bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diffuse surgically induced scleritis following strabismus surgery: A case report
Authors: Rehnuma Rokhsanda , Rahman Zahedur , Mehbub Ul Kadir Syeed , Ahmed Sharmin , Huq Nayeemul
Published: July 2021

A 30 years old woman was diagnosed as surgically induced diffuse scleritis following an uneventful strabismus surgery. The disease was stable with topical and systemic steroid but did not completely recover. So, immunomodulatory therapy with Oral Methotrexate was started.
Hypercalcemia of malignancy in metastatic adenocarcinoma of left lower eyelid - A report of a rare case
Authors: BM Divya , Shylashree  , Mani Muthukumar
Published: July 2021

Adenocarcinoma of eyelid is a rare disease with an incidence of 1 to 5.5% and is considered to be the most common eyelid malignancy following basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma. The symptoms usually present as swelling, thickening, change in appearance of the eyelid skin and ulceration. Various treatment modalities include surgery, radiation or chemotherapy relying upon the stage of tumor at the time of presentation. However, metastasis of adenocarcinoma of the eyelid to other organs is quite rare. We are presenting a case of a 35 year old male who initially presented with complaints of watering in the left eye and in due course, was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of eyelid which was being treated and eventually progressed to lung and skeletal tissues.  This gentleman also had severe Hypercalcemia which was secondary to paraneoplastic syndrome.
An unusual presentation of well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of left upper eyelid: Case report
Authors: Bhattacharjee Rajneel , Deka Baby , Shree Namrata
Published: July 2021

Squamous cell carcinoma is mainly an invasive epithelial malignancy having keratinocyte differentiation. They are relatively rare and usually slow growing skin cancer. Well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma closely resembles normal epithelial cell.

We report a case of a sixty-five-year-old female who presented to the ophthalmology outpatient department with the chief complaint of a rapidly growing mass on her left upper eyelid for 6 months interfering with her vision. Physical examination revealed a firm mass of size 3.5 cm x 3 cm x 2.5 cm. RT-PCR for COVID-19 was done and found negative. Routine blood investigations, blood sugar levels, viral serology, chest X-ray were done. Excision and biopsy with wide margins at the base were performed under local anesthesia. Histopathological examination of the specimen showed well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. The patient responded satisfactorily.

Early diagnosis and treatment reduce the morbidity and mortality of the patient.
Islam in Kyrgyzstan: Spreading History and the Current State
Authors: Dushenbiev Salamat
Published: July 2021

The article examines the history of the spread and the current state of the Islamic religion in Kyrgyzstan. The main stages, ways, methods and features of the penetration and spread of Islam on the territory of Kyrgyzstan are revealed, an attempt is made to give an objective description of the degree of Islam's rootedness in the public consciousness of the Kyrgyz since the first acquaintance with Islam in the Middle Ages, as well as the influence of Islam on the culture and spirituality of the Kyrgyz. Much attention is paid to the study of modern processes that are taking place in the religious sphere, in particular in the Muslim Jamaat of the sovereign Kyrgyz Republic. We conditionally called these processes “re-Islamization” and “modernization” of Islam. The article also identifies the main trends and prospects for the development of Islam in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Muslim Immigration to France in the 20th Century: Causes, Cycles, Problems
Authors: Shmelev Dmitry
Published: July 2021

The article devoted to the problem of Muslim immigration in France in the 20th century. The focus is on the causes of Muslim immigration, its cycles, specificity and consequences for modern French society. Based on a comparison of various statistical data, it stated that Muslim immigration is an integral part of three large waves of immigration flows that took place from the end of the 19th to the end of the 20th centuries. The article notes the correlation of the number of Muslim immigrants in France with the global numbers of immigrant arrivals to the country. However, if in the first two waves their number depended on the economic needs of the French economy (Muslims came to earn money), then during the third wave other factors came into play — the creation of stable communities, family reunification, going on stage second and third generations of immigrants, social problems of their arrangement and adaptation to French legal norms and customs. The article notes the specificity of the geographical concentration of the Muslim population, which takes place either near large industrial centers and cities (which makes it easier to find work and social protection), or in places of proximity to their native countries (southern France). Special attention paid to the problem of the evolution of state policy in the admission and integration of immigrants, when various methods tired from assimilation, the adoption of quotas to the policy of flexible regulation of immigration and expulsion of illegal immigrants from the country. The article analyzes the position of the Muslim community in France, the role of Muslim associations in its life, the impact on the socio-cultural life of the French. It can stated that Islam has become the second religion in France, which determines its position — a stable presence in socio-economic life (employment, the spread of the social protection system to immigrants), political (the right to vote, the possibility of creating associations, manifestations), religious (the possibility of worship), cultural (the formation of a specific immigrant subculture).
Studying Russian Icons on the Balkans
Authors: Boycheva Yuliana
Published: July 2021

The Russian religious artefacts - icons, liturgical utensils, veils, vestments and books and objects of private piety, held in museums and church or monastery collections in the Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean constitute a body of valuable art objects, and important material evidences related to the historical development of the relations between Russia and large region of South-Eastern Europe. This piety objects comes continually to the region for a long period through official, unofficial and private donations, or by pilgrimage and trade. Applying the cultural transfer approach in combination with the recent theoretically challenging openings of art history into visual studies and social anthropology RICONTRANS studies them not simply as religious or artistic artefacts, but as mediums of cultural transfer and political and ideological influence, which interacted with and were appropriated by receiving societies. Their transfer and reception is a significant and poorly studied component of the larger cultural process of transformation of the artistic language and visual culture in the region and its transition from medieval to modern idioms. In this dynamic transfer, piety, propaganda and visual culture appear intertwined in historically unexplored and theoretically provoking ways.
Towards the Arab National Renaissance: the Struggle for the Throne of Antioch in the 2nd Half of the 19th Century and Russia
Authors: Gerd Lora
Published: July 2021

The article is focused on little known pages of the Russian support to the Arabic church and national movement during the last decades of the 19th century. Supporting the Arab Orthodox population of Syria and Lebanon was an important part of the Russian policy in the Near East. The attempt to convert part of the Melkites to Orthodoxy in the 1860-s was not successful, but already in 1869 the Russian Consul in Beirut managed to ensure the election of a pro-Russian Arab Gabriel Shatila as Metropolitan of Beirut. After few failures of the Arabic candidates in the struggle for the Patriarchal see, in 1899, despite the opposition of the French diplomatic representatives (who supported the candidates of the Holy Sepulcher brotherhood), the Russians achieved the enthronement of Patriarch Melety Dumani. The newly discovered archive materials show the details of these events and contribute to their understanding in the course of the French-Russian confrontation in the region.
A Baptized Baskak in Borovsk: Historical Fact and Legend as Perceived by Contemporaries and Descendants
Authors: Iglesias Alonso Ricardo
Published: July 2021

The article attempts to assess the reliability of the hagiographic reports about the existence of the post of baskak in Borovsk and other Russian cities in the 14th century and to determine the reasons for attributing this account in the currently existing sources to the 13th century. Source-study analysis of the Life of Pafnutiy of Borovsk, the respective sections of the Volokolamsk Patericon, and the chronicle articles textually related to these works, reveals the sequence of the appearance of various redactions of the respective body of accounts and allows them to be brought to a common source — an unpreserved tale of Pafnutiy called by this author The Tale about Martin. Basing on the revised internal chronology of the Tale, which differs significantly from the previously adopted one, the article clarifies the historical context of the described events and proposes a new interpretation of them. Particular attention is paid to identifying various temporary layers in the hagiographic accounts about the baskaks and the latter’s legendary background.
The Development of Monastic Terminology and the Legislative Definition of the Monkish Status
Authors: Vankova Anna
Published: July 2021

The article deals with the relationship between the development of new appeared monastic terminology and the definition of the status of monasticism by the Church and the early Byzantine state. Or otherwise, it tries to tell when the process of institutionalization began, what vocabulary was used in this process, when the use of the “classical” monastic terminology in laws and canons began, how the emergence of new terminology and the development of status were distributed over time. The study is divided into two parts: monks and nuns. The time frame of the study is the fourth century and the first half of the fifth century. The geographical framework is the Late Roman Empire, mainly its Eastern half. The following conclusions have been drawn: the making of the status of male monasticism occurred a hundred years after its appearance, the laws almost immediately began to use the most common in the papyri and monastic literature term monachus, which gives evidence of the distinct definition of a new social group, but the establishment of the status of female monasticism was extremely slow, the laws and canons practically not using the new terms, which reflects the diversity of female asceticism even in the 5th century.
Veneration of the Holy Emperors and Empresses of Byzantium in Muscovite Rus’ According to the Attachments and Epigraphy of the Reliquaries of the 16th and 17th Centuries
Authors: Makhanko Maria
Published: July 2021

Old Russian reliquaries of the 16th and the 17th centuries, i. e. the Late Medieval era of emerging autocracy, are valuable historical sources and masterpieces of art. The appearance of certain relics is associated with the external contacts of medieval states and churches, reflecting various aspects of spiritual life of the time. Among the attachments to reliquaries, either preserved up to now or known from written sources, parts of relics of saint Emperors and Empresses of the 4th to the 10th centuries Byzantium are of special interest. The article attempts to collect information about such relics, as well as analyze their meaning.
A Newfound Icon “Sophia the Wisdom of God with Miracle-Working Icons of the Mother of God” of the Late 17th — Early 18th Century: Aspects of the Iconographic Programme
Authors: Saenkova Elena
Published: July 2021

The article discusses the unique theological programme of an icon painted in the town of Vologda at the turn of the 17th to the 18th century. The icon combines the image of Sophia the Wisdom of God with the miraculous icons of the Mother of God: “The Lamenting Virgin”, “Our Lady of Georgia”, “The Virgin Eleousa” and “Our Lady of the Kievan Caves”. The image of Sophia the Wisdom of God has a number of significant differences from the classical iconography that became widespread in the Russian art of the 16th and 17th centuries: there is no image of Jesus Christ and the figure of the fiery-faced angel is inscribed as “IC XC”. The study of this icon provides new information for the interpretation of the theme of Sophia the Wisdom of God in Russian culture of the 17th — 18th century.
About “Unsubscribe from Metropolitan Paisiy of Gaza to Boyar Simeon Lukyanovich Streshnev”, which belonged to Patriarch Nikon: Observations and Hypotheses
Authors: Sevastyanova Svetlana
Published: July 2021

In August 1662 Metropolitan Paisiy Ligarides of Gaza answered in writing 30 questions from boyar S. L. Streshnev about Patriarch Nikon. His answers in the handwritten tradition were called “Unsubscribe”. And in January 1663 during Ligarides’ visit to the Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery, it became clear that the Primate was well acquainted with this work. The metropolitan, interrogated upon his return to Moscow, assured that the original in Latin, as well as the translation into Russian, made, according to modern researchers, from the Greek original, were classified. Nevertheless, the Russian translation of the “Unsubscribe”, having fallen into the hands of Patriarch Nikon, was used by him for refutation, which was called “Objection” in manuscript history. This is the most extensive and, perhaps, the most famous work in the polemical heritage of Patriarch Nikon, as well as “Unsubscribe”, which is almost completely woven into his fabric, did not become the subject of philological study. Answering the questions: Was there a special translation of the “Unsubscribe” for Patriarch Nikon? and What was the text quoted by the High Priest in the “Objection”?, we conducted a word-by-word textological study of five available (out of 7 known) lists of the “Unsubscribe”, identified three groups of readings, which were compared with the lexical and stylistic features of the fragments of the “Unsubscribe” in “Objection” — one of the lists compiled during the life of Patriarch Nikon in the scriptorium of the Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery (State Historical Museum. Voskresenskoe collection No. 133). It turned out that for Patriarch Nikon, one of his supporters had copied a Russian translation made, as we believe, for Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The closest to him should be recognized the text of the list, published by N. A. Gibbenet and now lost (A, I group). When copying the text of the “Unsubscribe" for Patriarch Nikon, discrepancies arose, reflected in the protographer of the II group (it could have been the list made for Patriarch Nikon) — the source of the further handwritten history of “Unsubscribe”.
Islam in Kazakhstan: History of Distribution and Modernity
Authors: Ayagan Burkutbay
Published: July 2021

This article is devoted to the analysis of the spread of Islam around the steppe in the 8th — 13th centuries, development of religions within the Golden Horde and the Kazakh Khanate, place and role in the Russian Empire. In the work the authors uses a wide layer of archival documents examines the content and essence of the anti-religious (atheistic) policy of the Soviet state. Much attention is paid to revealing the features and characteristics of the development of interfaith relations in modern Kazakhstan, the formation of religious tolerance, tolerance and dialogue in a multi-ethnic society, and so teaching the basics of religious studies in the training and educational space. The article uses such methods of scientific research as historical-typological, structural-comparative, systemic, content analysis. The main results are that the work reveals the history of the spread of Islam in the Steppe, the content of the policy of party bodies, the place and role of interfaith relations in society after the collapse of the USSR, the importance of religious studies in the system of modern education. The field of application of the research results is in the system of researching the history of Islam in Kazakhstan, as well as in the use and teaching of social and humanitarian disciplines.
Mahkmudkhodja Behbudiy about the Turkestan Representation in the State Duma of the Russian Empire (Based on Publications in the “Native Newspaper of Turkestan”)
Authors: Kotyukova Tatiana
Published: July 2021

The article is dedicated to one of the most prominent and influential social and political figures of Turkestan Mahkmudkhodja Behbudiy. Like many enlighteners and reformers of the early twentieth century he enthusiastically and hopefully met the October Manifesto. Many contemporaries called the first experience of building a parliamentary system in the Russian Empire “The Duma of Hope”. For Behbudiy and Turkestan Jadid reformers the Duma tribune was perceived as a platform for political dialogue, opening up opportunities for serious economic, social and political reforms in Turkestan. Behbudiy used every opportunity to convey to his compatriots the full importance of the empire that took place in the socio-political life. He shared his thoughts with his compatriots particularly on the pages of the “Native newspaper of Turkestan”.
The Vicissitudes of Fate of the Leaders of Ideological Movements in the Muslim World: the Legacy of Abul Ala Mawdudi (1903—1979)
Authors: Kirillina Svetlana
Published: July 2021

The article deals with the milestones of life trajectory and creative personality of the eminent Islamic theologian and politician Abul Ala Mawdudi, whose works and speeches had strong impact on the intellectual atmosphere and social thought in numerous Muslim nations. The typical features of Mawdudi’s theological pioneering and its impact on traditional Islamic image of statehood are reviewed, as well as evolution of nature and visible forms of his anti-imperialist and anti-Western rhetoric — on the background of his troubled and ambiguous relations with secular authorities and ulama corps of Pakistan. The study explores the historical and cultural background of ‘theodemocracy’ conception, elaborated by Abul Ala Mawdudi and used for decades as a mainstream and most popular subject of political discussions in the Islamist milieu. Special attention is paid to the analysis of current issues of state and society in the Islamic world, which belong to spiritual and political heritage of Mawdudi; they can be traced back in the works and observations of radical fundamentalists of the Middle East and North Africa. The relationship of importance of these problems in the ideological space of modern Arab countries, in the sphere of Islamic structures’ political mobilization and vocabulary of Islamist propaganda and rhetoric is also outlined.
Creating Ecclesiastical and Civil Records: Problems of Institutional Transfer in Soviet Russia in the First Years after the 1917 Revolution
Authors: Tarasyutina Evgenia
Published: July 2021

This paper introduces how, the process of creating registry offices took place after the 1917 revolution. There were active discussions about the introduction of civil metrication in the Russian Empire in the middle of the 19th — beginning of the 20th centuries, as well as in the West. This was due to the fact that it became more and more difficult to describe the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional population with the help of parish registers of various confessions. The situation with the collection of various statistics by the church has ceased to satisfy government officials. After the 1917 revolution, thanks to social and political prerequisites, the Bolsheviks were able to institutionalize this transition. Archival documents of the People's Commissariat of Justice and specialized periodicals show how, after The Decree on Separation of Church from State in 1918, the Soviet government was forced to organize a new civil institution, which took over the functions and tasks of the church in keeping registers of births, deaths and marriages.
French Council of the Muslim Faith: Hardships of the Integration Mission
Authors: Timofeev Pavel
Published: July 2021

The article is devoted to the emergence and development of the French Council of the Muslim Faith — a special structure for France, designed to be a mediator between French Muslims and the state. The author shows the conditions for the FCMF establishment in 2003 and the ups and downs of its evolution under the four French presidents — from Chirac to Macron. The article analyzes FCMF strengths and weaknesses, highlights its main hardships, hindering the growth of its influence in society. The author concludes that FCMF mission is far from being accomplished but the government's solution of key problems — creating a system for training French imams and achieving transparent funding - will strengthen the role of the FCMF in the state's dialogue with Muslims in France.
Codex Vatopedinus gr. 610 and Its Place in the Manuscript Tradition of Kallistos Angelikoudes’ Works
Authors: Rodionov Oleg
Published: July 2021

The article deals with one of the oldest manuscripts containing a significant part of the theological chapters of Kallistos Angelikoudes, one of the most important hesychast authors of the late Byzantine period. Codex Vatopedinus gr. 610 was written in the late 14th c. It contains a great amount of quotations excerpted from Patristic literature. In the second part of the codex, one can find the chapters of Kallistos Angelikoudes; these 92 chapters were retrieved from a greater collection containing now about 200 chapters. The article discusses the content of the Vatopedi manuscript, pointing out to the use of many Patristic fragments included there in different works by Kallistos Angelikoudes. This may shed light on the origin and purpose of the manuscript. A further study of the history of the text of these chapters allows us to assess the place of the Vatopedi codex in the manuscript tradition of Kallistos Angelikoudes’ literary legacy. The Church Slavonic translation of this collection of Angelikoudes’ chapters made by Paisius Velichkovsky in the 1770—1790s reproduces many peculiarities of the Greek text contained in the Vatopedi manuscript and was presumably based on a copy of that codex.
An Unknown Prayer of Akindynos in the 12th Century Russian Manuscript and an Attempt to Create the Russian “Minuscule”
Authors: Ukhanova Elena
Published: July 2021

The article is devoted to the unknown prayer to St. John Damascene preserved on the margins of the oldest Russian 12th century copy of the “Theology” by this Orthodox thinker. Its text is badly damaged and almost not readable. It has been visualized by the multispectral method with subsequent digital processing and published in this work. The text of the prayer was written in a unique type of ligature writing, which has only survived in one more codex. On the basis of codicological, paleographic and historical data, both texts have been dated to the last third of the 14th century and localized in Moscow. The article puts forward a hypothesis about the connection of the unusual ligature writing with the metropolitan scriptorium at the Moscow Chudov Monastery where there were Greek manuscripts at that time and new translations of liturgical texts were underway. Its appearance was probably due to the need of creating a new book letter design instead of the “ustav” (majuscule) in order to speed up the scribe’s work and save parchment. The original solution was inspired by the Greek ligature script and minuscule. However, this artificial style of writing did not spread out; the “ustav” was soon replaced by the “poluustav” letter form.
Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich’s Constantinople Barmy Revisited
Authors: Chesnokova Nadezhda
Published: July 2021

In 1662, the Greek merchant Ivan Yuryev Repetas delivered to Moscow the barmy (regalia collar) (diadem) made in Constantinople on special request from Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich. This wonderful piece of ancient art has survived to this day almost unchanged and is now deposited in the Kremlin Armory. Several generations of scholars have paid attention to the story of the barmy, its creation, artistic design and the significance of the images on enamel medallions. This discussion revealed disagreements among researchers. Not very long ago, there emerged the idea that it is Ivan Yuriev Repeta who was the jeweler and author of the diadem. This opinion is not supported by documents. However, revisiting the written sources not only makes it possible to make additions to the previously known data, but to name the master who made the Constantinople barmy for Alexey Mikhailovich.
STUDENT-CENTERED APPROACH FOR BEFITTINGLY TEACHING SCIENCE CONCEPTS AT ELEMENTARY LEVEL
Authors: Atta Malik Amer , Jamil Asif , Hafeez Abdul , Salah-Ud-Din Bushra , Bibi Sadia
Published: July 2021

Purpose of the study: The main purpose of the study is to find out the “use of student-centred approach of teaching science on the performance of students performance at elementary level”.

Methodology: Quasi-experimental research was used in this study. Pre-test and post-test were used to collect the data and analyses were done through SPSS. Three classes; grades 6th, 7th, and 8th were chosen as a sample of the study.

Main Findings: Findings of the research study revealed that the students belonging to lower grade levels responded more positively to the student-centred methods as compared to the students belonging to higher grade levels.

Applications of this study: This study is applicable in the elementary level of education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Policymakers and government officials can take guidance to improve the situations of elementary schools.

Novelty/Originality of this study: This study was originated to determine the effectiveness of a Student-centered learning slant, especially for teaching science at the elementary level. It was also attempted to know whether or not the effectiveness of the Student-centered approach alters at different grade levels of students.
Ethical issues for e-cigarette control policies in Australia
Authors: Bhaumik Soumyadeep
Published: July 2021

Although tobacco smoking in Australia is at a historical low, electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use, especially among the youth is increasing. Policies around e-cigarette control in Australia are currently evolving, even during the pandemic, thus demonstrating its priority status. The current article discusses ethical issues for e-cigarette control policies in Australia using a public health ethics framework. The article is structured using the domains of the WHO-MPOWER framework of tobacco control to enable a comprehensive coverage of all elements of e-cigarette control policies in Australia. It highlights several ethical issues, from different stakeholder perspectives, and indicates moral and ethical tensions in different public health actions that might be considered in framing policies around e-cigarette control.
Comparison of two transurethral endoscopic modalities used in treatment of bladder stones: a systematic review and meta-analysis for randomized controlled trials
Authors: Gou Liping , Wang Zhenghao , Zhou Ye , Zheng Xiaofeng
Published: July 2021

Background: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to compare the safety and efficiency of nephroscope and cystoscope in transurethral cystolithotripsy (TUCL) for bladder stones.
Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, and the Cochrane library databases (updated January 2021) were searched for studies that assessed the efficacy of different types of endoscopes in TUCL cases. The search strategy and study selection process was managed according to the PRISMA statement.
Results: Five randomized controlled trials were included in the meta-analysis. Our result showed no significant differences in the stone free rate (SFR) across the studies (RR= 1.00; CI 0.98–1.02, p = 1.00). The study heterogeneity (I2 = 0%, P = 1.00) was not significant as all patients were rendered stone free. Using nephroscope can significantly shorten operation times compared to the use of cystoscopy (RR= -26.26; CI -35.84 – -16.68, p < 0.00001) with significant heterogeneity (I2 =87%, p < 0.00001). There was no significant difference between mean urethral entries (RR= 0.66; CI -0.71 – -2.04, p = 0.35), hospitalization (MD = 0.08, 95% CI = -0.07-0.23; P=0.31) and the total complication rate (RR = 1.37, 95% CI = 0.47-4.00, p=0.56).
Conclusions: This systematic review demonstrated that using are highly efficient approaches in the clearance of bladder stones and result in a low rate of complication and short hospitalization times. The mean urethral entries are dependent on the treatment method for large stone fragments. However, using nephroscope can significantly reduce operation times.
Key words: bladder stones; transurethral; endoscopic treatments; cystoscope; nephroscope
Optimized EEG–fNIRS Based Mental Workload Detection Method for Practical Applications
Authors: Chu Hongzuo , Cao Yong , Jiang Jin , Yang Jiehong , Huang Mengyin , Li Qijie , Jiang Changhua , Jiao Xuejun
Published: July 2021

Background: Mental workload is a critical consideration in complex man–machine systems design. Among various mental workload detection techniques, multimodal detection techniques integrating EEG and fNIRS signals have attracted considerable attention. However, existing EEG–fNIRS-based mental workload detection methods have certain defects, such as complex signal acquisition channels and low detection accuracy, which restrict their practical application.Method: The signal acquisition configuration was optimized and a more accurate and convenient EEG–fNIRS-based mental workload detection method was constructed. A classical MATB task was conducted with 20 participating volunteers. Subjective scale data, 64-channel EEG data, and two-channel fNIRS data were collected.Results: A higher number of EEG channels correspond to higher detection accuracy. However, there is no obvious improvement in accuracy once the number of EEG channels reaches 26, with a four-level mental workload detection accuracy of 78.25±4.71%. Partial results of physiological analysis verify the results of previous studies, such as that the θ power of EEG and concentration of O2Hb in the prefrontal region increase while the concentration of HHb decreases with task difficulty. It was further observed, for the first time, that the energy of each band of EEG signals was significantly different in the occipital lobe region, and the power of 𝛽1 and 𝛽2 bands in the occipital region increased significantly with task difficulty. The changing range and the mean amplitude of O2Hb in high-difficulty tasks were significantly higher compared with those in low-difficulty tasks.Conclusions: The channel configuration of EEG–fNIRS-based mental workload detection was optimized to 26 EEG channels and two frontal fNIRS channels. A four-level mental workload detection accuracy of 78.25±4.71% was obtained, which is higher than previously reported results. The proposed configuration can promote the application of mental workload detection technology in military, driving, and other complex human–computer interaction systems.
Precuneus Brain Response Changes Differently During Human-Robot and Human-Human Dyadic Social Interaction
Authors: Spatola Nicolas , Chaminade Thierry
Published: July 2021

Human-human and human-robot interaction are often compared with the overarching question of the differences in terms of cognitive processes engaged and what can explain these differences. However, research addressing this topic, especially in neuro-imagery, use extremely artificial interaction settings. Also, they neglect a crucial parameter of human social cognition: interaction is an adaptive (rather than fixed) process. Building upon the first fMRI paradigm requiring participants to interact online with both a human and a robot in a dyadic setting, we investigate the differences and changes of brain activity during the two type of interactions in a whole brain analysis. Our results show that, grounding on a common default level, the activity in specific neural regions associated with social cognition (e.g. Posterior Cingulate Cortex) increase in HHI while remaining stable in HRI. We discuss these results regarding the iterative process of deepening the social engagement facing humans but not robots.
Acute and Chronic Toxicity of Prothioconazole and its Metabolite Prothioconazole-Desthio To Daphnia Magna
Authors: Xuehua An , Xinju Liu , Jinhua Jiang , Feidi Wang , Lu Lv , Gang Li , Shenggan Wu , Xueping Zhao
Published: July 2021

Prothioconazole (PTC) is a broad-spectrum triazole fungicide. Current research has mainly focused on its efficacy and residues, with few studies on its toxicological effects. This study assessed the effects of PTC, and its metabolite prothioconazole-desthio (PTCd), on the inhibition of activity, growth, and reproduction of Daphnia magna using acute and chronic toxicity tests. Additionally, the dose-response relationship was established to determine sensitive biological indicators. The acute toxicity test shows that the 48 h EC50 of PTC and PTCd to D. magna were 2.82 and 5.19 mg/L, respectively. The chronic toxicity of PTC and PTCd to D. magna were 0.00860 and 0.132 mg/L, respectively, with the parent compound being 15.3 times more toxic than its metabolite. The acute to chronic toxicity ratio (ACR) was calculated using chronic toxicity data, with ACR values of 227 and 27.5 for PTC and PTCd, respectively. These results indicate that both PTC and PTCd affect the growth and reproduction of D. magna, and the toxicity of the parent compound is greater than that of its metabolite. In conclusion, the metabolites of this pesticide have sufficient toxicity to harm D. magna at relevant environmental concentrations, and their environmental risk should not be neglected.
All-Optical Tunable Plasmonic Biosensor Made of Graphene and Metamaterial
Authors: Lotfi Fariba , Sang-Nourpour Nafiseh , Kheradmand Reza
Published: July 2021

We demonstrate a novel, label-free and real-time tunable infrared biosensor by employing surface-plasmon polaritons in asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The waveguides cladding in the Mach-Zehnder interferometer is made of lossy media with positive and negative electromagnetic susceptibilities, including metamaterial, metal and graphene. The core consists of dielectric media. We introduce two configurations for our biosensor structure. First configuration is an open-path structure and the second one consists of a sample housing made of a silicon layer around the structure. We also present a tunable biosensor by applying a gate voltage to the graphene in the structure. We employ three different cancerous cells, including cervical, breast and basal, as samples to examine the capabilities of the biosensor. Our biosensor structure is highly sensitive, compared to the existing biosensors in the literature, with the sensitivity for basal cancer cell of 1034THz/RIU. The proposed biosensor structure is compact and easy to fabricate with applications in biomedical sensing and environmental control to detect water pollutants.
Bayesian Spatio-temporal Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Africa
Authors: Akeresola Rebecca Ayodeji , Gayawan Ezra
Published: July 2021

Global warming is a driver of climate change and is attributed to the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activities. Although Africa contributes the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, its emissions are still on the increase. This study analyzes the spatial effect, temporal effect, and the interaction of these effects on these emissions in Africa. A 27-year greenhouse gas emissions data of some selected African countries was studied using Bayesian Spatio-temporal analysis within a Bayesian framework. Inference was based on integrated nested Laplace approximation implemented using the R-INLA package in R. Various subsets of Spatio-temporal models were fitted, including those that accounted for boundary shared among countries. Results show that models with the Spatio-temporal interaction effect outperform models that did not take this effect into account, confirming findings from existing literature. Findings from this study also revealed that the boundary shared among countries impacts greenhouse gas emissions. Countries that are less likely to have high greenhouse gas emissions but shared boundaries with those likely to have high estimates eventually had a high estimate of emissions over a long period. Controlling and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Africa should be a collective effort, particularly among countries sharing boundaries.
Increased expression of HMGB1 in the implantation phase endometrium is related to recurrent implantation failure
Authors: Han Mi , Cao Yi , Zhou Wenjie , Zhou Mingjuan , Zhou Xiaowei , Zhang Dan , Xu Bufang , Zhang Aijun
Published: July 2021

Impaired endometrial receptivity is the main cause of recurrent implantation failure (RIF), however, its underlying mechanism is unclear. In this study, we found that HMGB1 expression was significantly decreased in the implantation phase endometrium in the control group (patients with tubal infertility who successfully achieved conception after the first embryo transfer) (P = 0.006). However, the expression levels of HMGB1 mRNA and protein were significantly upregulated during the implantation phase in endometrial tissues obtained from patients with RIF compared to those in the control group (P = 0.001), consistent with the results of genome-wide expression profiling. Moreover, in vitro assays showed that increased expression of HMGB1 in human endometrial epithelial cells cause marked deficiency in supporting blastocysts and human embryonic JAR cell adhesion, mimicking the process of embryo adhesion. However, overexpression of HMGB1 had no effect on cell proliferation and in-vitro decidualization in a human endometrial stromal cell line (T-HESCs) and in primary human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs). These findings indicate that increased HMGB1 levels suppressed the adhesion capability of epithelial cells, contributing to impaired endometrial receptivity in patients with recurrent implantation failure. This characteristic can be used as a target for detecting and treating recurrent implantation failure in clinical practice.
Risk Factors of Trauma-induced Thrombotic Microangiopathy-like Syndrome: A Retrospective Analysis
Authors: lim kyoung hoon , Park Jinyoung , Cho Sung Hoon
Published: July 2021

Background: Patients with trauma may develop thrombocytopenia. We encountered cases wherein patients experienced symptoms resembling thrombotic microangiopathies (TMAs) following severe trauma. As the condition of these patients did not comply with the diagnostic criteria of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and there is no mention of trauma among the several causes of TMAs, it was termed as “trauma-induced thrombotic microangiopathy-like syndrome” (t-TMAS). In this study, we aimed to analyze risk factors that may affect the incidence of t-TMAS in patients with severe trauma. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in the trauma intensive care unit at the Kyungpook National University Hospital between January 2018 and December 2019. The medical records 1164 of the 1392 enrolled participants were analyzed. To assess risk factors of t-TMAS, we analyzed age, sex, mechanism of trauma, Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score, Injury Severity Score (ISS), hematologic examination, and red blood cell (RBC) volume transfused in 24 h. Results: Among 1164 patients, 20 (1.7%) were diagnosed with t-TMAS. The univariate analysis revealed higher age, ISS, and myoglobin, lactate, creatine kinase-myocardial band (on admission), creatine phosphokinase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and lactate (day 2) levels in the t-TMAS group than in the non-t-TMAS group. The RBC volume transfused in 24 h was higher in the t-TMAS group than in the non-t-TMAS group. t-TMAS was more common in patients with injuries in the chest, abdomen, and pelvis (AIS score ≥3) than in those with head injuries (AIS score ≥3) alone. The higher the sum of AIS scores of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis injuries, the higher the incidence of t-TMAS. Multivariate analysis revealed age, ISS, and LDH level (day 2) to be independent predictors of t-TMAS.Conclusions: Trauma surgeons should consider the possibility of t-TMAS if thrombocytopenia persists without any evidence of bleeding, particularly among older patients with multiple severe torso injuries who have high LDH levels on day 2. Early diagnosis and treatment of t-TMAS could improve patients’ prognosis.
Bioavailable Nickel and Zinc in Polluted Soil Alter the Growth of Non-pioneer Trees in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
Authors: Brandão Solange , Martins Geane , Siqueira Matheus C. , Campos Rafaela de O. A , Dalsin Ana C.F. , Rinaldi Mirian C. S. , Domingos Marisa
Published: July 2021

Background and aimsThe Brazilian Atlantic forest has been affected by the deposition of Ni and Zn, among other heavy metals adsorbed from atmospheric particles, which can be incorporated into the soil. If available in the soil, they can be absorbed by plant roots. The study aimed at testing experimentally the hypotheses: 1) Ni and Zn depositions increase their bioavailable fractions in the soil; 2) pioneer tree species demonstrate a greater potential to absorb Ni and Zn from the soil and less growth changes than non-pioneer species.MethodsThe experiment was carried out with six pioneer and non-pioneer species native to the Atlantic Forest, grown for 90 days in soil from an urban fragment of the Atlantic Forest, according to the treatments: soil with balanced fertilization (control) and soil enriched with Ni, Zn and Ni+Zn. At the end, the concentrations of Ni and Zn were determined in four soil fractions (F1: soluble; F2: linked oxides/hydroxides; F3: organic matter: F4: residual metals) and in leaves, stems/branches and roots. Mobility factors in soil, concentration ratios between treatments and respective controls, translocation index and relative growth rate in height, leaf number and total biomass were also calculated.ResultsThe results showed that Ni and Zn concentrations increased significantly in the bioavailable soil fractions (F1, F2). The absolute content of Ni and Zn in the plants directly reflected the soil level in the available forms.ConclusionsThe metal accumulation in the species occurred regardless of the successional group to which they belonged. Non-pioneer species showed greater susceptibility to the metals.
Freshwater transport from warm to cold ocean regions amplifying faster than all model estimates
Authors: Sohail Taimoor , Zika Jan , Irving Damien , Church John
Published: July 2021

Warming-induced global water cycle changes pose a significant challenge to global ecosystems and human society. The magnitude of historical water cycle change is uncertain due to a dearth of direct rainfall and evaporation observations, particularly over the ocean where 80% of global evaporation occurs. Air-sea fluxes of freshwater and river run-off imprint on ocean salinity at different temperatures, such that warmer regions tend to be saltier and cooler regions tend to be fresher. In this work, we track observed salinity trends in the warm, salty fraction of the ocean from 1970 to 2014, and infer the global poleward transport of freshwater over this period. Since 1970, 46 - 77 x10^12 m^3 of freshwater has been transported poleward from the warmest fraction of the ocean. No model in the current generation of climate models (the 6th Climate Model Intercomparison Project; CMIP6) replicates this transport, with the closest model underestimating transport by 2 - 4 times. We trace the climate model biases to a weaker than expected surface freshwater flux intensification, just 0 - 4% in CMIP6 models compared to an estimated 3 - 7.5% in observations.
Hypouricemic and Anti-oxidant Effects of Chrysanthemum indicum L. and Cornus officinalis In Vitro and In Vivo Models
Authors: Kim Ok-kyung , Yun Jeong Moon , Lee Minhee , Kim Dakyung , Lee Jeongmin
Published: July 2021

Background: Hyperuricemia, abnormally excess accumulation of uric acid, is caused by an imbalance between the production and excretion of uric acid and is a major cause of gout. We compared the effects of extracts from Chrysanthemum indicum L. (Ci) and Cornus officinalis Siebold & Zucc (Co) on hyperuricemia, both individually and in combination (FSU-CC), Methods: We used hypoxanthine-treated human liver cancer (HepG2) cells and primary mouse renal proximal tubule cells for in vitro model, and potassium oxonate-induced hyperuricemic mice for in vivo model.Results: We found that treatment of Ci, Co, and FSU-CC suppressed the activity of xanthine oxidase and mRNA expression of xanthine dehydrogenase, while inducing an increase in the expression levels of the organic anion transporter 1 and organic anion transporter 3 proteins and a decrease in the expression levels of glucose transporter 9 and urate transporter 1 proteins. Particularly, treatment and supplementation with FSU-CC showed stronger effects than those of supplementation with either Ci or Co alone. We observed that the excretion of creatinine and uric acid in the combination of Ci and Co was higher than that observed in their individual supplementations and was similar to that of the normal group.Conclusions: Therefore, our data suggest that a combination of Ci and Co may potentially be used for the development of effective natural anti-hyperuricemic functional foods.
Nonlinear triggering process of whistler-mode rising-tone emissions in a homogeneous magnetic field
Authors: Fujiwara Yuya , Nogi Takeshi , Omura Yoshiharu
Published: July 2021

We perform an electromagnetic particle simulation of triggered emissions in a uniform magnetic field for understanding of nonlinear wave-particle interaction in the vicinity of the magnetic equator. A finite length of a whistler-mode triggering wave packet with a constant frequency is injected by oscillating an external current at the equator. We find that the first subpacket of rising-tone triggered emissions is generated after termination of the injection of the triggering wave in the homogeneous magnetic field. By analyzing resonant currents and resonant electron dynamics in the simulation, we find that the formation of an electron hole in a velocity phase space forms resonant currents, and the currents cause wave amplification and frequency increase. As the very initial stage of the generation process, phase-bunching occurs at the wavefront of the triggering wave. The phase-bunching is caused by the rotation of electrons in the velocity phase space because of the gradient of the distribution function in the parallel velocity. The phase-bunched untrapped electrons are scattered to the loss cone giving energy to the electromagnetic waves, while the electrons in the low density region are trapped by the wave potential, forming an electron hole. The time scale of the initial formation process of the electron hole is related to the duration time of the triggering wave necessary for generation of triggered emissions. The duration time is determined by the interaction time. For the generation of triggered emissions, the interaction time is more than 1/4 of the nonlinear trapping period in the present simulation.