male role models and their attributes have been culturally represented in the twenty years, 1997–2017.