bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Occurrence and types of medication error and its associated factors in a reference teaching hospital in northeastern Iran: a retrospective study of medical records
Authors: Tabatabaee Seyed Saeed , Ghavami Vahid , Javan-Noughabi Javad , Kakemam Edris
Published: November 2022

Background

Medication errors are categorized among the most common medical errors that may lead to irreparable damages to patients and impose huge costs on the health system. A correct understanding of the prevalence of medication errors and the factors affecting their occurrence is indispensable to prevent such errors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and types of medication errors among nurses in a hospital in northeastern Iran.

Methods

The present descriptive-analytical research was conducted on 147 medical records of patients admitted to the Department of Internal Medicine at a hospital in northeastern Iran in 2019, selected by systematic sampling. The data were collected through a researcher-made checklist containing the demographic profiles of the nurses, the number of doctor's orders, the number of medication errors and the type of medication error, and were finally analyzed using STATA version 11 software at a significance level of 0.05.

Results

Based on the findings of this study, the mean prevalence of medication error per each medical case was 2.42. Giving non-prescription medicine (47.8%) was the highest and using the wrong form of the drug (3.9%) was the lowest medication error. In addition, there was no statistically significant relationship between medication error and the age, gender and marital status of nurses (p > 0.05), while the prevalence of medication error in corporate nurses was 1.76 times higher than that of nurses with permanent employment status (IRR = 1.76, p = 0.009). The prevalence of medication error in the morning shift (IRR = 0.65, p = 0.001) and evening shift (IRR = 0.69, p = 0.011) was significantly lower than that in the night shift.

Conclusion

Estimating the prevalence and types of medication errors and identified risk factors allows for more targeted interventions. According to the findings of the study, training nurses, adopting an evidence-based care approach and creating interaction and coordination between nurses and pharmacists in the hospital can play an effective role in reducing the medication error of nurses. However, further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to reduce the prevalence of medication errors.
Association between triglyceride glucose index and worsening heart failure in significant secondary mitral regurgitation following percutaneous coronary intervention
Authors: Huang Haozhang , Li Qiang , Liu Jiulin , Qiao Linfang , Chen Shiqun , Lai Wenguang , Kang Yu , Lu Xiaozhao , Zhou Yang , He Yibo , Chen Jiyan , Tan Ning , Liu Jin , Liu Yong
Published: November 2022

Background

The triglyceride glucose (TyG) index is an alternative to insulin resistance (IR) as an early indicator of worsening heart failure (HF). Patients with secondary mitral regurgitation (sMR) often experience progressive deterioration of cardiac function. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the TyG index and worsening of HF in significant sMR (grade  ≥ 2) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods

This study enrolled participants with significant sMR following PCI from a multicenter cohort study. The patients were divided into the following 3 groups according to tertiles of TyG index: T1, TyG ≤ 8.51; T2, TyG > 8.51 to ≤ 8.98; and T3, TyG > 8.98. The main clinical outcome was worsening HF including unplanned rehospitalization or unscheduled physician office/emergency department visit due to HF and unplanned mitral valve surgery.

Results

A total of 922 patients (mean ± SD age, 64.1 ± 11.0 years; 79.6% male) were enrolled. The incidence of worsening HF was 15.5% in T1, 15.7% in T2, and 26.4% in T3. In the multivariable model, the highest TyG tertile (T3 group) was more strongly correlated with worsening HF than the lowest tertile (T1 group) after adjusting for confounders (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.59–3.72; P < 0.001). The addition of TyG to risk factors such as N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide and clinical models improved the predictive ability of TyG for worsening HF.

Conclusions

Elevated preprocedural TyG index is a significant and independent risk factor for worsening HF in sMR following PCI that can be used for risk stratification.
Unsupervised machine learning based on clinical factors for the detection of coronary artery atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Jiang Yu , Yang Zhi-Gang , Wang Jin , Shi Rui , Han Pei-Lun , Qian Wen-Lei , Yan Wei-Feng , Li Yuan
Published: November 2022

Background

Coronary atherosclerosis can lead to serious cardiovascular events. In type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients, the effects of clinical factors on coronary atherosclerosis have not been fully elucidated. We used a clustering method to distinguish the population heterogeneity of T2DM and the differences in coronary atherosclerosis evaluated on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) among groups and to facilitate clinical management.

Methods

Clinical data from 1157 T2DM patients with coronary atherosclerosis who underwent CCTA in our hospital from January 2018 to September 2021 were retrospectively collected. The coronary artery segment plaque type and stenosis, the number of involved vessels, the segment involvement score (SIS) and the segment stenosis score (SSS) were evaluated and calculated. Unsupervised clustering analysis based on clinical information was used (cluster 1: n = 463; cluster 2: n = 341; cluster 3: n = 353). The association of coronary plaque characteristics with cluster groups was evaluated.

Results

The clinical data among the three groups were different in several aspects: (1) Cluster 1 had the least male patients (41.7%), the lowest proportion of patients with smoking (0%) or alcohol history (0.9%), and the lowest level of serum creatinine (74.46 ± 22.18 µmol/L); (2) Cluster 2 had the shortest duration of diabetes (7.90 ± 8.20 years) and was less likely to be treated with diabetes (42.2%) or statins (17.6%) and (3) Cluster 3 was the youngest (65.89 ± 10.15 years old) and had the highest proportion of male patients (96.6%), the highest proportion of patients with smoking (91.2%) and alcohol (59.8%) history, the highest level of eGFR (83.81 ± 19.06 ml/min/1.73m2), and the lowest level of HDL-C (1.07 ± 0.28 mmol/L).

The CCTA characteristics varied with different clusters: (1) Cluster 1 had the largest number of segments with calcified plaques (2.43 ± 2.46) and the least number of segments with mixed plaques (2.24 ± 2.59) and obstructive stenosis (0.98 ± 2.00); (2) Cluster 1 had the lowest proportion of patients with mixed plaques (68%) and obstructive stenosis (32.2%); (3) Cluster 3 had more segments with noncalcified plaques than cluster 1 (0.63 ± 1.02 vs 0.40 ± 0.78, P < 0.05) and the highest proportion of patients with noncalcified plaques (39.9%) and (4) There was no significant difference in the extent of coronary plaques among the three clusters.

Conclusions

The unsupervised clustering method could address T2DM patients with heterogeneous clinical indicators and identify groups with different types of coronary plaque and degrees of coronary stenosis. This method has the potential for patient stratification, which is essential for the clinical management of T2DM patients with coronary atherosclerosis.
The impacts of minimally invasive surgery on intermediate- or high-risk cervical cancer patients received adjuvant radiotherapy
Authors: Zhang Qiying , Liu Zi , Wang Yali , Zhang Jing , Li Wen , Wang Tao , Wang Juan , Shi Fan , Su Jin
Published: November 2022

Background

Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has been shown to reduce the risk of recurrence for patients with risk factors after radical hysterectomy (RH). Early initiated CRT could result in superior oncological outcomes. Here, we aimed to compare the survival outcome of intermediate- or high-risk cervical cancer (CC) patients who, received adjuvant CRT between minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and open surgery.

Methods

Data on stage IB1-IIA2 patients who underwent RH and postoperative CRT in our institution, from 2014 to 2017, were retrospectively collected. Patients with high or intermediate-risk factors who met the Sedlis criteria received sequential chemoradiation (SCRT). According to the surgical approaches, the enrolled patients were divided into MIS and open surgery groups. Then, the disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and prognostic factors were analyzed.

Results

Among 129 enrolled CC patients, 68 received open surgery and 61 received MIS. The median time interval from surgery to chemotherapy and to radiotherapy was shorter in the MIS group (7 days vs. 8 days, P=0.014; 28 days vs. 35, P<0.001). Three-year DFS and OS were similar in both groups (85.2% vs. 89.7%, P=0.274; 89.9% vs. 98.5%, P=0.499). Further, sub-analysis indicated that the DFS and OS in intermediate/high-risk groups had no significant difference. Cox-multivariate analyses found that tumor size >4 cm and time interval from surgery to radiotherapy beyond 7 weeks were adverse independent prognostic factors for DFS.

Conclusion

Based on the population we studied, for early-stage (IB1-IIA2) CC patients with intermediate- or high-risk factors who received postoperative SCRT, although the difference was not significant, the DFS and OS in the MIS group were slightly lower than the ORH group, and tumor size >4 cm and delayed adjuvant radiotherapy beyond 7 weeks were risk factors for recurrence.
Impact of good governance, economic growth and universal health coverage on COVID-19 infection and case fatality rates in Africa
Authors: Gebremichael Bereket , Hailu Alemayehu , Letebo Mekitew , Berhanesilassie Etsub , Shumetie Arega , Biadgilign Sibhatu
Published: November 2022

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted lives across all countries and communities. It significantly reduced the global economic output and dealt health systems across the world a serious blow. There is growing evidence showing the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it has on health systems, which should help to draw lessons for further consolidating and realizing universal health coverage (UHC) in all countries, complemented by more substantial government commitment and good governance, and continued full implementation of crucial policies and plans to avert COVID-19 and similar pandemic threats in the future. Therefore, the objective of the study was to assess the impact of good governance, economic growth and UHC on the COVID-19 infection rate and case fatality rate (CFR) among African countries.

Methods

We employed an analytical ecological study design to assess the association between COVID-19 CFR and infection rate as dependent variables, and governance, economic development and UHC as independent variables. We extracted data from publicly available databases (i.e., Worldometer, Worldwide Governance Indicators, Our World in Data and WHO Global Health Observatory Repository). We employed a multivariable linear regression model to examine the association between the dependent variables and the set of explanatory variables. STATA version 14 software was used for data analysis.

Results

All 54 African countries were covered by this study. The median observed COVID-19 CFR and infection rate were 1.65% and 233.46%, respectively. Results of multiple regression analysis for predicting COVID-19 infection rate indicated that COVID-19 government response stringency index (β = 0.038; 95% CI 0.001, 0.076; P = 0.046), per capita gross domestic product (GDP) (β = 0.514; 95% CI 0.158, 0.87; P = 0.006) and infectious disease components of UHC (β = 0.025; 95% CI 0.005, 0.045; P = 0.016) were associated with COVID-19 infection rates, while noncommunicable disease components of UHC (β = −0.064; 95% CI −0.114; −0.015; P = 0.012), prevalence of obesity among adults (β = 0.112; 95% CI 0.044; 0.18; P = 0.002) and per capita GDP (β = −0.918; 95% CI −1.583; −0.254; P = 0.008) were associated with COVID-19 CFR.

Conclusions

The findings indicate that good governance practices, favourable economic indicators and UHC have a bearing on COVID-19 infection rate and CFR. Effective health system response through a primary healthcare approach and progressively taking measures to grow their economy and increase funding to the health sector to mitigate the risk of similar future pandemics would require African countries to move towards UHC, improve governance practices and ensure economic growth in order to reduce the impact of pandemics on populations.
Human herpesvirus 7 encephalitis in an immunocompetent adult and a literature review
Authors: Li Yi , Qu Tianhao , Li Dandan , Jing Juanjuan , Deng Qiuming , Wan Xianyao
Published: November 2022

Background

Human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) is a common virus that infects children early and is accompanied by lifelong latency in cells, which is easy to reactivate in immunodeficient adults, but the underlying pathological mechanism is uncertain in immunocompetent adults without peculiar past medical history. Even though the clinical manifestation of the encephalitis caused by HHV-7 is uncommon in immunocompetent adults, the HHV-7 infection should not be neglected for encephalitis for unknown reasons.

Case presentation

We reported here a case of HHV-7 encephalitis with epileptic seizures. While the brain computer tomography was standard, electroencephalography displayed slow waves in the temporal and bilateral frontal areas, then HHV-7 DNA was detected in the metagenomic next-generation sequencing of cerebrospinal fluid. Fortunately, the patient recovered after treatment and was discharged 2 months later. We also collected the related cases and explored a better way to illuminate the underlying mechanism.

Conclusion

The case indicates clinicians should memorize HHV-7 as an unusual etiology of encephalitis to make an early diagnosis and therapy.
Epigenetic modification of miR-217 promotes intervertebral disc degeneration by targeting the FBXO21-ERK signalling pathway
Authors: Chen Zhonghui , Ming Jianghua , Liu Yajing , Hu Geliang , Liao Qi
Published: November 2022

Background

Numerous potential therapeutic alternatives for intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) have been investigated, the most promising of which are based on biological variables such as microRNAs (miRNAs). Therefore, we verified the hypothesis that miRNAs modulate IDD by affecting the FBXO21-ERK signalling pathway.

Methods

Microarray and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT–qPCR) tests were used to examine the expression profiles of miRNAs in nucleus pulposus (NP) cells between patients with IDD and controls. Western blotting and luciferase reporter assays were used to identify the miRNA targets.

Results

Microarray and RT–qPCR assays confirmed that the expression level of miR-217 was significantly decreased in degenerative NP cells. CpG islands were predicted in the miR-217 promoter region. The IDD group had considerably higher methylation than the control group. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments revealed that miR-217 mimics inhibited apoptosis and extracellular matrix (ECM) breakdown in NP cells. Bioinformatic analyses and luciferase assays were used to determine the connection between miR-217 and FBXO21. In vitro tests revealed that miR-217 mimics inhibited the expression of FBXO21, pERK, MMP13, and ADAMTS5 proteins, successfully protecting the ECM from degradation. Additionally, in vivo investigation using the IDD mouse model demonstrated that the miR-217 agonist may sufficiently promote NP cell proliferation, decrease apoptosis, promote ECM synthesis, and suppress the expression of matrix-degrading enzymes in NP cells.

Conclusions

Overexpression of miR-217 inhibits IDD via FBXO21/ERK regulation.

Trial registration

This study was performed in strict accordance with the NIH guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals (NIH Publication No. 85-23 Rev. 1985) and was approved by the human research ethics committee of Wuhan University Renmin Hospital (Approval No. RMHREC-D-2020-391), and written informed consent was obtained from each participant.
Gantenerumab: an anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody with potential disease-modifying effects in early Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Bateman Randall J. , Cummings Jeffrey , Schobel Scott , Salloway Stephen , Vellas Bruno , Boada Mercè , Black Sandra E. , Blennow Kaj , Fontoura Paulo , Klein Gregory , Assunção Sheila Seleri , Smith Janice , Doody Rachelle S.
Published: November 2022

Background

This review describes the research and development process of gantenerumab, a fully human anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody in development to treat early symptomatic and asymptomatic Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies can substantially reverse amyloid plaque pathology and may modify the course of the disease by slowing or stopping its clinical progression. Several molecules targeting amyloid have failed in clinical development due to drug-related factors (e.g., treatment-limiting adverse events, low potency, poor brain penetration), study design/methodological issues (e.g., disease stage, lack of AD pathology confirmation), and other factors. The US Food and Drug Administration’s approval of aducanumab, an anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody as the first potential disease-modifying therapy for AD, signaled the value of more than 20 years of drug development, adding to the available therapies the first nominal success since cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine were approved.

Body

Here, we review over 2 decades of gantenerumab development in the context of scientific discoveries in the broader AD field. Key learnings from the field were incorporated into the gantenerumab phase 3 program, including confirmed amyloid positivity as an entry criterion, an enriched clinical trial population to ensure measurable clinical decline, data-driven exposure-response models to inform a safe and efficacious dosing regimen, and the use of several blood-based biomarkers. Subcutaneous formulation for more pragmatic implementation was prioritized as a key feature from the beginning of the gantenerumab development program.

Conclusion

The results from the gantenerumab phase 3 programs are expected by the end of 2022 and will add critical information to the collective knowledge on the search for effective AD treatments.
Traceability and quality assessment of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) logs: the TreeTrace_Douglas database
Authors: Longuetaud Fleur , Pot Guillaume , Mothe Frédéric , Barthelemy Alexis , Decelle Rémi , Delconte Florian , Ge Xihe , Guillaume Grégoire , Mancini Théo , Ravoajanahary Tojo , Butaud Jean-Claude , Collet Robert , Debled-Rennesson Isabelle , Marcon Bertrand , Ngo Phuc , Roux Benjamin , Viguier Joffrey
Published: November 2022

Key message

TheTreeTrace_Douglasdatabase includes images and measurements at several stages of the processing of Douglas fir logs, from sawmill logyard to machine grading and destructive testing of boards, and is suitable for research on quality assessment and traceability. A total of 52 long logs, 156 short logs, 208 wood discs, and 346 boards were analyzed. The image data includes RGB images of log ends and board ends, RGB images and CT slices of strips, and a set of images of the boards (RGB, laser, and X-rays) obtained with an industrial board grading machine. The measurements include wood density, growth ring widths, pith and board location in the logs, heartwood and sapwood areas, mechanical properties of each board obtained by vibratory and static testing, and visual grading of the boards. Dataset is available athttps://doi.org/10.15454/YUNEGLand associated metadata are available athttps://metadata-afs.nancy.inra.fr/geonetwork/srv/fre/catalog.search#/metadata/d9eef6e4-f195-41f4-b6c2-2ab46adc637e.
Convergence of second-order in time numerical discretizations for the evolution Navier-Stokes equations
Authors: Berselli Luigi C. , Spirito Stefano
Published: November 2022

We prove the convergence of certain second-order numerical methods to weak solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations satisfying, in addition, the local energy inequality, and therefore suitable in the sense of Scheffer and Caffarelli–Kohn–Nirenberg. More precisely, we treat the space-periodic case in three space dimensions and consider a full discretization in which the classical Crank–Nicolson method (θ-method with $\theta =1/2$
θ
=
1
/
2
) is used to discretize the time variable. In contrast, in the space variables, we consider finite elements. The convective term is discretized in several implicit, semi-implicit, and explicit ways. In particular, we focus on proving (possibly conditional) convergence of the discrete solutions toward weak solutions (satisfying a precise local energy balance) without extra regularity assumptions on the limit problem. We do not prove orders of convergence, but our analysis identifies some numerical schemes, providing alternate proofs of the existence of “physically relevant” solutions in three space dimensions.
The contribution of collaboration to the development of sustainable innovation in high-tech companies
Authors: Hindi Tali-Noy , Frenkel Amnon
Published: November 2022

This study proposes a method for examining the sustainability of collaborations using multivariate regression models. It demonstrates the use of the method by examining the effect of the collaboration strategies of high-technology companies on their product-development and financial performance. Data collected from 195 high-tech companies on internal R&D investments, investment in collaborations with external companies and organizations, and revenues generated from the resulting product development, were analyzed using multivariate regression models. The findings revealed that companies engaging in external collaborations increase their revenue by 3.95 times compared with firms that do not.
Temperature dependence of thermophysical properties of carbon/polyamide410 composite
Authors: Asfew Kasahun Niguse , Ivens Jan , Moens David
Published: November 2022

In this study, the temperature dependence of the carbon/polyamide 410 composite's heat capacity, thermal expansion, density, and thermal conductivity was investigated. The results demonstrated that the specific heat capacity of the C/PA410 composite increases with temperature, with major transitions observed at the glass transition (Tg) and melting (Tm) temperatures. Due to the presence of fibers, the CTE values in the fiber direction of C/PA410 specimens were one order of magnitude smaller than in the transverse direction. The density measurements reveal that as temperature rises, volume increases, causing density to decrease. The heat diffusivity of the C/PA410 composite was measured using the laser flash technique, which was then used to calculate thermal conductivity. The results show that the average thermal conductivity in the fiber direction increases linearly with temperature, while in the transverse direction it increases linearly with temperature up to 50 °C and then becomes constant between 50 °C and 100 °C.
Vashambadzi
Authors: Schoenbrun David
Published: November 2022

It is conventional to think that people other than Africans explored the continent we know today as Africa in a dynamic interplay with African interests. In responding, Africans’ understandings of their continent took shape, leaving African understandings of “home” fundamentally reactive. Afropolitanism shifts the subject to urbane and literate mobility, exploring how race, gender, and identity inform a lexicon of Africa created after the seventeenth century. This periodization centers individuals but cuts off earlier practices of cultured mobility largely because individuals are so difficult to find in Africa’s historical sources before the eighteenth century. Creative nonfiction, tethered to linguistic, archaeological, and oral textual evidence, returns to individuals creating geographical knowledge of African worlds and of Africa in the world. The story told here unfolds in fourteenth-century Southern Africa. Afropolitan writing may now sample deeper practices of cultured mobility than those generated by enslavement, capitalism, colonialism, and the Anthropocene.
Η Κοινή Πολιτική Άμυνας και Ασφάλειας (ΚΠΑΑ) και η συμβολή της στην προοπτική ένταξης των χωρών των Δυτικών Βαλκανίων στην ΕΕ
Authors: Φούκας Ιωάννης
Published: November 2022

Ο σκοπός για τον οποίο εκπονήθηκε η παρούσα διατριβή είναι για να καταδειχθεί η σχέση μεταξύ της Κοινής Πολιτικής Άμυνας και Ασφάλειας (ΚΠΑΑ) και της διεύρυνσης της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης (ΕΕ) στα Δυτικά Βαλκάνια. Συγκεκριμένα, η έρευνα που πραγματοποιήθηκε είχε ως προσανατολισμό την διαπίστωση μίας συγκεκριμένης σχέσης μεταξύ των δύο πολιτικών, η οποία εφόσον εντοπιστεί κατόπιν μπορεί να ταξινομηθεί ως προς τον τρόπο με τον οποίον η μία πολιτική αλληλοεπιδρά με την άλλη. Οι δύο βασικές υποθέσεις πάνω στις οποίες στηρίχθηκε η υπόθεση εργασίας της διατριβής είναι ότι η ΚΠΑΑ από τη Συνθήκη της Λισαβόνας και έπειτα αποκτά μεγαλύτερη θεσμική υπόσταση και πολιτική βαρύτητα εντός της ΕΕ, ενώ η πολιτική διεύρυνσης στα Δυτικά Βαλκάνια έχει βρεθεί σε τέλμα ειδικά μετά την τελευταία διεύρυνση της Κροατίας το 2013. Για τη διεξαγωγή της έρευνας ακολουθήθηκε μία συγκεκριμένη μεθοδολογία ποιοτικής ανάλυσης, η οποία αφορούσε αφενός στην χρήση της θεωρίας που περιγράφει την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση ως οντότητα, αφετέρου στην καταγραφή των εμπειρικών δεδομένων που προέρχονται κυρίως από τη μελέτη των θεσμικών κειμένων και των διατυπωμένων απόψεων – θέσεων επάνω στο ζήτημα της διατριβής. Συναφώς, πραγματοποιήθηκαν συνεντεύξεις με συγκεκριμένα πρόσωπα ώστε να διασαφηνιστούν τα σημεία εκείνα τα οποία η θεωρία δεν έδινε σαφείς αποφάνσεις όταν εξετάστηκαν τα εμπειρικά δεδομένα. Τα βασικά ερευνητικά ευρήματα της διατριβής είναι ότι η σχέση μεταξύ της ΚΠΑΑ και της ένταξης των Δυτικών Βαλκανίων στην ΕΕ διαμορφώνεται από την διαδικασία της πολιτικής ολοκλήρωσης της ΕΕ, και ότι για να υπάρχει δυνατότητα διεύρυνσης απαιτείται αλλαγή στη θεσμική δομή της ΕΕ για να αποφευχθεί ο ενδεχόμενος αρνητικός αντίκτυπος που θα είχε η διεύρυνση στα Δυτικά Βαλκάνια στην πολιτική ολοκλήρωση της ΕΕ. Επιπλέον, η έννοια της διαφοροποιημένης ολοκλήρωσης αποκτά νέα δυναμική όσο η διεύρυνση είναι ακόμα ενεργή ως πολιτική και όσο επιδιώκεται πολιτική ολοκλήρωση στον τομέα της άμυνας και της ασφάλειας.Τα παραπάνω δεν σημαίνουν ότι η επιδίωξη της ΕΕ για πολιτική ολοκλήρωση στον τομέα της άμυνας και της ασφάλειας αποτελεί εμπόδιο για την συνέχιση της πολιτικής διεύρυνσης στα Δυτικά Βαλκάνια. Αντιθέτως, μέσα από την ανάλυση που πραγματοποιήθηκε διαπιστώθηκε ότι οι πρωτοβουλίες που έχουν αναληφθεί στο πλαίσιο της ΚΠΑΑ παρέχουν στην ΕΕ εργαλεία για τη διατήρηση της επιρροής της στην περιοχή των Δυτικών Βαλκανίων, ώστε να ενισχυθεί η μεταρρυθμιστική δυναμική στα υπόψη κράτη, κάτι το οποίο ενισχύει την πολιτική διεύρυνσης.
Τα ποιήματα του Ιωάννη Μαυρόποδος
Authors: Ντέντος Δήμος
Published: November 2022

Η παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή επιχειρεί την ανάδειξη του ποιητικού έργου μιας σημαντικής πνευματικής φυσιογνωμίας του 11ου αιώνα, του Ιωάννη Μαυρόποδα. Μέσα από την μελέτη θύραθεν και θρησκευτικών ποιημάτων ευρείας θεματολογίας (αυτοβιογραφικών, εγκωμιαστικών, επιτάφιων, επιγραμμάτων σε έργα τέχνης κ.ά.), πέρα από μια εικόνα για τα ιδιαίτερα χαρακτηριστικά γραφής του ποιητή, θα ανακύψουν ζητήματα που συσχετίζονται με το κοινωνικό και το πολιτισμικό κλίμα της εποχής που έζησε. Η διδακτορική διατριβή διαρθρώνεται σε τέσσερα μέρη. Στην εισαγωγή παρουσιάζονται πληροφορίες για τον βίο και το έργο του συγγραφέα, καθώς και για το ιστορικό, κοινωνικό και πολιτισμικό πλαίσιο της εποχής του. Ακολουθεί η κατάταξη των ποιημάτων σε ειδολογικές και θεματικές κατηγορίες, ενώ στο ίδιο τμήμα εκτίθενται ζητήματα σχετικά με τη γλώσσα, τη ρητορική, τις αφηγηματικές τεχνικές, τη μετρική και τη χειρόγραφη παράδοσή τους. Το δεύτερο μέρος πλαισιώνει η κριτική έκδοση συνοδευόμενη από τα υπομνήματα (κριτικό και υπόμνημα πηγών), καθώς και παράλληλη απόδοση των ποιημάτων στη νέα ελληνική. Το τρίτο μέρος περιλαμβάνει πολυεπίπεδο σχολιασμό (ιστορικό, φιλολογικό και προσωπογραφικό) των ποιημάτων, ενώ στο τελευταίο τμήμα παρατίθενται οι τέσσερις indices (Index nominum, Index verborum notabolium, Index locorum και Index initiorum carminum), καθώς και το παράρτημα εικόνων.
Demographical domains and clinico-radiological characteristics of study cohorts with spontaneous simultaneous multiple intracerebral hemorrhages in a tertiary neurosurgical center in Nepal: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Munakomi Sunil , Chaulagain Dipak
Published: November 2022

Background: Spontaneous simultaneous multiple intra-cerebral hemorrhages (SMICHs) and its occurrences in different territories of arterial disposition has been viewed as uncommon clinical occurrences, since the pathophysiological and predisposing factors as mechanisms aren’t vividly defined.

This research primarily aims for demographic stratification and dichotomization pertaining to risk factors, etiological classifications, anatomical distributions and outcome analysis by focusing on management strategies and pertinent stroke care.

Methods: 40 patients presenting to the College of Medical Sciences, Chitwan, Nepal in the last two years were included in the study. The patients with two or more spontaneous SMICHs with affected arterial territories with similar tomographic density based profiling were chosen as samples. Regression analysis was chosen to test three hypotheses.

Results: Among our study cohorts, cortical and cortical territory (60%) was the major anatomical patterns of involvement. A conservative approach was undertaken in nine patients (22.5%), whereas surgical intervention was needed in five others (12.5%). A total of 14(35%) patients leaving against medical advice and a further seven (17.5%) patients were referred for adjuvant oncologic care. Mortality was observed among five (12.5%) patients. Hypertension was seen as a significant variable in its pathogenesis. Male patients were more affected. Age groups comprising 36-45years and 56-65 years were involved in 32.5% and 30% of cases respectively.

Conclusion: This study proves the need for a national stroke data bank pertaining to spontaneous SMICHs. This will help foster effective patient education during preoperative counseling; as well as formatting a management algorithm combating them.
In vitro apical microleakage evaluation for different endodontic sealers by spectrophotometric analysis: an observational study
Authors: Sahib Mezaal Zahraa , Abdulkareem Shatha , G. Shareef Laith
Published: November 2022

Background: It has been established that several filling techniques can affect apical leakage, which is responsible for 59% of endodontic failures. The primary goal of endodontic therapy is to create a tight seal that aids in repairing the periapical tissues, prevents apical periodontitis, and shields against root canal infection. The study aims to compare the apical sealing ability of epoxy resin based sealer  (AH plus), which is an epoxy-resin-based root canal sealer, GuttaFlow 2, which is a silicone-based root canal sealer, GuttaFlow bioseal is a bioactive glass-based root canal sealer, TotalFill HiFlow bioceramic (BC) sealer is a silicate-based root canal sealer (bioceramic sealer) using a single cone technique by spectrophotometric analysis.

 Methods: This study chose 64 maxillary first molars with a straight palatal root. Following palatal roots sectioning to 11 mm from the root apex, the canals were instrumented up to size X4 using Protaper Next. They were separated into  four experimental groups (n = 15) per each group based on the kind of sealer utilized, Group I: AH plus, Group II: GuttaFlow 2, Group III: GuttaFlow bioseal, Group IV: TotalFill BC HiFlow, and two control groups (n =2 for each).  After completing obturation, the dye extraction technique was used to evaluate apical leakage. A spectrophotometer was used to measure the optical density of the solution after all the dyes were liberated from the interfacial regions.

Result: A statistically non-significant difference between the investigated root canal sealers in apical microleakage P > 0.05 was noted. The highest mean values were observed in group IV (0.08046), group I(0.07731), and group II(0.06209), while the lowest mean value in group III (0.05719)

Conclusions: All types of sealers used in this investigation showed various amounts of microleakage. None of the sealants could completely close the apical foramen to provide a fluid-tight seal.
PhenoApp: A mobile tool for plant phenotyping to record field and greenhouse observations
Authors: Röckel Franco , Schreiber Toni , Schüler Danuta , Braun Ulrike , Krukenberg Ina , Schwander Florian , Peil Andreas , Brandt Christine , Willner Evelin , Gransow Daniel , Scholz Uwe , Kecke Steffen , Maul Erika , Lange Matthias , Töpfer Reinhard
Published: November 2022

With the ongoing cost decrease of genotyping and sequencing technologies, accurate and fast phenotyping remains the bottleneck in the utilizing of plant genetic resources for breeding and breeding research. Although cost-efficient high-throughput phenotyping platforms are emerging for specific traits and/or species, manual phenotyping is still widely used and is a time- and money-consuming step. Approaches that improve data recording, processing or handling are pivotal steps towards the efficient use of genetic resources and are demanded by the research community. Therefore, we developed PhenoApp, an open-source Android app for tablets and smartphones to facilitate the digital recording of phenotypical data in the field and in greenhouses. It is a versatile tool that offers the possibility to fully customize the descriptors/scales for any possible scenario, also in accordance with international information standards such as MIAPPE (Minimum Information About a Plant Phenotyping Experiment) and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles. Furthermore, PhenoApp enables the use of pre-integrated ready-to-use BBCH (Biologische Bundesanstalt für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Bundessortenamt und CHemische Industrie) scales for apple, cereals, grapevine, maize, potato, rapeseed and rice. Additional BBCH scales can easily be added. The simple and adaptable structure of input and output files enables an easy data handling by either spreadsheet software or even the integration in the workflow of laboratory information management systems (LIMS). PhenoApp is therefore a decisive contribution to increase efficiency of digital data acquisition in genebank management but also contributes to breeding and breeding research by accelerating the labour intensive and time-consuming acquisition of phenotyping data.
Residents’ perception of tourism: a systematic review from 1978 to 2019
Authors: Scalabrini Elaine , Remoaldo Paula
Published: November 2022

Residents are crucial stakeholders in tourism development and their perceptions towards this activity have been studied since the 1970s. Since then, studies in this area have expanded considerably, including review papers. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate this evolution and to explore critically methodologies applied in studies about residents´ perceptions towards tourism between 1978 and 2019 and published in the ten most impactful tourism journals according to the Scimago Journal Ranking (2018). In a total of 260 papers, the main results showed that Tourism Management was the journal with the largest number of papers published. Most studies were quantitative in nature and atheoretical. The Social Exchange Theory has been the theory most frequently applied to date. The papers focused on residents´ perceptions, specifically in tourism destinations, natural areas, events and mega-events. New lines of research in future studies about this subject are suggested to provide new perspectives in this study area.
Measures in Euclidean Point-Free Geometry (an exploratory paper)
Authors: Barbieri Giuseppina , Gerla Giangiacomo
Published: November 2022

We face with the question of a suitable measure theory in Euclidean point-free geometry and we sketch out some possible solutions. The proposed measures, which are positive and invariant with respect to movements, are based on the notion of infinitesimal masses, i.e. masses whose associated supports form a sequence of finer and finer partitions.
La dimensión territorial de las asociaciones de migrantes en La Matanza (Argentina).
Authors: Matossian Brenda , Eleonora Melella Cecilia
Published: November 2022

Dentro de estudios en la intersección migraciónciudad se busca analizar la dimensión territorial de la presencia de asociaciones de migrantes desde estrategias cuantitativas y cualitativas aplicadas al municipio más poblado de la Región Metropolitana de Buenos Aires: La Matanza. Relevar y analizar la dimensión territorial de las asociaciones en su diversidad, tanto de orígenes como de funciones, resulta un eje poco explorado del estudio de la incorporación de la población migrante en la metrópolis. Lejos de constituirse como un mero factor descriptivo, el análisis territorial de las asociaciones de migrantes en La Matanza evidencia interesantes relaciones entre emplazamientos, desigualdades socio-territoriales y contextos históricos-estructurales en los que se gestaron las instituciones. Las asociaciones europeas se hallan en sectores más consolidados mientras que para las comunidades de países latinoamericanos las coyunturas resultaron ser marcadamente excluyentes accediendo a espacios marginales. Las diferencias de origen, antigüedad y capitales configuran jerarquías en las formas de territorialización de las asociaciones
La encuadernación de las Constituciones del Colegio de Santa María de Jesús de Sevilla. Notas codicológicas del volumen / The binding of the Constitutions of the Colegio de Santa María de Jesús in Seville. Codicological notes on the volume.
Authors: Abad Méndez Yolanda
Published: November 2022

El Archivo Histórico de la Universidad de Sevilla conserva el fondo del Colegio de Santa María de Jesús, institución fundada por Maese Rodrigo Fernández de Santaella, que dio origen a los estudios universitarios hispalenses. Se trata de documentación fechada entre 1518 y 1836. La mayor parte de las unidades documentales se encuentran encuadernadas y presentan cubiertas originales en pergamino flexible que pueden datarse entre los siglos XVI y XVIII. Ello permite analizar la evolución de las estructuras, los elementos y los materiales constituyendo una fuente muy importante de información. Junto a esto es posible asimismo rastrear los gastos efectuados en encuadernaciones, dentro de los libros contables que forman parte del fondo. Precisamente el apunte realizado sobre el gasto en la encuadernación de las Constituciones del Colegio centra el objeto de este artículo.
The Spanish cortes in the making. Counset, consent and deliberation at royal assemblies in the twelfth century / Las cortes hispánicas en gestación. Consejo, consentimiento y deliberación en asambleas monárquicas en el siglo XII
Authors: Cerda Costabal José Manuel
Published: November 2022

La mayoría de los estudios sobre los orígenes del parlamento en los reinos hispánicos se han enfocado en los cambios sociales de la composición de estas asambleas monárquicas, especialmente desde el siglo XIII. Este trabajo, en cambio, analiza el consejo, asentimiento y deliberación que se dio en estas grandes reuniones de reyes y nobles en el siglo XII, para sostener que este fenómeno comprende un proceso que es clave para entender el desarrollo de las cortes a partir de las curias plenas.
Robustness of Proactive Intensive Care Unit Transfer Policies
Authors: Grand-Clément Julien , Chan Carri W. , Goyal Vineet , Escobar Gabriel
Published: November 2022

Patients whose transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) is unplanned are prone to higher mortality rates. In “Robustness of Proactive Intensive Care Unit Transfer Policies,” the authors study the problem of finding robust patient transfer policies to the ICU, which account for uncertainty in statistical estimates because of data limitations when optimizing to improve overall patient care. Under general assumptions, it is shown that an optimal transfer policy has a threshold structure. A robust policy also has a threshold structure, and it is more aggressive in transferring patients than the optimal nominal policy, which does not consider parameter uncertainty. The sensitivity of various hospital metrics to small changes in the parameters is highlighted using a data set of close to 300,000 hospitalizations at 21 Kaiser Permanente Northern California hospitals. This work provides useful insights into the impact of parameter uncertainty on deriving simple policies for proactive ICU transfer that have strong empirical performance and theoretical guarantees.
Continuing the course
Authors: Hylton Preetee
Published: November 2022

Preetee Hylton takes us through the second stage of her oral health education journey.
Microtensile Bond Strength of Total-Etch and Self-Etch Universal Adhesives Containing 10-MDP: A Systematic Review
Authors: Ismail I. Hisham , Razak N.A. Abdul , Ramzi N.D. Mohd , Yusof M.Y.P. Mohd
Published: November 2022

A systematic review was performed to compare the human dentin microtensile bond strength of universal adhesives with 10-MDP when used as total-etch and self-etch strategies. Literature search was done on October 2019 without limitations on the language of publication, in four databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCO. Additional manual search was done for the grey literature articles: OpenGrey and OpenThesis. Studies that evaluated the dentin bond strength of universal adhesives with 10-MDP using total-etch and self-etch strategy from the year 2000 up till October 2019 were included. The initial search resulted in 5121 references: 2234 from PubMed, 1814 from Scopus, 516 from Web of Science, 553 from EBSCO and 4 from OpenThesis. After full text analysis, 30 references were included in this systematic review. Seven different universal adhesives with 10-MDP were evaluated for dentin microtensile bond strength comparing total-etch and self-etch strategies: Single Bond Universal/Scotchbond Universal (3M ESPE), All Bond Universal (Bisco), Clearfil Universal Bond (Kuraray), G-Premio Bond (GC Corp), Tetric Bond Universal (Ivoclar Vivadent), Ambar Universal (FGM) and One Coat 7 Universal (Coltene). The total-etch strategy improved the dentine microtensile bond strength compared to self-etch strategy for all universal adhesives when stored in all three conditions: 24h, thermocycling and long-term immersion according to ISO (TS 11405:2015(E)). The evidence suggests that microtensile bond strength of universal adhesives containing 10-MDP may be improved utilizing total-etch strategy compared to self-etch strategy. This study provides valuable information on the importance of appropriate dentin adhesives strategy that affect success rate of restorations, which helps clinicians to make informed decisions on the strategy to be used during restorations in practice.
Polarization effects on the fluorescence emission of zebrafish neurons using light-sheet microscopy
Authors: Ye Hong , Xu Xin , Wang Jixiang , Wang Jing , He Yi , Mu Yu , Shi Guohua
Published: November 2022

Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) makes use of a thin plane of
light to optically section and image transparent tissues or organisms
in vivo, which has the advantages of fast imaging
speed and low phototoxicity. In this paper, we have employed
light-sheet microscopy to investigate the polarization effects on
fluorescence emission of zebrafish neurons via modifying the electric
oscillation orientation of the excitation light. The intensity of the
fluorescence emission from the excited zebrafish larvae follows a
cosine square function with respect to the polarization state of the
excitation light and reveals a 40% higher fluorescence emission
when the polarization orientation is orthogonal to the illumination
and detection axes. Through registration and subtraction of
fluorescence images under different polarization states, we have
demonstrated that most of the enhanced fluorescence signals are from
the neuronal cells rather than the extracellular substance. This
provides us a way to distinguish the cell boundaries and observe the
organism structures with improved contrast and resolution.
Analytical ray tracing based on Hamilton principal function and conjugate variable pairs
Authors: Liu Wanguo , Ren Yinshuan , Liu Fenghua
Published: November 2022

A transformation method based on optical Hamilton equations is proposed for 3D ray tracing in axially inhomogeneous gradient-index (GRIN) media with cylindrical symmetry. For a given GRIN field, the optical conjugate variable pairs of physical space can be transformed into a virtual space by applying canonical transformation. The virtual trace can be simply solved as a uniform expression regardless of what the GRIN field is, and one can inversely transform it into the physical space. The transformation is intimately related to a Hamilton principal function, called the

S

function, which simultaneously gives the real ray trace and its conjugate. The “conjugate trace” displays the direction cosines of the ray trace and thus shows the information about propagation direction at every point, and it can be independently derived from the

S

function without knowing the real trace. In addition, as two special dimension-reduction cases, the

S

function is also applicable for 2D structures with only axial inhomogeneity or cylindrical symmetry.
Cascading of all-optical logic gates based on semiconductor laser phase-locking
Authors: Volkova Elena , Chipouline Arkadi
Published: November 2022

Optical information processing is an essential part of contemporary photonics, and it remains a challenge for researchers around the world. The presented work investigates numerically a maximum number of all-optical logic gates in a cascade. The functionality of the all-optical logic gate is based on the injection locking technique with semiconductor lasers. The possibility of cascading a sequence of AND and OR gates, providing a high-quality final signal, is demonstrated for a planar vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser using the traditional Lang–Kobayashi model. It is shown that the maximum number of cascaded gates is limited to three for repetition rates less than 1 Gbit/s.
Predicting strongly localized resonant modes of light in disordered arrays of dielectric scatterers: a machine learning approach
Authors: Ali Mohammad , Haque A. K. M. Naziul , Sadik Nafis , Ahmed Tashfiq , Baten Md Zunaid
Published: November 2022

In this work, we predict the most strongly confined resonant mode of light in strongly disordered systems of dielectric scatterers employing the data-driven approach of machine learning. For training, validation, and test purposes of the proposed regression architecture-based deep neural network (DNN), a dataset containing resonant characteristics of light in 8,400 random arrays of dielectric scatterers is generated employing finite difference time domain (FDTD) analysis technique. To enhance the convergence and accuracy of the overall model, an auto-encoder is utilized as the weight initializer of the regression model, which contains three convolutional layers and three fully connected layers. Given the refractive index profile of the disordered system, the trained model can instantaneously predict the Anderson localized resonant wavelength of light with a minimum error of 0.0037%. A correlation coefficient of 0.95 or higher is obtained between the FDTD simulation results and DNN predictions. Such a high level of accuracy is maintained in inhomogeneous disordered media containing Gaussian distribution of diameter of the scattering particles. Moreover, the prediction scheme is found to be robust against any combination of diameters and fill factors of the disordered medium. The proposed model thereby leverages the benefits of machine learning for predicting the complex behavior of light in strongly disordered systems.